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The Scottish Question – politicalbetting.com

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  • pm215pm215 Posts: 1,158
    MaxPB said:

    pm215 said:

    MaxPB said:


    As to people wanting to turn it off, I don't understand it really. It's not exactly intrusive and I doubt we'll hear it again unless there's a nuclear attack so I think that's never.

    My guess is that the fact that the first most people heard of it was the government wanting to send literally everybody a pretty intrusive "this is a test" message has given a poor impression. I'm happy to get tsunami and earthquake warnings, but if whoever's in charge is happy to send broadcast test messages they clearly have a rather lower bar on what's worth bothering the population about...
    But the test was required to see if it actually worked and good thing we did it too because around 20% of phones didn't get the message because one of the networks didn't set up correctly. Imagine there was a tsunami and 20% of people didn't get notified because the system was never tested properly? That's precisely what would have happened before this test.
    If a network has screwed up its config that is something you can detect with a much smaller scale test than the entire country. This twitter thread suggests that indeed Three's screwups happened with earlier trials too, in fact: https://twitter.com/davwheat_/status/1650149573313085441
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,964

    BJO Pollwatch

    Polls published in last 7 days

    LAB 42,45,44,43,43,44,47 AVE 44.0

    CON 28,31,32,29,28,31,27 AVE 29.47

    LAB Lead 14.53

    LOWEST LAB LEAD OF 2023

    3 Weeks ago Average Lead was 20.38 Fall in Lab Lead 5.85
    Please explain SKS fans.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,679
    edited April 2023
    So sounds like when the Bomb drops most of PB will be having a nap.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,516
    Well done David Cardwell for standing up to a Police Scotland boot boy while filming the Murrell SNP battle bus going into a Police garage.
    https://twitter.com/i/status/1649362923448422404
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,813

    The Scottish question?

    My FIRST Scottish Question would be. Can I buy your unwanted, unused and effectively new coach-built motorhome for 50% of its original retail value?

    And the fridge freezer
    Probably some phones in there too….
    Stuart Dickson has gone quiet. Just saying.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,169
    malcolmg said:

    Leslie Evans conspiracy and contempt of court not followed up by Police Scotland. Why?? https://caltonjock.com/2023/04/19/leslie-evans-conspiracy-and-contempt-of-court-not-followed-up-by-police-scotland-why/ via @twowittwo WHY HAVE THE POLICE NOT DONE SO?

    Too busy with the important stuff of posh pots & pans and teabags presumably.


  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 4,872

    The Scottish question?

    My FIRST Scottish Question would be. Can I buy your unwanted, unused and effectively new coach-built motorhome for 50% of its original retail value?

    And the fridge freezer
    Probably some phones in there too….
    Stuart Dickson has gone quiet. Just saying.
    Banned, sadly. Him going quiet would have been hilarious.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    edited April 2023
    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.

    Edit: and another bad sin of Series 3 was that it almost totally ignored what happened in the first two series. The old complaint about the episodic nature of Star Trek was written large in Picard: there are no consequences; no follow-through.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,064

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
  • solarflaresolarflare Posts: 3,752
    kinabalu said:

    So sounds like when the Bomb drops most of PB will be having a nap.

    After it drops the post-apocalyptic nightmare will be doubled up with people wondering why they didn't get their text alert.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    ydoethur said:

    Penddu2 said:

    in the 1707 Tsunami that hit the Bristol Channel there was widespread flooding (and deaths) up to what is now Cardiff Central Station and all of the flat tidal area between Cardiff and Chepstow (the Gwent Levels). Not many people lived there then but plenty of people working the fields were drowned. Today this area has a population of maybe 50,000 and it would be an epic disater. Flooding also in South Carmarthenshire and North Somerset

    Do you mean the 1607 flooding? More likely a storm surge than a tsunami (as it was more localised than a Tsunami would have been). But yes, a similar event today would be catastrophic. Not least because there are two nuclear power stations in the flooded area that might do a Fukushima in the event of either.
    The most likely cause being sin. God sent a message to the people of Wales Gloucestershire and Somerset for something. Most likely excessive livestock worrying. 🐑🐐
    So that almighty storm last week was in protest at the cheating racists turning up?

    Might have known...
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,470

    kinabalu said:

    So sounds like when the Bomb drops most of PB will be having a nap.

    After it drops the post-apocalyptic nightmare will be doubled up with people wondering why they didn't get their text alert.
    But think of the by-elections.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,457
    Eabhal said:

    FPT the lack of alert is something to do with Three. Possibly if you have WiFi calling enabled and were connected to WiFi.

    Fwiw I got no alert on EE.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,169
    edited April 2023
    carnforth said:

    The Scottish question?

    My FIRST Scottish Question would be. Can I buy your unwanted, unused and effectively new coach-built motorhome for 50% of its original retail value?

    And the fridge freezer
    Probably some phones in there too….
    Stuart Dickson has gone quiet. Just saying.
    Banned, sadly. Him going quiet would have been hilarious.
    PBers weedily asking where’s Stuart Dickson when he’s been banned is actually hilarious.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,064

    kinabalu said:

    So sounds like when the Bomb drops most of PB will be having a nap.

    After it drops the post-apocalyptic nightmare will be doubled up with people wondering why they didn't get their text alert.

    kinabalu said:

    So sounds like when the Bomb drops most of PB will be having a nap.

    After it drops the post-apocalyptic nightmare will be doubled up with people wondering why they didn't get their text alert.
    "If only they'd tested it, shame we decided not being disturbed for three seconds was more important. Sorry, not sorry"
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,964
    edited April 2023
    FPT

    Seems smart to have a national (or regional?) alert system.

    You get them here occasionally for blizzard warnings.

    I don't think there's any need for them at all. We don't have extreme weather events in the UK, or natural disasters like earthquakes.
  • solarflaresolarflare Posts: 3,752
    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
  • glwglw Posts: 9,956
    MaxPB said:

    Three fucked up the emergency signal propagation which is why Three customers didn't get it. I expect they will get a fine from ofcom.

    As to people wanting to turn it off, I don't understand it really. It's not exactly intrusive and I doubt we'll hear it again unless there's a nuclear attack so I think that's never.

    Assuming it uses the same prioritisation as the EU-Alert* you can't turn it off completely, like in the US the highest priority messages ignore user settings and sound an alert.

    * I can't find anything confirming this, but I'm 90% it uses the same services and follows the same technical standard.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,424
    .

