OPEN THREAD on the big day in the UK.
Comment away. No trolls or Boris supporters please.
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Open Thread on the UK elections and anything else you want to talk about
We Hunted The MammothWe Hunted The MammothOPEN THREAD on the big day in the UK.
Comment away. No trolls or Boris supporters please.
I recall Insurge intel guy with some research showing Cons & Ukip shared key funders – I suspect something similar with Brexit party – I reckon we might see this strategy repeated over & over unless there is a sanctioned Blairite style of Labour – seems to be fracture between EU & US/UK elite as EU has begun to assert itself
Well, some good news- Scheer (Conservative leader in Canada) just quit. Hopefully there will be a big fight between the Alberta far-rightists (anti-abortion, anti-gay) and the more centrist Tories in the rest of the country.
As for Jolly Old, we can expect hard Brexit followed by years of whinging anytime the EU selfishly puts its own interests ahead of the UK’s, blaming them for anything that goes wrong..
@weirwoodtreehugger: chief manatee
Might the possibility also be she has a tumour on her brain?
I don’t mean to cause alarm, and I’m not sure how common it is but i have heard some tumours can cause hallucinations.
Is she seeing bad things or good things?
Like loved ones that have passed or demonic looking creatures?
Haven’t got much oomph for a proper conversation :-s but just wanted to note – Corbyb campaigned for Remain. I was present at two of the London rallies myself where he argued that Remain was the better option; even people in the Labour Party who never liked him, such as Angela Eagle, acknowledged that he campaigned very vigorously for Remain.
This has been almost entirely obscured by the focus on how he (not unreasonably) said pretty much throughout his career that there were issues with the EU he’d argue to change/things about it he’d always criticise.
Oh well. We’re going to need all the resilience we can get for a while now, eh :-s
Commiserations shared with you all!
@Amy E, yes the press onslaught has been overwhelming and unremitting – the total disregard for actual honesty and factual accuracy is pretty frightening lately; in some ways the fact that this behaviour is increasingly normalised is the worst thing to come out of all this!
Thanks so much David for putting up the thread.
Really thinking of everyone around this UK result and all the other issues that folk are sharing above. It’s all a lot to deal with and I really appreciate seeing the kindness in here.
I’m a Scot and feel doubly gutted, sad and angry about the results as I was really hoping and praying for the constituency where I live to be taken away from the Tories. But no.
This constituency was enlarged 15 years ago by the Tories to help keep them in, and they have still held it despite changes elsewhere in Scotland.
I’m not for the Independence of Scotland as I agree with you @ Citizen Justin, that it would be damaging in so many ways. Even with the toxicity having arisen with this election and Brexit, I would rather not see us leaving.
Anyways, not gonna be disheartened in the long-term, even though I am pretty down right now. Not commented here much as, despite being a lover of the site, I have been pretty mega busy with work demands to be able to share – I would like to more though!
Thanks all
@Moggie
The scary part is that the fans seem very supportive, and he could probably win. As usual, the Constitution is being regarded as a mere suggestion and not law.
I didn’t watch Huckabee last night, but from the tweet his argument is that Democrats “took away” the term. That’s BS, and even if it were true it wouldn’t be ground for a third term. Otherwise Obama deserves at least 6 more years.
@Moggie
that pupper is very cute, but that birb, oh my god, I’d die for it
@wwth
no diagnosis would make it even harder on all of you; thinking of you and family, and pls feel free to update when/if you can
The next five years are going to be absolutely brutal.
Our democracy is dying. Boris threatened the free media for criticising him, and the Tory manifesto says they want to stop the courts holding them to account.
Our rights will be stripped away, and the poor EU citizens who made their homes here will be abused even more. Expect a massive spike in racism just like after the first brexit vote.
Sending hugs from the colonies. Hopes were high for this election and I think the worst part is that lefties everywhere let ourselves think this was going to be different.
I’ll admit to not being as up on UK politics as I am US and Canadian politics, but it just astonishes me that after 9 years of some of the most brutal Tory austerity I’ve heard of, the Tory leader being a walking punchline and the example of Donald goddamned Trump, that anybody in the UK walked into a voting booth and said “Hmm, that medical bankruptcy thing they have in the US sounds fun!” The only answer I have is a combination of “racism is just that powerful” and the UK media being just that goddamned corrupt that Tory voters didn’t know (or didn’t believe) that the NHS was on the chopping block.
Sure, Corbyn had his own problems within the Labour Party, but ever since the 2016 Brexit vote, it seems that the average Briton didn’t quite understand the stakes involved. I could say that about elections everywhere, given the low participation. But you can also see it in the way Brexit is treated as a lifestyle brand: self-righteous, “serious” nationalists versus bleeding-heart “libtards” letting in the brown hordes. After three years of that being the only topic in the world, you folks must be exhausted by it.
On the bright side, Scheer is out as Tory leader over here in Canada. At least the decent(ish) people win sometimes.
David:. While I would not say I am a Boris SUPPORTER, I did like a number of his movies, and his narration of The Grinch animated flick was CLASSIC!! I’m n… …
HUH? Not Boris KARLOFF, Boris JOHNSON???
Hmm, isn’t he the one who starred in “How To Sink The British Isles”???
On the bright side, serial political failure Nigel Farage failed to accomplish anything again. Apparently he’s keen to support Trump’s campaign for re-election… may his work there be as successful as UKIP and the Brexit Party.
wwth – When I read about your mom, I was guttted. MILbeast passed a week ago tomorrow and it all started in a similar fashion. I know you’re upset and what follows is our experience. If you think it may just upset you more, please skip it and accept my love and support and a suggestion to get your mom evaluated by a psychiatrist.
