22 October 2010

22/10/10


For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?
-Jane Austen

97 comments:

  1. Ah, Persepolis… and so the wheel of history turns.

    From Diodorus in his Bibliotheca historica:

    ”…Alexander described it to the Macedonians as the most hateful of the cities of Asia, and gave it over to his soldiers to plunder, all but the palaces…”

    And this from Simon Tisdall in today’s Guardian:

    ”…The US is quietly ratcheting up economic and financial pressure on Iran amid signs that talks about Tehran's suspect nuclear programme could resume next month…”

    Those pesky Persians!

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  2. Morning Swifty,

    ”…Alexander described it to the Macedonians as the most hateful of the cities of Asia, and gave it over to his soldiers to plunder, all but the palaces…”

    Call me ahistorical but any mention of Alexander the Great reminds me of Sid Waddell's darts commentary when Eric Bristow won the darts world championship for the first time. (83 I think):

    Alexander the Great cried salt tears when he realised there were no more worlds to conquer. He was 30....(pause for exaggerated effect)...... Bristow is 27.

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  3. @13thDuke:

    One of my favourite Waddell-isms ever, as it goes. And not his only mention of the Mighty Macedonian either, apparently, as a quick spot of Google demonstrates:

    "...John Lowe is striding out like Alexander the Great conquering the Persians..."

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  4. And one last from me... whenever "beatonthedonis" popped up on CiF, it reminded me of The Waddell...

    "...Steve Beaton, he's not Adonis, he's THE donis..."

    Enjoy your Fridays, all.

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  5. Oh,

    ***Right wing politician in nauseating hypocrisy alert******Right wing politician in nauseating hypocrisy alert***

    In 2007, the new Dutch PM, Mark Rutte then as leader of the opposition, condemned the inclusion of Ahmed Aboutaleb and Nebahat Albayrak as ministers in the Balkenende Govt because they held dual passports- Aboutaleb Morrocan and Albayrak Turkish.

    Rutte commented at the time:

    “It’s important that they give off the right signals to their children and grandchildren and show them that they have chosen 100 percent for their new country.”

    This reflects a long standing VVD policy that only single Dutcvh passport holders should hold Govt positions.

    Rutte's new cabinet includes Marlies Veldhuijzen van Zanten-Hyllner, a joint passport holder holding both Dutch and Swedish passports.

    Is it not important that van Zanten-Hyllner show her children and grandchildren that she's 100% committed to her new country? Or is it ok for her because she's white and not muslim?

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  6. Swifty,

    Waddell=Legend.

    Not only is he the emperor of hyperbole, he also wrote "Jossy's Gïants".

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  7. morning all.

    i always wonder where some people's handles come from, like 'beatonthedonis'. so thanks for explaining!

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  8. I dont know who this man is, but anyone called the "emperor of hyperbole" must be worth a visit.

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  9. from last night - yes, james, was watching city (and had a quid on 3-1 so have a shiny tenner to splash on further betting) but after the match me 'puter froze up (or so i thought - checking in a more sober state this morning, turns out left mouse button is knacked, have just reversed function so can still clicky). so was unfortunately unable to post while hammered. ahem.

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  10. SwiftyB & Philippa:

    Yes, I was enlightened about THE Donis by Mr LaRit who is a big darts fan ;)

    SwiftyB:

    Glad you will be havin' FUN with a capital F.U.N. your daughter next week!

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  11. Is it not important that van Zanten-Hyllner show her children and grandchildren that she's 100% committed to her new country? Or is it ok for her because she's white and not muslim?

    You know the answer to that one already.

    La Rit - yes, a disgrace to us as a society - as is all discrimination based on accidental race factors.

    I perceive the evil actions of our world coming from perceptionally making people into objects; because when you can make them 'that race' or 'that group', then their humanity can be mentally removed and they become objects against which (not whom) it's all right to perpetuate - anything.

    I once had a neighbour who had much prejudice against coloured people, and would give forth about the subject in tedious ways; and then an African family moved in nearby and he was carrying on about it as predictable, until he met them - and found he liked them.

    Once he knew them as people, instead of 'that racial group', his opinions suddenly shifted. Although I think it was more along the lines of, okay, these people were pleasant enough, but... So he could still have sent forces against 'that group over there', but he would probably have defended any harm threatened to these people who he knew as people.

