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Conflict in the Middle East
Original poster

UN Security Council to vote on Strait of Hormuz

269 replies

Twiglets1 · 03/04/2026 07:55

The UN Security Council’s vote on a proposal to ensure the safety of ships in the Strait of Hormuz has been rescheduled from Friday to Saturday, according to media reports.

The council’s 15 members are set to vote on a resolution from Bahrain aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the critical waterway, which usually carries about one-fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies.

The Associated Press and Reuters news agencies have reported that a draft resolution includes text authorising countries “to use all defensive means necessary” to protect commercial shipping.

The proposal is considered unlikely to pass, as China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the council, has made it clear that it opposes any resolution that mentions the use of force.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/4/2/iran-war-live-trump-to-address-nation-tehran-denies-seeking-ceasefire

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RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:50

Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 10:44

Canada will score high on democracy yes.

People being able to openly express their gender critical views or being able to discuss the pros and cons of Euthanasia, or be outspoken in their criticism of their own government is all part of living in a democracy.

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Ahh. So you personally would not describe those particular Canadian laws as authoritarian, because you are allowed to talk about them?

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:44

EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 10:32

No as I said women on here spoke up, as I did, women on here are pretty good at getting change.

NCHIs have been dropped.

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So you did not agree with the arrest. And did you happen to say to anyone "This is authoritarianism" ?

And of course, you support this legal thing too :

Palestine Action is still proscribed despite court win - but what does that mean? | UK News | Sky News

Original poster
Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 10:44

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:38

I don't know about that. I am sure Canada scores high on democracy, but visit any Gender Critical or Euthanasia threads here and there will be plenty saying it is authoritarian.

And lets not mention what GB news and the Mail say about Labour.

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Canada will score high on democracy yes.

People being able to openly express their gender critical views or being able to discuss the pros and cons of Euthanasia, or be outspoken in their criticism of their own government is all part of living in a democracy.

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EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 10:43

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:38

I don't know about that. I am sure Canada scores high on democracy, but visit any Gender Critical or Euthanasia threads here and there will be plenty saying it is authoritarian.

And lets not mention what GB news and the Mail say about Labour.

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But they can say it about Labour that’s key. The media criticises freely. Voters can vote how they like.

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:38

Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 10:22

They are two sides of the same coin.

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I don't know about that. I am sure Canada scores high on democracy, but visit any Gender Critical or Euthanasia threads here and there will be plenty saying it is authoritarian.

And lets not mention what GB news and the Mail say about Labour.

EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 10:32

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:29

And did you agree with the arrest ? The law he was arrested under was made by a democratic government after all. And it would appear some folk are saying a democracy can't be authoritarian.

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No as I said women on here spoke up, as I did, women on here are pretty good at getting change.

NCHIs have been dropped.

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:29

EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 10:23

We use democracy to push back on onerous laws we don’t want. Your Lineham example below is a good one to show that.

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And did you agree with the arrest ? The law he was arrested under was made by a democratic government after all. And it would appear some folk are saying a democracy can't be authoritarian.

EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 10:23

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:21

The discussion was on authoritarianism. But somehow it was deflected to democracy. So there is that I suppose.

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We use democracy to push back on onerous laws we don’t want. Your Lineham example below is a good one to show that.

Original poster
Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 10:23

TopPocketFind · 04/04/2026 10:06

Good to see the agreement on the UK being a democracy, when you read political threads on here you could easily be confused.

We should be concerned about the direction the US is going.

Vance is in Hungary supporting Orban

The US is classified as a "flawed democracy" which seems about right to me.

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Original poster
Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 10:22

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:21

The discussion was on authoritarianism. But somehow it was deflected to democracy. So there is that I suppose.

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They are two sides of the same coin.

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Original poster
Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 10:22

shuddacuddadidnt · 04/04/2026 09:24

Threads are bestest when they stray into more interesting territory.😎

@Twiglets1 what @RedTagAlan is saying about democracy is that it hangs on the parameters used for definition in the index. I would add that methodology is also relevant.
As an aside re definitions, China is now being described as an example of 'authoritarian capitalism'. From what I witnessed there in 2008, I agree.

Disclaimer, before I get accused of something or another again. 🙄
I believe that the UK is fighting to remain a functioning democracy but several undemocratic practices do exist. #fptp

Continuing your aside abut China being described as an example of "authoritarian capitalism."

