As a man maybe I should be outraged by this and calling it a “sexist slur”…..but I have to confess it does have a slight ring of truth…..
Archive for December, 2013
31
Dec
The “Man Cold”…..
posted by david in Uncategorized and have Comments Off on The “Man Cold”…..
25
Dec
CHRISTMAS……
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
posted by david in Uncategorized and have Comments Off on CHRISTMAS……
19
Dec
Our Media Luvvies Do Get The Hots Over Violent Criminals. But Their Victims? Not So Much….
I watched the BBC’s take on the “Great Train Robbers” last night. The Telegraph dubbed it polished which it certainly was. But I can’t help agreeing with one of the comments.
For my money this show was more style than substance. Yes the filming, sets and score were immaculate but where was the script and believability? It sounded more like a 50’s Pinewood studio crime caper. The dialogue between the crooks was dire as if any of them ever spoke to each other in comic voice bubble language. As a consequence I found it very difficult to believe in them and it failed to add any depth to the plot and characters.
It was an excellent example of the geezer caper genre, but more “Italian Job” than “Get Carter” with the snappy one liners and lack of atmospheric menace – and the production values were not always 100%….snow and leafless trees in August?
Presenting Bruce Reynolds as framing the blag as a symbolic strike against “The Establishment” was a laughable attempt to over egg the whole affair with retro sixties mythology. They were South London thieves, greedy, violent and preferring others to work hard so that they could then rob them of the fruits of their labour.
Robin Hoods they were not.
But then the romantic affair between media luvvies and violent criminals dates back to that very era of the sixties when the colour supplements began to glamourise the Krays.
Dan Hodges, I think, hit the nail on the head. During the “caper” the train driver, Jack Mills, and some of the postal staff were savagely beaten. Others were terrorised into compliance. But, of course, they weren’t chirpy geezers who were dreaming of opening a club or buying a villa in Spain. They were just ordinary anonymous faces who did the boring jobs that keep our society ticking over.
Tonight, the BBC will present the first of a two-part docudrama on the robbery. One, called the “Copper’s Tale”, focuses on the efforts of the police to catch the perpetrators of the crime. The second, “The Robber’s Tale”, shows things from the perspective of Biggs and his colleagues. I presume it was done that way in the interests of balance. I also suspect there will not be a third episode “The Railway Worker’s Tale”.
Amen to that, say I….
13
Dec
North Korea Is Not A “Mafia State”, It Is A Communist/Marxist State
The dramatic exit of Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, has an almost Shakespearean flavour about it. Hauled out of a meeting of leadership cadres, dragged into court, found guilty and executed within the hour it would make great theatre at Stratford.
One could even picture Richard Branagh, as the Kim’s right hand man, declaiming those brutal accusations in court before Uncle Jang waited, quivering with fear as he felt the cold muzzle of the executioner’s gun against his temple.
“Despicable human scum Jang, who was worse than a dog, perpetrated thrice-cursed acts of treachery in betrayal of such profound trust and warmest paternal love shown by the party and the leader for him,”
We are told he has been airbrushed out of North Korean history and no doubt his family and staff are already shivering in their cells awaiting a similar fate.
Tim Stanley excuses the whole pantomime as yet another example of fratricide in a mafia state, likening the Workers Party to Cosa Nostra.
He is wrong.
North Korea with its gulags, famines, police repression and cowed populace is a classic Marxist state ruled by an elite which sees itself as a vanguard constructing a society of new humans, purged of all the detritus of the old times. Mo0dern Marxists would publicly disagree but be assured in private every one of them would dearly love to see our country governed in the same way where over two or three generations the slate could be wiped clean ready for the emergence of a “purer” society.
So let’s be clear about this and call a spade a spade. North Korea is not a socialist state that has lost its way. To call it a mafia state is using weasel words as a distraction.
North Korea is the ultimate Marxist state. It’s the full flowering of Communism.
posted by david in Communism and have Comments Off on North Korea Is Not A “Mafia State”, It Is A Communist/Marxist State
11
Dec
What David Cameron Was Really Saying To US TV Hackette Christiane Amanpour ….
Spoke this morning with British PM @David_Cameron at Mandela memorial at Jo’burg stadium. pic.twitter.com/n7blNSy9Uq
— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) December 10, 2013
No, Christiane, I do not want to talk about bloody Nigel Farage…..
posted by david in TV,UK Politics and have Comments Off on What David Cameron Was Really Saying To US TV Hackette Christiane Amanpour ….
10
Dec
A Memory of Kirsty MacColl
At this time of year in the shops and on the radio there is the usual barrage of seasonal songs just to tell us (as if reminders were needed) that Christmas is getting near. One of them, in particular, has a personal resonance for me….The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl – “Fairytale of New York”
Recorded in 1987 it not only revitalised Kirsty’s singing career but has, ever since, been a regular Christmas favourite. Tragically this brilliant singer and gifted song writer was killed in a controversial speedboat incident in Mexico in 2000 but her work is still fondly remembered by a legion of fans.
Kirsty, the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl was born in 1959 and brought up by her mother, Jean Newlove, in the leafier part of Croydon, on the southern edge of London. During the early 70s she was a student at Monks Hill High School which is where I was teaching at the time. She was in one of my classes when she was 13/14 and I always found her a quiet, hard working girl. Bright and well informed about the world she was polite and well mannered but never afraid to voice an opinion if she felt strongly enough about an issue.
For my sins I was earmarked to supervise one of the school’s first discos but found it a doddle because Kirsty volunteered to organise it all. Unfortunately the DJ forgot a vital piece of equipment and I was suddenly faced with the nightmare of 250 teenagers turning up with no music playing. Fortunately even then the girl had contacts so I told her to jump into my car and we raced around tracking down the right stuff. I remember her saying “No need to panic, sir, we’ll sort it out” – and we did, thanks to her.
I also recall another classic Kirsty moment when the Headmaster gave a talk to her group about the responsibilities of democracy and how vital it was that every citizen should get involved. At the end he was about to walk off without inviting any questions. Kirsty put up her hand and very politely asked a question about a recent change of rules, querying the reason for it. The Head very sharply told her it had been his decision and was not up for debate – then walked off, leaving me to dismiss the group. Ever afterwards some of us on the staff joked about that as a brilliant example of the reality of “democracy” in action.
As the years passed I kept track with Kirsty’s music which I always liked even though her politics were the total opposite of mine. So when I hear “The Fairy Tale of New York” I recall both the feisty fiery singer/song writer whose life was cut sadly short – and also the red headed 14 year old who always did her homework and knew how to rescue a school disco.
God bless you and your family, Kirsty – I’ll be drinking a pint of Shepherd Neame Spitfire Kentish Ale to your memory later