Could a Tunisia Type Event Happen In Your Country?
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Topic: Could a Tunisia Type Event Happen In Your Country?Posted By: RoyFairbank
Subject: Could a Tunisia Type Event Happen In Your Country?
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 20:36
Could barely fit what I wanted
So I supplied two soft answers and two hard answers, rather than just yes or no.
Replies: Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 20:41
There are not many people from the vulnerable developing countries on PA. We have some PA members from Iran, which already had a strong civil unrest at the last elections. But I don't know anyone here from Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, etc. We have trackstoni from Jordan if I'm not wrong (hope he's well).
BTW here's a Google map of the unrest around the world (the fire and policemen icons; the cash icons are about financial problems that might lead to unrest):
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 20:43
aren't Tunisia type events what shape the world? From what I've read, good for them, BenAli sounds like a real loser
Posted By: RoyFairbank
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 20:50
harmonium.ro wrote:
There are not many people from the vulnerable developing countries on PA. We have some PA members from Iran, which already had a strong civil unrest at the last elections. But I don't know anyone here from Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, etc. We have trackstoni from Jordan if I'm not wrong (hope he's well).
BTW here's a Google map of the unrest around the world (the fire and policemen icons; the cash icons are about financial problems that might lead to unrest):
Your map is very good, thanks. It is a very useful tool. As the map shows, there are a lot of countries which are experiencing at least some unrest. The map also notes that places where no unrest is seen still have inflationary triggers, including the United States and Europe. There are still some people alive here in the USA from the massive unrest of the 1930s, which forced the government to adopt much of the long-term aspects of the New Deal policy.
In Europe, however, there is a large degree of unrest at this moment. It remains to be seen whether this will happen in the USA or deepen at all in Europe. The role of Tunisia and related events in the Third World in adding to this atmosphere remains to be seen.
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 20:56
Nah, my country is one of the rocks of political and social stability.
It is intriguing since economic woes tend be a big key for unrest. The US is currently in an interesting political state as well, BUT...looking at history:
I am 99.9% positive the answer is no.
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 21:34
It could happen. Hyperinflation tends to cause people to react like that.
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 21:38
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
It could happen. Hyperinflation tends to cause people to react like that.
Naturally, but I just don't see it. Great Depression, the early 90's recession with Perot as a viable candidate. (Very different I know.....) US has always just muddled through crises. In fact radicalism kinda died during the depression! Although the extreme anti-guvment sentiment floating around makes things interesting.
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 21:40
I only said could, but a complete loss of faith in the currency would be worse than we saw in the depression.
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 21:48
Yes sir
Also I'm totally not planning my own revolution
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 21:51
Yeah
Do the evolution
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 22:02
Alex wanna stage the global revolution?
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 22:13
Nah thanks, I've been in a "revolutionized" country once. I'm an extremist centrist, actually.
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 22:15
extreme centrist!
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 22:15
Yeah, I'd kill for stability and good understanding
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 22:54
ah yes, the Fascist Moderate ..brilliant
Posted By: RoyFairbank
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 23:14
harmonium.ro wrote:
Nah thanks, I've been in a "revolutionized" country once. I'm an extremist centrist, actually.
Lol.
I think also that the sort of attitude which is instilled on us in the west (and has been for a long time)- for instance that the Soviet Union was socialism and that it represented the failure of all alternatives to capitalism - will necessarily be complicated by the 1) the non-existence of the boogie man for twenty plus years now already 2) the death of people who lived in good economic times under capitalism vis-a-vis the aforementioned boogie man.
In other words people of the future will have a hard time being persuaded by all those old badly written cold war books from the 20th century, especially when it comes to the part where capitalism is supposed to be always on the up and up.
People don't listen to books, they listen to experiences, so they will make up their own rules when it comes to what social system they want (look at Tunisia and Egypt, with no program or leadership!
I would be very interested to see if the economic position of the US also impacts our traditional aloofness....... its hard to picture, that's for sure.
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: January 27 2011 at 23:38
RoyFairbank wrote:
I would be very interested to see if the economic position of the US also impacts our traditional aloofness....... its hard to picture, that's for sure.
Extremely hard. But hey, time will tell right?
I really don't want to start any political debates (don't we have enough threads for that) but if anything was to result in America, it's probably going to be along the lines of what we are currently seeing on the news. Unfortunately IMO.
If there was unrest in the US I would like to see it result in a social democratic type system...but talk about hard to picture!
