The Slippery Slope of Partisanship Takes A Dangerous Turn In The UK
By Nicole Belle Monday Mar 31, 2008 3:00pmNonnyMouse sent this article from The Motley Fool UK, and while this is focused on the UK banking system, it was still as disturbing to me as the thought of Madonna trying to make an updated version of Casablanca set in Iraq (which is to say, on so many levels). But it also occurred to me that given the hyper-partisan and crony-favored atmosphere fostered by the Bush administration, this wouldn't be a completely out-of-left-field thing to be happening here in the US too, if only tacitly:
You may have noticed that, for the past few years, this website has compared personal loans. Thousands of people have used the comparison tool.
As a writer, my involvement with it has largely been limited to looking through data to see patterns in the loans market. We survey users to find out how their applications went, so that we can identify patterns and provide better guidance in our articles. We've found that, of course, sometimes people don't get the loan they apply for, or that the lender offers them a worse rate than the typical APR that was shown.[..]
However, analysing the data we've collated, it's clear that who you vote for in elections affects whether you'll get a loan with a bank. If the bank supports one political party through donations or other means, and you vote for that party, you're more likely to get a loan. If you aren't a known supporter, you're less likely to get the loan. If you're a known supporter of a different party, you're even less likely.
Also, you're more likely to get the cheapest rates (the 'typical' APRs) if you support the same party as the bank!
This has serious implications about data protection, amongst other things.
I'd be curious to know how private banks in the UK would get voter information...but it should serve as a HUGE red flag on the dangers of the Voter/REAL ID cards here in the US.
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Sounds to me like the age-old bonehead move of equating correlation with causation...
Tags: "April Fool's Joke"
What is the advantage to the bank to make their loans this way? Seems it would be to their disadvantage to turn away a borrower with good credit just because that borrower supports the wrong party.
Forgive me if I sound dense, but these are the first thoughts that came to my mind.
Suicidal Zebra is right. It's an April Fool's joke. Check the tag.
If it is an April Fools gag, I should fall for it because I'm one of those fools who was born during the month of April.
Thanks Nicole, give them ideas why don'tcha.
I'll bet Rick Astley has something to do with this.
McCain will win in November in a landslide just like 1984. Don't believe me? Here's why...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBMY2PJdLAo
BobbyFlay @ 7:
I couldn't figure out a way to do a post on that. Glad you caught it. That song is the demo for our electronic keyboard and the one my toddler loves to turn on to pretend she is playing the piano. If I NEVER hear it again it will be too soon.
pissed off patricia @ 5:
So is my dad and he fell for it too (he just called me). I figured the inclusion of Madonna would be a tipoff not to take it too seriously. Tragically, THAT story is true.
As if that weren't enough ... have you considered the likelihood of "identity theft" involving credit-card and "phishing" scams really being "insider" jobs?
Nicole Belle @ 9:
Fuck. I was hoping the Madonna story was a gag too.
Nicole Belle @ 9:
Hey maybe your dad and I have the same birthday. Mine is the 10th and my dad's was the 24th.
The Madonna part did give me pause but I just figured maybe you started happy hour a little early. God, it's true? Okay then Madonna started happy hour way too early.
This however is no joke. When I was last at the C&L site my computer downloaded something that didn't show in my tray as it loaded into my computer. This download lasted about two minutes and froze my computer during that time. That's never happened here before.
Wow, this is so interesting.
I wonder how many ways creative people with the real resources needed could 'influence' a society...
I would guess like the Butterfly Effect - Sometimes it only takes a tiny change...
Like the story about bribbing Bloggers...
A little bit of energy producing alot of potential impact. It is like if you COULD think anything that would benifit 'Them' - WHY would 'They' not do it?
Laws - LOL???
Morals - LOL??
maybe they should have a look at the demographics involved in the mortgage scandal in the US.
CoIntelPro - against Divisive Democrats @ 14:
pissed off patricia @ 12:
We've gotten a few comments about the site being hinky today. I've had some difficulty getting on backstage myself. I've notified our tech people about it.
Dad's b-day is the 16th. I am expressly forbidden from saying the year, but I've noticed that it gets curiously closer to my birthyear over time. If this keeps up, he'll have conceived me while in utero himself.
Nicole Belle @ 16:
LOL Tell your dad that he and I are using the same sort of calendar. It subtracts a year each birthday. That's our story and we're sticking to it.
I heard about half a report on fox today that some big sites are infected with some characters that will quickly download into the users computer. USAtoday was one they mentioned and another was some like Weather Guys or something close to that name. I sure hope we don't have it here because I wouldn't know how the hell to remove it. I have great security and it updates on its own, so maybe whatever it is it will be captured and killed.
pissed off patricia @ 3:
IgnoranceIsNotBliss @ 6:
P-O-P, I recall that recently there was a $300Billlion bailout put together for a bank after they lost heavily on the subprime market. no such bailout is available for the people who have the ridiculous mortgages. This is just like the S&L scandal, where the taxpayers bailed out the banks.
IINB, have a look at the victims' demographics and you'll discover that 70+% are likely democratic voters. the math is already done for you.
We just haven't had the results of the survey publicized.
