Politics News in Brief – May 19th, 2017
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Conatus News/Uncommon Ground Media Inc.
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2017/05/19
Brexit talks could collapse over UK divorce bill, says EU negotiator
According to The Guardian, Michel barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiation, has fears of a refusal of some member states (of the EU) to soften demands over the “divorce bill” coming from Britain.
This could collapse the talks and subsequently the UK could be “crashing out of the EU without a deal”.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, in addition to other senior officials, noted the stakes remain so high with Paris’ and Berlin’s refusal to pay any more for the departure of the UK from the EU.
Brexit and the Identity Crisis for the UK
CNN, reporting on the buildup to the UK elections, focused on the town of Redcar. Although the seaside resort and town is 250 miles from Westminster, the distance between its people and the UK’s heart of government could be “a million miles.” Redcar is in the industrial northeast of England, so should be safe for the Labour party.
Anna Turley, a local member of parliament (Labour), has been knocking on doors to “keep her seat” in the next month’s general election. There is, apparently, a “palpable” disaffection with the politics in Westminster.
As the voters are working class – steel and heavy industry types, the borough of Redcar (“and Cleveland”) has been “knocked off its feet by globalisation.” In 2015, 3,000 jobs shut down due to falling steel prices. Even though Redcar should be a victory for Labour, globalisation is another important factor for the vote.
The Difficulty, If Not Impossibility, of Stopping Foreign Influence on UK Politics
The commission’s chief says it monitors closely political parties’ use of data analytics and social media to target voters. The Guardian, reporting on the foreign influence on UK politics, highlights the fact the Electioral Commission has been powerless to prevent any foreign efforts altering the perceptions, and so the statistical votes, of the British electorate, and so British election.
Social media is another influence on the election too. Claire Bassett said, “If something is happening outside of the borders of this country and is not part of any of the regime we are responsible for, it’s not something we can cover within our regulation.”
This has raised concerns about companies using advanced data analysis. The analysis of social media stuff of people. The analyses can target people with specifically targeted messages to their profiles, based on their data. Bassett there wasn’t much individuals or governments could do to prevent paid manipulation through these analyses and other means.
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