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[Loud Whispers]

Sweden has been closing some of it's nuclear reactors "for maintenance" over winter for some years now.
In other Swedish news, today marks one year since the attack on a peaceful anti-racism march by militant neonazis. With immaculate timing the vice-Speaker of the Rikstag - of the we're-totally-not-racist-guise Sweden Party - made a declaration in an opinion piece that Jews, Sami, and Tornedal-Finns don't count as Swedish.

What a remarkable coincidence. How bad was that attack in 2013? Was it done on an antifa march or something by skinheads?

[Owlbread]

A kind of Huffington Post (news aggregator) for news from a pro-independence perspective has been launched. It's called Common Space, due to the fact that it was launched by a left wing think tank called Common Weal. For those that are interested, Common Weal is a very old Scots expression related to "Commonwealth", literally meaning The Common Good.

I should note that, while I have described it as news from a "pro-independence perspective" it's more accurately... well, it's not just separatist/nationalist news. The bias is like... a sort of ultra-modern left kind of thing. If that makes sense, as opposed to "new left". There's a crossover here between green politics and modern Socialist ideas and it's created this fascinating blend. They're trying to call it "practical idealism" or something but it's hard to describe unless you read into it. Here are some of their policies.  This, for instance, is their idea for a "Common Weal economy". They're pretty much all just "ideas" and general principles rather than cold, hard facts - but they plan on bringing loads of academics together to work out how to pursue these policies. They've already gone some way to doing that I hear.

They're the kind of people who would argue for decentralised government, more power to local communities (creation of citizens' assemblies etc) but also for things like a high-pay economy, a four day working week etc. They say we should look into the Finnish education system so we can take a look at our own system with fresh eyes. It's all very Scandinavian, or at least what Scottish lefties imagine Scandinavia should be like.

Basically, the kind of people writing this stuff are the people who would say, for the most part, that "independence is a means to an end" i.e. it would serve a practical purpose to help make our society more equal. Common Weal of course understand and recognise that we can improve Scottish society even within the Union - so they're not just out and out separatists. This kind of thing is the legacy of the Yes Campaign and the pro-independence movement.

A lot of it seems wishy-washy at times, particularly the slogans, but it's all very endearing and the people behind it are working flat out. I'm excited to see where it all leads.

[scriver]

Sweden has been closing some of it's nuclear reactors "for maintenance" over winter for some years now.
In other Swedish news, today marks one year since the attack on a peaceful anti-racism march by militant neonazis. With immaculate timing the vice-Speaker of the Rikstag - of the we're-totally-not-racist-guise Sweden Party - made a declaration in an opinion piece that Jews, Sami, and Tornedal-Finns don't count as Swedish.

What a remarkable coincidence. How bad was that attack in 2013? Was it done on an antifa march or something by skinheads?

A neighbourhood (or more like a lot of neighbourhoods I guess, the thing was named after a bus line) decided to march against a group of neonazi-likes that had been putting up propaganda and doing "war training" in the area, and the group responded by attacking the demonstration with fireworks, bats, flagpoles, bottles and knives.

Here is a good picture of the march: young people, activists, student organisations, pensioneers, children, adults, parents with baby strollers - just ordinary people.

Here is the aftermath when the police had gained some control and was herding the nazis away. As you can see a lot of their weapons had been grabbed by the marchers by then.

[Loud Whispers]

Here's hoping they'll be more on a level with the Guardian than the Huffington Post. I must say their website format is less than ideal, but it looks like it could take off. There also appears to be some overlap in the hitbox for 'sign in/join' and 'shop,' but that's just nitpicking.
As for the quality of the articles; seems like it's pretty much what you'd expect based off of the description you gave Owlbread (providing you expected either a social conservative's midnight nightmare fuel or a budding leftist paper trying to report on local news and national news with social equity in mind) and whoever writes these certainly doesn't lack in passion nor the language of empathy. I do note that in some of their more political pieces the writer does what many others from established but shit papers do and essentially pull shit out of their arses or the collective arses of every arse fuck around them. I love slagging off MPs as much as everyone but nothing makes me more annoyed than when an article shows up reporting that 'some (who?) allege (with what evidence?) something bad.' A blemish on an otherwise founded political newsite.
Owlbread I think you're right in gauging that this is something interesting and I'll certainly be watching it to see if it ever grows large enough that Murdoch or another mogul will try to assimilate it.

