> Michael Brown wrote:
> Makes me pine for a monarchy (of course I would be in the peerage)
Not sure if you guys are aware of this but this week the UK government
announced the abolishment of hereditary peers taking seats in the house of
lords. Unfortunately from now on members of house of lords will be appointed
by the government rather than voted for (like a senate) by the people (as some
of us over here had hoped for).
I don't suppose anyone's got a green card going spare they could lend me?
Regards,
> --- Matt Tope <mptope@omnihybrid.com> wrote:
> I don't suppose anyone's got a green card going
Sure, we'll get you over here on a work visa as a professional athlete.
"Seriously, your honor, there really IS a Major League Wargaming.....
Honest....."
To put it all in perspective for all of us in the
US/Canada/Australia/Germany/Sweden/New Zealand, Look
on the bright side: We're not living in North Korea, for starters. Sure, we
don't always like what our government does, but there's a hell of a lot more
we can do about it than some people on this marble....
> Look on the bright side: We're not living in North Korea,
And we have time to argue about it, since we don't have to make Pine Needle
Soup for dinner tonight.
--- "laserlight@quixnet.net" <laserlight@quixnet.net>
wrote:
> And we have time to argue about it, since we don't
Just think of those pine needles as a form of rosemary, it helps a lot.
Well, when my daughter no longer needs hers... LOL!
That's a joke just in case the BCIS (was INS) is watching...
On Fri, 26 Sep 2003 17:01:16 +0100 "Matt Tope" <mptope@omnihybrid.com>
writes:
> Michael Brown wrote:
I * LIKE * Pine Needle Soup.. Can I have another bowl, sir?
On Fri, 26 Sep 2003 11:34:30 -0700 (PDT) Brian B
> <greywanderer987@yahoo.com> writes:
Hi,
> Makes me pine for a monarchy (of course I would be in the peerage)
Heh. Welcome to our world...
The Senate here (in Canada) which has the same general function (providing a
"sober second thought" for parliament) as the House of Lords, works exactly
like that, and has IIRC since it was created.
And as you might imagine, what happens is that the sitting government sends
their own partisan friends to the Senate as patronage appointments througout
their term(s) of office, doing their best to stack things their way. And
Senate appointments are basically for life (there is an age limit, but it
isn't a young one...), which is what I imagine the House of Lords rules will
be. So the Senate is basically a rubberstamp most of the time.
Lots of people here have been agitating for Senate reform for decades, but it
is a plum patronage tool and it seems the sitting governments (of all parties)
don't like to rock the boat...
Welcome to a vigorous and vibrant democracy ;-)
At least with the old (1000yrs+) system dementia arising from inbreeding
kept the House of Lords from being of any kind of relevance (or threat) to
every day life in the UK. Now we catch up with Canadain political systems...
But at least the Monarchy has some value being the backbone of the UK's
tourist industry and sucking in money from around the world. It's a bit like
the old Empire days except the wealth comes to us rather than us having to go
to it. Not only does such an approach maximise profits but is also much more
ethicaly sound. In many ways Britain has followed a similar path to the Roman
Empire when in the 5th century AD it went transnational and became the Roman
Catholic Church. Ditch Empire, let the cash flow to you.
Then again what should any of us expect from our "democracies" which are in
fact all "Oligarchies". The only democracy I know of was Ancient Athens and
look what happened there. In three generations it went from a vibriant centre
of culture and arts to an Imperial superstate to rack and ruin. Give me an
Oligarchy over a democracy any day. Just wish our politicians could be honest
about it (I know, I know, how naive of me!).
Sorry, Monday morning cynicism.
Regards,
Matt Tope
[quoted original message omitted]
> On Mon, Sep 29, 2003 at 12:02:12PM +0100, Matt Tope wrote:
to
> every day life in the UK.
It served the very useful role of stopping the government of the day (of
whatever flavour) from pushing through any legislation it felt like - or
at least trimming off the worst excesses of it. This government has
systematically disabled all such safeguards on its power.
R
And who do we have who could save us from this evil...Kennedy and
Duncan-Smith...I think its time for a millitary coup in Britain, just
imagine HMS Cornwall steaming up the Thames, shelling the houses of parliment,
whilst the SAS storm chequers...aaahh lovely. Give the Queen full power to
rule and open the Tower for business once again.
