Because of a hash table collision in my brain, I now have a mental image of Jolyon, in black face and a kimono, chasing a fox through the jungle with a cricket bat.
I need compensation. Can anyone recommend a batshit crazy lawyer, who will take on any case, no matter how stupid?
He's another example of what can happen to you when you let your Twitter bubble go to your head.
What I recall about 1997 was the way Major hung on until the last minute, apparently hoping that ‘something would turn up’! And the Conservative candidate for Castle Point, regarded until then as ‘safe’ standing outside the polling station in a strong Conservative ward urging us, the voters, to vote for him. That, plus his eve of poll leaflet, persuaded me to switch my vote from LD to Labour.
I remember a Conservative PPB fronted by Major shortly before polling day. He looked ashen.
Maugham is now being brutally mocked by J K Rowling. Enjoyable
Must be great to have earned so much money from writing, you can say whatever the fuck you want....
Well, that's right.
A lot of people have sympathy with her and would love to be able to say whatever they want too, but, they can't afford to gamble their whole careers on it.
It’s not quite true tho. J K Rowling is personally insulated from career damage by sheer fame and wealth. But she has kids and wider family and friends who could become victims of the nastier Trans-Woke tyrants - and they are easily nasty enough to do that
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
I know we're talking about local elections, but Witney is still a pretty safe Conservative seat at general elections. At the last election they got 55%, and in 1983 they got 55% (with very little in the way of boundary changes between those elections).
The main difference isn't a drop in Tory support in West Oxfordshire, it's that Tories don't put up posters. I wonder why they don't put up posters? Maybe because they fear being ridiculed or mocked by people with other political allegiances. What does that say about the change in British society over the last 20 or 30 years?
Maugham is now being brutally mocked by J K Rowling. Enjoyable
Must be great to have earned so much money from writing, you can say whatever the fuck you want....
Well, that's right.
A lot of people have sympathy with her and would love to be able to say whatever they want too, but, they can't afford to gamble their whole careers on it.
It’s not quite true tho. J K Rowling is personally insulated from career damage by sheer fame and wealth. But she has kids and wider family and friends who could become victims of the nastier Trans-Woke tyrants - and they are easily nasty enough to do that
I sometimes wonder if she worries about this
Her children’s names are not Rowling (unless the eldest has kept her father’s name.)
Maugham is now being brutally mocked by J K Rowling. Enjoyable
Must be great to have earned so much money from writing, you can say whatever the fuck you want....
Well, that's right.
A lot of people have sympathy with her and would love to be able to say whatever they want too, but, they can't afford to gamble their whole careers on it.
It’s not quite true tho. J K Rowling is personally insulated from career damage by sheer fame and wealth. But she has kids and wider family and friends who could become victims of the nastier Trans-Woke tyrants - and they are easily nasty enough to do that
I sometimes wonder if she worries about this
North koreans solve this problem by putting dissidents parents and grandparents in labour camps too.
"Barry Humphries: Dame Edna Everage comedian dies at 89"
Damn.
Seems he died from complications from a hip operation as a result of a fall
As I close in on my 80th my balance is becoming a problem and I have fitted various handrails throughout our home and am conscious of the need to be careful
Both my wife who is 83 and I have had falls but fortunately so far without injuring ourselves too badly
I do see posters heralding the deaths of our age group but we are doing our best to hang on in there
And by the way my wife and I voted Remain in the referendum
My ferry doesn't leave for eight hours, but I'm stopping for a few beers at a mate's place on the way down to Portsmouth and heading off in about half an hour
This is all my luggage for the next three weeks (weighs just over 8kg), and my walking hat. The beer is for scale, and has now been opened as my "one for the road"
Cheers!
Happy holidays. Send us photos and updates!
And keep us posted on your drinking. I love those posts in particular because you are possibly the only PB-er who drinks even more than me and therefore makes me feel less conspicuously drunken
I've also had a flyer from Alliance for Democracy and Freedom. Does anyone know anything about them? I note on their website one candidate says he attended a "grammer school".
Just means they’ve watched a lot of Cheers & Frazier, as good a shot in any aspiring pol’s locker as any.
I do not think Labour will win a majority. I am however relatively confident that Starmer will be PM.
I think if that happens, the Tories will be out for some time.
Tories have demographic against them. The boomers will be dying out soon so i can see the tories out of power for 20 years.
Oh dear…..”demographic inevitability” .
To take a recent example, …..over 10% of the Scottish electorate (largely no voting) have died since the independence referendum in 2014…..and the polls have shifted not a jot. Curiously enough, people’s views change over time.
There may be some evidence that this is happening less with current younger generations, but if the Tories are “out of power for 20 years” it will be because they’ve been squabbling among themselves, not because of demography….
At what age did you realise the SWP was not for you?
Maugham is now being brutally mocked by J K Rowling. Enjoyable
Must be great to have earned so much money from writing, you can say whatever the fuck you want....
Well, that's right.
A lot of people have sympathy with her and would love to be able to say whatever they want too, but, they can't afford to gamble their whole careers on it.
It’s not quite true tho. J K Rowling is personally insulated from career damage by sheer fame and wealth. But she has kids and wider family and friends who could become victims of the nastier Trans-Woke tyrants - and they are easily nasty enough to do that
I sometimes wonder if she worries about this
In the podcast “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling” she was very concerned about the doxing of her family.
On a positive note, ignoring a narcissist causes them the same emotional trauma as a slap in the face. This is still my favourite thing about Twitter 😂
I've also had a flyer from Alliance for Democracy and Freedom. Does anyone know anything about them? I note on their website one candidate says he attended a "grammer school".
They say they’re centrist. They’re actually UKIP-ish: railing against Net Zero and vaccine passports, want to cut taxes and immigration. See https://adfparty.uk/policy/
"Barry Humphries: Dame Edna Everage comedian dies at 89"
Damn.
His wife, Lizzie Spender (daughter of the poet) wrote a cookbook from which i learnt that a very good way of enhancing a creamy pasta sauce is to add a large slug of vodka immediately before serving. I strongly recommend this practise.
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
one can but hope. There would be no justice in the world if the tories survive the most recent 4 years of disdain, arrogance and fraud inflicted on the country.
This is my view too and I'm not being partisan. Given the shambles of the last few years, with a moderate, competent-looking alternative now available, if the Conservatives were to win a 5th election in a row because 'floating voters' still prefer them it would raise some troubling questions for/about the other parties, the electorate and our democracy.
Curious difference between now and the mid 90's.
At some point in the runup to 1997, the collective unconcious of the Conervative Party concluded that the game was up. Some of that was driven by those who never really wanted Major, still hankering after Maggie. Some of it was driven by the sense that a Blair victory was almost as good as a Conservative win. Possibly the key point was the 1995 leadership election, when it was only really the nutters who put their head above the parapet to oppose Major.
