This is a good thread - though it fails in turn to note that "the commentariat" was hardly unanimous in its (belatedly vanished) enthusiasm for Johnson. Seldon, I hope, has the good judgment to blush deeply when he rereads some of the shit he came out with.
But there's a question he doesn't address here, which needs more attention.
It troubled me about his book, too. So let me try to explain... 🧵
I posted this before. It’s an important thread.
Someone needs to explain how Seldon was so stupidly fooled in the first place.
Is it some kind of dysfunctional class affinity?
The last actually intellectual PM was Gordon Brown. And before that, I’d controversially nominate Margaret Thatcher.
The idea that Gordon Brown was an intellectual just shows how good he was at personal branding. I'd place both Blair and Johnson above him on that score.
You are confusing “intellectual” with “intelligent”
Brown was more intellectual than Blair, though probably less intelligent.
Our most intellectual PMs were probably Gladstone and Disraeli, Macmillan, Brown and Churchill. Gladstone for one had 20,000 books in his personal library. That does not mean they had the highest IQ though or were most intelligent. Thatcher and Blair, Peel, Salisbury, Baldwin and Lloyd George and Attlee and arguably Wilson and Cameron in terms of decision making on the facts they faced were often very good but they were not great intellectuals
You are almost utterly, utterly wrong.
There were just four genuine intellectuals who became PM: Brown (whom you noted) Wilson, Balfour and Pitt the Younger (like Sunak, he used to amuse himself by making mathematical equations of soldiers wheeling).
Pitt was brilliant. Wilson was very successful. The others, well...
Gladstone was more intellectual than all of those, as probably was Macmillan. Wilson was a clever economist, he was not very widely read on the arts.
Pitt the Younger was clever and very hardworking, he didn't spend a great amount of time being a very well read intellectual.
Balfour I may grant you as the extra great intellectual of former PMs
By that logic, the most intellectual of all our Prime Ministers was Baldwin, who was more widely read even than Gladstone.
I only have to put it that way...
Baldwin was one of my favourite PMs but only got a 3rd from Cambridge in History whereas Gladstone got a double first from Oxford in Mathematics and Classics
I had no idea you were that old.
Still not quite as old as BigG who remembers the Gladstone and Disraeli years as if they were yesterday
All those years foretelling that Disraeli was a dodgy character, then he went and voted for him anyway.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
Ken Livingstone made London safe for property developers.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
This is a good thread - though it fails in turn to note that "the commentariat" was hardly unanimous in its (belatedly vanished) enthusiasm for Johnson. Seldon, I hope, has the good judgment to blush deeply when he rereads some of the shit he came out with.
But there's a question he doesn't address here, which needs more attention.
It troubled me about his book, too. So let me try to explain... 🧵
I posted this before. It’s an important thread.
Someone needs to explain how Seldon was so stupidly fooled in the first place.
Is it some kind of dysfunctional class affinity?
The last actually intellectual PM was Gordon Brown. And before that, I’d controversially nominate Margaret Thatcher.
The idea that Gordon Brown was an intellectual just shows how good he was at personal branding. I'd place both Blair and Johnson above him on that score.
You are confusing “intellectual” with “intelligent”
Brown was more intellectual than Blair, though probably less intelligent.
Our most intellectual PMs were probably Gladstone and Disraeli, Macmillan, Brown and Churchill. Gladstone for one had 20,000 books in his personal library. That does not mean they had the highest IQ though or were most intelligent. Thatcher and Blair, Peel, Salisbury, Baldwin and Lloyd George and Attlee and arguably Wilson and Cameron in terms of decision making on the facts they faced were often very good but they were not great intellectuals
You are almost utterly, utterly wrong.
There were just four genuine intellectuals who became PM: Brown (whom you noted) Wilson, Balfour and Pitt the Younger (like Sunak, he used to amuse himself by making mathematical equations of soldiers wheeling).
Pitt was brilliant. Wilson was very successful. The others, well...
Gladstone was more intellectual than all of those, as probably was Macmillan. Wilson was a clever economist, he was not very widely read on the arts.
Pitt the Younger was clever and very hardworking, he didn't spend a great amount of time being a very well read intellectual.
Balfour I may grant you as the extra great intellectual of former PMs
By that logic, the most intellectual of all our Prime Ministers was Baldwin, who was more widely read even than Gladstone.
I only have to put it that way...
