Hey,
So, a jockey won Sports Personality of the Year then. Much has been said about this, as many have questioned if he was really the deserving winner. Even more has been said about the justification of Phil Taylor coming second for dominating a game which is best suited for the pub.
I'm going to avoid these arguments, for I do not see the point of Sports Personality of the Year anyway. For you see, the awards aren't for Sports Personality as such, merely it is a trophy for the person who has won the most trophies. You can be a dour sod, the physical conception of the colour beige, and still be Sports Personality of the Year. It has nothing to do with personality at all, or how an athlete entertained the public, making them laugh, cry or moan - examples of a personality, you could argue.
We don't look back at past winners with fondness, but with a shrug. Zara Phillips? Meh. Ryan Giggs? Aye he's good at football, but have you seen him with an autocue? It's awkward. I have nothing against Giggs or Phillips, they are great atheletes. But are they great personalities?
With this in mind I propose my own Sports Personality of the Year Awards...
Young Sports Personality of the Year: Mohammed Amir
Amir is only 18, but he is a bloody good cricketer. So good infact that he is Pakistan's main seam bowler and in the summer he was dismantling the English top-order with so much ease comparisons to Wasim Akram were flying about.
Unfortunately for Amir, he had many talents. Like Ricky Wong in "We Can Be Heroes" who was both a world-class actor and a Ph.D student of physics, Amir also enjoys acting. So much so that in a match against England he performed a no-ball. On purpose. For Money. It was showmanship that many theatre veterens (and book makers) loved. The boy has potential, but like Wong, he will have to choose soon between acting and cricket - otherwise things, as we have seen with this little stunt, will get really complicated.
Team of the Year: Stjarnan FC
Who, I hear you ask? Well, as soon as you read a bit more you impatient little fiend it will all make sense.
Stjarnan FC are an Icelandic football team who became an overnight sensation with their goal celebrations. To put simply, they are superb (I recommend the fish and the toilet celebrations). In a year in which Coca-Cola tried to attach themselves to the concept of celebrations in cringe-worthy adverts which show Roger Milla parading about with a bottle of Coke and no teeth (coincidence?) the have been refreshing and a source of inspiration for many celebration ideas. Trust me, the fish celebration is very difficult to do.
Overseas Personality of the Year: Mother Russia!
They haven't really done anything great,nor do they really deserve it. But they paid me an awful lot of money to get this, and they threatened to break my legs, too. Putin knows judo. So hail to Russia, the worthy winners!
Sports Personality of the Year: Paul Gascoigne
Any footballer who can get himself inadvertently involved in the biggest man-hunt this country has seen in recent times aimed with chicken, lager and fishing rods is the only real candidate for Sports Personality of the Year. Incidentally, he won it in 1990, and we all love an anniversary don't we?
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Fuck off snow.
I love living in Glasgow, but I am aware that some of the time it is not an ideal city to live in. When you add weather which is not uncommon to Minsk into the equation, however, it gets a lot more complicated.
Scotland, since the beginning of November, has been snowed in. As I have already said I live in Glasgow, but I am originally from Fort William (the home of Ben Nevis and not much else) which is a further 100 miles north. At the peak of last winter (which was bloody cold as well) it peaked at -17C. Which isn’t ideal, I’m sure you will agree.
It has not been as bad as that (yet), but after the “blizzard” which struck the city on Monday, Glasgow just collapsed. Not literally of course, don’t worry Primark is still here, but the transport infrastructure crumbled. Buses stopped. Trains stopped. Motorways were at a standstill. Even the Glasgow underground was suspended. This still confuses me; I mean, the subway stations are under the ground, surely? Glasgow to Edinburgh is a journey which usually takes forty-five minutes. Yesterday it took thirteen hours.
Broadsheets mostly ignored the weather, disregarding Scottish conditions being “pure Baltic” as news. Instead, The Times appeared to be more interested in someone on the radio saying the word “cunt” on air (it’s ok to say it, by the way. The more we use it the less offensive and more mainstream it will become. Come on, practice saying it now. Cunt! Cunt! Cunt!). There’s also a cricket match taking place on the other side of the world to be paying attention on – a match so far away that they can only cover events from two days previously because of the time difference.
