So when someone wants to create a new party, I want to know if it is a good idea for them to take left-wing anti-Labour votes away from The Green Party.
This week may have been better for the nation than it is feared. Welfare needs reform to help those who can work back into work. But, it is easier said than done. In places like Jaywick, it is harder for those who live there to find work than it is in Colchester due to travel times to work and the availability of public transport.
My ideal solution would be a basic income, but the issues with that relate to how much money should be given to help those on it. The facts are simple, we have too many people being forced to use foodbanks. Also, reducing the money available in the system is just risking the return to Tory austerity and the effects many said it had on economic growth in the UK.
Produced a few years ago, I thought I would listen to this again now that JK Rowling has been radicalised by Twitter. Back then, I would defend the author from arguments that she was transphobic on Twitter, until the person I was debating would block me rather than continue the discussion. It is not just me that feels that JK Rowling has become radicalised, Stephen Fry (who has left Twitter) has as well.
I have discussed this with my daughter who refuses to listen to it in case any money goes to JK Rowling. She loved the books, but now considers them tainted. Needless to say, my daughter and I disagree on this matter, but she has promised me a discussion when she has researched this in more detail. Sadly, this promise has been one that has been around for over a year and has yet to happen.
In summary though, this is more interesting considering how JK Rowling has gone back on her promise to respect pronouns.
After making my post yesterday, I realised that I had forgotten to review the first film! I watched it on iPlayer and the quality of it was dated, but I would say that this film was better than its sequel. At the time it was released, there were few zombie films about and since then I have watched the amazing The Last Of Us.
So in a way, it is a shame I had not watched it at the time, because I have been spoilt by a series which has built on it. But I liked it. I doubt I will watch it again, but I do think that it was worth watching, something I cannot say for certain with its sequel.
I may take the time to watch the films that resulted from this, or even the series The Walking Dead. But I am glad that I have seen it, even if it is no longer a great film.
I have to say, that other than two big plot holes, this film was okay. I doubt I am going to watch it again though. Compared to the Night of the Living Dead, this falls short, but it is okay for a Zombie plague film. I have been watching the series The Last Of Us with my daughter and the human side of the apocalypse is presented much better there.
The film however has its good points. I am always a sucker for films set in London. And for those who watched the first film and enjoyed how the army decimated zombies, watching the same again, but on a larger scale would have appealed to them.
It has some great scenes, notably the helicopter in Regents Park, but the two plot holes I do not like are how one character had a security pass, and how Scarlet was able to outrun zombies despite her wound.
As time goes on, I find that the radicalisation of JK Rowling has made her less appealing to me. As posted before, while I agree with many of her views, her insistence on misgendering people, is rude and I find myself disagreeing with her more often.
Like her, I do not consider Transwomen to be women, any more than I consider Rachel Dolezal or Ali G to be black, even though they identify as so. For the record, while I know it is considered transphobic by many, I consider transwomen to be transwomen, and then I subdivide them into those with or without a penis. Due to this view, others consider me to be transphobic, and I accept that label, though I do so reluctantly.
Anyway, back to the reason for this post. A bookshop has made the news for censoring JK Rowling. It has chosen to do so due to her support for certain legal cases and her views on certain aspects of transgender rights. It has every right to do so and continues the tradition of censorship of her work which precedes her essay, when those on the religious right wanted to restrict access to her books. Book burning took place back then and has continued since. In fact she topped a leaderboard for censorship attempts befoe…
It is interesting how many tran-rights activists who disagree with JK Rowling now agree with some religious groups that censorship is needed. The ultimate irony of course being that JK Rowling would decline to censor those who disagree with her on transgender issues even if she had the power.
This week, Nigel Farage has proposed a policy to help the rich. Not the poor, the super rich. To be fair, I do think that his plan the Britannia Card, has some merit, but I think that the fee that he suggests the rich pay is way to small.
The past record of Starmer as a lawyer is being used against him. This time, by the left. He has had his past work used by those on the right in the past, those on the right pointing out that he had represented Abu Qatada but forgetting that he did so due to 'cab rank rule' before he started to prosecute terrorists. Now the left are doing the same when it comes to the actions of Palestine Action.
