Does anyone agree that there is a need for forum space to mention all those things that are of interest in the short term but, would not necessarily sustain a half a dozen or a dozen comments.
For example: Yesterday was the last day of the Six Nations rugby competition. Only of interest perhaps, to few on these Forums. I’d like to have placed a reminder but couldn’t find the last Six Nations subject, so didn’t bother.
Another example: Lord Neuburger, President of the Supreme Court mentioned that it was desirable that people should not be prevented from venting their often frustrated opinions on contentious issues for fear of condemnation. He thought that commentators who were opposed, were inhibited by the prospect of disapproval, from discussing rascism, homosexuality, ordination of females etc.
My Six Nations snippet was that it was a generally good result. Ireland won (by points difference) the Six Nations title from England. England won the Triple Crown and France was beaten ! Result.
By: Bruce - 23rd February 2016 at 09:56
Finding something hard to understand is not something to be proud of, but using the difficulty of some thoughts as some kind of argument against them (even when you have actually read them) does show the staunch anti-intellectualism that runs through the British Right – which often goes hand-in-hand with a willingness to confidently make things up / passively swallow nonsense when it suits. Ref. 1984, CD.
BM – I agree with Charlie to a point – I find myself being wary of intellectuals who are looking for a career defining idea – rather than engage and debate, it is too common on both sides of the argument, for someone to come up with a Good Idea that hasn’t been thought through other than in an alcohol fuelled haze. I would agree that in general, those on the right tend to be less likely to take on new ideas, but those on the left tend to be more idealistic. That said, the Europe question does, to an extent turn that on its head.
By: Bruce - 23rd February 2016 at 09:50
Yes, just ignore. The rest of us can then toss the matter around, attempting to glean some additional pearl of truth from the welter of misinformation.
Good heavens John – something we can agree on..
By: charliehunt - 23rd February 2016 at 08:46
🙂
By: Beermat - 23rd February 2016 at 08:42
You got me. Sorry.
By: charliehunt - 23rd February 2016 at 08:33
BM – I am surprised by your ” ……does show the staunch anti-intellectualism that runs through the British Right…..”. A sloppy generalisation, ill-befitting your usual contributions, unless you were just goading JG. Throughout history intellectuals have populated both left and right, always assuming the somewhat I’ll-defined interpretation of the two descriptions.
By: Beermat - 22nd February 2016 at 23:29
Permit me to repeat for the umpteenth time; I’m not a Tory or, even a Conservative.
Most of Beermat’s literary pretensions were read by me in sixth form. Apart from Blair and possibly Huxley, I thought they were impenetrable then, as now.
Payback, Freakonomics, The Spirit Level and Fools Gold.. if you read them in sixth form they would have been not only impenetrable, but non existent – unless time travel was an option. Where did you go to school, Hogwarts?
That leaves the work of a social theorist (often argued to be a founder of socialism) and a PR guru ( writing before such a thing was recognised) Really, John?
Not literary pretentions. Books. Often confused by tories, the latter is something you read, the former is claiming to have read and dismissed something in sixth form.
Finding something hard to understand is not something to be proud of, but using the difficulty of some thoughts as some kind of argument against them (even when you have actually read them) does show the staunch anti-intellectualism that runs through the British Right – which often goes hand-in-hand with a willingness to confidently make things up / passively swallow nonsense when it suits. Ref. 1984, CD.
By: John Green - 22nd February 2016 at 20:52
The D. Tel. report, to-day, carries extensive coverage of Boris Johnson’s convictions about the EU. He rightly ignores the ‘chaff’ to concentrate on the ‘wheat’.
Almost his sole concern is with the question of British sovereignty- who governs Britain, Brussels or Westminster ? This and this alone is the crux of the EU problem.
If you don’t give a toss, then you’ll either ignore the referendum or, vote to stay in. Personally, I know my choice.
By: John Green - 22nd February 2016 at 20:44
Permit me to repeat for the umpteenth time; I’m not a Tory or, even a Conservative.
Most of Beermat’s literary pretensions were read by me in sixth form. Apart from Blair and possibly Huxley, I thought they were impenetrable then, as now.
By: Creaking Door - 22nd February 2016 at 20:24
And for the record, I am not a socialist…
Really!!!!!
I really enjoyed ‘1984’ (one of the few fiction books that I’ve ever read) but I’m interested to know why you think it should be on the required reading list for Conservatives?
By: Beermat - 22nd February 2016 at 15:48
There’s really no hope for me !
What kind of additional reading would you recommend ?
If I may (this is an interesting exercise – what books would one make a Tory read)?..
1984, Orwell
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, Atwood
Freakonomics, Levitt and Dubner to be read with The Spirit Level, Wilkinson
Brave New World, Huxley
Politics as a Vocation & The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, both Weber
Propaganda & Crystalizing Public Opinion – both Bernays
Fool’s Gold: How Unrestrained Greed Corrupted a Dream, Tett
1984, again.
Of course, a bit of Marx, too. But NOT to convince in a left versus right argument – this list is all about expanding the mind a bit. Instead I would recommend Marx so that you might learn that he was NOT proposing free stuff for lazy people, or rape and pillage in Surrey, or whatever it is the Conservatives currently like to suggest through their papers that Socialists want (I refer you to Bernays, above).
Also http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/George_Osborne – because it’s closer to the truth than it should be.
And for the record, I am not a socialist, or a class warrior either.
By: John Green - 22nd February 2016 at 15:33
Yes, just ignore. The rest of us can then toss the matter around, attempting to glean some additional pearl of truth from the welter of misinformation.
By: charliehunt - 22nd February 2016 at 15:15
Quite so. By all accounts about a third of us want to stay and a third want to leave, so the arguments will be hurled about to convince the remaining third one way or another. For those of us who have decided we can avoid it!!:eek:
By: Creaking Door - 22nd February 2016 at 14:46
Is it worth separating the EU discussion into a separate thread?
Yes! Then we can all avoid it like the plague! 🙂
By: John Green - 22nd February 2016 at 12:45
Bruce,
With some casual digression – as is always the way – the theme of media news items seems to be maintained. I think that with the onset of – what will probably be – a torrent of argument related to the EU referendum, a separate EU discussion might well become a necessity !
By: Bruce - 22nd February 2016 at 10:34
Is it worth separating the EU discussion into a separate thread?
By: John Green - 21st February 2016 at 17:06
There’s really no hope for me !
What kind of additional reading would you recommend ?
By: trekbuster - 21st February 2016 at 00:40
The problem is that you are again projecting your own narrow view of the world onto another with insufficient evidence to support your apparently blinkered position.
It is this lack of understanding of others perspectives, probably due to relying on narrow sources of evidence, that leads you to inaccurate conclusions.
I strongly recommend a broader range of daily reading matter to help you understand alternative perspectives. You may not agree with the material but it will certainly make you better informed.
I am no class warrior. Nor am I, nor ever have been, involved with any organised politics of any persuasion.
By: John Green - 20th February 2016 at 20:01
There’s nothing like a home truth for raising a laugh; sometimes a bit hollow !
By: trekbuster - 20th February 2016 at 17:55
Thank you John for making me laugh out loud. They do say laughter is the best medicine.
As is quite usual, you are way off the mark on this one.
Keep it up, we need to be cheerful on such a damp old day
By: John Green - 20th February 2016 at 16:39
Written like a true class warrior of the proletariat.
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