The red-tops, however, had a field-day with the weather; the Daily Record headlined with “Road to Snowhere” (see what they did there?). The Sun, on the other hand, were far more dramatic with “Snow Apocalypse!”. That’s right. An apocalypse.
There is reason to complain: after all, we should be use to weather like this – we are Scottish, remember – and surely the maintenance of public transport is what I spend council tax on?
Ok, I am a student, making the last bit a lie. But if I did pay council tax (which I don’t) I would be furious (which I am not) because I would not have been able to get home (which I did). Infact, the only impact the adverse weather has had on me (apart from making me house-bound on my 20th birthday on Monday) has been the postponing of my exams, two of which were due to be today. Hence the reason I am writing this instead of an essay about 19th Irish immigration to Britain.
One last thing about Glasgow being twinned with Juneau in terms of climate; like any other “crisis” like when the World Cup was stolen in 1966, usually a folk hero is created. In 1966 it was a dog called Pickles who found the trophy; the equivalent here is a man called David Newall. Newall is the Secretary of Court at Glasgow University who is responsible for the postponing of exams for a further month. Due to this he now has an appreciation society on Facebook which has (at the time of writing) 235 fans. As one of those fans, I can only say God bless you David Newall, you beautiful man.
Scotland, since the beginning of November, has been snowed in. As I have already said I live in Glasgow, but I am originally from Fort William (the home of Ben Nevis and not much else) which is a further 100 miles north. At the peak of last winter (which was bloody cold as well) it peaked at -17C. Which isn’t ideal, I’m sure you will agree.
It has not been as bad as that (yet), but after the “blizzard” which struck the city on Monday, Glasgow just collapsed. Not literally of course, don’t worry Primark is still here, but the transport infrastructure crumbled. Buses stopped. Trains stopped. Motorways were at a standstill. Even the Glasgow underground was suspended. This still confuses me; I mean, the subway stations are under the ground, surely? Glasgow to Edinburgh is a journey which usually takes forty-five minutes. Yesterday it took thirteen hours.
Broadsheets mostly ignored the weather, disregarding Scottish conditions being “pure Baltic” as news. Instead, The Times appeared to be more interested in someone on the radio saying the word “cunt” on air (it’s ok to say it, by the way. The more we use it the less offensive and more mainstream it will become. Come on, practice saying it now. Cunt! Cunt! Cunt!). There’s also a cricket match taking place on the other side of the world to be paying attention on – a match so far away that they can only cover events from two days previously because of the time difference.
The red-tops, however, had a field-day with the weather; the Daily Record headlined with “Road to Snowhere” (see what they did there?). The Sun, on the other hand, were far more dramatic with “Snow Apocalypse!”. That’s right. An apocalypse.
There is reason to complain: after all, we should be use to weather like this – we are Scottish, remember – and surely the maintenance of public transport is what I spend council tax on?
Ok, I am a student, making the last bit a lie. But if I did pay council tax (which I don’t) I would be furious (which I am not) because I would not have been able to get home (which I did). Infact, the only impact the adverse weather has had on me (apart from making me house-bound on my 20th birthday on Monday) has been the postponing of my exams, two of which were due to be today. Hence the reason I am writing this instead of an essay about 19th Irish immigration to Britain.
One last thing about Glasgow being twinned with Juneau in terms of climate; like any other “crisis” like when the World Cup was stolen in 1966, usually a folk hero is created. In 1966 it was a dog called Pickles who found the trophy; the equivalent here is a man called David Newall. Newall is the Secretary of Court at Glasgow University who is responsible for the postponing of exams for a further month. Due to this he now has an appreciation society on Facebook which has (at the time of writing) 235 fans. As one of those fans, I can only say God bless you David Newall, you beautiful man.
Sunday, 5 December 2010
And the World Cup goes to... The Highest Bidder!
Hey,
So, England's bid wasn't good enough for the 2018 World Cup. Or was it? No, no it wasn't. They lost.
We can look at the factors for the reasons why this was the case; the Panorama program "exposing" the "shocking" nature of how Fifa is run (this is not old news; Andrew Jennings' book on Fifa's corruption deals with the same issues as the BBC program did on Monday evening and was first published in 2006); the choice of people to speak in Zurich for the presentation - selecting David Beckham to speak (like, in sentences and that) is like asking a racehorse to prepare a three-course meal;
There are a few things which I don't get; firstly, everyone seems surprised that the two countries with the most money/oil/contacts won (the great footballing nation of Qatar got the 2022 World Cup). Red-tops (and worryingly, some broadsheets) shouted 'fix' because England didn't win. Although England's bid was technically sound, it lacked the prime objective which Fifa tournaments - and especially Sepp Blatter - crave; a legacy.
