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#3791 Re: The Garden » The United Kingdom General Election, 2nd May 2024 » 515 weeks ago
There's a TV show that got filmed here with the help of EU funding, in return for boosting tourism...
I'm sure no one here watches it though
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i read that the EU portion of the funding for GoT got pulled years ago and the past few seasons have gotten tax exemptions solely from the UK.
#3792 Re: The Sunset Strip » HBO's A Game of Thrones » 515 weeks ago
I thought it was an awesome episode. The travel time being so fast is obviously a minor nuisance, but I thought this season came together really well. The Dorne plot makes no sense, as Ellaria Sand has no Martell blood and has no claim to rule. Cersei killing everyone definitely took me by surprise. I knew she was going to retaliate, but killing everyone with one blow was some next level shit. Sadly for her, she'll soon find herself between two Targaryen led armies.
#3794 Re: The Garden » The United Kingdom General Election, 2nd May 2024 » 516 weeks ago
If your country pulls some shit to avoid leaving the EU, you guys can finally stop pretending you have a democracy. Never mind that half of your legislature requires noble "blood". Or that the crown is still sovereign by law.
I didn't like it when 52% of America elected Obama. But that's our system. It just always amazes me how as soon as their beliefs are tested, progressives abandon them. Free speech, it's great until you say something unpopular. Due Process, great until it gets in the way. Democracy, it's fine until you lose. Just come out and say you'd rather be led by some bureaucrat in Brussels who was never voted in than actually have a voice in your country.
And to Lofton's point, the U.K. Leaving the EU does pose some military problems. Most EU countries are in NATO, so it's not as if Britain wouldn't assist in the even shit happened. But the UK was the primary American ally within the EU. I know a lot of EU countries buy American arms, but not everyone. The Continent of Europe can not field a theater defense. Their armies are small, lack seasoning, and the linguistic and logistic differences would make mounting any kind of coordinated movements would be hard. Outside of Germany, there's just not anything there.
#3795 Re: The Garden » The United Kingdom General Election, 2nd May 2024 » 516 weeks ago
This referendum is non-binding, right. What's to stop Cameron from not moving forward?
#3796 Re: The Sunset Strip » HBO's A Game of Thrones » 516 weeks ago
Er... Maybe u wanna put a spoiler alert on that post, at least until Monday?? Ffs wish I hadn't opened this thread now! Why would you even do that mrID? Why would you do it to yourself never mind other people?? I don't get people,.
It's been all over the news for weeks. And you don't even know if they were telling the truth with the game. Personally I don't think any of that can happen just do to geography and no 3 of those people are going to be in the same place. Not to mention Lady Stoneheart has been dead for several months to a couple years at this point, so I don't see her making a return.
#3797 Re: The Garden » The United Kingdom General Election, 2nd May 2024 » 516 weeks ago
When will results be made? Will you guys know tomorrow night?
#3798 Re: The Garden » The United Kingdom General Election, 2nd May 2024 » 516 weeks ago
Randall Flagg wrote:Not my fight, but I see an opportunity for England to return to economic glory through leaving. If it's out of the EU, it can try to rival NYC as the economic capital of the world. Obviously its strongest partners are going to still be the US and a couple EU countries, but it can become the world bank and through trade deals, establish the pound as the standard over the US Dollar.
I'm sorry, but if you dispatched some bobbies to put to work all your chavs and other free loaders, you wouldn't need to bring in eastern european immigrants who are only interested in your high welfare rate. The income you'd made on banking could fund your NHS and other system. Just so many opportunities to make England a world power again and increase the quality of life of your people by leaving, versus the status quo in the EU. The EU will never be on the same level as the US, China or Russia. The social welfare is absurd and the bureaucracy prevents real ingenuity. What was the last cool product you heard of being designed in the EU? Let mainland Europe keep it's 60 different countries and languages and squabble about how enlightened they are while Britain is free to seek out deals that solely benefit it.