There was lots of noise, and "the don't knows will return on the day", but also a sense that the real action would restart after the inevitable defeat. (As it turned out, a long time after the 1997 defeat, but that's another story.)
That doesn't seem to be happening this time- not yet anyway. And yet, objectively, the Conservatives are in a bad place. What's going on?
There are lots of differences between today and the mid 90s but one I'd pick out as influential electorally is the weariness of the electorate.
Back then a slogan like New Labour New Britain, teamed with Things Can Only Get Better pumping from speakers and a dynamic young Oppo leader, could engender a warm fuzzy cocktail of pleasant feelings; hope, positivity, expectation of change whilst leaving the exact nature and method of the change undefined.
It's not like that now. There's not much cash. Our problems are deep-seated and not amenable to eye-catching political solutions. If it's a solution it won't be popular with vested interests or floating voters and therefore won't happen; if it's popular with vested interests and floating voters it's not a solution and therefore won't help.
On top of this you have in recent memory the last time some British politicians came along and got all 'inspirational', ie made grandiose promises about transforming the country: Brexit. It turned out to be a crock of shit.
People have noticed, I think. They aren't quite so susceptible now. Like, I keep hearing about SKS being "no Tony Blair", and he isn't, but Tony Blair would be no Tony Blair in 2023. We've lost the appetite for all that. We're jaded.
New Labour would be strangled at birth now by the cynicism of social media.
"Barry Humphries: Dame Edna Everage comedian dies at 89"
Damn.
His wife, Lizzie Spender (daughter of the poet) wrote a cookbook from which i learnt that a very good way of enhancing a creamy pasta sauce is to add a large slug of vodka immediately before serving. I strongly recommend this practise.
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
I know we're talking about local elections, but Witney is still a pretty safe Conservative seat at general elections. At the last election they got 55%, and in 1983 they got 55% (with very little in the way of boundary changes between those elections).
The main difference isn't a drop in Tory support in West Oxfordshire, it's that Tories don't put up posters. I wonder why they don't put up posters? Maybe because they fear being ridiculed or mocked by people with other political allegiances. What does that say about the change in British society over the last 20 or 30 years?
That political discussion has moved on from stick a poster up in your window and onto facebook and twatter?
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
one can but hope. There would be no justice in the world if the tories survive the most recent 4 years of disdain, arrogance and fraud inflicted on the country.
This is my view too and I'm not being partisan. Given the shambles of the last few years, with a moderate, competent-looking alternative now available, if the Conservatives were to win a 5th election in a row because 'floating voters' still prefer them it would raise some troubling questions for/about the other parties, the electorate and our democracy.
Curious difference between now and the mid 90's.
At some point in the runup to 1997, the collective unconcious of the Conervative Party concluded that the game was up. Some of that was driven by those who never really wanted Major, still hankering after Maggie. Some of it was driven by the sense that a Blair victory was almost as good as a Conservative win. Possibly the key point was the 1995 leadership election, when it was only really the nutters who put their head above the parapet to oppose Major.
There was lots of noise, and "the don't knows will return on the day", but also a sense that the real action would restart after the inevitable defeat. (As it turned out, a long time after the 1997 defeat, but that's another story.)
That doesn't seem to be happening this time- not yet anyway. And yet, objectively, the Conservatives are in a bad place. What's going on?
There are lots of differences between today and the mid 90s but one I'd pick out as influential electorally is the weariness of the electorate.
Back then a slogan like New Labour New Britain, teamed with Things Can Only Get Better pumping from speakers and a dynamic young Oppo leader, could engender a warm fuzzy cocktail of pleasant feelings; hope, positivity, expectation of change whilst leaving the exact nature and method of the change undefined.
It's not like that now. There's not much cash. Our problems are deep-seated and not amenable to eye-catching political solutions. If it's a solution it won't be popular with vested interests or floating voters and therefore won't happen; if it's popular with vested interests and floating voters it's not a solution and therefore won't help.
On top of this you have in recent memory the last time some British politicians came along and got all 'inspirational', ie made grandiose promises about transforming the country: Brexit. It turned out to be a crock of shit.
People have noticed, I think. They aren't quite so susceptible now. Like, I keep hearing about SKS being "no Tony Blair", and he isn't, but Tony Blair would be no Tony Blair in 2023. We've lost the appetite for all that. We're jaded.
New Labour would be strangled at birth now by the cynicism of social media.
I dont think Thatcher would have lasted either. It is stark to think how controlled the media was in the 1980s.
My ferry doesn't leave for eight hours, but I'm stopping for a few beers at a mate's place on the way down to Portsmouth and heading off in about half an hour
This is all my luggage for the next three weeks (weighs just over 8kg), and my walking hat. The beer is for scale, and has now been opened as my "one for the road"
Cheers!
Happy holidays. Send us photos and updates!
And keep us posted on your drinking. I love those posts in particular because you are possibly the only PB-er who drinks even more than me and therefore makes me feel less conspicuously drunken
I used to be like this but not anymore. Just get a headache and feel dehydrated in the afternoon. I had a pint at lunchtime yesterday with a friend over lunch but didn't get any work done in the afternoon as a result. I just find it is better to drink in the evening at dinner and afterwards, and not that frequently.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
I happen to deal with the financial side of the sewerage issue a fair amount professionally these days. There is an awful lot of rubbish (or shit?) talked about it. If people want to fix it completely, it will take decades and bills may have to rise by 50-100% or more over that time people. This at a time when they are scheduled to go up anyway for a number of reasons (higher energy costs from Net Zero garbage, higher chemicals costs because of the war in Ukraine, higher labour costs because of the tight labour market, the diminishing scope for post-privatisation operating efficiency gains, etc. etc).
The water companies are not fantastically profitable - their regulated return will be 3.3% in real terms, and, while many of them manage to beat that in practice, the industry as a whole is not making excessive profits - the only reason it appears to be so is because it is a capital intensive industry at a mature stage in life cycle of its assets. Such industries invest a lot in building their networks, in anticipation of returns later on. When that investment tails off, it appears they are making huge profits, but this is only enabled by the initial commitment of cash in their early stages. If you then take the profits away, either you need to give the companies greater returns later, or you will not get any investment in the future.
We can have cleaner beaches, but only at the cost of much lower investment elsewhere, or much higher bills for future generations. The idea that there is some huge pot of cash to be raided without consequence is an economically illiterate fantasy. Which is, of course, why so many socialists, journalists and other idiots love it.
Publicly-owned water companies made huge investments; mature utilities were privatised, and mostly sold to foreign owners who use them as cash cows, but now that investment is needed, well, that's down to the taxpayer and not the private companies. Is that the gist?
When water was a nationalised industry investment was woeful for the simple reason that politicians of both colours had more eye catching and vote catching things they wanted to spend money on.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
one can but hope. There would be no justice in the world if the tories survive the most recent 4 years of disdain, arrogance and fraud inflicted on the country.