It's always been a "thing" of Sepp Blatter's, this legacy idea. For Blatter, a World Cup should be more than a summer football tournament. The French World Cup of 1998 unified a country dealing with racial tension thanks to Zinedine Zidane's efforts for the hosts. In 2002, South Korea and Japan hosted the first World Cup to happen in Asia. This summer was the African equivalent in South Africa, and 2018 will be the first World Cup for a post-Soviet nation. Qatar will be the first Islamic state to stage the tournament. To put briefly, Blatter wants a lasting legacy for the countries involved, but this cannot apply to a first world country like England. Perhaps more significantly, Blatter wants a legacy for himself too.
That's not to say money is not important, because it bloody is. Fifa spin as much money out of these tournaments as they can; merchandise, sponsorship, television rights and ticket sales, for instance. They expect all this whilst contributing nothing towards the infrastructures needed for hosting a competition as big as the World Cup; transport links, accommodation and security are all expected to be covered for by the national Government. Fifa love football. But they love profit too. And so do the members of their board, it seems. Bribery and what not, dare I say, are not unusual in the corridors of power in Zurich. It may be just a coincidence Russia was branded a "mafia state" by the WikiLeaks scandal they same day their bid won. Of course, it may not be, because everyone loves a conspiracy.
England's bid wasn't exactly squeaky-clean either. In fact, the campaign team's treatment of the influential Jack Warner is no different to the way Vladimir Putin has been accused of treating Silvio Berlusconi in the recent WikiLeaks scandal. The FA, apparently, lavished him and his wife with gifts to help "persuade" him to vote for the English bid. Remember England playing that rather pointless friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in 2008? Probably not, it's not memorable and if memory serves me right it was unofficial to everyone except Dean Ashton, who still believes he has an England cap. Either way, the English bid wasn't as perfect as everyone says it is, it's just that it used its influence in the wrong way. What you need is a Prime Minister who knows judo. And Gazprom. That helps too.
DC
x
So, England's bid wasn't good enough for the 2018 World Cup. Or was it? No, no it wasn't. They lost.
We can look at the factors for the reasons why this was the case; the Panorama program "exposing" the "shocking" nature of how Fifa is run (this is not old news; Andrew Jennings' book on Fifa's corruption deals with the same issues as the BBC program did on Monday evening and was first published in 2006); the choice of people to speak in Zurich for the presentation - selecting David Beckham to speak (like, in sentences and that) is like asking a racehorse to prepare a three-course meal; There are a few things which I don't get; firstly, everyone seems surprised that the two countries with the most money/oil/contacts won (the great footballing nation of Qatar got the 2022 World Cup). Red-tops (and worryingly, some broadsheets) shouted 'fix' because England didn't win. Although England's bid was technically sound, it lacked the prime objective which Fifa tournaments - and especially Sepp Blatter - crave; a legacy.
It's always been a "thing" of Sepp Blatter's, this legacy idea. For Blatter, a World Cup should be more than a summer football tournament. The French World Cup of 1998 unified a country dealing with racial tension thanks to Zinedine Zidane's efforts for the hosts. In 2002, South Korea and Japan hosted the first World Cup to happen in Asia. This summer was the African equivalent in South Africa, and 2018 will be the first World Cup for a post-Soviet nation. Qatar will be the first Islamic state to stage the tournament. To put briefly, Blatter wants a lasting legacy for the countries involved, but this cannot apply to a first world country like England. Perhaps more significantly, Blatter wants a legacy for himself too.
That's not to say money is not important, because it bloody is. Fifa spin as much money out of these tournaments as they can; merchandise, sponsorship, television rights and ticket sales, for instance. They expect all this whilst contributing nothing towards the infrastructures needed for hosting a competition as big as the World Cup; transport links, accommodation and security are all expected to be covered for by the national Government. Fifa love football. But they love profit too. And so do the members of their board, it seems. Bribery and what not, dare I say, are not unusual in the corridors of power in Zurich. It may be just a coincidence Russia was branded a "mafia state" by the WikiLeaks scandal they same day their bid won. Of course, it may not be, because everyone loves a conspiracy.