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    (I'm still waiting for @TSE to authorise spoilers from Ep9 & 10, btw)

    Picard Series 2 was around when the execs lost patience with the Kurtzmann vision. They'd filled it with memberberries, retooled Disco to go to the future, fitted it into canon as best they could, bought in SNW...and people still weren't really buying it. Lower Decks is TNG era and fills it with references to TNG. Prodigy is post-VOY and fills it with references to Voyager. People like them because of it. Given that and the fact that the glossy-floor-shows have all failed to a degree, bringing back the TNG crew was all they had left. Picard Series 3 isn't Picard Series 3, it's TNG series 8. They killed Picard (the series), ripped its skin off, resurrected the TNG corpse, wrapped it in the Picard skin, stuffed it with memberberries and piloted FrankenPicard out into the street making LLAP signs and parroting phrases like "make it so" in a robotic voice. People loved it including me, but it is the end of an era for Trek. Going forward it'll be standalone films and more glossy-floor-shows like Starfleet Academy, an idea that was first mooted in Reagan's first term. It's quite worrying, tbh.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    Penddu2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Penddu2 said:

    in the 1707 Tsunami that hit the Bristol Channel there was widespread flooding (and deaths) up to what is now Cardiff Central Station and all of the flat tidal area between Cardiff and Chepstow (the Gwent Levels). Not many people lived there then but plenty of people working the fields were drowned. Today this area has a population of maybe 50,000 and it would be an epic disater. Flooding also in South Carmarthenshire and North Somerset

    Do you mean the 1607 flooding? More likely a storm surge than a tsunami (as it was more localised than a Tsunami would have been). But yes, a similar event today would be catastrophic. Not least because there are two nuclear power stations in the flooded area that might do a Fukushima in the event of either.
    Yes - 1607 not 1707 - sorry. Lots of debate about whether it was a Tsunami or Storm Surge - but records from the time said it happened on a clear day - which supports the Tsunami theory.
    When was the last major volcanic or similar event in the Canaries?
    El Teide went off in 1909. Don't know of any more recent than that.
  • solarflaresolarflare Posts: 3,752

    kinabalu said:

    So sounds like when the Bomb drops most of PB will be having a nap.

    After it drops the post-apocalyptic nightmare will be doubled up with people wondering why they didn't get their text alert.
    But think of the by-elections.
    The Lib Dems storm to power on the basis the country is one giant pothole.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,064

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    There's a few good episodes in there but the first two seasons are about Kira, Jake and Nog more than anyone else.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,516
    Well done David Cardwell for standing up to a Police Scotland boot boy while filming the Murrell SNP battle bus going into a Police garage.
    https://twitter.com/i/status/1649362923448422404
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,964
    FPT

    Britain is a very nannyish state, because it’s essentially one big suburb of net-curtain twitching Daily Mail readers.

    Daily Mail circulation is about 800,000. Not that high in a country of 68 million.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    How about "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", which was pretty much all based on Earth, and is generally seen as being a 'good' Trek film ?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,679
    Andy_JS said:

    FPT

    Britain is a very nannyish state, because it’s essentially one big suburb of net-curtain twitching Daily Mail readers.

    Daily Mail circulation is about 800,000. Not that high in a country of 68 million.
    Are you including its online reach?
  • kyf_100kyf_100 Posts: 4,951

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    DS9 is amazing once it finds its feet, the first two seasons are just episodic, monster of the week stuff. But bear in mind there was just no such thing as season long or even series long episode arcs back then. Everyone says the Sopranos was the first to do it, but really Babylon 5 and DS9 were the pioneers. Most modern shows owe a debt of gratitude to DS9 and B5. And maybe Oz.
  • sarissasarissa Posts: 2,004

    dixiedean said:

    I turned off my phone to have a nap, so didn't get it.
    The entirety of my school, students and staff have phones turned off all day, every day.
    How do they alert us?

    What you're saying is that there's a risk that the only children to survive The Event will be naughty children from schools where they can't enforce the rules, so they still have their phones on.

    Hence, if we must have a cataclysm, we would prefer it to be during the school holidays.
    And not between 7:30 - 10:30PM on Fridays and Saturdays, when I’m often at the cinema or a concert.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,064

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    How about "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", which was pretty much all based on Earth, and is generally seen as being a 'good' Trek film ?
    That's a film though, not a whole 8-10 episode season of something with "Star" in name. Season 2 was 21st century Earth Trek doing the same rubbish agenda based narrative as other modern shows.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    viewcode said:

    .

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    (I'm still waiting for @TSE to authorise spoilers from Ep9 & 10, btw)

    Picard Series 2 was around when the execs lost patience with the Kurtzmann vision. They'd filled it with memberberries, retooled Disco to go to the future, fitted it into canon as best they could, bought in SNW...and people still weren't really buying it. Lower Decks is TNG era and fills it with references to TNG. Prodigy is post-VOY and fills it with references to Voyager. People like them because of it. Given that and the fact that the glossy-floor-shows have all failed to a degree, bringing back the TNG crew was all they had left. Picard Series 3 isn't Picard Series 3, it's TNG series 8. They killed Picard (the series), ripped its skin off, resurrected the TNG corpse, wrapped it in the Picard skin, stuffed it with memberberries and piloted FrankenPicard out into the street making LLAP signs and parroting phrases like "make it so" in a robotic voice. People loved it including me, but it is the end of an era for Trek. Going forward it'll be standalone films and more glossy-floor-shows like Starfleet Academy, an idea that was first mooted in Reagan's first term. It's quite worrying, tbh.
    Why worrying? Ignore the fans and go for Rodenberry's intent for TOS: for it to be adventures with a moral angle set in space; with an occasional mirror on contemporary culture and society. Let good writers write good stories - and for me, long plot arcs.

    Both Star Wars and Star Trek are being destroyed by the fans. I'd be worried about the rumoured on-off Bablylon 5 reboot, except for the fact that Straczynski is in charge and the fans will let him tell the story he wants to tell (whether studio execs do is another matter).
  • ydoethur said:

    Penddu2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Penddu2 said:

    in the 1707 Tsunami that hit the Bristol Channel there was widespread flooding (and deaths) up to what is now Cardiff Central Station and all of the flat tidal area between Cardiff and Chepstow (the Gwent Levels). Not many people lived there then but plenty of people working the fields were drowned. Today this area has a population of maybe 50,000 and it would be an epic disater. Flooding also in South Carmarthenshire and North Somerset

    Do you mean the 1607 flooding? More likely a storm surge than a tsunami (as it was more localised than a Tsunami would have been). But yes, a similar event today would be catastrophic. Not least because there are two nuclear power stations in the flooded area that might do a Fukushima in the event of either.
    Yes - 1607 not 1707 - sorry. Lots of debate about whether it was a Tsunami or Storm Surge - but records from the time said it happened on a clear day - which supports the Tsunami theory.
    When was the last major volcanic or similar event in the Canaries?
    El Teide went off in 1909. Don't know of any more recent than that.
    3,000 homes destroyed on La Palma 2 years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Cumbre_Vieja_volcanic_eruption

    (If that whole western slope of La Palma breaks free and slides into the ocean, then it will generate the mother of all tsunamis...)
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    How about "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", which was pretty much all based on Earth, and is generally seen as being a 'good' Trek film ?
    That's a film though, not a whole 8-10 episode season of something with "Star" in name. Season 2 was 21st century Earth Trek doing the same rubbish agenda based narrative as other modern shows.
    "agenda based narrative" was *exactly* the point of TOS. You know, the show that started it all.
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,820
    Andy_JS said:

    FPT

    Seems smart to have a national (or regional?) alert system.

    You get them here occasionally for blizzard warnings.