    Which is all to say, we should judge by the contents and not the cover.

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  12. monkeyfish

    just caught up with WADYYA. If you see DoubledeClutch or TheOneEyedMan, could you tell them I'm loving their work over the last couple of days?

    Jay,

    Click here and go to 'Sid's Sayings'. It's the best thing you'll do today. If your self actualisation is predicated upon reading 1980's darts commentary of course.

    LaRit,

    it couldn't be any more blatant could it? Geert Wilders has also slammed her being in the cabinet because he believes no-one should be able to live in the Netherlands that wasn't born in a windmill or a dyke.

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  13. yr grace - nice to see Wilders supporting the LGBT community there, though.

    heheheheheheheheh.

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  14. @Paul

    I see your excellent Waddya comment is Number 2 on the front page, kept off the top spot only by a self-regarding Cif puff.

    Good work, there.

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  15. @MsChin
    Hi I sent you an email last night; bounced back undeliverable, so forwarded it to Sheff - let me know if you haven't received either, people
    Ta.
    BW

    @Paul, CIF very occasionally has its uses - you took that damn well mate !

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  16. LOL.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11605365

    Someone’s going to get a very big bollocking… up periscope, Commander!

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  17. I've just come across the Revolutionary New Communist Party of Great Britain(Marxist-Leninist) blog, possibly the best blog of the year.

    It's clearly a piss take but a very funny one.

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  18. Atomboy, nice piccie you posted last night.

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  19. Thauma - thanks.

    Just rushing in and out at the moment.

    Atomboy II (Junior Pocket Edition) had made the hat for something and it was a mixture of real flowers and paper shapes and symbols and stuff.

    Atomgirl put it on after everything had started to wilt and sag a bit and took a quick snap of herself.

    She fiddled with the picture to make it look a bit old and interesting, otherwise it is pretty much what you see is what you get.

    I love it, but I am not entirely impartial.

    Now, I must feed my nose and other appendages into the grindstone, machinery and apparatus of real life again and wait to see whether bits come flying off in the process.

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  20. I've just got a letter from HMRC telling me I owe them £384 (not sure how but I will get it checked out by the CAB).

    I'm not actually bothered, they can join the queue for their £2 a week re payment but I was wondering if a threat to leave the country might make them reconsider.

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  21. Discrimination & knowing people who are "those people":

    My father grew up in a village of about 200 people just north of here. There were these two women in his village named Claudie & Barb. Claudie had her hair cut in a flat-top, wore overalls & t-shirts & did all the farming. Barb -- dresses, good baker. Everyone in the village referred to them as "the girls". They were part of the fabric of the place and I don't think you'd have found anyone in town who gave them much thought, even though I'm sure that on some level people must have realised that they were a bit more than just good friends who shared a house.

    When Barb got cancer, her family -- people who hadn't spoken to her for years because of her "friendship" with Claudie -- descended on the hospital and shut Claudie out. Would not allow her to see Barb. After Barb died, they went into the house and took every single thing that was hers.

    My more-Catholic-than-the-Pope grandmother ranted about how wrong that was at every available opportunity and yet, if you'd ever asked her in general terms if she thought that homosexual couples should be allowed to marry or at least have legal protection against something like that ever happening, she'd have been vehemently opposed.

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  22. Sids sayings, very amusing Duke, "emperor of hyperbole" is a well earned title indeed.

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  23. Afternoon all!

    Philippa,

    I suppose if you had money on 3-1, you didn't mind too much that Adebayor is a big bag of bobbins then...??

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  24. The Vodafone tax-fiddling article is over on CiF now.

    Unfortunately, despite suggesting the article in the first place, I cannot comment as I am banned again - until I create another account to subvert the banning process, obviously.

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  25. Banned for anything good AB? Or just cos they twigged? And why aren't CS and Bitey permantly blocked?

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  26. At last I am in my new home AND on line!!!!! Its taken long enough but I am back.

    Will take a few days lurking and try to catch up!

    Hope everyone is well and fighting fit! Current news from condems looks like we'll need to be! :(

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  27. Hey Anne,

    Good to see you back!!

    And congratulations!!

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  28. Welcome back A42! To the baracades!