England's bid wasn't exactly squeaky-clean either. In fact, the campaign team's treatment of the influential Jack Warner is no different to the way Vladimir Putin has been accused of treating Silvio Berlusconi in the recent WikiLeaks scandal. The FA, apparently, lavished him and his wife with gifts to help "persuade" him to vote for the English bid. Remember England playing that rather pointless friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in 2008? Probably not, it's not memorable and if memory serves me right it was unofficial to everyone except Dean Ashton, who still believes he has an England cap. Either way, the English bid wasn't as perfect as everyone says it is, it's just that it used its influence in the wrong way. What you need is a Prime Minister who knows judo. And Gazprom. That helps too.
DC
x
November Spawned A Gap Between Blogs
Hi,
Sorry it's been a while since the last blog. I wish I had an interesting and exciting reason why for this absence; some sort of coma induced by doing something amazing, like really amazing.
Instead, it has been because of course work. It's been a bit of a bastard, consuming all of November and, so far, most of December as well. I know this is to be expected - it's the reason why I'm in Glasgow in the first place, but the deadlines and exam dates all just appeared like a stag on the A82. You know, the bit between Tyndrum and Crianlarich? Don't pretend you don't know.
The horrors that this time of year bring regarding essays and exams aren't over yet, far from it. I have two exams this Wednesday, and one next Monday. Then it ends for another calendar year (and what a fast year 2010 has been) and we have Christmas, which brings with it seasonal obesity, complaints about the weather and a longing for a return to Glasgow. Dare I say it, even going to O'Couture. I take that back. Of course I do.
No, there are two reasons why I am returning to this blog. Firstly, this is a great form of procrastination, up there with Robot Unicorn, watching Ashes highlights on YouTube and sleeping. The second reason is because it is my birthday tomorrow. It would be unfair on the blog of which I take some pride and fondness in for its last entry from a teenage body was a pishy play list of a recurring emo phase that I was experiencing. It deserves more than that, I figured.
So, what does turning twenty actually mean? Currently, I'm not sure. So far the only things that spring to mind are purely literally, and mainly certain songs that I can no longer relate to (or at least pretend to be able to refer to). The list so far stretches to:
- Teenage Dreams - Katy Perry (not that I ever would relate to this song...)
- Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
- Teenagers - My Chemical Romance
- Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic! at the Disco (an odd choice for the unassuming, but it has the lyric "Let's get these teen hearts beating faster and faster)
Is there anything more to it? I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that the transition from nineteen to twenty is pretty much just any other birthday, and that there's no emotional baggage required. That's not to say you can't have emotional baggage - to cry and go all soppy and reflective on seven years which changed you from a high-pitched geek who knows too much about the Bundesliga, to someone who is...well, essentially the same is optional. And I don't think it's an option I'm taking. The only thing of significance is that it's my first birthday away from Fort William.
DC x
Sorry it's been a while since the last blog. I wish I had an interesting and exciting reason why for this absence; some sort of coma induced by doing something amazing, like really amazing.
Instead, it has been because of course work. It's been a bit of a bastard, consuming all of November and, so far, most of December as well. I know this is to be expected - it's the reason why I'm in Glasgow in the first place, but the deadlines and exam dates all just appeared like a stag on the A82. You know, the bit between Tyndrum and Crianlarich? Don't pretend you don't know.
The horrors that this time of year bring regarding essays and exams aren't over yet, far from it. I have two exams this Wednesday, and one next Monday. Then it ends for another calendar year (and what a fast year 2010 has been) and we have Christmas, which brings with it seasonal obesity, complaints about the weather and a longing for a return to Glasgow. Dare I say it, even going to O'Couture. I take that back. Of course I do.
No, there are two reasons why I am returning to this blog. Firstly, this is a great form of procrastination, up there with Robot Unicorn, watching Ashes highlights on YouTube and sleeping. The second reason is because it is my birthday tomorrow. It would be unfair on the blog of which I take some pride and fondness in for its last entry from a teenage body was a pishy play list of a recurring emo phase that I was experiencing. It deserves more than that, I figured.