    I don't think there's any need for them at all. We don't have extreme weather events in the UK, or natural disasters like earthquakes.
    The only possible reason i can think of is to alert the Great British Public that James Corden is on his way back from the states
  • sarissasarissa Posts: 2,004

    malcolmg said:

    Leslie Evans conspiracy and contempt of court not followed up by Police Scotland. Why?? https://caltonjock.com/2023/04/19/leslie-evans-conspiracy-and-contempt-of-court-not-followed-up-by-police-scotland-why/ via @twowittwo WHY HAVE THE POLICE NOT DONE SO?

    Too busy with the important stuff of posh pots & pans and teabags presumably.


    Allegedly, 1500 purchases were made by Murrell on an SNP credit card, so every item could be evidence.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,606
    Episode 5 of The Diplomat is genuinely good. Funny, quirky, intelligent, well informed. Like a good West Wing episode

    On to ep 6
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    kyf_100 said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    DS9 is amazing once it finds its feet, the first two seasons are just episodic, monster of the week stuff. But bear in mind there was just no such thing as season long or even series long episode arcs back then. Everyone says the Sopranos was the first to do it, but really Babylon 5 and DS9 were the pioneers. Most modern shows owe a debt of gratitude to DS9 and B5. And maybe Oz.
    The DS9 pilot was unwatchably bad. The whole series was okayish, but Straczynski showed how it should have been done.
  • To be fair, the FA Cup Semi lets choose who gets battered by Citeh match has become properly entertaining. Utter end to end thrash, made funnier by United putting Donkey on.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,169
    kinabalu said:

    Andy_JS said:

    FPT

    Britain is a very nannyish state, because it’s essentially one big suburb of net-curtain twitching Daily Mail readers.

    Daily Mail circulation is about 800,000. Not that high in a country of 68 million.
    Are you including its online reach?
    TV & radio leads with Mail headlines and talking points, that’s also part of its reach.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,679
    On the test alert, how do I feedback to the government that I didn't receive it?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,606
    edited April 2023
    It’s also getting really positive reviews and is a streaming hit. It will be renewed

    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_diplomat/s01/reviews


    Worth checking out
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591
    Trek is like politics - people remember the exciting bits and forget that most of it was pretty dull and silly, then object to dull and silly things happening.

    I'm with JosiasJessop in general though - whilst spitting in the face of fans is not a good move, you cannot be driven by them as it means no coherence and poor copying of and reference to previous moments without substance. Again like politics in that people half remember what Thatcher or Benn or whoever said and then try to recapture how that made them feel in a lazy way.

    Lower Decks is great because it's clearly made by people who love Trek, and fill it with reference to previous stuff, but it still remembers to tell some fun stories with good character moments along the way and still having its own identity. I've never seen a single episode of TOS, but can enjoy how much the show obviously loves it.

    Like a political ideology should you take the idea and make it your own for the time you are in, with sprinklings of nostalgia to connect it, not just try a rehash. Fans, whether Trek or politics, do not always know what they will like, and if you do a good job they will become fans of your new approach.
  • TresTres Posts: 2,724
    Only saw the first season of Picard, was confused by why there was a Romulan with an Irish accent. Not even as good as Star Trek Michael.
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,010

    viewcode said:

    .

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    (I'm still waiting for @TSE to authorise spoilers from Ep9 & 10, btw)

    Picard Series 2 was around when the execs lost patience with the Kurtzmann vision. They'd filled it with memberberries, retooled Disco to go to the future, fitted it into canon as best they could, bought in SNW...and people still weren't really buying it. Lower Decks is TNG era and fills it with references to TNG. Prodigy is post-VOY and fills it with references to Voyager. People like them because of it. Given that and the fact that the glossy-floor-shows have all failed to a degree, bringing back the TNG crew was all they had left. Picard Series 3 isn't Picard Series 3, it's TNG series 8. They killed Picard (the series), ripped its skin off, resurrected the TNG corpse, wrapped it in the Picard skin, stuffed it with memberberries and piloted FrankenPicard out into the street making LLAP signs and parroting phrases like "make it so" in a robotic voice. People loved it including me, but it is the end of an era for Trek. Going forward it'll be standalone films and more glossy-floor-shows like Starfleet Academy, an idea that was first mooted in Reagan's first term. It's quite worrying, tbh.
    Why worrying? Ignore the fans and go for Rodenberry's intent for TOS: for it to be adventures with a moral angle set in space; with an occasional mirror on contemporary culture and society. Let good writers write good stories - and for me, long plot arcs.

    Both Star Wars and Star Trek are being destroyed by the fans. I'd be worried about the rumoured on-off Bablylon 5 reboot, except for the fact that Straczynski is in charge and the fans will let him tell the story he wants to tell (whether studio execs do is another matter).
    There's a line between "with a moral angle" and "lecturing the viewers about why they are wrong".
  • sarissasarissa Posts: 2,004
    ydoethur said:

    Penddu2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Penddu2 said:

    in the 1707 Tsunami that hit the Bristol Channel there was widespread flooding (and deaths) up to what is now Cardiff Central Station and all of the flat tidal area between Cardiff and Chepstow (the Gwent Levels). Not many people lived there then but plenty of people working the fields were drowned. Today this area has a population of maybe 50,000 and it would be an epic disater. Flooding also in South Carmarthenshire and North Somerset

    Do you mean the 1607 flooding? More likely a storm surge than a tsunami (as it was more localised than a Tsunami would have been). But yes, a similar event today would be catastrophic. Not least because there are two nuclear power stations in the flooded area that might do a Fukushima in the event of either.
    Yes - 1607 not 1707 - sorry. Lots of debate about whether it was a Tsunami or Storm Surge - but records from the time said it happened on a clear day - which supports the Tsunami theory.
    When was the last major volcanic or similar event in the Canaries?
    El Teide went off in 1909. Don't know of any more recent than that.
    Three on La Palma since 1949
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,516
    sarissa said:

    malcolmg said:

    Leslie Evans conspiracy and contempt of court not followed up by Police Scotland. Why?? https://caltonjock.com/2023/04/19/leslie-evans-conspiracy-and-contempt-of-court-not-followed-up-by-police-scotland-why/ via @twowittwo WHY HAVE THE POLICE NOT DONE SO?

    Too busy with the important stuff of posh pots & pans and teabags presumably.


    Allegedly, 1500 purchases were made by Murrell on an SNP credit card, so every item could be evidence.
    surely the clown was not putting his teabags on there
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591
    Leon said:

    It’s also getting really positive reviews and is a streaming hit. It will be renewed

    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_diplomat/s01/reviews


    Worth checking out

    I do enjoy a Keri Russell series.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,679

    kinabalu said:

    Andy_JS said:

    FPT

    Britain is a very nannyish state, because it’s essentially one big suburb of net-curtain twitching Daily Mail readers.

