Stop voting for fucking Tories

[dpedin]

It's been a few days since some of our more prickly Caledonian colleagues have had a rant, so here's some fuel for the fire.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/ ... the-menace

It was, according to Scotland’s foremost comic book creator, “madness”.

Mark Millar, the writer of Kick-Ass, Jupiter’s Legacy and Ultimate X-Men, was reacting to a new billboard advertisement from the UK government, which could be seen as suggesting the timeless mischief-maker Dennis the Menace was created in London.

“Dennis the Menace was created in 1951 by Edinburgh cartoonist for the Beano, published every week by Dundee’s DC Thomson,” Millar wrote on Tuesday morning on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s as Scottish as Sir Sean.”

Of course, they meant the world-famous animated TV show, filmed in London, and not the barely known comic book written and printed in Dundee. Of course they did.

More happily, I've discovered through that article that there is a Professor of Comic Studies at Dundee.

Silly SNP sod accuses the tories of cultural appropriation, so everyone looks a bit daft and parochial.

I grew up in Dundee. The cartoonists at DC Thomsons used to do a dirty/rude photocopied version of the Browns/Oor Wullie/Dennis the Menace every week and it would circulate around the pubs on a Friday night. They were hilarious but stopped as soon as someone senior at DC Thomsons saw one when out for a pint and threatened anyone involved with the sack! Dandy and Beano had huge circulations in 50s, 60's, 70's etc exceeding 2 million a week each.

[inactionman]

It's been a few days since some of our more prickly Caledonian colleagues have had a rant, so here's some fuel for the fire.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/ ... the-menace

It was, according to Scotland’s foremost comic book creator, “madness”.

Mark Millar, the writer of Kick-Ass, Jupiter’s Legacy and Ultimate X-Men, was reacting to a new billboard advertisement from the UK government, which could be seen as suggesting the timeless mischief-maker Dennis the Menace was created in London.

“Dennis the Menace was created in 1951 by Edinburgh cartoonist for the Beano, published every week by Dundee’s DC Thomson,” Millar wrote on Tuesday morning on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s as Scottish as Sir Sean.”

Of course, they meant the world-famous animated TV show, filmed in London, and not the barely known comic book written and printed in Dundee. Of course they did.

More happily, I've discovered through that article that there is a Professor of Comic Studies at Dundee.

Silly SNP sod accuses the tories of cultural appropriation, so everyone looks a bit daft and parochial.

I grew up in Dundee. The cartoonists at DC Thomsons used to do a dirty/rude photocopied version of the Browns/Oor Wullie/Dennis the Menace every week and it would circulate around the pubs on a Friday night. They were hilarious but stopped as soon as someone senior at DC Thomsons saw one when out for a pint and threatened anyone involved with the sack! Dandy and Beano had huge circulations in 50s, 60's, 70's etc exceeding 2 million a week each.

They're an institution, if it wasn't Roy of the Rovers when we were kids it was the beano.

The statues of Oor Wullie are fecking creepy though

[dpedin]

It's been a few days since some of our more prickly Caledonian colleagues have had a rant, so here's some fuel for the fire.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/ ... the-menace



Of course, they meant the world-famous animated TV show, filmed in London, and not the barely known comic book written and printed in Dundee. Of course they did.

More happily, I've discovered through that article that there is a Professor of Comic Studies at Dundee.

Silly SNP sod accuses the tories of cultural appropriation, so everyone looks a bit daft and parochial.

I grew up in Dundee. The cartoonists at DC Thomsons used to do a dirty/rude photocopied version of the Browns/Oor Wullie/Dennis the Menace every week and it would circulate around the pubs on a Friday night. They were hilarious but stopped as soon as someone senior at DC Thomsons saw one when out for a pint and threatened anyone involved with the sack! Dandy and Beano had huge circulations in 50s, 60's, 70's etc exceeding 2 million a week each.

They're an institution, if it wasn't Roy of the Rovers when we were kids it was the beano.