Baldwin was one of my favourite PMs but only got a 3rd from Cambridge in History whereas Gladstone got a double first from Oxford in Mathematics and Classics
Arguably had much better chances to begin with compared to the self-educated PMs who came from poverty. One thinks of Ramsay MacDonald - great advocate of self-help ISTR. I'm not so familiar with the others.
There’s no argument that Wilson was not an intellectual. He was a Fellow of New College.
He was a Yorkshireman, we’re all intellectuals.
You missed out we all think after the word Yorkshireman
You're questioning whether Wilson was a Yorkshireman?
ETA: A nice example of a sentence that can be greatly changed by punctuation: He was a Yorkshireman, we all think; we're intellectuals He was a Yorkshireman, we all think we're intellectuals He was a Yorkshireman; we all think: we're intellectuals
Good god. Paris has erected two skyscrapers which make the Walkie Talkie look elegant. Possibly as bad as the Big Jobbie in Edinburgh
Wow. It's a visual metaphor for Western civilisation in its terminal diarrhea stage. It's like looking at a latter-day Roman sculpture when they all forgot how to draw.
The sad thing is, as soon as everyone has realised that it's a mistake and needs pulling down, it will be listed.
How many miscarriages did your so-called "God" cause today?
Sunil, that is i) rude and ii) not the point
He believes in God, why not raise it?
None, God doesn't control the earth directly and hasn't done since the Fall of Adam and Eve.
Humans make their own laws, many derived from the Old Testament and killing a 32-34 year old foetus is defined even by most scientists and doctors as killing a human being
Don't we normally call them "people" rather than "foetuses" by the time they get to their thirties?
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
So Washington, DC is architecturally superior to Paris, France? Who'd a thunk it?!?
I’m back in the National Gallery. It really is an insanely good Museum. It is also almost entirely European art. I’d say 30% Italian, 25% French, 10% Dutch, Spanish, German, British. 5% American
If europe ever decides to get all Parthenon marbles on your ass we will strip your museums bare and you will have one painting left, by Edward Hopper. And a couple of old chairs by the Amish or whatever
Good god. Paris has erected two skyscrapers which make the Walkie Talkie look elegant. Possibly as bad as the Big Jobbie in Edinburgh
Wow. It's a visual metaphor for Western civilisation in its terminal diarrhea stage. It's like looking at a latter-day Roman sculpture when they all forgot how to draw.
The sad thing is, as soon as everyone has realised that it's a mistake and needs pulling down, it will be listed.
How many miscarriages did your so-called "God" cause today?
Sunil, that is i) rude and ii) not the point
He believes in God, why not raise it?
None, God doesn't control the earth directly and hasn't done since the Fall of Adam and Eve.
Humans make their own laws, many derived from the Old Testament and killing a 32-34 year old foetus is defined even by most scientists and doctors as killing a human being
Does the west currently have a strategy when it comes to Russian scorched earth tactics? The response to Kakhovka has been muted, at least in public. What deterrent can we offer?
Longer range strike weapons. Apparently Storm Shadow was a response to the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
It’s the equivalent of moaning about Wall St/ Lower Manhattan rather than the whole of a (small c) city.
But as the courtesans of Rome would say “he was our piece of shit”. Spare a thought for those perfumed ladies who are wearing their black crepe thongs in mourning and hurriedly meeting their accountants to discuss their reduced financial prospects.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
So Washington, DC is architecturally superior to Paris, France? Who'd a thunk it?!?
I’m back in the National Gallery. It really is an insanely good Museum. It is also almost entirely European art. I’d say 30% Italian, 25% French, 10% Dutch, Spanish, German, British. 5% American
If europe ever decides to get all Parthenon marbles on your ass we will strip your museums bare and you will have one painting left, by Edward Hopper. And a couple of old chairs by the Amish or whatever
Believe we also get to keep some old fence logs with folk-art whittling by Honest Abe himself.
Plus the original Teddy Bear and William Howard Taft's infamous bathtub.
But as the courtesans of Rome would say “he was our piece of shit”. Spare a thought for those perfumed ladies who are wearing their black crepe thongs in mourning and hurriedly meeting their accountants to discuss their reduced financial prospects.
I don't believe all the women were willing participants.
How many miscarriages did your so-called "God" cause today?
Sunil, that is i) rude and ii) not the point
He believes in God, why not raise it?
