It’s this kind of thing. A tram in Manchester.
A glorified opinion survey
Jun 27th, 2016 4:28 pm | By Ophelia BensonDavid Allen Green points out that the Brexit vote doesn’t automatically mean the UK will leave the EU. A referendum does not invoke Article 50. David Cameron did not invoke Article 50 on Friday. Green thinks that means it may never be invoked at all.
… Read the restThe referendum on EU membership was advisory not mandatory. It was deliberately drafted by Parliament not to have any legal consequences. (The last UK-wide referendum, on the AV voting system, did have such a binding provision, but this time Parliament chose not to include one).
As such, the result of the poll has no more legal standing than the result of a consultation exercise. It was a glorified opinion survey, and that is what Parliament
The v-word
Jun 27th, 2016 2:28 pm | By Ophelia BensonAnd now there’s this:
Kinder, gentler politics. pic.twitter.com/rb6wqMsuoi
— Lewis Parker (@LewisParkerUK) June 27, 2016
In the photo: two smiling bright and shiny young people pointing to someone wearing a Tshirt with the slogan
ERADICATE THE RIGHT WING BLAIRITE VERMIN
When was Jo Cox murdered? Ten days ago.… Read the rest
Guest post: Do a good turn daily
Jun 27th, 2016 11:58 am | By Ophelia BensonGuest post by Eliana Bookbinder.
At around 6 pm on Sunday June 26th, I was told that a hawk was down along the Moore Trail between Camp Marriott and Camp PMI, two of the camps on the Goshen Scout Reservation. I was off duty, but as head of the Marriott Ecology Area, I went to check on it and saw that it was not a hawk, but rather a juvenile bald eagle, hopping around on the ground covered in flies. The adult eagles were nowhere to be seen.
After about twenty minutes of texting and calls, Matt Anderson, the Director of Camp Marriott, told me just to leave the eagle there and that doing so was not a violation the … Read the rest
Rewriting the narrative
Jun 27th, 2016 11:02 am | By Ophelia BensonJael Goldfine at the National Women’s Law Center blog asks why it’s being treated as so disreputable to point out victimization.
While anti-victim sentiment has a long, ugly history in the American ethos, the last several years have been characterized by a new form of hostility towards victims. The idea that we are living in a “culture of victimhood” – which glorifies victimhood, encourages hypersensitivity, attention-seeking, and complaint – has become a mainstay within conservative thought, and the viral buzz-phrase has been wielded by liberal and conservative writers alike.
Yes. I’ve been watching that, with mixed feelings and thoughts. I often do see what the critics are getting at; there can be self-indulgent or self-obsessed versions, and … Read the rest
The fight is not over
Jun 27th, 2016 10:08 am | By Ophelia BensonCFI on the ruling in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt:
… Read the restA 2013 Texas law placed onerous and unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers, which would have forced the closing of all but a handful of the state’s clinics, cutting off abortion access to millions of women, particularly minorities and those of low income. The plaintiffs in this case argued that these restrictions impose an undue burden on women’s right to end a pregnancy. The Supreme Court today ruled against the state, preserving constitutionally protected abortion access for the women of Texas.
CFI filed an amicus brief with the Court in January, which was cosigned by dozens of prominent scientists and public intellectuals including Steven Pinker, Carol Tavris, Eugenie Scott,
An undue burden
Jun 27th, 2016 9:32 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Supreme Court has struck down Texas’s horrific anti-abortion law.
In a dramatic ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday threw out a Texas abortion access law in a victory to supporters of abortion rights who argued it would have shuttered all but a handful of clinics in the state.
The 5-3 ruling is the most significant decision from the Supreme Court on abortion in two decades and could serve to deter other states from passing so-called “clinic shutdown” laws.
And (I assume) it will also make it possible for clinics forced to close by the law to re-open.
… Read the restJustice Stephen Breyer wrote the majority opinion, which was joined in full by Kennedy. Breyer wrote that despite arguments that the
Guest post: Every last one of us here today is the descendant of “immigrants”
Jun 26th, 2016 5:48 pm | By Ophelia BensonOriginally a comment by Maureen Brian on Whether nationalism is really the fever and liberalism the normal condition.
