What’s your most controversial opinion? **Read OP** **Mod Warning in Post #8023**

While altruism exists, a small number disguise self-interest in feigned altruism.

Well the financial scandals in some charities would be an example of what I refer to.

2/10

And for some its a gateway into electoral politics.

There is the other side of things to that; the soft power it gives Ireland.

In general, we're respected on the world stage. Our soldiers in the UN are often commended by various parties as being fair, which helps us in the UN. It does open up opportunities for businesses in Ireland.

We definitely do give out more than we need to (for example, we don't need to give India money, they have a space programme so they don't need our cash) and we do need to really scrutinize what we give away more, but there is some benefit to us offering aid to other countries.

It's a symbiotic partnership more than anything, in my view. The capitalist side of things funds the socialist side of things via taxes and wealth, and the socialist side of things takes care of the health, education, welfare and infrastructure that drives the capitalist side of things. Neither dominates too much, and we're better off overall as a result.

You can get much richer but have far deeper pitfalls using the American hyper-capitalism model, or be more equal using the Chinese model under a far more repressive societal structure that limit your rights and freedoms.

I think Europe get it just about right in the main (though not without problems) by keeping one side of things driving the other. And in all honesty because of this, European social democracy is the best system of large scale governance in terms of a mix of personal freedom, societal supports and entrepreneurship and enterprise the world has seen to date.

Yeah The embargo of Cuba is ridiculous. And it goes for the other countries that tried to nationalise resources and were invaded by capitalist countries, rulers overthrown or murdered and replaced by often brutal dictators who would sell the resources cheaply. Then point at the country and say socialism worked out poorly.

That's not really a critique of socialism itself though. That's capitalism's reaction to destroy the possibility of socialism and then say it failed. Would you say capitalism ruined the country that now has a brutal capitalist dictator, or is that the deposed socialist's fault?

Nitpicking, but he's still a Prince. He is a Prince by birth. The other titles, like Duke of York, were given to him and they're the titles he gave up.

I like that he can't have his Prince title removed just because hes a sex abuser*. It shows the absurdity of monarchy and inherited title.

*it could be removed by an act of Parliament.

I think you've got that wrong. Technically he's still the Duke of York, he's just not going to use that title anymore. That title was bestowed on him by the Queen (through an act of parliament?) and can be revoked through an act of parliament, with the assent of the King.

I don't think they can remove his title as prince, or it might cause issues with the wider royal family if they tried...

When was the last time you heard that mentioned?

It's every day on here

I don't see it. But it should be. The so called leader of the free world was found by a jury to have raped a woman. Inconceivable, as Vizzini was fond of saying.