None, God doesn't control the earth directly and hasn't done since the Fall of Adam and Eve.
Humans make their own laws, many derived from the Old Testament and killing a 32-34 year old foetus is defined even by most scientists and doctors as killing a human being
Yes its a long time that God or Christians or the Bible had much influence on laws in this country - witness gay marriage etc
But as the courtesans of Rome would say “he was our piece of shit”. Spare a thought for those perfumed ladies who are wearing their black crepe thongs in mourning and hurriedly meeting their accountants to discuss their reduced financial prospects.
I don't believe all the women were willing participants.
I would be very surprised too. He was a true scumbag.
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
GIVE IT BACK
I was amazed by how much European art is in the various Boston galleries when I visited.
This is a good thread - though it fails in turn to note that "the commentariat" was hardly unanimous in its (belatedly vanished) enthusiasm for Johnson. Seldon, I hope, has the good judgment to blush deeply when he rereads some of the shit he came out with.
But there's a question he doesn't address here, which needs more attention.
It troubled me about his book, too. So let me try to explain... 🧵
I posted this before. It’s an important thread.
Someone needs to explain how Seldon was so stupidly fooled in the first place.
Is it some kind of dysfunctional class affinity?
The last actually intellectual PM was Gordon Brown. And before that, I’d controversially nominate Margaret Thatcher.
The idea that Gordon Brown was an intellectual just shows how good he was at personal branding. I'd place both Blair and Johnson above him on that score.
You are confusing “intellectual” with “intelligent”
Brown was more intellectual than Blair, though probably less intelligent.
Our most intellectual PMs were probably Gladstone and Disraeli, Macmillan, Brown and Churchill. Gladstone for one had 20,000 books in his personal library. That does not mean they had the highest IQ though or were most intelligent. Thatcher and Blair, Peel, Salisbury, Baldwin and Lloyd George and Attlee and arguably Wilson and Cameron in terms of decision making on the facts they faced were often very good but they were not great intellectuals
You are almost utterly, utterly wrong.
There were just four genuine intellectuals who became PM: Brown (whom you noted) Wilson, Balfour and Pitt the Younger (like Sunak, he used to amuse himself by making mathematical equations of soldiers wheeling).
Pitt was brilliant. Wilson was very successful. The others, well...
Gladstone was more intellectual than all of those, as probably was Macmillan. Wilson was a clever economist, he was not very widely read on the arts.
Pitt the Younger was clever and very hardworking, he didn't spend a great amount of time being a very well read intellectual.
Balfour I may grant you as the extra great intellectual of former PMs
By that logic, the most intellectual of all our Prime Ministers was Baldwin, who was more widely read even than Gladstone.
I only have to put it that way...
Baldwin was one of my favourite PMs but only got a 3rd from Cambridge in History whereas Gladstone got a double first from Oxford in Mathematics and Classics
I had no idea you were that old.
Still not quite as old as BigG who remembers the Gladstone and Disraeli years as if they were yesterday
And as for the great @JackW , the Walpole years seem like yesterday.
Tonight's Redfield & Wilton is rather spoiled by a London sub sample showing the Conservatives on 35% and both Labour and the LDs on 29%. With that, Labour has 45% in England, the Conservatives 31.5% and the LDs on 13%.
You might think Deltapoll is better - it isn't - its London sample is Conservative 43%, Labour 33%, LD 18%.
Both make the Conservative position better than I suspect it really is.
It looks as though the LDs will campaign hard in Mid Bedfordshire and Labour strongest in Uxbridge & South Ruislip. As for Selby & Ainsty, some observations - in the 2022 North Yorkshire County Council elections (the body which took over the running of Selby and Harrogate Councils among others this year), Labour won seats in Selby Town, the Independents did well in Tadcaster leaving the Conservatives to dominate the Selby rural divisions but in the Harrogate rural divisions which form part of the Selby & Ainsty Constituency (Ouseburn and Spofforth), the Greens did very well.
The questions are whether the Greens can make any impression in the rural Selby seats - can Labour break out of its Selby strongholds and where will the Independents go?
The Duke of York is said to be insisting on remaining at his home while building works are carried out because he is concerned about being permanently evicted.
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
The Duke of York is said to be insisting on remaining at his home while building works are carried out because he is concerned about being permanently evicted.
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
Is Nadine Dorres still a MP? She does not appear to have been appointed to Northstead or the Chilterns? I would have thought she would have been ahead in the before Boris and Nigel?
