I just had to sit through a whole bloody tennis match to find out about the new Dr Who.
I remember watching the first transformation, from William Hartnell to Patrick Troughton, with my sister when I was 8. The transformation itself was the most technically amazing thing then seen on TV, and I remember distinctly our deciding we liked Troughton a lot more, with his cheery trews and little flute. People forget that Hartnell’s Dr Who was himself part of what was scarey about the original series, a rather more alien character than subsequent doctors.
Anyway there are probably few people alive who have watched more Dr Who than I have over 50 years. (There, that’s an unexpected confession about my private life). And I cannot see any problem at all with a female appearing doctor. It is an alien life form, for goodness sake. If it can travel through time, regenerate and always speak English despite being from Gallifrey, it can appear in different humanoid sexual roles.
What Dr Who requires is an excellent character actor, full stop. And the series has been astonishingly, if not uniformly, well served.
But there will only ever be one Tom Baker.
http://www.dontmakemethink.co.uk/paul/pcshite.mp3
Yet again I must beg to disagree, NuWho has been shite since the third series. As for the new Who, it should have been Paul Calf.
That is all.
Pauline surely.
She’d keep turning up outside Lord Patrick of Swayze’s bedroom….
I get quite tired of the ideas that everyone is replaceable, and serious study sucks.
I have a friend, Garry, who can tell you just about everything there is to know about Dr Who and James Bond films. He’s great to have on your pub quiz team. I know virtually nothing about that shit. 😀
John,
Just to test your friend, Gary’s knowledge about James Bond.
Q. When the James Bond film, ‘Dr. No.’ was filmed:-
i) In the scene where Sean Connery is underwater hiding while being pursued – in what country was this filmed?; and
ii) What is the name of the fresh water river in which the scene was shot?
To help – Connery is breathing through a reed while he is hiding submerged.
Bet: I will buy Garry a book of his choice if he wins; if he loses – he buys me a book.
Deal?
I remember being terrified by a William Hartnell episode on the mid 60s in which the aliens had curved antler like goats heads with big cloaks. Had nightmares for months. Anyone recollect what they were called?
This page might help:
http://www.radiotimes.com/doctor-who-episode-guide-first-doctor-william-hartnell
@PhilE it was the Voords, from a little known story called the Keys of Marinus, I believe all the tapes of this were destroyed in the appalling act of short-sighted vandalism by some bureaucrat who thought the BBC needed more shelf space.
I think it was in another episode of that story where they visited a planet populated by anthropomorphic insects. The bees people were the good guys, they were at war with ant people, in a city made basically from curtains. And the ant people were bloody scary too!
Actually, The Keys of Marinus wasn’t wiped and has been available on DVD for some years. The anthropomorphic insects you describe weren’t in an episode of that story but the focus of a completely different Hartnell story called The Web Planet, which – surprise, surprise, considering how many stories were trashed – is also available to buy.
Craig
I totally agree, the gender of the actor is not important, the quality of the actor is and the quality of the story lines. Sadly, in my opinion, Steven Moffat has pretty much ruined all the good work of Russell T Davies and I have always felt sorry for Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi having to put up with some very very poor stories, nonsensical stories and poor execution, and I put that down to Moffat. Hopefully once he has gone after the Christmas Ep it will go from strength to strength. I caught the end of Pertwee and he was good, as was Baker, it went downhill from there until Eccleston. Jenna Coleman was poor and the story arc shockingly bad apart from the occasional episode. Catherine Tate being the best companion for a long long time.
It’s a sad state of affairs that The Moff is more reviled than RTD, when everyone was desperate for RTD to piss off. I gave up because of the poverty of ambition in NuWho. It reminded me of all the other COMbbc revivals like Horizon, which were hideous Blue Peter-esque travesties of what I remembered from the 70s. Moff seemed merely to be a better exponent of the same mediocre model than RTD which is why I gave up. From what I gather here, the Moff has failed worse.
I welcome the idea of a female Dr Who, I simply hope someone in script writting has the presence of mind to upgrade the tardis with a “parking assist” feature.
Plus 100 upticks from a woman driver! I don’t park – I abandon…
I am sure the script team already have a sheaf of notes on avoidance material.
Pink I think should be a colour to be avoided, just think of the outrage in the Daily Wail when the Neu Doktor tries out a pink Sonic Screwdriver (and, of course, can’t get it to work)
Plenty of parking and reversing gags to be avoided too, although the hidden gag of course is that the TARDIS is femaile and is subject to slight navigation errors herself.
Does this mean we have an intelligent woman with a really dumb spotty male sidekick who doesn’t speak and spends all the time in his bedroom?
I look forward to seeing how the story arc evolves
As “space” within the TARDIS is unlimited, I expect there will be plenty of room for the new Doctor’s shoes.
Well, it looks like Chancellor Phil Hammond has thrown his hat into the ring to be the next PM of these dis-united islands. I say that thinking that, Hammond wanted to appear tough and uncompromising, to those hardliners in the Tory party by claiming public sector workers are overpaid.