My son went there last summer for a holiday with his friend who is a Chinese student studying in the UK. Some things that struck me as strange from his visit were that he had to carry his passport everywhere even on public transport etc as could be asked to show it at any time.

Also - the 2 boys booked into a cheap hotel but after checking in and going out for a short walk, were then asked to leave. The reason given was that it was because my son was a foreigner. His friend told him that in China it's problematic for foreign tourists to stay at cheap hotels & guesthouses but no problem if they wish to stay at 4 or 5 star ones. Apparently many cheaper places are not registered to allow foreign guests.

That seems to work against capitalism as must mean the smaller places (likely owned by Chinese people) lose a lot of potential income from foreign guests. Whereas the big chain hotels who may be internationally owned, benefit from that system.

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RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:21

TopPocketFind · 04/04/2026 10:06

Good to see the agreement on the UK being a democracy, when you read political threads on here you could easily be confused.

We should be concerned about the direction the US is going.

Vance is in Hungary supporting Orban

The discussion was on authoritarianism. But somehow it was deflected to democracy. So there is that I suppose.

TopPocketFind · 04/04/2026 10:06

Good to see the agreement on the UK being a democracy, when you read political threads on here you could easily be confused.

We should be concerned about the direction the US is going.

Vance is in Hungary supporting Orban

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:05

@shuddacuddadidnt

Quote :"Threads are bestest when they stray into more interesting territory"

Well the UN vote is postponed . So hey ho :-)

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EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 10:05

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:02

Good to hear.

So on authoritarianism. I assume you totally agreed with the arrest of Graham Linehan on suspicion of inciting violence ? I did not agree with it. And not because I agree with him, because I don't. To me, it was government overreach. To me it was a step too close to authoritarianism.

But from what you say on these boards, It looks like you would have been totally ok with it ?

""The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X."

Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan arrested at Heathrow over posts on X | Ents & Arts News | Sky News

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As said below we are a robust bunch of voters and in this democracy can push back in cases exactly like this one. Many women on here spoke up as I did and we get changes.

It’s worked as NCHIs have been dropped.

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 10:02

EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 09:18

It’s also odd to go there in response to proscription laws. We have an effective legal system and framework to deal with support for those orgs, and we’re a democracy.

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Good to hear.

So on authoritarianism. I assume you totally agreed with the arrest of Graham Linehan on suspicion of inciting violence ? I did not agree with it. And not because I agree with him, because I don't. To me, it was government overreach. To me it was a step too close to authoritarianism.

But from what you say on these boards, It looks like you would have been totally ok with it ?

""The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X."

Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan arrested at Heathrow over posts on X | Ents & Arts News | Sky News

Original poster
Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 10:00

shuddacuddadidnt · 04/04/2026 09:24

Threads are bestest when they stray into more interesting territory.😎

@Twiglets1 what @RedTagAlan is saying about democracy is that it hangs on the parameters used for definition in the index. I would add that methodology is also relevant.
As an aside re definitions, China is now being described as an example of 'authoritarian capitalism'. From what I witnessed there in 2008, I agree.

Disclaimer, before I get accused of something or another again. 🙄
I believe that the UK is fighting to remain a functioning democracy but several undemocratic practices do exist. #fptp

I agree we often go off piste into more interesting territory on discussions.

There is full information on the methodology used by the Index I posted if anyone is that interested. I doubt they are because actually, we all know the UK is not in any danger of being classified as an authoritarian country.

There are other indexes - anyone is welcome to try to find one that classifies the UK as an authoritarian country if they want to waste some time. We don't have internet restrictions in the UK after all.

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Original poster
Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 09:52

I think in reality we all agree that the UK is a democracy.

By the way @RedTagAlan according to the Economist Democracy Index compiled in 2024, you are over estimating how many people in the world live in authoritarian countries at 75%

Their data puts the number at 39.2% plus hybrid regimes at 15.7% (total 54.9%).

Those living under full democracies or flawed democracies make up the remainder.

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EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 09:50

Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 09:42

@RedTagAlan you said 75% of the worlds population live in authoritarian countries. And I would hate to see the UK join them. in terms of freedom of speech being controlled, or even difference of opinion being frowned upon.

The UK is in no danger of joining the list of authoritarian countries. They are at the opposite end of the scale (as indexes show) in being classified as a full democracy.

I think some are losing track of the law on this anyway. We have ok laws on speech, often changed a bit but really as democracies go we are a robust voting bunch and push back and get things dropped if too onerous.