Posted By: The T
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 00:23
My country of origin, Ecuador, is quite adept at doing this. We had once 10 presidents in 10 years, just before the current socialist one brought stability with his near unlimited power. I was there when three presidents were ousted through popular revolt, always with the support, or lack of resistance, of the armed forces.
In my adoptive country, the US, I don't see this happening. It's just too big a country. If such an extreme crisis arised when political chaos would ensue, I guess the country would fragment and disappear as a union.
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 02:25
I go for option #2: it seems too unlikely to me that such a thing will happen here in the next 10 years.
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Posted By: Passionist
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 02:57
I'd say nr. 2 with a 100%. Last time we had a demonstradtion here in Finland there was 50 people tops against something as important as fat free milk or something of the kind. People seem extremely consistent and leave the complaining ti the media. We had our post WW2 civil war, but that's way back.
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 06:05
Nah, the people who abuse power are fairly well protected. I see in the news that things are starting to happen in Egypt and Yemen...
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 07:02
Highly unlikely in the UK I would say.
Protests and riots yes, but actual revolution? No way. Things could get ugly if we go double dip, or get into a hyper-inflation situation, I guess, but Tunisia style? No. I very much doubt it.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: CPicard
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 07:07
In MY country, France? No, for one reason: one can disagree with Sarkozy's politics (and I do), but France isn't a dictatorship led by the same leader and his party (clique?) for more than 20 years.
I won't be surprised if the Belarus tried to get rid of his dictator; I'm not surprised about the uprisings in Algeria; but I don't see why it would happen in the USA, in Canada and most of the Western Europe (UK being an exception). In France, after all, we will have elections in 2012 and I doubt that Sarkozy will turn crazy and declare himself lifetime imperator just like Napoleon II made in 1851!
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 07:10
CPicard wrote:
In MY country, France? No, for one reason: one can disagree with Sarkozy's politics (and I do), but France isn't a dictatorship led by the same leader and his party (clique?) for more than 20 years.I won't be surprised if the Belarus tried to get rid of his dictator; I'm not surprised about the uprisings in Algeria; but I don't see why it would happen in the USA, in Canada and most of the Western Europe (UK being an exception). In France, after all, we will have elections in 2012 and I doubt that Sarkozy will turn crazy and declare himself lifetime imperator just like Napoleon II made in 1851!
Why do you think the UK is an exception?
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: toroddfuglesteg
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 07:21
The Brits learned the lessons of uprising the hard way through their experiement with Oliver Cromwell and his terror regime. People in this country has long, vivid memories. Hence, this country is immune against another uprising.
There will be some demos and some harsh words and that's it.
Posted By: clarke2001
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 07:25
Someone once said: the distance between a stable country and riots is...three meals.
Posted By: CPicard
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 07:25
Blacksword wrote:
CPicard wrote:
In MY country, France? No, for one reason: one can disagree with Sarkozy's politics (and I do), but France isn't a dictatorship led by the same leader and his party (clique?) for more than 20 years.I won't be surprised if the Belarus tried to get rid of his dictator; I'm not surprised about the uprisings in Algeria; but I don't see why it would happen in the USA, in Canada and most of the Western Europe (UK being an exception). In France, after all, we will have elections in 2012 and I doubt that Sarkozy will turn crazy and declare himself lifetime imperator just like Napoleon II made in 1851!
Why do you think the UK is an exception?
The last events (the riot of the students) makes me think that UK could experiment a harsher way of demonstrating than any other West European country: from what I see in news reports, in fictions, etc., it seems to me that the UK society is less equalitarian than, let's say, the Spanish society, the German society or even the French society.
Of course, watching fictions is not the best way to learn about the society, but I'm always amazed to see the Inspector Barnaby dealing with aristocrats "reigning" over small country towns! I would also be interested in the evolution of mentalities in UK about the republican idea: is still a small, tiny minority which demands the end of monarchy?
But, after all, it's still Greece which looks as the country the most canny to "enjoy" political and economical turmoil. When you hear that a 15-year-old teenager died in a riot, you can't wait but big, big, BIG troubles in Greece.
And now, for something different, how will things turn in Belgium? Will Benoit Poelvoorde be able to pass a casting for ZZ Top?