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  29. turminderxuss

    I imagine they twigged, but I have noticed that they now also ban any names I may have registered and kept up my sleeve, so maybe they have a bot crawling through the registered IPs.

    I doubt it, though, because I do not use a static one and, to be honest, I am sufficiently uninterested to be bothered when I get banned now anyway.

    I may sign up again in due course, but the prospect that Seaton's replacement might actually have been intelligent life was scuppered when Natalie Hanman used each of her little outings amongst the common people to simply keep asking: "Could you tell us how wonderful we are, please, so that we can preen and watch you grovel."

    Of course, certain members of the WADDYA set are now so embedded in the CiF fundament that they actually volunteer to unconditionally sing its praises unprovoked.

    I noticed that either the Independent or Telegraph had about 650-700 comments on something I looked at recently, so when Hanman next goes on a jolly as mistress of all she surveys, it will probably consist of a broken bottle, some dog poo and a wrinkled condom.

    annetan42

    Good for you.

    You haven't missed anything.

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  30. Polemical rap here from Lowkey

    LOWKEY - TERRORIST?

    Anne - v. glad you're sorted out at last. We need you on the barricades!

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  31. I was just looking through some new plugins for one of the software packages I use and came across this.

    Needless to say, my reaction was a mixture of pink-cheeked squirminess mixed with puffed-chest pride.

    Spam is one thing, but trolls and sock puppets are another. Sometimes people just decide they're going to be jerks and create multiple accounts with which to harass your honest users. This plugin helps you fight back by logging the IP address used at the time of creation.

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  32. Anne - 'ray! well done, welcome to your new home, etc etc, now, put that hoover down and (re)start planning the revolution, you're needed.

    James - he may have got a hat-trick but he still managed to arse-up another half dozen chances in his normal fashion (jogging gently, managing to sprint for three paces when it is clear that the ball is way ahead of him, pulling up looking rueful, sticking his hand on one hip like he's 82 and has back problems). consistency is everything.

    jen - good luck with the CAB, could have a gander at it (redact anything you want) if that comes to nothing...

    atomboy - think you should sign up for that and start zapping members of staff at G towers. would be funny.

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  33. Meanwhile, in Cloud-fucking-cuckoo Land...

    Rooney has become the best-paid player in the history of the club by agreeing a deal thought to be worth as much as £180,000 a week in a move that will inevitably invite allegations that he and his agent, Paul Stretford, have been guilty of cynical greed to get the best deal possible...

    Cynical greed? Surely not.

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  34. rooney story next up on PM.

    PM.

    grrrrrrr-what-is-the-world-coming-to-grrrrr-going-to-hell-in-a-handcart-grrrrrr-etc etc etc

    another thought - best stop naming RN vessels things like 'astute' when 'aground' would clearly suit them better.

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  35. "the Astute has been billed as the stealthiest of submarines. One of its jobs when it comes into service next year will be to drop special forces discreetly ashore."

    stealthy and discreet picture available here

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  36. Anne

    Good to see you back.Hope you're well.

    @If anyones interested two of the social workers implicatd in the 'Baby P'case have lost their claims for unfair dismissal.You can read the story HERE}

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  37. Evening all!

    Anne - congrats on your new home and great to see you back.

    Sid Waddell - legend.

    Rooney - what a complete waste of oxygen.

    Other than that, it is Friday night and I hope Bitey is reading so he can copy and paste this into a post in 6 months' time, but I am looking forward to feet up, wine open and doing nowt for at least 24 hours...

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  38. ...another thought - best stop naming RN vessels things like 'astute' when 'aground' would clearly suit them better.

    :o)

    Reminded me of some abandoned construction machinery we saw on a walk over the summer - I've put the pics in the photo gallery. Apparently they had to mount a major rescue operation.

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  39. relax! the 'astute' is apparently "moving under its own steam".

    hang on.

    steam?

    what the...

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  40. Evening all.

    Bitters & sheff - thanks, message received!

    sheff / princess - would be good to meet up first tomorrow.

    Philippa - and as for the world's most advanced sonar equipment ...

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  41. mschin - 'sonar' in this case meaning "youngest member of the crew standing next to the captain and going 'ping' occasionally".

    Those 'stealth tiles' look really good in the natural environment, no? shiny.

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  42. Philippa

    Shiny, yes, but presumably also wet & shiny?

