Damn bad form.... feeling the collar of an Old Etonian on the first day of Cheltenham.
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piece on the FBI and the Murdoch empire in today's IndieJames Murdoch, former chairman of News International, which oversees the scandal-hit newspapers, stood down from the board of Sotheby's, the auctioneer, on Friday. His departure followed demands he resign over his role in the phone-hacking scandal. Critics said the scandal made him "ill-suited for service" as a company director. Mr Murdoch resigned from the GlaxoSmithKline board in January. He quit as chairman of News International last month.According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.Comment
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The things that emerge: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17416828
When I was at school, we did The Nun's Priest's Tale for O/Level Eng. Lit. Very boring, but - 'murder will out'!Comment
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All yer latest news and that from Cameron plc, the Artist Formerly Known as Great Britain -
(Rupert's not happy - The Sun : "Gran Theft Osbo" and now this......!)
Even Zac's had enough - http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...and-capitalism.....a great interview, a good man.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...ymHSyNEXiSlTUw
When is it legally acceptable to describe a Prime Minister as "so reeking of corruption, he makes Nixon look almost beautiful"?
Peter Cruddas - Quote - "Very polished rough diamond", left school at 15, son of a Smithfield market trader, multi-millionaire, lives in a tax haven, has been reported as paying lower tax than others......made his money by betting on foreign currency movements.
"I can do you a nice bit of brisket, a defender from Cote d'Ivoire, a night out with the lovely Samantha and a stake in A4E. Tell you what. I'll throw in some shares in hospital blankets and give you the horse that came in fourth in the 3.30 at Uttoxeter. How's about that then? Trust me. You won't get a better offer this side of the Caymans. Now where's that chauffeur with me Porsche?"Last edited by Guest; 25-03-12, 14:04.Comment
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i say, murdoch's been busy with his camcorder!
Even Zac's had enough
no, no, no lateralthinking1! i have to disagree completely.
zac's doing exactly what murdoch did, jockey on the back of politics, until he's in a position to gain financially from what is currently 'uk citizens' inevitable fate under capitalism'. :yawn:
remember, john major wasn't half as affable as thatch, as regards murdoch's objectives, back in the 90s, so rupert backed bliar who then won...and you know the rest.
besides, do you know who zac's old man is? if not, i suggest you find out. but evidently goldsmith senior played a similar 'rebellious' role within thatcher's late 70s/early 80s govt, of 'outsider'. zac's old man then asset stripped the remains of uk manufacturing, till there was literally absolutely nothing left, and then 'badgered awf to the jungle' in an almighty huff with the tory party, lord lucan-style. thatcher was pleased that goldsmith went into hiding, as he was an acute embarrassment, as a highly obvious predator. whereas that's her role, and she operated in secret, not blatantly. goldsmith made a complete mockery of thatcher's hollow promises, and 'encouragement' about helping 'the private sector' of course.
imv it's highly unlikely that goldsmith's offspring might be remotely normal, never mind green, or altrustic. zac's a short termist, an opportunist essentially. for starters, remember, zac's beginnings: campaigning for election to the current tory party, zac came under media scrutiny only recently: zac appeared with super dad paxo, who gave him a routine grilling over dodgy campaign funding. but typically 'dad' failed us - paxo didn't grill zac enough. zac now has the audacity to launch this 'change of course' only very shortly after a major blunder as a 'politician'.
imv, just as short sighted rightwing/ignorant punks loved zac's dad for being 'a thorn in thatcher's side', zac is perhaps going for the young cannibis grower/user vote.... ? zac's typically playing 'the green outsider' role, better than achieved in a 60s spaghetti western, when the genre had some vvvv voom. thing is, once zac joins labour, he's hoping to profit, himself, from guess what: the mass industrialisation of farming etc. whereas currently, cameron and chums clean up - and that's what zac objects to. imo zac does not give a monkeys, and nor did his dad, (who is possibly the evilist looking predator i've ever had the misfortune to see....) whereas unfortunately, superficially, zac looks quite 'attractive' in comparison. :erm:
nice 'buckin bronco' pic though lat! :ok:
(btw what exactly is a2e, as referenced in your post? is it a new name for the recently disgraced a4e ... or is this name just coincidence)?Comment
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Sir Jams Speaks!
Zak speaks!