While there is debate as to if the actions of Palestine Action should be considered terrorism, an overlooked issue is how much force should be used to defend bases. It is thought that Russia is launching attacks on logistic centres across Europe. While some on the left and the right will deny this, the simple fact that a lot of arson has taken place.
So while I think that it is wrong to consider Palestine Action to be terrorists, I do think that those who carry out such actions should also face the risk of being shot when on a base. While it was protestors this week, looking at what has already taken place in the UK and more recently, Germany, it can be Russian agents next time.
As posted before, I am a transphobe. At least I am deemed so by many. My children, who are aware of my concerns disagree but I see them flinch if I talk about LGB rights as they want me to include the T.
The attack on Iran by Israel and the USA has divided social media. Many are on one side or the other. As I have posted before, I consider both nations to be vile, Iran being the more reprehensible until Israel overtook them with the mass-murder of civilians in Gaza.
There is an interesting swear word which many women are offended by, but I think is a good thing. Calling someone a cunt to me means that the person has warmth, depth and gives pleasure. It is a good thing, not a bad word and people need to remember that. In fact, a while ago my daughter called me one during a heated argument and I thanked her for the compliment.
During our weekend away, we started to watch, but did not complete two films. One was Priscilla (which I am going to have to watch again) and the other was Four Weddings and a Funeral. While my son and wife went to bed, I got my daughter to watch I Give It a Year. I had watched it many years ago and I remember liking it, I forgot how much.
Generally rom-coms are not my ideal film. They are okay, some are excellent, but they are not films I tend to go out of my way to watch. This is different. Which means, if you like your normal romantic comedy, this is not for you. Rather, this is more of a male version of one. I would certainly watch this again and I have recommended it someone and I have shown them the worst best man’s speech I have ever seen on celluloid. If you like The Office (I mean the UK version as I have not watched the US copy properly) then the odds are that you will like this. While The Guardian gave this three out of five, I would rate this a solid four.
It is time to rest as we are back to reality. After leaving our cottage, my daughter and I went for a dog walk while my wonderful wife and son went shopping. We met up with them and while I rested and rehydrated, my daughter joined them. On the way down to Colchester, we visited Pinch, which was a small but much appreciated detour. Anyway, I have ironed, walked the dog and assuming the heat lets up, am ready for work tomorrow.
We returned to a place we have eaten as a family before. My wife loves it here and the food is great. The service is brilliant, friendly and attentive, and the views from the top bar are fantastic, if you are facing the right way! I did get to go for a walk, but my daughter was in a bad mood. Fortunately it improved but part of it was not being able to walk on the shingle because I had wrong the wrong shoes. I did get to do so later, but she had not accompanied the dog and me for the nighttime walk.
We are in Suffolk. My wife has booked a few days away and rented a charming cottage for us. I already feel relaxed, the children and the dog like it here and we have just got back from a meal. I did not like mine as much as the rest of the family, but it was an enjoyable night out for all. Leia was surprised to find that she had he option to sit next to me, but she preferred to spread out on the floor. We have another night here and I am looking forwards to going to the beach tomorrow!
I know it has been a since since the big day for Trump, sorry, the birthday of the US army, but this was an interesting video to post. I am not listening to what people are saying about the crowd size as to quote Taylor Swift, haters gonna hate.
What was interesting is this video about the marching, or the lack of it. Considering Trump wanted this parade after watching the Bastille Day celebrations in France, it is surprising that he did not insist on any pageantry.
After the appalling October 7th attacks of 2023, despite concerns that Israel had been annexing land in The West Bank along with killing Palestinians, let alone the way Israel treated Gaza, the nations of Europe offered Israel support as the attacks continued. However, Israel went beyond what was deemed acceptable and the ICC issued arrest warrants for some on both sides.
It will be interesting to see how the electorate of Israel will judge Benjamin Netanyahu and if they see how he has thrown away most of the goodwill that Israel was given after October the 7th.