    Must see if they have any in stock at B&Q. Would look wonderful in the outside lav.

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  43. No come on, Philibee, we want the recipe to your cheese pie!!

    That bit of your post had me laughing so much I was coughing my guts up again! :o)

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  44. Stone the crows, IDS has cast himself as the Norman Tebbit de nos jours: "Get on the bus"!
    You couldn't make this shit up.

    Meanwhile, more from Paul Krugman over at The NYT:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/opinion/22krugman.html?ref=opinion


    You could be forgiven for thinking that this whole fiasco was deliberately orchestrated.

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  45. @Phil

    Actually, I believe nuclear submarines do use steam turbines, so...

    @BB

    Did you see the arrangements for next Thursday evening?

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  46. Spike

    Yep - I scrolled back over yesterday.

    The Crown, Clerkenwell from 6 onwards, is that right?

    We will have to swap mobile nos between us - my email is beautifulburnoutbirdchrome@gmail.com

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  47. MSChin - I am possibly picking my sis up so won't get into town till about quarter past twelve. Can you email me with your mobile? Then I can text you around then and see where you are if that okay by you? We could have a coffee after if you free?

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  48. Sorry meant to say Congrats Ann too and welcome back!

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  49. chekhov

    I get the impression that none of them have ever been outside London, never mind on a bus. Transport is a massive problem in semi-rural areas. like those where the pits used to be.

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  50. Does anyone have an address or Post Code for this pub?

    It's a bit of a long shot but I might just come up with a plan.

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  51. This thread reads like a conspiracy theorists wet dream, emails flying across the country, and UT liaisons galore - well, London & Sheffield at any rate!

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  52. good point, BB, need to dig out UK mobile, wherever the hell that is.

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  53. Right, time for Enders and QI!

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  54. Hi to all! Just reading the sad and devastating stories on the Rhydian James thread. Princess,, your contributions are spot on (as usual of course). Oh and Atomboy, if you have something that is worth saying on CiF I can post it under my user name. It may be interesting to see if it gets deleted when they do not know the real source? Just a thought anyway.

    Going back to the reporting of the cuts, I watched Channel4 at the Potteries and the lady teacher who had been looking for a job for ages I can relate to exactly. I was out of work for over a year and it was desperately hard to get any work at all. The agencies are the scum bags of the earth....

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  55. If any conspiracy theorists need my email re the meet-up, it's shazthewombat@gmail.com...

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  56. Montana

    Yes, folk are queer (oddly illogical).

    I have those amongst my circle – not my inner circle – who know very well that I’m not that successful as an economic unit, and that I’m not exactly a supporter of an elitistic capitalistic system - yet will rant on at me with full right-wing message at the slightest hint of the subject, or just on automatic. They know me as a person and they like me (it seems), so that’s okay; and they don’t start telling me what’s wrong with my lifestyle and outlooks – yet in my company will with ease set off the full bile at all of those people – ‘that group’ – of whom I am in some ways an example in reality; without any indication that they mentally link the two.

    This is why our governments can cheer and congratulate themselves about bringing in policies which are going to cause so much damage to so many economically (and personally) vulnerable members of our society (for it can hardly be said that they’re doing it to their society) – because to them they are ‘the poor’, ‘the workless’, ‘the sick culture’… and by objectifying them, they can do anything to them.

    It’s in this way all the inhabitants of a country can become ‘terrorists’, or ‘infidels’, when the majority are just trying to live their lives as best they can in the midst of all of the junk that goes on. Go anywhere in the world, and, yes, the culture will be different, but you’ll find just the same mixture of good and bad and all shades inbetween as back at home. How many of us feel we have any actual say in what our governments do? Yet it’s by their actions globally that those of a ‘nation group’ can be condemned and attacked.

    Inbetween, okay, there are occasions when individual hatred brings about individual retribution, and that definitely is personal, but it stays on the small-scale individual level. It’s where one part of society sticks it to another part of society for ‘ideological’ reasons – where the many can be harmed by the few, without the few ever even coming into contact with those whose lives they are damaging, that it’s because they have become ‘that group’ – not real people any more – to which you can do anything.

    My thought for the day.

