'The UK, and its values, stolen'. [David Puttnam]

[Ozymandias]

David Puttnam, a life-long Labour supporter and producer of so many memorable films like Chariots of Fire, The Mission, Cal, Local Hero, The Killing Fields, Midnight Express and The Duellists, has resigned from the House of Lords. He said that at 80 he was thoroughly disheartened

'made worse because throughout the deeply unpleasant Brexit debates I’d been forced to watch Ministers malevolently twist, turn and posture in parading their prejudices, along with their, at times, downright ignorance' and finding 'all rational discussion utterly ignored' he no longer had the 'patience to treat mendacious political inanity with the appearance of courtesy'.

He said Parliamentary debate, which he understood to be ‘persuasion based on competing interpretations of evidence', had become 'a dialogue of the deaf' and that Britain was 'careening down a path to self-inflicted disaster or, in the case of the UK, irrelevance'.

He argues that the UK is legislating to travel the same road taken by Hitler and Nazi Germany, that the integrity of Britain's liberal democracy is being slowly but unrelentingly chipped away, and gives his reasons:-

(1) the present Government’s plans to revise the Data Protection regime, their consultation allows for the impression that they’re simply ‘freeing us up from bureaucracy’, when by far the most likely outcome is the privatisation, exploitation and sale of our personal data;

(2) a Prime Minister actively - and repeatedly - intervening to manipulate an ideological ally into the Chairmanship of Ofcom, the UK's communications watchdog;

(3) An ‘Elections Bill’ that, contrary to the advice of the Committee for Standards in Public Life, is set on undermining our long established independent ‘Electoral Commission’; 

(4) a Bill to reform Judicial Review whose principal aim is to reduce the role of the Judiciary;

(5) a plan to ‘widen the scope of the Official Secrets Act’ with no commitment to add a public interest defence for journalists:

(6) a Police Bill that weakens the right to legal protest; 

And he says: 'It’s worse than that, I find myself embarrassed by what, on an almost daily basis I see [my country] becoming – my old enemy Rupert Murdoch’s dream made real. He never liked Britain, and he’s kind of won, he’s helped remake it in his own malevolent image.'

David Puttnam's whole resignation speech can be found at this link: Lord Puttnam sets out reasons for retirement in Shirley Williams Memorial Lecture - Official Website of David Puttnam | Atticus Education

Edited October 17, 2021 by Ozymandias

[Guest Br Cornelius]

Puttnam is surgically accurate in his analysis of what is been deliberately established in the UK. A quasi-dictatorship is the ultimate intent.

 

Br Cornelius

[Duke Wellington]

1 hour ago, Ozymandias said:

David Puttnam, a life-long Labour supporter and producer of so many memorable films like Chariots of Fire, The Mission, Cal, Local Hero, The Killing Fields, Midnight Express and The Duellists, has resigned from the House of Lords. He said that at 80 he was thoroughly disheartened

'made worse because throughout the deeply unpleasant Brexit debates I’d been forced to watch Ministers malevolently twist, turn and posture in parading their prejudices, along with their, at times, downright ignorance' and finding 'all rational discussion utterly ignored' he no longer had the 'patience to treat mendacious political inanity with the appearance of courtesy'.

He said Parliamentary debate, which he understood to be ‘persuasion based on competing interpretations of evidence', had become 'a dialogue of the deaf' and that Britain was 'careening down a path to self-inflicted disaster or, in the case of the UK, irrelevance'.

He argues that the UK is legislating to travel the same road taken by Hitler and Nazi Germany, that the integrity of Britain's liberal democracy is being slowly but unrelentingly chipped away, and gives his reasons:-

(1) the present Government’s plans to revise the Data Protection regime, their consultation allows for the impression that they’re simply ‘freeing us up from bureaucracy’, when by far the most likely outcome is the privatisation, exploitation and sale of our personal data;

(2) a Prime Minister actively - and repeatedly - intervening to manipulate an ideological ally into the Chairmanship of Ofcom, the UK's communications watchdog;

(3) An ‘Elections Bill’ that, contrary to the advice of the Committee for Standards in Public Life, is set on undermining our long established independent ‘Electoral Commission’; 

(4) a Bill to reform Judicial Review whose principal aim is to reduce the role of the Judiciary;

(5) a plan to ‘widen the scope of the Official Secrets Act’ with no commitment to add a public interest defence for journalists:

(6) a Police Bill that weakens the right to legal protest; 

And he says: 'It’s worse than that, I find myself embarrassed by what, on an almost daily basis I see [my country] becoming – my old enemy Rupert Murdoch’s dream made real. He never liked Britain, and he’s kind of won, he’s helped remake it in his own malevolent image.'

David Puttnam's whole resignation speech can be found at this link: Lord Puttnam sets out reasons for retirement in Shirley Williams Memorial Lecture - Official Website of David Puttnam | Atticus Education

What a bizarre oddball of a man.