The Duke of York is said to be insisting on remaining at his home while building works are carried out because he is concerned about being permanently evicted.
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
GIVE IT BACK
I was amazed by how much European art is in the various Boston galleries when I visited.
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
The Duke of York is said to be insisting on remaining at his home while building works are carried out because he is concerned about being permanently evicted.
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
The Duke of York is said to be insisting on remaining at his home while building works are carried out because he is concerned about being permanently evicted.
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
@rcs1000 - Has @Anabobazina fallen foul of the spam trap again for posting his "LOL" messages over many lines?
Are you intending to leave him in the sin bin much longer?
The poor wain is concerned that he's been banned for an unknown offence, but I assume he wouldn't be able to send me messages if he'd actually been banned.
The Duke of York is said to be insisting on remaining at his home while building works are carried out because he is concerned about being permanently evicted.
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
GIVE IT BACK
That, in my view, is not 100BC.
In your view as an antiquarian, art historian OR active alcoholic?
@rcs1000 - Has @Anabobazina fallen foul of the spam trap again for posting his "LOL" messages over many lines?
Are you intending to leave him in the sin bin much longer?
The poor wain is concerned that he's been banned for an unknown offence, but I assume he wouldn't be able to send me messages if he'd actually been banned.
Perhaps there's a payment that needs to be made, but it has to be made in cash...
Edit - good to see you can still read and respond Anabobazina. Hope you can get out of the spam trap soon.
How many miscarriages did your so-called "God" cause today?
Sunil, that is i) rude and ii) not the point
He believes in God, why not raise it?
None, God doesn't control the earth directly and hasn't done since the Fall of Adam and Eve.
So what's the point of "worshipping" Him, then?
Either He CAUSES miscarriages, meaning He's a cruel scumbag
OR
He is unable or unwilling to PREVENT miscarriages, meaning He's a cruel scumbag.
Either way, what's the point of "worshipping" Him?
I'm impressed how God likes to modernise. He's gone from being an old white beardybloke with violent, homophobic and sexist tendencies who liked a bit of destruction and plagues and shit, to modern God who could be trans, let's the gays get married, let's women become vicars and is now hands off with getting involved in the day to day running of his Manor. At this rate, he'll probably just evolve into AI God....hang on, maybe that's it?
The Duke of York is said to be insisting on remaining at his home while building works are carried out because he is concerned about being permanently evicted.
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
"If you suddenly find your neighbours have changed, and you suddenly find that the food in the shops is different, and you suddenly find that the faces in the schools are different that creates fear."
"If you suddenly find your neighbours have changed, and you suddenly find that the food in the shops is different, and you suddenly find that the faces in the schools are different that creates fear."
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Spot on.
DC is one of the dreariest, dullest cities I have visited. The museums are decent but the downtown itself is unrelentingly mundane.
I haven’t visited Georgetown, and I have heard good things. So I’ll reserve judgement there.
But, I preferred the suburb of Alexandria to city centre DC. Boring.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Spot on.
DC is one of the dreariest, dullest cities I have visited. The museums are decent but the downtown itself is unrelentingly mundane.
I haven’t visited Georgetown, and I have heard good things. So I’ll reserve judgement there.
But, I preferred the suburb of Alexandria to city centre DC. Boring.
@rcs1000 - Has @Anabobazina fallen foul of the spam trap again for posting his "LOL" messages over many lines?
Are you intending to leave him in the sin bin much longer?
The poor wain is concerned that he's been banned for an unknown offence, but I assume he wouldn't be able to send me messages if he'd actually been banned.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Looking down from the Sky Garden in the Walkie-Talkie to the White Tower below is to take a view across a thousand years.
(Ok, 940 years, but hey...)
PS ...and the Sky Garden view is one of the few not blighted by the Walkie-Talkie!
People can make fun all they like of God and people who have faith in him but sat at a cafe today in Scarborough , what must have been a ninety year old lady in a wheelchair and obviously struggling to function fully in normal life anymore and her 60 odd year carer were joyfully telling a couple they met in the cafe that they prayed together last night for some thing or other I could not catch the detail of . God brings comfort to those who want it - you dont have to be high church to get comfort from God
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Georgetown is seriously overrated in my book. Which ain't your book, but just sayin'
Expecting America cities to be like European cities, means setting yourself up for disappointment 99.46% of the time.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
A different perspective on London (taken by yours truly on Friday):
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Georgetown is seriously overrated in my book. Which ain't your book, but just sayin'
Expecting America cities to be like European cities, means setting yourself up for disappointment 99.46% of the time.
