On Monday, 29 July 2013 03:38:36 UTC-7, Recliner wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:44:25 -0700 (PDT), e27002
wrote:
On Sunday, 28 July 2013 18:23:58 UTC-7, Recliner wrote:
e27002 wrote:
On Wednesday, 24 July 2013 15:51:50 UTC-7, Richard wrote:
It is hard to believe one was present then. These pictures are so
sickening; I almost changed my mind regarding the decline of western
civilization. Then I remembered, we had the wonderful years of
restoration during the Mulroney, Reagan, Thatcher John Paul II era.
I'm curious why you think western civilisation is declining? Isn't British
society freer, safer, healthier, longer-lived, less crime-afflicted, more
egalitarian, less-discriminatory, more integrated, and more secular than
ever? Regardless of their political complexion, British governments have
been pretty effective at moving us in the right direction. However, I'm not
sure what role, if any, Mulroney, Reagan or any pope played in this
progress.
One is not sure when Britain became the sum total Western Civilization.
I never said it was, but we were discussing pictures taken in London
in the 1980s, and so it was reasonable to look at how Britain's
changed in the last 30 years.
For crime see http://www.historytoday.com/victor-b...entury-britain
I know you like living in the past, but why post a link to an article
published some 25 years ago (and apparently based on data no newer
than 1984), when we're discussing how things have changed *since* the
1980s? Perhaps because more recent articles don't support your
thesis. For a more current analysis, see
http://www.economist.com/blogs/econo...st-explains-16
Year on year comparisons do not mean a whole lot. The long term trend is what matters. Legislation passed now becomes effective in the future, then its consequences become apparent much later as folks figure out how to comply or avoid it. There is still plenty of fallout from IR35.
A judge appointed today will be deciding case for many, many years. A new school teacher will influence generations of children.
The real measure of crime statistics is over 25, even 50 years.
Then there is the decline in communities of faith, the cheapening of human life, the rise of out of wedlock births, the disproportionate influence of deviant groups, the overwhelming rise of low brow culture, pseudo-science, the decline of honor, patriotism, and loyalty. The list goes on and on. But, you no doubt see things differently.
Yes, I will regard it as a real triumph of western civilisation when
the study of religion is confined to the history syllabus. The quicker
that 'communities of faith' disappear, the better.
One can fully understand why someone who wants an "anything goes" climate of sleaze would dislike people of conviction. How would you like to dispose of these communities? Evangelicals could be burnt at the stake, Jewish people packed into cattle trucks and sent to "resettlement" camps. Perhaps you might think beheading is appropriate for Catholics.
I certainly don't
welcome the rise of pseudo-science, but it seems to be confined mainly
to the US, with the rise of pseudo-sciences like Intelligent Design.
The statistics to support the "hockey stick" were faked in the United Kingdom.
And, as for our allies, I presume you see no advantage in the fall of our then greatest threat. Perhaps to you, Poles, East Germans, Czechs, et al do not count (They are not British after all). But, I am sure to them the Western Leadership of that period was cause for great rejoicing. Need I mention �Solidarity�.
Of course I celebrated the fall of the Soviet empire -- who wouldn't?
It's another reason to feel optimistic about the progress in western
civilisation (I just wish I'd visited more eastern European countries
just before or after the fall of the Wall, so I could better judge the
changes since then). And one consequence is that if you listen to
conversations on today's Tube trains, many are in the languages of the
countries that were once behind the iron curtain.
Yet you are so keen to see the same government interventionist policies imposed within the EU. It will not be many years before Poland has had enough and leaves.