    Daily Mail circulation is about 800,000. Not that high in a country of 68 million.
    Are you including its online reach?
    TV & radio leads with Mail headlines and talking points, that’s also part of its reach.
    I certainly feel it around the place despite best efforts.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    Penddu2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Penddu2 said:

    in the 1707 Tsunami that hit the Bristol Channel there was widespread flooding (and deaths) up to what is now Cardiff Central Station and all of the flat tidal area between Cardiff and Chepstow (the Gwent Levels). Not many people lived there then but plenty of people working the fields were drowned. Today this area has a population of maybe 50,000 and it would be an epic disater. Flooding also in South Carmarthenshire and North Somerset

    Do you mean the 1607 flooding? More likely a storm surge than a tsunami (as it was more localised than a Tsunami would have been). But yes, a similar event today would be catastrophic. Not least because there are two nuclear power stations in the flooded area that might do a Fukushima in the event of either.
    Yes - 1607 not 1707 - sorry. Lots of debate about whether it was a Tsunami or Storm Surge - but records from the time said it happened on a clear day - which supports the Tsunami theory.
    When was the last major volcanic or similar event in the Canaries?
    When Boris Johnson did a "cannonball" dive into the hotel pool during a recent holiday?
  • TazTaz Posts: 15,049
    kle4 said:

    Trek is like politics - people remember the exciting bits and forget that most of it was pretty dull and silly, then object to dull and silly things happening.

    I'm with JosiasJessop in general though - whilst spitting in the face of fans is not a good move, you cannot be driven by them as it means no coherence and poor copying of and reference to previous moments without substance. Again like politics in that people half remember what Thatcher or Benn or whoever said and then try to recapture how that made them feel in a lazy way.

    Lower Decks is great because it's clearly made by people who love Trek, and fill it with reference to previous stuff, but it still remembers to tell some fun stories with good character moments along the way and still having its own identity. I've never seen a single episode of TOS, but can enjoy how much the show obviously loves it.

    Like a political ideology should you take the idea and make it your own for the time you are in, with sprinklings of nostalgia to connect it, not just try a rehash. Fans, whether Trek or politics, do not always know what they will like, and if you do a good job they will become fans of your new approach.

    Absolutely right about fans. Dr Who, in the eighties, where the producer pandered to fandom reaped no benefit for it.

    Going to conventions, especially in the US and having your ego stroked is no substitute for making good TV.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,606
    edited April 2023
    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,424

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    All the trek shows were rebooted. TNG got rid of crusher, brought in Pulaski as a racist doctor aping McCoy, ditched her when hat didn't work, threw out Gene, brought in the Borg, and never looked back. DS9 canceled the peace with the Kilingons, brought in Work and the Defiant, and never looked back. Voyager got rid of Kes, brought in Seven and wrapped her in a skintight suit and ignored Kate Mulgrew who was angry at the sexism (Mulgrew and Ryan still don't get on), and it mostly worked. Disco was rebooted twice (Hello pike! Hello future!) and still didn't work. Enterprise rebooted with the Xindi arc, spenttwo years making memberberry pie (the Augment virus!), but only the hardcore fans cared and it died. Only the animated shows endured because they're cheap to make and don't need big audiences. Gen Z fans think the show is of a piece, but it's a continuous string of daft decisions, ducttape, and a fair bit of sexism, with grace Lee Whitney, gates McFadden, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew being treated poorly. As a franchise they just throw shit at the wall and hope something sticks... 😀
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    sarissa said:

    malcolmg said:

    Leslie Evans conspiracy and contempt of court not followed up by Police Scotland. Why?? https://caltonjock.com/2023/04/19/leslie-evans-conspiracy-and-contempt-of-court-not-followed-up-by-police-scotland-why/ via @twowittwo WHY HAVE THE POLICE NOT DONE SO?

    Too busy with the important stuff of posh pots & pans and teabags presumably.


    Allegedly, 1500 purchases were made by Murrell on an SNP credit card, so every item could be evidence.
    Home Shopping Network addict?

    "Yes, operator, I definitely want the delux chip-fryer upgrade for my George Foreman Grill Mark XXIII . . ."
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,171
    kinabalu said:

    Andy_JS said:

    FPT

    Britain is a very nannyish state, because it’s essentially one big suburb of net-curtain twitching Daily Mail readers.

    Daily Mail circulation is about 800,000. Not that high in a country of 68 million.
    Are you including its online reach?
    And all the oldies who pass it around.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,606
    kle4 said:

    Leon said:

    It’s also getting really positive reviews and is a streaming hit. It will be renewed

    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_diplomat/s01/reviews


    Worth checking out

    I do enjoy a Keri Russell series.
    You’ll like it. Bear with the first two somewhat silly episodes and it improves markedly. For political nerds its great
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    Not a ban.

    I do think you may need to see a doctor, however.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591
    viewcode said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    All the trek shows were rebooted. TNG got rid of crusher, brought in Pulaski as a racist doctor aping McCoy, ditched her when hat didn't work, threw out Gene, brought in the Borg, and never looked back. DS9 canceled the peace with the Kilingons, brought in Work and the Defiant, and never looked back. Voyager got rid of Kes, brought in Seven and wrapped her in a skintight suit and ignored Kate Mulgrew who was angry at the sexism (Mulgrew and Ryan still don't get on), and it mostly worked. Disco was rebooted twice (Hello pike! Hello future!) and still didn't work. Enterprise rebooted with the Xindi arc, spenttwo years making memberberry pie (the Augment virus!), but only the hardcore fans cared and it died. Only the animated shows endured because they're cheap to make and don't need big audiences. Gen Z fans think the show is of a piece, but it's a continuous string of daft decisions, ducttape, and a fair bit of sexism, with grace Lee Whitney, gates McFadden, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew being treated poorly. As a franchise they just throw shit at the wall and hope something sticks... 😀
    It might have been sexist but Ryan was a better actor than the rest of the cast and had more interesting plotlines, so they should be more annoyed by that.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,424

    kyf_100 said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    DS9 is amazing once it finds its feet, the first two seasons are just episodic, monster of the week stuff. But bear in mind there was just no such thing as season long or even series long episode arcs back then. Everyone says the Sopranos was the first to do it, but really Babylon 5 and DS9 were the pioneers. Most modern shows owe a debt of gratitude to DS9 and B5. And maybe Oz.
    The DS9 pilot was unwatchably bad. The whole series was okayish, but Straczynski showed how it should have been done.
    ...and, given how DS9 developed, they did exactly that. Heck, they even stole B5's effects house :)
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,679
    IanB2 said:

    kinabalu said:

    Andy_JS said:

    FPT

    Britain is a very nannyish state, because it’s essentially one big suburb of net-curtain twitching Daily Mail readers.

