Miss Plato, whilst I rather like them, LOTR is definitely at the high end of high fantasy. Worth mentioning there's a lot of variety within the whole fantasy genre, so even if you dislike that (which is fair enough) there might be other things which tickle your fancy.
Is "high end" a euphemism for no sex?
I am sure that no particular series involving a slightly wayward knight comes to mind as an alternative?
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
Miss Plato, whilst I rather like them, LOTR is definitely at the high end of high fantasy. Worth mentioning there's a lot of variety within the whole fantasy genre, so even if you dislike that (which is fair enough) there might be other things which tickle your fancy.
Another great fantasy is the "Wheel of Time" series. However 14 books is a lot to get through in one sitting: take a year or so and one gets the the full benefit of the drama.
"A 2017 popular vote on Britain’s membership of the EU is more likely than ever, with senior Liberal Democrats having told the Financial Times they are willing to give up their opposition to a referendum if the party were to enter into coalition talks with the Conservative party next year."
"One minister told the FT: “We can’t stop the Tories having their EU referendum, but it puts us in a strong negotiating position. We want them to give us a grand package of constitutional measures in return.” "
The implicit assumption is that there is a coalition deal to be done.
If Conservatives are smart, PR is now massively in their interest. They can get a right wing Conservative + UKIP coalition probably around half the time, which would hallow them to have a proper conservative government. The problem is the leadership have a pathological hatred of UKIP that blinds them to their strategic interest.
If PR came in I can imagine the Tories never getting a majority on their own every again. How could that possibly be in their long term interests?
It is much more advantageous to them to just sort out the dodgy boundaries and stick with FPTP.
The boundaries play a small part in the bias to LAB and you are foolish to think otherwise. The big reasons are differential turnouts in LAB heartlands and, what's likely to be increasingly large, ANTI-CON tactical voting.
OGH There was a survey graph on this website recently on how disliked each party was. The Cons had a similar level of dislike as the Lib Dems, so if you are right then there will also be a large anti-LD vote. The most disliked party was UKIP.
What poll was that? The most recent ComRes favourable/unfavourable polls show the Conservatives and the LDs to have the highest 'unfavourable' rating.
"Please indicate whether you have a favourable or unfavourable view of each of the following."
Green Party: +27% / -29% (-2) Labour Party: +30% / -43% (-13) UKIP: +27% / -43% (-16) The EU: +23% / -45% (-22) Conservative Party: +25% / -48% (-23)
I see that Lord Ashcroft's constituency poll in Norwich South projects that the Lib Dems will come in fifth. When was the last time (if ever) that a party finished fifth in a seat that it had held at a previous general election?
I wonder if it will happen to the Lib Dems more than once in 2015.
Interestingly in his Chippenham poll, it looks like "anti-Tory tactical voting" takes the Lib Dems from fourth to second.
The Greens should be doing on the left what UKIP are doing on the right. I'm astonished at quite how hopeless they've been. The opportunity in this Parliament has been obvious.
I think Germany and similar countries show what the natural limits to the popularity of the kind of policies the Green party espouses are. In the Euros the Greens across the UK weren't too far off this (despite getting far less coverage than in Germany etc.). Obviously fptp will mean results in a GE will lag far behind this (though polling for this has been quite strong - I expect it to fall back by next May).
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
Mr. L, no no no, high fantasy is (to my mind) with lots of lore and/or magic and the like, and perhaps less realistic [in a fantasy-based context] than is currently the fashion (grimdark can go overboard but it's more realistic than Tolkien/Lewis).
A slightly wayward knight sounds like an excellent protagonist for an adventure, Mr. L.
It's been a very very long time since I read any fantasy bar some Harry Potter, if that counts.
I quite liked as a teen Michael Moorcock's Elric books - but that was more to have something to talk about with my friends who were nuts for this stuff. I just feel a bit silly. My husband worked with a chappy who used to come to work in a cape and carrying a plastic sword... this was long before ComicCon...
Given that I'm happy to discuss supernatural nonsense til the cows come home it's a peculiar mental line. I guess it's the same as my attitude to poetry and song lyrics... the former is arty-farty, the latter interesting.
Miss Plato, whilst I rather like them, LOTR is definitely at the high end of high fantasy. Worth mentioning there's a lot of variety within the whole fantasy genre, so even if you dislike that (which is fair enough) there might be other things which tickle your fancy.
Nick Clegg: I'd go to bed with Miriam over Ed Miliband or David Cameron every time
Asked by a Sky News anchor: “When you woke up this morning.. when you roll over and look at her lovingly and then think, come next May who you might have to get into bed with would you rather have Dave or Ed?
Mr Clegg replied: “Miriam every single time, unsurprisingly if you really must put it like that, I don’t think of politics in those terms.
All this stuff in the Daily Telegraph about Alan Johnson challenging Ed Miliband for the Labour leadership - it's all way, way too late for all that now. What happens should Labour lose the GE is quite another matter.
It helps explain how Labour came to select Ed when you consider than Alan Johnson is the next best option.
Agree, PfP, it is way, way too late to be changing leaders.
Actually the more I see of Alan Johnson the more impressed I am. He's autobiography is entertaining, and if he wasn't in Labour he would be a good catch for UKIP.
I like him too ...... I think most people do, hence the misguided push for him to stand I suspect.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
I thought Legolas was the worst casting. However, the worst aspect of the movies were Peter Jackson's desire to play things for soppy romance, comic relief and spectacular special effects at the detriment of the actual plot/characterisation.
