Ian Kenway @iankenway@social.cleverlibre.org

#NicolaJennings on the PM’s efforts to find a #Brexit deal – #cartoon | Opinion | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2019/sep/13/nicola-jennings-on-he-pms-efforts-to-find-a-brexit-deal-cartoon

#UK #Politics #Satire

“You should no more refuse to request an extension of article 50 than you could possibly excuse robbing a bank on the basis that money stolen would be donated to a charitable cause,” Bercow said. - https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/12/bercow-warns-pm-not-to-defy-law-on-no-deal-brexit what a star this man is...

#Operation #Yellowhammer document published.

This is the #UK #Government's compliance with a recent #law requiring it to publish the scenarios that are likely to exist if a #no-deal #Brexit occurs. Looks very much like a token effort to me, lacking detail.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/831199/20190802_Latest_Yellowhammer_Planning_assumptions_CDL.pdf

#ClimateChange: Investing $1.8 trillion over the next decade in #ClimateChangeAdaptation could produce net benefits worth more than $7 trillion.

Interesting article by Victoria Gill, #BBC. She refers to the brand new report by the Global Commission on #Adaptation.

Key areas:
1. #EarlyWarning, #DisasterRiskManagement
2. Resilient #infrastructure
3. Improved dryland agriculture
4. #Mangroves
5. Resilient #WaterResources Management

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49635546

Full report:
https://cdn.gca.org/assets/2019-09/GlobalCommission_Report_FINAL.pdf

#World ‘gravely’ unprepared for effects of #ClimateCrisis – report | #Environment | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/10/climate-crisis-world-readiness-effects-gravely-insufficient-report

#GlobalWarming #ClimateChange

"Week of legislative defeats and popular ridicule continues for embattled #UK Prime Minister" https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/05/not-exactly-vote-confidence-amid-brexit-chaos-boris-johnsons-own-brother-resigns #brexit

Irish joke.

#politics #Brexit #BoJo

How the Liberal Left created the Conservative Right and extremism in the fediverse:

As someone who cares greatly about equality, and recognizes minorities and underprivileged groups deal with some unique and difficult struggles I realize the title to this post would seem a bit inflammatory. But that is not my intention, my intention is to address a very real problem.

As anyone on the fediverse knows there are generally two major groups of instances. Those that wont ban anything of any kind, no rules it's the wild west (red instances). Then there are those that ban anyone who shares any opinion that disagrees with their politics, even if you criticise both the left and the right in the same breath you will likely quickly find the instance or yourself banned.

However the unfortunate consequence of this pattern of behavior is to promote ever increasing support for red instances and to drive grey instances (instances that take a middle ground) into being red instances. Should be obvious why...

You basically have a spectrum of behavior with red on one side and blue on the other. With everyone crammed into the 0.1% of either end of this spectrum that means most new instances will start off, most likely, somewhere in the grey area, even if their just marginally shy of being red or blue in its full extreme.

The experience for an admin of such an instance is to quickly be overwhelmed with people from blue instances blocking and banning for things like criticising a democratic politician or something rather minor. By the end of the first few months a blue/left leaning instance will quickly find itself on dozens of suspend or ban instances as a result and find they only have a voice among the 99% red instances and the 1% grey instances out there.

Since this means they naturally wont have a voice among blue instances, and most people are on social media because they want to be social, this means their only incentive is to appeal to red instances (since that's where all their boosts and likes come from). Along with building animosity for how blue instances treat them and with the acceptance of red instances you will find all the incentive for the instances to move to be an extremist red instance with extremist no-rule policies quickly develop.

As such we see exactly what we are seeing now on the fediverse, an ever increasing number of red instances very quickly overwhelming and overtaking the blue instances.

Of course this is made worse by the fact that those ont he blue instances can only see other blue instances. so they will be under the mistaken impression that the red instances don't exist and that the blue instances are thriving and growing and dominating over the red instances. This ignorance just ensures the red instances grow unchecked and unchallenged.

As someone who's personal policy is anti-extremism, and with this pattern being one that generates extremism it is very VERY concerning to me.

#mastodon #fediverse #uspol #extremism #mastoadmin