Seriously though, you are correct. Our current government has taken actions to
alter the balance of political laws in this country to promote its own
interests in a manner that is distinctly unsettling. Some of their actions
(I'm reffering to domestic policies not foreign here) have been downright
totalitarian. Remember 2000-01, the fuel price protest and resulting
chaos, the suppression of the foot and mouth outbreak for 3 months so that by
the time the government realised that they couldn't cover it up any longer and
that it wasn't going to go away, it was too late to save several million
livestock and prevent the shutdown of large tracts of land, crippling both
agriculture and tourism. And then they get voted back in...
To quote the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, one Charlie Brown,
"Good Grief".
Regards,
Matt Tope
[quoted original message omitted]
--- Adrian Johnson <adrian.johnson@sympatico.ca>
wrote:
> Lots of people here have been agitating for Senate
Our senators here in the US are elected, but the way things work, it's pretty
difficult to dislodge an incumbent senator, so don't get your hopes up even if
you DO manage to initiate reforms....
Strangely that's very similar to what I've been slowely working out as
background for my stargrunt games, when I convert an opponent that is
:-),
I'd planned to have a second civil war in the UK with lines once again drawn
between crown and parliament. With regular military following the crown and
the TA for parliament. generally it'd end with the king resurgent taking over
direct running of the country and then pressing his 'rightful' claims on large
parts of french real estate. Should really start getting all this written down
and sorted out, I've also got to work out how the USA could go from conflict
with north korea to colonial power in china.
Jim Sorry for the kind of random aside
[quoted original message omitted]
> --- Jim Morrison <Ajax.Dive@btinternet.com> wrote:
> I'd planned to have a second civil war in the UK
"What's TA?" Asked the Yank.
generally it'd end with the
> king resurgent taking
Ooh, that would fit nicely into MY non-canon universe,
mind if I borrow the concept, if not the details?
Should really
> start getting all this
Hmmm.... That definitely DOESN'T fit in with my AH, but it's something to mull
over..... Maybe throw some sort of internal conflict within the PRC....
> "What's TA?" Asked the Yank.
> --- Alan E Brain <aebrain@webone.com.au> wrote:
Thanks.
> Militia in the original sense, closest US equivt is
Hmmm.... that's a distinction I'm familiar with, but not perfectly clear on
all the exact details or how to apply them to a comparison with the TA.
> On Tue, 30 Sep 2003, Alan E Brain wrote:
> >"What's TA?" Asked the Yank.
Er, what *is* the difference between the US NG & the Army Reserve, anyway? The
Guard seem to get all the publicity of the two...
There are 50 National Guard organizations, one for each state, which may
be called upon in times of war and are frequently called in to help deal
with natural disasters. The Reserve formations are Federal units, under direct
Pentagon control and incorporated into the National OOB and national security
planning.
> Brian Burger wrote:
> On Tue, 30 Sep 2003, Alan E Brain wrote:
The Guard is the State Militia, subject to call up by the Governor. The
Reserve is a Federal force, subject to the President (though in some branches
the distinction is blurred).
Michael Brown
[quoted original message omitted]
It's been since late 1970's/early 1980's since I was associated with
USAR (After Active USAF) but NG tended then to be more combat and (what we
then called "Combat Support") and the USAR was more "Support" - i.e.,
more PSYOPS, Basic Training Units, Chemical Warfare units - oriented.
Yes C.S. and Support thing was somewhat contrived but it was basically C. S.
had potentially a great er chance to be shot at with Direct fire more often in
theory then 'Support' which was 'farther back' in theory although such
distinction seemed moot at the time. I was in a Basic training unit (the
Timberwolves (104th IIRC) then. 10 man (20 on paper) 'Companies" of Drill
Sergeants, Supply, Armorer, and Drill Sergeant wannabes. Lots of C.I.B.,
Ranger trained, Jungle warfare trained,
yada-yada-yada types who wanted a little more money and hoped (vainly IO
am sure) that if we were activated for the 'big one' that they might not be
transferred individually to combat units... reupping rates seemed a joke from
what i remember. Either you joined and stayed until you retired in your
civilian job or you joined as a young man, put in three years and mustered out
(shaking your head.)
Hx, SF, and Fx: 6 mm figures, Starships and 1:6K "Wet Navy" warships are my
main interest.
Gracias, Glenn
On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 19:55:59 -0700 Michael Brown <mwbrown@sonic.net>
writes:
> The Guard is the State Militia, subject to call up by the Governor.
Whilst your pressing ther French couldn't we make
some...errrrm...legitimate...claims to Hannover and Holland?
Regards,
Matt Tope
[quoted original message omitted]