What
is interesting is the way he has offered an apology to Donald Trump, but has
not apologised to owners of his cars, many of whom, being concerned about the
environment, tend to be left wing. I have an electric car and would have
been tempted to by a Tesla, before he went right wing, not just because of the
features, but because of the charging network. In the UK it is better
than that for my kind of EV, though I have to say, the availability of charging
stations is increasing. I have even recommended them to a friend who travels a lot in their job, due to the charging network. They declined to do so, and left Twitter before I did. But now, I would not recommend Tesla. Not just because of their owner, but also there are lots of competitors now and the charging network for normal EV's is better.
But, when it comes to Musk, considering the views of his father on certain matters, I am not sure if his views will change so that Tesla is considered the go-to-car for those on the left.
Listening to BBC PM today, I have listened to a representative of Israel say that “The streets of London are succumbing to Jihad” when asked about the sanctions being placed on two members of the Israeli government. This no doubt relates to London having a Muslim mayor and he is not the only one to spread lies like this.
Just a few things, I can drink alcohol in London. There is Old Compton Street where people are openly gay (attacked by The Far Right in the past) and of course there is London Fashion Week. I suspect that none of this can take place in Kabul and I don’t know how Gay Pride can take place in London if “the streets of London are succumbing to Jihad.”
If you want to listen to the words, it is eight minutes into the show. Last of all, while some call London a poo hole, this video from the USA demonstrates an issue I have never encountered in London!
My wife and I watched this last night. Our daughter has been incapacitated with a viral infection and our son changed his mind about watching it at the last moment. So we watched it together. I think that my wife liked it more than I did. This is a film I will not be watching again. I liked the way it was shot, but ultimately, if I am going to watch an art house film, I will stick to European ones which do it so much better (an example of this was seen with the series, Drops of God).
In fact, if you are not sure about watching it, save time and money and watch the trailer which has a lot of the funny bits from the film in it. But as you can see from below, others do like the film.
There has been talk of an end to the child benefit cap. Personally I would keep it, until economic conditions are better, but change the limit to three or preferably four children, or reduce the amount for the fourth child. There are many families who start working and due to a change in circumstances end up on benefits. In fact this happened with my own mother who had to leave my father when pregnant with my second brother. We had gone from a family, not on benefits with two children to a family with a single mother and later, three children.
In my job, I have encountered the odd family where they appeared to be only too happy for the state to pay for their children, but these are few. Most those who I encounter where I work who are on benefits, work with benefits supplementing low wages.
Israel cannot be trusted to tell the truth. There are two issues which out this beyond doubt. One is the murder of Israeli hostages by the IDFwho had a white flag, because it was thought they were Palestinians. If they were, the deaths would not have been investigated, because they were deemed to be terrorists. The only reason this was investigated as because they were Israeli. The other is the assassination of Palestinian paramedics, a story which was only challenged after footage if what happened was found on the corpse of one of the murdered.
I do not want to post that much about Trump, but I had to do this. Trump has tried to cancel Sesame Street, a show my brothers and I watched when younger and we have fond memories of it. Fortunately for many children across the globe, it has survived. The possible reason for this has been noted back in his first term, and I think it should be shared.
My wife has booked us a break of a few days, which started yesterday with a trip to the cinema to watch this film. I enjoyed it. However, I am not sure the kids liked it as much as my wife and I did. It made reference to Captain America: Brave New World, a film that we missed out on seeing, but is enjoyable despite that. Like The Guardian, I would rate it three out of five. Like many films, it is predictable but it is put together well. I suspect one reason that my wife and I liked it more than the children is thanks to the character The Red Guardian. That may be because it reminded me how lucky I am to have them, and considering the absence of the mother in the film, my wife as well.
Anyway, we are in a holiday cottage and are probably going to explore one of the nearby towns later today.
After watching the sequel, I had to return to this film. I was sure that this was much better than the sequel, and I was right. While The Guardian only rated this three out of five, this is a far more enjoyable film than the travesty that followed, strangely rated the same three out of five. This film had chemistry, an evil twist, a decent story with unexpected turns, the plot itself descending into areas that few films explore, which is understandable considering the areas.
While I am never going to re-watch the sequel, I might return to watching this again. I would highly recommend this, which I would give a high four out of five.