This is my view too and I'm not being partisan. Given the shambles of the last few years, with a moderate, competent-looking alternative now available, if the Conservatives were to win a 5th election in a row because 'floating voters' still prefer them it would raise some troubling questions for/about the other parties, the electorate and our democracy.
Curious difference between now and the mid 90's.
At some point in the runup to 1997, the collective unconcious of the Conervative Party concluded that the game was up. Some of that was driven by those who never really wanted Major, still hankering after Maggie. Some of it was driven by the sense that a Blair victory was almost as good as a Conservative win. Possibly the key point was the 1995 leadership election, when it was only really the nutters who put their head above the parapet to oppose Major.
There was lots of noise, and "the don't knows will return on the day", but also a sense that the real action would restart after the inevitable defeat. (As it turned out, a long time after the 1997 defeat, but that's another story.)
That doesn't seem to be happening this time- not yet anyway. And yet, objectively, the Conservatives are in a bad place. What's going on?
There are lots of differences between today and the mid 90s but one I'd pick out as influential electorally is the weariness of the electorate.
Back then a slogan like New Labour New Britain, teamed with Things Can Only Get Better pumping from speakers and a dynamic young Oppo leader, could engender a warm fuzzy cocktail of pleasant feelings; hope, positivity, expectation of change whilst leaving the exact nature and method of the change undefined.
It's not like that now. There's not much cash. Our problems are deep-seated and not amenable to eye-catching political solutions. If it's a solution it won't be popular with vested interests or floating voters and therefore won't happen; if it's popular with vested interests and floating voters it's not a solution and therefore won't help.
On top of this you have in recent memory the last time some British politicians came along and got all 'inspirational', ie made grandiose promises about transforming the country: Brexit. It turned out to be a crock of shit.
People have noticed, I think. They aren't quite so susceptible now. Like, I keep hearing about SKS being "no Tony Blair", and he isn't, but Tony Blair would be no Tony Blair in 2023. We've lost the appetite for all that. We're jaded.
New Labour would be strangled at birth now by the cynicism of social media.
On the contrary. I think Campbell, Mandelson, message discipline, the rapid rebuttal unit, and a front man who can think on his feet, would be even more powerful in 2023 with social media.
Though it almost wasn’t needed. “Things can only get better” worked because we all felt it was true. Britain isn’t quite there today.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Why has antidepressant prescribing risen so much is perhaps the better question to ask.
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
one can but hope. There would be no justice in the world if the tories survive the most recent 4 years of disdain, arrogance and fraud inflicted on the country.
This is my view too and I'm not being partisan. Given the shambles of the last few years, with a moderate, competent-looking alternative now available, if the Conservatives were to win a 5th election in a row because 'floating voters' still prefer them it would raise some troubling questions for/about the other parties, the electorate and our democracy.
Curious difference between now and the mid 90's.
At some point in the runup to 1997, the collective unconcious of the Conervative Party concluded that the game was up. Some of that was driven by those who never really wanted Major, still hankering after Maggie. Some of it was driven by the sense that a Blair victory was almost as good as a Conservative win. Possibly the key point was the 1995 leadership election, when it was only really the nutters who put their head above the parapet to oppose Major.
There was lots of noise, and "the don't knows will return on the day", but also a sense that the real action would restart after the inevitable defeat. (As it turned out, a long time after the 1997 defeat, but that's another story.)
That doesn't seem to be happening this time- not yet anyway. And yet, objectively, the Conservatives are in a bad place. What's going on?
There are lots of differences between today and the mid 90s but one I'd pick out as influential electorally is the weariness of the electorate.
Back then a slogan like New Labour New Britain, teamed with Things Can Only Get Better pumping from speakers and a dynamic young Oppo leader, could engender a warm fuzzy cocktail of pleasant feelings; hope, positivity, expectation of change whilst leaving the exact nature and method of the change undefined.
It's not like that now. There's not much cash. Our problems are deep-seated and not amenable to eye-catching political solutions. If it's a solution it won't be popular with vested interests or floating voters and therefore won't happen; if it's popular with vested interests and floating voters it's not a solution and therefore won't help.
On top of this you have in recent memory the last time some British politicians came along and got all 'inspirational', ie made grandiose promises about transforming the country: Brexit. It turned out to be a crock of shit.
People have noticed, I think. They aren't quite so susceptible now. Like, I keep hearing about SKS being "no Tony Blair", and he isn't, but Tony Blair would be no Tony Blair in 2023. We've lost the appetite for all that. We're jaded.
New Labour would be strangled at birth now by the cynicism of social media.
On the contrary. I think Campbell, Mandelson, message discipline, the rapid rebuttal unit, and a front man who can think on his feet, would be even more powerful in 2023 with social media.
Though it almost wasn’t needed. “Things can only get better” worked because we all felt it was true. Britain isn’t quite there today.
True. "Things can only get dearer" is more apposite under the current bunch.
I've also had a flyer from Alliance for Democracy and Freedom. Does anyone know anything about them? I note on their website one candidate says he attended a "grammer school".
Just means they’ve watched a lot of Cheers & Frazier, as good a shot in any aspiring pol’s locker as any.
"Barry Humphries: Dame Edna Everage comedian dies at 89"
Damn.
His wife, Lizzie Spender (daughter of the poet) wrote a cookbook from which i learnt that a very good way of enhancing a creamy pasta sauce is to add a large slug of vodka immediately before serving. I strongly recommend this practise.
To the sauce or just down the hatch?
Strange she added vodka when her husband was a member of AA. I saw Barry Humphries on stage not only as Dame Edna but as Sowerby in Oliver!
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I think the concept of 'problematisation' is often linked to Foucault, and deconstruction. It could be explained as being representative of a cultural tendency towards inaction in the face of complexity, or just intellectual laziness.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I can go longer watch friends, due to the fact that (unlike Seinfeld), the comedy simply hasn't dated very well.
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
one can but hope. There would be no justice in the world if the tories survive the most recent 4 years of disdain, arrogance and fraud inflicted on the country.
This is my view too and I'm not being partisan. Given the shambles of the last few years, with a moderate, competent-looking alternative now available, if the Conservatives were to win a 5th election in a row because 'floating voters' still prefer them it would raise some troubling questions for/about the other parties, the electorate and our democracy.
Curious difference between now and the mid 90's.
At some point in the runup to 1997, the collective unconcious of the Conervative Party concluded that the game was up. Some of that was driven by those who never really wanted Major, still hankering after Maggie. Some of it was driven by the sense that a Blair victory was almost as good as a Conservative win. Possibly the key point was the 1995 leadership election, when it was only really the nutters who put their head above the parapet to oppose Major.
There was lots of noise, and "the don't knows will return on the day", but also a sense that the real action would restart after the inevitable defeat. (As it turned out, a long time after the 1997 defeat, but that's another story.)