Press reports claim that there are at least five source’s on Hammond’s comment.
As usual, instead of focusing on the day job (a note to Rennie, Davidson and Dugdale) once again the Tories have made it all about themselves and their advancement up the greasy pole of self entitlement.
I read it as hard Brexiters briefing against Hammond as he seemed to having been setting himself up as someone those who desperately want a soft (read business friendly) Brexit could rally round.
This seemed fair to me (apologies if someone’s already linked to it.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBoBhUFlpEE
The gutter press compete.
Sun and Mail Online ‘irresponsible’ for publishing nude Jodie Whittaker pictures
Publications criticised after featuring stills of the actor in previous roles alongside articles on first female Doctor
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jul/17/sun-and-mail-online-irresponsible-for-publishing-nude-new-doctor-pictures-jodie-whittaker
This is terrible, Ahem, dreadful – I’ll just check to see if it’s as goo.. er… I mean bad as it looks.
Apologies for being off topic but is this disgusting, or what? I love the bit about “Discount for Kids”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/israeli-shooting-range-tourists-shoot-down-targets-palestinians-keffiyeh-west-bank-idf-terror
That link isn’t complete, and isn’t found. Try this –
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/israeli-shooting-range-tourists-shoot-down-targets-palestinians-keffiyeh-west-bank-idf-terror-attack-a7844866.html
Scarred by the future! The new Dr Who amazes me! Anyway, let’s see how it works!
Bizarrely, on a day when the French newspaper Le Monde was reporting a “Major crisis between Macron and the army”, the “most shared” story on the paper’s website this morning was the BBC announcement of a female Dr. Who!
Happens all the time. I remember the day when the most read story was the casting of the new Bionic Woman, and that one didn’t even last.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/512817/World/Europe/French-army-boss-Macron-appear-side-by-side-amid-tensions
Brilliant article in Pink News today about how the new female Doctor Who, if she were living in today’s Tory Britain, would be discriminated against and still considered legally male because she has not bought a Gender Recognition Certificate off them:
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/07/17/doctor-who-we-regret-to-inform-you-that-you-are-still-legally-a-man/
I’m more Star Trek era, late DR Who (as a kid) . But I have issues with TV, Yes you can learn a lot & have a lot of fun but it often becomes just watching the TV & not focusing on something your really into.
I wouden’t get a tv again with the net, hollywood sucks now anyway. But maybe too much tv watching did enhance strapping on a backpack and walklng among the Himalayas, I can’t remember anything so life affirming. …Don’t think I’m being patronising, I was and still can be absorbed as others but locally people don’t know there alive, life liv’d through tv. & then you have all the developing spine related issue. Naa, It’s a big awesome world out there. Clearly the best locally & how do we know who we are?
What if we are acutely some inter-dimensional consciousness inhabiting different bodies? How would we know we are not? Can’t even prove we exist.
I don’t like the actor focus, very American. Like how Tolkien didn’t know how to react when fame/celebrity hit (but then he was very victorian). The work should stand for itself, alone. …..Ok maybe if you considering the art of an actor, but it does bug me everyone has to point to his or her favourite actor.
Same with star trek, friend never did get over the change to the next generation. …This is not exploration it’s a comfort blanket.
I heard about china’s transporting photons to space, What happened to Trump in space? I think he would benefit from that kinda focus. Give him perspective on his walls.
The only intension I see from the whole american elite edifice is being the biggest bastard on the block. When a new renaissance is needed. And where would they be without the rest of the world. Speech from the english, slaves from Africa. land from natives. ..Naa,, it’s global now, were gong to have to initiate things not localised & culturally isolated, like women as dr was but on a whole other plane. (maybe to the level of speech or writing, comprehension)
To me it can be imagined as looking into the infinite, you can’t quite take in whats right in front of you, or complete mystery at the heart. Such is life, and growth just happens. New day new Dr.
I imagine I sound insane to some, and smile, those “grounded” (totally ungrounded imo) in conception “self” the “physical” & “spirit”(if your lucky) will always go stale because you can’t seprate these things, & like their body can no longer efficiently heal themselves, so connection to life is lost. Imagination isn’t rocket science (though led to it)… just look, who cannot be awstruck at life.
Reminds me of many people particularly in the west, unsettled, fidgety, can’t stay still. Just the people obsessed with “normal” behaviour, locked in situations, guilt, *sigh* it’ll take me a good lota work to stand back myself now. To think fresh thoughts, or allow them to arrive, as they do. I won’t put myself in a rationalised historical context. An idea I always resisted from my main art teacher (lovely guy). Clearly all creativity comes from something but the European tradition is bound up in a branded narrative, how could anyone paint a Turner over and over & really think, Yea, this is great compared to the last one. At least bowie covered some ground.
I now appreciate Madonna as a serious artist of a stature nobody can get close out of the US, whats going on.