    Montana, I keep boosting your ‘online vistors’ numbers by falling asleep with this site page still open, and Wed night I’d dozed off with about three internet pages up, including this one, when I had a call that my elderly friend had pressed lifeline – tried to sort myself out half asleep in about five minutes – came back in the morning and I found I’d left everything on, so that gave you a visitor from the UK for nearly a day, even though for most of it I was either asleep or not here – online but not exactly ‘online’ – or Untrusted statistics, you could say.

    It wasn’t serious, happily; and I was there dealing with paramedics, and senile confusions, and the t.v. was still on, and in the background was Osbourne puffing off proudly about how he was going to do the best he could to destroy our lives, and most of them seeming very pleased about it… it felt so surreal.

    It really is a queer world (makes no sense at all).

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  57. La Rit

    It feels like the day after Fatcher got into power and me and my sisters went into school with black armbands on. When asked 'why the armbands' we said.... "we're in mourning for the country".

    Why isn’t it obvious to everyone?! Yet they say the polls indicate that the majority are in favour of the cuts (not that anyone’s ever asked me). The propaganda machine has done its work, and that wasn’t started yesterday. It’s been long planned and well orchestrated.

    I could see Thatcher for what she was before she even got started – I could see Blair for what he was before he even got started – okay, you’ve only got my word for it, but really to me it really was always obvious. As it is that what we really have now is a Con-Milli-Legg administration, where ‘everyone sees the needs for the cuts’ (though, of course, nobody ever asked me) . In reality, as should be obvious, a bunch of millionaires representing only themselves and their paymasters.

    Danny Alexander is particularly dispicable - all for protesting against Atos when he was in opposition – got into office and is now putting the boot in with the rest of them.

    May they reap what they sow.

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  58. The above comment won't seem so suddenly out of place when the one before it hopefully appears... It would be good if whoever is responsible for enforcing the spam folder upon Blogger also got some comeupance.

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  59. Just catching up on the Rhydian James thread now, and this post from Shebunkin made me laugh.

    ">> If you are fit enough to go on a protest you are fit enough to get a F*****g job.

    Stop being a parasite, get out to work and contribute to society.

    thinking of Marx's famous slogan "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" i can't help thinking that the best contribution you could make would be to sew your mouth up and have a vasectomy.
    If you are fit enough to go on a protest you are fit enough to get a F*****g job.

    Stop being a parasite, get out to work and contribute to society.<<

    thinking of Marx's famous slogan "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" i can't help thinking that the best contribution you could make would be to sew your mouth up and have a vasectomy."

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  60. Seriously screwed up formatting there, folks, but you get my drift, I hope.

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  61. Really depressed at the heartbreaking stories on the Rhydian James thread.And i'm reading similar stories on blogs all over the place.Thing is i despise those twats Purnell and Cooper for starting this inhumane process against the sick more than i despise Gideon and Co for building on it.You sort of expect Tories to behave like total cunts.And i'm hoping that as GP's surgeries are flooded with the despairing sick and disabled the GMC will finally come off the fence and wade into the fight to get these 'Welfare Reforms' stopped.As far as Guardian Towers goes i'm not holding my breath although fair do's to Jessica for doing as much as she can on CIF.Genuinely think she's onside as far as this issue is concerned.

    Polly Toynbee can go to hell as far as i'm concerned .She's now coming out with all these articles criticising the ConDems faster than the speed of light.But where the fuck was she when this process started under New Labour.?

    philippa

    Can i come round yours tonight for supper.I'm starving and that cheese pie of yours has got my name on it.I'll even bring some oven chips to go with it if you like.It will only take me a few hours to get there.

    Atomboy

    Sorry to here you've been banned again.But like Lazarus rising from the dead i know you'll be back.:-)

    Finally here's a tune from Bill Withers

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  62. moonwave

    I will check out the spam folder and see if anything is "stuck". :o)

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  63. I think that should be sorted now...

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  64. Paul totally agree with your views RE the way NuLabour started all this and the Tories being what they are simply continue. We expected better and were let down. Look how at the first snif of power the LibDems have turned their coats. Oh boy, I look forward to their demise when the time comes. We may all be in the gutter by then but how the mighty will fall.

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  65. IanG - Thanks for your kind offer, which I know is well meant.

    When you say: "...if you have something that is worth saying..." I cannot help wondering whether you are confusing me with someone else, though.

    Actually, I expect to be going through a bit of a dumb phase for a while. Rendered speechless, so to, er, speak.