What a fine family :erm:
Makes you ache for eugenics, innit :laugh:Comment
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nah eugenics is too subtle ... just shoot the fascist insects ...According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.Comment
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Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that interview with Jon Snow. When I wrote "a good man", I did wonder whether it was a bit too generous, I changed it and then put it back again. It probably was too generous and I do remember his father. Dreadful. He isn't wholly a chip off the old block though. Far from it.
To be fair about it, it is quite clear that he has strong sympathies with the green cause. More broadly, he has some understanding of principles, a rare thing, even if they might be set in a context of self-interest. And he does at least talk about caring capitalism.
No one is perfect. If I was trying to find Conservatives who speak in a language that seems reasonably acceptable, it's him and Rory Stewart* and then I might struggle a bit. There could be a few others. Their style is less aggressive. Rather like Macmillan, they seem more at ease with themselves and hence more able to represent the public.
I've changed A2E to A4E. Should be A & E really. DWP is a disgrace. Almost as disgraceful as Dave Cameron.
*The sooner this man becomes leader of the Conservative Party the better. -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm9xR8G76kI and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Stewart
(His twine comment was a silly mistake and taken out of context)Last edited by Guest; 25-03-12, 15:04.Comment
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fascist insects
well no, because arguably 'fascist' suggests a political affiliation calum da jazbo. just like murdoch, either generation of goldsmith might simply piggyback any mainstream political ideals, simply to further their own interests essentially. (luckily (for us), goldsmith senior is no more). as a political phenomenon, lately it certainly does feel like an insect infestation mind you.
it is quite clear that he has strong sympathies to the green cause.
well someone needs to obviously!
but i disagree lateralthinking1. zak, or anyone else, can unfortunately learn any mainstream political agenda, in a couple of evenings..... if cynical, and greedy enough. various pop stars have proven this to be 'the way forward' post nulabour. imv such 'stars' are merely securing existing audiences, having experienced the recent effects of rampant capitalism drasticly depleting their original/existing audience. this requires people who fancy themselves as cultural/pop icons to change their approach radically, or be superceded. characteristically, music markets that once worked in their favour initially, now work directly against them, as 'has beens'. (bar george michael), many icons actually said diddley squat publicly at the time of invasions? imv criticism sounds extremely hollow, opportunistic, nearly a decade on.
having watched your utube link lat, rory is clearly an impressive self publicist. imo his language is not just 'acceptable', it's terrific! much more gripping than the tedium of uk domestic policy. even if rory fails politically, he's still got his heroic books. whereas in the press dave features in really dreadful pics, him looking increasingly ridiculous. clearly, dave's image looks no better for 'the times' recent recording of dave's 'helper'. meanwhile, his 'coalition' attempts privatisation of as much as cameron can stuff in his metaphorical duffle bag. admittedly, in comparison, rory is handsome, young, heroic, has no track record, other than his 'courage' and 'worldliness' - albeit on paper.
as with the article about zak allegedly turning 'red', imv there is no earthly reason why rory could be uk pm though? what rory achieves via his autobiographical travel writing is a far cry from achieving and respecting the dignity of people in the uk.....which is what is needed, and urgently, asap, from any govt elected. (i fancy a complete outsider personally - someone that at least starts the game untainted by the current infestation of post political greed).
imo rory allegedly respecting the 'dignity' of afghan people who are 'traumatised' is just a tad confused as a credible response .... logically.
imo afghans don't give a stuff what rory thinks of them. when he talks of 'half traumatised people', he may need to check out his own backyard at home perhaps?.... having worked on an 'urban regeneration project' here, i find it immensely patronising that rory might just imagine he can duplicate the same alleged 'success' at home, and IRL. yet, perhaps judging by his rhetoric, rory's not planning on staying 'at home' much, and maybe he's a lot more like (hideous hilary) clinton, than he might care to admit.
rory says himself that our presence in the middle east is chaotic and 'unprofessional' and i agree 100%, unfortunately western unprofessionalism is now legendary worldwide. however, what might be best is if we get out, and asap. have a concerted try at :peacedove:
likewise, home and abroad, removing funding for domestic regeneration is disastrous, as it removes trained staff and a professional approach. (a4e being a domestic example coincidentally). the west being 'unprofessional' abroad is now perceived 'normal' warfare sadly.... no wonder men yearn for someone 'heroic' though eh! but as someone living here, have a guess where my priorities lye? especially as there are so many new migrant communities, including those from the middle east, now living amongst us.
my absolute bs detector counted several of rory's errors:
1. absolutely no one 'wakes up dead' ...(as rory 'reports' of british/italian? soldiers in afghanistan)? soldiers' deaths are not something to be embroidered upon, serving rory's objectives?