A neighbourhood (or more like a lot of neighbourhoods I guess, the thing was named after a bus line) decided to march against a group of neonazi-likes that had been putting up propaganda and doing "war training" in the area, and the group responded by attacking the demonstration with fireworks, bats, flagpoles, bottles and knives.
Here is a good picture of the march: young people, activists, student organisations, pensioneers, children, adults, parents with baby strollers - just ordinary people.
Here is the aftermath when the police had gained some control and was herding the nazis away. As you can see a lot of their weapons had been grabbed by the marchers by then.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The rally was populated with everyone from elderly pensioners to young families with baby strollers in tow. From reports and information coming out, as people who needed to protect their own families withdrew, local residents, Revolutionary Front, and Anti Fascist Action launched into a counter-attack and pushed back the initial SMR attack. SMR was effectively and rather quickly pushed back and forced to retreat due to a substantial portion of the rally participants pushing SMR out of the square and into the woods. The rally turned into a march following and undermining SMR's efforts to disrupt. Small skirmishes and altercations continued as the police were unwilling or unable to maintain the control the strive for.
https://libcom.org/news/sweden-nazis-attack-anti-racist-demonstration-pushed-back-17122013

Damn, Sweden is tense.

[Owlbread]

Here's hoping they'll be more on a level with the Guardian than the Huffington Post. I must say their website format is less than ideal, but it looks like it could take off. There also appears to be some overlap in the hitbox for 'sign in/join' and 'shop,' but that's just nitpicking.

Common Weal/Space need good web designers. They really do - it's their greatest weakness.

As for the quality of the articles; seems like it's pretty much what you'd expect based off of the description you gave Owlbread (providing you expected either a social conservative's midnight nightmare fuel or a budding leftist paper trying to report on local news and national news with social equity in mind) and whoever writes these certainly doesn't lack in passion nor the language of empathy. I do note that in some of their more political pieces the writer does what many others from established but shit papers do and essentially pull shit out of their arses or the collective arses of every arse fuck around them. I love slagging off MPs as much as everyone but nothing makes me more annoyed than when an article shows up reporting that 'some (who?) allege (with what evidence?) something bad.' A blemish on an otherwise founded political newsite.

That's just the virus that has infected journalism, I'm afraid. The whole "sources allege" etc thing has crept into every political reporting from the days when journalists would skulk around in Westminster cafes, waiting to have candid "off the record" conversations. I don't really know how we can solve it when it's endemic.

Owlbread I think you're right in gauging that this is something interesting and I'll certainly be watching it to see if it ever grows large enough that Murdoch or another mogul will try to assimilate it.

Hmm, we'll have to see about that one.

[Loud Whispers]

Common Weal/Space need good web designers. They really do - it's their greatest weakness.

As far as weaknesses go it's a good one to work on, as it's almost guaranteed to be one of the things that'll improve once they rake in sterling. They'd have to go full youtube to mess up, and I don't think anyone can manage to go full youtube. I certainly wonder if they see themselves in some role in fulfilling their own goal on creating a national Scottish media more Scottish than the BBC.

That's just the virus that has infected journalism, I'm afraid. The whole "sources allege" etc thing has crept into every political reporting from the days when journalists would skulk around in Westminster cafes, waiting to have candid "off the record" conversations. I don't really know how we can solve it when it's endemic.

Oh yes, by no means am I saying it's a Common Weal thing, it's global. Unfortunately. Also I would say Westminster's a symptom not the cause, it's actually something unreal to see reporters and photographers in action literally skulking and hiding in crevices and windows behind people's shoulders.

And reading this all I can think of is how simultaneously a bad and great idea would be in exporting Frankie Boyle to the world. Especialy interesting is the bit addressing reducing inequality by raising wages but a lot of the stuff I'm seeing from Common Weal also favours the same lax immigration created by labour that allowed employers to drive wages down on the first place. Is there some way to reconcile this without imposing controls that allow skilled labourers and students in whilst limiting unskilled labourers and excluding those seeking to take advantage with no thought for Scotland?

Oh, and 4 day weeks. Love it, thought about it before, but will it ever happen? It's probably worse because I'm a Londoner and in terms of work speed we're like the rest of Britain on crack cocaine and even whilst acknowledging the system's wrongs I and many like me are addicted to the system because god dammit more work must be done. Would the loss of a whole day out of the week provide enough benefits to a person that productivity would actually increase or is the point in valuing individual welfare and societal welfare (by reducing unemployment)?
If I got the point right you'd have two people working the same job that would normally be done by one, increasing the number of available jobs whilst also reducing the stress loads of each individual, meaning they're healthier, happier and more productive.
Why that's a fucking great idea.
Management jobs would be weird to work into the system though.

