'The government's played us for fools': your best comments on the Guardian today

Brexit negotiations, counselling and who’s actually heard of the 2017 word of the year dominate today’s comments

Readers have been discussing the latest on the EU27 summit, as well as the benefits of counselling and Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year: youthquake.

To join in 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.

This is the tragedy and the black comedy at the same time, isn’t it - May and her cabinet, after 18 months, have not even discussed a preferred outcome or direction for Brexit.

Logically, there can be no talk of negotiation all this time if there is no clear goal towards which you’re negotiating.

That was the first of these articles on loneliness that clicked with me at all, thank you, Sachin. The one thing I know about loneliness, and which this article makes clear, is that companionship needs to be incidental, not just taken like medicine.

And that’s why Men’s Sheds work - you don’t go there to be friends with the others because you haven’t any friends yourself, you go there for the workbench and the tools and to make things. And once there, you become friends with the others, via the work and in a proper social context, not a therapeutic or medical one.

First time I’ve come across this word.

Don’t understand why they think it sounds an optimistic note. Having been a youth and having since matured, I regard youths as “work in progress”. Their judgement is not really to be relied upon when it is highly likely to change as a result of greater experience. Furthermore, to the extent that it is a phenomenon at all (is it?) it surely reflects the deep divisions in society.
cynicalshrink

I remember being young, not so long ago, almost yesterday as I approach my 70’s.

I thought I knew so much only to realise I only knew so little of life. But in comparison to today’s youth I was savvy, street wise and knew so much general knowledge with the benefit of a balanced education provided by the state.

Continue reading... December 15, 2017 at 05:47PM