That doesn't seem to be happening this time- not yet anyway. And yet, objectively, the Conservatives are in a bad place. What's going on?
There are lots of differences between today and the mid 90s but one I'd pick out as influential electorally is the weariness of the electorate.
Back then a slogan like New Labour New Britain, teamed with Things Can Only Get Better pumping from speakers and a dynamic young Oppo leader, could engender a warm fuzzy cocktail of pleasant feelings; hope, positivity, expectation of change whilst leaving the exact nature and method of the change undefined.
It's not like that now. There's not much cash. Our problems are deep-seated and not amenable to eye-catching political solutions. If it's a solution it won't be popular with vested interests or floating voters and therefore won't happen; if it's popular with vested interests and floating voters it's not a solution and therefore won't help.
On top of this you have in recent memory the last time some British politicians came along and got all 'inspirational', ie made grandiose promises about transforming the country: Brexit. It turned out to be a crock of shit.
People have noticed, I think. They aren't quite so susceptible now. Like, I keep hearing about SKS being "no Tony Blair", and he isn't, but Tony Blair would be no Tony Blair in 2023. We've lost the appetite for all that. We're jaded.
Also Starmer is about 20 years older than Blair was in the mid-90s. Maybe Labour should have chosen a younger leader like Rachel Reeves or Bridget Phillipson.
Maybe (I voted Nandy) but I'm skeptical it would make much difference. I still think and hope the Tories will be kicked out, time for a change and tactical voting working its magic, but I don't see the country as being capable of mass enthusiasm (a la New Labour or Brexit) for any political project right now.
If it's mainstream it's not exciting. If it's mainstream but pretending to be radical it's phoney and people sense this. If it IS radical it won't be popular enough to be elected; no bad thing because the only radicalism which can thrive at the polls is of the right populist variety, which is stupid and mean-spirited and nasty, focused not on making people's lives better but confusing and roiling them up.
So, we're kind of stuck. In fact that's the single word (if you have to pick just the one) that for me best describes the country and its politics. Stuck. Course this could be just me succumbing to 'wise old timer' weebling. Yes, it could easily be. Hope not though. I'm actually in a terrific mood today.
Lovely bit in the attached article. The person who allegedly urinated on Nicolson's office door works for a sprinkler firm.
Just reminded me of an interview I saw with someone who'd worked with David Lynch on Twin Peaks. When the 'Big Sprinkler' people found out (spoiler alert!) that a main character would die as lots of sprinklers went off they wrote to the production company threatening to sue them. Lynch apparently got them to write back saying that if they did then every character in Twin Peaks would die one by one in terrible, terrible accidents involving sprinkler systems.
At which point 'Big Sprinkler' withdrew their threat.
Here in West Oxfordshire - only a decade ago, rock-solid safe Tory heartland - there simply isn't a Tory poster to be seen. Where ten years ago, vast landowners told their tenant farmers to put up Tory posters, today's farmers ignore them, or display their own support for the LibDems or Greens. In more built-up parts of the district, the odd fluttering Labour poster amid a modest background of LibDemmery.
In the middle of the season for villages' Annual General Parish Meetings, not a sign of the poor old Tories lumbered with standing for the now Lib/Lab-run Council in May. And no-one's even surprised any more the Tories are too frit - or lazy - to reveal themselves. Even the local universities' Tory clubs don't seem to have the spare members to canvass the hinterland.
Does this mean the Tories are about to be wiped out? Or that elderly Tories - with their postal votes and bus passes the new vote-supressing laws still accept s voter ID - will turn out and vote however little activist support has survived the catastrophe Johnson, Truss and Raab have inflicted on the area?
one can but hope. There would be no justice in the world if the tories survive the most recent 4 years of disdain, arrogance and fraud inflicted on the country.
This is my view too and I'm not being partisan. Given the shambles of the last few years, with a moderate, competent-looking alternative now available, if the Conservatives were to win a 5th election in a row because 'floating voters' still prefer them it would raise some troubling questions for/about the other parties, the electorate and our democracy.
Curious difference between now and the mid 90's.
At some point in the runup to 1997, the collective unconcious of the Conervative Party concluded that the game was up. Some of that was driven by those who never really wanted Major, still hankering after Maggie. Some of it was driven by the sense that a Blair victory was almost as good as a Conservative win. Possibly the key point was the 1995 leadership election, when it was only really the nutters who put their head above the parapet to oppose Major.
There was lots of noise, and "the don't knows will return on the day", but also a sense that the real action would restart after the inevitable defeat. (As it turned out, a long time after the 1997 defeat, but that's another story.)
That doesn't seem to be happening this time- not yet anyway. And yet, objectively, the Conservatives are in a bad place. What's going on?
There are lots of differences between today and the mid 90s but one I'd pick out as influential electorally is the weariness of the electorate.
Back then a slogan like New Labour New Britain, teamed with Things Can Only Get Better pumping from speakers and a dynamic young Oppo leader, could engender a warm fuzzy cocktail of pleasant feelings; hope, positivity, expectation of change whilst leaving the exact nature and method of the change undefined.
It's not like that now. There's not much cash. Our problems are deep-seated and not amenable to eye-catching political solutions. If it's a solution it won't be popular with vested interests or floating voters and therefore won't happen; if it's popular with vested interests and floating voters it's not a solution and therefore won't help.
On top of this you have in recent memory the last time some British politicians came along and got all 'inspirational', ie made grandiose promises about transforming the country: Brexit. It turned out to be a crock of shit.
People have noticed, I think. They aren't quite so susceptible now. Like, I keep hearing about SKS being "no Tony Blair", and he isn't, but Tony Blair would be no Tony Blair in 2023. We've lost the appetite for all that. We're jaded.
New Labour would be strangled at birth now by the cynicism of social media.
On the contrary. I think Campbell, Mandelson, message discipline, the rapid rebuttal unit, and a front man who can think on his feet, would be even more powerful in 2023 with social media.
Though it almost wasn’t needed. “Things can only get better” worked because we all felt it was true. Britain isn’t quite there today.
We'll never know, but I suspect even then Campbell and Mandy would have been crushed in the way they are now whenever they opine. Although now of course we have the 45 minutes sexed up dossier to lob at Campbell that we didn't in 1997.
I'm not sure that many folk feel "Things can only get better" under Starmer.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
I laugh them to scorn and tell them I’m from London where it hits 40C. Gaylords
In such heat, two things make it tolerable. The availability of aircon, and whether you have to do physical activity. Sitting in the shade with a cool drink is not the same as working in the fields. Once the wet bulb temperature passes 35° fatalities happen. This works out as about 40° and 75% humidity.
Yes they are talking about the wet bulb thing here. And saying it is close to dangerous
I’ve never quite grasped what it means. What is a “wet bulb”?