…I don’t think we’ve yet clarified the forms, futures are hard to think about now, Again one really needs space, security, some level of certainty, but maybe for a greater renaissance (or one that fits this day and age) a situation that doesn’t stand still to regard itself is more fitting.
Sustaining Malleable Global Constructivist manifesto.
I must get back to…”prayer”, a word I hesitate to use being situated in christian & it’s “counterpart” faith, clearly taken from much earlier shaman practice. The tao that can be named- …or dr. …And what do they do? Try to name it. …*sigh* priest’s, weak and tame minds with power to resist energy.
I’m just re-visiting Brutalist Architecture. Inspired though American Trans girl links over web.
Very wise of Craig to change the subject from the last post to this light-hearted theme. I can’t find a link to the political cartoon Erdogan hated, featuring his mouth and the entrance to hell. ” Abandon Hope All ye Who Enter Here” His friends in high places do seem to have eradicated it from the web. Turkey is the most beautiful country, full of beautiful Muslim people. Inshallah Erdogan will be soon cast into Jahannam.
https://latuffcartoons.wordpress.com/tag/turkey/
Thank you Node.
Erdogan’s extreme brutality is the nasty side of the Muslim Brotherhood which presents itself to the West in polite , liberal, suited form. Worryingly the only Kurdish mosques being founded in the UK are from the Muslim Brotherhood and its hidden agenda of fomenting conflict. Once again the UK hosts extremism that would not be accepted in Kurdistan itself. The crusaders always exploit the divisions of its enemy Islam.
What do we have for entertainment?
Cops kicking gypsies on the pavement and liberal human rights activists providing free advertising for the BBC. That would be the same BBC that as acted as a cheerleader and purveyor of fake news to support every insane bombing campaign too numerous to list. The same BBC that provided a lifetime of shelter to Jimmy Savile.
The BBC is a corrupt and rotting organization. It is a festering sore that disfigures the face of humanity. The only hope is to destroy the BBC and the easiest way to destroy a media organization is to starve them of the oxygen of publicity. No blood needs to be spilled, no laws need passing, nothing at all really (so should appeal to the bone idle British). It is sufficient to simply ignore them and ignore them in all of their guises, and then they will go away.
The BBC may well have deficiencies but what do you think of SKY etc, and the independent TV offerings?
Do you think these companies are LESS biased? I am not an apologist for the BBC but it is like everything-you have to view it with a sceptical and informed perspective. There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that the BBC acts as a propaganda vehicle and that clever people are embedded within it, orchestrating a particular shading of news and attitudes, but I doubt if it is worse or better anywhere else.
Quality/entertainment wise, apart from one or two offerings from C4 , there is not much apart from the BBC. That of course does not excuse such travesties as the popularity of Jimmy Savile. He was a majorly effective, manipulative individual who conned , for a considerable time, a very large percentage of the population and, yes some people should have been more alert, and yes the BBC has a particular responsibility in this matter but isn’t hindsight just great? i vbet you didn’t give Jimmy Savile a second glance of disapproval, when he was in his popular phase, despite the facts that were then already in the public domain. He made no secret that he was disturbed, highly sexualised and a disgusting licentious creep. If you look back at his writings , or his recordings there are clear signs. The curiosity is why so many people at the time were so casual about it.
There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that the BBC acts as a propaganda vehicle and that clever people are embedded within it, orchestrating a particular shading of news and attitudes, but I doubt if it is worse or better anywhere else.
I have to agree with you. BBC bias is all the more effective because it is trusted more (whoever came up with the nickname ‘Auntie’ must have got a bonus) and all the more galling because we (the licence payers) pay for it, but would we be better off without it? The fact that Murdoch tries so hard to destroy it suggests the answer.
Controlling commercial MSM merely requires money – something the PTB are not short of. Controlling the BBC is more tricky – people in key positions have to be constantly appointed/ monitored /coerced, and it can be undone with a change of government.
For the time being the BBC is under the control of the PTB, but it must be a bit like herding cats. Let’s not make it easier for them by removing this thorn in their side.
The BBC is a wholly mendacious and nefarious organization. The fact that it has so many apologists speaks volumes for its powers of soft coercion.
You claim Jimmy Savile “conned, for a considerable period of time a very large percentage of the population.” This is not true it was the BBC that conned for a considerable period of time a very large percentage of the population.
Here is John Lydon speaking in 1978 about Savile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjy8oLVOvi4
Why was this not news and way this not investigated in 1978? The answer is because the BBC did not want to make it news and did not want any form of investigation. How easy it was to smear Lydon as an ignorant or dangerous self publicist who lacked the etiquette of his social betters.
Fast forward to today and you can find the BBC running numerous negative pieces against against anyone they do not like. People like Putin for example. Here is the BBC humiliating itself in this regard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8IUZ03Xqtc
But the BBC don’t care about self humiliation – they care only that they are doing their masters bidding of moving the world closer to nuclear war. So you have an organization more or less dedicated to the end of the human species and an audience that urges people to pay attention to the quality of its entertainment output and who wish to wallow in nostalgia for long forgotten programs. You really could not make this stuff up. For God’s sake wake up.