If we assume LibDem meltdown continues and only those he considers dead-certs are re-elected, here is the new team. I've put a star next to those who are in government (that I know of):
INVERNESS, NAIRN, BADENOCH & STRATHSPEY (Danny Alexander) * GORDON (Sir Malcolm Bruce (retiring – Christine Jardine selected) TWICKENHAM (Vince Cable) * NORTH EAST FIFE (Sir Menzies Campbell (retiring)) ORKNEY & SHETLAND (Alistair Carmichael) * SHEFFIELD HALLAM (Nick Clegg) * KINGSTON & SURBITON (Edward Davey) * WESTMORLAND & LONSDALE (Tim Farron) BATH (Don Foster (retiring)) BERMONDSEY & OLD SOUTHWARK (Simon Hughes) * ROSS, SKYE AND LOCHABER (Charles Kennedy) NORTH NORFOLK (Norman Lamb) * YEOVIL (David Laws) * BERWICKSHIRE, ROXBURGH & SELKIRK (Michael Moore) * LEEDS NORTH WEST (Greg Mulholland) SOUTHPORT (John Pugh) COLCHESTER (Sir Bob Russell) CAITHNESS, SUTHERLAND & EASTER ROSS (John Thurso) * THORNBURY & YATE (Steve Webb) * BRECON & RADNORSHIRE (Roger Williams) BRISTOL WEST (Stephen Williams)
If this happens, then this doesn't look like a team who are going to go and form a coalition with Ed M. Nor is it a group who will lightly give up the red boxes.
He still thinks it would be a "major shock" if the tories took Berwickshire and that Argyll & Bute is a possible Lib Dem hold. My guess in the latter is that the Lib Dems will come a poor fourth and in my opinion it would be a major shock if the Tories did not take Berwickshire.
I hope his comments on the English seats are better informed.
Yep, I think Mike Crockart is pretty toasty as well.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
Only three times in Game of Thrones have important likeable characters been killed off. And in two of those occasions, it was pretty clear they were heading into a situation where there was a high chance of it happening.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
I thought Legolas was the worst casting. However, the worst aspect of the movies were Peter Jackson's desire to play things for soppy romance, comic relief and spectacular special effects at the detriment of the actual plot/characterisation.
"All this stuff in the Daily Telegraph about Alan Johnson challenging Ed Miliband for the Labour leadership - it's all way, way too late for all that now"
I wonder if it is? It would need the agreement of Ed and the persuasion of several beefy union leaders but it might not be too late. labour are more popular than Ed and also the Tories so there is no reason to think their lead would vanish under a temporary leader. Then when a new one is selected early next year they could look forward to a new leader bounce.
A small part of Ed's problems is that, like Cameron before him, he has been around as LOTO for a full 5 year Parliament and any novelty or self indulgent fantasy that he might be better than he appears has long since evaporated. This over familiarity probably cost Cameron his majority.
I think this is a problem that the major parties must learn from. If, say, we had a safe Labour majority in the next Parliament, or a safe Tory one, there would be much to say for Cameron or Miliband hanging on for a year or two whilst the losing party had a serious conversation with itself before it chooses its next leader. It is not the modern way but leaders need some element of novelty at elections and the present system is not providing it. And given that party democracy is between dying and dead choosing the leader is too big a decision on direction to rush.
I can see the sense in what you are saying, but there are problems with that approach.
Maybe it was because Brown simply went awol after leaving Downing Street, but Labour were a particularly weak opposition during the period of their leadership election, and it allowed the government to set the narrative - a narrative that for example Larry Elliot now points out that Labour have completely failed to shift.
In a media climate so focussed on the leader, and on the leader setting a policy direction, why would they bother to listen to a caretaker leader?
There's a clear contradiction there, and I'm not sure how best to resolve it.
Edit: Except, of course, by implementing the Chartists final demand - annual elections to Parliament.
Labour has said nothing on the economy which has allowed HMG to recast the debate on its terms. It is a point (and complaint) we have made before on pb. I had believed it was a deal with Darling and the Blairites in order to stop the Shadow Cabinet splitting, but Labour has said nothing very much on any other topic either.
Telegraph reporting that rebel Labour MPs are starting to agitate for Johnson to stand for leader.
Loved this comment from the article
"The former Home Secretary privately accepts if he had successfully challenged Gordon Brown in the run up to the 2010 election Labour would currently be in power"
Blimey! Sense of entitlement, much? Do the voters get an input?
Johnson? The man who resigned from Shadow Chancellor? More aptly termed the Shallow Chancellor - a song a dance and a merry quip? Policy lite but with a red flashing nose and a button hole that spouts water.
The assumption seems to be that the Lib Dems have made a mistake with their conference. Why hold it in Glasgow when so few delegates will attend? Maybe that was the idea? The fewer the number of people there, the less possibility there is of dissent against King Clegg.
The Greens should be doing on the left what UKIP are doing on the right. I'm astonished at quite how hopeless they've been. The opportunity in this Parliament has been obvious.
I think Germany and similar countries show what the natural limits to the popularity of the kind of policies the Green party espouses are. In the Euros the Greens across the UK weren't too far off this (despite getting far less coverage than in Germany etc.). Obviously fptp will mean results in a GE will lag far behind this (though polling for this has been quite strong - I expect it to fall back by next May).
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
There's a ready market on the left for those untroubled by the need to assuage the financial markets, a market that Labour is not really satisfying. By aggressively targeting those who see the focus on deficit as a fraud on the electorate by the 1%, the Greens could have yoked anti-austerity to environmental concerns in the same way that UKIP have yoked hostility to immigrants to an anti-EU stance.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
Bah you know nothing.
The hero of the epic is Sam.
That's why I wrote "nominal hero". Of course Sam is the real hero - that's why he gets the last word.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
Bah you know nothing.
The hero of the epic is Sam.
I think you are right. The victim was Frodo - he was carrying the ring. Likewise Gollum, although he was something of a sinner in the way he obtained the ring.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
Oh, I think it's part of GoT's charm. Most fantasy trilogies start with a monstrous super-powerful evil character who cocks up and loses, while the sweet-natured goatherd with unforseen magical powers prospers amazingly and marries the princess. Sometimes you're just trudging through the volumes waiting for it to work out. With GoT, your favourite character might well die at any moment. Good stuff.
Thanks to David L for that excellent Sauron blog link, too. Altogether a good thread for us fantasy people.
And speaking of fantasies, that election-winning Tory lead was interesting while it lasted, wasn't it? Conference bounces, they're such a tease.
All this stuff in the Daily Telegraph about Alan Johnson challenging Ed Miliband for the Labour leadership - it's all way, way too late for all that now. What happens should Labour lose the GE is quite another matter.
It helps explain how Labour came to select Ed when you consider than Alan Johnson is the next best option.
Agree, PfP, it is way, way too late to be changing leaders.
Actually the more I see of Alan Johnson the more impressed I am. He's autobiography is entertaining, and if he wasn't in Labour he would be a good catch for UKIP.