    Paul

    Yes, I am sure you are right.

    There are limits, though, aren't there?

    I mean, Lazarus was probably pretty grateful the first time. He probably thought: "Fuck me, this is good, innit? Another chance!"

    If he had to keep going through the process again and again, though, it might start to wear a bit thin.

    He might see Jesus coming and think: "Oh, fucking hell, it's him again. I'm going to pretend to be asleep. Oh, shit, even when I'm dead, he still does it."

    He might start to pick up stones and throw them. "Just fuck off and leave me alone, you interfering shitbag!"

    There's only so much "good" you can do before it becomes just another pain in the arse.

    OK, I'll think of a new name and sign up.

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  66. MsChin - got your email ta and replied.

    Paul - I hate Purnell with a raging passion. Thing is I think that right now across Europe and the US there is a very ugly mood and it is almost okay to bash the poor and the sick and the disbled. The only people its not okay to bash it seems is the old (and they do seem to be working on that one).

    It is however true that many left wing party's and writers etc have supported vile action taken against the sick and the disabled in the past, as well as the usual right wing suspects. Except it always feels like more of a punch in the gut from them.

    There was news today on the radio that there are increasing attacks on the homeless in Sheffield. A copper was saying it is getting really common place now. I think a certain percentage of human beings are fairly nasty and if society as a whole polices that more nasty side then those people tend not to let that side show as much - when the press and the government however are leading the vanguard against the most vulnerable there is little wonder that the psycopaths come crawling out of the woodwork.

    And of course once one group is targeted then others become fair game so once its okay to attack the disabled it suddenly becomes ok to attack Muslims and 'the vaginas' etc, etc.

    Been reading some quite interesting stuff today on the 'right wing brain' and their need for order, control, the fear of the 'other' and an inability to change ones mind even when presented with evidence and facts - all allegedly neuroscientific stuff!

    Am off to bed now so good nite UT'ers 'wherever you are'.

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  67. that rhydian james thread is a brilliant piece of work - bit like the 'ugandan' article - haven't been so moved by two pieces for ages. great interjections from several here, but it was this from xenomorph that really got me:

    "because of my terminality, I will never retire or grow old what life do I have left to remove my mobility and idependance will be the last straw that is holding me together"

    bloody hell. hope someone starts erecting barricades. anyway. need an early night, hugs to all.

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  68. BB

    Thank you – it’s the random illogicalness of the spam folder – same person/id - some posts – straight on - others – gone – a really poor software design.

    It’s the media-induced whipped-up hatred against all persons on benefits, particularly the sick and disabled, which is so very despicable; and the government riding on its crest – no attempt to stop it being further fueled. Talk about cowardly tactics.

    Paul/IanG

    Yes, NuLab started it, but it coincided with exactly what was being proposed by the Cons – it’s just that NuLab were the ones in power at the time. I can so no difference in intentions.

    Albeit worse when it was Labour because of what they were meant to represent, although they sold out (besides a few back benchers never allowed any power) as soon as they decided being filthy rich was a good ambition, because the continuance of wealth build-up has to rely on paying others less for their part in that process – it must inevitably lead to expoitation.

    Paul – still think you’re being over optimistic about the GMC – after all, this is to help people stop imagining they’ve got all of these problems that stop them working.

    Doctors are now a part of the process – required to put what people can do and not what they can’t do (although it seems they’re not all cooperating) – attended surgery, so must be fine.

    We’re definitely going backwards – back to where if they throw you in and you sink you were probably innocent – if you manage to float you’re guilty by inference.

    That is, if you can put up a defence, you can’t be genuinely incapacitated – if you can’t defend yourself, you’re sunk.

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  69. Princess

    They're laying off a direct attack on the old because so many of them are Con (or Democrat) voters, but the poorer ones are soon going to be undermined by some of the cuts anyways. The care support for those who can't pay is fragile at best, and they're going to be slashing away at it. It'll mean more of our elderly living in worse conditons, and more concluding their lives more wretchedly.

    That's ConCam's notion of Big Society - a big rip-off of our society, and a big not-caring about what happens to anyone else in this society, especially if they're too weak or too old to fight back.

    got to go

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  70. Is everyone having an early night?