O/T During the last two weeks homeless beggars have been given exclusion orders by Norfolk police as there is not much other crimes to be dealt with. Norfolk has a proud history of employing large numbers of police to rave events somewhere in the forests or fens, whilst looking on when toffs drive home drunk from prestige events in Norfolk.
Now they seem to have started their own gentrification of Norwich campaign as one can’t see any political guidance behind this drive against those who have been fooled by PiP’s and Universal benefit and are in need of food.
The people’s picnic feeds the homeless twice or three times/week and their work has been questioned by City Halls public employees, they had H&S rules thrown at them and in Gt. Yarmouth the soup kitchen got attacked by a gang of youth marauding the seaside town on their BMX’s.
The question has to be asked, is Norfolk for retiring Tories only? what will happen next? Will the homeless be given one way tickets to……..?
One could blame the Tory county council and the expensive police and crime commissioner who on his first day targeted graffiti over and above real crimes. Or one could blame an ancient Labour administration at City Hall, always out looking for ‘work’.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/police-defend-response-to-incident-at-street-soup-kitchen-in-norwich-following-criticism-from-people-s-picnic-1-5110193
One time SPAD Dominic Cummings has said of our shining Brexit knight (you know the guy who’s going to get us a good deal) David Davis.
“manufactured exactly to specification as the perfect stooge for Heywood: thick as mince, lazy as a toad and vain as Narcissus”.
Cummings who was a SPAD for Gove, added that Davis spent most of his time boozing with Farage.
http://www.thenational.scot/news/15416681.Vote_Leave_campaign_boss__David_Davis_is_thick_as_mince__lazy_as_a_toad_and_vain_as_Narcissus/?ref=mrb&lp=3
Brexit will be a disaster for these already fracutured islands. On the upside though, it could and hopefully will lead to a independent Scotland.
Upwardly mobile!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Cummings
As an avid supporter of the EU could you let me know what you consider to be the appropriate number of Austrian armored vehicles to be deployed to the Italian border? Do you think that the Austrians have the number just about right, or should they reinforce their position or maybe you think that they have over committed their military forces.
If Scotland were an independent (sic) member of the EU would you advocate that Scotland take the side of the Italians or the Austrians, or do you think that Scotland may act a honest broker to defuse tensions?
I am sure all people thinking of voting for independence would be keen to know the answers to these questions. People in favor of the EU may not be so keen as they appear to be a modern form of cargo cultists.
Looney.
I’m on Italy’s side, I haven’t read the full story but I take it’s about immigrants. Italy has been swamped by immigrants, and the EU needs to do much more to house and intergrate them.
I’d suggest re-channeling funds that are meant to meet the Nato budget, I think it’s 2% use those funds to create temporary housing for the immigrants, at least that would be a start. Though Europe cannot take a infinite amount of immigrants/refugees, and too a certain degree I can understand why Austria is attempting to stop a infux of refugees/immigrants.
I should add that Europe and the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel are guilty of causing the multi-million exodus of people from the ME and North Africa, due to their warring actions over the years.
As for Scotland, we genuinely need immigrants to come, live and work in Scotland due to our aging population.
However immigrantion is a reserved matter, and those bastards, at the Home Office have been turning down and evicting hard working immigrants in Scotland for decades.
The idea is to keep Scotland small and manageable. Independence is a must for Scotland, Holyrood needs all the levers of power to govern effectively.
Also Scotland is the only country to discover oil/gas, and be worse off for it.
Austria is not in NATO – apparently they are not allowed as a consequence of their historical use of tanks and armor.
So, if the NATO budget is to be used to fund housing for immigrants then you can count Austria out.
Anyone with the legal right to live in England could, if they wished, relocate to Scotland. Last time I checked England did not have a population shortage.
If you think Scotland is in a bad way, despite its oil and gas reserves, then maybe you should consider a vacation to Venezuela. They have a lot more oil than Scotland and a lot more problems.
“then maybe you should consider a vacation to Venezuela. They have a lot more oil than Scotland and a lot more problems.”
Loony.
Surely you’re not buying into the Venezuela BS, the Great Satan, is currently destablising Venezuela, as it has done to just about every other South American nation.
As for Scotland being in a bad way, it will remain so, until independence is gained.
I forgot add Loony that Austria’s non-membership of Nato, isn’t that straightforward.
http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2013/Partnerships-NATO-2013/NATOs-neutral-European-partners/EN/index.htm
If I’d been a spad for Gove, I wouldn’t go around boasting about it…piano player in a whorehouse has much more cachet.
So much for Corbyn’s Labour standing up for the less fortunate in society.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/these-are-the-184-labour-mps-who-didn-t-vote-against-the-tories-welfare-bill-10404831.html
Huh? This is from July 2015, before Corbyn was even elected leader.