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 28 2011 at 07:49
CPicard wrote:
Blacksword wrote:
CPicard wrote:
In MY country, France? No, for one reason: one can disagree with Sarkozy's politics (and I do), but France isn't a dictatorship led by the same leader and his party (clique?) for more than 20 years.I won't be surprised if the Belarus tried to get rid of his dictator; I'm not surprised about the uprisings in Algeria; but I don't see why it would happen in the USA, in Canada and most of the Western Europe (UK being an exception). In France, after all, we will have elections in 2012 and I doubt that Sarkozy will turn crazy and declare himself lifetime imperator just like Napoleon II made in 1851!
Why do you think the UK is an exception?
The last events (the riot of the students) makes me think that UK could experiment a harsher way of demonstrating than any other West European country: from what I see in news reports, in fictions, etc., it seems to me that the UK society is less equalitarian than, let's say, the Spanish society, the German society or even the French society. Of course, watching fictions is not the best way to learn about the society, but I'm always amazed to see the Inspector Barnaby dealing with aristocrats "reigning" over small country towns! I would also be interested in the evolution of mentalities in UK about the republican idea: is still a small, tiny minority which demands the end of monarchy? But, after all, it's still Greece which looks as the country the most canny to "enjoy" political and economical turmoil. When you hear that a 15-year-old teenager died in a riot, you can't wait but big, big, BIG troubles in Greece. And now, for something different, how will things turn in Belgium? Will Benoit Poelvoorde be able to pass a casting for ZZ Top?
I would say the riots we saw last year in Greece were on a par with our student protests, which turned into riots at the hands of those who turned up with other agendas.
Things will get fairly grim here I'm sure, but I've no reason to think public reaction will be any worse than any other European country. I think you're right in that we are less 'equal' than our European neighbours. There is certainly a bigger gap between the richest and poorest, and it's a gap that's been widening steadily over the years. Same in the US. Of course it all depends on who's stats you believe. I'm sure there are government stats that 'prove' the opposite.
I've seen no specific evidence that opposition to the monarchy is increasing, although in times of economic hardship it wouldn't surprise me to see that. We have one thing in common with the rest of the EU; we are broke.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 20:13
To say that what's happening in Egypt resembles the Romanian revolution is an understatement. Everybody I know is shivering with flashbacks right now.
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 20:19
If my country was Egypt, I'd probably go with yes.
Posted By: clarke2001
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 20:39
harmonium.ro wrote:
To say that what's happening in Egypt resembles the Romanian revolution is an understatement. Everybody I know is shivering with flashbacks right now.
Well Ceausescu's presidency lasted 15 years before people throw him down, Mubarak is in the president's office for 30 years. It's about time they put the sucker down!!! I'm wholeheartedly keeping fingers crossed for Egyptian people.
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 20:43
^ But Ceausescu's rule started a decade before he "crowned" himself president (an office he only innitiated). And there were over four decades of communism over-all that people were fighting.
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 20:49
Just read this: China has blocked all internet searches for "Egypt".
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 20:55
toroddfuglesteg wrote:
The Brits learned the lessons of uprising the hard way through their experiement with Oliver Cromwell and his terror regime. People in this country has long, vivid memories. Hence, this country is immune against another uprising.
There will be some demos and some harsh words and that's it.
Indeed, in one of my classes I believe he described the British political attitude as "muddling through" and they have a long history of stability.
No doubt the situation can grow tense, but I really don't see any chance of something really out there happening in the US, or Canada, or Europe (Western and Central). Seems like a lot of the "middle" countries of the world are the ones undergoing these process'. And wouldn't that make sense?
Posted By: CCVP
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 22:19
things can actually get pretty ugly when the people want to, but Lula os too good in the art of demagogy to let these things happen, plus things actually improved for > 50 million people. Actually better way of life + demagogy = >85% approval ratings, so no uprisings any time soon, lol.
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Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 22:29
JJLehto wrote:
toroddfuglesteg wrote:
The Brits learned the lessons of uprising the hard way through their experiement with Oliver Cromwell and his terror regime. People in this country has long, vivid memories. Hence, this country is immune against another uprising.
There will be some demos and some harsh words and that's it.
Indeed, in one of my classes I believe he described the British political attitude as "muddling through" and they have a long history of stability.
No doubt the situation can grow tense, but I really don't see any chance of something really out there happening in the US, or Canada, or Europe (Western and Central). Seems like a lot of the "middle" countries of the world are the ones undergoing these process'. And wouldn't that make sense?
Certainly not in the USA. They don't have a history of overthrowing their oppressive government.