I like him too ...... I think most people do, hence the misguided push for him to stand I suspect.
I think he'd make a great next Mayor of London but it seems he's intent on remaining a back bench MP for Hull West ...... strange priorities, no disrespect to you Hullites.
That's just a random selection of anti-austerity / left-of-Labour stories from the first few pages of the Green party (of England and Wales) website's news section. Espousing anti-austerity policies and getting coverage for same are different things.
The Greens should be doing on the left what UKIP are doing on the right. I'm astonished at quite how hopeless they've been. The opportunity in this Parliament has been obvious.
I think Germany and similar countries show what the natural limits to the popularity of the kind of policies the Green party espouses are. In the Euros the Greens across the UK weren't too far off this (despite getting far less coverage than in Germany etc.). Obviously fptp will mean results in a GE will lag far behind this (though polling for this has been quite strong - I expect it to fall back by next May).
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
There's a ready market on the left for those untroubled by the need to assuage the financial markets, a market that Labour is not really satisfying. By aggressively targeting those who see the focus on deficit as a fraud on the electorate by the 1%, the Greens could have yoked anti-austerity to environmental concerns in the same way that UKIP have yoked hostility to immigrants to an anti-EU stance.
The main argument was between supposed 'deficit denial' and 'growth denial'. Personally I favoured the growth denial argument. Why are government bonds so cheap? Er, because we're facing a potential slump. However it's a reasonable debate. The problem for the Greens is they aren't that comfortable focussing on growth which is where anti-austerity gets its justification. Sometimes they seem like a party that wants permanent austerity as the only answer to our over-consuming lives.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
Oh, I think it's part of GoT's charm. Most fantasy trilogies start with a monstrous super-powerful evil character who cocks up and loses, while the sweet-natured goatherd with unforseen magical powers prospers amazingly and marries the princess. Sometimes you're just trudging through the volumes waiting for it to work out. With GoT, your favourite character might well die at any moment. Good stuff.
Thanks to David L for that excellent Sauron blog link, too. Altogether a good thread for us fantasy people.
And speaking of fantasies, that election-winning Tory lead was interesting while it lasted, wasn't it? Conference bounces, they're such a tease.
A bit like Labour governments Nick, you can have way too much of a good thing. If (avoiding spoilers as much as possible) a certain character really died at the end of the last book I am not sure I will read the next one.
And we have the slightly unexplained curiosity of Yougov being almost alone in finding a Tory bounce. Bit like them being alone in finding Yes ahead.
That's just a random selection of anti-austerity / left-of-Labour stories from the first few pages of the Green party (of England and Wales) website's news section. Espousing anti-austerity policies and getting coverage for same are different things.
Perhaps they should have tried a strategy that involved something other than preaching to the converted? You need to do slightly more than issue press releases.
The Greens can get attention. Caroline Lucas managed it very effectively in relation to fracking. A little more showpersonship was required.
The whole master and servant thing with Frodo and Sam (like a first world war lieutenant and his batman) is probably the thing that dated least well in LOTR. It tells us it was written in a different world than the one we now inhabit.
I agree that Tolkien's sympathy was with the common man as represented by Sam though.
To comment on antifrank / Neil's discussion on the Greens - there are opportunities that I think that they missed in Lambeth (just as an example) in the local elections. They had candidates in all wards - but almost always paper candidates who didn't come to any hustings, or distribute any leaflets and were in fact totally anonymous other than the name on the ballot paper. Given the Lib Dem collapse I would think that they could have potentially nicked 3 or 4 seats or even more if they had actually campaigned actively. Now I know that they were probably focusing on the European elections in terms of finance and that might have been an issue - but it's one of the things that I think that they could and should have done in places like inner London.
All this stuff in the Daily Telegraph about Alan Johnson challenging Ed Miliband for the Labour leadership - it's all way, way too late for all that now. What happens should Labour lose the GE is quite another matter.
It helps explain how Labour came to select Ed when you consider than Alan Johnson is the next best option.
Agree, PfP, it is way, way too late to be changing leaders.
Actually the more I see of Alan Johnson the more impressed I am. He's autobiography is entertaining, and if he wasn't in Labour he would be a good catch for UKIP.
I like him too ...... I think most people do, hence the misguided push for him to stand I suspect.
I think he'd make a great next Mayor of London but it seems he's intent on remaining a back bench MP for Hull West ...... strange priorities, no disrespect to you Hullites.
Btw anyone who agrees with me, AJ is best-priced at 14/1 (various) to become the next MoL.
That's just a random selection of anti-austerity / left-of-Labour stories from the first few pages of the Green party (of England and Wales) website's news section. Espousing anti-austerity policies and getting coverage for same are different things.
Perhaps they should have tried a strategy that involved something other than preaching to the converted? You need to do slightly more than issue press releases.
The Greens can get attention. Caroline Lucas managed it very effectively in relation to fracking. A little more showpersonship was required.
If you werent such a high paid lawyer I'd ask you to consider working for the Green party to tell them how to get more coverage of their policies (as it happens, and I'm sure it's not unrelated to the better polling we've seen lately, coverage of policies such as the wealth tax has been pretty good compared to usual).
The Greens should be doing on the left what UKIP are doing on the right. I'm astonished at quite how hopeless they've been. The opportunity in this Parliament has been obvious.
I think Germany and similar countries show what the natural limits to the popularity of the kind of policies the Green party espouses are. In the Euros the Greens across the UK weren't too far off this (despite getting far less coverage than in Germany etc.). Obviously fptp will mean results in a GE will lag far behind this (though polling for this has been quite strong - I expect it to fall back by next May).
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
There's a ready market on the left for those untroubled by the need to assuage the financial markets, a market that Labour is not really satisfying. By aggressively targeting those who see the focus on deficit as a fraud on the electorate by the 1%, the Greens could have yoked anti-austerity to environmental concerns in the same way that UKIP have yoked hostility to immigrants to an anti-EU stance.
Their real chance will come once Labour are in government.
I wonder if we're in line for a succession of single-term governments; Every time anyone gets into power, they split their vote with a smaller party on their fringe, and FPTP puts the other side in.