Starmer has made a speech on immigration. I have not listened to it but I have read reports about it. He is right to encourage immigrants to speak English (though it can be argued they should also speak Welsh if in Wales). But the rest of the speech, not too sure about it. The UK benefits from managed migration. The NHS is reliant on it, as is care work. Our economy benefited from immigration when we were part of the EU. Immigrants came in, worked, contributed to the economy and paid the the taxes needed for public services. Immigration has enriched the culture of the UK. It is normal for many to eat Chinese food for example. Robin Cook made a speech about Chicken Tikka Masala, a dish made in the UK, thanks to immigration. Immigration has also contributed to sports, and with Rishi Sunak, politics as well. While there are many other examples of how immigration has benefited our great nation, I will remind people that the Royal Family are descended from immigrants.
What Labour should have learned from the local elections is to broadcast what they are doing with deportations. Labour, or the Conservatives, cannot beat Farage when it comes to limiting immigration, legal or otherwise.
Arsenal who had a small chance at winning the title earlier this season are now facing the possibility that they may not even finish in second place. After an exciting season where we will have an empty trophy cabinet, that would be a kick in the teeth.
One thing that Trump has taught the world is that you cannot ignore the markets in a capitalist system. Liz Truss taught the UK that when she was (briefly) in power. We have seen what happens in nations like Venezuela (though many will blame western sanctions for that).
This is important as Labour have limited room for movement when it comes to the economy. The Conservatives ruined it and as shown in the deputy leader’s debate last year, knew that Labour would have to raise their nickel or make cuts to spending.
There have been calls for Labour to increase debt and spend, but the people calling for this forget the damage this caused when Truss wanted to increase the amount the nation owes.
I enjoy a good, and ideally, polite debate. Now that I use Bluesky more than Twitter, it can be harder to find one. But there are some topics where I disagree with others, notably my views on gender and JK Rowling.
What I do find interesting are the arguments that she is racist or that she is right wing. Yes, there have been issues with the name of Cho Chang for example, others have complained about the name of Kingsley Shacklebolt a character described as highly efficient and "gets through twice the work of the rest of them" in the series. JK Rowling defended the casting of Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger and her books included British people of colour in positive roles.
As for JK Rowling being right wing, people forget the money she gave to Labour before the defeat of 2010. In the UK the issue of gender identity is debated across the political divide. Yes, more of the right are critical, but the MP Rosie Duffield is more left wing than many of her peers, and she is someone who is considered transphobic for her views.
I was to make a post about NATO expansion and the promise not to do so, and I still will, but before I get onto that, Putin has said that Romania and Bulgaria are partly to blame for his invasion of Ukraine. This is in part linked to the issue of NATO expansion. Apparently, there was a verbal agreement made that NATO would not expand after the unification of Germany. As you can see from the video's below, there is a lot of evidence to back this up.
But after that verbal agreement was made, Russia invaded Moldova to liberate Transnistria in 1992 and the following year, invaded Georgia to liberate Abkhazia. To be fair, to Russia, violence had erupted before the two invasions, that in Abkhazia being especially brutal. The invasions did bring about peace, but they also in effect have expanded Russian territory to include areas with Russian speaking people.
So yes, Russia did think it had an agreement that NATO would not expand. Russia then caused nations to want to join NATO by invading (and still occupying) parts of Georgia and Moldova.
Am sad at our loss tonight. I had watched the highlights for the other semi-final and while I had been confident that we could beat Inter if we faced them after we had beaten Real Madrid, I was not sure after watching the thrilling match against Barcelona. But it was not to be, we were beaten, but we went down fighting.
I am just hoping that the team that rhymes with City does not pip us to second place as they are only three points behind us.
Thanks to Elon Musk, I have moved to Bluesky, mostly. I still visit Twitter, but tend to see what a few people have tweeted, including JK Rowling. As more and more people make the switch, it has left a huge number of people there who I consider toxic.
Bluesky has very few right wingers on it, most of the time, I do not encounter posts that I disagree with. But using it is a much calmer experience than Twitter. The downsides have been that I have had more issues accessing it, that there are some accounts on Twitter who have not moved over and that there are still lots more people on Twitter.