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: clarke2001
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 22:42
harmonium.ro wrote:
^ But Ceausescu's rule started a decade before he "crowned" himself president (an office he only innitiated). And there were over four decades of communism over-all that people were fighting.
I'm not trivializing the suffering of Romanian people under the regime, or their struggles for democracy. I'm just saying it's high time a similar regime should be overthrown in Egypt (and in every dictatorship on the planet, for that matter).
Posted By: KoS
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 22:55
since the protests in Tunisia and Egypt are not based on self-centered ideals, no. And that goes for any developed country. In the developing world, yes.
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 23:02
Then what ideals are they based on?
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: KoS
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 23:06
I meant, they aren't like the UK rioting for what? a 10% or so tuition increase.
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 29 2011 at 23:11
Oh ok in that sense. Very true then
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 04:42
KoS wrote:
I meant, they aren't like the UK rioting for what? a 10% or so tuition increase.
It's 200%, not 10%.
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 04:54
BTW I just read that the cost of higher education in the US has risen with over 800% since 1980, while the over-all inflation since that year was just above 120%. If that doesn't look wrong to you, like a problem that needs to be solved, then I am sorry for you.
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 05:38
harmonium.ro wrote:
KoS wrote:
I meant, they aren't like the UK rioting for what? a 10% or so tuition increase.
It's 200%, not 10%.
Thankyou. You got there before me. 10% indeed, if only
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 09:51
harmonium.ro wrote:
BTW I just read that the cost of higher education in the US has risen with over 800% since 1980, while the over-all inflation since that year was just above 120%. If that doesn't look wrong to you, like a problem that needs to be solved, then I am sorry for you.
It does, but your solution seems to be that government should absorb the cost of tuition. Since government is responsible for the boom in cost and unable to control the cost of anything, I disagree.
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 10:05
harmonium.ro wrote:
BTW I just read that the cost of higher education in the US has risen with over 800% since 1980, while the over-all inflation since that year was just above 120%. If that doesn't look wrong to you, like a problem that needs to be solved, then I am sorry for you.
The real solution is don't go to uni and pay the inflated cost.
Posted By: omri
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 10:54
First of all Tracktony is from Lebanon and I realy hope he's O.K. with the mess going on there lately.
I would say it can happen in almost every country. The US has their black and hispanic people frastrated, France has their muslims and strong actions made against their culture, Austalia has a climate crises that can lead to anarchy etc. I guess Scandinavian countries are quite safe and the same for Canada. My own country has it's problems but people are so afraid here of their neighbours they neglect the fact they are screwed by their own government so I doubt this will happen here.
------------- omri
Posted By: hobocamp
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 11:06
In light of recent events in Egypt I would surmise that it could happen in any country with a significant population of disenfranchised people. The reaction of those in power lives on a knife-edge.
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 13:37
Things have got pretty bad in the UK in the past. In the 70's we were flat broke, borrowing from the IMF to keep afloat. To conserve energy costs we went down to a three day working week. There were mass strikes right across the public sector, and frequent power cuts. It could happen here again, although circumstances are different now. The point is, the kind of uprising we're seeing in Egypt, I couldn't ever imagine happening here. It didn't back then, so I've no reason to think it would happen now.
I expect we'll see widespread protest throughout 2011, but I don't think revolution is really our style.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 13:44
"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way..."
For the rest, it's rioting and looting.
kidding
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 13:52
Ronnie Pilgrim wrote:
<font ="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span ="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way..."</span>
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 14:10
No, it couldn't happen here, for the simple reason... THAT WE STILL DON'T HAVE A GOVERNMENT AFTER HUNDREDS OF DAYS OF NEGOTICIATING , so there's nothing to overthrow.
I'd wish we had SOMETHING to overthrow
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 14:28
clarke2001 wrote:
harmonium.ro wrote:
^ But Ceausescu's rule started a decade before he "crowned" himself president (an office he only innitiated). And there were over four decades of communism over-all that people were fighting.
I'm not trivializing the suffering of Romanian people under the regime, or their struggles for democracy. I'm just saying it's high time a similar regime should be overthrown in Egypt (and in every dictatorship on the planet, for that matter).
I wasn't implying that Moris, just making a pedantic correction. Romanians did fight against four decades of totalitarian regime (more than just an authoritarian one). BTW I noticed that the Egyptian demonstrators look much better dressed, better fed, better educated than Romanian protesters did in 1989, and their cities look better than Bucharest does now, after two decades of capitalism. I never understood why did it took Romanians so much pain and sufferance to "wake up".