    Daily Mail circulation is about 800,000. Not that high in a country of 68 million.
    Are you including its online reach?
    And all the oldies who pass it around.
    Complimentary copies on cruises too, I'd imagine. And the rest. Definition of ubiquitous.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,591
    Leon said:

    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us

    Sounds like at the least they had someone who actually knows Britain read the scripts and add bits to increase verisimilitude.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,157
    Andy_JS said:

    BJO Pollwatch

    Polls published in last 7 days

    LAB 42,45,44,43,43,44,47 AVE 44.0

    CON 28,31,32,29,28,31,27 AVE 29.47

    LAB Lead 14.53

    LOWEST LAB LEAD OF 2023

    3 Weeks ago Average Lead was 20.38 Fall in Lab Lead 5.85
    Please explain SKS fans.
    150 seat Lab majority, though not an SKS fan..
  • RazedabodeRazedabode Posts: 3,033
    Leon said:

    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us

    I got to the “sniffing of armpits” in the first episode and gave up, tbh
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    viewcode said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    All the trek shows were rebooted. TNG got rid of crusher, brought in Pulaski as a racist doctor aping McCoy, ditched her when hat didn't work, threw out Gene, brought in the Borg, and never looked back. DS9 canceled the peace with the Kilingons, brought in Work and the Defiant, and never looked back. Voyager got rid of Kes, brought in Seven and wrapped her in a skintight suit and ignored Kate Mulgrew who was angry at the sexism (Mulgrew and Ryan still don't get on), and it mostly worked. Disco was rebooted twice (Hello pike! Hello future!) and still didn't work. Enterprise rebooted with the Xindi arc, spenttwo years making memberberry pie (the Augment virus!), but only the hardcore fans cared and it died. Only the animated shows endured because they're cheap to make and don't need big audiences. Gen Z fans think the show is of a piece, but it's a continuous string of daft decisions, ducttape, and a fair bit of sexism, with grace Lee Whitney, gates McFadden, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew being treated poorly. As a franchise they just throw shit at the wall and hope something sticks... 😀
    And I'd argue that's because of the fans.

    Create good stories and tell them well. And the fans need to be mature enough to realise they're decades older than they were when 'their' favourite series was out, and what appealed to them might not appeal to new would-be fans.

    The Star Wars fans are far worse then Trek's, though.

    (Having said this, I've seen none of the 'new' Star Trek series, aside from a few episodes of Lower Decks, which were generally very funny. But I've always thought I'd love to see a series in either Star Wars or Star Trek universe with a medical doctor as the main character; an 'unimportant' character who ends up going to warzones and conflicts, and actually does really important stuff.)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,606
    kle4 said:

    Leon said:

    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us

    Sounds like at the least they had someone who actually knows Britain read the scripts and add bits to increase verisimilitude.
    Pretty sure they got some smart British writers in there. Almost zero false notes. It feels authentically like political Britain

    It is still melodramatic in places but WTF, it’s entertaining. And clever. And I like the sly portraits of obviously real-life characters
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.

    Edit: and another bad sin of Series 3 was that it almost totally ignored what happened in the first two series. The old complaint about the episodic nature of Star Trek was written large in Picard: there are no consequences; no follow-through.
    Series 2 wasn't Sci-Fi: it was a moral lecture on contemporary political issues in the US. The ratings for it were terrible, the acting was poor and the pace abysmal - just check out rotten tomatoes; the writers ended up being sacked.

    I think you're just being contrarian, however.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,606

    Leon said:

    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us

    I got to the “sniffing of armpits” in the first episode and gave up, tbh
    I know, I know. But if you can get behind episode 2, you will be increasingly rewarded
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,424

    viewcode said:

    .

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    (I'm still waiting for @TSE to authorise spoilers from Ep9 & 10, btw)

    Picard Series 2 was around when the execs lost patience with the Kurtzmann vision. They'd filled it with memberberries, retooled Disco to go to the future, fitted it into canon as best they could, bought in SNW...and people still weren't really buying it. Lower Decks is TNG era and fills it with references to TNG. Prodigy is post-VOY and fills it with references to Voyager. People like them because of it. Given that and the fact that the glossy-floor-shows have all failed to a degree, bringing back the TNG crew was all they had left. Picard Series 3 isn't Picard Series 3, it's TNG series 8. They killed Picard (the series), ripped its skin off, resurrected the TNG corpse, wrapped it in the Picard skin, stuffed it with memberberries and piloted FrankenPicard out into the street making LLAP signs and parroting phrases like "make it so" in a robotic voice. People loved it including me, but it is the end of an era for Trek. Going forward it'll be standalone films and more glossy-floor-shows like Starfleet Academy, an idea that was first mooted in Reagan's first term. It's quite worrying, tbh.
    Why worrying? Ignore the fans and go for Rodenberry's intent for TOS: for it to be adventures with a moral angle set in space; with an occasional mirror on contemporary culture and society. Let good writers write good stories - and for me, long plot arcs.

    Both Star Wars and Star Trek are being destroyed by the fans. I'd be worried about the rumoured on-off Bablylon 5 reboot, except for the fact that Straczynski is in charge and the fans will let him tell the story he wants to tell (whether studio execs do is another matter).
    I kind lean towards the Nicholas Meyer vision: a good moral argument set against a shit-hot space battle. But yes, they do have to do talking sometime, and unfortunately in these times some hugging.

    I don't want them to reboot B5. My attempt was canceled at the end of season 2 due to illness https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/valen-in-vancouver.293668/
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,843
    malcolmg said:

    Good news innit. The Jocks "fighting" one another for centuries... takes the pressure off London....

    Fat chance , don't laugh just yet sunshine
    Try not to.......
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,987
    For the Conservatives they can't lose whatever the courts decide PM the GRR. Win and the SNP government are humiliated, lose and they will still benefit from an electoral backlash as most Scottish voters oppose the GRR
  • stodgestodge Posts: 13,993
    Evening all :)

    The Great Alert of April 2023 worked fine here at Stodge Towers. To be honest, I'm equivocal as to whether, were a 10-megaton nuclear missile heading for my back garden, I'd want to know.

    I've no great problem with a mechanism of alerting people to extreme events as long as it doesn't become an app to tell you it's going to rain a bit. Living where I do, any notice of the Thames overtopping or of flooding in general would be appreciated - to be fair, we've seen plenty of instances in recent years of people getting caught in blizzards on snowbound roads and being stuck for hours. Whether such numbers could have been reduced by earlier warnings not to travel I'm not sure - there are people who are so wedded to their routine a mere apocalypse isn't going to stop them.

    The interviews conducted after they have been freed from the blizzard often reveal a staggering degree of ignorance or ill-preparedness for such eventualities.

    We also have in America the flash messaging on road signs to look out for missing or possibly abducted children and there may be something to be said for warning people to be on the lookout (a BOLO I believe it is called) for a particular car or individual.
  • sarissasarissa Posts: 2,004
    malcolmg said:

    sarissa said:

    malcolmg said:

    Leslie Evans conspiracy and contempt of court not followed up by Police Scotland. Why?? https://caltonjock.com/2023/04/19/leslie-evans-conspiracy-and-contempt-of-court-not-followed-up-by-police-scotland-why/ via @twowittwo WHY HAVE THE POLICE NOT DONE SO?

    Too busy with the important stuff of posh pots & pans and teabags presumably.


    Allegedly, 1500 purchases were made by Murrell on an SNP credit card, so every item could be evidence.
    surely the clown was not putting his teabags on there
    Well, had lent £107,000 to the party, so he might be a bit short…
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,843
    malcolmg said:

    Chris said:

    Another Scottish question. The BBC reports:
    "The Proclaimers have been removed from an official King's coronation playlist after they were criticised for their anti-royal views.
    Craig and Charlie Reid's hit I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) was featured alongside prominent UK artists.
    Last year they agreed with a republican demonstrator who shouted during the proclamation of King Charles.
    The BBC understands the song was removed by the UK government following complaints."