Oh dear, it looks like Lamb's comments haven't been fully understood. If you look at the Guardian they've quoted him far more extensively. He talks about a possible scenario where Labour get most seats, but the Tories most votes. You then add Ukip getting far more votes than the Lib Dems and he's quite right to say a Lab/LD coalition would be difficult. What's more surprising is his general point about Ed Miliband. Okay, he's trying to score political points against a rival, but what's the message? He's been happy to spend 4 1/2 years in coalition with the likes of George (neoconservative) Osborne, Iain Duncan Smith, Eric Pickles, Chris Grayling and Michael Gove but Ed Miliband is beyond the pale. I don't see that as a way for them to win back votes, whatever people think of Ed.
I'm not sure you appreciate what the term neo-conservative really means. Osborne's always been a conservative.
Mr. L, that's a great part of the film. When I heard beacons would be lit for the Diamond Jubilee I was hoping for something along those lines rather than the rubbish dinky little beacons we got.
Mr. Palmer, I do enjoy a high death toll in fantasy. Adds tension and credibility to a supposedly deadly world. If everyone important to the story keeps surviving, it can seem more like a toy world.
On confidence and supply, don't forgot the Tories. It takes two to tango, why would they want a 2nd coalition?
If the Lib Dems walk away with 30 seats, then if the Tories only achieve 295 seats, they can't really form a stable majority anyway. If the Tories achieve 'par' of 305 seats, then they'd achieve a wafer thin majority of 20 or so - highly vulnerable to rebellions/defections/by-election losses. If the Tories got 315 seats, they might quite easily fancy their chances with the DUP instead. The maths is all important.
It's unlikely the Tories would get quite such a good deal as last time anyway; and the backbenchers would be very unhappy with any deal. Cameron has already indicated he'd prefer to go it alone. A 2nd coalition would only be on offer for a higher price with less benefit.
A confidence and supply deal for 2 years (say, till after the 2017 referendum) might be something where the Lib Dems can get a couple of key bills/reforms they're interested in through. A national interest argument could easily be found for that to explain it to their voters. The Tories get their budgets and the EU referendum. The Lib Dems might even think it allows the Tories to be hoist by their own petard if they fail to get the measures they want, and still recommend a YES vote.
Anything else the Lib Dems are free to act as if they're in opposition, vote against and rebrand themselves. The whole thing gets reopened again mid-parliament and, if the Lib Dems are v.unhappy, they could force an early election. By which time UKIP might have chewed the Tories to pieces.
there are opportunities that I think that they missed in Lambeth (just as an example) in the local elections. They had candidates in all wards - but almost always paper candidates who didn't come to any hustings, or distribute any leaflets and were in fact totally anonymous other than the name on the ballot paper.
That really wasnt a missed opportunity. That was precisely how the one Green cllr in Lambeth got elected. By targeting that ward and ignoring all the others that couldnt be won given the resources available. Your suggestion would have seen a higher vote share across Lambeth but no councillors elected.
The Greens should be doing on the left what UKIP are doing on the right. I'm astonished at quite how hopeless they've been. The opportunity in this Parliament has been obvious.
I think Germany and similar countries show what the natural limits to the popularity of the kind of policies the Green party espouses are. In the Euros the Greens across the UK weren't too far off this (despite getting far less coverage than in Germany etc.). Obviously fptp will mean results in a GE will lag far behind this (though polling for this has been quite strong - I expect it to fall back by next May).
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
There's a ready market on the left for those untroubled by the need to assuage the financial markets, a market that Labour is not really satisfying. By aggressively targeting those who see the focus on deficit as a fraud on the electorate by the 1%, the Greens could have yoked anti-austerity to environmental concerns in the same way that UKIP have yoked hostility to immigrants to an anti-EU stance.
Opposing mass immigration is not "hostility to immigrants". This is such a tired point I'm surprised I still have to make it.
That's just a random selection of anti-austerity / left-of-Labour stories from the first few pages of the Green party (of England and Wales) website's news section. Espousing anti-austerity policies and getting coverage for same are different things.
Perhaps they should have tried a strategy that involved something other than preaching to the converted? You need to do slightly more than issue press releases.
The Greens can get attention. Caroline Lucas managed it very effectively in relation to fracking. A little more showpersonship was required.
If you werent such a high paid lawyer I'd ask you to consider working for the Green party to tell them how to get more coverage of their policies (as it happens, and I'm sure it's not unrelated to the better polling we've seen lately, coverage of policies such as the wealth tax has been pretty good compared to usual).
It's not a lawyer's advice that's required! In fact, I suggest that a little bit of activity that comes in the category of civil disobedience, preferably with some humour and style, is what's required. The Greens have been very effective at doing that in an environmental sphere, it's odd they haven't been able to translate this into other areas.
The Greens' better polling is indeed off the back of such policies. Those on the left who are dissatisfied with the current Labour leadership are working out their options by themselves. They could have been given a lot more help by the Green party itself though.
The whole master and servant thing with Frodo and Sam (like a first world war lieutenant and his batman) is probably the thing that dated least well in LOTR. It tells us it was written in a different world than the one we now inhabit.
I agree that Tolkien's sympathy was with the common man as represented by Sam though.
There was no master and servant thing. They were mates. One had the ring the other did not.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
Bah you know nothing.
The hero of the epic is Sam.
I think you are right. The victim was Frodo - he was carrying the ring. Likewise Gollum, although he was something of a sinner in the way he obtained the ring.
Frodo, Gandalf and Aragorn are all different forms of Christ: the lamb of God, the divine incarnate, and the returning King.
The Greens should be doing on the left what UKIP are doing on the right. I'm astonished at quite how hopeless they've been. The opportunity in this Parliament has been obvious.
I think Germany and similar countries show what the natural limits to the popularity of the kind of policies the Green party espouses are. In the Euros the Greens across the UK weren't too far off this (despite getting far less coverage than in Germany etc.). Obviously fptp will mean results in a GE will lag far behind this (though polling for this has been quite strong - I expect it to fall back by next May).
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
There's a ready market on the left for those untroubled by the need to assuage the financial markets, a market that Labour is not really satisfying. By aggressively targeting those who see the focus on deficit as a fraud on the electorate by the 1%, the Greens could have yoked anti-austerity to environmental concerns in the same way that UKIP have yoked hostility to immigrants to an anti-EU stance.
