Politics

[PaddockLad 17701]

The men in smoke filled rooms?

 

flippanty flip

 

ask the questions CT, truly have a good think about it.

 

If immigration really was an election issue ukip would have over 100 seats at the last election, when the recession first bit. For the record, I had no work for 6 months off and on around that time but it didnt make me want to shoot the Polish folk upstairs or put a poster of Nigel Farage in my window.

 

You're either easily mainpulated or bored out of your skull btw

Edited October 15, 2013 by PaddockLad

[NJS 4411]

Reminds me of how people thought the 2005 election would all be about Iraq (as if the tories wouldn't have joined in) because of all the dissent but in the end (as always) it was about the economy and unforunately how people feel they themselves are doing.

 

 

(And I still don't get how Labour "opened the doors" when it was mainly EU workers)

[Christmas Tree 4852]

The number of people claiming jobless benefits saw its biggest monthly fall since June 1997 in September.

 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) measured a drop of 41,700 in the number of Jobseeker's Allowance claims in September following a revised total of 41,600 in the previous month - 9,000 more than first reported.

 

It means the so-called claimant count has fallen for 11 consecutive months to stand at 1.35 million.

 

While the jobless rate remained at 7.7%, unemployment in the three months to August fell by 18,000 to 2.48 million.

 

Employment rose by 155,000 to 29.87 million, the biggest total ever recorded, giving a rate of 71.7%.

[Meenzer 15740]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/greggdd69/14-cardboard-boxes-that-look-like-david-cameron-5v0w

[Meenzer 15740]

So this is the country we've become, one that sends text messages - text messages! - to our citizens telling them "Message from the UK Border Agency. You are required to leave the UK as you no longer have right to remain."

 

Well done, everybody!

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/antiracism-campaigner-and-immigration-caseworker-sent-go-home-text-messages-by-home-office-8886200.html

[Park Life 71]

So this is the country we've become, one that sends text messages - text messages! - to our citizens telling them "Message from the UK Border Agency. You are required to leave the UK as you no longer have right to remain."

 

Well done, everybody!

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/antiracism-campaigner-and-immigration-caseworker-sent-go-home-text-messages-by-home-office-8886200.html

Euro court of human rights would have a field day with this kind of thing. CaPITA need hurting.

[Meenzer 15740]

Farewell, sweet Immigrant Vans, we knew ye not well

 

[ADP 0]

Think a lot of people will be interested to see this on here:

 

 

 

Edit: For what it's worth, I think Brand makes a lot of sense.

Edited October 24, 2013 by ADP

[The Fish 10972]

I wonder how much of his message is lost when he launches into more floral prose.

[ADP 0]

I think he compresses his views into a relevant discourse quite well to be honest.

[ewerk 31229]

He's full of shit.

[Gemmill 46097]

I like the bloke and he talks a lot of sense. Not sure what anyone could have found so irritating about that clip tbh.

[Gemmill 46097]

I don't think it's got anything to do with his tour tbh. He's written political stuff in the past, and it's not like he needs to worry too much about selling tickets.

[The Fish 10972]

Mostly him, his voice, and personna

 

Anyway he didn't say an awful lot (apart from the long drawn out prose and craics about paxman) though.

professional quick witted comic makes Paxman look a bit daft, it's the same reason he won't go near Have I Got News For You, it's funny but it had very little depth and it's purely to pump out the tickets for his arena tour.

Don't think he made Paxman look daft at all.

 

It's that odd result of the collision between comedy and politics. Comedians are often really quite clever people (Often, not always before people bring up Jack Whitehall or whomever) who can get to their point via a punchline. People will accuse Brand of not having any real answers, but he's not supposed to, people accuse Jon Stewart of sniping from the sidelines without contributing, but he shouldn't have to.

 

The frustrating thing is that if Brand could shelve his pomp for a serious 20 minute interview, I've no doubt he and Paxman could have a serious conversation. However, while Brand flaunts his (admittedly impressive) vocabulary and acts the Jester, Paxman won't ask serious questions.

 

Speaking of Jesters, I was listening to Radio 6 earlier and Al Murray was on talking about his new book about watching War films with his Dad. He mentioned a book he'd recently read called "Fools Are Everywhere" by Beatrice K. Otto. He mentioned that these latterday comedians were able to say what so many advisors and courtesans couldn't, and they could say it to the face of the one man you couldn't offend.

 

My point is that centuries (possibly milennia) of comedians have held the ruler and ruling classes to task and haven't been expected to come up with a better idea, so why should Russel Brand?

[The Fish 10972]

 

Because he chose to be guest editor of a political mag and do an interview with a renowned uk political commentariat , the fact of the matter is since i used them as an earlier example Hislop/Merton will comment on politics their views and the actions of the government, not only with satire but they'll have depth to what they're putting forward.. joke with a jab for the most part and it's what private eye or the like are aiming for.

 

Brand had a chance to do the same, instead he choose to say very little on his chosen subject and spent a lot of the interview joking without getting anywhere.