Sorry, John, but you can’t understand the present without understanding how we got here. The British Archipelago is at the edge of a vast continent which stretches from Japan to the Atlantic coast of Europe. It has a temperate climate and is endowed with a variety of natural resources.
Therefore it is a place that people might want to get to. It is also a place where it would be inevitable that the natural movements of people would have to stop, regroup and develop the technologies to move further because no-one arrived here who was able to walk on water, let … Read the rest
It’s just a matter of a few decimal points
Jun 26th, 2016 5:15 pm | By Ophelia BensonTwo months ago, John Crace at the Guardian reported on a confrontation between a select committee and the campaign director of Vote Leave.
… Read the rest“Can you go back to your seat please?” asked Andrew Tyrie, chair of the Treasury select committee as Dominic Cummings hovered menacingly over his shoulder.
Cummings, Vote Leave’s campaign director, had no intention of going anywhere. Going back to his seat would be a victory for the cesspit of Brussels. Instead he stood over Tyrie, pointing at his phone.
“I’ve got another meeting at four, so I’ll have to be out of here before that,” Cummings insisted, sticking it to the Man.
“I don’t think you’ve got the hang of these proceedings,” Tyrie replied evenly. “We
“How did you vote?” said Pooh
Jun 26th, 2016 3:50 pm | By Ophelia BensonThere was this:
“How did you vote?” said Pooh.
“Leave,” said Piglet.
“I voted remain,” said Pooh.
“Are we still friends?” said Piglet.
“Yes…yes we’re still friends,” said Pooh.
“Good,” said Piglet. “Let’s go and get pissed.”
Jennie Stevenson tweaked it slightly.
… Read the rest“How did you vote?” said Pooh.
“Leave,” said Piglet.
“I voted remain,” said Pooh.
“Are we still friends?” said Piglet.
“Well to be honest, I’m not really sure” said Pooh, uncharacteristically thoughtfully. “It’s a complex issue and not really one that can be reduced to seven lines of text for the purposes of a rather twee meme.
“On the one hand, a belief in unity, that we’re stronger together, and that when we work as a team
Things fall apart
Jun 26th, 2016 11:14 am | By Ophelia BensonMeanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn sacked Hilary Benn in the middle of the night and many Labour MPs have quit the shadow cabinet in response, while the BBC is reporting that Corbyn sabotaged the Remain campaign.
Interesting times.
The latest update from the Guardian:
… Read the restWriting for the Guardian, Phil Wilson – the chair of the Labour in for Britain group – has called on Jeremy Corbyn to resign, claiming he sabotaged the party’s remain campaign.
[Corbyn] himself issued a note to all MPs on 17 September 2015 telling them that Labour would campaign to remain in the European Union. And yet he decided to go on holiday in the middle of the campaign. He did not visit the Labour
People chanting “Make Britain white again!”
Jun 26th, 2016 10:29 am | By Ophelia BensonThere’s a public Facebook album of screengrabs of xenophobic or racist bullying.
There is much, much more.… Read the rest
The word “vermin” appears
Jun 26th, 2016 10:05 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Guardian reports on the hideous fallout of the Brexit vote:
… Read the restPeople have been reporting incidents of racism believed to be fuelled by the result of the EU referendum, including alleged racist graffiti and cards reading “no more Polish vermin” posted through letterboxes.
Suspected racist graffiti was found on the front entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in Hammersmith, west London, early on Sunday morning.
…
The incident comes as Cambridgeshire police are investigating reports of racist laminated cards being distributed in Huntingdon on Friday in the hours after the leave result was announced.
According to reports from the Cambridge News, a number of cards saying “Leave the EU/No more Polish vermin” in both
Guest post: The last time this kind of nationalism was seen
Jun 26th, 2016 9:32 am | By Ophelia BensonGuest post by Pieter Droogendijk, originally on Facebook.
It’s a particular kind of person that calls for leaving the E.U, and congratulates the U.K. for doing so. Lots of labels have been used to describe them. Racists, bigots, isolationists, xenophobes, whatever. They may be some of those, or even most of those, but not one of them describes everyone.
But there is one label that describes them all:
Nationalist.