    What a bunch of sad tossers the UK chinless wonders are
    Doubt you would have someone to your special celebration who made it clear they were opposed to you in every conceivable way...
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    kle4 said:

    viewcode said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    All the trek shows were rebooted. TNG got rid of crusher, brought in Pulaski as a racist doctor aping McCoy, ditched her when hat didn't work, threw out Gene, brought in the Borg, and never looked back. DS9 canceled the peace with the Kilingons, brought in Work and the Defiant, and never looked back. Voyager got rid of Kes, brought in Seven and wrapped her in a skintight suit and ignored Kate Mulgrew who was angry at the sexism (Mulgrew and Ryan still don't get on), and it mostly worked. Disco was rebooted twice (Hello pike! Hello future!) and still didn't work. Enterprise rebooted with the Xindi arc, spenttwo years making memberberry pie (the Augment virus!), but only the hardcore fans cared and it died. Only the animated shows endured because they're cheap to make and don't need big audiences. Gen Z fans think the show is of a piece, but it's a continuous string of daft decisions, ducttape, and a fair bit of sexism, with grace Lee Whitney, gates McFadden, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew being treated poorly. As a franchise they just throw shit at the wall and hope something sticks... 😀
    It might have been sexist but Ryan was a better actor than the rest of the cast and had more interesting plotlines, so they should be more annoyed by that.
    It's a sign of the times that offence archaeologists try their best to go back in time and dig out grievances and damn anything that doesn't match-up perfectly to the obsessive credences of the 2020s.

    Kate Mulgrew herself has said how proud she was to inspire a generation of young women into science. She was the first female cast in a leadership role for a sci-fi drama. And the characters that were written for Jeri Ryan and Roxann Dawon weren't exactly shrinking violets.

    A lot of fuss about nothing.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.

    Edit: and another bad sin of Series 3 was that it almost totally ignored what happened in the first two series. The old complaint about the episodic nature of Star Trek was written large in Picard: there are no consequences; no follow-through.
    Series 2 wasn't Sci-Fi: it was a moral lecture on contemporary political issues in the US. The ratings for it were terrible, the acting was poor and the pace abysmal - just check out rotten tomatoes; the writers ended up being sacked.

    I think you're just being contrarian, however.
    No. I'm not just being contrarian. Read my posts to see *why* I think series 2 is perfectly in line with Star Trek's past and origins.

    And if you think it wasn't sci-fi, then I fear you have a very limited definition of sci-fi, which has always been more than spaceships going around going pew-pew-pew.

    Feel free to disagree, obvs. :)
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713

    kyf_100 said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    DS9 is amazing once it finds its feet, the first two seasons are just episodic, monster of the week stuff. But bear in mind there was just no such thing as season long or even series long episode arcs back then. Everyone says the Sopranos was the first to do it, but really Babylon 5 and DS9 were the pioneers. Most modern shows owe a debt of gratitude to DS9 and B5. And maybe Oz.
    The DS9 pilot was unwatchably bad. The whole series was okayish, but Straczynski showed how it should have been done.
    The DS9 pilot - Emissary - was superb TV, one of the best and most interesting insights into humanity any sci-fi pilot has ever delivered.

    I'm afraid to conclude you just have rather poor taste.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,424
    kle4 said:

    viewcode said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    All the trek shows were rebooted. TNG got rid of crusher, brought in Pulaski as a racist doctor aping McCoy, ditched her when hat didn't work, threw out Gene, brought in the Borg, and never looked back. DS9 canceled the peace with the Kilingons, brought in Work and the Defiant, and never looked back. Voyager got rid of Kes, brought in Seven and wrapped her in a skintight suit and ignored Kate Mulgrew who was angry at the sexism (Mulgrew and Ryan still don't get on), and it mostly worked. Disco was rebooted twice (Hello pike! Hello future!) and still didn't work. Enterprise rebooted with the Xindi arc, spenttwo years making memberberry pie (the Augment virus!), but only the hardcore fans cared and it died. Only the animated shows endured because they're cheap to make and don't need big audiences. Gen Z fans think the show is of a piece, but it's a continuous string of daft decisions, ducttape, and a fair bit of sexism, with grace Lee Whitney, gates McFadden, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew being treated poorly. As a franchise they just throw shit at the wall and hope something sticks... 😀
    ... but Ryan was a better actor than the rest of the cast...
    You've got me thinking now: which were bad, which were good. Thinks. Ok, some were good, some were bad. Did you have a particular one in mind?


  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,156

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.

    Edit: and another bad sin of Series 3 was that it almost totally ignored what happened in the first two series. The old complaint about the episodic nature of Star Trek was written large in Picard: there are no consequences; no follow-through.
    Series 2 wasn't Sci-Fi: it was a moral lecture on contemporary political issues in the US. The ratings for it were terrible, the acting was poor and the pace abysmal - just check out rotten tomatoes; the writers ended up being sacked.

    I think you're just being contrarian, however.
    For sheer wokeness, you can't beat a bit of Star Trek Discovery :lol:
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    How about "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", which was pretty much all based on Earth, and is generally seen as being a 'good' Trek film ?
    That's a film though, not a whole 8-10 episode season of something with "Star" in name. Season 2 was 21st century Earth Trek doing the same rubbish agenda based narrative as other modern shows.
    I think we've got to the bottom of this.

    Josias approves of the proselytising Wokery of Season 2, so everything else gets a pass - regardless of how terrible it is.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,424
    kle4 said:

    viewcode said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    All the trek shows were rebooted. TNG got rid of crusher, brought in Pulaski as a racist doctor aping McCoy, ditched her when hat didn't work, threw out Gene, brought in the Borg, and never looked back. DS9 canceled the peace with the Kilingons, brought in Work and the Defiant, and never looked back. Voyager got rid of Kes, brought in Seven and wrapped her in a skintight suit and ignored Kate Mulgrew who was angry at the sexism (Mulgrew and Ryan still don't get on), and it mostly worked. Disco was rebooted twice (Hello pike! Hello future!) and still didn't work. Enterprise rebooted with the Xindi arc, spenttwo years making memberberry pie (the Augment virus!), but only the hardcore fans cared and it died. Only the animated shows endured because they're cheap to make and don't need big audiences. Gen Z fans think the show is of a piece, but it's a continuous string of daft decisions, ducttape, and a fair bit of sexism, with grace Lee Whitney, gates McFadden, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew being treated poorly. As a franchise they just throw shit at the wall and hope something sticks... 😀
    ... but Ryan was a better actor than the rest of the cast...
    You've got me thinking now: which were bad, which were good. Thinks. Ok, some were good. Did you have a particular one in mind?


  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285
    Leon said:

    Jesus Christ a harrowing Al Jazeera report from Kyiv of all the amputee soldiers and civilians getting prosthetic limbs

    I know this is cheap pointless sentiment but this fucking stupid war. My god

    The Ukrainians will want revenge on Russia for the next 100 years. There will be terror attacks in Moscow for a generation

    Will there ?
    I think a post war Ukraine will likely be more concerned with building a prosperous nation than with revenge.
    Though of course the international tribunal is going to pursue Putin and cronies for the rest of their days.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,516

    malcolmg said:

    Chris said:

    Another Scottish question. The BBC reports:
    "The Proclaimers have been removed from an official King's coronation playlist after they were criticised for their anti-royal views.
    Craig and Charlie Reid's hit I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) was featured alongside prominent UK artists.
    Last year they agreed with a republican demonstrator who shouted during the proclamation of King Charles.
    The BBC understands the song was removed by the UK government following complaints."