It states that he was one of 48 Labour MPs that voted against the bill. I imagine that if you took the 184 who abstained, and compared them with the 172 who voted no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn, you would find a close correlation. Likewise the 48 who voted against, and those who comprised Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet after all the resignations. J
Thanks John for pointing out my error, that’s what you get when you dont check out properly links by other commentors, on other blogs, and post them without looking at them in more detail. ?
A group of 60 prominent Scottish public figures – many of them unionists – have signed an open letter calling for a halt to Brexit and warning of how negative it will be for Scotland.
In reply the Tories had Adam Tomkins MSP say that 80% of MPs still support Brexit. In saying that he completely ignores the fact that anti-Brexit Scottish MPs outnumber the pro-Brexit ones by two to one.
What does Scotland have to do to get even a measure of democracy?
Be in control of our own democracy. That’s what.
reel guid.
Adam Tomkins, is a nasty piece of work. ?
AirWars has now reported that more civilians have died under airstrikes under Donald Trump than during the entirety of the Obama administration.
Good work WikiLeakers!
You were able to both end the Refugee sanctuary efforts and Ramp up the casualties like never before.
The figures are only for Iraq and Syria and the operations in Mosul and Raqqa started under Obama and would have continued in exactly the same manner under Clinton or an extra year of Obama.
Unlikely that Obama would have negotiated a “cease-fire” with Russia, so I disagree- I do not think things would have played out the same, nor do I think the numbers of casualties would be this high. I think you’re just making excuses.
Bob Apposite
http://www.voltairenet.org/article197144.html
” Over the last seven years, several billion dollars’ worth of armament has been illegally introduced into Syria – a fact which in itself is enough to disprove the myth according to which this war is a democratic revolution. Numerous documents attest to the fact that the traffic was organised by General David Petraeus, first of all in public, via the CIA, of which he was the director, then privately, via the financial company KKR with the aid of certain senior civil servants. Thus the conflict, which was initially an imperialist operation by the United States and the United Kingdom, became a private capitalist operation, while in Washington, the authority of the White House was challenged by the deep state.
The Hebrew state, which pretended to be neutral during the whole of the Syrian conflict, nonetheless bombed the Syrian Arab Army on many occasions. Each time Tel-Aviv recognised the facts, it pretended that it had destroyed the arms destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah. In reality, all these operations, with perhaps a single exception, were coordinated with the jihadists. So today we learn that Tel-Aviv supervised the deliveries of arms to these same jihadists, so that although Israël limited itself to the use of its air force to support them, it did in fact play a central rôle in the war.
According to the international conventions, the falsification of certificates of final delivery, and the supply of weapons to mercenary groups who overthrow legitimate governments, or destroy recognised states, are considered to be international crimes.”
Well done WikiLeaks for what they didn’t mention.
There’s not a single citation for any claim you posted.
My mistake, I didn’t see the content below.
While interesting, I’m not really sure what the point of that article is.
I mean, it’s no secret that the U.S. is a large weapons manufacturer/distributor or that we have an interest and involvement in the Syrian conflict.
That article just assumes the interest is “imperialist”.
I’m not convinced it is.
The Iraq War felt imperialist.
Syria feels strategic.
Maybe those distinctions don’t matter to you guys – but as an American, I have to withhold judgement on something strategic when I don’t know what the game is or what’s at stake.
I can’t really evaluate it if I don’t know what’s at stake.
I do know – that unlike the Iraq War, those selling it weren’t implying Americans could just take the oil.
Now THAT’s imperialist, for sure.
Bob,
“Imperialist” or “strategic” – so:-
1. Saddam wanted to sell Iraqi oil in Euros – once the sanctions regime was completed – and Colin Powell, Tony Blair and Bush Jr. lied and invaded the country, and made an imperialist disaster( continuing to this day) just to commander the oil and ensure that sales would remain in US dollars.
2. The US wants to block any shift from the ‘dollar standard’ and Syria is indeed strategic for Russia and China relative to an oil pipeline through Syria and a steady shift away from US dollar dominance; and, by way of imperialist strategy the US wants to block and/or stall that process so the CIA funds ISIS ( along with other ME partners) and has helped prolong the war in Syria and sustain a humanitarian crisis.
Just look at the long history of US interventions – Philippines and the political machinations across Latin America and elsewhere. Are you seriously trying to argue that the US is not an imperialist power? Really?
All major countries are imperialist.
Get real.
Take a History course sometime.
Or, you know, just open your eyes.
Empires abound.
It’s the rule, not the exception.
” we have an interest ”
All countries have interests, but the US claims its interests are exceptional. Trump won an election on the slogan “They hate us”. It’s not a PR problem. The US rogue state has to be prevented by war. They won’t stop until somebody hits them.
“2. The US wants to block any shift from the ‘dollar standard’ and Syria is indeed strategic for Russia and China relative to an oil pipeline through Syria and a steady shift away from US dollar dominance; and, by way of imperialist strategy the US wants to block and/or stall that process so the CIA funds ISIS ( along with other ME partners) and has helped prolong the war in Syria and sustain a humanitarian crisis.”
