Sad Bastard Lives

When all's said and done, it's a pretty sad thing to do, keeping a blog. For a start, you don't have to be any good at writing to become popular and widely read and quoted. You just have to post alot, which leads a lot of shite people thinking they are the absolute dog's bollocks. The apotheosis of this phenomena is, of course, to be found across the pond, where bloggers have such a high regard for themselves, they fondly imagine they can make a difference in the real world. The really scary thing is that they are right.

Over here, things haven't reached such a pass yet. Being noticed by the Guardian doesn't count, and the only blogger to make any sort of impact on planet normal is a probably fictional whore. There are, however, some Brit bloggers whose life in blogland seems to be the only thing in their sad bastard lives of any worth and who seem to think that any of it matters. All the regular commenters and some of the contributors at Harry's Place fall into this category, as does the most boring man in Britain, aka Oliver Kamm. (It could be argued that Kamm has reached a level of influence akin to his American cousins in that he has actually notched up real world publication, but I find it hard to believe anyone other than residents of Bloggo Bloggo land would ever read him, so I will dismiss this line.)

The Kid Cuthbertson once nearly fell into this category, but of late he seems to have disovered real life. It may be too early to tell if he has realised blogging is just a slightly more cerebal form of the most popular online pastime of all, (what? Oh, sorry, this is the internet, I have to spell it out for the lowest common denominator - wanking at the computer) but his mates over at Biased BBC certainly haven't.

I would go on about this at some length, but I actually have a life.

Pots and Kettles

It has been evident for some time that Harry's Place has been taken over, Dr Who style, by aliens that seem a bit like real human beings, but which can't hold it together for very long without giving themselves away.

The latest display of a complete and utter inability to take on board what real people might think about them, is this fine post.

War Bores, Harry? This from the site that gives us a daily diet of Stopper Soporifics and George Bores? Ho fucking ho.

Fantastic

Forget the election. Did you see the latest episode of Dr Who? Fantastic.

Some Coverage of the Election - Not Many Interested

My posting on the issue of the general election is, I think you'll agree, an accurate reflection of the interest it is generating in the real world. I might be mixing with the wrong set, of course, there could be millions of people lapping up every last minute of the coverage and getting all hot under the collar about Iraq, liars, asylum seekers and such, but I doubt it.

It's probably a mixture of the inexorable rise of the Couldn't Give a Shit Party, the strong showing of the None of the Above candidates, coupled with the feeling that the result is a foregone conclusion anyway that has led to the even greater than anticipated level of voter apathy. Whether this will translate into the lowest ever turnout remains to be seen - the desperate depths that the Tory campaign has plummeted might stir up a few votes for them and will probably send many Labour waverers back into the fold.

As for me, my vote is one of those that hardly matters. My Labour MP is highly unlikely to be unseated, so CGAS and NOTA are as attractive as ever. I'll probably go Lib Dem, purely because their local campaigning has been first class and I once vaguely knew the candidate who struck me as an impressive individual.

And if that seems to you to be parochial, small minded and a waste of our precious democratic heritage, you're probably right.

Foolish Stuff 2

The Labour Party April Fool was, of course, this: Labour Pledges Affordable Homes For All

Foolish Stuff

Like The Prof and Backward Dave, (links on the sidebar) I got 8 out of 9 in the April Fool Story Quiz. I was quite surprised, really, 'cos I regularly have to check the date when I'm reading news stories. Typically, I can't think of an example right now, but next time I come across one, I'll post it. I'm confident it will be at least as barmy as the spaghetti tree, if not as elegant as the Republic of San Seriffe.

I think I heard someone say there might be an election soon, although you'd never know it.

And apparently some Tory bloke got chucked out for telling the truth while racist joke teller Anne Winterton is going to be a candidate.

I will think long and hard in the ten minutes before the polls close as to where to put my cross. Of course, the none of the above option is always a contender for a bloke who was described by SWP friends (actually International Socialist friends) as an existential nihilist, whatever that meant back in the seventies. Tactical voting against Labour would mean a vote for the Lib Dems, which, although I've done it before, always seems such a waste. And besides, I'm not really sure if I want to vote against Labour.

Fuck it, I can see no other option than to actually follow the campaign. (And to actually split infinitives as well.) What a bore.

And I was Trying to be Normal, for Fuck's Sake

Hat tip to the Prof. His link's on the sidebar.

You gotta love this pie.

Segregation, Segregation, Segregation

It's been said elsewhere, but I'm going to weigh in anyway, if only 'cos I thought it as soon as I heard the story yesterday and I'm not going to let terminal laziness stop me from making my point.

It's about those Afro-Carribbean boys who Trevor Phillips thinks should be taught away from their peers.

Now let me get this straight. The problem is: the attitude that learning is uncool is particularly strong among Afro-Carribbean boys and is harming their educational achievements. Well, I can go along with that, if the people who know say so. So, to combat this phenomenon, according to Trevor Phillips we must take all these boys out of the various classes they find themselves in, where there is a mix of attitudes to learning, and hothouse them together where peer pressure can really get to work.

Yep, that'll fix it.