Revolutionary Rants

I have another telly related rant - my second in 24 hours, which is good for my posting count at least! What I am finding strange, since the end of - and indeed during - the latest series of ‘Celebrity’ Big Brother is that people all over (like on this morning’s The Wright Stuff and in the tabloids yesterday) are discussing if you can be in love with two people.

The whole country seems to have brought in to the ‘romance’ of a bloke from a band so obscure that we knew who Maggot was but not him, and a girl so desprete for ‘fame’ she’d go on BB full stop. Now, when scary Geordie Michelle and ‘I’ve got 3 good A Levels I have, but somehow seem to have no personality’ Stuart ‘got it on’ two years ago, the whole country screamed ‘it is fake!’; it was even worse this year when the mini-BNP without two brain cells to rub together (Saskia and whatever his name was) made funny breathing noises under the covers in an attempt not to get voted off; but Preston and Chantelle is different. Why?

Now, if you are suffiently gormless as to think you can intorduce your girlfriend to the new person you ‘love’ and that they will be friends then maybe anything is possible, but I blooming doubt it. It just seems odd to me: the endless mentioning of ‘how this must look’, the talking about how ‘I’ve got a girlfriend, and a single to be re-released’ and - at least on Chantelle’s part - the apparent lack of interest in him as anything other than a pal of similar interlect in a bizarre situation.

Well, anyway, what I suppose I am saying (as I have loads of reading to do) is why do people believe this ‘romance’ and not the others? And, how the f**k has Barrymore got employment again!?!?

What does it say about ‘the great British public’???

Comments (0)

I am just watching ITV’s new drama ‘Lewis’, which is a ’spin-off’ from one of my favourite detective dramas ‘Morse’. It is funny to think, first off, that ITV made ‘Morse’ considering the tripe they are currently producing, and secondly it is a shame they’ve bothered with ‘Lewis’.

Although it has been a soft revisiting of old ground - similar music, the dreamer spires silhouetting many cross-wordy clues - it fails in that what was perfect and lasting in ‘Morse’ that you had both Morse and Lewis. The stories were a bit crap, even then, the supporting cast was generally hammy, the clues pretentious; what it had was the Oxford setting and the relationship between the two principle characters (and the brilliant acting of the two actors playing them, too). As a book about the series put it the two had a ’strange marriage’, which Lew is on his own - let alone with a rather stiff odd blond bloke in tow - just won’t ever have.

Ah well, ratings is war, I suppose.

Comments (0)

Arsenal lost. Again. A-f**king-gain. This time it was Bolton, on Tuesday it was Wigan. Next week, someone else. Next month Real Madrid. Unbelievable, what has happened to my team? Out of the FA Cup, out of the League Cup and worst of all, below the dirty Spurs - below them - the the Premiership.

General lack of posting I know, but, hey, we all need to spend a day or two in bed sometimes. Pondering the meaning of life - it is 42 apparently, according to this film Chris is watching right now.

I am going to try not to drink for a week… This is day two. I wonder if I will do it?!

Comments (0)

Sometimes I think you cannot get more complex and convoluted than some of the articles I have read or papers I have heard (in particular one which suggested a ‘parliament for plants’ was ethically necessary) over the years in my study of political philosophy: then I was asked to read Richard Rorty.

Rorty is a philosophic linguist. Yes, honestly, it is that bad. He, in very general terms, has come to believe that philosophy is a type of literature in itself. So far all I have vaguely understood is that philosophy is like a dialectic language, some of us want to talk in a new language, some of us in the old one. Which language will prevail?

Who knows? All I know is I can’t wait to get back to reading sensible old Brian Barry, whilst dreaming of setting up a parliament for plants…

Comments (0)

Well, I had an excellent birthday on Thursday. Up at 6:30 and headed off to York, had my Toleration seminar, then lunch and the library before Marxist Theory (which looks brilliant!) and a birthday drink with my mate Chris.

Then home and after meeting a family of Gunners on the train (they gave me a signed Charlie George photo, how kind!) Chris took me for a beautiful dinner. Delicious Italian! Followed by presents (I got my JD, thanks to Chicken!!!) and champagne with Willo the Wisp.

A lovely day! Tonight it is my night out! Should be glorious.