This (dollar standard conspiracy theory) sounds highly unlikely to me.
Ah Bob – do you know which way is up or are you just pretending?
There is no US$ standard conspiracy theory. There is only $ standard fact. Helpfully all of the facts are written into the historical record and are disputed by no-one.
The 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement set the agenda for the post war economic model of the west. Everyone agreed that the US$ would act as world reserve currency and that the US would back the $ with gold. On August 15th 1971 Nixon closed the Gold Window meaning that the US$ was now backed by nothing.
In 1974 the US reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia whereby Saudi agreed to sell its oil only in US$’s and the US agreed to deploy its military to defend the House of Saud. This gave birth the the petrodollar whereby the US$ became backed by a combination of Saudi oil and the US military. Why do you think that the US defense budget is about 37% of total global spending on defense?
Saddam Hussein decided that he wanted to sell oil in exchange for euros. He was overthrown and Iraq was destroyed.
Libya sought to develop a pan African currency backed by gold. Ghadaffi was overthrown and Libya was destroyed.
Putin is the devil and so Russia must be punished. Consequently sanctions were imposed on Russia and Russia was disconnected from the SWIFT system. Russia responded by signing a range of bi-lateral trade deals cutting out the US$.
Everyone hates Russia and everyone hates Iran – but together these 2 countries account for over 50$ of global gas reserves. What happens if these evil entities ever wise up and decide not to sell Europeans gas either for any price or for no price at all in US$’s?
Answer the gig is up. So the only other significant player in the gas business is Qatar. They would have a problem exporting sea borne cargoes if the Iranians decided to attack the Straits of Hormuz. A way around this is to build a pipeline – but the Syrians wont play ball. Syria is not Russia and so you can bomb Syria to your hearts content and nothing much will happen to the good denizens of Des Moines.
You can make a few derisory attempts to destabilize Russia via supporting Nazi’s in the Ukraine – but Russian missiles are locked on and hey who knows maybe the Russians really are as crazy as we have been making out.
Much more successful has been the “idiocracy” project to totally destroy the cognitive functions of the average American. Most Americans don’t like Russians and are in favor of supporting Ukrainian Nazi’s. We know this because of opinion polls (although the opinion polls tend not to mention the Nazi part of the deal). We also know that, when shown a map of the world, roughly 2% of US citizens identify the Ukraine as being located in Kansas.
If there is to be no exercise of international legislation against NATO aggression, or even General Betrayus as a private citizen, there’ll have to be a declaration of war eventually by all countries that are currently being prevented from Imperial expansion by international legislation if that legislation has been disposed of by USUKIS, There cannot be a vacuum of power if USUKIS are no longer willing to uphold international law.
Betrayus declares that there will be no WW3 precisely because he is a politician and therefore a liar.
War is the only logical conclusion to USUKIS tearing up the rules.
History is in the making. Thanks to the interference of the US and NATO countries together with the overthrow of the legitimate government to establish a puppet state in Kiev ruled by Poroshenko a new federal state has been born. It is called Malorossiya (meaning Little Russia). Good for them.
https://dninews.com/article/official-declaration-malorossiyan-federation-full-text-07182017
Dr who?
Dr David Kelly, 14 years today, the 14th anniversary of when his body was found.
There is nothing in all the series of the TV Sci Fi Drama that matches the strangeness of the state cover up.
RiP Dai
Very true Peter. And here is Dr Stephen Frost’s analysis on behalf of the doctors who called for an inquest as t why there should be one.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/07_01_11davidkelly1.pdf
Stephen and the “Doctors” made a very good case. A more simple way to look at the refusal to investigate properly is that the Law requires it.
By Law;
A Coroner needs to rule on the Cause of Death , if it can be determined. (this has yet to be done)
A Coroner needs to rule on the Place of Death, if it can be determined. (this has yet to be done)
A Coroner needs to rule on the Time of Death, if it can be determined. (this has yet to be done)
A Coroner needs to inform the Registrar on his / her findings. (this has yet to be done)
A Suicide needs to be proved to the highest standard of proof, Beyond Reasonable Doubt. (this has yet to be done). Hutton in a subservient role to a Coroner proved nothing to any standard of proof. No second opinion, no evidence on oath, no cross examination.
A Suicide verdict has to be accompanied by proof of intent. (this has yet to be done). The Evidence that Hutton accepted as proof of Intent was Kelly had removed his spectacles and watch. This in itself would not convince a Coroner, if only for the fact that there is no evidence that Kelly removed these items. The last time I removed my spectacles and watch, as per the few thousand times I have done it before, I thankfully did not commit suicide.
And by Law neither did Kelly.
Hope all is well John.
Peter
Doctor Who has now had more female leaders than the Labour Party. ?
The Labour Party has had more transformations than Doctor Who though.
Its beginning to dawn to all leavers, even in the minds of those who supported this Government out of politeness, out of a sense for continuity, that they never was a plan, that they pretended to have a paddle and that there is no boat, they are swimming in woolly speedos.