But then you do have bent (& kink) for S&M/B&D?
confused - do BDSM people expect american cities to be like european ones? What a sheltered life I have lead
"If you suddenly find your neighbours have changed, and you suddenly find that the food in the shops is different, and you suddenly find that the faces in the schools are different that creates fear."
Nick Griffin?
Tommy Robinson?
Enoch Powell?
Margaret "you're a fookin racist" Hodge?
She was talking about the BNP entering Barking.
Making their point for them by agreeing with exactly what they would argue.
"Immigration creates fear" only in the minds of racist tossers like Griffin Robinson et al
Mind you in the SKS hierarchy of racism Party its perfectly acceptable
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Looking down from the Sky Garden in the Walkie-Talkie to the White Tower below is to take a view across a thousand years.
(Ok, 940 years, but hey...)
PS ...and the Sky Garden view is one of the few not blighted by the Walkie-Talkie!
reminds me of that grumpy quote that the best view in Paris is from the Eiffel Tower as you cannot see it from there
"If you suddenly find your neighbours have changed, and you suddenly find that the food in the shops is different, and you suddenly find that the faces in the schools are different that creates fear."
Nick Griffin?
Tommy Robinson?
Enoch Powell?
Margaret "you're a fookin racist" Hodge?
She was talking about the BNP entering Barking.
Everyone feels fear. That’s entirely normal. Fear of the different is very, very common. Character is what you do with it.
PB is full of university educated people who have learned to love difference.
Many people, on the other hand, want their lives to run on tram lines. Change is hard for them. Hilariously, my wife, a first generation immigrant, rails against change…
Character comes from taking that moment of fear of the unknown and doing something positive with it.
I mean wtf is this doing in America? An unbelievable treasure of European culture
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Georgetown is seriously overrated in my book. Which ain't your book, but just sayin'
Expecting America cities to be like European cities, means setting yourself up for disappointment 99.46% of the time.
But then you do have bent (& kink) for S&M/B&D?
confused - do BDSM people expect american cities to be like european ones? What a sheltered life I have lead
You ARE confused, illogically-speaking.
What I mean, is that Leon is intensely enjoying his total disappointment.
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Georgetown is seriously overrated in my book. Which ain't your book, but just sayin'
Expecting America cities to be like European cities, means setting yourself up for disappointment 99.46% of the time.
But then you do have bent (& kink) for S&M/B&D?
confused - do BDSM people expect american cities to be like european ones? What a sheltered life I have lead
You ARE confused, illogically-speaking.
What I mean, is that Leon is intensely enjoying his total disappointment.
oh i see! Here's me thinking in those Soho dungeons they have pictures of Rome and Prague but name then Las Vegas and Miami just to get kinky
I found another angle. It really is worse than the Walkie Talkie. Much much worse
Walkie Talkie at least as some kind of symmetry to it, and it's not lost in the untidy, unholy mess that comprises today's Square Mile, being situated on Fenchurch Street.
The square mile is turning into a massive single cluster of steel and glass. Impressive or hideous or maybe both. Also unique
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
You rave about the wretchedness of downtown DC, yet opine about the pile of hideousness that is 99% of City of London?
Mega-chutzpah!
London is full of exquisite buildings. And vistas. And palaces. And all that. And history
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
Looking down from the Sky Garden in the Walkie-Talkie to the White Tower below is to take a view across a thousand years.
(Ok, 940 years, but hey...)
PS ...and the Sky Garden view is one of the few not blighted by the Walkie-Talkie!
reminds me of that grumpy quote that the best view in Paris is from the Eiffel Tower as you cannot see it from there
...whereas the best view is from the very grim Montparnasse Tower, because you can see the Eiffel Tower.
(And it's wheelchair accessible, unlike the Eiffel Tower, just saying.)
"If you suddenly find your neighbours have changed, and you suddenly find that the food in the shops is different, and you suddenly find that the faces in the schools are different that creates fear."
Nick Griffin?
Tommy Robinson?
Enoch Powell?
Margaret "you're a fookin racist" Hodge?
She was talking about the BNP entering Barking.
