Wednesday, May 31, 2006
People losing their damn minds #16
Commenting on Tommy Sheridan's open letter to the SSP, Dave Part writes, "If I lived in Scotland, I would be a member of the Scottish Socialist Party."
Hmmm, if he lived in Scotland, he'd probably change his mind because there is no doubt that at least one of them, and probably several of them, have done gone and lost their damn minds.
First up is Sheridan himself. Now, I know we've all got a soft spot for our Tommy. He was good on the poll tax, good also on warrant sales, and he always sports a fetching tan, even at Christmas. But dammit all people, he's losing his mind.
You can't tell me he hasn't - I saw him doing it on telly last night.
On being asked why he was washing SSP undies in public, Tommy said in effect that the membership had the right to know that the leadership had lost their damn minds. Specifically he elaborated on his earlier remark about the SSP becoming a "gender-obsessed discussion group." He cited the example of the Cumnock branch of the party who were not allowed to send a delegation to the party conference because SSP rules state that these have to be 50:50 gender-balanced. Cumnock didn't have any female delegates to send.
Now, I assume this is true - in which case the SSP has obviously lost its collective damn mind.
But surely going on national TV and telling the world that the party is basically being run by a cabal of deranged harpies is in itself a bit mental? Perhaps he's working on the principle that there's no such thing as bad publicity but I've a feeling the next Scottish Parliament elections will tell a different story.
Who to believe? If Tommy has been completely honest about everything, we have it on the very best authority that the SSP has misplaced its communal marble collection - and this includes him, if he thinks having a public bun-fight is a sensible way to deal with this situation.
Yet without passing on hearsay, and certainly not wanting to pretend that I know more than I do, I think some of Tommy's starstruck groupies might want to consider the possibility that Sheridan has perhaps been a little economical with the truth? Or maybe exaggerating a little?
I don't know if he has been but surely to goodness this is at least possible and certainly more plausible than the notion that Tommy's been nobbled because half a dozen trot MSPs represented some kind of "threat to the British state"? It's a collective damn mind losing incident, I tell you.
Hmmm, if he lived in Scotland, he'd probably change his mind because there is no doubt that at least one of them, and probably several of them, have done gone and lost their damn minds.
First up is Sheridan himself. Now, I know we've all got a soft spot for our Tommy. He was good on the poll tax, good also on warrant sales, and he always sports a fetching tan, even at Christmas. But dammit all people, he's losing his mind.
You can't tell me he hasn't - I saw him doing it on telly last night.
On being asked why he was washing SSP undies in public, Tommy said in effect that the membership had the right to know that the leadership had lost their damn minds. Specifically he elaborated on his earlier remark about the SSP becoming a "gender-obsessed discussion group." He cited the example of the Cumnock branch of the party who were not allowed to send a delegation to the party conference because SSP rules state that these have to be 50:50 gender-balanced. Cumnock didn't have any female delegates to send.
Now, I assume this is true - in which case the SSP has obviously lost its collective damn mind.
But surely going on national TV and telling the world that the party is basically being run by a cabal of deranged harpies is in itself a bit mental? Perhaps he's working on the principle that there's no such thing as bad publicity but I've a feeling the next Scottish Parliament elections will tell a different story.
Who to believe? If Tommy has been completely honest about everything, we have it on the very best authority that the SSP has misplaced its communal marble collection - and this includes him, if he thinks having a public bun-fight is a sensible way to deal with this situation.
Yet without passing on hearsay, and certainly not wanting to pretend that I know more than I do, I think some of Tommy's starstruck groupies might want to consider the possibility that Sheridan has perhaps been a little economical with the truth? Or maybe exaggerating a little?
I don't know if he has been but surely to goodness this is at least possible and certainly more plausible than the notion that Tommy's been nobbled because half a dozen trot MSPs represented some kind of "threat to the British state"? It's a collective damn mind losing incident, I tell you.
Sheridan and party convener Colin Fox: Unable to agree on the damn mind losing incident.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Daily Mail in crap scandal scandal
Honestly! It calls itself a rabid right-wing scandal sheet and the best it can come up with is some lame story, replete with zoom-lens piccies, of John Prescott playing croquet.
