Also in the News - Part 2

[RonnieTodger]

Grim regarding Russell Brand. I’ve been a fan of his (post crazy hair and pre conspiracy shite).

 

He admits to being a scumbag in his books, but I found “Alice’s” story pretty compelling in particular . The text and subsequent rape report are damning.

[dsr-burnley]

1 hour ago, Dunge said:

Truss wanted to lower taxes - or, frankly, do anything - at a time when inflation was running out of control. It’s the kind of thing that’s a fair option (depending on your political standpoint) at the appropriate time, but that was miles off the appropriate time and she still doesn’t get that despite £30bn being wiped off the UK economy. Sunak was the only one of that group in the running for leadership who stated that we had to get inflation under control before anything else. Everyone else was either saying the same nonsense Liz Truss was, prattling on about culture wars during an inflation crisis or, in the case of Penny Mordaunt, saying nothing of any note at all.

 

I’ve said before on here that my vote’s going to Starmer now but that’s not Sunak’s fault in isolation. He’s not great but he’s one of the better Conservatives right now and isn’t the primary problem with the party. The problem is that there’s a majority in there now - in the membership - that are more interested in pet projects and dreams than practical government. That’s not the Conservative Party I used to know  and is why Starmer’s an attractive prospect despite his beigeness.

The thing about Starmer (which is why he will almost certainly win the election) is that he hasn't yet proved himself to be incompetent.  The Tories have.  I can't work out which is worse - people who want taxes to rise higher and higher and think that public spending is a good thing in itself; or people that don't want taxes to rise and thing that public spending should be matched by positive benefit, but can't do a thing about it.

[Nalis]

20 hours ago, DennisNedry said:

What shocked me most about the documentary was the social norms of the mid 2000s, it must have been the peak of "lad culture". Stuff being laughed at that would make most uncomfortable today and outright offend others. Some bits were Saville-esque, as if they were straight out of the 70s. 

I think the period of around 10 years ago was also another one. The rise of the likes Lad Bible and Joe started from massively disrespectful posts about women before they mellowed but only after they received their mass following.

[fox_up_north]

22 minutes ago, Nalis said:

I think the period of around 10 years ago was also another one. The rise of the likes Lad Bible and Joe started from massively disrespectful posts about women before they mellowed but only after they received their mass following.

I live not far from the Lad Bible head office. They will definitely be combing through their old content this week. When I was at uni, all the Lad Lads wanted to write for them and we had a guest lecturer was the man who set up Zoo.

[TJQuik]

20 hours ago, DennisNedry said:

What shocked me most about the documentary was the social norms of the mid 2000s, it must have been the peak of "lad culture". Stuff being laughed at that would make most uncomfortable today and outright offend others. Some bits were Saville-esque, as if they were straight out of the 70s. 

What do you reckon kickstarted that? I see the late 90s and 2000s as being especially mean spirited and reactionary like that, possibly as a reaction to those who sought better standards from the media like third wave feminists. Or maybe it's something else?

[Lionator]

Good to see Trudeau call out the racist Indian government, absolutely wild stuff. 

[Daggers]

Looks like the forum’s longest running mystery is about to come to an end.

 

The BBC: “Rare dinosaur 'Barry' up for sale at Paris auction”.

 

 Now we know where he went we can all move on…maybe buy another inflatable or something. 

[Zear0]

14 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Looks like the forum’s longest running mystery is about to come to an end.

 

The BBC: “Rare dinosaur 'Barry' up for sale at Paris auction”.

 

 Now we know where he went we can all move on…maybe buy another inflatable or something. 

How do they know he was called Barry? 

[Jon the Hat]

7 hours ago, dsr-burnley said:

The thing about Starmer (which is why he will almost certainly win the election) is that he hasn't yet proved himself to be incompetent.  The Tories have.  I can't work out which is worse - people who want taxes to rise higher and higher and think that public spending is a good thing in itself; or people that don't want taxes to rise and thing that public spending should be matched by positive benefit, but can't do a thing about it.

I'm not sure you can accuse Labour of not expecting public spending to be matched by positive benefit, but as you say the dearth of any recognizable talent in the Conservative party makes the point moot anyway.  It is well past time for a change, and we do need to see an increased spending in public services.  I don't think anyone expected the impact of austerity to go on for 15 years and it is clearly too long.  

[Jon the Hat]

5 hours ago, Nalis said:

I think the period of around 10 years ago was also another one. The rise of the likes Lad Bible and Joe started from massively disrespectful posts about women before they mellowed but only after they received their mass following.