We need some new laws that allow us to lock up politicians who try to get their way by crying Nazi or racism at the beginning of something, when nothing of the sort is going on. 

[+Noteverythingisaconspiracy]

57 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said:

What a bizarre oddball of a man.

We need some new laws that allow us to lock up politicians who try to get their way by crying Nazi or racism at the beginning of something, when nothing of the sort is going on. 

So you want to lock up people who you don't agree with. How very democratic of you. 

[Setton]

1 hour ago, Cookie Monster said:

What a bizarre oddball of a man.

We need some new laws that allow us to lock up politicians who try to get their way by crying Nazi or racism at the beginning of something, when nothing of the sort is going on. 

Laws to lock up politicians for criticising the government always go so well...

[Autochthon1990]

We got rid of our fascist, hopefully for good but we'll see how things go with the indictments, you guys can too! 

[itsnotoutthere]

"David Puttnam, a life-long Labour supporter" 

[itsnotoutthere]

6 hours ago, Cookie Monster said:

What a bizarre oddball of a man.

We need some new laws that allow us to lock up politicians who try to get their way by crying Nazi or racism at the beginning of something, when nothing of the sort is going on. 

And lets not for those that use their platform to label over half the population as 'scum'.  When are the BBC going to ask Angela Rayner about her thoughts on fridays murder?

[itsnotoutthere]

But he is right about the rise of fascism in this country and in the US, we see examples of it all the time, its now called 'cancel culture'. 

[Silver]

It is a blatant far right power grab.

They are using the smokescreens of 'woke', 'cancel culture', 'the "petty" EU' to keep the publics attention, while they do their best to dismantle democracy.

The Tories are on the second or third attempt to get Paul Dacre to head Ofcom, even to the extent of disbanding the interview panel which rejected him, they are  privatising  C4, threatening the independence of the BBC, and they are proposing that ministers should be able to overrule judges if they disagree with them.

Separation of the powers of the executive and judiciary have always been fundamental to the Rule of Law, and Brexit is proving fertile ground for finding imaginary "enemies of the people".

And their propaganda is so successful there actually are people who would prefer to be ruled over by the likes of Johnson, Priti Patel, Gove and Rees-Mogg than have an independent media and independent judiciary. They think they are on their side sticking it to the elite. They don't realise that 'taking back control' does not mean the ordionary people have control, it is the wealthy elite.

Dominic Raab vows European court will not be allowed to 'dictate' to UK | Daily Mail Online

[ExpandMyMind]

11 hours ago, Br Cornelius said:

Puttnam is surgically accurate in his analysis of what is been deliberately established in the UK. A quasi-dictatorship is the ultimate intent.

 

Br Cornelius

Holy crap. Wasn't even sure if you were still alive Br! Welcome back.

[+and-then]

12 hours ago, Autochthon1990 said:

We got rid of our fascist, hopefully for good but we'll see how things go with the indictments, you guys can too! 

There isn't a single crime he's been accused of that, even if convicted, would prevent him from running again.  If you folks really wanted to end his career, you probably shouldn't have installed someone who is literally destroying the country and creating massive pain for Americans.  By 2024, the only criteria for getting votes will be -NOT A DEMOCRAT.  You can kid yourself that things are going okay but before spring, there will be no way to convince average people that things aren't worse than they've been in decades.

[itsnotoutthere]

15 hours ago, The Silver Shroud said:

It is a blatant far right power grab.

They are using the smokescreens of 'woke', 'cancel culture', 'the "petty" EU' to keep the publics attention, while they do their best to dismantle democracy.

The Tories are on the second or third attempt to get Paul Dacre to head Ofcom, even to the extent of disbanding the interview panel which rejected him, they are  privatising  C4, threatening the independence of the BBC, and they are proposing that ministers should be able to overrule judges if they disagree with them.

Separation of the powers of the executive and judiciary have always been fundamental to the Rule of Law, and Brexit is proving fertile ground for finding imaginary "enemies of the people".

And their propaganda is so successful there actually are people who would prefer to be ruled over by the likes of Johnson, Priti Patel, Gove and Rees-Mogg than have an independent media and independent judiciary. They think they are on their side sticking it to the elite. They don't realise that 'taking back control' does not mean the ordionary people have control, it is the wealthy elite.

Dominic Raab vows European court will not be allowed to 'dictate' to UK | Daily Mail Online

 

"It is a blatant far right power grab."  So, the complete opposite to what is happening in the US then?

'Independent media'  Yes, that would be nice.

"And their propaganda is so successful there actually are people who would prefer to be ruled over by the likes of Johnson, Priti Patel, Gove and Rees-Mogg than have an independent media and independent judiciary."

"And their propaganda is so successful there actually are people who would prefer to be ruled over by the likes of Johnson, Priti Patel, Gove and Rees-Mogg than by people like Kier Starmer, Angela Rayner & Dianne Abbott."     .......There, fixed it.   

Edited October 18, 2021 by itsnotoutthere

[aztek]

stolen?? no, slowly replaced right under your nose for decades,