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[Loud Whispers]

"Sounds like" yes.  But take a moment to consider what a "depreciated" yuan has done for Chinese exports.  Or what a strong Euro has done for European employment.
And as for simplifying.  No that's just silly.

Bulks of cheap Chinese exports benefit from a weak yuan because exchange rates are more important than demand for their exports. When it comes to engineering, manufacturing and electronics, the most pressing matter in regards to exports is demand not currency exchange rates, look at the EU and its lack of demand and you'll see the cause for that unemployment. A weaker pound will not only make it harder for smaller businesses who cannot afford to put up with the increased import costs, a weaker pound vs a stronger dollar will also mean much less profits all over the place for businesses all the way up to the markets. On a more individual level too, a weaker pound will only compound inflation leading to higher living costs for everyone who dares to use sterling. This wouldn't just be a depreciation of the pound too, perhaps I understated: It would be a collapse of the pound. People threw their money south to London when Scottish independence was gaining momentum, people have begun throwing their money from London to Singapore and Tokyo now that the yes poll has appeared. In the advent of actual independence becoming a thing, England is fucked, Scotland needs their own money, everyone flood for Sydney.

[WarRoot]

@RedKing&XXSockXX

So if I understand it right:
agrarian society + late industrialization = conservative populism

[XXSockXX]

@RedKing&XXSockXX

So if I understand it right:
agrarian society + late industrialization = conservative populism

At least that is my interpretation of Bavarian politics.
In other areas in Germany it was early industrialisation -> lots of poor workers -> big social-democratic movement -> de-industrialization -> left-leaning politics, in Bavaria it was socially conservative rural area -> later industrialisation -> sudden wealth (Bavaria is a big net payer in the federal system, but used to be rather poor till the 50s) -> conservative populism.

The funny thing is that the stereotype of Germany (in the United States, at least) is very much that of Bavaria: portly men in lederhosen drinking beer and dancing to oompah with buxom blond Frauleinen serving them more beer.

Another parallel BTW, the Texan cowboy pretty much used to be a typical stereotype of the US around here. Are you having lots of barbecues on your ranch in Lower Manhattan? 

[LordSlowpoke]

well, bavaria did happen to benefit from marshall without enjoying foreign soldiers wrecking shit

other than bombs, but that can be excused, everyone got a faceful of bomb back then

[Owlbread]

Is this a sign from supernatural forces? A bad omen for the Unionists? The saltire itself has taken part in an act of rebellion. We live in strange times, fellows. Very strange times.

[RedKing]

@RedKing&XXSockXX

So if I understand it right:
agrarian society + late industrialization = conservative populism

That does seem to be a general formula. In a democratic society, at least. Russia had the same starting ingredients, but two major differences:

1. The landowning upper class wasn't weakened.
2. Non-democratic society with no way for the nascent populist segment of society to gain power/representation.

You could argue that if Russia had been a constitutional monarchy with more representative government and a weakened boyar class, that it could have wound up more like Bavaria or the American South.

Or conversely, that if Bavaria had remained an independent kingdom with an autocratic planter gentry, they might have had a socialist revolution. Oh wait, they did.
 

[LordSlowpoke]

You could argue that if Russia had been a constitutional monarchy with more representative government and a weakened boTexasyar class, that it could have wound up more like Bavaria or the American South.

march revolution

then lenin happened

lenin was sort of a cunt, considering that kinda alternative

[Digital Hellhound]

Hey now, Lenin gave democracy a shot. It was a short-lived experiment, granted, but it's not his fault the Russian people would get strange ideas such as 'voting for SRs instead of the Communists' into their heads (Lenin dissolved the assembly after that became clear).

[Guardian G.I.]

(Reuters) - The European Union adopted new sanctions against Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine war on Monday, but delayed enforcing them to leave time to assess whether a ceasefire in Ukraine is holding.

Hysterical laugher. I think Putin can play "Escalation\pause\Escalation\Pause" game forever

It's probably related to Russian threats of closing down its airspace for Western airlines in case of sanctions.

Is this a sign from supernatural forces? A bad omen for the Unionists? The saltire itself has taken part in an act of rebellion. We live in strange times, fellows. Very strange times.

It reminds me of this incident at the 2012 Summer Olympics, when the US flag couldn't stand the sheer amount of barbarian totalitarianism emitted by the other two flags at the awards ceremony.

[Sheb]

Lenin was kind of a cunt. I've got that great book called the Bolshevik Myth, the journal of anarchist Alexander Berkmann that was deported from the US to Russia in 1919 and slowly got disillusioned by the Bolshevik's actions.

Anyway, Helgoland, my point was that you're supposed to grant asylum to legitimate asylum seeker, and I'm not sure it's legal to send them oversea, even to a processing center. (I think what Australia's doing with PNG is only legal because they stop the boat before they get a chance to get into Australian territorial waters.)

Also, given the precedent of Australia's experiment on Christmas Island and PNG, I'm really wary of any kind of offshore processing center. As I said, the only exception I would accept are camps at the major passage points in North Africa, because you already have illegal migrant camps there, and even Frontex would be gentler than the local police.

[Owlbread]

Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray explains the anomaly that is Scotland's lost territorial waters (and oil fields), secretly stolen by Tony Blair in 1999.

Also, as an occasionally far-left leaning fellow I feel the need to concur with Sheb and Slowpoke by affirming that Lenin was indeed kind of a cunt.

[Loud Whispers]

It reminds me of this incident at the 2012 Summer Olympics, when the US flag couldn't stand the sheer amount of barbarian totalitarianism emitted by the other two flags at the awards ceremony.

Hey now, that's an unfair comparison, Britain isn't barbaric.

[Owlbread]

"We're not barbarians... like we were way back when?"

I am rather saddened. George Galloway was going to debate the subject of independence with Frankie Boyle on Sky News tonight but it fell through and never happened.

[Sergarr]

..."it fell through"?

[Owlbread]

..."it fell through"?

I think Frankie Boyle pulled out because he realised it may not be the most pleasant or worthwhile experience.