First, the EU is the largest economy in the world, so it is most definitely 'on the same level' as the US. Second, the UK's social welfare system is more extensive than the European average in terms of services provided, so it wouldn't be any less 'absurd' if they leave. Third, you need to realize that in order to have access to the EU market, the UK will still need to conform to EU rules and regulations; there is no way the EU will go for a trade deal that gives the UK more benefits compared to other EU countries if they leave.
in terms of innovation, it's hard to quantify but I think it's fair to say that the US puts out more cool consumer products and it is easier for tech startups to raise money. The EU though outperforms the US in large scale industrial innovation and focusing on western Europe it beats the US in innovative medicine as measured by nobel prizes for medicine per capita (All Scandinavian countries, the UK, Belgium and Austria are more innovative than the US as far as medicine is concerned). Airbus is consistently more innovative than Boeing, despite the latter's massive government subsidies for its military programs. There's no such thing as a European iPhone though (but before that Nokia held the crown, owning more market share than any other manufacturer ever, including Apple. And cellular telephony was invented in Europe with all of the world currently using the ETSI (European Telecommunication Standards Institute) GSM standard).
You do have a point on the bureaucracy though, that's frustratingly true.
Oh, and also this:
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You can't say the EU has the largest economy in the world, because the EU as a single entity doesn't exist. You're not even on the same currency. Can I say NAFTA has the largest economy in the world? There's nothing in Europe you're producing more effectively than in the US or something the US has outsourced. I'd love a citation to qualify that claim.
Medicine is pretty much all the same in the western world, but the US is still at the top unless you're one of the window licking retards who can't figure out how to get access. Our surgeons and tech are number one. That's not coming from some "MURICA!, YEA!" nonsense either. It's because we have more people dedicated to research and our medical system is still profit based. You can argue the morality and benefits of single provider versus a free market system, but the research and innovation is without a dispute geared towards the free market system. First successful organ transplant was done in America. MRI was invented in America. While Penicillin was discovered in the UK, it was under American production that it became viable and wide spread. Again, this isn't some Patriotic attempt to make myself feel good because of where I was born. But if you needed major surgery and cost wasn't an option, where would you go for surgery - Prague or NYC?
#3799 Re: The Sunset Strip » HBO's A Game of Thrones » 516 weeks ago
[youtube] https://youtu.be/3xSeUl66rXM[/youtube]
#3800 Re: The Sunset Strip » HBO's A Game of Thrones » 516 weeks ago
Martin is himself a feminist and product of the Vietnam era. The difference between the books and the show, the books are subtle and have depth. Sexuality is present and Cersei has learned to wield it, but it's not as overt as in the show. Margaery's sexual prowess is completely ambiguous and if you weren't paying close attention, you'd might miss Renly and Loras were lovers. The show lets these traits define the characters and uses nudity as a cheap thrill.
To your point, in the book the strong female types are present, but they're recognized for their out of place presence in medieval society. The struggle Arya faced in season 1 is a great example of this.
The show wants to resonate with modern trends and topics, so that's why Loras is imprisoned in the show for being gay while in the books he's a member of the kings guard and great warrior. His desire to have sex with men isn't a defining feature for him, whereas that's all his character is on the show - his sexuality.
In the books Sansa never returns to Winterfell and certainly doesn't marry Ramsay. That misfortune falls to her friend who is passed off as a fake Arya. The rape and brutality in the show don't begin to rival the book.
Martin is trying to portray an accurate portrayal of what life was like for all people and classes during this era. Women were perceived as property, but modern audiences don't want that realism. They dont want to see a woman be controlled by a man, so Brienne beats the hound, Arya heals like wolverine, Dany can threaten to burn innocent children, Sansa stamps her feet demanding attention and offers no advice, and it's all cheered as Girl power.
No rhyme or reason why, just have our female characters end up ahead without any consideration to the plot. Which is a shame, as the book has some very cool scenes they could borrow from to show strong women with complex stories, and they don't. Arianne Martell was stripped from the show, and she's very interesting.
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