Their real chance will come once Labour are in government.
I wonder if we're in line for a succession of single-term governments; Every time anyone gets into power, they split their vote with a smaller party on their fringe, and FPTP puts the other side in.
Maybe, but if Kellner's scenario is right then things might fracture more quickly. This is the situation in which UKIP and the SNP win enough seats to preserve a Hung Parliament even with the reduction in Lib Dem seats, but this means that no Coalition is possible, as the Lib Dems no longer have enough seats to give either the Conservatives or Labour a majority, and neither does any other party.
On the Continent this would likely lead to a Grand Coalition...
On confidence and supply, don't forgot the Tories. It takes two to tango, why would they want a 2nd coalition?
If the Lib Dems walk away with 30 seats, then if the Tories only achieve 295 seats, they can't really form a stable majority anyway. If the Tories achieve 'par' of 305 seats, then they'd achieve a wafer thin majority of 20 or so - highly vulnerable to rebellions/defections/by-election losses. If the Tories got 315 seats, they might quite easily fancy their chances with the DUP instead. The maths is all important.
It's unlikely the Tories would get quite such a good deal as last time anyway; and the backbenchers would be very unhappy with any deal. Cameron has already indicated he'd prefer to go it alone. A 2nd coalition would only be on offer for a higher price with less benefit.
A confidence and supply deal for 2 years (say, till after the 2017 referendum) might be something where the Lib Dems can get a couple of key bills/reforms they're interested in through. A national interest argument could easily be found for that to explain it to their voters. The Tories get their budgets and the EU referendum. The Lib Dems might even think it allows the Tories to be hoist by their own petard if they fail to get the measures they want, and still recommend a YES vote.
Anything else the Lib Dems are free to act as if they're in opposition, vote against and rebrand themselves. The whole thing gets reopened again mid-parliament and, if the Lib Dems are v.unhappy, they could force an early election. By which time UKIP might have chewed the Tories to pieces.
This is why I have been saying for yonks that there is a serious risk that we could end up with no stable government being possible after the GE. The financial markets still haven't quite woken up to this yet, although there have been a few analysts' notes mentioning it.
The whole master and servant thing with Frodo and Sam (like a first world war lieutenant and his batman) is probably the thing that dated least well in LOTR. It tells us it was written in a different world than the one we now inhabit.
I agree that Tolkien's sympathy was with the common man as represented by Sam though.
There was no master and servant thing. They were mates. One had the ring the other did not.
In the movies maybe. In the books it was quite clearly an officer-servant relationship, as was standard practice in the First World War.
there are opportunities that I think that they missed in Lambeth (just as an example) in the local elections. They had candidates in all wards - but almost always paper candidates who didn't come to any hustings, or distribute any leaflets and were in fact totally anonymous other than the name on the ballot paper.
That really wasnt a missed opportunity. That was precisely how the one Green cllr in Lambeth got elected. By targeting that ward and ignoring all the others that couldnt be won given the resources available. Your suggestion would have seen a higher vote share across Lambeth but no councillors elected.
Fair enough - 'perceived' missed opportunity then - I guess that I was meaning doing things 'as well as' rather than 'instead of' but if you have to choose then that's more understandable. I still think that a candidate per ward who was willing to come to a hustings might have been helpful to at least show existence rather than anonymity but that's just me.
Related - any idea when you are selected GE2015 candidate for Vauxhall?
The Greens should be doing on the left what UKIP are doing on the right. I'm astonished at quite how hopeless they've been. The opportunity in this Parliament has been obvious.
I think Germany and similar countries show what the natural limits to the popularity of the kind of policies the Green party espouses are. In the Euros the Greens across the UK weren't too far off this (despite getting far less coverage than in Germany etc.). Obviously fptp will mean results in a GE will lag far behind this (though polling for this has been quite strong - I expect it to fall back by next May).
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
There's a ready market on the left for those untroubled by the need to assuage the financial markets, a market that Labour is not really satisfying. By aggressively targeting those who see the focus on deficit as a fraud on the electorate by the 1%, the Greens could have yoked anti-austerity to environmental concerns in the same way that UKIP have yoked hostility to immigrants to an anti-EU stance.
Their real chance will come once Labour are in government.
I wonder if we're in line for a succession of single-term governments; Every time anyone gets into power, they split their vote with a smaller party on their fringe, and FPTP puts the other side in.
Maybe, but if Kellner's scenario is right then things might fracture more quickly. This is the situation in which UKIP and the SNP win enough seats to preserve a Hung Parliament even with the reduction in Lib Dem seats, but this means that no Coalition is possible, as the Lib Dems no longer have enough seats to give either the Conservatives or Labour a majority, and neither does any other party.
On the Continent this would likely lead to a Grand Coalition...
Is it still 50/1 on Ladbrokes on a Tory/Lab grand coalition?
there are opportunities that I think that they missed in Lambeth (just as an example) in the local elections. They had candidates in all wards - but almost always paper candidates who didn't come to any hustings, or distribute any leaflets and were in fact totally anonymous other than the name on the ballot paper.
That really wasnt a missed opportunity. That was precisely how the one Green cllr in Lambeth got elected. By targeting that ward and ignoring all the others that couldnt be won given the resources available. Your suggestion would have seen a higher vote share across Lambeth but no councillors elected.
Fair enough - 'perceived' missed opportunity then - I guess that I was meaning doing things 'as well as' rather than 'instead of' but if you have to choose then that's more understandable.
I would have thought you would know better than most how difficult it is to win with few or no resources besides a few keen activists.
I still think that a candidate per ward who was willing to come to a hustings might have been helpful to at least show existence rather than anonymity but that's just me.
Hustings are a total waste of time, particularly for local elections, they are best avoided.
On confidence and supply, don't forgot the Tories. It takes two to tango, why would they want a 2nd coalition?
If the Lib Dems walk away with 30 seats, then if the Tories only achieve 295 seats, they can't really form a stable majority anyway. If the Tories achieve 'par' of 305 seats, then they'd achieve a wafer thin majority of 20 or so - highly vulnerable to rebellions/defections/by-election losses. If the Tories got 315 seats, they might quite easily fancy their chances with the DUP instead. The maths is all important.