The statues of Oor Wullie are fecking creepy though

My Mums family was literally just like the Broons in real life! My Granny and Grandad with 4 daughters and 2 sons all grew up in a three room tenement flat (posh as it had an inside loo) just like the Broons, off Cleppington Road in Dundee. My Great Grandad or Granpaw, who lived to 104, lived further down the road in Lochee. When I was young I read the Broons and it was just like reading what my mums family life was actually like, even the 'Dundonian' accent/words were identical. I also had a mate at primary school who was spitting image of Oor Wullie and who got up to exactly the same high jinks - I think every school in Dundee had an Oor Wullie!. It was just what kids did in those days.

In all seriousness, The Broons and Oor Wullie really are a very accurate snapshot of Dundee post war life. My mum used to say that the writer of both, R D Low, grew up just down the road from her parents and his family, like hers, all worked in the jute mills, hence the authenticity of the lives he portrayed.

When I moved to south west side of Edinburgh to study I got the piss ripped right out of me for all my Dundonian words/phrases - circles (roundabouts), cundies (drains), 'ben the hoose' (next room/next door), pehs (pies), skiffy (clue), fleg (frighten), braw (good), etc. Took me a while to lose the accent.

[Slick]

I read a brilliant book once on the history of comics. Fucked if I can remember what it was but Dundee played a big role. Government should have asked Historic UK who RD Low was and what he created

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Dundee-Comics/

It's now quite a significant centre for video games.

It used to be the highlight of my Christmas when I was a kid growing up down south, getting The Broons and Oor Wullie annuals. It used to amuse me that when I gave it to friends for a read they would just look at it blankly.

[dpedin]

I read a brilliant book once on the history of comics. Fucked if I can remember what it was but Dundee played a big role. Government should have asked Historic UK who RD Low was and what he created

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Dundee-Comics/

It's now quite a significant centre for video games.

It used to be the highlight of my Christmas when I was a kid growing up down south, getting The Broons and Oor Wullie annuals. It used to amuse me that when I gave it to friends for a read they would just look at it blankly.

Sorry being a boring old fart now! Gaming industry also grew because Timex in Dundee made the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and more of them left the factory out of the back door than the front. Everyone in Dundee had a knocked off Sinclair Spectrum, me and my brother had one each! As a result Dundee, for a period in the 80's, had one of the highest rate of computers per capita in the world!

[David in Gwent]

Stop Voting For Fucking Labour in Wales:

I've started a thread within a thread;

It's a complete shit show here. As I sit on the M4 every morning it struck me that the amount of people leaving Wales to work in England every morning is staggering

[ASMO]

I read a brilliant book once on the history of comics. Fucked if I can remember what it was but Dundee played a big role. Government should have asked Historic UK who RD Low was and what he created

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Dundee-Comics/

It's now quite a significant centre for video games.

It used to be the highlight of my Christmas when I was a kid growing up down south, getting The Broons and Oor Wullie annuals. It used to amuse me that when I gave it to friends for a read they would just look at it blankly.

Sorry being a boring old fart now! Gaming industry also grew because Timex in Dundee made the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and more of them left the factory out of the back door than the front. Everyone in Dundee had a knocked off Sinclair Spectrum, me and my brother had one each! As a result Dundee, for a period in the 80's, had one of the highest rate of computers per capita in the world!

I do believe Grand Theft Auto was originally developed in Dundee before subsequent versions moved to Edinburgh. Rockstar North Limited (formerly DMA Design Limited) was a Dundee based company.

[I like neeps]

Stop Voting For Fucking Labour in Wales:

I've started a thread within a thread;

It's a complete shit show here. As I sit on the M4 every morning it struck me that the amount of people leaving Wales to work in England every morning is staggering

If you work in England maybe move to England? Problem solved.

[inactionman]

It's now quite a significant centre for video games.

It used to be the highlight of my Christmas when I was a kid growing up down south, getting The Broons and Oor Wullie annuals. It used to amuse me that when I gave it to friends for a read they would just look at it blankly.

Sorry being a boring old fart now! Gaming industry also grew because Timex in Dundee made the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and more of them left the factory out of the back door than the front. Everyone in Dundee had a knocked off Sinclair Spectrum, me and my brother had one each! As a result Dundee, for a period in the 80's, had one of the highest rate of computers per capita in the world!