This is what she said about the BNP entering Barking
Tonight's Redfield & Wilton is rather spoiled by a London sub sample showing the Conservatives on 35% and both Labour and the LDs on 29%. With that, Labour has 45% in England, the Conservatives 31.5% and the LDs on 13%.
You might think Deltapoll is better - it isn't - its London sample is Conservative 43%, Labour 33%, LD 18%.
Both make the Conservative position better than I suspect it really is.
It looks as though the LDs will campaign hard in Mid Bedfordshire and Labour strongest in Uxbridge & South Ruislip. As for Selby & Ainsty, some observations - in the 2022 North Yorkshire County Council elections (the body which took over the running of Selby and Harrogate Councils among others this year), Labour won seats in Selby Town, the Independents did well in Tadcaster leaving the Conservatives to dominate the Selby rural divisions but in the Harrogate rural divisions which form part of the Selby & Ainsty Constituency (Ouseburn and Spofforth), the Greens did very well.
The questions are whether the Greens can make any impression in the rural Selby seats - can Labour break out of its Selby strongholds and where will the Independents go?
If those subsamples are true a Tory hold in Uxbridge looks an excellent bet
I really liked Annapolis. Years since I went but remember the Chart House being a GREAT restaurant. Loved the whole town, and the naval, maritime Americana.
Tonight's Redfield & Wilton is rather spoiled by a London sub sample showing the Conservatives on 35% and both Labour and the LDs on 29%. With that, Labour has 45% in England, the Conservatives 31.5% and the LDs on 13%.
You might think Deltapoll is better - it isn't - its London sample is Conservative 43%, Labour 33%, LD 18%.
Both make the Conservative position better than I suspect it really is.
It looks as though the LDs will campaign hard in Mid Bedfordshire and Labour strongest in Uxbridge & South Ruislip. As for Selby & Ainsty, some observations - in the 2022 North Yorkshire County Council elections (the body which took over the running of Selby and Harrogate Councils among others this year), Labour won seats in Selby Town, the Independents did well in Tadcaster leaving the Conservatives to dominate the Selby rural divisions but in the Harrogate rural divisions which form part of the Selby & Ainsty Constituency (Ouseburn and Spofforth), the Greens did very well.
The questions are whether the Greens can make any impression in the rural Selby seats - can Labour break out of its Selby strongholds and where will the Independents go?
If those subsamples are true a Tory hold in Uxbridge looks an excellent bet
Comments
I love the juxtaposition with ancient london. The tower. Tower bridge. St Paul’s. The wren spires
I despair of the banality and blockiness of some of the towers. 22 Bishopsgate is the worst but at least it will soon be hidden by several other towers. They need to get rid of the insanely cautious height restrictions
Ukraine 3
70 mins
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football
I think it did 6 years which is okay
ETA: A nice example of a sentence that can be greatly changed by punctuation:
He was a Yorkshireman, we all think; we're intellectuals
He was a Yorkshireman, we all think we're intellectuals
He was a Yorkshireman; we all think: we're intellectuals
The sad thing is, as soon as everyone has realised that it's a mistake and needs pulling down, it will be listed.
Mega-chutzpah!
"Speaking from his holiday home at the Villa Freebini in Italy, today, the vicar said.."
Edit: bugger, pipped at the post, literally!
If europe ever decides to get all Parthenon marbles on your ass we will strip your museums bare and you will have one painting left, by Edward Hopper. And a couple of old chairs by the Amish or whatever
If I'd been referring to Blair's (undeniable) shit-ness, I would have said "He *is* a piece of shit."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxHQJiqYqeM&ab_channel=Laugh_Channel
The chalice of Abbot Suger of St Denis. The cup is Greco-Roman from Alexandria (about 100BC). The setting is from Suger’s time - when he was also conceiving the first Gothic architecture at St Denis, Paris. An unsurpassable wonder. In the Nat Gallery museum basement
GIVE IT BACK
Plus the original Teddy Bear and William Howard Taft's infamous bathtub.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/as-with-trump-the-johnson-witch-hunt-is-nothing-of-the-sort-qrbdjbrt7
Tonight's Redfield & Wilton is rather spoiled by a London sub sample showing the Conservatives on 35% and both Labour and the LDs on 29%. With that, Labour has 45% in England, the Conservatives 31.5% and the LDs on 13%.
