[link:https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/16/coronavirus-uk-live-news-covid-19-lockdown-extension|]

I really had hoped that due to the current economic crisis they would put their zealot brexit plots to one side for the moment while we fought the pandemic. But no, of course not. So on top of the covid-19 crash we will be going on WTO trading rules at the end of the year. This will take decades to recover from. It is shocking that they are pushing their ideology this hard right now. SHOCKING.

And killed a lot of innocents along the way...

https://twitter.com/ndrew_lawrence/status/1250607842526101504



''Many are willing to take the risk of contracting the virus" because they are desperate for Trump to be re-elected and they know that the only thing they've got is the fucking economy, which is in the shitter, and so they'll happily sacrifice granny and grandad to open up the economy, in a highly morally challenged effort to retain power. They are a literal fucking death cult.

Michael Moore in an interview with the Observer in June 2016, when asked about Trumps presidential campaign, said ‘’It’s like Munich in 1932. It is fascism, of course it is. Absolutely. Yes. He wants to combine the power of capital with the power of the state and to use the “other” to drive a huge amount of fear into people’s hearts. That’s working well with the 19%, that’s all that’s left of white men in America over the age of 35. The country’s changing but they are not going to go quietly and that’s why you see how big and how angry the whole thing is.’’

Fast forward four years and what do we see in Germany 1936? It was an election year that year with parliamentary elections being held in March with a single party list for the new Reichstag composed wholly of Nazis and supposedly independent ‘guests’ of the party. Of course, there was a yuge turnout of 99% *rolls eyes* and, surprise surprise, the Nazi’s won by a massive majority in a tremendously lopsided result. Trump would love to be able to pull this off in America. He literally would think this is an excellent plan, which would prove to one and all that he has the devotion of his people.

This is how quickly a democracy can die.

November cannot be more important. They cannot nobble the vote to Germany 1936 extent this year. But in another 4 years, if they retain power? Anything is possible. Now I am not saying that Trump is Hitler. Yet. But if he gets another 4 years then can I suggest that the comparison may not be far of the mark. Think of Hitler in 1940 but with Trump having weaponised Covid-19 against states and communities he sees as the enemy, having captured authoritarian powers as the economy collapses, rather than invading countries and opening up more concentration camps. It is unthinkable that this could be allowed to happen.

“That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn't even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn't even an enemy you could put your finger on.” Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale.

Just sayin’

[link:https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/trump-bizarrely-claims-the-united-states-is-a-developing-

He is fucking insane.

Hello my fine fellow DUers. This is the official submission thread for the April Contest.

HAB911 Won the February contest and therefore had the privilege of deciding the theme for the April contest. I will be hosting the April contest. The theme for April is "bokeh, the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light"

EDIT: Talitha has pointed out that "Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights, such as specular reflections and light sources, which is why it is often associated with such areas. However, bokeh is not limited to highlights; blur occurs in all out-of-focus regions of the image." I hope this provides further clarification for submissions.

This thread will be closed to new submissions on the 22nd April 2020 at 1700 GMT.

As per usual, one submission per photographer and entries are to be the original work of the submitting photographer . If I open it up for a second entry, I will of course let you know through the Photography Group. However, I really would love to see 30 separate entries so will be nagging and kicking for the next seven days.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT CHATTER IS FORBADEN ON THIS THREAD. SUBMISSIONS ONLY PLEASE.

If you want to chat or have a question about the competition come find us here on a thread opened for this specific purpose: https://www.democraticunderground.com/103674869

You can find all the rules for the competition here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/103673624 Please take the time to read them, I would hate to have to bounce anyone's picture because it has not stuck to the rules.

Please make sure that you include a title in your submission.

CONTEST LICENSE:

An entrant to this contest, by submitting a photograph, is giving permission for that photograph to be copied to Demopedia or to a linked Gallery and included in a DU Calendar that will display the photographs entered for this contest for the purpose of publicizing future contests and/or commemorating current and past contests. The entrant retains all other rights to the photograph being submitted. Neither Demopedia and/or a linked Gallery may use any photograph submitted for any purpose other than to display the photograph being submitted by the entrant, and neither gains any real or implied ownership rights to the photograph.

AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.... YOUR COMPETITION IS OPEN.



WE HAVE HIT OUR 30 SO THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

Thanks to everyone you participated and the voting threads will be up soon

Hello my lovelies

I have opened up the competition for entries.

The submission thread can be found here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/103674870


I will start the nagging in 24 hours to ensure we maintain momentum over the next 7 days. I thank you in advance for putting up with me on this but you know how I love managing these competitions.

Soph xx



EDIT: Chaps and chapettes who know better are playing hard and fast with the rules, please revisit you entries and and edit to meet the rules. You know the pixels!!!! Otherwise I have the very tedious task of contacting you and being like a headmistress in an exam. I want to nag to get more entries, not because the entries do not meet the rules.

[link:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/15/against-humanity-trump-condemned-for-who-funding-freeze|]

So desperate is he to point the finger elsewhere during his complete and utter failure to get a grip on this crisis he is willing to pull funding from the one organisation who is leading the global response. He is literally adding to the death toll because he cannot bear to admit even to himself that he has fucked up really badly over this. Of course as the WHO is a literal lifeline to the Southern Poor nations, he would not be worried about those deaths. Hell it seems he is not that worried about American deaths. He is horror.

NO. NOPE. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT.

It is reported today that at least 4000 people in care homes have died in the UK. Listening to TRMS yesterday the same is being repeated across the US and no-one is talking it about. So a Tory government who hates paying for social care, and a Republican government who hates paying for medicare, and many in this group are now dying or at risk of dying because of inaction.... gotta tell yah, coincidence is a complete and utter bollocks.

Their policy is to protect the herd and fuck the rest. They are horrific.

Just this.