That is probably a good thing though no?  The power of the market overcoming the stupid misogynistic starting point.  

[dsr-burnley]

1 minute ago, Jon the Hat said:

I'm not sure you can accuse Labour of not expecting public spending to be matched by positive benefit, but as you say the dearth of any recognizable talent in the Conservative party makes the point moot anyway.  It is well past time for a change, and we do need to see an increased spending in public services.  I don't think anyone expected the impact of austerity to go on for 15 years and it is clearly too long.  

Austerity was a fiction anyway.  Did annual public borrowing ever go below zero? It was the form of austerity applied by someone who is struggling to pay his mortgage so goes on only one foreign holiday instead of two.

[Jon the Hat]

8 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

Austerity was a fiction anyway.  Did annual public borrowing ever go below zero? It was the form of austerity applied by someone who is struggling to pay his mortgage so goes on only one foreign holiday instead of two.

There was a significant reduction in funding to local authorities, schools, while the "ring fenced" NHS ate up more money.  Defense was hammered to pay for trident and aircraft carriers.  Many decisions which while overall didn't see spending drop but saw significant cuts which are having a long term impact on services.  Partly because we don't have the culture or talent to deliver services effectively for less money, but the UK is not alone in that.

[WigstonWanderer]

13 hours ago, Dunge said:

Her appointment as leader was the breaking point for me with the modern Conservative Party. It was the moment I realised what a gigantic hole they’re in because this was their membership’s decision. It was obvious her economic plans were ridiculous and that not one leadership candidate aside from Sunak had a clue what to do about the country’s finances, but they voted her in anyway. They chose to vote in an unintelligent tinpot Thatcher, someone who isn’t talented enough by rights to even be an MP, let alone in the cabinet.

 

The Conservatives need a clearout, a cull of idiots like her. I just don’t see it happening any time soon.

Didn’t you feel a little uneasy when a clown like Boris ascended to the leadership? Known liar, philanderer and opportunist totalling lacking any form of integrity?

Edited 19 September 2023 by WigstonWanderer

[Dunge]

Just now, WigstonWanderer said:

Didn’t you feel a little uneasy when a clown like Boris ascended to the leadership? Known liar, philanderer, opportunist and political fantasist?

A little, but he was a different kettle of fish to Truss. I don’t think he’s a political fantasist, although the other three, guilty as charged. Some of the things that he has stood out on have been right - he’s been heavily for supporting Ukraine from the start and his record on supporting the fight against climate change is far stronger than Sunak’s, who is consistently weak on the subject and clearly doesn’t care about it, making that the worst thing about him. Boris was also something of a protest against parliament for trying to prevent Brexit for three years. Essentially, Boris was a man for a moment who got dealt the twin terrible hands of Ukraine and Covid, the former of which he dealt with admirably but the latter of which struck at his weak spots of lack of detail and integrity.

 

I get why many detest Boris. He is not a man of honour. I don’t believe I demand purity from people in charge, particularly those who don’t preach it, but I expect standards - standards that he failed to meet. He also dragged his party and the reputation of parliament down with him. He absolutely should be finished with politics now. But he was a man for a moment. I have zero regrets about voting for him when the alternative was Corbyn. Literally zero. Easiest vote of my life.

[Jon the Hat]

1 hour ago, Dunge said:

I have zero regrets about voting for him when the alternative was Corbyn. Literally zero. Easiest vote of my life.

Yes I would agree with that.  Labour selected an unelectable idiot so what choice did the country have?

[Daggers]

4 hours ago, Zear0 said:

How do they know he was called Barry? 

The French - who knows what goes through their minds?

[Strokes]

Whether Russell Brand is convicted of sex crimes or not, doesn’t change the fact he treated women like shit and has terrible moral judgment around sex.

A 31 year old having a sexual relationship with a 16 year old whether consensual, whether legal or not, is ****ing abhorrent in my opinion. I hope he is ostracised by the general public, scumbag.

[Lionator]

6 hours ago, Dunge said:

A little, but he was a different kettle of fish to Truss. I don’t think he’s a political fantasist, although the other three, guilty as charged. Some of the things that he has stood out on have been right - he’s been heavily for supporting Ukraine from the start and his record on supporting the fight against climate change is far stronger than Sunak’s, who is consistently weak on the subject and clearly doesn’t care about it, making that the worst thing about him. Boris was also something of a protest against parliament for trying to prevent Brexit for three years. Essentially, Boris was a man for a moment who got dealt the twin terrible hands of Ukraine and Covid, the former of which he dealt with admirably but the latter of which struck at his weak spots of lack of detail and integrity.

