A call for the parliament to intervene in the Brexit process, older people’s use of Facebook and how room-sharing services such as Airbnb are damaging communities have got you talking today.
To join in the conversation you can click on the links in the comments below to expand and add your thoughts. We’ll continue to highlight more comments worth reading as the day goes on.
Since this government can’t govern, parliament must take charge of Brexit
Conversation is still flowing under this piece from Andrew Rawnsley published over the weekend.
‘Parliament very definitely has a role to play in voting down a bad deal’
The alternative is no deal? No, the alternative is the threat of leaving with no deal. If parliament has the courage to vote down a bad deal and therefore makes real that threat, the impact in terms of a crashing pound and companies like Nissan cancelling plans to build their new models in Sunderland would rapidly lead to a clamour for a change in course.
I suspect there will be a second referendum, or a desperate plea from the UK for an extension to the A50 deadline. Either way it will probably take a constitutional crisis and a collapsing Tory government. Parliament very definitely has a role to play in voting down a bad deal – it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
eyebrow
‘The task now is to pick the least damaging crisis and aim for that’
The whole Brexit nonesense was sold to ordinary Brits on the basis that there are countries all over the world “queuing up to do trade deals” with us. If this turns out to be undeliverable, we must be looking at a huge crisis for the government. In fact I’m coming to the view that the task now is to pick the least damaging crisis and aim for that. What an utter shambles.
MoreTeaVicar
Is Facebook for old people? Over-55s flock in as the young leave
A new study into Facebook’s millions of users suggests 700,000 UK teenagers and young adults will leave the social media site in 2018, while 500,000 new over-55s are expected to join. You’ve been discussing this changing demographic.
‘We oldies have a right to an online space that suits the way we use the internet’
I seriously don’t get why the demographic change to the age of Facebook users is any sort of “problem” at all. Older folk like myself like that it encompasses ideas and content that is not just selfies and cat pictures and that its a great medium for keeping in contact with family and friends. Young people intent on self promotion or seeking sex partners may well go to other platforms for such ephemeral content, and good luck too them, but we oldies have a right to an online space that suits the way we like to use the internet – if Facebook fits the bill then its creators should be thankful instead of eternally complaining about it.
baselinebob
‘The Guardian comments section is where it’s really going on’
I said this a while ago, but Facebook is not the social media powerhouse people think it is. The kids thinks it’s deeply uncool, the 25-45s use it to organise events and the over 50s use it as an online photo album. Of course there’s the FB denizens who post their every move, but it’s just not cool. Twitter has come of age, and Snap/Insta/WA does the rest. The Guardian comments section is, naturally, where it’s really going on.
Isambardkingdom
Profiteers make a killing on Airbnb – and erode communities
John Harris has written about the room-sharing platform’s impact on the places its users offer stays. Here’s some of your reaction to the story:
‘How about banning all such companies and all such advertising?’
I was sitting on the Tube this morning and there was an advert above the map of the Northern line for a new company that will manage short lets for landlords. The text of the advert was, basically, that yields from long-term lets are falling, there’s too much regulation and tax now, so kick out your tenants or make them pay you by the week, because the short lets business is unregulated and you can get away with fleecing anyone.
How about banning all such companies and all such advertising? There’s so much of it in London, a city where hundreds of thousands of people are already struggling, and don’t want to hear about poor landlords now being unable to earn £100,000 a year tax-free.
jae426
‘[Customers] would be up in arms if government actually implemented solutions proposed’
Haven’t holiday rentals been around for years, though? Even pre-internet? With regards to regulation, it’s a tricky one – I imagine the mostly young, metropolitan crowd that make up most of Airbnb’s customers will ostensibly agree with much of the article’s points in a vague, social media-leftism sort of way, but will be up in arms if the government actually attempts to implement the solutions proposed. Case in point: Uber.
bluejay2011
Comments have been edited for length. This article will be updated throughout the day with some of the most interesting ways readers have been participating across the site.
