John Bull Profile picture
12 Oct, 8 tweets, 2 min read
Sad but not surprised that what I said here has proven to be correct so far about the Spitting Image reboot.

Satire has to reflect the power imbalances of the time, and prey on the worries of its political targets. That's being seen to be crap now. Not shock. They REVEL in shock
Frankly this mob will just be wanking themselves silly over the fact that they've made it onto Spitting Image at all.

They'll remember its peak with Thatcher, Major et al. and be thinking:

"Look at me! I'm big league now!"

This is what they dreamed of in posh school six form.
"Oh yes, delighted to see a good old-fashioned British tradition back on our screens. A real HONOUR to be on it. Oh I don't watch it, but I've seen some clips and it looks terribly funny."

etc. etc.

Guarantee you.
As I said before, you want to satirise this lot? You know the way you do it?

1) Make them look small and insignificant
2) Make them look out of their depth
3) Make them look petty
4) Make them look not very bright.
Good political satire is about reflecting reality back at politicians and forcing them to confront something that reads as funny but which they kinda know is true.

That was why gross-out worked on Thatcher and co. Because they liked to see themselves as a polite, fair elite.
And it's why that doesn't work on Johnson and co. Because they've co-opted gross-out into an active part of their politics. It's all about shouting 'WOKE MEDIA' and 'IRA SYMPATHISER' and starting culture wars. And they see themselves as chessmasters running the board.
The only way to annoy and embarrass this lot is to turn Douglas Adam's Total Perspective Vortex on them. Show them up as mere passengers to events, too stupid to know they're not in control.

And that those behind them who ARE in control, are laughing at them behind their backs.
Wanna do that with puppets?

Have Gove and Cummings hunting with shotguns, and talking about how good it was to keep this going in COVID etc.

At the end, cut back and show they're hunting the cabinet, not grouse.

Do the same 10mins later, but with a fox hunt.

Then ducks, etc

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More from @garius

12 Oct
Nah:

FATIMA

Fatima is a ballerina at the RO by day, and secretly one of the world's leading hackers by night.

One day, a routine hack to take down a husband who is illegally tracking his wife goes wrong when it turns out that man is a royal, and now the state wants her dead.
Fatima lives in Stevenage. When a government assassin attempting to take out Fatima kills her roommate instead, Colm Meaney is the world-weary detective who investigates, and soon realises that everything isn't quite what it seems...

And to protect her while he tries to find out the TRUE people behind the attempts to kill her, he points her in the direction of the only man who can help...

retired mob-fixer Karl Urban.
Read 4 tweets
1 Oct
Right. It's 11pm. And I'm a bit pissed. So, given half of you follow me for management tips, gonna tell you about the best manager I ever had. how an ex-army guy sorted my stupid shit out. And how I regret to this day I never got to tell him: "thank you"
So flash back to about 2002 and the web is new. I'd been doing it since 1996 but for fun. You couldn't get a degree in this shit then, because no one cared. But by the time I graduated with a history degree it's hot shit.

I end up being hired by the government. CIVIL SERVANT, YO
I will not bore you with my path through that. WILL say though that if you have non-natural hair colour though and work in the civil service them you have me to thank for that. I had purple hair. They needed to hire me. The Cabinet Office changed the Civil Service code for me. 😁
Read 21 tweets
1 Oct
This is a good point.

Something I'd say on it is that it depends on whether you've managed to cultivate or have inherited a PERFORMATIVE team culture or a PRODUCTIVE one.

That is, do people see the outcome of the meeting as actionable ideas, or as gaining a participation badge.
There's no point doing anything 'Blue Sky' in a performative office. The goal for the majority of individuals will simply be to have said SOMETHING that got written on the whiteboard. Doesn't matter how practical.

You have to flip the culture first. Then they're REALLY useful.
That FT piece on asylum seekers isn't a shocking reveal of how racist Priti Patel is (we already knew that).

It's a damning indictment of how useless the Home Office is, and how locked they are in performative management not actually doing shit to benefit the country.
Read 4 tweets
1 Oct
Pro-tip: One of the things you should NEVER, EVER say at the beginning of a 'blue sky' session is:

"Remember! No idea is too stupid!"

Because then all you'll get are stupid ideas.
Indeed the FIRST question you should actually ALWAYS ask at a 'Blue Sky' session is:

"Have we correctly defined the problem that needs solving?"

Because nine times out of ten, when you step away and reassess things, you discover you're tackling a consequence not a cause.
This is how good teams solve problems during 'Blue Sky' sessions.

Not because someone suddenly has a stunning idea. That only happens in Silicon Valley wankudramas (in print/on Netflix).

It's because SOMEONE spots the real problem is further up the chain, and CAN be addressed.
Read 7 tweets
29 Sep
New @CrusaderKings patch means... NEW PATCH NOTES.

Twitter, let me take you on a brief journey through the beautiful, twisted world of gaming's premier medieval incest and murder simulator.

Let's start here.

"Honey, have you been seducing the Pope again?!" #thread A Head of Faith will no lon...
Positively or negatively? Only one way to find out... Devouring people will now h...
...unless you're the Pope. The Pope can no longer publ...
Read 35 tweets
29 Sep
I think it's bacon pide time.

debating whether to add grated cheese.
Bacon is on! Mmm bacon in a pan
Mmm fresh pide Image
Read 5 tweets

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