    What a bunch of sad tossers the UK chinless wonders are
    Doubt you would have someone to your special celebration who made it clear they were opposed to you in every conceivable way...
    The parasites should not be wasting 100 million of public mony. The clown can afford to pay for his own bloody theatre show. Hopefully it will be shovelling it down and all th elickspittle clowns get drookit.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,169
    edited April 2023
    sarissa said:

    malcolmg said:

    sarissa said:

    malcolmg said:

    Leslie Evans conspiracy and contempt of court not followed up by Police Scotland. Why?? https://caltonjock.com/2023/04/19/leslie-evans-conspiracy-and-contempt-of-court-not-followed-up-by-police-scotland-why/ via @twowittwo WHY HAVE THE POLICE NOT DONE SO?

    Too busy with the important stuff of posh pots & pans and teabags presumably.


    Allegedly, 1500 purchases were made by Murrell on an SNP credit card, so every item could be evidence.
    surely the clown was not putting his teabags on there
    Well, had lent £107,000 to the party, so he might be a bit short…
    The pic was from the all guns blazing raid on Beattie’s house I think. At least he didn’t earn a tent.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.

    Edit: and another bad sin of Series 3 was that it almost totally ignored what happened in the first two series. The old complaint about the episodic nature of Star Trek was written large in Picard: there are no consequences; no follow-through.
    Series 2 wasn't Sci-Fi: it was a moral lecture on contemporary political issues in the US. The ratings for it were terrible, the acting was poor and the pace abysmal - just check out rotten tomatoes; the writers ended up being sacked.

    I think you're just being contrarian, however.
    For sheer wokeness, you can't beat a bit of Star Trek Discovery :lol:
    Yeah, tried the first couple of series of that and then got a bit bored to be honest.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,679
    sarissa said:

    malcolmg said:

    sarissa said:

    malcolmg said:

    Leslie Evans conspiracy and contempt of court not followed up by Police Scotland. Why?? https://caltonjock.com/2023/04/19/leslie-evans-conspiracy-and-contempt-of-court-not-followed-up-by-police-scotland-why/ via @twowittwo WHY HAVE THE POLICE NOT DONE SO?

    Too busy with the important stuff of posh pots & pans and teabags presumably.


    Allegedly, 1500 purchases were made by Murrell on an SNP credit card, so every item could be evidence.
    surely the clown was not putting his teabags on there
    Well, had lent £107,000 to the party, so he might be a bit short…
    Is that what the charge is expected be if there is one - loansharking?
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,987
    The King appoints Lord Patten and Baroness Ashton members of the Order of the Garter

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12004311/Baroness-Ashton-Lord-Patten-appointed-Order-Garter.html
  • darkagedarkage Posts: 5,398
    Regarding the header, I don't think the Scotland/Ireland comparison is that useful. I don't see vast intractable problems. The whole episode of devolution and then an aborted attempt at Independence, followed by the disintegration of the governing party, who chose the moment to make a last stand over an unpopular policy, may just all ultimately come to actually reinforce the resilience of the British state.

  • stodgestodge Posts: 13,993
    Looking at politics for a moment, fascinating results from the Salzburg State Election.

    The two big winners were the Freedom Party (+7.5%) and the Communists (+11.3%). The big losers were the People's Party (-7.5%) and NEOS (-4.1% and dumped out of the Landtag).

    The ruling coalition of People's Party, Greens and NEOS has fallen from 21 seats to just 15 and has lost its majority. Having been rebuffed in 2018, it'll be interesting to see how the Freedom Party reacts - logically, it could join forces with the People's Party and they'd have a majority but it didn't happen in 2018 and you just wonder if other options might be on the table - this itself may be informative as to how Austrian politics might be developing two years from the next federal election.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Christ a harrowing Al Jazeera report from Kyiv of all the amputee soldiers and civilians getting prosthetic limbs

    I know this is cheap pointless sentiment but this fucking stupid war. My god

    The Ukrainians will want revenge on Russia for the next 100 years. There will be terror attacks in Moscow for a generation

    Will there ?
    I think a post war Ukraine will likely be more concerned with building a prosperous nation than with revenge.
    Though of course the international tribunal is going to pursue Putin and cronies for the rest of their days.
    The best way to beat Russia in the long run (40 to 50 years) once the war is over, is to take a leaf out of South Korea's playbook: to become a massively rich, prosperous and technologically advanced nation, as their opponent becomes increasingly backward and withdrawn.

    Ukraine might do it, but it'll be hard. And it's more likely than Russia moving towards civilisation.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,679

    Leon said:

    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us

    I got to the “sniffing of armpits” in the first episode and gave up, tbh
    Spoiler! This one is on my list - now I'll be expecting that twist.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.

    Edit: and another bad sin of Series 3 was that it almost totally ignored what happened in the first two series. The old complaint about the episodic nature of Star Trek was written large in Picard: there are no consequences; no follow-through.
    Series 2 wasn't Sci-Fi: it was a moral lecture on contemporary political issues in the US. The ratings for it were terrible, the acting was poor and the pace abysmal - just check out rotten tomatoes; the writers ended up being sacked.

    I think you're just being contrarian, however.
    No. I'm not just being contrarian. Read my posts to see *why* I think series 2 is perfectly in line with Star Trek's past and origins.

    And if you think it wasn't sci-fi, then I fear you have a very limited definition of sci-fi, which has always been more than spaceships going around going pew-pew-pew.

    Feel free to disagree, obvs. :)
    I've read them.

    You've got it the wrong way round: TOS was ground-breaking because it was amazing and exciting television - the inclusion and taboo-breaking, such as it was, was entirely incidental to the great sci-fi stories. And it was based on all races and species being on the bridge, not to 'make a point' but because that's how things would naturally be in a future interplanetary federation.

    In other words, they started with the great sci-fi adventure stories and just didn't draw any lines based upon contemporary US politics - like only certain races being involved. And I could, if I were so inclined, broaden the point to how Kirk got off with a different woman (of any race, or any alien race quite frankly) virtually every week. And TNG is far more about moral and ethical dilemmas that make you think - for example, The Measure of a Man or The Drumhead - that manage to be very powerful without "identity politics" virtually ever creeping in.

    The modern equivalent would be to create each episode as a moral lecture to be imbibed and then put a bit of sci-fi around it, usually in a very tedious and boring way, which people hate - and is why Season 2 bombed.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,806
    kinabalu said:

    Leon said:

    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us

    I got to the “sniffing of armpits” in the first episode and gave up, tbh
    Spoiler! This one is on my list - now I'll be expecting that twist.
    “sniffing of armpits” has certainly spoilt it for me. Not a chance I will bother with it.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    How about "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", which was pretty much all based on Earth, and is generally seen as being a 'good' Trek film ?
    That's a film though, not a whole 8-10 episode season of something with "Star" in name. Season 2 was 21st century Earth Trek doing the same rubbish agenda based narrative as other modern shows.
    I think we've got to the bottom of this.