2. when rory was allegedly in kosova, he'd presumably only just have joined the army.... at -18 yrs, (i did the math)! so, i'd take any supposedly serious judgement, regarding that part of the world with a huge sack of salt. was that late 90s invasion REALLY any 'more professional', or 'less chaotic' as rory states...? i doubt it somehow, though there was no oil to 'muddy the waters' as regards reasons for western intervention admittedly!
it might be easier to convince afghanies of fake 'indonesian origins' than it would be explaining to eg mrs duffy, why her neighbourhood is on fire. or, why 8 people are now dead, because of one chaotic person gone mad.....as happened in france last week. (yet it'was neatly passed off as 'racism' by president sarkoozy). :erm:
however, i can see that rory's books might make for an engaging read....so am not knocking him on that level....but the same fiction is unlikely to serve rory when competing with other admittedly less attractive, less heroic torys ultimately. .................even stinky dave.
besides who's rory's dad exactly? i can see i shall have to get googletastic again, as rory is unlikely to tell us, anymore than 'the guardian' mentions who zak's dad was! :sadface:
(ps I've changed A2E to A4E. Should be A & E really.
well yes lat, i get the gist. but what was it about a4e, if anything.... is there any new news? i wish murdoch would get his camcorder out at a recent a4e board meeting tbh. (fat chance of that though, but in 'the good old days', ni staff may have enjoyed snapping their knickers under the boardroom table). :steam: not that this would stop a4e bullying millions of jobless youngsters, or making off with uk tax payers money.Comment
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dave's sporty response to 'the times' film.Comment
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Should we assume that Rupe is either thoroughly cheesed off about NI's troubles in UK and Leveson in particular or is it a bit more complex than that and Rupe wants to show that he's not all palsy-walsy with his mate Dave?
Dave looks thoroughly cheesed off, which has cheered me up no end :biggrin:Comment
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hf - I take it that's a no to RS then. I think he is somewhere between normal and geek. Ed M is somewhere between normal and geek. I have recently concluded that Britain needs this. It needs to be somewhere between normal and geek. Fast.
There is also depth. Frightening depth. See the following which also gives details about his mother and father. Well, you did ask. Note no sharp suits. No wallpaper. No talking down the nose. No greasy palms. No Northern Irish aristocracy prancing about in Cheshire. No meat markets. No casinos. No sneaks with golden locks. No media tycoons with temporary amnesia. No horse. No cocaine snorting in Bristol. No bankers. No f words. No petulance. No thuggery. And yes he may be MI6 but what the heck.
So here's that early history. It's not bad. Reminds me of mine actually though obviously he's still got a way to go. :laugh:
His father, Brian Stewart, one of a long line of self-sufficient Scottish Highlanders, fought on the beaches of Normandy before becoming deeply involved in counterinsurgency operations against guerrillas fighting the British colonial government of what is now Malaysia. He worked as a diplomat and learned seven Asian languages and dialects. Rory's mother, Sally, an economist and academic, once crossed the Hindu Kush herself, driving a jeep from London to Malaysia for a teaching position at the University of Malay. Rory grew up partly in Malaysia after being born in Hong Kong in 1973. When he and his father weren't ambling into the rain forest to build makeshift rafts and float down jungle streams, they were traveling with Sally to Dayak villages in Borneo to visit friends and stay in longhouses.
Rory's parents steeped him in the classics early on. At six he recited "Horatius," an epic poem by Thomas Macaulay about the one-eyed Roman hero who single-handedly turned back the invading Etruscans at the Pons Sublicius. Stewart had memorized the entire poem, all 560 lines, a feat that hinted at Holmesian mental capacities. Never intimidated by adults, he chatted up his parents' friends and charmed them with poetry. "He was a very grown-up little boy, in a very intellectual family," says his half sister, Annie, 20 years his elder. "It was a life of museums, embassies, lectures, universities. From the age of five his life has been one big intellectual conversation with adults. He didn't just talk. He listened."