 

I get why many detest Boris. He is not a man of honour. I don’t believe I demand purity from people in charge, particularly those who don’t preach it, but I expect standards - standards that he failed to meet. He also dragged his party and the reputation of parliament down with him. He absolutely should be finished with politics now. But he was a man for a moment. I have zero regrets about voting for him when the alternative was Corbyn. Literally zero. Easiest vote of my life.

I think your assessment is too rosy. The levelling up fiasco is an example of that, as is brexit. He will light a binfire and pour fuel over it. He oversaw massive corruption throughout the pandemic with the PPE contracts. He says what you want to hear then waltzes off, just like he does to the women in his life. He treats you with contempt and should’ve also been nowhere near power. 

[Jon the Hat]

55 minutes ago, Strokes said:

Whether Russell Brand is convicted of sex crimes or not, doesn’t change the fact he treated women like shit and has terrible moral judgment around sex.

A 31 year old having a sexual relationship with a 16 year old whether consensual, whether legal or not, is ****ing abhorrent in my opinion. I hope he is ostracised by the general public, scumbag.

Yes, and I also hope this is a game changer for the entertainment industry.  They need to stop treating stars like they can do whatever they want.

[Scotch]

1 hour ago, Strokes said:

Whether Russell Brand is convicted of sex crimes or not, doesn’t change the fact he treated women like shit and has terrible moral judgment around sex.

A 31 year old having a sexual relationship with a 16 year old whether consensual, whether legal or not, is ****ing abhorrent in my opinion. I hope he is ostracised by the general public, scumbag.

This, I agree with. 

 

I was pretty gutted to recently find out that Noel Fielding done the same. 

[st albans fox]

57 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Yes, and I also hope this is a game changer for the entertainment industry.  They need to stop treating stars like they can do whatever they want. the majority of society below forty considers a celebrity to be anyone who appears on the media - any media 

 

the majority of society under the age of 40 considers a celebrity to be anyone who has appeared on the media - any media tbh 
 

doesn’t seem to be any distinction regarding talent 

 

the swamp is therefore v deep and wide - I think the ‘entertainment industry’ is becoming more and more a meaningless description 

[TamworthFoxes]

1 hour ago, Jon the Hat said:

Yes, and I also hope this is a game changer for the entertainment industry.  They need to stop treating stars like they can do whatever they want.

It won’t be. 
What Brand was doing in the day is still happening now, footballers are equally as bad.

Until society changes and famous people are not held up as some kind of gods, then nothing will change.

 

[Strokes]

2 hours ago, Scotch said:

This, I agree with. 

 

I was pretty gutted to recently find out that Noel Fielding done the same. 

I wasn’t aware he had but definitely if true the same applies to him.

[Finnegan]

8 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Labour selected an unelectable idiot so what choice did the country have

 

/checksnotes 

 

Apparently, a different unelectable idiot but with Murdoch backing. 

 

Edited 19 September 2023 by Finnegan

[Guesty]

Some thing I've not seen mentioned on here and I didn't know regarding Brand. Apparently his autobiographies are grim (none of it makes him guilty of rape, but shows you who he was). In one story he talks about spitting in a woman's face when she was leaving his house after an argument after sex. In an other story he talks about getting a prostitute in Turkey; her phone rang during sex, so he snatched it out of her hand and threw it against a wall smashing it. There are other stories, he even says: if these are the stories I'm allowed to put in this book, just think of all the stuff that wasn't allowed in. He's mentioned when he was a kid having a dog who wasn't allowed upstairs: he'd call his dog upstairs, kick it back down the stairs, give it a cuddle; then repeat the same thing...

 

The last thing where he was one of the stars on TV was called Comedy Central's Roast Battle in 2018. A show where comedians make fun of each other with really personal insults. Katherine Ryan repeatedly called him a sexual predator to his face in front of a live audience. It was all edited out and he then went full on anti-mainstream media and disappeared from the mainstream. 

 

I like the way this person below explains his switch to the anti-mainstream media. He's known this day has been coming for years. Maybe not rape allegations, but enough to seriously damage a mainstream career.

 

 

I have close American family and none of them knew about this at the time. This is a guy who on September 12th 2001 went to work at MTV dressed as Osama Bin Laden so he could make fun of the World Trade Center attacks. Yet a few years later is starring in Hollywood films; you need some pretty powerful friends in the media to pull that off.

Edited 19 September 2023 by Guesty