    Josias approves of the proselytising Wokery of Season 2, so everything else gets a pass - regardless of how terrible it is.
    I don't 'approve' of it; I did laugh as I watched it though, as I knew some people would hate it. But as I've said: it was entirely within Rodenberry's ethos for TOS.

    Sci-fi can be at its best when it is challenging. And it's sad to see so-called 'fans' complaining about the lesbian relationship in Series 2, as though that was somehow 'woke'.

    And if you're talking about the modern-day police's ill-treatment of Latinos in the US: then it fitted the story well, mirroring the barbarism of the altered timeline's Confederation, and making it clear how society *could* progress down such a route.

    I don't give everything else a pass: I just think, as a Star Trek and sci-fi story, S2 was better than S3, which was little more than poor fan-service.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285
    edited April 2023
    kle4 said:

    Ah, I see Peston is trying his own whataboutery. Apparently if you don't buy wholesale a nonsensical apology you don't believe in compassion, understanding and forgiveness (he is right though that I did not know he was Jewish, not that it affects my opinion that his view was stupid).

    Some of you don’t appear to know that I am Jewish, have been confronted by antisemitism and have campaigned against it - and all racism - my whole life. However I passionately believe that the good society is built on compassion, understanding and forgiveness.
    https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1650149005089730561?cxt=HHwWgsCzrd_xwOYtAAAA

    Not what he's saying.
    He's just defending his own opinion there, which is fair enough.
    Even though he's wrong.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,606
    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Christ a harrowing Al Jazeera report from Kyiv of all the amputee soldiers and civilians getting prosthetic limbs

    I know this is cheap pointless sentiment but this fucking stupid war. My god

    The Ukrainians will want revenge on Russia for the next 100 years. There will be terror attacks in Moscow for a generation

    Will there ?
    I think a post war Ukraine will likely be more concerned with building a prosperous nation than with revenge.
    Though of course the international tribunal is going to pursue Putin and cronies for the rest of their days.
    The Ukrainian government, maybe. But even then, just maybe

    The Ukrainian people? They will seek bitter and angry and personal revenge for decades. Millions of them have been bombed, tortured, murdered, butchered, assassinated, raped, displaced, orphaned

    There aren’t actually that many recent historical comparisons. Of where an invading bigger country did terrible things to a smaller country and then (as is likely) an armistice was called and it ended in stalemate and the aggressor was not seen to suffer unduly, or be defeated

    Imagine if Britain invaded Ireland now for no reason (other than some weird imperial nostalgia), did 100,000s of rapes, bombings, torture, mutilation, and leveled Cork and Kilkenny and made people starve in Dublin and stole 50,000 Irish children and then displaced also 1m Irish people forever and then said Oh well fuck it we will leave Ireland but probably keep Galway, let’s call it quits

    How would the Irish react, emotionally, to the British, after that? Remember that 1m Irish live in Britain just as 2m Ukrainians live in Russia

    A century of slow Irish revenge on Britain would then unfurl


  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285
    Andy_JS said:

    BJO Pollwatch

    Polls published in last 7 days

    LAB 42,45,44,43,43,44,47 AVE 44.0

    CON 28,31,32,29,28,31,27 AVE 29.47

    LAB Lead 14.53

    LOWEST LAB LEAD OF 2023

    3 Weeks ago Average Lead was 20.38 Fall in Lab Lead 5.85
    Please explain SKS fans.
    I've no explanation for SKS fans.
    Do they actually exist ?
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,516
    darkage said:

    Regarding the header, I don't think the Scotland/Ireland comparison is that useful. I don't see vast intractable problems. The whole episode of devolution and then an aborted attempt at Independence, followed by the disintegration of the governing party, who chose the moment to make a last stand over an unpopular policy, may just all ultimately come to actually reinforce the resilience of the British state.

    :# I don't think so
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509

    kyf_100 said:

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:

    Well, having watched to the end of Picard series 3, I have something to say:

    Picard series 2 was better.

    I await a hefty hit from the ban-hammer.

    You mean the one where they didn't go into space? Are you having a laugh?!
    Sci-fi doesn't have to be about flying through space in ships; or space can be tangential to it. I might recommend Julian May's 'Galactic Milieu' trilogy as an example.

    TOS was at its best when it challenged the viewers: remember Kirk and Uhura's kiss? Series 2 did this really well, which is why there were so many pathetic complaints about the way police were portrayed, or the lesbian relationship.

    And yes, Series 2 was flawed in places. But at least it was less effing predictable and by-the-numbers as Series 3. I can't really say more without spoilers.

    But obviously, I am not a Star Trek fan, and just enjoy good Sci-Fi.
    Sci-fi sure, but this is Star Trek. It's about being in space. DS9 only became truly great when they got the Defiant as it added the space exploration aspect to the show.
    I re-watched DS9 again recently and it's amazing how nothingy the first two and a bit seasons are.

    When the Dominion appears and that storyline gets properly going it's transformative for the show as a whole, but until then it's mainly episodes about how Quark is an arse and Trills are weird.
    DS9 is amazing once it finds its feet, the first two seasons are just episodic, monster of the week stuff. But bear in mind there was just no such thing as season long or even series long episode arcs back then. Everyone says the Sopranos was the first to do it, but really Babylon 5 and DS9 were the pioneers. Most modern shows owe a debt of gratitude to DS9 and B5. And maybe Oz.
    The DS9 pilot was unwatchably bad. The whole series was okayish, but Straczynski showed how it should have been done.
    The DS9 pilot - Emissary - was superb TV, one of the best and most interesting insights into humanity any sci-fi pilot has ever delivered.

    I'm afraid to conclude you just have rather poor taste.
    (sighs theatrically)

    No, not really. I might be more tempted to your viewpoint if you actually tried giving reasons aside from 'WOKE!' - which as I've pointed out, Rodenberry might have liked.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,516

    kinabalu said:

    Leon said:

    As @Gardenwalker has noted, The Diplomat is genuinely intelligent and demanding of its mainly American audience

    Eg an American character will say “We’re going to meet the Foreign Secretary at Chevening”

    There is zero explanation of what Chevening might be (the FS’s country house) and even when it is later explained it is brisk. How many Brits have a clue that the FS has a country pile called Chevening?

    I like it. Quite a lot. The very soapy beginning develops into something better. It is catnip for political geeks like us

    I got to the “sniffing of armpits” in the first episode and gave up, tbh
    Spoiler! This one is on my list - now I'll be expecting that twist.
    “sniffing of armpits” has certainly spoilt it for me. Not a chance I will bother with it.
    Ditto
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,516
    WTF
    Concerning data released by The European Regulatory Federation.

  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,929
    The Scottish government's arguments do certainly seem strange. Why would Westminster take the initiative of telling them what the bill would look like in order to pass?

    It does highlight to me that wherever one stood on devolution the settlement appears to have been completely ill-thought through particularly with regard the challenge of Scotland always maintaining a separate legal system. How was that to be finessed post-devolution without undermining the UK?
  • TresTres Posts: 2,724
    Fuck off with that unfunny transphobic bollocks Malc.
This discussion has been closed.