tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post5299611696260702794..comments2024-03-29T13:20:36.750+00:00Comments on Penny Red: Comic-book politicians and the Goddamned BatmanPenny Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677315565893516941noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-45004333038397609882019-10-25T15:53:31.520+01:002019-10-25T15:53:31.520+01:00Do you like comic books? I think you will like thi...Do you like comic books? I think you will like this <a href="https://college-homework-help.org/blog/apa-style" rel="nofollow">https://college-homework-help.org/blog/apa-style</a> page. Check it out!Jim Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16023517845481550389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-24305024892879000522008-08-05T18:13:00.000+01:002008-08-05T18:13:00.000+01:00Heath Ledger was fit as :)Heath Ledger was fit as :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-76720045809177860382008-07-31T09:58:00.000+01:002008-07-31T09:58:00.000+01:00Anon - this is the thing about batman. He embodies...Anon - this is the thing about batman. He embodies a world where the rich, in general, are assumed to be basically good people who can save the poor from themselves. He's walking entitlement, and part of that entitlement involves the right to spy on people and infringe civil liberties when you think it's in others' 'best interests'.<BR/><BR/>The joker? I thought he was a very well-played, uncomplicated mad terrorist of the type Western governments would have us believe exists. In reality, terrorists don't just 'want to watch the world burn'. Most of them are desperate and are under the impression that they have sound political reasons for what they're doing. Now THAT'S scary.<BR/><BR/>Apart from which, Heath Ledger was HAWT, in a.... dead.... clown.... kinda way.Penny Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07677315565893516941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-29079631367116565242008-07-31T00:39:00.000+01:002008-07-31T00:39:00.000+01:00I'll have to admit, I'm not entirely sure on what ...I'll have to admit, I'm not entirely sure on what you mean, being I'm not from England and such. But I will say that there were a couple of things I found from Batman to be questionable. The spying on Gotham which was almost a slight justification of the US government spying on the people.<BR/><BR/>Thing is, our world has no joker. I think that the joker was far more interesting a character and found him to be preferable to batman. Sure, he was a killer, but he HAD reasons for what he did.<BR/><BR/>If it weren't for the joker, he wouldn't have united people for a common good. The ferry scene for example.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-71913626148406939552008-07-29T20:02:00.000+01:002008-07-29T20:02:00.000+01:00'I'm sorry, Penny, but this is the attitude that's...'I'm sorry, Penny, but this is the attitude that's given us ten years of the most right-wing and authoritarian government in living memory. Look past the name: the "Labour" is just branding these days'<BR/><BR/>FYI, the most right-wing and authoritarian government in livign memory has been Thatcher's. Period. I have seen 'Taking Liberties' and I know what New Labour has done. I keep checks on this on the blog. See my post on 42 days. I'm not trying to deny that.<BR/><BR/>But sorry, I don't think it's a good enough reason to vote Tory simply because they might be better. The Tories in government were far, far worse and, unlike Labour, they don't have a clutch of hardline leftist backbenchers to stop them doing exactly what they want to do, all the time.<BR/><BR/>Cameron has made no policy statements whatsoever. Cameron wants you to believe that if you leave it to him things will be alright, but just look at London. Look at what's happened in London, already, with benefits being cut for the very poorest. I'm sorry, but however bad this government has been it's the Fabian Society compared to the last few Tory cabinets.Penny Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07677315565893516941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-62172936559285836072008-07-29T18:10:00.000+01:002008-07-29T18:10:00.000+01:00You know that Thatcher herself said that Blair did...You know that Thatcher herself said that Blair did things she wouldn't have even tried because she wouldn't have got away with them?<BR/><BR/><I>And labour give a hell of a lot more of a shit about civil liberties than the tories do.