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 14:37
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
harmonium.ro wrote:
BTW I just read that the cost of higher education in the US has risen with over 800% since 1980, while the over-all inflation since that year was just above 120%. If that doesn't look wrong to you, like a problem that needs to be solved, then I am sorry for you.
It does, but your solution seems to be that government should absorb the cost of tuition. Since government is responsible for the boom in cost and unable to control the cost of anything, I disagree.
You seem like the kind of guy that shoots first and asks questions later. No, I wouldn't imagine that as a "solution", putting a cost that I find ridiculous on the shoulders of either the student or the tax payers is not something that I'd consider a solution.
Posted By: Henry Plainview
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 14:48
harmonium.ro wrote:
BTW I just read that the cost of higher education in the US has risen with over 800% since 1980, while the over-all inflation since that year was just above 120%. If that doesn't look wrong to you, like a problem that needs to be solved, then I am sorry for you.
Trust me, everybody in America is aware of the cost of higher education. Unfortunately, it's not something that protesting can solve and that's also true of the situation in the UK.
------------- if you own a sodastream i hate you
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 14:57
Henry Plainview wrote:
harmonium.ro wrote:
BTW I just read that the cost of higher education in the US has risen with over 800% since 1980, while the over-all inflation since that year was just above 120%. If that doesn't look wrong to you, like a problem that needs to be solved, then I am sorry for you.
Trust me, everybody in America is aware of the cost of higher education. Unfortunately, it's not something that protesting can solve and that's also true of the situation in the UK.
I don't know about the US, but you also don't seem to know much about the UK either Henry. The increase of tuitions in the UK was a purely political decision of the government, a decision which by the way one of the two parties in the ruling coalition promised (before the elections) not to support. A purely political decision can be just as well overruled by another political decision in the opposing direction, which is why the people are protesting.
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 15:08
harmonium.ro wrote:
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
harmonium.ro wrote:
BTW I just read that the cost of higher education in the US has risen with over 800% since 1980, while the over-all inflation since that year was just above 120%. If that doesn't look wrong to you, like a problem that needs to be solved, then I am sorry for you.
It does, but your solution seems to be that government should absorb the cost of tuition. Since government is responsible for the boom in cost and unable to control the cost of anything, I disagree.
You seem like the kind of guy that shoots first and asks questions later. No, I wouldn't imagine that as a "solution", putting a cost that I find ridiculous on the shoulders of either the student or the tax payers is not something that I'd consider a solution.
Well duh. It's more fun that way.
I was just playing that odds. 90% of people mean that when they complain about it.
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 15:28
That reminds me, you haven't done a trolling poll since too long (the Yes-PtH one).
BTW thanks for linking to Al Jazeera (I think it was KoS). They're fantastic. The two main news television in Romania haven't covered the global Arab unrest at all, they're focusing on ridiculously irrelevant topic of home affairs, chose according to the interests of the two chains' owners.
Posted By: Henry Plainview
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 15:40
harmonium.ro wrote:
I don't know about the US, but you also don't seem to know much about the UK either Henry. The increase of tuitions in the UK was a purely political decision of the government, a decision which by the way one of the two parties in the ruling coalition promised (before the elections) not to support. A purely political decision can be just as well overruled by another political decision in the opposing direction, which is why the people are protesting.
It's not purely political. They're not doing it out of spite. Britain is going bankrupt and it's unsustainable. Yes, I know that they're not touching military spending while gutting the BBC and education subsidies and probably some other things I can't remember and I agree that's entirely the wrong way to go about it. But it seems (to me anyway, I admit I am disconnected from British politics) that the protesters want everything to go back to the way it was before, but that's not possible. I'm not disagreeing that the Ivy League etc. is a rip off, but you can't have a world class education at Oxford for the equivalent of $5400 a year (and sorry if that number isn't right, the Oxford website is confusing for my poor American brain). That's not much more than my community college, and that place is a sh*thole!
------------- if you own a sodastream i hate you
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 15:58
It's a political decision in the fields of economics, I think we can agree on that (I know they didn't raise the tuition "just like that"). This year would cost you £3,290 at Oxford ( http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/student_funding/" rel="nofollow - source ). I don't understand this:
Henry Plainview wrote:
I'm not disagreeing that the Ivy League etc. is a
rip off, but you can't have a world class education at Oxford for the
equivalent of $5400 a year (and sorry if that number isn't right, the
Oxford website is confusing for my poor American brain).