Every one of them thinks Britain is better on its own. ‘Cause fuck everyone else, right? We don’t need the krauts, or the poles, or those milk-drinking clog-fuckers in the Netherlands! Fuck Brussels, and fuck the E.U. We’re the best, ’cause Great is in the name, son!
Nationalism. And it’s … Read the rest
Stealth evangelists
Jun 25th, 2016 5:42 pm | By Ophelia BensonOh honestly.
These have been inserted in copies of Your Inner Fish in various bookstores. I seriously doubt the folks who inserted them actually bothered to read the book.
George Gallup forsooth! It so happens he was my uncle. He wasn’t a statistician, he was a psychologist. He hired people to do the statistics. If he said that silly thing then more fool he.
Some kids that are good kids
Jun 25th, 2016 4:57 pm | By Ophelia BensonWe’re told that (US) football builds character. Maybe it does for some, but for many it builds a taste for violence and a sense of entitlement, to put it politely.
Five high school football stars in Pennsylvania have been cited after allegedly beating numerous animals to death and posing with their bodies.
The five teens are facing fines for illegally killing wild animals and then posting a picture with their kills on Instagram, according to WNEP.
…
The five area football players posing with baseball bats and dead animals: a snake, raccoon, frogs, opossums, and pigeons.
Not cute. Not funny. Not … Read the rest
A poison chalice
Jun 25th, 2016 4:22 pm | By Ophelia BensonThis post by Tom Short has 32,504 shares on Facebook at the moment – by the time you look it will be more. Thoughtful friends of mine have shared it. It’s interesting.
… Read the restIf Boris Johnson looked downbeat yesterday, that is because he realises that he has lost.
Perhaps many Brexiters do not realise it yet, but they have actually lost, and it is all down to one man: David Cameron.
With one fell swoop yesterday at 9:15 am, Cameron effectively annulled the referendum result, and simultaneously destroyed the political careers of Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and leading Brexiters who cost him so much anguish, not to mention his premiership.
How?
Throughout the campaign, Cameron had repeatedly said that a
They knew it was a lie
Jun 25th, 2016 12:35 pm | By Ophelia BensonNick Cohen says pay attention to the lies.
… Read the restI am not going to be over-dainty about mendacity. Politicians, including Remain politicians lie, as do the rest of us. But not since Suez has the nation’s fate been decided by politicians who knowingly made a straight, shameless, incontrovertible lie the first plank of their campaign. Vote Leave assured the electorate it would reclaim a supposed £350m Brussels takes from us each week. They knew it was a lie. Between them, they promised to spend £111bn on the NHS, cuts to VAT and council tax, higher pensions, a better transport system and replacements for the EU subsidies to the arts, science, farmers and deprived regions. When boring experts said that, far
He used the word hell four or five times
Jun 25th, 2016 12:20 pm | By Ophelia BensonOh please.
Godbotherer says Trump has joined the godbotherers. Suuuuuure he has – and totally sincerely, too. It’s just a coincidence that he’s managed without god all these years until this moment when he’s running for president and oops whaddya know suddenly he starts dating Baby Jesus.
Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson said Tuesday that Donald Trump recently accepted Christ.
“I believe he really made a commitment,” said the highly influential evangelical leader. “But he’s a baby Christian. We all need to be praying for him, especially if there’s a possibility of him being the next executive officer.”
“Dr” James Dobson is a highly influential patriarchal theocrat.
… Read the restAsked what he thought about the meeting, Dobson described
Whether nationalism is really the fever and liberalism the normal condition
Jun 25th, 2016 11:29 am | By Ophelia BensonBenjamin Wallace-Wells at the New Yorker raises the possibility that has me clutching the blankets in fear.
… Read the restThe question this ultimately raises is whether nationalism is really the fever and liberalism the normal condition, or whether it might be the other way around. In France, Nicolas Sarkozy’s party of the center-right and Marine Le Pen’s party of the nationalist far-right are leading early polling for next year’s Presidential election, with the parties of the left and center-left trailing well behind. In the U.K., the majority of voters now appear to be more nationalist than David Cameron’s Tories were. The Tories have become Boris Johnson’s party, and even further to the right there is the ascendant United Kingdom Independence Party. The