This one about defence, too idealistic and assumes the world is full of rational actors (hint, islamic terrorists have been bombing european nations which never set foot in the middle east or africa and Putin wants to rub his dick on europe's forehead and Kirchner can fuck off muh penguins e.t.c.) and our armed forces have done a hell of a good humanitarian job around the world fighting ebola, clearing mines and keeping sea lanes open from god damn pirates that withdrawing everything because Tony Blair is allowed to walk free is silly.

I can't remember who predicted internet would be a human right some day, but I should. It's a good idea that will happen.

[WarRoot]

And reading this all I can think of is how simultaneously a bad and great idea would be in exporting Frankie Boyle to the world. Especialy interesting is the bit addressing reducing inequality by raising wages but a lot of the stuff I'm seeing from Common Weal also favours the same lax immigration created by labour that allowed employers to drive wages down on the first place. Is there some way to reconcile this without imposing controls that allow skilled labourers and students in whilst limiting unskilled labourers and excluding those seeking to take advantage with no thought for Scotland?

Ah Lord Whispers, you have spoken wisely!
Western Europe only needs skilled and immaculate gentleman of the highest degree, the trash of Europe can stay in the Eastern Wastelands scavenging for food while their betters drive off to work for the glory of the West.

[Loud Whispers]

Ah Lord Whispers, you have spoken wisely!
Western Europe only needs skilled and immaculate gentleman of the highest degree, the trash of Europe can stay in the Eastern Wastelands scavenging for food while their betters drive off to work for the glory of the West.

If you want to say I hate Eastern Europeans just say it m8 and get it out of your system, no need to get passive aggressive.

[LordSlowpoke]

* LordSlowpoke rolls eyes

these poor poles, forced to migrate to western europe by their eu overlords

let's not forget about the romanians that's practically modern slavery

it's not like anyone would ever migrate to these disgustingly degenerate countries out of their own accord!

also i can't even be fucked listing all the nationalities

[Reelya]

Sweden has been closing some of it's nuclear reactors "for maintenance" over winter for some years now.

In other Swedish news, today marks one year since the attack on a peaceful anti-racism march by militant neonazis. With immaculate timing the vice-Speaker of the Rikstag - of the we're-totally-not-racist-guise Sweden Party - made a declaration in an opinion piece that Jews, Sami, and Tornedal-Finns don't count as Swedish.

Sami don't count as locals? There's nothing worse than a neonazi who hates the natives, they even lose the "we're the original race" argument then. The evidence suggests that those people are direct descendents of ice-age populations circa 10,000BC, so they clearly predate Indo-Europeans in Sweden.

[lorb]

Usually the argument is not "we're the original race" but "we are the better* race"

*can be any of: master/non-criminal/harder working/cleaner/educated/...

[Loud Whispers]

PC master race

[WarRoot]

Ah Lord Whispers, you have spoken wisely!
Western Europe only needs skilled and immaculate gentleman of the highest degree, the trash of Europe can stay in the Eastern Wastelands scavenging for food while their betters drive off to work for the glory of the West.

If you want to say I hate Eastern Europeans just say it m8 and get it out of your system, no need to get passive aggressive.

Nah, I just wanted to say that only allowing the skilled immigrants in would be fairly one sided concerning the source country.

[Loud Whispers]

Ah Lord Whispers, you have spoken wisely!
Western Europe only needs skilled and immaculate gentleman of the highest degree, the trash of Europe can stay in the Eastern Wastelands scavenging for food while their betters drive off to work for the glory of the West.

If you want to say I hate Eastern Europeans just say it m8 and get it out of your system, no need to get passive aggressive.

Nah, I just wanted to say that only allowing the skilled immigrants in would be fairly one sided concerning the source country.

What does 'one sided' mean? Why is Eastern Europe a single country all of a sudden? When did Eastern Europe become Britain's sole source of immigrants?

[WarRoot]

In this case it means that you welcome the people that can benefit a country while driving off those that can't, so you will leave the source country with the weeded out people, which you can't consider to be fair.
Well because you thought I meant that you hate Eastern Europeans I decided to generalise my point and drop the Eastern Europe part, although I guess my point stands only for 'source country poorer than destination country'
I never said that it just served as a lively example for mocking you.