It's official UK's global presence is in tatters

And Jeremy Corbyn is your answer? Hhahahaahahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahaahahahaahahahahahahahahaha

I have been sick to death of the same English(especially home counties)prissy, ludicrous class obsessions, pomp and ceremony, assumptions of enlightenment and knowledge that are so incredibly blinkered and ignorant of the world. Narrow perspectives and an all pervasive sense of either self-satisfaction, whereby the curious or those not placated and depoliticised, and worked up about anything are patholigised, that or a miserly anti-intellectualism in other classes, dehumanised and inverted snobs about taking an interest in anything of the mind and anything political. All of course accompanied by the same rigidly defined class roles and continual judgement based on them. And the incurious notion that only two positions are allowed -1)complacent smugness and their is no problem, don't rock the boat, or otherwise2) you are 'bitter', the worst accusation. (Because the only thing to pursue is a place up the class ladder an the only thing worth aspiring to, incurious individualism and acceptance of a futile class struggle.) Nothing in between those two which involves nuance, or being more than a one-dimensional person that thinks about the world and has objectively based problems in it. Know this is a rant mate(SORRY), but I have to let it out at times. It's so incredibly frustrating for anyone who has curiosity and thinks and has an interest in the world and how they might like to be. The viewpoint seems so tragically narrow, self-important, arrogant and oddly, stubbornly conservative that at times I find it impossible to accept. The same need to frame conversation in term of narrow one-upmanship, preserve people's place, stifle egalitarianism(sense, lack of pomposity-we can't have that) and curiosity, and succumb to the same conservative mores. When just the smallest change in this attitude could make you feel human, or accept change or exploration might be worthwhile or make you feel better(even just if on a personal level without yet making changes), or see different solutions when living in incurious denial of reality so clearly does not make one happy... it's no exaggeration to say I have often felt dehumanized by these need to censor all these instincts in me. It is something quite uniquely English. I understand what the Scots mean about arrogance and ignorance, I lived there too. It is a kind of psychological, intellectual equivalent of yokelism and inbredness. But at least real yokels don't really think they are the ****, unquestioningly.

I did have double espresso before this post.

I have been sick to death of the same English(especially home counties)prissy, ludicrous class obsessions, pomp and ceremony, assumptions of enlightenment and knowledge that are so incredibly blinkered and ignorant of the world. Narrow perspectives and an all pervasive sense of either self-satisfaction, whereby the curious or those not placated and depoliticised, and worked up about anything are patholigised, that or a miserly anti-intellectualism in other classes, dehumanised and inverted snobs about taking an interest in anything of the mind and anything political. All of course accompanied by the same rigidly defined class roles and continual judgement based on them. And the incurious notion that only two positions are allowed -1)complacent smugness and their is no problem, don't rock the boat, or otherwise2) you are 'bitter', the worst accusation. (Because the only thing to pursue is a place up the class ladder an the only thing worth aspiring to, incurious individualism and acceptance of a futile class struggle.) Nothing in between those two which involves nuance, or being more than a one-dimensional person that thinks about the world and has objectively based problems in it. Know this is a rant mate(SORRY), but I have to let it out at times. It's so incredibly frustrating for anyone who has curiosity and thinks and has an interest in the world and how they might like to be. The viewpoint seems so tragically narrow, self-important, arrogant and oddly, stubbornly conservative that at times I find it impossible to accept. The same need to frame conversation in term of narrow one-upmanship, preserve people's place, stifle egalitarianism(sense, lack of pomposity-we can't have that) and curiosity, and succumb to the same conservative mores. When just the smallest change in this attitude could make you feel human, or accept change or exploration might be worthwhile or make you feel better(even just if on a personal level without yet making changes), or see different solutions when living in incurious denial of reality so clearly does not make one happy... it's no exaggeration to say I have often felt dehumanized by these need to censor all these instincts in me. It is something quite uniquely English. I understand what the Scots mean about arrogance and ignorance, I lived there too. It is a kind of psychological, intellectual equivalent of yokelism and inbredness. But at least real yokels don't really think they are the ****, unquestioningly.

I did have double espresso before this post.

No mate you just class aware and you understand the pointless attainment of social status.

Society has became so corrupt and without meaning that people actually cheer the attainment of a Iphone.

Great post, good to see at least some are thinking straight.

UK has already sold the poor out to market forces (China style workfare) soon it will be the middle class once automation begins to kick in. Then it will be the rich left to fight over what's left. I'm sure a lot more overseas accounts will be opening.

As a sovereign nation we should at least be setting our own agenda. What is our agenda at the moment? to prop up dictators? to encourage poor human rights?

We've actually shown more independence than we have for a long time by going against American wishes to establish a trade relationship with China, get ourselves involved in their regional infrastructure bank, etc.

I can't think that it's a bad thing that we've finally shown that we won't just do whatever the USA's geopolitical strategy requires of us.

Our previous policy was to not acknowledge China go and meet with the Dalai Lama, Raise human rights issues etc. We are going back on our own policies which is an embarrassment.

We obviously desperately need Chinese money/investment.

Cameron only met with the Dalai Lama in '12 because he was told it wouldn't be much of a problem with the Chinese government. He hasn't flip-flopped. As for the country in general, of course our foreign policy will change from government to government. That's not embarrassing. That's a necessary consequence of living in a country in which the government is liable to be changed every five years.

What we're doing here is putting pragmatic, commercial concerns first. That is certainly not new to us. We have a long history of doing just that. In this case, we're not going to be able to do anything about Chinese human rights abuses anyway. Nagging is going to do nothing, and having them ignore us completely really is embarrassing. But, yes, as Douglas Carswell said on the Daily Politics today, we're not in a position to be purely high-minded about our trading partners.

You must be having a laugh?

Cameron only met with the Dalai Lama in '12 because he was told it wouldn't be much of a problem with the Chinese government.

We:

- Use to take orders from the US but we can't afford to do that any more
- We have a cushy relationship with the Saudis (poor human rights record, notable funding for all sorts)
- Now we put out the red carpet for China (poor human rights record) and now we NEED Chinese investment for a nuclear plant.


Has the UK lost any back bone or any influence over the global economy? Or will we be told how to run things from now on!

There are no answers. It's merely a sign of the times.

Learn mandarin! As Boris says.

Always good to be able to communicate with 1/3 of the worlds population of you're trying to do business.

1/6th haha. Bending over backwards for human rights abuses, communism etc.

All good when you have record debt and selling half your corporations, infrastructure etc.

China's a huge emerging economy.

If we don't trade with them, somebody else will. We need to trade to finance welfare and the NHS.

lol we have been trading with them since forever. This visit is not about trade but Chinese investment into the UK. Buy up HS2, Nuclear power etc.

Well done. You've obviously kept up to date with current events.


Foreign direct investment both ways.

lol FDI in China with their strict FDI laws? come on. Trade will always be one way. Like i said this is about investment only. The Chinese are here to buy UK stuff.

I welcome our new emperors! *pulls out his mandarin books*