It's unlikely the Tories would get quite such a good deal as last time anyway; and the backbenchers would be very unhappy with any deal. Cameron has already indicated he'd prefer to go it alone. A 2nd coalition would only be on offer for a higher price with less benefit.
A confidence and supply deal for 2 years (say, till after the 2017 referendum) might be something where the Lib Dems can get a couple of key bills/reforms they're interested in through. A national interest argument could easily be found for that to explain it to their voters. The Tories get their budgets and the EU referendum. The Lib Dems might even think it allows the Tories to be hoist by their own petard if they fail to get the measures they want, and still recommend a YES vote.
Anything else the Lib Dems are free to act as if they're in opposition, vote against and rebrand themselves. The whole thing gets reopened again mid-parliament and, if the Lib Dems are v.unhappy, they could force an early election. By which time UKIP might have chewed the Tories to pieces.
This is why I have been saying for yonks that there is a serious risk that we could end up with no stable government being possible after the GE. The financial markets still haven't quite woken up to this yet, although there have been a few analysts' notes mentioning it.
Yes, and I'm equally worried about it too Richard. Personally, I hope the Tories can get to 315+ seats (should be close enough) but if not it's going to be very unpredictable.
This is why I have been saying for yonks that there is a serious risk that we could end up with no stable government being possible after the GE. The financial markets still haven't quite woken up to this yet, although there have been a few analysts' notes mentioning it.
Non-sarcastically, do the financial markets need a stable government? Say you had a bunch of weak, short-lived governments unable to make important reforms but also unable to do anything seriously stupid, how bad is that really? IIUC the US economy does OK out of gridlock, and although there may be some serious reforms the UK needs like sorting out the housing market, none of the parties are going to do them if they get a majority either.
The whole master and servant thing with Frodo and Sam (like a first world war lieutenant and his batman) is probably the thing that dated least well in LOTR. It tells us it was written in a different world than the one we now inhabit.
I agree that Tolkien's sympathy was with the common man as represented by Sam though.
There was no master and servant thing. They were mates. One had the ring the other did not.
In the movies maybe. In the books it was quite clearly an officer-servant relationship, as was standard practice in the First World War.
Wait - so Frodo and Sam were illegal immigrants in Mordor, not there to work and intent on causing harm with their fantastical belief system. If only Ukip had been in power in the dark realm...
There are some interesting comparisons and thoughts possible on that story. One is that Prometheus and Lucifer are basically the same (giving fire/technology/knowledge to mankind) and both are punished by Zeus/God. Only Prometheus is seen as a hero, and Lucifer as a villain.
I would have thought you would know better than most how difficult it is to win with few or no resources besides a few keen activists.
Very true :-) . By the sounds of things, I think that I was assuming from your reported nationally strong membership numbers and consistently good poll ratings that your resources (both financial and boots on the ground) are considerably better than by the sounds of it they actually are. This is then a very different issue (and one much harder to deal with actually)
This is why I have been saying for yonks that there is a serious risk that we could end up with no stable government being possible after the GE. The financial markets still haven't quite woken up to this yet, although there have been a few analysts' notes mentioning it.
Non-sarcastically, do the financial markets need a stable government? Say you had a bunch of weak, short-lived governments unable to make important reforms but also unable to do anything seriously stupid, how bad is that really? IIUC the US economy does OK out of gridlock, and although there may be some serious reforms the UK needs like sorting out the housing market, none of the parties are going to do them if they get a majority either.
Well, we certainly needed it in 2010. I expect the main thing they'd be concerned about is ongoing commitment to keeping the deficit under control. I'm not sure about the US, IIRC their economy did take a bit of a hit over the federal shutdown a couple of years ago.
If they're not happy, the markets will make that clear through the value of the pound and the interest rates at which they're willing to lend to the British government. I can't see how that wouldn't affect prices, mortgages, investment and jobs in some way.
Non-sarcastically, do the financial markets need a stable government? Say you had a bunch of weak, short-lived governments unable to make important reforms but also unable to do anything seriously stupid, how bad is that really? IIUC the US economy does OK out of gridlock, and although there may be some serious reforms the UK needs like sorting out the housing market, none of the parties are going to do them if they get a majority either.
It depends on the circumstances. In reasonably good times, yes, it wouldn't matter too much.
The crucial point for the next parliament is that everyone agrees that there are going to have to be some chunky spending cuts. Those would be politically difficult even under a government with a good majority. In the event of a minority government or weak coalition, it would be much worse. So the spending cuts won't be agreed, and the markets will get very jittery.
Oh dear, it looks like Lamb's comments haven't been fully understood. If you look at the Guardian they've quoted him far more extensively. He talks about a possible scenario where Labour get most seats, but the Tories most votes. You then add Ukip getting far more votes than the Lib Dems and he's quite right to say a Lab/LD coalition would be difficult. What's more surprising is his general point about Ed Miliband. Okay, he's trying to score political points against a rival, but what's the message? He's been happy to spend 4 1/2 years in coalition with the likes of George (neoconservative) Osborne, Iain Duncan Smith, Eric Pickles, Chris Grayling and Michael Gove but Ed Miliband is beyond the pale. I don't see that as a way for them to win back votes, whatever people think of Ed.
I'm not sure you appreciate what the term neo-conservative really means. Osborne's always been a conservative.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films are terrible.
I make a point of reading the main books (Silmarilion + LotR) about every 2-3 years. But I only managed to watch about 30 mins of the first film before giving up. Too slow, too long.
If you need to see it on TV, I'd suggest the cartoon from the early 80s. Frustratingly the illustator died half way through so it ends in the middle of the story (!) but it is far far better...
Mr. L, that's a great part of the film. When I heard beacons would be lit for the Diamond Jubilee I was hoping for something along those lines rather than the rubbish dinky little beacons we got.
Mr. Palmer, I do enjoy a high death toll in fantasy. Adds tension and credibility to a supposedly deadly world. If everyone important to the story keeps surviving, it can seem more like a toy world.
Sorry to go off-topic, but I've just had a letter from HMRC tellng me about my Contracted-out Deduction. They've succeeded in confusing my poor little brain and I'm hoping we have a couple of sages on-line
My old age state pension begins in three months but I have a small private pension - ex-industry - and a small civil service one (I know which one is best - you can't beat public sector pensions).