It’s the temperature at which water can no longer cool the air by evaporation. On a human level, it means that sweating no longer cools you down, and if it’s higher than body temperature there’s little you can do to stop your body overheating - leading to heatstroke and eventually death.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Why has antidepressant prescribing risen so much is perhaps the better question to ask.
Indeed that is the question to ask. Power of big pharma perhaps.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I’m really not sure you can blame “Anglo-American neoliberal capitalism” for a particular upsurge in unhappiness causing massive anti depressant usage in the UK and the US
The whole of the west is in various forms of malaise (tho compared to 98% of humans in history we still have it lucky) and I believe the western regions that self report the “least happiness” are in Italy and other parts of southern Europe
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
I happen to deal with the financial side of the sewerage issue a fair amount professionally these days. There is an awful lot of rubbish (or shit?) talked about it. If people want to fix it completely, it will take decades and bills may have to rise by 50-100% or more over that time people. This at a time when they are scheduled to go up anyway for a number of reasons (higher energy costs from Net Zero garbage, higher chemicals costs because of the war in Ukraine, higher labour costs because of the tight labour market, the diminishing scope for post-privatisation operating efficiency gains, etc. etc).
The water companies are not fantastically profitable - their regulated return will be 3.3% in real terms, and, while many of them manage to beat that in practice, the industry as a whole is not making excessive profits - the only reason it appears to be so is because it is a capital intensive industry at a mature stage in life cycle of its assets. Such industries invest a lot in building their networks, in anticipation of returns later on. When that investment tails off, it appears they are making huge profits, but this is only enabled by the initial commitment of cash in their early stages. If you then take the profits away, either you need to give the companies greater returns later, or you will not get any investment in the future.
We can have cleaner beaches, but only at the cost of much lower investment elsewhere, or much higher bills for future generations. The idea that there is some huge pot of cash to be raided without consequence is an economically illiterate fantasy. Which is, of course, why so many socialists, journalists and other idiots love it.
Publicly-owned water companies made huge investments; mature utilities were privatised, and mostly sold to foreign owners who use them as cash cows, but now that investment is needed, well, that's down to the taxpayer and not the private companies. Is that the gist?
Massive investments were made *after* privatisation.
Part of the reason for privatisation was that the needed investment was always blocked by the Treasury.
That is partly true. Also true is that a tougher regulator would have maintained a significantly higher level of investment.
As much of the equity is now foreign owned, I don’t see the problem in starting now.
The regulator was given the following priorities
1) tap water quality 2) low bills for customers 3) low disruption by digging up roads
Strangely this resulted in improved water quality, bills not rising a lot and a lot less complaints about the roads being dug up.
A few years back, the mains leakage issue became more prominent and the directive about reducing road digging was relaxed.
Maugham is now being brutally mocked by J K Rowling. Enjoyable
Must be great to have earned so much money from writing, you can say whatever the fuck you want....
Well, that's right.
A lot of people have sympathy with her and would love to be able to say whatever they want too, but, they can't afford to gamble their whole careers on it.
It’s not quite true tho. J K Rowling is personally insulated from career damage by sheer fame and wealth. But she has kids and wider family and friends who could become victims of the nastier Trans-Woke tyrants - and they are easily nasty enough to do that
I sometimes wonder if she worries about this
Fuck You Money, they call it in Silicon Valley. Enough money to never have to say anything you don’t mean, ever again.
If anyone tried anything against JKRs family, she could easily send a £100 million of lawyers after them.
'We both know'? How on earth would I know who you write to? Or do you imagine your missives are handed round like holy relics by the awestruck and intimidated womenfolk? If you want to cosy up to feminists, go lose another court case. We like a laugh.
We both know I have written to many GC feminists seeking a private discussion of trans issues and to de-escalate the 'debate'. I am sorry my approaches have been rebuffed. The book seeks in earnest to advance that same agenda - because the status quo only serves the patriarchy.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I think the concept of 'problematisation' is often linked to Foucault, and deconstruction. It could be explained as being representative of a cultural tendency towards inaction in the face of complexity, or just intellectual laziness.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone on here bothering to describe works as problematic, right wing ‘woke gone mad’ types getting exercised about problematisation otoh..
The Gone With the Wind censorship frenzy was a classic of the type.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I’m really not sure you can blame “Anglo-American neoliberal capitalism” for a particular upsurge in unhappiness causing massive anti depressant usage in the UK and the US
The whole of the west is in various forms of malaise (tho compared to 98% of humans in history we still have it lucky) and I believe the western regions that self report the “least happiness” are in Italy and other parts of southern Europe
Yes you have a point. Its also a sign of the deterioratuon in western societies since especially 2008.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
"Barry Humphries: Dame Edna Everage comedian dies at 89"
Damn.
His wife, Lizzie Spender (daughter of the poet) wrote a cookbook from which i learnt that a very good way of enhancing a creamy pasta sauce is to add a large slug of vodka immediately before serving. I strongly recommend this practise.
To the sauce or just down the hatch?
Ha! To the sauce but don't cook it. Book is called Pastability. My copy is a well worn Faber paperback.
'We both know'? How on earth would I know who you write to? Or do you imagine your missives are handed round like holy relics by the awestruck and intimidated womenfolk? If you want to cosy up to feminists, go lose another court case. We like a laugh.
We both know I have written to many GC feminists seeking a private discussion of trans issues and to de-escalate the 'debate'. I am sorry my approaches have been rebuffed. The book seeks in earnest to advance that same agenda - because the status quo only serves the patriarchy.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
We’re paying the price for it with high inflation.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
It would be interesting to see how happy people are in a much more socially conformist country like china as well.
I doubt their government will be asking them.
Looking at the ratio of kit sent to Ukraine it seems like about 6 armoured vehicles to each tank. Is that what you would expect? And would that match up to a dozen brigades somehow?
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
I don't think you understand feminism.
No the current form of feminism is basically demonising males hence the rise of Andrew Tate. The battles for equal pay were won long ago.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
Yes.... but this is ultimately true for all of these kinds of polemical books though, written on both left and right, usually by 'journalists'.
I think the path to advancing your own understanding of a certain issue is to read the side you instinctively disagree with and work out what is wrong with what they are saying. That was the thing about Douglas Murray. I think his tone is often unnecessarily inflammatory and he is unduly catastrophic, but I found it impossible to really dispute his underlying arguments, and this changed my opinion on a lot of issues.
One of the notable things on here is that a lot of posters succumb to a tribal view of the world, and then just seek out evidence to support it. But then, after adopting this tribal viewpoint, there is often a rapid deterioration in the quality of their comments.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I think the concept of 'problematisation' is often linked to Foucault, and deconstruction. It could be explained as being representative of a cultural tendency towards inaction in the face of complexity, or just intellectual laziness.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone on here bothering to describe works as problematic, right wing ‘woke gone mad’ types getting exercised about problematisation otoh..
The Gone With the Wind censorship frenzy was a classic of the type.
Gone with the Wind certainly has a few interesting bits.