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  71. The "Cherry Orchard" is being given a run out in Birmingham. I don't think it's a coincidence that this play rises to the top of the theatre agenda at times of crisis.
    I expect "Three Sisters" to follow.

    I could be wrong but I interpret Anton Chekhov's plays as black comedies whereas other people think they are written as tradgedies in the Shakespearian tradition.
    Does it matter? Probably not!

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  72. "Let's go to Moscow ..why can't we go to Moscow...I want to go to Moscow!...(Irena in Three Sisters)

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  73. Philippa,

    Jimmy car just 'tweeted' your 17:59 post.

    Almost verbatim.

    Are you jimmy carr?

    Do I win anything??

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  74. If nothing else there is an axe chopping menace that makes some sort of sense!

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  75. James you win loser of the day for following Jimmy Carr. ;)

    Only half kidding there, the only Jimmy Carr joke I can remember is,

    "Why on earth would you beat up your girlfriend?"

    "It is like keying your own car"

    I might be suffering from a sense of humour loss but I avoid his stuff now.

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  76. I'm not like a big fan of his or anything!

    To be fair though, I do think that he is often meta-ironic with some of his humour, and uses it to highlight and expose those who do hold some quite extreme views.

    Or something....

    Maybe he's just a knob...??

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  77. I would like to think that was an ironic 'joke' but I honestly don't, plus even if you take out the fact that it was disgusting, it just wasn't that funny.

    It was on an episode of QI and David Mitchell (who I am not a big fan of) looked disgusted and said "The world just got slightly worse".

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  78. Sorry James I don't mean to tell you what you should find funny, and Jimmy Carr makes a living from upsetting people, it is all very subjective.

    He was obviously waiting to use that line in the program and generally I can cope with shock commedians, I laugh at a lot of very dark stuff.

    To me Jimmy Carrs biggest problem is that he isn't as funny as he thinks he is.

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  79. The Rhydian thread and the one on uganda are two of the most moving articles I have seen on cif - both from the heart and both encapsulating the plight of people seen to be 'different'. Both speaking for targetted groups and exposing hypocisy and the responses of populations willing to be manipulated by lies.

    Power built on false realities seem almost standard across the world - all built on marginalisation and all demanding a scapegoat. Human sacrifice , we are told, was outlawed centuries ago - Not so; we just do it differently today.

    sad - sad.

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  80. No problem, I didn't think you were.

    And I'm not a big fan anyway, and I look at Twitter about twice a year!!

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  81. (Evening Leni).

    Night everyone, take care...

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  82. Jimmy Carr:

    A woman stopped me in the street the other day, and said "have you got five minutes for cancer research ?"

    I siad "yes but we won't get much done."

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  83. Everyone's probably asleep - had a mental day today at work.

    Rooney is the sideshow.

    Te 250 year old law prohibiting the Royal's from directly benefitting from the Crown Estates being lifted, is the sicko, sickening reality.

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  84. tired beyond belief and yet still trying to keep eyes open ;) but not for long.zzzzzzzzzz

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  85. Atomboy I do apologise about my wording. I did not mean you did not have anything useful to say - of course you do and I always read your posts. No what I was trying to get across was as you were unable to answer on CiF and if you felt an urgent need to right the balance in some debate then it would be a way of getting your view across. I should add that I went to bed shortly afterwards (I am an early riser- hence this unearthly time for posting!), I had a large red just before hitting the keys and am just getting over a dreadful bug that had me off work.

    Anyways, good morning to all who may be around and hope you get to see this before the new day's thread gets started.

    Hope we have a good turnout for any demos and meetups as well.

    Princess I hope your back is better.

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  86. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  87. Just woken up with a heart full of trouble and a head full of memories. Deleted my last post because it looked like it was directed at the lovely IanG and it wasn't. Just a poem:

    "What have you to do with being, friend,
    With empty opinions about the mind and spirit?
    Joyfully live and let the world pass happily,
    The beginning of the matter was not arranged with you in mind."

    (Omar Khayyam)

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  88. IanG

    I was just being flippant.

    Thank you for the offer and I will certainly let you know if the need arises.

    I am not exactly falling over myself to post on CiF at the moment, though.

    Best wishes.

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  89. LOVE Jane!! lol I just did a post of quotes from her - so glad to have come across your blog! thanks for all the fun pics and quotes!

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