So, what does turning twenty actually mean? Currently, I'm not sure. So far the only things that spring to mind are purely literally, and mainly certain songs that I can no longer relate to (or at least pretend to be able to refer to). The list so far stretches to:
- Teenage Dreams - Katy Perry (not that I ever would relate to this song...)
- Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
- Teenagers - My Chemical Romance
- Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic! at the Disco (an odd choice for the unassuming, but it has the lyric "Let's get these teen hearts beating faster and faster)
Is there anything more to it? I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that the transition from nineteen to twenty is pretty much just any other birthday, and that there's no emotional baggage required. That's not to say you can't have emotional baggage - to cry and go all soppy and reflective on seven years which changed you from a high-pitched geek who knows too much about the Bundesliga, to someone who is...well, essentially the same is optional. And I don't think it's an option I'm taking. The only thing of significance is that it's my first birthday away from Fort William.
DC x
Friday, 22 October 2010
A Playlist.
Hey,
I haven't made a list of songs that I like in a long time. Nice to do one every now and then though, innit?
The thing is, in recent weeks I've kind of reverted back to the Emo way of life. This is partly down to two things;
a) I never really stopped being an Emo, did I?
b) We Are The Ocean.
We Are The Ocean - God Damn Good.
I really like this band these days. Like the way the smell of toast makes one crave a slice, this band completely rekindled my love for Alexisonfire. The contrast between the screaming (I know, I don't like screaming either. But it's there, and trust me it gets bearable) and the singing is striking. Because the screamo element of bands like WATO isn't great, it almost amplifies the quality of the vocals. This song is an example of this.
Alexisonfire - No Transitory
It is with this in mind that Alexisonfire is next. This song especially. But if you don't like the screaming elements of these songs, thank goodness for Dallas Green's sideproject "City and Colour".
City and Colour - The Death of Me
And on a similar note, Luke Pickett...
Luke Pickett - See You At The Disco
And yet, there is still a side of me that tries to be cool. And it expresses itself by liking the XX.
I geniunely do like the XX, and I'm sure many of you have heard their self-titled album due to the praise it recieved since the Mercury prize. Rather, this is a link to a cover of some 80s pop song. It's cool.
XX - Teardrops
Unfortunatly, this urge to try and be cool is immediately squashed by what I dread - enjoying the same taste in music as my parents.
This isn't neccessarily a bad thing, but what has meant is that I am now a fan of Tom McRae. I resent this, since I have always mocked my parents about how he isn't famous. Yet on Saturday I saw him live (free ticket, free dinner). And it was actually really good. So here's the highlight of the night - his song "I Still Love You".
I'll try and and get more music on here, going to see Pete Wentz's new band on Monday. Will let you know how it goes.
DC x
I haven't made a list of songs that I like in a long time. Nice to do one every now and then though, innit?
The thing is, in recent weeks I've kind of reverted back to the Emo way of life. This is partly down to two things;
a) I never really stopped being an Emo, did I?
b) We Are The Ocean.
We Are The Ocean - God Damn Good.
I really like this band these days. Like the way the smell of toast makes one crave a slice, this band completely rekindled my love for Alexisonfire. The contrast between the screaming (I know, I don't like screaming either. But it's there, and trust me it gets bearable) and the singing is striking. Because the screamo element of bands like WATO isn't great, it almost amplifies the quality of the vocals. This song is an example of this.
Alexisonfire - No Transitory
It is with this in mind that Alexisonfire is next. This song especially. But if you don't like the screaming elements of these songs, thank goodness for Dallas Green's sideproject "City and Colour".
City and Colour - The Death of Me
And on a similar note, Luke Pickett...
Luke Pickett - See You At The Disco
And yet, there is still a side of me that tries to be cool. And it expresses itself by liking the XX.
I geniunely do like the XX, and I'm sure many of you have heard their self-titled album due to the praise it recieved since the Mercury prize. Rather, this is a link to a cover of some 80s pop song. It's cool.
XX - Teardrops
Unfortunatly, this urge to try and be cool is immediately squashed by what I dread - enjoying the same taste in music as my parents.
This isn't neccessarily a bad thing, but what has meant is that I am now a fan of Tom McRae. I resent this, since I have always mocked my parents about how he isn't famous. Yet on Saturday I saw him live (free ticket, free dinner). And it was actually really good. So here's the highlight of the night - his song "I Still Love You".
I'll try and and get more music on here, going to see Pete Wentz's new band on Monday. Will let you know how it goes.