Comments (0)

Yesterday the jury was sworn in in the inciting racial hatred trial of BNP leader Nick Griffin and former Young BNP leader Mark Collett. There have already been clashes outside the court in Leeds.

Quite amusing really that there were 150 BNP supporters outside the court, and 600 anti-BNPers!

Having been reading about toleration solidly for several days (in preparation for my seminar on Thursday) I have come across quite a few different views on whether of not ‘hate speech’ should be allowed. For example, some critics, such as Alex Callinicos (formally of the University of York) think that because parties like the BNP preach theories which are intolerant in themselves, they should be prevented from public speaking and so forth.

I disagree, personally, I feel that for a party like the BNP the most important thing is to let them speak - as they did on the 2004 BBC documentary which has brought the odious leader and just plain thick youth leader to trail - because if they do, they usually end up showing how ridiculous they really are…

After all, how any people (outside of the bible belt) are going to think saying ‘AIDS is a friendly disease’ is an election winning slogan? and, just in case you agree with that little statement (made by Collett), here are some more that will definitly turn your stomach!

Comments (1)

Usually Chris and I love BB and its celebrity version. Having cheered on Bez last year, we were excited to watch the 2006 series.

Then we found out Michael Barrymore was in it. My Mum was put off instantly, but we tried for a bit. We have only watched sporadically since then, but for the little we have seen our lasting impression is who truly odious Barrymore is. From his sick making entrance, to his attention-seeking blubbing and constant acting for the cameras. Last night he took the biscuit when he ring-led the bullying of Jodi Marsh (not a sympathetic character herself, but in this case I was rallying for her as the whole house ganged up ‘Lord of the Flies’ stylee) and stole her Quorn lattices.

Good for Marsh when she put in to words what the whole country must, surely, be thinking:

‘Yeah, well, I have a big issue with people dieing in swimming pools, d’you know what I mean? But I don’t go on and on about it’

Comments (2)

Yesterday I handed my essays in. I rushed around looking for a printer, wrote my abstracts, printed ran back to my college and handed the in. They are due tomorrow, Friday the 13th, but I had them done so I went in yesterday.

Usually I feel relief when I hand in a piece of work, and some excitement. This time however, from the second our secretary said ‘OK, that’s it!’ to now I have felt sick with worry. Dunno why, I just do.

So, finger’s crossed for me!

Foolishly, having handed in the essays, I decided to carry 13 books - on Marxism and Toleration, for my courses beginning next week - in my rucksack all the way from the library at university to the railway station (a good 40 minute walk). Even after a hot bath and a nights rest my back, feet and legs all ache. Oh well, my own fault!

Comments (1)

Why is it suddenly so wet? The weather presenter - as usual forgetting that a lot of us do not live in London and the immediate south-east area - informed us this morning it would be ‘much warmer but quite unsettled’. Unsettled?! It is bloody blowing a gale round West Yorkshire!!! On top of this, the sky is continually wrathfully spitting. Awful.

On a brighter note, the Liberal Democrats are proceeding to tear themselves violently - and very publicly - apart. Oates as declared today, but Channel 4 news at lunchtime hinted that he might not have the full backing of the quota of MPs he needed to stand! Simon Hughes is also expected to take of Mingus, sorry, Menzies Campbell. I never thought I would say it, but it is really quite exciting! Liberal Democrat and exciting in the same sentence, who would have thought it?!

Comments (1)

The lack of posting has been more down to being busy than being lazy - for once! After a busy and very happy Christmas and New Year, Chicken and I returned to Huddersfield on Friday night. We caught the train from Exeter at about 17:30, which was a great time, as the train was quite quiet and we just settled down to reading and watching films on the laptop. It seemed a very brief journey to Leeds, from where we travelled to Huddersfield and home.

It is currently cold and grey, but it is exciting to be facing up to another term. I have just had one of my new reading list/seminar topic information list through, and I am handing in my two first essays later in the week (which were both written before/during the Xmas break). Scary stuff though - I have a 9:15 start (meaning getting up at 6:30 am to get to York)! However, I will only be in one day a week now, which is great.

It has been a a bad time for politicians - Charles Kennedy hounded out of his leadership of the Lib Dems, and an even more final call for Tony Banks and Rachel Squire.

And, finally, “Wearside Jack” is in court today, an interesting trial that one should be!

Comments (0)