</I><BR/><BR/>I'm sorry, but you're wrong on this one. The Tories' record on civil liberties is far from great (the first few Criminal Justice bills spring to mind), but Labour gave us the Regulation of Investigatory Powers act, the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Acts, the various Terrorism Acts, the rest of the Criminal Justice Acts, and the Identity Cards Act, to name but a few. The Terrorism Acts, in particular, have been a disaster, and are constantly used to harass and intimidate peaceful protesters, while having essentially no effect on our ability to fight terrorism. For a good primer on this stuff, I strongly recommend <A HREF="http://www.noliberties.com/index.htm" REL="nofollow">Taking Liberties</A>.<BR/><BR/>I don't think this because I'm a white boy who went to Eton and Oxford: I think this because (in a small way) I'm a civil liberties activist, and I've read some of the relevant legislation.<BR/><BR/>The Tories (and the Lib Dems, and the Greens) have spoken out against most of the abovementioned Acts. Perhaps you missed David Davies' recent resignation and re-election? That was all about his opposition to Labour's assault on civil liberties.<BR/><BR/><I>They wouldn't have given us Sure Start. They wouldn't have focussed so massively on child poverty and lifted two million kids out of deprivation.</I><BR/><BR/>You're changing the subject. These are good things to have done, sure, and I applaud Labour for doing them (if they indeed have - knowing the way they usually abuse statistics, I'd want to check the figures carefully before saying anything firm).<BR/><BR/><I>They wouldn't have made renewable energy such a priority.</I><BR/><BR/>I'm sorry, but [citation needed]. Googling, the first result that showed up was <A HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/23/renewableenergy.energy" REL="nofollow">this</A>, an article from last year about their plans to abandon their (none-too-impressive) renewable energy targets. Overall, Labour's environmental record is pretty negative - think airport expansion for an example.<BR/><BR/><I>A tory is a tory is a tory.</I><BR/><BR/>I'm sorry, Penny, but this is the attitude that's given us ten years of the most right-wing and authoritarian government in living memory. Look past the name: the "Labour" is just branding these days.<BR/><BR/>Cameron has yet to be tested: we won't know whether he's all mouth and no trousers until after (as seems likely) he wins the next election. And yes, he's been short on specific promises. But I'm prepared to risk the devil I don't know compared to the ones I do.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07136909835648629963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-7799336241426496782008-07-29T17:26:00.000+01:002008-07-29T17:26:00.000+01:00That assumes, though, that the Tories have differe...That assumes, though, that the Tories have different policies New Labour's high-competition, market-led business strategy. They don't. They've never even claimed to.<BR/><BR/>And labour give a hell of a lot more of a shit about civil liberties than the tories do. The tories wouldn't, for example, have just given us the Equality and Human Rights department. They wouldn't have given us Sure Start. They wouldn't have focussed so massively on child poverty and lifted two million kids out of deprivation. They wouldn't have made renewable energy such a priority. They wouldn't have doubled spending on the NHS. Labour isn't perfect, but it does fail somewhat in talking up its own successes.<BR/><BR/>A tory is a tory is a tory. And they do not care about the poor, the opressed and the uneducated. As a white Eton boy with a first from Oxford, I can understand how they might care a bit more about people like you. But don't kid yourself that the toffs care. What the toffs care about is power, and that's all.Penny Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07677315565893516941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343658614010405479.post-74539913240949448922008-07-28T16:42:00.000+01:002008-07-28T16:42:00.000+01:00We believed we were safe somewhere between neuroti...<I>We believed we were safe somewhere between neurotic mother Blair and daddy Brown, dour and puritan and firmly in charge of the purse-strings. But now mum and dad have proved themselves petty, human and fallible, what are the kids of 1997 going to do? Who can we turn to? We need a hero!</I><BR/><BR/>Dunno about you, but I want a Prime Minister who gives a shit about civil liberties and the environment, and who doesn't mortgage our descendants' fortunes for generations in the name of some ill-formed notion of market supremacy. If said Prime Minister is a toff, so be it: they're not my favourite species (and I've known plenty), but there are worse things. Such as the current shower, for instance.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07136909835648629963noreply@blogger.com