The bit where Rhett desperately rides out to protect the noble leaders of… the local fucking KKK from bring caught by the Evul Federals is certainly something….
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
'We both know'? How on earth would I know who you write to? Or do you imagine your missives are handed round like holy relics by the awestruck and intimidated womenfolk? If you want to cosy up to feminists, go lose another court case. We like a laugh.
We both know I have written to many GC feminists seeking a private discussion of trans issues and to de-escalate the 'debate'. I am sorry my approaches have been rebuffed. The book seeks in earnest to advance that same agenda - because the status quo only serves the patriarchy.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
Wow. Your intelligence know no limits.
Ok. So we have an answer for 5) - bit short, but hey….
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
Yes.... but this is ultimately true for all of these kinds of polemical books though, written on both left and right, usually by 'journalists'.
I think the path to advancing your own understanding of a certain issue is to read the side you instinctively disagree with and work out what is wrong with what they are saying. That was the thing about Douglas Murray. I think his tone is often unnecessarily inflammatory and he is unduly catastrophic, but I found it impossible to really dispute his underlying arguments, and this changed my opinion on a lot of issues.
One of the notable things on here is that a lot of posters succumb to a tribal view of the world, and then just seek out evidence to support it. But then, after adopting this tribal viewpoint, there is often a rapid deterioration in the quality of their comments.
Very true. This tribal view of the workd results in ad hominem attacks which are the worst form of argument ie criticising the poster and their motives rather than their argument. Malmesbury needs to learn that lesson.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Social media and smartphones might have something to do with it. People constantly comparing themselves with the most attractive, wealthy, etc, people in the world.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Social media and smartphones might have something to do with it. People constantly comparing themselves with the most attractive, wealthy, etc, people in the world.
'We both know'? How on earth would I know who you write to? Or do you imagine your missives are handed round like holy relics by the awestruck and intimidated womenfolk? If you want to cosy up to feminists, go lose another court case. We like a laugh.
We both know I have written to many GC feminists seeking a private discussion of trans issues and to de-escalate the 'debate'. I am sorry my approaches have been rebuffed. The book seeks in earnest to advance that same agenda - because the status quo only serves the patriarchy.
Maugham is such a twat. He is now going to be publicly humiliated for days, and he has ensured ten times as many people read that scathing Times review as would have done normally
And all he had to do was stay quiet. Or defuse the whole thing with a single self deprecating tweet
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
The answer to 8) is 3.14159265359+ers Corbyn.
Piers Corbyn is at a stop the war rally against the ukraine war in London today.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
I think I know where this is heading.....
... but like all good drama, the fascination is in seeing how it gets there.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
I think I know where this is heading.....
Gets in there with a decent enough comment or two but before you know it you're in the Putin/Alt Right nexus!
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
The answer to 8) is 3.14159265359+ers Corbyn.
Piers Corbyn is at a stop the war rally against the ukraine war in London today.
If he wants the war stopped, he should be protesting in Moscow not London.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
I think I know where this is heading.....
Gets in there with a decent enough comment or two but before you know it you're in the Putin/Alt Right nexus!
You are thinking too tribally. Consider with an open mind what i say as i consider what you say.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
Ordinarily I am very suspicious of reboots and remakes - why not create something new? In this case though, its a good thing.
Two reasons - the franchise remains hugely popular. The films are quite old now, so relaunching it for a new generation has some merit.
More fundamentally, the films were stymied at the start by Chris fucking Columbus making some stupid decisions which hampered the rest of the films. Making Ron an idiot, making it all saccharine and small child friendly, hiding the darkness that clearly was hanging over everything.
A remake that has some umph from the start would be fun.
I wonder if Rowling realises quite how dystopian is the world that she created.
Soul-consumption by the dementors is a form of punishment that is much nastier than even the worst forms of execution. I think even Stalin's executioners might have baulked at it.
Being sent to Azkaban is among the worst forms of torture.
Even sympathetic wizards view non-wizards at best, with patronising contempt. Most of them view them as cattle. That's not just the view of the Death Eaters, it's almost universal. Even Hermione, who is often on the receiving end of some vicious prejudice, has partially internalised those values.
It was never made entirely clear what, exactly, Fenrir Greyback wanted to do to Hermione, but it was horribly suggestive.
Nor was it ever made entirely clear what the centaurs did to Dolores Umbridge, when they carried her off, but Rowling (and her alter ego, Hermione) are familiar with classical literature, and there is one thing that centaurs are very well known for, in classical literature.
So, yes, I'd like the TV series to ramp the horror.
That is a common trend now, to take things relatively innocuous and make them a bit darker. If the underlying work had understated darkness in it to begin with, then all the better - and as you say despite some relatively serious stuff in it Harry Potter was a bit more f*cked up than it seemed to recognise.
Speaking of f*cked up, for some reason the cinema was doing a rescreening of Wall-E of all things today. Utter brilliance that movie. Pixar have made plenty of great movies, but for all the creativity some are more obviously to a formula than others. Wall-E is about as emotionally hard hitting as any film I've seen in my life, and told for a kids film in an unconventional way. I practically had tears at some points.
It should have won Best Picture that year - were Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader better?
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I think the concept of 'problematisation' is often linked to Foucault, and deconstruction. It could be explained as being representative of a cultural tendency towards inaction in the face of complexity, or just intellectual laziness.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone on here bothering to describe works as problematic, right wing ‘woke gone mad’ types getting exercised about problematisation otoh..
The Gone With the Wind censorship frenzy was a classic of the type.
Lots of antiwokies seem to have discovered a love for the Harry Potter franchise. I smell a rat.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I can go longer watch friends, due to the fact that (unlike Seinfeld), the comedy simply hasn't dated very well.
I feel like I’ve missed this. What have people decided to find offensive about Friends? I love it, but in many ways out of nostalgia for the past when I watched it. It’s gentle and friendly and I can’t imagine what’s offensive. If anything, one of the artistic criticisms I understand it that it’s just… nothing.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
Questions -
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime? 2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors? 3) AV - simple yes/no. 4) How many SeanTs are there? 5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God. 6) What is cask strength turnip juice? 7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine? 8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
You are such a tease Robert.
My understanding is that whatever his shortcomings, mad Vlad does provide fantasy material for elderly widows who's husbands drunk themselves to death in middle age.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
Yes.... but this is ultimately true for all of these kinds of polemical books though, written on both left and right, usually by 'journalists'.
I think the path to advancing your own understanding of a certain issue is to read the side you instinctively disagree with and work out what is wrong with what they are saying. That was the thing about Douglas Murray. I think his tone is often unnecessarily inflammatory and he is unduly catastrophic, but I found it impossible to really dispute his underlying arguments, and this changed my opinion on a lot of issues.
One of the notable things on here is that a lot of posters succumb to a tribal view of the world, and then just seek out evidence to support it. But then, after adopting this tribal viewpoint, there is often a rapid deterioration in the quality of their comments.