I do believe Grand Theft Auto was originally developed in Dundee before subsequent versions moved to Edinburgh. Rockstar North Limited (formerly DMA Design Limited) was a Dundee based company.

That's my understanding too - a very strong heritage.

I think the Rockstar North offices are by Holyrood/Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh now, I'm not knocking Dundee (the renovations to the waterfront and docks are very tidy, including the V&A) but that looks a very nice place to work.

[sturginho]

Stop Voting For Fucking Labour in Wales:

I've started a thread within a thread;

It's a complete shit show here. As I sit on the M4 every morning it struck me that the amount of people leaving Wales to work in England every morning is staggering

If you work in England maybe move to England? Problem solved.

We're full

[Tichtheid]

When I moved to south west side of Edinburgh to study I got the piss ripped right out of me for all my Dundonian words/phrases - circles (roundabouts), cundies (drains), 'ben the hoose' (next room/next door), pehs (pies), skiffy (clue), fleg (frighten), braw (good), etc. Took me a while to lose the accent.

Scots words were belted or otherwise punished out of us at school, often by humiliation at the hands of the teachers.

The Cringe is one of the most powerful tools when you are trying to homogenise accents and languages, it's same in the regions of England, Scousers and Brummies are looked down upon as accents

[Biffer]

Sorry being a boring old fart now! Gaming industry also grew because Timex in Dundee made the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and more of them left the factory out of the back door than the front. Everyone in Dundee had a knocked off Sinclair Spectrum, me and my brother had one each! As a result Dundee, for a period in the 80's, had one of the highest rate of computers per capita in the world!

I do believe Grand Theft Auto was originally developed in Dundee before subsequent versions moved to Edinburgh. Rockstar North Limited (formerly DMA Design Limited) was a Dundee based company.

That's my understanding too - a very strong heritage.

I think the Rockstar North offices are by Holyrood/Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh now, I'm not knocking Dundee (the renovations to the waterfront and docks are very tidy, including the V&A) but that looks a very nice place to work.

Also Lemmings and the console versions of Minecraft.

A really interesting crossover from the games development industry is into the strong biotech sector - the 3d representation and rendering is great for visualisation from advanced instruments and potentially remote presence medicine

[Biffer]

When I moved to south west side of Edinburgh to study I got the piss ripped right out of me for all my Dundonian words/phrases - circles (roundabouts), cundies (drains), 'ben the hoose' (next room/next door), pehs (pies), skiffy (clue), fleg (frighten), braw (good), etc. Took me a while to lose the accent.

Scots words were belted or otherwise punished out of us at school, often by humiliation at the hands of the teachers.

The Cringe is one of the most powerful tools when you are trying to homogenise accents and languages, it's same in the regions of England, Scousers and Brummies are looked down upon as accents

From the start of primary school, my Dad got the belt if he spoke Gaelic, even in the playground.

[SaintK]

Pity that wasn't a noose to be honest

[fishfoodie]

Pity that wasn't a noose to be honest

Or that was a claymore yielded by someone with bad Parkinsons

[petej]

Stop Voting For Fucking Labour in Wales:

I've started a thread within a thread;

It's a complete shit show here. As I sit on the M4 every morning it struck me that the amount of people leaving Wales to work in England every morning is staggering

If you work in England maybe move to England? Problem solved.

We're full

The house prices in Bristol are mental so people end up living in Newport and Gwent at the point they want to own a home and maybe have a family hence the growth in population here.

I would say the number leaving has decreased substantially. Traffic is much lower.

[Line6 HXFX]

Dan Wootton sacked by the Daily Mail.

Another hateful, reductive, resentment stirring Aussie or New Zealand far right cunt, who thinks there are only 5 kinds of people in the world, .will be along shortly.

[tabascoboy]

Another Tory MP not standing at the next GE

[I like neeps]

Lol what are they doing. Piers Corbynesk.

[sockwithaticket]

Another Tory MP not standing at the next GE

Interesting that he specifically called out climate action as a particular interest. I've been getting the sense that Rishi has really misread the mood of the parliamentary party over that one. While some of them might not be Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil level activists, a lot of conservatives are actually somewhat mindful of not destroying the planet and leaving it habitable for their kids and/or grandkids. The extent to which Rishi seems content to chuck conservation onto the culture war bonfire rankles.