DC x
Thursday, 21 October 2010
I only think in the form of crunching numbers, or at least I wish I did.
Hey,
So yesterday was the big spending review. And spending reviews aren't nice. What yesterday was George Osbourne looking at the state of finances in our country, much the way a parent would with their sons' bank balance. Imagine Gideon (that's George's real name, honest) looking at what we spent money on, with disdain and the like? All this reckless spending from the last administration has made his head spin. The word "quango" fills him with an uncontrollable urge to slap Danny Alexander. Poor lad.
Now, ideally I would be writing to discuss what was slashed yesterday. But I can't, for you see I don't really know what happened. Yesterday's report was a blizzard of numbers, the noise of the crunching hurt my ears. The sheer quantity of statistics meant that anything that was controversial was burried under all those quangos.
Due to devolution, and being Scottish, much of what was spoken yesterday didn't really affect me and if it does it's still to early to gauge. For instance, University spending is being by 40%, but that only indirectly applies to me since the university system is different up here. All these big questions, like tuition fees and graduate tax are still unanswered. I wish they were answer pretty soon, those megaphones are still in large force on university campus, and between that and the number crunching I am getting a massive migrane.
Media coverage has been awkward because it is difficult to simplify yesterday's review. The BBC basically shrugged and said "err, well, if you have a child, then, err, it's probably not so good". But I don't have a child (I think). So it's confusing.
The only thing I digested was a little contradiction inregards to culture. The blood of the British Film Council is still on Gideon's knife, a geniune loss from the cuts, yet museums and the like remain much of their priveleges, e.g. free entry. Now I'm not suggesting the Coalition aren't fans of Banksy - it's hard not to like Banksy - but if they are so concerned about the deficit why close a successful element? Money is saved but the country is poorer now; if it wasn't for the BFC there would be no "In the Loop", no "Bend It Like Beckham", no "Love Actually" and the financial spin-offs of these. In 2009 British films made $29.9 billion in worldwide box offices - that's quite a lot of money, ain't it? But, if you want to keep some paintings around for free then go ahead. It all seems odd to me.
So yesterday was the big spending review. And spending reviews aren't nice. What yesterday was George Osbourne looking at the state of finances in our country, much the way a parent would with their sons' bank balance. Imagine Gideon (that's George's real name, honest) looking at what we spent money on, with disdain and the like? All this reckless spending from the last administration has made his head spin. The word "quango" fills him with an uncontrollable urge to slap Danny Alexander. Poor lad.
Now, ideally I would be writing to discuss what was slashed yesterday. But I can't, for you see I don't really know what happened. Yesterday's report was a blizzard of numbers, the noise of the crunching hurt my ears. The sheer quantity of statistics meant that anything that was controversial was burried under all those quangos.
Due to devolution, and being Scottish, much of what was spoken yesterday didn't really affect me and if it does it's still to early to gauge. For instance, University spending is being by 40%, but that only indirectly applies to me since the university system is different up here. All these big questions, like tuition fees and graduate tax are still unanswered. I wish they were answer pretty soon, those megaphones are still in large force on university campus, and between that and the number crunching I am getting a massive migrane.
Media coverage has been awkward because it is difficult to simplify yesterday's review. The BBC basically shrugged and said "err, well, if you have a child, then, err, it's probably not so good". But I don't have a child (I think). So it's confusing.
The only thing I digested was a little contradiction inregards to culture. The blood of the British Film Council is still on Gideon's knife, a geniune loss from the cuts, yet museums and the like remain much of their priveleges, e.g. free entry. Now I'm not suggesting the Coalition aren't fans of Banksy - it's hard not to like Banksy - but if they are so concerned about the deficit why close a successful element? Money is saved but the country is poorer now; if it wasn't for the BFC there would be no "In the Loop", no "Bend It Like Beckham", no "Love Actually" and the financial spin-offs of these. In 2009 British films made $29.9 billion in worldwide box offices - that's quite a lot of money, ain't it? But, if you want to keep some paintings around for free then go ahead. It all seems odd to me.
Monday, 27 September 2010
Fuck Off Tory Scum. Apparently.