This final paragraph is very true of all sides
And yes all left wing multiculturalists should be forced to read Douglas Murray. Genuine question: who is the left wing equivalent? Which left wing writer is simultaneously persuasive, articulate and decidedly uncomfortable reading for conservatives?
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
Ordinarily I am very suspicious of reboots and remakes - why not create something new? In this case though, its a good thing.
Two reasons - the franchise remains hugely popular. The films are quite old now, so relaunching it for a new generation has some merit.
More fundamentally, the films were stymied at the start by Chris fucking Columbus making some stupid decisions which hampered the rest of the films. Making Ron an idiot, making it all saccharine and small child friendly, hiding the darkness that clearly was hanging over everything.
A remake that has some umph from the start would be fun.
I wonder if Rowling realises quite how dystopian is the world that she created.
Soul-consumption by the dementors is a form of punishment that is much nastier than even the worst forms of execution. I think even Stalin's executioners might have baulked at it.
Being sent to Azkaban is among the worst forms of torture.
Even sympathetic wizards view non-wizards at best, with patronising contempt. Most of them view them as cattle. That's not just the view of the Death Eaters, it's almost universal. Even Hermione, who is often on the receiving end of some vicious prejudice, has partially internalised those values.
It was never made entirely clear what, exactly, Fenrir Greyback wanted to do to Hermione, but it was horribly suggestive.
Nor was it ever made entirely clear what the centaurs did to Dolores Umbridge, when they carried her off, but Rowling (and her alter ego, Hermione) are familiar with classical literature, and there is one thing that centaurs are very well known for, in classical literature.
So, yes, I'd like the TV series to ramp the horror.
That is a common trend now, to take things relatively innocuous and make them a bit darker. If the underlying work had understated darkness in it to begin with, then all the better - and as you say despite some relatively serious stuff in it Harry Potter was a bit more f*cked up than it seemed to recognise.
Speaking of f*cked up, for some reason the cinema was doing a rescreening of Wall-E of all things today. Utter brilliance that movie. Pixar have made plenty of great movies, but for all the creativity some are more obviously to a formula than others. Wall-E is about as emotionally hard hitting as any film I've seen in my life, and told for a kids film in an unconventional way. I practically had tears at some points.
It should have won Best Picture that year - were Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader better?
There’s some fine fanfiction which does focus on the darker aspects of the universe.
Im reading a great book at the moment called sedated by james davies. Saying how the neo liberal capitalism of the us and uk is leading to a massive mental health crisis. Look at prescriptions for antidepressants trebling i think in last 20 years.
I'm sure James Davies had a totally open mind before he started writing that and didn't fill hundreds of pages arguing that what was happening was due to a conclusion he'd already reached.
So why has antidepressant usage risen so much then.
Is it because we don't have a big strong leader like Putin that we can look up to?
I would say it due to living in an atomised highly unequal society where the inequality is exagerrated by central banks printing money in any perceived crisis to further enrich the well connected few. Also i dont think movements like feminism which set men and women at war with each other help.
I don't think you understand feminism.
No the current form of feminism is basically demonising males hence the rise of Andrew Tate. The battles for equal pay were won long ago.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I think the concept of 'problematisation' is often linked to Foucault, and deconstruction. It could be explained as being representative of a cultural tendency towards inaction in the face of complexity, or just intellectual laziness.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone on here bothering to describe works as problematic, right wing ‘woke gone mad’ types getting exercised about problematisation otoh..
The Gone With the Wind censorship frenzy was a classic of the type.
Lots of antiwokies seem to have discovered a love for the Harry Potter franchise. I smell a rat.
Strangely, if you draw a line, people start lining up on each side of it.
Not necessarily united by much more than the line.
You can find it all in Herodotus - nothing new here.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
Ordinarily I am very suspicious of reboots and remakes - why not create something new? In this case though, its a good thing.
Two reasons - the franchise remains hugely popular. The films are quite old now, so relaunching it for a new generation has some merit.
More fundamentally, the films were stymied at the start by Chris fucking Columbus making some stupid decisions which hampered the rest of the films. Making Ron an idiot, making it all saccharine and small child friendly, hiding the darkness that clearly was hanging over everything.
A remake that has some umph from the start would be fun.
I wonder if Rowling realises quite how dystopian is the world that she created.
Soul-consumption by the dementors is a form of punishment that is much nastier than even the worst forms of execution. I think even Stalin's executioners might have baulked at it.
Being sent to Azkaban is among the worst forms of torture.
Even sympathetic wizards view non-wizards at best, with patronising contempt. Most of them view them as cattle. That's not just the view of the Death Eaters, it's almost universal. Even Hermione, who is often on the receiving end of some vicious prejudice, has partially internalised those values.
It was never made entirely clear what, exactly, Fenrir Greyback wanted to do to Hermione, but it was horribly suggestive.
Nor was it ever made entirely clear what the centaurs did to Dolores Umbridge, when they carried her off, but Rowling (and her alter ego, Hermione) are familiar with classical literature, and there is one thing that centaurs are very well known for, in classical literature.
So, yes, I'd like the TV series to ramp the horror.
That is a common trend now, to take things relatively innocuous and make them a bit darker. If the underlying work had understated darkness in it to begin with, then all the better - and as you say despite some relatively serious stuff in it Harry Potter was a bit more f*cked up than it seemed to recognise.
Speaking of f*cked up, for some reason the cinema was doing a rescreening of Wall-E of all things today. Utter brilliance that movie. Pixar have made plenty of great movies, but for all the creativity some are more obviously to a formula than others. Wall-E is about as emotionally hard hitting as any film I've seen in my life, and told for a kids film in an unconventional way. I practically had tears at some points.
It should have won Best Picture that year - were Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader better?
Yes theres dark sruff floating around. On social media there are rumours Russia is fighting this war so hard because ukraine is a global centre of child trafficking with children then being sold to the elite as sex slaves. There is apparently a network of tunnels where the children are kept in Ukraine and this is why Russia is fighting so hard...a battle of good vs evil. Make of it what you will.
J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.
Have to appreciate the top tier trolling by JK Rowling here.
That TV show is easily going to be the most viewed premium production around the world while it's running. It's a shame that we're going to be stuck with watching it on Sky or NowTV which won't have it in proper 4K.
If people just stuck to moaning about her they might be more effective. Trying to organise boycotts of massively popular entertainment franchises are setting up for failure and makes them look silly.
I do know someone who used to be a fan of the series but now seems conflicted about it because they describe JK as problematic (they also no longer rewatch Friends, which they used to love). We can reflect that some of the things we enjoyed once might not be what we'd agree with now, or dislike the creator, but it seems to cause an unreasonable level of anxiety for some.
"Problematic" is one of those pseudo-intellectual terms that I wish would just vanish. People end up criticising works not on the basis of whether they're good or bad, but whether or not they conform to their political outlook. Art should never be the servant of politics.