Was listening to Barry Gardiner on PolJOE last week talk about how one of the biggest voices on the environment select committee is a Tory who was at the heart of designing the net zero targets.

[Sandstorm]

Lol what are they doing. Piers Corbynesk.

From that X Thread:

"Say what you like about Sunak, there hasn't been a single DRAGON ATTACK in Britain since the Tories were voted in!"

[Hal Jordan]

Self-proclaimed priest Calvin Robsinson announces he's suspended from GB News.

"There is a God" is coincidentally trending on Xhitter.

[Hal Jordan]

Lol what are they doing. Piers Corbynesk.

From that X Thread:

"Say what you like about Sunak, there hasn't been a single DRAGON ATTACK in Britain since the Tories were voted in!"

Not long before we actually get to Sensible Policies for A Happier Britain...

[tabascoboy]

Suella Braverman UK-Pakistani grooming claim misleading, says press regulator

A claim by the home secretary that UK child grooming gangs were "almost all British-Pakistani men" was misleading, the press regulator has ruled. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) instructed the Mail on Sunday to publish a correction to an opinion piece written by Suella Braverman in April.

The correction now links the claim to high-profile cases like Rotherham.

A source close to Ms Braverman called the IPSO ruling "perverse".

The source told the BBC: "The home secretary referred [in the Mail on Sunday (MoS) article] to the 'grooming gangs phenomenon' such as the high profile cases in Rochdale and Rotherham. "Independent reports found that British-Pakistani men predominated among the perpetrators. "She did not refer to all group-based child sexual abuse. It's a perverse decision that requires a wilful misreading of the piece and is clearly a political attack, co-opting IPSO, from the Muslim Council of Britain," the source said.

The complaint was brought by the Centre for Media Monitoring, part of the Muslim Council of Britain, which campaigns for "fair, accurate and responsible reporting of Islam and Muslims".

In the original article, Ms Braverman described the "systematic rape, abuse and exploitation of young girls by organised gangs of older men" and the failure of people in authority to act as a "stain on our country".

She focused initially on the Rotherham abuse scandal, but went on to assert that the perpetrators behind the "grooming gangs phenomenon" were "groups of men, almost all British-Pakistani, who hold cultural attitudes completely incompatible with British values". "They have been left mostly unchallenged both within their communities and by wider society, despite their activities being an open secret.

"Many of them have gone unpunished and remain at large."

'Variety of ethnicities'

IPSO concluded that a "direct link between the identified ethnic group and a particular form of offending" was "misleading" where it was not made clear that this referred specifically to the abuse scandals in Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford.

IPSO said the newspaper had offered, four days after publication, to clarify that "the perpetrators of child sexual abuse, more broadly, are a variety of ethnicities".

But the complainant argued that any clarification should make clear that Home Office research, published in 2020, had found group-based child sexual offenders were mainly white.

Rejecting that, IPSO also noted that the MoS had checked the home secretary's claim with her advisers, and was told they had "no concern" about it.

The regulator decided the clarification offered by the paper should be published instead.

In April, the home secretary announced that people who worked with children in England would be required by law to report child sexual abuse, or face prosecution.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak outlined plans for specialist officers to help forces tackle grooming gangs, saying their victims had been "often ignored" because of "cultural sensitivity and political correctness".

But Conservative peer Baroness Warsi, the UK's first South Asian cabinet minister, warned that Ms Braverman's rhetoric had "emboldened racists" and was putting British Asian families at risk.

In its final report last October, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse described the scale of abuse in England and Wales as "horrific and deeply disturbing".

About 7,000 victims of abuse gave evidence to the seven-year inquiry, which was set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

IPSO was set up in 2014 to replace the Press Complaints Commission following the Leveson report on the culture, practices and ethics of the British press, in the aftermath of the News International phone hacking scandal.

Critics have questioned its effectiveness and its independence from the newspapers it regulates. Some papers, including the Financial Times and the Guardian, declined to take part in IPSO, and set up their own independent complaints systems instead.