CoIntelPro - against Divisive Democrats @ 14:
I wonder what they would find...
Who would play Conrad Veidt?
http://eric.b.olsen.tripod.com/images/veidt2.jpg
Bribing Bloggers or buying off with advertising
Planting stories in the news
Dominating the punditry with RW asshats
Rigged elections
Capturing all our email, TXT's and FAX's
Listening into our phone calls
Infiltrating our little Peace Groups
You wonder if they are IN YOUR COMPUTER??
The American Anti-Virus providers already made deals with your Uncle Sam to remove certain Virus Definitions from thier data bases so thay they could use things like 'magic lantern' to grant them full access...
So the corperations may be in league with the goverment...
Can any one say TelCom Imunity....
You think you have protection?
You think your Provider will protect you??
The only thing that protects US ALL is that we aren't actually doing a dam thing to confrunt THEM.
Guys, look at the comments above this post is an April Fools post. It's not true. Maybe April fools day isn't celebrated in other countries but here in the US on the first day of April we try to fool people with stuff and that's what this post is. Nicolle is playing an April fools joke on you. Don't feel bad, she fooled me too.
Madonna redoing Casablanca??? Please tell me this is an April Fool's joke. That overrated, under talented, over the hill slut is planning on tampering with one of the greatest movies of all time? Can her ego get any bigger? Say it isn't so.
Redistributing an April fool's joke? and there was me thinking C&L's been going downhill of late...
*facepalm*
Nicole says the part about Madonna is true, the rest isn't.
JoeMarasmus @ 8:
Interesting.
I had not seen that before.
What effect do you think that will have on this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P6I4pT_tVA
"REAL ID" completely creeps me out. The thought that a cop, a TSA employee, or even a store, would be able to swipe that card and have EVERYTHING about you known in minutes is the last step in the big brother plan.
It's the modern day equivalent of an electronic ankle bracelet.
I'll pass thanks.
CoIntelPro - against Divisive Democrats @ 18:
260 billion so far to financial orgs, another 200 billion this month planned to rescue the poor darlings.
Katrina 11 billion and not all that got paid out, plus the gouging back of some, plus half the NO population still not able or willing to go back to squalor and 'new' ghettos, and same ol same ol LE brutality and NO corruption to put salt ont heir wounds.
You just know where the important priorities sit dontcha
pissed off patricia @ 22:
Does this mean April 2nd, Bush won't be Prez?
ferrofluid @ 28:
It isn't much different here. Our economy is slowing following the US, and how does my provincial government respond? By giving Ford MILLIONS for free. Why? Because we reward corporate failures that make crap.
it was still as disturbing to me as the thought of Madonna trying to make an updated version of Casablanca set in Iraq (which is to say, on so many levels).
You think that's bad, how about "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay"? Yes, that is the title of an actual movie slated for theatrical release. I wish I could say I was kidding, but I can't.
Party ID
Though presumably, hopefully, how you vote is neither known to the gummint, or released by the gummint to others, what elections you vote in is a matter of public record. And, even in states where there is no registration to any party affiliation, party affiliation can be strongly inferred from what party's primaries you do and don't habitually vote in.
The banks wouldn't have to do anything underhanded to get this information, even assuming that they were influenced in their approvals/denials of bank loans based on knowing party afffiliation, rather than that, based on the personal financial data of loan applicants, they simply were more or less likely to approve based on financial data that correlates with party affiliation. I would imagine that, if a given bank were more likely to lend to wealthy folks buying multi-million dollar homes, they would end up lending to more Republicans than another institution that made loans to the working poor. And, yes, these two hypothetical banks would be inherently likely to contribute disproportionally to the party that will make their clientele base more likely to be able to afford more and more expensive homes.
At any rate, back to the question of voting data. VA, and, I understand, many other states, have recently tightened up practices designed to make it hard for anyone (except the political parties and campaigns) to get their hands on public record information on whole swathes of voters. The older data is still out there, though, and even the newer data is subject to resale by parties and campaigns. You can bet that party ID is a nice thing to know to guide the targeted marketing of any number of products, and in this country, whatever facilitates effective marketing tends to get facilitated.
I wish more companies would post their political affiliations on their doors. Then I can walk by the ass-holes and give my business to people I would actualy care to support. Me thinks quite a few repuke businesses would go under right quick....
Like these slippery slopes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPVGfBn2gLQ
"I’d be curious to know how private banks in the UK would get voter information…but it should serve as a HUGE red flag on the dangers of the Voter/REAL ID cards here in the US. "
There are websites covering the US from which you can get the political donation records of any person for free.
This is one, but I'm not sure it lists contributions to individual candidates:
http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norindsea.shtml
The Bush administration was such donation records to screen out Kerry Donors from attending an international telecommunications conference some years ago.
I used them to find out my grandparents give $250 every 2-4 years to the RNC (not a surprise, but a good test of the system).
switch "was such" to "used", heh.
Another face of fascism.
Hmm, just don't borrow money. I sure as hell don't. It's such a rip off, they loan you the money and you have to pay it all back plus extra. Screw that. Sure, I don't have a new car or a fancy house, but I don't owe anyone anything. What's so bad about not getting loans?
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