Of course you get a great education there at these money, the tuition fees is not raised because the schools can't provide good education any more at these money, but because the government wants to reduce their funding (like you said) so they can balance the over-all deficit.
Personally I agree that in the situation of crisis it's a correct decision to cut spending in as many domains as possible, but I believe you also need to evaluate these domains in a certain order of priorities. To me education is an essential investment and should be protected, especially while it doesn't consume that much anyway. The tories don't seem to share this view, but I think cutting equally from domains with different kind if an impact might be a very wrong decision.
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 16:14
Not sure about this, but some sort of protests http://www.zerohedge.com/article/protests-spread-saudi-arabia" rel="nofollow - appear to be rising in Saudi Arabia. This is important.
Posted By: Henry Plainview
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 16:24
harmonium.ro wrote:
Henry Plainview wrote:
I'm not disagreeing that the Ivy League etc. is a
rip off, but you can't have a world class education at Oxford for the
equivalent of $5400 a year
Of course you get a great education there at these money, the tuition fees is not raised because the schools can't provide good education any more at these money, but because the government wants to reduce their funding (like you said) so they can balance the over-all deficit.
I meant in the long term for government spending. I think our overall views on education are probably fairly similar, in the US, frustratingly, our first response is also to slash education budgets. But there are going to need to be cuts.
However, http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/mar/16/tuition-fees-low-lord-patten" rel="nofollow - Oxford disagrees with your first statement . I confess that they're not an unbiased source, but it's worth considering.
------------- if you own a sodastream i hate you
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 17:13
harmonium.ro wrote:
Not sure about this, but some sort of protests http://www.zerohedge.com/article/protests-spread-saudi-arabia" rel="nofollow - appear to be rising in Saudi Arabia. This is important.
$150 + per barrel coming soon!
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: clarke2001
Date Posted: January 30 2011 at 18:47
Blacksword wrote:
harmonium.ro wrote:
Not sure about this, but some sort of protests http://www.zerohedge.com/article/protests-spread-saudi-arabia" rel="nofollow - appear to be rising in Saudi Arabia. This is important.
$150 + per barrel coming soon!
Not necessarily, at least in the long run (I hope).
Saudi Arabia is a dictatorship. I guess people are fed up with living in such conditions - and that's the reason why there's a way of protests in the region. If you take a look at any '10 (or 20) world's worst living dictators' list, you'll get half a dozen of them from Middle East, Africa, Indochina and usual suspects (North Korea, central Asia).
If people will be able to overthrown their dictators, making a provisional government which is at least partially democratic, it will reflect on stability of the region, in a good way...including economic impact (and prices of crude oil, if you want).
Perhaps I'm too optimistic, but there's always hope.
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 03:37
clarke2001 wrote:
Blacksword wrote:
harmonium.ro wrote:
Not sure about this, but some sort of protests http://www.zerohedge.com/article/protests-spread-saudi-arabia" rel="nofollow - appear to be rising in Saudi Arabia. This is important.
$150 + per barrel coming soon!
Not necessarily, at least in the long run (I hope).Saudi Arabia is a dictatorship. I guess people are fed up with living in such conditions - and that's the reason why there's a way of protests in the region. If you take a look at any '10 (or 20) world's worst living dictators' list, you'll get half a dozen of them from Middle East, Africa, Indochina and usual suspects (North Korea, central Asia).If people will be able to overthrown their dictators, making a provisional government which is at least partially democratic, it will reflect on stability of the region, in a good way...including economic impact (and prices of crude oil, if you want).Perhaps I'm too optimistic, but there's always hope.
Well, there's no harm in optimism. Postive things always come out of revolution..for some people, anyway. It depends on which side your on..
What could affect oil prices in the short term, is just the general upheaval disrupting supply, although in the case of Saudi I imagine the authorities there will ensure the oil keeps flowing by force, regardleass of what's going on in their country. It's too early to say if Saudi is going to catch full blown revolution fever, anyway.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 12:42
Evidence of US involvement in engineering Egyption uprising..
