bob's ramblings

The Independent Group's statement of values is mostly a pile of centrist mush that very few people could disagree with, apart from the very first bit under "we believe", where they dog-whistle racists with stuff about how the first duty of government - the first duty, mark you - is to do whatever it takes to secure our borders against all those nasty immigrants. I would have thought the first duty of government is to look after its citizens, or maybe uphold the rule of law. There's also the wishy-washy (at best) commitment to international co-operation, including no mention whatsoever of remaining in the EU, which given how the group was formed seems... odd.

Whatever they are, they really, really aren't liberals.

I guess they're filling a gap in the market, which is fine, fair play to them. Sadly, the gap in the market they are filling is centre-left authoritarian, and the reason that is a gap that exists, and my party isn't already filling it, is because authoritarianism is the antithesis of Liberalism; no matter how much noise Our Glorious Leader makes about us being centrists and a movement for moderates, the first thing we are is Liberal. Or so I thought.

It was with dismay, then, this morning that I saw not only all our MPs, and the press office, and a bunch of leaders of council groups, falling over themselves to praise this new grouping, but also a lot of people whose opinions I had hitherto valued and trusted. Huge swathes of my party sucking up to these people like they're the best thing since sliced bread.

They're so brave and principled, they said.

A bunch of people not forming a political party but hiding behind a company so they don't have to reveal their funding are brave and principled.
A bunch of people who let that company be in the sole name of an MP who voted against same sex marriage and who is associated with gay cure "charities" are brave and principled.

Is it any wonder that people call us spineless?
Is it any wonder that people think we don't actually have any principles?
Is it any wonder people think we'll do anything for power when here we are giving these seven people a tongue-bath the likes of which the world has never seen?

We didn't even wait five minutes. We were straight in the with "ooooo you're so wonderful and brave and principled".

Well, sorry folks, but I think this emperor is stark bollock naked, and I'm genuinely disgusted at you all for not only refusing to say so, but for admiring the finery of his clothes.

I have actually completed a meme! For the last 20 days I have been posting a contextless, commentless picture from a movie once per day on twitter. The constraints were that the films had to mean something to you, and that you could only post a pic, no comment.

But you all knew I wouldn't be able to resist verbiage in the end, didn't you? So here is the list of films, the pictures I chose, and why I chose them.


1, 12 Angry Men (1957)



This is actually a live broadcast television play-for-today type thing that was turned into a stage play, and then a film, rather than a film per se, and there's a bunch of versions of it that are worth seeing, but this is the canonical one for me. So tightly directed, so beautifully acted, especially by Jack Klugman (yes, Quincey). And because it's a teleplay adaptation you get that constraint in the number of sets and locations that just increases the claustrophobia.

I love the lighting, too. There's something about 50s black and white films, and the way they lit them... At the time colour was seen as garish and for fantastic movies; black and white was for realism and grit. So there are some beautiful noirish touches in the lighting on this which amplify the mood.

( there's another 19 under here, so I'm going to cut to save your scrolling fingers, oh my f-list )

To be honest, I could have gone on for a lot longer than 20 days. Although those films all definitely mean something to me, it's not a list of my favourite films by any stretch. Only one musical? Whither Singin' In the Rain'? No Gremlins II: the New Batch? No Wrath of Khan? No Rocky Horror? No Flash Gordon? No Galaxy Quest? No Alan Rickman or Sheila Keith or Karl Urban? No Kubrick? No Rope or Rear Window or Psycho or Rebecca - no Hitchcock at all? etc. etc. But I expect you're probably glad I stopped when I did.

( cut for the squeamish )

But here is a benefit of polyamory: matgb offered to get me a glass of milk in between doing other stuff. After a bit I realise he has forgotten. magister comes up to say goodnight and I am pathetic at him till he goes to get me a glass of milk. Then we say goodnight and he goes to bed. Ten minutes later Mat comes upstairs with a glass of milk "OMG I'm sorry I totally forgot!"

I might be in huge amounts of pain, but I am a happy little milk addict.