During father-son boxing and fencing lessons, pint-size Rory soaked up Brian's toughness and the old-fashioned values of self-discipline, fortitude, and hard work. And while the family is not landed gentry (they do own an 80-acre [32-hectare] estate in the Scottish Highlands, named "Broich," with gardens, forests, cattle, and a Georgian country house that Rory describes as "not small," even though he pokes fun at his standing with the old George Orwell joke, "We're decidedly lower-upper-middle class"), his father imparted the values of noblesse oblige: honor, service, stewardship of the land, and helping the less privileged.
By the time Stewart entered Eton, England's most exclusive secondary school—where the portraits of 19 alumni prime ministers line the walls—he had already read all of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. By 14 he'd knocked out T.S. Eliot, memorizing his epic masterpiece, The Waste Land, and by 16 he was headlong into Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. Most of this reached well beyond the curriculum. "He's one of the most remarkable boys I've taught," says Sir Eric Anderson, now Eton's provost, whose former pupil list includes Prince Charles and Tony Blair. "He had a huge fund of knowledge. He would linger after religion class and ask me about the Hittites—who they were, where they lived—even though he probably knew more about the Hittites than I did." Stewart was invited to join Eton's prestigious Essay Society, where he wrote and delivered his paper on the "warrior hero," having been highly influenced by both Thomas Carlyle's 1841 lecture series, On Heroes and Hero-Worship, and by Joseph Campbell's writings on myth.
At Eton, Stewart's skills at schmoozing and ingratiating himself to the heaviest hitters in any given room came into clear focus. Once when Anderson invited the school's top students to dine with Prince Charles, Stewart so charmed the monarch that he wound up becoming the tutor to his sons, William and Harry, for a summer at Balmoral, the royal retreat in Scotland.Last edited by Guest; 25-03-12, 18:40.Comment
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hey lat, rory's mum's book:
Media Training 101 is an in-depth guide to handling the news media, written by a seasoned journalist and public relations professional. A former USA Today reporter and consultant to major companies, Sally Stewart leads you through every step in developing a communications blueprint and a strategic public relations plan to support it. She shows you how to communicate effectively with the media in any given circumstance and how to control the way your company is portrayed in the media. Each chapter includes vignettes, anecdotes, and real-life case studies that help you know what to expect.
Media Training 101 offers proven advice on topics such as gaining control during a crisis, following the rules for interviews, and capitalizing on a story once it's out. It explains the fundamentals of good public relations, such as devoting enough time and effort to manage your company's image and relying on facts in a crisis rather than spin, which often appears suspicious. You'll learn to craft a core message that will resonate with the public.
Media Training 101 shows you how to employ proven strategies for communicating your core message effectively, without sounding too rehearsed. You'll learn how to:
* Answer tough questions on the fly
* Assess media opportunities
* Avoid traps that lead to negative coverage
* Present yourself to the press
* Refine your company's presentation materials and pitching style
You'll also discover what journalists consider newsworthy and how they operate. This information will enable you to develop realistic expectations for media coverage. Ultimately, Media Training 101 teaches you how to work with the press. This is invaluable information for all professionals and business owners.
she could do with advising dave and rupert?
dad, brian stewart, seems to be a cbc journalist (canadian public service, equivalent to beeb) .... so how often do they actually get to the scottish highlands, as busy internationalists, media orientated top bods? how come rory didn't mention this aspect of his family in your link above?Comment
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Oh. How about the fact that he was originally with Labour and also this Crocodile Dundee "ish" point:
"People also began to notice in him a certain across-the-board fearlessness, based largely in curiosity. One time, after a late-night incident with a champagne bottle, Stewart's friends rushed him to the emergency room for eight stitches in his badly gashed hand. "Afterward he told us that he requested no anesthetic, for historical purposes," says his friend Andrew Greenstock. "He said he wanted to see what it felt like. The nurse tells him, 'Oh, so we want it that way do we, Rambo?' And then he described for us what it felt like, the needle and thread going through the skin and muscle."
Actually, you are right. Yet another toff, too much of an ex party animal and rather pushy parents. Cheers. There's no one then.Last edited by Guest; 25-03-12, 23:10.Comment
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......How about Charlotte and Jonathan? :laugh:
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