It’s the proscription laws that are very inhibiting and effective. They work very well to clamp down on online and offline support, that won’t change.

RedTagAlan · 04/04/2026 09:50

EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 09:39

No. There’s nothing stopping the pp posting the name of a reputable index that shows what they think is the case.

The UK is a democracy in any reputable index despite posters listing various elements.

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Erm. There is.

BelleHathor · 04/04/2026 09:48

rainingsnoring · 04/04/2026 09:07

Interesting, thank you.

I totally agree with you on this.

'One of the Colonel's that I listen to said that a mistake we make in the West when thinking about our "adversaries" is that we attribute behaviour to them that we would do. Example: Logically now would be the best time for XI to "take back" Taiwan as that's what we would do'

and this in your subsequent post:

Yes, a joke between be and my friends on XI, "is do nothing and win". Meaning his strategic patience knowing that China is on America's list to be "contained" is fascinating. I am more hot headed, so if I were China my flags would be flying in Taiwan right now. However XI seems to be pursuing a slowly, slowly they'll rejoin naturally process aka the 100 year plan.

The West fails to understand other cultures repeatedly and also assumes that they are superior in every regard. It is a serious flaw. I certainly don't pretend to have an understanding of lots of cultures but I am a mixture of European and Asian myself so have more understanding than many Brits and am generally more open minded in this regard. I expect you have heard this Chinese proverb, attributed to Sun Tzu: 'If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by'. This and what you said above are great concepts.

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Thanks, I hadn't heard the Sun Tzu quote, I absolutely love it. It's a virtue that I'm still trying to learn and put in practice as it takes a lot of discipline and forward thinking, kind of like chess.

On the West failing to understand other cultures, fully agree with you. Even I was like this, 5 years ago I was shouting about the CCP coming to take over the World, how they're every move they made was to become the number one hegemon and they oppress everyone in China🫣 (thanks Miles Guo).

I had to address my own prejudices that had been fed by the media I was consuming, from news to movies (funnily enough movie villians are often the group that we currently must hate aka Soviets, North Koreans). Thankfully Social Media has allowed us to connect more easily and now I try to ask people in different countries to tell me their stories and my understanding and empathy is much improved as well as the richness of my life. Seeing the Chinese users on Rednote trolling, joking, memeing just like we do did far more for International relations!.

Fun fact regarding the latest Top Gun: "Top Gun: Maverick does not explicitly name the enemy nation, keeping it intentionally vague to avoid specific geopolitical conflicts. However, the plot—a mission to destroy an illegal uranium enrichment site—and the enemy's use of aging F-14 Tomcats strongly suggest a fictionalized, composite adversary inspired by Iran"

So yes it's a superiority complex, that aims to keep us divided. Thankfully most ordinary people are breaking out of this matrix.

EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 09:43

rainingsnoring · 04/04/2026 09:40

We don't need 'a reputable index' or a large quote from The Telegraph in order to debate and consider this topic or other topics. They don't disprove the points being raised. See my post above.

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What ‘large quote from the Telegraph’ are you following other threads closely?

The pp said the index below was flawed, happy to see a better one or any that says the U.K. isn’t a democracy.

Original poster
Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 09:42

@RedTagAlan you said 75% of the worlds population live in authoritarian countries. And I would hate to see the UK join them. in terms of freedom of speech being controlled, or even difference of opinion being frowned upon.

The UK is in no danger of joining the list of authoritarian countries. They are at the opposite end of the scale (as indexes show) in being classified as a full democracy.

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EasternStandard · 04/04/2026 09:41

Twiglets1 · 04/04/2026 08:33

The Economist Democracy Index divides countries into full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and authoritarian regimes.

Examples of full democracies: Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Spain, Greece, Ireland and the UK.

Examples of flawed democracies: India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Chile, Israel, Poland, France, Italy, Hungary, Argentina, South Africa and the US.

Examples of hybrid regimes: Romania, Zambia, Peru, Senegal, Mexico, Morocco, Tunisia, Ukraine, Turkey, Bangladesh and Hong Kong.

Examples of authoritarian regimes: Lebanon, Algeria, Palestine, Rwanda, Qatar, UAE, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, China, Russia, Iran, Syria & Afghanistan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index

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This is currently the clearest index on the thread. If someone has one they think is better then it can be posted of course.