a tippling philosopher

Showing category "Politics" (Show all posts)

Atheist Acceptability on the Rise in America

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Sunday, July 15, 2012, In : Politics 

More than half would now vote for a nonbeliever.

Published on June 28, 2012 by David Niose in Our Humanity, Naturally

 

 


The good news for nonbelievers is that, for the first time ever, more than half the American population would vote for a qualified, open atheist for president.  A recentGallup poll shows that 54 percent of Americans would not consider a candidate’s atheism to be a disqualification for holding the nation's highest office.

This shows remarkable progress, a nine-point incr...


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Very funny. An amusing political take on abortion laws, a very serious issue...

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, In : Politics 

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Privatised Police? Money first?

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Sunday, March 4, 2012, In : Politics 
Call me a liberal leftie socialist (actually, I wasn't always. When I first studied economics I was pretty conservative) but....

It has become highly newsworthy recently that due to austerity measures in the UK, and due to slashed budgets in the police finances, certain UK police forces are considering outsourcing police work to private companies. 

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but private companies are answerable to stakeholders (shareholders) who demand profit. First and foremost, companies ar...
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AAARRRRGGGHHH!!! How do we help science???

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Sunday, February 19, 2012, In : Politics 

I am really quite scared about the future of, well, the world. We are potentially in the hands of big corporations and idiot politicians. What is particularly worrying is the potential presidents of the US: the Republican Party candidate leaders. There were several articles in the Guardian today which scared the bejesus out of me. This was one of them:

 

Attacks paid for by big business are 'driving science into a dark era'

Researchers attending one of the world's major academic conference...


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Rick Santorum thinks pregnancy through rape is God's gift? Seriously?

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Sunday, January 29, 2012, In : Politics 
From the Guardian:

 

Rick Santorum thinks pregnancy through rape is God's gift? Seriously?

Invoking God's will as a supporting argument to his position on abortion hardly fits with the constitution he claims to uphold

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum (left) signs autographs at a Tea Party campaign rally. Photograph: Joe Skipper/Reuters

As a lapsed Catholic turned atheist, a staunc...


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An independent Scotland and Salmond's double standards

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, In : Politics 

I don’t profess to have too much opinion on Scottish independence. It is quite hot news in the UK as there is talk of a referendum Alex Salmond is leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) who, for the first time ever, have a majority in the devolved Scottish parliament. There is great debate as to whether it would be beneficial for Scotland to have their independence from both sides of the fence.

 

There are claims that Scotland are a drain on the UK parliament and that they cost more ...


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10 ways to change the world

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Thursday, December 1, 2011, In : Politics 


I was speaking to a friend last night at Transition Fareham’s Green Drinks. This is a fathering of like-minded people who want to make our local town more sustainable. My friend Fiona has started writing articles for a local magazine and we were wondering if we could shoehorn Transition Fareham into the article. One idea was writing an article about the 10 ways you, as an individual, could change the world. I like this idea, so I have decided to start a list of my own. Perhaps you could a...


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Why I am going on strike

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Sunday, November 27, 2011, In : Politics 
This is the message i am putting on my window of the classroom in which I teach.


 

WHY I, MR PEARCE, AM GOING ON STRIKE – A FAIR LOOK AT THE FACTS

 

 

 

 

There has been an awful lot of misinformation in the media about why teachers have decided to strike, and the reasons for and against such action. I would like to give parents the reasons why I have decided to strike, and to give my side of the story.

 

 

The present government plans are due to have the following consequences, among...


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Is the US heading for a theocracy?

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Tuesday, November 22, 2011, In : Politics 
An article from the Slate:

 

Rule of Lord

The Republican plan to nullify the courts and establish Christian theocracy.



Is the United States sliding toward theocracy? That’s what Republican presidential candidates have told us for more than a year. Radical Islam, they’ve argued, is on the verge of taking over our country through Sharia law. But this weekend, at an Iowa forum sparsely covered by the press, the candidates made clear t...


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A banking parable

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Friday, November 4, 2011, In : Politics 
A parable
Lo! And it came to pass that a certain man was prevailed upon by his wife to have built a new kitchen extension unto his home. Loud were her weeping and wailings. Deep were her sighs. Many were the nights that she was just too tired, and extensive, even unto the splitting headaches. Until it became clear to the man that easement of his life would be facilitated merely by the building of a new kitchen extension.
Now in those lands lived a builder and on the white sides of his van were ...

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Sarah Palin dents Tea Party reputation?

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Thursday, September 15, 2011, In : Politics 
I damn well hope so! Looks like the Palinator has got herself in trouble. A new book out has revealed that some time ago, Sarah Palin had an affair with a basketball player, and also snorted cocaine with her husband on a snowmobiling holiday.

This is good news since one would assume that this might well dent her chances of running for US President which would be a disaster for all mankind.

Book Claims Sarah Palin Had One-Night Stand with NBA Star Glen Rice



By IBTimes Staff Reporter | September 1...


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Blog post available in the Independent!

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Tuesday, November 30, 2010, In : Politics 
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-wikileaks-2146947.html

My blog post was published today in the Independent print and online.
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The Wikileaks Scandal

Posted by Jonathan Pearce on Monday, November 29, 2010, In : Politics 
I'm not really sure it is a good idea for Wikileaks to have done what they did this weekend and to have released a massive amount of top secret stuff. By doing this they are implicitly saying:

There is nothing within the realms of politics and reality that should remain secret. Everything should be available to the public.

This is dangerous thinking. It assumes the public have the knowledge, understanding and sense to treat the leaks appropriately. Moreover, some things in life need to be kept ...
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