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[Descan]

That said, it is April first today so...

[Owlbread]

That said, it is April first today so...

It is indeed. I was hoping I'd get more people with that article but few took the bait.

[Descan]

I don't know enough about British parliament to know if Speaker of the House is a notable position or not, so I couldn't read the article with the right knowledge.

[notquitethere]

I don't know enough about British parliament to know if Speaker of the House is a notable position or not, so I couldn't read the article with the right knowledge.

It's important but not politically powerful. The Speaker is a regular member of parliament who is elected unopposed, but formally renounces their political allegiances and only votes to break ties (and by convention only ever votes a no on tie-breaks). As the current speaker is in a Conservative seat, the Conservatives have effectively one less vote in parliament than they otherwise would do: hence why they recently tried to oust him. (Also, because he's not afraid to shut the Prime Minister down).

Incidentally, if anyone wants to know what British Parliament is like, then they could do worse than watch this.

[Graknorke]

Ah yes PMQ, the most banterous of political events.

[Sergarr]

Ah yes PMQ, the most banterous of political events.

It's like everybody tries to speak at the same time and instead of talking after each other they prefer to try to win the battle of "who can raise their voice more".

[Jopax]

I don't think the first thought that comes to mind when looking at the people who run a country should be that of a rowdy classroom with a teacher that can barely contain them.

[nenjin]

I'd be impressed that out of that, they can get governance of any sort. Comparatively, we have a ton of humorless dicks in government who just get nothing done.

[notquitethere]

You don't get chosen as leader of a political party in the UK if you can't crack jokes.

[Owlbread]

I don't know if anyone would find it interesting to compare PMQs with its Scottish equivalent, FMQs (First Minister's Questions).

[notquitethere]

I was thinking it was all pretty low key but then the expected politickeering came about a minute in. They've got nicer accents though.

[Owlbread]

I was thinking it was all pretty low key but then the expected politickeering came about a minute in. They've got nicer accents though.

I think FMQs is like a well-policed/managed PMQs without the Old Etonion bollocks that permeates the House of Commons.

[martinuzz]

Looks like Turkey is going to pull a Putin on Putin.

The Turkish government announces it will send observers to Crimea, because they believe the Turkish Tartar minority is being surpressed ever since Russia annexed it.

Next we know Turkey annexes the Crimea from Russia, using the good old argument "to protect people of Turkish ethnicity".

[Owlbread]

The Crimean Tatars are not Turkish, they are a Turkic nationality unique in the world like any Kazakh or Uyghur or Uzbek. They're native to Crimea and are the mixed descendants of pretty much every ethnic group that settled there - some of them have Greek and Gothic blood. Good on the Turks, however.

Did anyone catch the Leaders debate on ITV last night for GE2015?

[smjjames]

The Crimean Tatars are not Turkish, they are a Turkic nationality unique in the world like any Kazakh or Uyghur or Uzbek. They're native to Crimea and are the mixed descendants of pretty much every ethnic group that settled there - some of them have Greek and Gothic blood. Good on the Turks, however.

Did anyone catch the Leaders debate on ITV last night for GE2015?

Turkey still considers the Tatars their ethnic brethren, even though they are an unique ethnic group like your examples.

Also, I doubt that Turkey has the military strength to pull off an annexation of Crimea, not against Russia at any rate.

Besides, if Turkey actually does go to war over it, it's resembling the European territorial dispute/conquest wars in the 19th century that the US wanted to stay the hell out of back then.