Anyway,I think they're informing me of what I would have earned as additional state pension had I not been contracted out.
Is this like the quiz programmes where they tell the contestant what they would have received if they'd got the answers right?
There are some interesting comparisons and thoughts possible on that story. One is that Prometheus and Lucifer are basically the same (giving fire/technology/knowledge to mankind) and both are punished by Zeus/God. Only Prometheus is seen as a hero, and Lucifer as a villain.
Nick Clegg: I'd go to bed with Miriam over Ed Miliband or David Cameron every time
Asked by a Sky News anchor: “When you woke up this morning.. when you roll over and look at her lovingly and then think, come next May who you might have to get into bed with would you rather have Dave or Ed?
Mr Clegg replied: “Miriam every single time, unsurprisingly if you really must put it like that, I don’t think of politics in those terms.
There are some interesting comparisons and thoughts possible on that story. One is that Prometheus and Lucifer are basically the same (giving fire/technology/knowledge to mankind) and both are punished by Zeus/God. Only Prometheus is seen as a hero, and Lucifer as a villain.
It makes me wonder though. What if the Tories were headed for a 100 seat majority? Would people move against Miliband? I suspect not. Are some in the part willing him to lose? It's starting to look that way.
I said the other day that those of us in the trenches have fire in the belly whilst the higher ups don't. The likes of Burnham, Ummuna etc are focused on the leadership, so a Labour win derails their ambitions.
Typically, nice likeable characters have short shelf-lives because killing them off creates emotional tension. It does get rather tedious when it happens a lot. IIRC GoT is particularly prone to this phenomenon.
I've just been given the LotR films to watch by a friend. Oh dear. I've been avoiding all things Ringish since I was a teenager and had a boyfriend who had posters of wizards in his bedroom. Even now I cringe at the thought. I know I'm going to have to watch these now. Urgh. This really isn't my genre...
There's a book reviewed in The Times today that calculates the statistical probability of GoT character life expectancies... I can see it appealing to many on here.
Mr. Socrates, a dangerous assumption given the dwarves appeared not all that badly affected by their rings, and the elves likewise.
Mr. L, indeed, seen that blog before and it's really rather good.
Edited extra bit: Mr. Eagles, must be why he's so popular.
Is this not pretty straightforward? Likeable character = toast.
The films would be better if the casting had been better. Elrond, Saruman, Gollum and Aragorn are excellent. Sam and Gandalf are good. Legolas, Merry and Pippin are mostly fine.
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
Bah you know nothing.
The hero of the epic is Sam.
I think you are right. The victim was Frodo - he was carrying the ring. Likewise Gollum, although he was something of a sinner in the way he obtained the ring.
Frodo, Gandalf and Aragorn are all different forms of Christ: the lamb of God, the divine incarnate, and the returning King.
The whole master and servant thing with Frodo and Sam (like a first world war lieutenant and his batman) is probably the thing that dated least well in LOTR. It tells us it was written in a different world than the one we now inhabit.
I agree that Tolkien's sympathy was with the common man as represented by Sam though.
There was no master and servant thing. They were mates. One had the ring the other did not.
In the movies maybe. In the books it was quite clearly an officer-servant relationship, as was standard practice in the First World War.
Officer-batman is a very different relationship to master-servant.
It involves more trust and confidence on both sides (if done right)
Mr. Charles, you might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment.
It's an interesting parallel, don't you think?
Well it's clear they both had their roots in the same source beliefs.
But the difference was that while Lucifer got up and raged against God and publicly tried to encourage defecters, Prometheus snuck into Olympus one night and pinched some of the best goodies before handing them out willy-nilly with no thought given to the long-term consequences.
Tim Montgomerie @TimMontgomerie 2m2 minutes ago Under 300 people voted in #ldconf motion. Confirms sense this is a poorly attended conference. Don't know if it's worse than previous years.
One way for Turkey to manage their Kurdish Problem. What a bastard President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has turned out to be. Not a move against IS in Kobane.
If Ed is so inferior to Cameron,why won't Cameron agree to the TV debates?Could it be a question of intellectual self-confidence?And if Labour are going to lead this country into bankrupcy,why won't the Tories agree to the proposals of an independent assessment by the OBR?Could it be that Cameron's unfunded tax cuts are a tax con?
Comments
"Con 31 (-2) Lab 37 (-1) LD 8 (nc) UKIP 15 (+2)"
Alan who? Onward and upward with Ed!
I am sure that no particular series involving a slightly wayward knight comes to mind as an alternative?
I'll pass over most of the rest.
Elijah Wood is hopeless as Frodo though, which is a bit of a problem given that Frodo is the nominal hero of the epic. He comes across like a well-intentioned but incompetent social worker.
The films work as an outstanding advert for New Zealand tourism. The countryside is stunning.
"Please indicate whether you have a favourable or unfavourable view of each of the following."
Green Party: +27% / -29% (-2)
Labour Party: +30% / -43% (-13)
UKIP: +27% / -43% (-16)
The EU: +23% / -45% (-22)
Conservative Party: +25% / -48% (-23)
http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf
LD from previous month.
Lib Dems: +13% / -53% (-40)
http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/SM_IoS_Political_Poll_24th_August_2014_12371.pdf
Interestingly in his Chippenham poll, it looks like "anti-Tory tactical voting" takes the Lib Dems from fourth to second.
What are the two or three most obvious opportunities that they have passed up in your opinion?
A slightly wayward knight sounds like an excellent protagonist for an adventure, Mr. L.
I quite liked as a teen Michael Moorcock's Elric books - but that was more to have something to talk about with my friends who were nuts for this stuff. I just feel a bit silly. My husband worked with a chappy who used to come to work in a cape and carrying a plastic sword... this was long before ComicCon...
Given that I'm happy to discuss supernatural nonsense til the cows come home it's a peculiar mental line. I guess it's the same as my attitude to poetry and song lyrics... the former is arty-farty, the latter interesting.
The hero of the epic is Sam.
Goody. I'm now eying the boxset with even greater foreboding.
Kevin Pietersen = Mark Reckless
"Baxter says Lab majority of 78."
Which coincides with Populus becoming the new gold standard.
