Re: The Bigger, Badder, Even More Serious Thread [5]

[Mrs Figg]

I watched it too and as far as I could tell he was saying that racism in Hollywood these days is more about class snobbery than actual old fashioned KKK racism. wrong school/accent snobbery the type we get in the North/South divide in the UK. He was right though, why divide the awards into men/women/Black/White, surely it should be awarded on performance? I do think however that its time to move on and stop all the white shaming. The faces of the audience said it all, they were pissed off, nonplussed or embarrassed but had the camera in their faces so they all pretended badly (which is odd seeing as they are actors), that they werent.

[David H]

Maybe I'm a bit cynical, but when professional actors make a conscious choice to go to a ceremony like the Oscars where they know there's been controversy in advance, where the host has made a career of skewering racial hypocrisy, and where they're actually hoping to be caught on camera for a few seconds in their $$$$$ finery, I tend to assume they're acting.

The whole event is carefully time-delayed and edited so nothing inappropriate slips out, so I think we can safely assume that what was shown on TV is exactly what the Academy wanted to be shown.

They learned their lesson in 1974. The ratings skyrocketed, and ever since it seems to me they've been looking for the Controversy of the Year.

[Mrs Figg]

the only time it fails is when Ricky Gervais hosts an awards ceremony. He males Chris Rock look like Martha Stewart.

[azriel]

I cant help but like Ricky Gervais

[Amarië]

[Mrs Figg]

[azriel]

Strong women I like strong men to balance it

[Orwell]

My real man's intuition tells me you might be looking for someone just like me... I assume the 'mature' version.

[azriel]

[Pettytyrant101]

[azriel]

oooh !

[Pettytyrant101]

{{{{{ }}}}}

[halfwise]

I'm getting SO seriously tempted to tell the joke about the blind man and the three blondes right now...

[azriel]

please Halfy pleeeeeeeese

[halfwise]

So an old blind man walks into a bar, orders a drink, and loudly says "who would like to hear a blonde joke?"

The bartender looks at him and says "Are you sure you want to tell that joke? I can see you're blind, so before you get too far, I'd like you to know that not only can you hear I'm a woman, but I'm blonde, I have a baseball bat behind the bar, I've used it before and I'm not afraid to use it again. Sitting to your right is the spitting image of Rhonda Rousey, and the resemblance is not just superficial, her specialty being knot tying, if you know what I mean. In the table behind you to the left is a blonde biker chick, but I wouldn't be calling her a chick if she weren't a friend of mine. So I ask you again, do you really want to tell that joke?"

The blind man sighed and took a pull on his drink, then says "okay, I guess you're right, I don't want to tell it anymore. I'd rather not have to explain it three times."

[halfwise]

Though come to think of it, I may have read that joke HERE.

[Eldorion]

[Pettytyrant101]

{{{Going to talk about this here rather than on the Freedom thread, for though it concerns Scotland its mainly about UK politics, specifically Labour.
The New Statesmen got hold of a fuller version of the leaked Labour document into why they lost the election, and has some interesting bits on what went wrong-

In England and Wales Labour were seen as 'a party for the down and outs and people on benefits.'
Whereas in Scotland they were seen as 'just the same as the Tories but less good at it'. (my chest swells with national pride at the crabbit criticisms implicit in that!).

'Labour failed to give voters a clear idea of what they were for, with respondents recalling a "shopping list" of policies but unable to remember any of the points on it. Ed Miliband fares particularly badly in the report - one participant describes him as having "the appeal of a potato"'

'English participants feared a coalition between Labour and the SNP, with one participant saying "she [Nicola Sturgeon] was so strong, she would have wiped the floor of him, run rings around [Miliband]".'- NS

Interesting to think then had Labour had a stronger leader more on her political level England might not have been so scared off the idea.

'The report was presented to Harriet Harman, then the party’s interim leader, on 1 July 2015, and contributed to Harman’s decision to lead the party to abstain on the Welfare Bill twelve days later. It was that decision that some credit with handing the party leadership to Jeremy Corbyn.'

It not only did that it showed up the huge problem in Labour in Scotland- in the Scottish Parliament the SNP had a vote condemning the welfare bill- every Labour MSP voted for it, fully expecting the national Labour Party to vote against. Harman's decision to abstain on it instead meant every Scottish Labour MP then went and abstained. That was the moment in Scotland when the SNP, for the first time had the Westminster Election in Scotland won. Thats where their landslide victory begins. That vote just demonstrated the complete pointlessness of Scottish Labour as a party.