The Muslim Council of Britain has been approached for comment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66960890

[Hal Jordan]

She is just the absolute pits, and the perfect poster child for the modern Conservative Party.

[fishfoodie]

Rishi Sunak to sign UK-India trade deal without binding worker or environment pledges

Angry firms and trade unions fear being undercut and say they were shut out of Britain’s biggest trade talks.

LONDON — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s trade deal with India will not include legally enforceable commitments on labor rights or environmental standards, five people briefed on the text have told POLITICO.

British businesses and unions now fear the deal’s already-finalized labor and environment chapters will undercut U.K. workers’ rights and efforts to combat climate change.

Sunak’s government is racing to score a win with the booming South Asian economy ahead of the 2024 election. His plans for a return trip to India in October with the aim of sealing the pact are still on track.

Sunak and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi added impetus to negotiations when they met on the sidelines of the G20 in New Delhi early this month. The 13th round of talks continues in London this week.

Just days after Sunak's meeting with Modi, Badenoch’s team shared the deal’s labor and environment chapters with businesses, unions and trade experts on a September 13 briefing call.

Key enforceable dispute resolution powers which the U.K. set out to negotiate are missing from those chapters, said the five people briefed on the text. It means neither London nor New Delhi can hold the other to their climate, environmental and workers' rights commitments.

....

https://www.politico.eu/article/rishi-s ... t-pledges/

[Hal Jordan]

At this stage, it's wedge issues, benefit your friends and family and as many poison pills as they can prepare before they're forced out.

Scorched earth.

[SaintK]

At this stage, it's wedge issues, benefit your friends and family and as many poison pills as they can prepare before they're forced out.

Scorched earth.

You mean while we have horrendous levels of poverty, our health service is on its knees, our schools falling apart around the pupils with 1,000's of teachers short, the justice system not fit for purpose and cases taking anjything upt to 2 years to get to trial stage. This stinking cess pit of a government want to talk about 20mph speed limits, LTN's, car parking and bus lanes. BASTARDS!!!

[sockwithaticket]

At this stage, it's wedge issues, benefit your friends and family and as many poison pills as they can prepare before they're forced out.

Scorched earth.

You mean while we have horrendous levels of poverty, our health service is on its knees, our schools falling apart around the pupils with 1,000's of teachers short, the justice system not fit for purpose and cases taking anjything upt to 2 years to get to trial stage. This stinking cess pit of a government want to talk about 20mph speed limits, LTN's, car parking and bus lanes. BASTARDS!!!

And it'll work with a depressing number of people because many can only focus on simple, immediate issues, while plenty of others don't pay attention to any news whatsoever except bits and pieces they absorb via Osmosis on social media.

'Get Brexit Done' worked because it was simple, it absolved people of thinking about issues.

[tabascoboy]

At this stage, it's wedge issues, benefit your friends and family and as many poison pills as they can prepare before they're forced out.

Scorched earth.

You mean while we have horrendous levels of poverty, our health service is on its knees, our schools falling apart around the pupils with 1,000's of teachers short, the justice system not fit for purpose and cases taking anjything upt to 2 years to get to trial stage. This stinking cess pit of a government want to talk about 20mph speed limits, LTN's, car parking and bus lanes. BASTARDS!!!

And it'll work with a depressing number of people because many can only focus on simple, immediate issues, while plenty of others don't pay attention to any news whatsoever except bits and pieces they absorb via Osmosis on social media.

'Get Brexit Done' worked because it was simple, it absolved people of thinking about issues.

They love their 3 word mantras: now it's all anti "war on motorists"

[sockwithaticket]

You mean while we have horrendous levels of poverty, our health service is on its knees, our schools falling apart around the pupils with 1,000's of teachers short, the justice system not fit for purpose and cases taking anjything upt to 2 years to get to trial stage. This stinking cess pit of a government want to talk about 20mph speed limits, LTN's, car parking and bus lanes. BASTARDS!!!

And it'll work with a depressing number of people because many can only focus on simple, immediate issues, while plenty of others don't pay attention to any news whatsoever except bits and pieces they absorb via Osmosis on social media.

'Get Brexit Done' worked because it was simple, it absolved people of thinking about issues.

