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NFL owners voted on Tuesday for two franchises, the St. Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers (should they choose to exercise their option), to relocate to Los Angeles.
The fans in question obviously didn’t want this to happen, but it did anyway. The owners call the shots, and Los Angeles is simply too big a market to neglect. That is the logic of the NFL. Leaving fans behind in St. Louis and San Diego for a move to LA was nothing more than a cold business decision, driven by the numbers. Until NFL teams are bound to fulfill a different set of obligations — like they are in Green Bay — it’ll stay that way.
It’s why this move to LA was such a forgone conclusion, and it’s why the NFL’s move to London is, too.
slimmouse » Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:00 am wrote:A quick cross sample of what I suspect is typical working class opinion to the question of Brexit.
coffin_dodger wrote:This is how I see Brexit - keeping it as brief as possible and from an extreme cynic point of view - in Dec 2012 David Cameron stated that he wished to reinstate 'Victorian values' during his term in office. These values would suit uncontrolled corporate power very nicely. We are bound by EU laws to treat everyday working people with at least some respect. Release from Europe would facilitate even more ties to be forged with the US corporate structure. Leaving the EU will have long term and imo dire consequences for the average Joe in the UK. The UK is already an unfettered playground for the rich of all nationalities to reside in and the consequences of Brexit are too delicious for the elite to pass up on. David Cameron is lying when he says he's in the pro-stay camp - it's just for the public perception. I think (but earnestly hope not) that we will exit, regardless of voting. It's the plan. I so hope I'm wrong.
Brexit referendum: in-out, in-out, shake it all about
The EU vote offers a mirror to the British left. The right-wing “remain” and “leave” coalitions are both monstrosities. It is up to us to liberate ourselves.
Brexit For Tanks? The EU and The Working Class
Rage Against Capital takes a look the EU and what it means for the working classes and the oppressed internationally as well as critiquing the CPGB-ML's endorsement of Brexit.
So called “Brexit” refers to the exit of Britain from the EU, a united coalition of European countries that was formed after WW2. Many of the exponents of “Brexit” tend to be British Nationalists, Neo-Nazis, Fascists, or just simple racist reactionaries (e.g. UK Independence Party). It’s a wonder then why any leftist groups would support “Brexit” given it’s association with heavily reactionary groups and movements. However, CPGB-ML has an answer to that..or at least they think they do.
A couple of years back I would've been definite pro-EU - might even have campaigned to stay in it. I like the European Working Time Directive and the employment rights (and others) that are enshrined in the EC Human Rights Act. The more vociferous clowns on the dodgy-right of the Tory party (Fox, Gove, Patel) really would like to "emulate Singapore" and make us all "work like the Chinese", and it troubles them that laws preventing this have been 'imposed upon us from Brussels'. Well, it doesn't trouble me.
I don't ever want to see the "Britannia Unchained" mob getting fully off the chain, and some aspects of EU law act as a break on their free-market wank fantasies. On the other hand, the EU makes the privatization of most utilities mandatory, and is itself heavily neoliberal in outlook... then there's the prospect of TTIP.
But the right wing of the Tories, and it's Atlantic Bridge subset, would enthusiastically sign us up to TTIP anyway - EU or not - so that's kind of a non-issue.
The Common Fisheries Policy is a problem. It has to be said, though, that the UK Government (Heath, then Thatcher) are more to blame for it's long-standing unfairness to Scotland than the EU is.
The treatment of Greece by the EU has been horrifying, but it's not just been Greece - Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and others have all had their democracy interfered with and their dignity trampled. The IMF would've been no kinder in the old days, though, and the Germans also have valid cause for complaint as they see their tax money thrown at a supranational political project to which few of them have any real emotional attachment, but it's still a fucking disgrace, and one which the EU top dogs clearly regret not a jot.
On Ukraine, the EU acted like the political wing of NATO, in my view, and that's not a role I want to see it playing, especially not now that it is making real progress in developing it's own military structures.
The EU Parliament unavoidably gives a bigger voice and a certain amount of legitimization to extremist and far-right parties who are (mostly) considered jokes in their own homelands. I suppose I can't complain about that though, since it is a rare example of the EU suffering from an excess of democracy rather than a lack of it. And a Brexit vote will inevitably be seen as an endorsement of far-right views anyway, domestically - lock the doors, build a wall, send them back, treat Liam Fox like a legitimate politician, etc.
I'm not a fan of the Tory Establishment, and they seem worryingly fond of the EU - in their actions rather than their words. Heath begged embarassingly at the door of the EEC for nearly a decade, asking for entry, and Thatcher signed the Single European Act to create the political union, while Major signed Maastricht and led us disastrously into the ERM. Most of the big steps towards greater EU integration have taken place under Tory governments. That's a puzzler, is it not?
I like the idea of the EU, but it is the reality that we'd be entering into "ever closer union" with. I'm left with the question of what I think is more dangerous for Scotland - being part of a potential European superstate with all it's current failings and lopsidedness, with it's limited good points and glaring bad points, or being part of an "unfettered" UK under a rampantly Atlanticist Tory government for the foreseeable.
I consider the UK to be by far the greater and more immediate threat to our interests, but that doesn't make the EU any more attractive.
It's difficult, but my opinions have definitely changed over the last few years, moving more and more towards an Out vote.
JackRiddler » 21 Jun 2016 08:06 wrote:This is rough! I wouldn't want this choice. (Who would?) Of course it's binary nonsense. Distorted democracy at work, as usual. As a Greek, what's not to like about a blow against the EU that might facilitate Greece's escape from its stranglehold down the line? But the main force in the leave coalition is obviously not "left" but resides with the worst people politically, who will be empowered to go hog-wild and treat it as a big win for racism and anti-immigration. UK will lose the EU limits on hypercapitalism (which it has, alongside the neoliberal management) and no doubt go straight into TTIP and worse. I can see the argument that Cameron would want it, if only it didn't spell the end of Cameron's tenure. And Boris? I'll defer to the smart people here from the UK who are arguing against Brexit. Also, while personal impressions shouldn't over-figure, Corbyn's a lot easier for me trust than... Sanders!
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