 

The point about his impressive vocabulary is a good one, i've no doubt he's very intelligent and can speak well when he wants to, making the whole "act" all the more apparent coming out with this towards the end

"I remember I seen you in that programme, where you look at your ancestors, and you saw the way your grandmother were out to brass herself or got fucked over by the aristocrats who ran her gaff."

So he's bouncing between the drawn out linguistical rants and "i'm a cheeky cockney wot cleans chimneys" like the above.

Like i said, suits his act, suits his agenda grabbing him some needed PR for books/tours, and the target audience will lap it up.

 

Clever charismatic people can do well to sway opinions without doing or saying very much that is meaningful , look at Boris ffs

 

I wouldn't put Hislop in the same world as Brand. Hislop is a political journalist who is funny, Brand is a funny man who takes an interest in activism. It's like Mark Thomas was an activist who was funny, but he used his comedy to make political statements, whereas Brand uses his fame to draw attention to disparity. Brand isn't saying anything new, or profound, he's just able to get more attention than Thomas was. Brand won't be going on Newsnight to sell DVDs, tickets or whatever, he'll be doing it because Newsnight have invited him (and they've done that to get viewers, which is probably why Paxman allowed the performance) and he can reiterate the kernels of his political stance.

 

He's not looking to start a revolution, he's looking to draw attention to the fact one is beginning, he's not looking to affect changes, just to make people aware that changes are coming, he doesn't want politicians to talk about his beliefs, he wants the people to do so.

 

He's just a megaphone. A tool through which a message's volume is increased exponentially.

[trophyshy 7084]

He is absolutely accurate in his assessment of the status quo and I sincerely hope the revolution he espouses is imminent.

[ewerk 31229]

I like the bloke and he talks a lot of sense. Not sure what anyone could have found so irritating about that clip tbh.

 

Basically he's saying that the world is shit, he doesn't vote, he doesn't have any answers and a revolution is coming. He's basically just babbling which is why Paxman eventually gives up. If he was serious about raising awareness or doing something then he would pick one point and hammer it home but instead it's like a rant from a pissed up tramp.

 

Social egalitarianism? Profit is a filthy word? Fucking sixth form revolutionary. It must be great to bitch and whine about about corporate bastards and the inequality in the world just before you fly back to your multi-million dollar home in the Hollywood Hills.

[RedfernMag 0]

 

Basically he's saying that the world is shit, he doesn't vote, he doesn't have any answers and a revolution is coming. He's basically just babbling which is why Paxman eventually gives up. If he was serious about raising awareness or doing something then he would pick one point and hammer it home but instead it's like a rant from a pissed up tramp.

 

Social egalitarianism? Profit is a filthy word? Fucking sixth form revolutionary. It must be great to bitch and whine about about corporate bastards and the inequality in the world just before you fly back to your multi-million dollar home in the Hollywood Hills.

 

Liberal reformism in leather pants, he's pretty much pulling the corpse of social democracy out of its box and painting it's fingernails.

 

I did however enjoy what looked like a genuine bit of anger in the last 2 minutes or so, if people are going to take anything worthwhile from his rant then that'll do.

[Park Life 71]

Makes political discourse entertaining which is no man feat in itself. I didn't like him at first but now have a verifiable soft spot for this man.

[ewerk 31229]

It's not political discourse though! It's like trying to interview a fucking monkey.

[Park Life 71]

 

Because he chose to be guest editor of a political mag and do an interview with a renowned uk political commentariat , the fact of the matter is since i used them as an earlier example Hislop/Merton will comment on politics their views and the actions of the government, not only with satire but they'll have depth to what they're putting forward.. joke with a jab for the most part and it's what private eye or the like are aiming for.

 

Brand had a chance to do the same, instead he choose to say very little on his chosen subject and spent a lot of the interview joking without getting anywhere.

 

The point about his impressive vocabulary is a good one, i've no doubt he's very intelligent and can speak well when he wants to, making the whole "act" all the more apparent coming out with this towards the end

"I remember I seen you in that programme, where you look at your ancestors, and you saw the way your grandmother were out to brass herself or got fucked over by the aristocrats who ran her gaff."

So he's bouncing between the drawn out linguistical rants and "i'm a cheeky cockney wot cleans chimneys" like the above.

Like i said, suits his act, suits his agenda grabbing him some needed PR for books/tours, and the target audience will lap it up.

 

Clever charismatic people can do well to sway opinions without doing or saying very much that is meaningful , look at Boris ffs

 

(if he runs for PM some day he'll win as well which is exceptionally worrying, imagine Boris running against the likes of Milliband, he'd decimate him even with being a Tory)

He undercuts himself a lot tho and takes care not to be taken too seriously. He extemporises well and has that charisma that is a road to anywhere really...He chose comedy and dabbling with acting as it's proabably the easiest path to banging a lot of women.

[Park Life 71]

It's not political discourse though! It's like trying to interview a fucking monkey.

Let the inner monkey out ewok.

[ewerk 31229]

Ant, tried that recently, didn't work out too well http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24649936

[Park Life 71]

Ant, tried that recently, didn't work out too well http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24649936

Monkey refuses to pay Michelin star prices!

[Kevin Carr's Gloves 3988]

Well done Ed Balls for your fabulous man management skills.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24723404