As it seems that everyone right of centre will be purged from this platform in due course, whilst acknowledging that my lowly position means it’ll be a while before they get around to me I thought I’d go for broke whilst I’m still here.
Here goes.
Parody accounts aren’t funny.
Men & women are different.
Tax cuts are good. They stimulate economic growth & let people spend more of their own money.
Alcohol is enjoyable. So is sugar.
Judge people on merit, not gender or ethnicity.
There is such a thing as the canon in the arts. Good, better, best.
I don’t care what box sets you’ve watched.
Cycling enthusiasts are weirdly culty and self-righteous. Which is unfair on a perfectly good form of transport.
America is a force for good in the world.
Capitalism has lifted billions out of poverty.
There is little worse or more dull than the desperation amongst so many on Twitter to (pretend to) be offended.
Party politics - a good thing.
It’s possible to question whether government has the right response to something without being a conspiracy theorist.
Real friendships exist in real life; the virtual world can mean that the real is neglected. OTOH, in enabling people to be in touch with others they might otherwise never have found, social media is a good thing.
It’s possible to like both dogs AND cats.
Columbo is the best TV.
The key test with a comedian is whether he or she is actually funny.
Women should have their own bathrooms in public places.
Free speech means tolerating the views of those with whom one disagrees. Not thinking you’re so tolerant that all those unlike you should be banned.
Your outrage over the apparently erroneous (lack of) conviction in a court case or (lenient) sentence probably reflects the fact that you didn’t hear the evidence.
It’s OK to change your mind on something. Those who clamour for it & then leap on & mock the change are odd.
Avoid ad hominems.
We already had a People’s Vote.
Brussels is a perfectly nice town.
It’s OK to say you don’t want to do something. You don’t have to pretend to be busy that day.
Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
Identity politics isn’t just wrong - it’s very boring.
Roger Moore is the best Bond.
James Bond is a bloke.
I really miss the pub.
The left wing case for Brexit was thoroughly neglected by the media in the referendum & remains one of the most important factors in U.K. politics.
The NHS does some things well and some things badly.
Iceland won Eurovision 2020.
Keeping your key tones turned on is a sign of demonic possession.
Sometimes a local hospital *should* be closed.
Shouting “don’t shoot” at unarmed police says more about those shouting than about the police.
Your feelings aren’t facts.
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Let us strike a bargain, you possess a gift
But I can speak the jargon
That can give your gift the needed lift.
You possess the know-how
And I command the show-how
Oh, how successful you could be ... with me!
Eglantine, Eglantine!
Oh, how you'll shine!
1/8
Your lot and my lot have got to combine.
Eglantine, Eglantine!
Hark to the stars
Destiny calls us
The future is ours!
As the shine sells the boot,
And the blossoms the fruit
All you need to succeed in your plan
Is the proper ally upon whom to rely
And I'm your man.
2/8
For I have an acumen that's nigh superhuman.
I sell things that nobody can!
So I humbly suggest
You accept to my behest
I'm your man!
Eglantine, Eglantine
Oh, how you'll shine
Your lot and my lot have got to combine
Eglantine, Eglantine
Hark to the stars
Destiny calls us ...
3/8
Much hypocrisy seen in attitudes about political violence. But don't avoid the obvious point- what happened in DC was appalling.
Worse, Schumer is right: the President “egged on” the mob- that “this president bears a great deal of the blame.”
A terrible end to the Presidency.
Why do I say this- a Brit, not an American- do I think my view makes a difference? Of course not. But
- this is a site for opinions;
- we all care about what happens in the USA;
- sometimes I've been as close to a Trump supporter / apologist as UK / intl media allows on air.
So I look aghast at the attitude on show in the twilight of the Presidency. It destroys so much of any legacy, and affirms some of the worst criticisms against which some have defended the President over years.
That isn’t to say that people in positions of influence in the media or the justice system or politics actually approve of this. They absolutely don’t, of course. They just care less.
I’ve been asked why I said this. Let me give some examples, lest it seems an unwarranted statement.
If it were another faith, it would be breaking news everywhere. As it’s a church, it won’t be.
The talibanesque destruction of all which is not “appropriate” will not stop. Don’t care about statues? Old films? Don’t feel left out. They’ll keep going until it’s something you do care about. You can warm yourself by the bonfire of the vanities in the meantime.
In the meantime, if your parents enjoyed Gone with the Wind, turn yourself in for a re-education top-up. Can’t be too careful.
Several responding defend specific examples, as is their right.
Even if correct... why think that what starts with statues will end with statues?
I make no friends saying this (such a change) & no doubt harm my own paddling-in-media prospects as a commentator saying it, but the sight of many journalists seemingly untroubled by any examination of the issues expressing “solidarity” with Emily Maitlis here is troubling.
1/5
In truth, it’s merely the latest example of a growing, and peculiar, clubbish, circle the wagons, we are special mindset - one that presently seems even worse than it usually is, given recent events so thoroughly & insistently examined by the media itself.
2/5
Because the media’s near-manic desire to focus ad nauseam on the questions raised in a story & demand grovelling public apologies is bulletproof - until applied to one of their own, when it vanishes.
3/5
I was booked to discuss the current #DominicCummings issue with @JuliaHB1 this afternoon but schedules have changed. As I won’t be on air any longer, I thought I’d share what I intended to say.
1/7
I like Julia. I respect the fact that she’s sincere and understand that she’s angry. I just think that she’s wrong on this. BTW I haven’t seen my parents since January either. My father is in his 80s and unwell. But none of that’s the point.
2/7
It seems to me that it comes down to whether Cummings broke the guidelines; on this they were vague at the time - they certainly made provision for transport for children who were categorised as vulnerable people.
3/7