One of our mistakes was thinking MILbeast was suffering from Charles Bonnet syndrome (hallucinations in people with late in life blindness) at first, but it turned out to be something else, which was diagnosed as schizophrenia and dementia.
Husbeast got her to a psychiatrist after two episodes (the first of which involved a fall and both of which resulted in stays at rehab facilities) and she was finally prescribed Geodon which helped, but I think the side effects did her in. Particularly the muscle weakness and loss of appetite.
Things were actually going okay until she started having breakthrough hallucinations and her dosage was increased. At that point, a lifelong swallowing issue got way worse (muscle weakness again) and she ended up in hospital with pneumonia from aspirating her food and then another stint in rehab. She was sent home (we moved her in with us after the second rehab stay) that time on hospice because she kept losing weight even though she was eating well on a pureed diet.
The hallucinations frightened her so much that she insisted on her meds even when she couldn’t eat anything else.
The hospice people were wonderful and caring and I’m very grateful for their help and moral support.
The BoJo clown show is ready for prime time. My heartfelt condolences to all my UK friends.
@Hambeast and @WWTH, all my best thoughts to you. I am so sorry you are dealing with these impossibly hard and heavy things. Hope you have support to help.
Wwtg,
I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. The state of mental health services in this country is dismal. About ten years ago my husband developed schizo-affective disorder (bipolar plus schizophrenic hallucinations and delusions). After being in and out of the mental ward 3 times (only for a week each; they could only keep him against his will for 5 business days at a time) we finally convinced a judge to have him committed. I thought he’d finally get the help he needed and have sufficient time to stabilize on medications. The very next day he was released from the hospital on “trial visit.” It was basically like being released on probation. He wasn’t permitted to use illicit drugs or weapons or leave the county and he was supposed to see a therapist regularly. But the enforcement left entirely on my shoulders. Needless to say, he promptly discontinued his medication. He became convinced ppl were out to kill him and he didn’t want me and the kids to be harmed as collateral. So he ran away. We heard nothing from him until two months later when his body was found washed up in a log jam in the McKenzie River.
So I understand how utterly scary and frustrating it is to be so helpless in getting help for those you love. I hope you are able to get her appropriate treatment. My thoughts are with you.
@Hambeast
I am so sorry for your loss and want to send you positive thoughts and positive energy. I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been but thank you for sharing it. I know it might be hard to think about it. I just want to send you as much compassionate thoughts as I can.
@wwth I’m so sorry you’re going through some truly rough stuff. I hope and pray that things turn out better and get a little more manageable. And I’m very sorry for your loss, @hambeast.
It feels like a dog pile of weighted stress just pressed down even harder after the UK election. It’s just… ugh, to me, it’s a frustrating cacophony of “WHY WHY WHY.” I don’t understand how pig-headed you have to be to support those clowns. I just. Don’t. Understand. And I’m really scared about what that means for everyone, both UK Citizens and just how these self-destructive election results are just… ripping through the world. I don’t know if I can handle another trump term, and if we’re really continuing down this fascist road, I don’t really know what my options are, for survival, for being a positive influence in the world around me. It’s disorienting, and I know I’m prone to catastrophizing so I try to keep these feelings in check, but. Boy. It’s hard.
Went to the cemetery today to say a last goodbye to my very good friend, Ethan. He died of a heart attack, strangely enough, as he was barely 50, in great shape and healthy as a horse. Heart disease runs in his family. Mine too, which is why I take statins and steer clear of red meat, sugar and hard alcohol. I could not get the day off to attend his funeral, I only visited him after it was over. The grave was still open, so I sprinkled some of that sacred dirt on his casket, sang a song I wrote once, and gave him an update on the rest of us. Ethan was one of the finest people you’d ever meet. He was this quiet but sweet man who made everything better and all he had to do was sit there. The last time I saw him was a week before when I went to his house to pick up a pair of shoes I had left there. He helped stuffing them into my backpack. Then, he wished me a safe trip home and a merry Christmas. I wished him the same, and that was the last things we said to each other. He’s in a better place now, we’re all sure of it. Rest in peace, Ethan. We’ll miss your kindness, helping hands and bone dry sense of humour. But only till we meet again ???
@Kara.
Just saw your comment in the Buddha-gigachad thread and replied there. Lots of active WHTM threads! Yay David for the blog!
WWTH, Hambeast:
Ugh, sounds not far off from what my spouse has been going through for the past few years. We can never get a diagnosis, and the only reason I can leave him alone while I go to work is that several alternate personalities have emerged, who take care of him.
The alters don’t have his symptoms, which is why I don’t think it’s neurological; they take it in turns to steer him or reassure him, but they get exhausted too, and they generally can’t handle talking to strangers (those who can talk at all). This is probably all tmi, but it helps a little to confide in somebody, and it’s less awkward to tell anonymous people on the internet.
@Teabug
I am so sorry for your loss and offer condolences…what you wrote was *so* beautifully written. Your friend sounds dear. Thank you for sharing him with us.
@Hambeast
So sorry for your loss.
@WWTH
So sorry about your mother.
@Moon Custafer
So sorry about your husband.
@Teabug
So sorry about your friend.
From “V for Vendetta”
I wish you all roses.
Or cats. Cats are good too.
@Sheila Crosby
That’s beautiful. I didn’t see that movie but you made me look it up and I should.
It also reminds me of the beauty of growing things and how that’s like the beauty of creating art. Both take care and attentiveness. I like thinking about that
So sorry for all of you experiencing loss right now. I have dealt with the very under-resourced US mental health system in recent years for one of my relatives. Very hard to get space for someone who is not an immediate danger to themselves or others.