David Davis and his ‘a few hours per day only’ team has no papers to show and they have no intentions to even sit there and talk.
If you were as much of a Whovian as you claim Craig you will know that the Dr doesn’t actually speak English. The Tardis’ translation field allows him and the companions to understand other languages and be understood by the speakers of other languages.
Which doctor Who, not on holiday, in Turkey, just leaked those ten secret bases in Syria?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/turkey-leaks-secret-locations-of-us-troops-in-syria
Do you agree with Steve Bannon, Trump’s former campaign manager, and Vladimir Putin that Hiillary is is a “fucking dytke fucker”?
Wings Over Scotland uses the news about how much the BBC pays it’s best known presenters to remind us of how little money is sent Scotland’s way by the Corporation. Gary Lineker gets an annual salary that is considerably more than the measly £1.13 million the BBC pays the SPFL for Scottish football highlights. The English Premiership receives £68 million a year from the state broadcaster. Yet Scots provide the BBC with about 10% of the licence fee revenue. No wonder Scottish football has become a backwater after being one of the most vibrant small leagues of Europe in previous decades.
The BBC actually had more Scottish political coverage in the years before devolution than it does now. Scotland has by far the worst broadcasting provision of any European country and even has worse than virtually all regions in European countries.
This is no coincidence. The British establishment resented the setting up of Scottish devolution in 1999 which they had battled so hard to prevent. For a while they tolerated it since a Labour/Lib Dem coalition was in power at Holyrood. The SNP rise and the subsequent narrow win for the union in the independence referendum has made the London elite put the drive on to downgrade Scotland in every way possible until we have no fight left and meekly accept a backwater status.
The Tories plan to keep all returned Brussels powers in Westminster even though many are designated as devolved matters and belong in Edinburgh if they are not controlled by the EU. This combined with the Pavlovian conditioning of getting Scots used to having our democratic choice ignored – as with 62% of Scots voting to stay in the EU – shows the way Westminster is thinking. The starving of funds for Scottish programming and the deliberate refusal to return Scots own licence fee money into Scottish football. The steady reduction of the Holyrood budget to try to force by piecemeal the privatisation of the Scottish Health Service. Many more examples could be put forward.
Scotland either gets a proper democratic independence referendum – free of British state manipulation, unlike the first one – or those of us who are not conditioned Uncle Jocks have to make Scotland practically ungovernable for any UK government. To the extent that it becomes much more disagreeable for Westminster to keep Scotland in the UK than it is to stand clear and see Scotland leave.
reel guid.
I caught a snippet of your topic on the radio, I thought I heard them say that Chris Evans was the highest paid on the BBC’s star book, I might be wrong.
They added that somebody Winkleman, was on half a million quid a year. I wonder if she’s or he’s is a member of the DUP. ?
I think we all know in Scotland who the BBC’s agenda serves, what’s most galling is that we’re paying them a extortion fee, oops, I meant licence fee to be propagandised by them.
Ros
That’ll be Claudia Winkleman. Co-host of Strictly Come Jigging. Actually I don’t mind her. She’s quite witty. I don’t mind Lineker or what he earns as such. I do mind the BBC grossly shortchanging Scotland and helping to ruin our culture, our political discourse and our football league. As I said though the BBC aspect is only part of a wider concerted effort to get us to accept the status of a backwater region in the new post-Brexit quasi fascist UK state. We will not.
reel guid.
The sign above the BBC’s HQ in Glasgow reads BBC Scotland, it should read, BBC “in” Scotland
Only independence will see Scots take control of the content over broadcasting. Even Catalonia has devolved tv and radio channels.
Broadcasting is just one of many matters that Scotland needs control of to flourish, indy is the future.
The sign should read ‘BBC Doing In Scotland’.
Back in the days of a Tory Scottish Secretary such as George Younger who – despite being a Tory – would stand up for Scotland at least to some extent, BBC Scotland likewise would try to provide Scotland with meaningful cultural broadcasting. That is, culture in the widest sense of the term.
Now we have David Mundell, a pathetic puppet who watches English Tories trash Scotland and says precisely nothing. We have a BBC Scotland that actively tried to control the Scottish results of the recent Westminster election by criminally ignoring Westminster issues in TV debates.
Scots didn’t xenophobically opt for leaving the EU as England stupidly did. Loyalty to a supposedly democratic state set up is misplaced if that state completely ignores the democratic wishes of citizens.
In the days of George Younger the UK state, although treating Scotland very badly, did not cross the line to render democracy null and void. We are now in the situation whereby the British state has crossed that line and trashed Scottish democracy. The UK state has no moral viability in Scotland any more and should be treated as such, not complained to that we want fair shares. That is just sneered at and gets nowhere.
An independence referendum with proper international supervision that includes monitoring of broadcasting. If we don’t get it, civil disobedience.
Peter Capaldi was paid between £200k-£250k for his Dr Who performances.