They love their 3 word mantras: now it's all anti "war on motorists"

It's very effective.

The left need to engage with it more. I'm not comms strategist, but if I can do "Tax the rich", "Fight corporate greed", "Pay the workers" in 30 seconds surely they can come up with something better.

[tabascoboy]

And it'll work with a depressing number of people because many can only focus on simple, immediate issues, while plenty of others don't pay attention to any news whatsoever except bits and pieces they absorb via Osmosis on social media.

'Get Brexit Done' worked because it was simple, it absolved people of thinking about issues.

They love their 3 word mantras: now it's all anti "war on motorists"

It's very effective.

The left need to engage with it more. I'm not comms strategist, but if I can do "Tax the rich", "Fight corporate greed", "Pay the workers" in 30 seconds surely they can come up with something better.

"Piss on Populism"?

[fishfoodie]

They love their 3 word mantras: now it's all anti "war on motorists"

It's very effective.

The left need to engage with it more. I'm not comms strategist, but if I can do "Tax the rich", "Fight corporate greed", "Pay the workers" in 30 seconds surely they can come up with something better.

"Piss on Populism"?

"Flush the Turds !"

[Random1]

We’ll worth a listen.

[SaintK]

Not good timing for Sunak and could very tasty!

“Bombshell” evidence on decisions taken by Rishi Sunak during the Covid pandemic that could undermine the Prime Minister’s election campaign will be heard in the coming weeks, i can reveal.

Mr Sunak gave the go-ahead for his Eat Out To Help Out scheme in summer 2020 without the knowledge of the Department of Health under Matt Hancock, evidence to the Covid Inquiry is understood to claim. At the time the department was leading the fight to contain a fresh wave of the virus.

https://12ft.io/proxy?ref=&q=https://i ... s-2653877

[Tichtheid]

A few more three worders for the Tories after watching Rory Stewart’s opening salvo on that video, which is more than enough apologist bollocks for anyone.

I Don’t Care
Bugger the Consequences
I Matter More
Fuck You Jack
No Climate Change
Science Is Boring
Rights Not Responsibilities
Future Be Damned

[Sandstorm]

Not good timing for Sunak and could very tasty!

“Bombshell” evidence on decisions taken by Rishi Sunak during the Covid pandemic that could undermine the Prime Minister’s election campaign will be heard in the coming weeks, i can reveal.

Mr Sunak gave the go-ahead for his Eat Out To Help Out scheme in summer 2020 without the knowledge of the Department of Health under Matt Hancock, evidence to the Covid Inquiry is understood to claim. At the time the department was leading the fight to contain a fresh wave of the virus.

https://12ft.io/proxy?ref=&q=https://i ... s-2653877

I wouldn’t tell Hancock about my dinner plans either in case he wanted to come.

[SaintK]

Sunak got a wee bit snippy when he was shown this dduring his Kuenssberg interview earlier

[sockwithaticket]

He gets snippy the moment anyone doesn't just nod or say "Yes, Rishi."

Another thin-skinned rich boy who doesn't like it when those he perceives as proles don't validate his every uttering.

[Line6 HXFX]

13 years of some of the harshest welfare reforms anywhere in earth, millions sanctioned, people forced to visit the job centre for 35 hours a week, foodbanks,.billions spent on creating a fucking nightmare universal credit system ( and they knighted Iain Duncan Smith for it) .. and apparently millions of people can still get unemployment benefits without looking for work?

They can all hide in the system and not be bothered by the DWP, apparently.

You have to wonder if welfare reform and smearing and slandering the unemployed is bullshit now, after all of this, and their reforms (which they are basically now saying failed), if they have the brass neck to go there now... with something that was their responsibility, their massively expensive policies, like A4e, Working Links, the work programe, the welfare to work scheme......wasn't it all bullshit to begin with?

Shame the unemployed cannot sue the government and news media for all the smears and lies.


We really need laws jn this country to protect the unemployed. Portraying unemployed people as lazy scum all over the media, and then punishing them when inevitably no one will employ them is nuts.

The right will always have self serving contempt for the unemployed no matter what they do to them, no matter how much damage, penury and misery they inflict... this is why the unemployed must now be protected by law.