I was never into Friends, seeing it as completely anodyne. If someone can't watch something so innocuous, I imagine they'd have conniptions if they ever saw Blazing Saddles or The Producers.
I think the concept of 'problematisation' is often linked to Foucault, and deconstruction. It could be explained as being representative of a cultural tendency towards inaction in the face of complexity, or just intellectual laziness.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone on here bothering to describe works as problematic, right wing ‘woke gone mad’ types getting exercised about problematisation otoh..
The Gone With the Wind censorship frenzy was a classic of the type.
Lots of antiwokies seem to have discovered a love for the Harry Potter franchise. I smell a rat.
Was never really my thing, though I've seen all the movies and they're ok, not the sort of thing I'd rewatch much.
As the person who brought up the term problematic, I don't think I've seen anyone here use it, I was just relaying an anecdote. I have also heard someone describe themselves, positively, as being woke, though they are far outnumbered by those that use it perjoratively.
Comments
"Barry Humphries: Dame Edna Everage comedian dies at 89"
Damn.
SNP appoint MP Stuart McDonald as new treasurer after Beattie resignation
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65359303
I sometimes wonder if she worries about this
It’s wicked to mock the afflicted!
As I close in on my 80th my balance is becoming a problem and I have fitted various handrails throughout our home and am conscious of the need to be careful
Both my wife who is 83 and I have had falls but fortunately so far without injuring ourselves too badly
I do see posters heralding the deaths of our age group but we are doing our best to hang on in there
And by the way my wife and I voted Remain in the referendum
RIP Dame Edna
And keep us posted on your drinking. I love those posts in particular because you are possibly the only PB-er who drinks even more than me and therefore makes me feel less conspicuously drunken
https://twitter.com/GrahamGGrant/status/1649708244061806592?s=20
It’s fine to hit the gym, then the gin
https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1649682873358614528?s=20
What a prat.
https://youtu.be/1r3S5UKP7ME
Though it almost wasn’t needed. “Things can only get better” worked because we all felt it was true. Britain isn’t quite there today.
Extraordinarily funny man.
I saw Barry Humphries on stage not only as Dame Edna but as Sowerby in Oliver!
If it's mainstream it's not exciting. If it's mainstream but pretending to be radical it's phoney and people sense this. If it IS radical it won't be popular enough to be elected; no bad thing because the only radicalism which can thrive at the polls is of the right populist variety, which is stupid and mean-spirited and nasty, focused not on making people's lives better but confusing and roiling them up.
So, we're kind of stuck. In fact that's the single word (if you have to pick just the one) that for me best describes the country and its politics. Stuck. Course this could be just me succumbing to 'wise old timer' weebling. Yes, it could easily be. Hope not though. I'm actually in a terrific mood today.
At which point 'Big Sprinkler' withdrew their threat.
I'm not sure that many folk feel "Things can only get better" under Starmer.
The whole of the west is in various forms of malaise (tho compared to 98% of humans in history we still have it lucky) and I believe the western regions that self report the “least happiness” are in Italy and other parts of southern Europe
1) tap water quality
2) low bills for customers
3) low disruption by digging up roads
Strangely this resulted in improved water quality, bills not rising a lot and a lot less complaints about the roads being dug up.
A few years back, the mains leakage issue became more prominent and the directive about reducing road digging was relaxed. Fuck You Money, they call it in Silicon Valley. Enough money to never have to say anything you don’t mean, ever again.
If anyone tried anything against JKRs family, she could easily send a £100 million of lawyers after them.
'We both know'? How on earth would I know who you write to? Or do you imagine your missives are handed round like holy relics by the awestruck and intimidated womenfolk? If you want to cosy up to feminists, go lose another court case. We like a laugh.
https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1649741097726296065?s=20
We both know I have written to many GC feminists seeking a private discussion of trans issues and to de-escalate the 'debate'. I am sorry my approaches have been rebuffed. The book seeks in earnest to advance that same agenda - because the status quo only serves the patriarchy.
https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1649718413877473286?s=20
The Gone With the Wind censorship frenzy was a classic of the type.
“Why are Italians ranked among the 'unhappiest in Europe'?”
https://www.thelocal.it/20220323/why-are-italians-ranked-among-the-unhappiest-in-europe
1) Is pineapple on pizza a warcrime?
2) The pilot of a BA plane dies due to COVID vaccination. The plan crashes exactly on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On which side do you bury the survivors?
3) AV - simple yes/no.
4) How many SeanTs are there?
5) 500 words on why Nick Palmer is a God.
6) What is cask strength turnip juice?
7) Why does PB dislike Jeremy Vine?
8) what is Piers Corbyn the answer to?
Looking at the ratio of kit sent to Ukraine it seems like about 6 armoured vehicles to each tank. Is that what you would expect? And would that match up to a dozen brigades somehow?
I think the path to advancing your own understanding of a certain issue is to read the side you instinctively disagree with and work out what is wrong with what they are saying. That was the thing about Douglas Murray. I think his tone is often unnecessarily inflammatory and he is unduly catastrophic, but I found it impossible to really dispute his underlying arguments, and this changed my opinion on a lot of issues.
One of the notable things on here is that a lot of posters succumb to a tribal view of the world, and then just seek out evidence to support it. But then, after adopting this tribal viewpoint, there is often a rapid deterioration in the quality of their comments.
The bit where Rhett desperately rides out to protect the noble leaders of… the local fucking KKK from bring caught by the Evul Federals is certainly something….
https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1649725155206213632
The last guy did much better at this.
Maugham is such a twat. He is now going to be publicly humiliated for days, and he has ensured ten times as many people read that scathing Times review as would have done normally
And all he had to do was stay quiet. Or defuse the whole thing with a single self deprecating tweet
In the case of 5 one word is needed - threesome.
Speaking of f*cked up, for some reason the cinema was doing a rescreening of Wall-E of all things today. Utter brilliance that movie. Pixar have made plenty of great movies, but for all the creativity some are more obviously to a formula than others. Wall-E is about as emotionally hard hitting as any film I've seen in my life, and told for a kids film in an unconventional way. I practically had tears at some points.
It should have won Best Picture that year - were Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader better?
My understanding is that whatever his shortcomings, mad Vlad does provide fantasy material for elderly widows who's husbands drunk themselves to death in middle age.
And yes all left wing multiculturalists should be forced to read Douglas Murray. Genuine question: who is the left wing equivalent? Which left wing writer is simultaneously persuasive, articulate and decidedly uncomfortable reading for conservatives?
Not necessarily united by much more than the line.
You can find it all in Herodotus - nothing new here.
As the person who brought up the term problematic, I don't think I've seen anyone here use it, I was just relaying an anecdote. I have also heard someone describe themselves, positively, as being woke, though they are far outnumbered by those that use it perjoratively.