BBC pay: Chris Evans tops list of best-paid stars
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40653383
________
Scottish Questions in the HoC this morning. They preceded a confrontational PMQs between Jeremy and Treeza. Later a Labour MP referred to her as ‘the interim Prime Minister’.
Scotland
Barnett Formula: Public Sector Pay Cap
Jobcentre Closures
Public Sector Pay Cap
Leaving the EU: Fishing Policy
Jobcentres: Glasgow
Agreement with the DUP: Funding for Scotland
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2017-07-19/debates/5C1BD8D4-7C36-47AD-9DEA-64BFE255FACE/BarnettFormulaPublicSectorPayCap
________
The Welsh and Scottish governments have formally objected to the £1bn DUP deal.
DUP £1bn deal: ‘Fair share’ call by Wales and Scotland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-40654571
Thanks for those links Sharp Ears, good comment. ?
As long as Scotland decides to stay in the union then it’ll be calls for fair shares. Which will be ignored nineteen times out of twenty and only partially addressed the other once out of twenty. We didn’t vote for Brexit. But we’re being forced to go along. That is a democratic outrage. The consequences of which will be the trashing of Scotland, lost opportunities, stunted lives. In a country that is the most endowed with resources of just about any small nation.
A second independence referendum under proper international supervision this time. If we don’t get one then Ghandi and Pankhurst style civil disobedience on a grand scale is called for until we get one. The SNP can bob up and down at Westminster if they want to but it don’t amount to much.
Rather than pulling up the pay of female BBC interrogators and news creators to earn the same as their male equivalent earns, they should have pulled the mens earning down to the level that is paid to women, cause this wage carousel will keep on spinning for these self employed privileged not so public servants.
That Laura Kuensberg is allowed to spin her Tory dreams for all to hear and to get paid for this innuendo and clap trap is beyond me, that woman is a liar.
So now we have evidence that the BBC, through its pay policies, is an active participant in driving ever increasing wealth inequality between both rich and poor and male and female.
Contrast the actions of the BBC with its incessant narrative of social justice and its full spectrum bleating hypocrisy.
Now ask why a self avowed human rights activist would be writing a nostalgia soaked review of a fictional TV character instead of calling out these liars and charlatans for the unending mendacity they seek to ram down the throats of the entire population.
As you choke on their lies try to remember that you are being forced to pay for your own intellectual and moral humiliation.
It seems to me grossly unfair that anybody is paid more than me of either or any gender. BBC news tonight consisted not only of the statutory dead dog and horse that married its owner, but a great deal of anti-me tripe. It’s not hard to earn more than me but I’m not sure why it’s news.
SNP the laughing stock again, Ian Blackford thought Hinkley Point was privately funded. Embarrassing.
Certainly is, Fred – you should be made to work harder for your daily SNPBad story! ?
All governments are, quite rightly, criticised. The SNP are the only ones to whinge about it. Anyone tries to hold them to account and their Blackshirts immediately start playing the victim and bleating “SNPBAAAD” over and over as loudly as they can. Get it into your head that the SNP MPs are not deities, they are politicians just the same as every other political party they just have more than their fair share of muppets who got elected on the votes of flag waving cult members.
Our MPs should know their facts before they open their mouths in the House of Commons, the tax payers fork out enough on researchers for them.
The SNP MPs should also not be berating the Westminster government for not doing something the Scottish government has the power to do in Scotland but doesn’t. Since 2016 the Scotland Act has given Scotland the power to top up existing benefits and to create new ones so they have the power to reverse Conservative changes to women’s pensions in Scotland. Why are they not doing that instead of sending Blackford to make a fool of himself at Westminster?
Fred it cant ALL be snp fault.. The fault lines – Better Ect The VOW Ect Europe Ect FUCKING OIL ECT Renewable’s..Fish Faming..Space
So what about the investment banker Ian Bankford? Can he do no wrong as well. Just pin on the yellow rosette and anyone criticises him just hears howls of “SNPBAAD”. Other MPs who get paid vast sums of money for little or no work from private companies get criticised but SNP MPs are all pure and innocent.
I agreed with you, Fred, while making reference to your obsession… and your response reconfirmed my perception of what’s in your head. The SNP can answer criticism for themselves – not a member, so not well placed to defend them.
“Financing of the project is still to be finalised, but the construction costs will be paid for by the mainly state-owned EDF of France and state-owned CGN of China.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinkley_Point_C_nuclear_power_station
Blackford it seems wasn’t entirely wrong.
He said Theresa May could find the money to fund Hinkley Point when she wanted to, he was entirely wrong.
Well she did find one and half billion quid to bribe the DUP. Who’s to say she couldn’t take a few more branches from the magic money tree at Westminster.
Let face it no one really knows what this tragically unpredictable government will do next.
O
Fred. Reminds me of another famous Doctor:
Stockjobber: a low wretch who gets money by buying and selling shares.
Female Dr Who.
Budget cuts or enlightened thinking?
Yesterday’s list would suggest the former.