Hey,
So, whilst re-familiarising myself with the University's surroundings following the summer's reprise (and more recently the activities of Fresher's Week) amidst the Fraser Building, the GUU and QMU were rather unflattering posters and graffiti of the current government and their proposed heavy spending cuts. Excuse my language for a moment, but the general theme of this PR was that of "Fuck Off Tory Scum".
Now, before I continue, can I stress that I oppose said cuts. In my opinion these cuts are extremely premature due to the fragile economy and the threat of a double-dip recession and other equally frightening jargon. But by venting anger in this way, involving spray paint, swear words and megaphones is wrong and a bit thoughtless. In pragmatic terms the bill to clean up the graffiti will have to be met by the educational institutions they are trying to protect. It's like trying to raise awareness STDs by writing "I Have Chlamydia" on someone. Yes, your point has been made, but you're not the one who has to go round with that on your shirt, are you? The use of the loud megaphones push more people away from their views than pull them in, and it kind of portrays an image not of "freedom of speech" but of "my voice is louder than yours".
In an article in The Guardian Charlie Brooker wrote of how the Left is generally not as good as the Right at creativity, and with this point he is right; whilst the Left has had to deal with such phrases as "Deficit Deniers" or supporting an apparent "Job's Tax" (the proposed National Insurance contribution increase) we on the Left's line hasn't really strayed too far away from "Nazis!" or "Fascists!". Or in this case, "Scum!".
A change in approach feels needed. Although Charles Saatchi (the man behind the famous "Labour Isn't Working" election poster) recently said in The Times that only negative campaigning is truly successful, that doesn't make it right. Ethically, how can you claim moral high ground when you are attacking a faction of society the way these posters do, in this case those of upper-class and prestigious educational backgrounds . Yes, the Government's proposals may be wrong, but by bringing it down to a class war is simply not the way forward. If roles were reversed, how would we like it if "Fuck Off Poor Twats" (or something similar) was brandished around in an equally carefree manner? I suspect it would not go down too well.
Believe it or not but people outside our higher-education bubble voted Conservative. As a consequence, we have a Government that many of us didn't want. The only way we can ensure that this doesn't happen again is that we campaign in the right ways until 2015, but that shouldn't involve megaphones and swear words.
So, whilst re-familiarising myself with the University's surroundings following the summer's reprise (and more recently the activities of Fresher's Week) amidst the Fraser Building, the GUU and QMU were rather unflattering posters and graffiti of the current government and their proposed heavy spending cuts. Excuse my language for a moment, but the general theme of this PR was that of "Fuck Off Tory Scum".
Now, before I continue, can I stress that I oppose said cuts. In my opinion these cuts are extremely premature due to the fragile economy and the threat of a double-dip recession and other equally frightening jargon. But by venting anger in this way, involving spray paint, swear words and megaphones is wrong and a bit thoughtless. In pragmatic terms the bill to clean up the graffiti will have to be met by the educational institutions they are trying to protect. It's like trying to raise awareness STDs by writing "I Have Chlamydia" on someone. Yes, your point has been made, but you're not the one who has to go round with that on your shirt, are you? The use of the loud megaphones push more people away from their views than pull them in, and it kind of portrays an image not of "freedom of speech" but of "my voice is louder than yours".
In an article in The Guardian Charlie Brooker wrote of how the Left is generally not as good as the Right at creativity, and with this point he is right; whilst the Left has had to deal with such phrases as "Deficit Deniers" or supporting an apparent "Job's Tax" (the proposed National Insurance contribution increase) we on the Left's line hasn't really strayed too far away from "Nazis!" or "Fascists!". Or in this case, "Scum!".
A change in approach feels needed. Although Charles Saatchi (the man behind the famous "Labour Isn't Working" election poster) recently said in The Times that only negative campaigning is truly successful, that doesn't make it right. Ethically, how can you claim moral high ground when you are attacking a faction of society the way these posters do, in this case those of upper-class and prestigious educational backgrounds . Yes, the Government's proposals may be wrong, but by bringing it down to a class war is simply not the way forward. If roles were reversed, how would we like it if "Fuck Off Poor Twats" (or something similar) was brandished around in an equally carefree manner? I suspect it would not go down too well.
Believe it or not but people outside our higher-education bubble voted Conservative. As a consequence, we have a Government that many of us didn't want. The only way we can ensure that this doesn't happen again is that we campaign in the right ways until 2015, but that shouldn't involve megaphones and swear words.
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