Thanks to David L for that excellent Sauron blog link, too. Altogether a good thread for us fantasy people.
And speaking of fantasies, that election-winning Tory lead was interesting while it lasted, wasn't it? Conference bounces, they're such a tease.
http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/09/29/natalie-bennett-backs-care-uk-workers-strike-action/
http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/09/08/molly-scott-cato-accuses-chancellor-of-shameless-partisanship-in-favour-of-high-finance/
http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/09/05/the-green-party-calls-for-a-£10-minimum-wage-for-all/
http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/07/30/greens-says-unemployed-should-not-have-to-wait-five-weeks-for-help/
http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/07/25/green-party-the-economic-model-is-still-broken/
http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/07/29/green-party-calls-for-a-wealth-tax/
That's just a random selection of anti-austerity / left-of-Labour stories from the first few pages of the Green party (of England and Wales) website's news section. Espousing anti-austerity policies and getting coverage for same are different things.
And we have the slightly unexplained curiosity of Yougov being almost alone in finding a Tory bounce. Bit like them being alone in finding Yes ahead.
Just saying.
The Greens can get attention. Caroline Lucas managed it very effectively in relation to fracking. A little more showpersonship was required.
I agree that Tolkien's sympathy was with the common man as represented by Sam though.
I wonder if we're in line for a succession of single-term governments; Every time anyone gets into power, they split their vote with a smaller party on their fringe, and FPTP puts the other side in.
Osborne's always been a conservative.
Mr. Palmer, I do enjoy a high death toll in fantasy. Adds tension and credibility to a supposedly deadly world. If everyone important to the story keeps surviving, it can seem more like a toy world.
If the Lib Dems walk away with 30 seats, then if the Tories only achieve 295 seats, they can't really form a stable majority anyway. If the Tories achieve 'par' of 305 seats, then they'd achieve a wafer thin majority of 20 or so - highly vulnerable to rebellions/defections/by-election losses. If the Tories got 315 seats, they might quite easily fancy their chances with the DUP instead. The maths is all important.
It's unlikely the Tories would get quite such a good deal as last time anyway; and the backbenchers would be very unhappy with any deal. Cameron has already indicated he'd prefer to go it alone. A 2nd coalition would only be on offer for a higher price with less benefit.
A confidence and supply deal for 2 years (say, till after the 2017 referendum) might be something where the Lib Dems can get a couple of key bills/reforms they're interested in through. A national interest argument could easily be found for that to explain it to their voters. The Tories get their budgets and the EU referendum. The Lib Dems might even think it allows the Tories to be hoist by their own petard if they fail to get the measures they want, and still recommend a YES vote.
Anything else the Lib Dems are free to act as if they're in opposition, vote against and rebrand themselves. The whole thing gets reopened again mid-parliament and, if the Lib Dems are v.unhappy, they could force an early election. By which time UKIP might have chewed the Tories to pieces.
The Greens' better polling is indeed off the back of such policies. Those on the left who are dissatisfied with the current Labour leadership are working out their options by themselves. They could have been given a lot more help by the Green party itself though.
On the Continent this would likely lead to a Grand Coalition...
Related - any idea when you are selected GE2015 candidate for Vauxhall?
Hmm..
Interesting - it's the sort of tax cut only an accountant would note yet it's been reduced... seems odd.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/eu-prepares-to-reject-frances-2015-budget-setting-up-clash-over-deficit-1412538765
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/06/eu-budget-france-idUSL6N0S00Z920141006
It's an interesting parallel, don't you think?
If they're not happy, the markets will make that clear through the value of the pound and the interest rates at which they're willing to lend to the British government. I can't see how that wouldn't affect prices, mortgages, investment and jobs in some way.
I was reading over the week-end that the Germans are growing more and more desperate to keep the UK onside.
We've heard this before from them, though.
The crucial point for the next parliament is that everyone agrees that there are going to have to be some chunky spending cuts. Those would be politically difficult even under a government with a good majority. In the event of a minority government or weak coalition, it would be much worse. So the spending cuts won't be agreed, and the markets will get very jittery.
All definitions most welcome.
I make a point of reading the main books (Silmarilion + LotR) about every 2-3 years. But I only managed to watch about 30 mins of the first film before giving up. Too slow, too long.
If you need to see it on TV, I'd suggest the cartoon from the early 80s. Frustratingly the illustator died half way through so it ends in the middle of the story (!) but it is far far better...
Just thinking of 270 names is enough of a job in itself.
Sorry to go off-topic, but I've just had a letter from HMRC tellng me about my Contracted-out Deduction. They've succeeded in confusing my poor little brain and I'm hoping we have a couple of sages on-line
My old age state pension begins in three months but I have a small private pension - ex-industry - and a small civil service one (I know which one is best - you can't beat public sector pensions).
Anyway,I think they're informing me of what I would have earned as additional state pension had I not been contracted out.
Is this like the quiz programmes where they tell the contestant what they would have received if they'd got the answers right?
Or do I need to take some notice?
;-)
I've a bit of soft spot for Lucifer - sure he had an epic temper tantrum, but getting Michael to kill him and cast him down seemed a bit OTT.
If one accepts that God created everything - he created Lucifer, and all the family drama that went with it.
It involves more trust and confidence on both sides (if done right)
But the difference was that while Lucifer got up and raged against God and publicly tried to encourage defecters, Prometheus snuck into Olympus one night and pinched some of the best goodies before handing them out willy-nilly with no thought given to the long-term consequences.
I'll leave it to you to figure out the simile...
AJ would be a much better choice than Ed M, but fortunately for the other parties, it's too late to change.
This time next year, Ed will be considering what to do about Putin and ISIS. A judge-led Enquiry, perhaps?
Under 300 people voted in #ldconf motion. Confirms sense this is a poorly attended conference. Don't know if it's worse than previous years.
UKIP Tonbridge @UKIPTonbridge Oct 3
Medway Councillor Peter Rodberg has today left the Conservative Party and joined @UKIP. http://www.ukip.org/medway_councillor_joins_ukip …
I never thought much of Ned Stark, the Guardian-reading Liberal in GOT, so wasn't bothered when he lost his head.
Joffrey, the proper SWP villain, was always destined for a sticky end too.