'In Scotland, the SNP are popular among all classes and voter types... although the report says that the “cognitive dissonance” between Scottish voters’ hostility to immigration and the SNP’s support for higher immigration may represent one of the “chinks in the armour” of the SNP. '

Not sure about that, there is a gap as the SNP rightly try to espouse the higher values on the subject, but I don't think its a big enough gap at this point at least to be a serious weakness, especially as things stand the SNP have no control over immigration, its not devolved. That seems a bit of hopefulness on the Labour report writer part to me.

'The report – as well as making grim reading for Labour – also indicates the growing divide between Scotland and the rest of the UK.'

This is not an accident, this is SNP policy. The recent vote in the commons on Sunday opening- there are no restrictions in Scotland, but they voted against extending the limited hours in England- why, ostensibly because they could- the government put it through on a UK bill for some reason not am EVEL, so it was fair game, and officially because it may have long term affected Scottish workers rights, who cannot be forced in most jobs to work Sunday if they don't want to, and who must be paid at least time and half if they do work it, this is a fair point to oppose it on but not a highly probable outcome I don't think of the bill (though possible it is the Tories after all-junior doctors contracts- -cough-)

No the main reason was to do what it did- create annoyance in the UK parties. Who immediately cried foul, claimed the Evel bill was not working and needed tightening up, ending in no doubt Scottish and Welsh and NI MP's being written out of more votes and decision at Westminster. All in the long term creating an English Parliament, effectively. With the long term goal that independence for Scotland will seem natural on both sides.}}}

[azriel]

I dont like Jeremy Corbin. There's something underhand in the more general ministerial way than usual about him. We shall find out a very big skeleton in his cupboard. I feel it in my toes......

[Pettytyrant101]

{{{{Ian Duncan Smith does something respectable and shown some backbone!!! He has resigned as Work and Pensions Minister over Osbournes blatant steal from the poor give to the rich budget}}}}

'Mr Duncan Smith said the cuts were "not defensible" within a Budget that "benefits higher earning taxpayers". '- BBC News

[azriel]

For real ? ! Hurray ! That is indeed good news

[Pettytyrant101]

{{{{{Highlights from his resignation letter to the PM}}}


'Throughout these years, because of the perilous public finances we inherited from the last Labour administration, difficult cuts have been necessary. I have found some of these cuts easier to justify than others but aware of the economic situation and determined to be a team player I have accepted their necessity.

You are aware that I believe the cuts would have been even fairer to younger families and people of working age if we had been willing to reduce some of the benefits given to better-off pensioners but I have attempted to work within the constraints that you and the chancellor set.

I have for some time and rather reluctantly come to believe that the latest changes to benefits to the disabled and the context in which they've been made are, a compromise too far. While they are defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers.......I am unable to watch passively whilst certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self imposed restraints that I believe are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest.....I hope as the government goes forward you can look again, however, at the balance of the cuts you have insisted upon and wonder if enough has been done to ensure "we are all in this together".- IDS


{{Ouch!}}

[Eldorion]

Is today opposite day?

[Mrs Figg]

{{{{Ian Duncan Smith does something respectable and shown some backbone!!! He has resigned as Work and Pensions Minister over Osbournes blatant steal from the poor give to the rich budget}}}}

'Mr Duncan Smith said the cuts were "not defensible" within a Budget that "benefits higher earning taxpayers". '- BBC News

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?????!!!! no seriously just going off to check this, its not April 1st is it? hang on...........WOW.......................... .................................................just WOW!!!!!!
That is literally the weirdest shit ever in the history of the Universe.................Duncan Smith...........................  with a backbone?!!!!  
something stinks, stinks to heaven. this is nothing to do with benefit cuts to disabled people, cos he doesn't give a shit for disabled people, theres something going on here behind the scenes.

bloody hell!  but if this means they scrap the ESA and PIP cuts I don't care what machinations are going on in his tiny mind. all I know is you don't go from a fascist scourge to a caring person without a damn good reason like heavenly intervention or more likely death threats, or a Con rebellion. talk about rats leaving the sinking ship. this is something to do with Brexit, mark my words.

gobsmacked!
sorry for swearing but I STILL cant believe its true. but that Esther McVile is just as bad.

[azriel]

Im right there with you Figgles ! I was listening to the radio this morning & it sounded as tho IDS is now a shinning martyr ? When I read Petty's post I instantly felt there was something not right ? My toes are twitching, I trrrrrrust no one