What has been interesting is to read the comments on two identical posts from Fesshole. The Bluesky one has polite responses to it, but on Twitter, the comments there are full of bile and hatred. If you are interested, click on the links to read them, and if you want, you can leave a comment on this post below.
This is a poor attempt at a comedy and a whodunnit. The plus side is that we all watched it as a family, though as you may guess, I was the one who liked it the least. The film was set in Capri. With the stunning scenery, it is a great advert for the island. Not sure how this film would have been made if it been produced in a way to appease Trump and his film tariffs, as it would require major changes to the plot.
Would I watch it again? No. Would I have been happy if I had paid to watch it in the cinema? No. I would rate this as two out of five, but I must have missed whatever it is that means that others consider this to be an average film. I suspect that the other star was given for the scenery.
I joke about how The Empire were not that bad, but we are in danger of seeing this happen in the Republic that the USA is, for now. Comparisons have been made to Bush and Episode Three of the Star Wars franchise in the past, and even with Trump in his first term. We will get more of an idea if democracy is threatened after the midterms in the USA. While freedom of speech is being nudged in the USA, repeatedly, no laws forbidding improper thought for American citizens have been passed. Yet.
Anyway, back to the enjoyable parts of Star Wars. I hope that any who have not seen this video like it.
Reform UK have done really well in the local elections. I think that they are there because they have not been challenged in the correct manner. Some arguments are valid, notably the scrapping of winter fuel payments which have driven people away from Labour. Other methods, notably calling Reform voters racist and thick, are wrong.
Labour have taken decisions that I think are wrong, another example being the rise in National Insurance which will harm the economic growth our nation needs. Labour has also alienated core supporters with some actions, such as cuts to foreign aid and the rising number of people being removed from the country. An example of how supporters are losing faith with Labour is with the recent changes to immigration. Labour have a hard time getting the publicity they need to make people aware of this, but one way to get that spotlight is to debate such matters with those who are more left wing. Doing so on channels like Novara Media will mean that more mainstream news channels might be willing to debate the issues.
In summary, Labour need to debate some issues with the left in a public forum, they need to point out the further harm Farage will cause to our great nation if he takes power and Labour needs to shout out about how things like NHS waiting lists are falling and how potholes are being repaired nationwide.
Sorry to bang on about gender again. But I have had some interesting discussions with my daughter and son over this, and there have been some recent interventions.
When watching The Last of Us with my son, he asked me about what I thought about Pedro Pascal and his view on JK Rowling. My view is that he appears to have been taken into the toxicity about what JK Rowling has not said, rather than what she has said. In February, Pascal shared the quote: “A world without trans people has never existed and never will,” on Instagram, dividing his followers. After some threatened to unfollow him, he reiterated his stance, writing: “I can’t think of anything more vile and small and pathetic than terrorising the smallest, most vulnerable community of people who want nothing from you, except the right to exist.” I have been on record saying that I do not agree with all that JK Rowling has done, notably the way she misgenders people. I suspect that she has been radicalised on this by social media and I would like to concentrate on the things she said in the past that I agree with. But while I used to defend her when people called her transphobic, I am reluctant to do so now.
My daughter and I have discussed this, but she is not keen on reading the essay that Rowling wrote five years ago. I do hope this changes, but she is to discuss this with me further.
But while the debate is often toxic, it does not have to be. David Tennant, when asked about JK Rowling spoke out in a manner which I think was quite pleasant. I wish that debate on this matter could occur in a civil manner. Others have done so.
I accept that many are to consider me to be transphobic, a label my children do not agree with. But I think it is important to summarise my current views. I say current as they have changed over time.
Just because you identify as something does not mean you are it. Rachel Dolezal identified as being black, despite having two white parents. Very few people accept the way she identifies herself as correct.
Communal changing areas should be subject to segregation based on genitalia. I have been to shops where changing areas are unisex and there was an attendant to ensure no theft took place who also would have been a witness if anything untoward happened.
A child who wishes to socially transition at school without informing their parents should be allowed to do so, but just as this applies to a teenager seeking an abortion, that child should be encouraged to involve their parents. But, that child should still use facilities based on biological sex.