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: trackstoni
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 12:51
to all my friends in pa , kindly avoid those political & religions issues , and don't be clever , i have nothing to say , i understand what you are trying to do , keep it quiet , cause our main subject in this site is progressive music , keep it this way , and don't try to kill the cat , it's already dead !!! thanks
------------- Tracking Tracks of Rock
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 12:54
You could just not take part in discussions on religion or politics, instead of barking orders at others not to do so.
Unless of course you're being ironic, then I apologise.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: trackstoni
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 13:00
RoyFairbank wrote:
Could barely fit what I wanted
So I supplied two soft answers and two hard answers, rather than just yes or no.
keep the softs & the hards for yourself Roy ( from SOMEWHERE ) you have nothing to do in our problems in the area of SOMEWHERE , suit yourself in a good Progressive suit , and don't try to be clever in politics , we're far beyond your dreams in this !! take it easy , and try to discuss real politic matters on my Facebook pages if you want , a lot of Egyptians , Tunisians , Saudi , Lebanese , Iraqi , Syrians & Sudanese friends will be ready to help you out !
antoine kordahi ( facebook )
------------- Tracking Tracks of Rock
Posted By: trackstoni
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 13:03
Blacksword wrote:
You could just not take part in discussions on religion or politics, instead of barking orders at others not to do so.
Unless of course you're being ironic, then I apologise.
i thought it's a progressive rock site , but it seems , i was wrong , sorry and bye ! it's never too late !!
------------- Tracking Tracks of Rock
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 13:18
Who are you to tell us what we can and cannot discuss? This is a section specifically designated for non-music discussions; if you don't like it, just stick to the music sections of the forum.
And please stop using such a large font, your posts look ridiculous.
Posted By: trackstoni
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 13:21
Padraic wrote:
Who are you to tell us what we can and cannot discuss? This is a section specifically designated for non-music discussions; if you don't like it, just stick to the music sections of the forum.
And please stop using such a large font, your posts look ridiculous.
you're right white doggy ! have fun with other mates issues !
------------- Tracking Tracks of Rock
Posted By: The T
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 13:27
?????
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Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 13:29
The T wrote:
?????
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 13:49
This thread got strangely weird.
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 14:35
^ like the situation in Egypt
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Posted By: RoyFairbank
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 14:44
I just realized I was listening to "Africa" by Toto,
Besides this embarrassing and appropriately coincidental turn of events,
I would like to note that it seems likely the Egyptian President will have to resign. The military is throwing its support behind a national unity government of some sort, headed by a western friendly UN official.
This seems to me to be a pretty clear attempt to change cloths, shave a mustache and then think you look like a different man. My prediction is spread for the protests and I hope it does so to Saudi Arabia, as this would be most out-of-character of all for the Middle East. (Saudi Arabia, so its said, is the most conservative place on Earth).
Yemen and Jordan, Algeria and Libya, <<<< all had some problems already
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 15:03
RoyFairbank wrote:
I just realized I was listening to "Africa" by Toto,Besides this embarrassing and appropriately coincidental turn of events,I would like to note that it seems likely the Egyptian President will have to resign. The military is throwing its support behind a national unity government of some sort, headed by a western friendly UN official. This seems to me to be a pretty clear attempt to change cloths, shave a mustache and then think you look like a different man. My prediction is spread for the protests and I hope it does so to Saudi Arabia, as this would be most out-of-character of all for the Middle East. (Saudi Arabia, so its said, is the most conservative place on Earth).Yemen and Jordan, Algeria and Libya, <<<< all had some problems already
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 13:58
It is a progressive rock site. I also believe there is a section for general discussions, which is for discussions about anything.
Soooooo there ya go? And please no more giant caps. And Im being polite, was going to post this part in size 7 originally
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 13:58
^ Let's hope it won't be another 1979.
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 14:03
harmonium.ro wrote:
^ Let's hope it won't be another 1979.
Indeed.
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 16:10
Well the people of Egypt didn't seem satisfied at all with the president's speech. Another white midnight on the Nile...
Posted By: ProgressiveAttic
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 17:32
A really big YES for Venezuela... Its history has been filled with social unrest...
During the 19th and early 20th centuries making revolutions was kind of a national sport... Then the country was pacified by dictatorships in the first half of the 20th century until civic demonstrations with military help caused the destruction of the regimes and the establishment of democracy...
The late 80s and early 90s saw moments of social unrest due to economic depression (caused by a series of populist governments that indebted the country), from this unrest (including extremely violent riots) our current president emerged as the leader of a failed coup d'etat...