No call-girls, cocaine, or strange sexual proclivities exposed. Nothing - not a damn thing. I mean, it's not as if we don't know our John isn't capable of better - and this is the best they could dig up? Very disappointing performance all round, if you ask me.
They claim the real scandal has to do with the fact that Mr Prescott as Deputy Prime Minister should have been "concentrating on matters of state".
I suppose if watching a bulldog trying to overcome constipation is your bag, this is the very thing you'd want John Prescott to be doing.
But frankly that's a bit odd and I think the Mail should have been rather more pleased that he wasn't "concentrating on matters of state". Weirdos.
No call-girls, cocaine, or strange sexual proclivities exposed. Nothing - not a damn thing. I mean, it's not as if we don't know our John isn't capable of better - and this is the best they could dig up? Very disappointing performance all round, if you ask me.
They claim the real scandal has to do with the fact that Mr Prescott as Deputy Prime Minister should have been "concentrating on matters of state".
I suppose if watching a bulldog trying to overcome constipation is your bag, this is the very thing you'd want John Prescott to be doing.
But frankly that's a bit odd and I think the Mail should have been rather more pleased that he wasn't "concentrating on matters of state". Weirdos.
Lecturers back boycott of Israeli academics
From the Guardian:
Sort of Cultural Revolution-lite for the decaffeinated generation, which reminds me: do you think they'll be demanding Chinese academics expiate the collective guilt of their government's crimes through the public confessional?
Neither do I.
There are two walls under construction: one across occupied lands, another across unoccupied minds.
"Britain's largest lecturers' union yesterday voted in favour of a boycott of Israeli lecturers and academic institutions who do not publicly dissociate themselves from Israel's "apartheid policies"."Collective guilt is assumed, the boycott is collective punishment. The only way you can escape this is if you pass an ideology test - and pass it publicly.
Sort of Cultural Revolution-lite for the decaffeinated generation, which reminds me: do you think they'll be demanding Chinese academics expiate the collective guilt of their government's crimes through the public confessional?
Neither do I.
There are two walls under construction: one across occupied lands, another across unoccupied minds.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Scottish Socialist Party at war
From the Scotsman:
Then I heard a few rumours myself, which are not for repeating. Nothing quite as lurid as these, I hasten to add, but I think Sheridan's rantings about a 'cabal' should be taken with a pinch of salt.
I dare say there'll be personal jealousies and ideological differences behind this as well - they are the comrades, after all, and fratricide is what the comrades do best.
But a fair proportion of the animosity towards Sheridan has to do with the fact that the anonymous "senior figures in the party" are a little miffed that he is by default drawing the party into his legal action, which they believe he can't win.
Anyway, what I was wondering was: is the SSP technically big enough to have a cabal?
"The Scottish Socialist Party descended into open warfare last night when Tommy Sheridan, the former leader, accused a "cabal" of spreading lies to discredit him.When the News of the World allegations broke originally, I wondered why Tommy's comrades weren't standing behind him in his defamation action against the paper.
Mr Sheridan sent an open letter to all SSP members claiming that senior figures in the party, including MSPs, had spread malicious rumours about him, including allegations that he was a drug dealer, that he trafficked women from eastern Europe and that he used prostitutes.
The Glasgow MSP warned that the SSP was in danger of becoming a "gender-obsessed discussion group" rather than a "class-based socialist party"."
Then I heard a few rumours myself, which are not for repeating. Nothing quite as lurid as these, I hasten to add, but I think Sheridan's rantings about a 'cabal' should be taken with a pinch of salt.
I dare say there'll be personal jealousies and ideological differences behind this as well - they are the comrades, after all, and fratricide is what the comrades do best.
But a fair proportion of the animosity towards Sheridan has to do with the fact that the anonymous "senior figures in the party" are a little miffed that he is by default drawing the party into his legal action, which they believe he can't win.
Anyway, what I was wondering was: is the SSP technically big enough to have a cabal?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)