You might think Deltapoll is better - it isn't - its London sample is Conservative 43%, Labour 33%, LD 18%.
Both make the Conservative position better than I suspect it really is.
It looks as though the LDs will campaign hard in Mid Bedfordshire and Labour strongest in Uxbridge & South Ruislip. As for Selby & Ainsty, some observations - in the 2022 North Yorkshire County Council elections (the body which took over the running of Selby and Harrogate Councils among others this year), Labour won seats in Selby Town, the Independents did well in Tadcaster leaving the Conservatives to dominate the Selby rural divisions but in the Harrogate rural divisions which form part of the Selby & Ainsty Constituency (Ouseburn and Spofforth), the Greens did very well.
The questions are whether the Greens can make any impression in the rural Selby seats - can Labour break out of its Selby strongholds and where will the Independents go?
The duke’s refusal to vacate Royal Lodge while builders repair the roof of his Windsor home comes as he and his brother, the King, remain locked in disagreement over his occupation of the house.
Charles wants Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy. Charles is cutting the duke’s £249,000 annual allowance from the Duchy of Lancaster, which has led Andrew to fear that he will no longer be able to afford the upkeep of the 30-bedroom grade II listed property, which he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/prince-andrew-royal-lodge-staying-renovations-eviction-fears-j3hsdpppv
I don't think that would happen. The public order implications as everyone rushed to point and laugh would be formidable.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forza_Italia_(1994)
Astonishing riches.
So what's the point of "worshipping" Him, then?
Either He CAUSES miscarriages, meaning He's a cruel scumbag
OR
He is unable or unwilling to PREVENT miscarriages, meaning He's a cruel scumbag.
Either way, what's the point of "worshipping" Him?
Makes KCIII seem slightly more human somehow. His logical next move - bring Judge Judy to London!
I would recommend you read Dark Sceptre by Michael Dibdin.
Are you intending to leave him in the sin bin much longer?
The poor wain is concerned that he's been banned for an unknown offence, but I assume he wouldn't be able to send me messages if he'd actually been banned.
After all, he'd not sweat over it.
Edit - good to see you can still read and respond Anabobazina. Hope you can get out of the spam trap soon.
Though I am not sure renewing Andrew's flashing is such a good idea.
There are some utter eyesores in the modernist City but even there you’ve got the gherkin, the Lloyds building, the cheese grater. It’s a jumble. That’s london. Superb next to shite, ancient next to new. Roman walls stare at the Shard. The Norman tower looks at Victorian Borough
Central DC is just a soullless stretch of architectural dreck and vain glory without - as far as I can see - a single noble building
I’m sure Georgetown is all very pretty and faux-Highgate. Like old Boston
It’s just a contradiction, not an argument
"If you suddenly find your neighbours have changed, and you suddenly find that the food in the shops is different, and you suddenly find that the faces in the schools are different that creates fear."
Nick Griffin?
Tommy Robinson?
Enoch Powell?
Margaret "you're a fookin racist" Hodge?
LAB: 42% (-1)
CON: 31% (+2)
LDEM: 12% (-1)
via
@DeltapollUK
, 09 - 12 Jun
DC is one of the dreariest, dullest cities I have visited. The museums are decent but the downtown itself is unrelentingly mundane.
I haven’t visited Georgetown, and I have heard good things. So I’ll reserve judgement there.
But, I preferred the suburb of Alexandria to city centre DC. Boring.
(Ok, 940 years, but hey...)
PS ...and the Sky Garden view is one of the few not blighted by the Walkie-Talkie!
Not sure what happened there.
Expecting America cities to be like European cities, means setting yourself up for disappointment 99.46% of the time.
But then you do have bent (& kink) for S&M/B&D?
"Immigration creates fear" only in the minds of racist tossers like Griffin Robinson et al
Mind you in the SKS hierarchy of racism Party its perfectly acceptable
And yes, it is a great book.
Dibdin is one of those seriously underrated writers.
PB is full of university educated people who have learned to love difference.
Many people, on the other hand, want their lives to run on tram lines. Change is hard for them. Hilariously, my wife, a first generation immigrant, rails against change…
Character comes from taking that moment of fear of the unknown and doing something positive with it.
What I mean, is that Leon is intensely enjoying his total disappointment.
(And it's wheelchair accessible, unlike the Eiffel Tower, just saying.)
https://twitter.com/brokenbottleboy/status/1668200903260749825/photo/1