And now people are starting to get angry at Hugo Chavez after 12 years of government (lots of corruption, the highest inflation ever seen in latin-america, violation of private property, attacks to freedom of speech, etc.).
Public civic demonstrations are quite common now days.
------------- Michael's Sonic Kaleidoscope Mondays 5:00pm EST(re-runs Thursdays 3:00pm) @ Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio(http://www.deliciousagony.com)
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 10:05
An inspiring image: christians protecting muslims while they prey
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 13:26
Yeah, I think stories like these give hope..
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: Conor Fynes
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 14:26
I live in Canada.... enough said?
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 15:06
Conor Fynes wrote:
I live in Canada.... enough said?
So much stability!
And yeah, appears the Egyptian people are not so on board with "we need stability until the election when I will not run again" Big surprise... Well hopefully something good comes of all this. Remember all those "Color Revolutions"? I'm thinking specifically of Ukraine and Georgia which turned out to be pretty big failures....
Posted By: CPicard
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 15:09
Conor Fynes wrote:
I live in Canada.... enough said?
Yeah, the Quebec uprising, quickly joined by the raving Acadians of Louisiana, will be a feast of gore.
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 15:13
I guess it is easyer to be overheated in Sahara (espessially when your country is positioned there) much sun can make people go crazy and do crazy stuff, in the arctic era like Canada and Norway it is mostly verry cold or wet so people rearly walk outside, people tends to hold on their frustraition longer and tend to use it on bar fights and (cold blooded murder)
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Posted By: CPicard
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 15:16
aginor, I really hope you are joking.
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 15:50
CPicard wrote:
aginor, I really hope you are joking.
I dunno, but yes riots can happen everywhere that depends what is fought for, (and what are you acusing me for if I were serious ), but i think it is true that on hot days in Oslo their tends to be more fights, beocuse people gets easyer irritated when the day teprature is 32 degree celcius or more, and a hot sun over your head, after a long day at work, and stressfull day, driveing in the traffic and such will make some people to boil over.
this is the most violent demonstration in post-second world war times in Oslo
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Posted By: RoyFairbank
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 20:44
Egyptians must take the initiative today and bring the fight to the government. They can't make due with another U.S./Military stooge government. Mubarak is only an individual and the system as a whole is rotten and is what is ultimately creating this crisis with these paid hooligans attacking the peaceful demonstration. There's a lot of people in the high command, among the wealthy and in the extended government who are working against the democratic aspirations of the people - certainly, Mubarak is not alone as a dictator but merely the public face of the dictatorship. His friends in Washington are not allies of the people either, no matter their pragmatic blathering.
Posted By: ProgressiveAttic
Date Posted: February 03 2011 at 20:56
The worrying part about the Egyptian riots is the enormous power the "Muslim Brotherhood" is earning... and it is a group with known ties to terrorist groups... Hopefully Egypt wont become another Iran...
------------- Michael's Sonic Kaleidoscope Mondays 5:00pm EST(re-runs Thursdays 3:00pm) @ Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio(http://www.deliciousagony.com)
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 04 2011 at 06:00
Wasn't the ousting of the Shah of Iran, a US sponsored project?? The Muslim Brotherhood is actually an outlawed party in Egypt, that doesn't have any actual real power. Of course this may change if it is the will of the people, but I think the people of Egypt would favour a secular regime. I'm sure Israel would prefer a secular regime there too. At least Mubarak held the peace between the two countries for 30 years.
The situation is so complicated, and I expect there's more to it than meets the eye, but will just have to see how this pans out, across the whole region.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: February 04 2011 at 06:23
I think I remember the Shah of Iran was a US favourite and the dismissal of his regime was a major blow to the West, who lost the right to exploit Iran's oil. I'll wiki it a bit and come back.
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: February 04 2011 at 06:42
^^ I think you're right actually.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: RoyFairbank
Date Posted: February 04 2011 at 08:15
The Muslim brotherhood has no power in the streets. It is being given support by the government, however, which sees it as a tool to both "placate" the desire for an alternative government and also to be a reliable partner to the military.
Parallels between Iran 30 years ago and Egypt today are ludicrous. You have to realize these are different religions, Sunni and Shiite, to begin with (as well as different races/populations, Arab vs. Persian).
It has been a secular movement from the beginning, both in Tunisia and Egypt.
Really this is an Israeli/Western propaganda to discourage protests, the people expressly want democracy.