BBC recants

[desperance]

Just as an epilogue to my previous post - and my thanks to takrann and julesjones for drawing my attention to it - the BBC has withdrawn its censorship of "Fairytale of New York". But not before Peter Tatchell could be a pillock. Again.

Comments

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

Nick Clegg has just been a little bit silly on the subject as well.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

I'm awaiting your post on the choice of Nick Clegg. I'm hoping I'll once again have a party I want to vote for.

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

I'm still trying to decide what I feel about the result.

Clegg's win wasn't a surprise, except insofar as I think, heck I know, Huhne's supporters campaigned a lot harder than Clegg's (even i played a small part – some of the Chris2Win website press releases, etc. were immaculately proofread). I think, yet again, the grass roots went for the panic-button option. After a safe pair of hands turned out to be an Aged Millstone, we get Mr Telegenic Youngster, because, obviously we must go as far as we can in the opposite direction (although it is not a state secret that Nick Clegg was Ming's man in the last election, and indeed spoke a lot better when I saw him in Maidstone that time).

A number of things already concern me: the lower voting turnout (Clegg won on fewer votes than Huhne lost with last time, which does not exactly point towards general excitement about the leadership election within the party); the positioning of Clegg as a piece of eye candy ideal for stealing the limelight from David Cameron; the concomitant assumption that younger must perforce be better (overlooking the fact that Menzies Campbell did look prematurely old, not surprising given his health problems in the last few years, and that Huhne is 2 years younger than PK and hardly over the hill).

I have also had my doubts lately about Clegg as an off-the-cuff performer, and the Radio 4 debacle yesterday confirms my worst fears. He is going to get trashed at PMQs.

He's good at getting passionate, less good to my mind at making the points stick. It would not hurt him to pay attention to what Vince Cable has been up to lately. True, VC didn't exactly have anything to lose but his buccaneering style is a useful reminder of what the leader of a third party has the space to do.

Policies? He's more right-wing than I am generally, but I am uneasy about his presentation yesterday of what seemed to be Labour/Conservative with all the nasty political bits taken out. More centre than the centre, when, in recent years, the Libs have been moved to left of centre. He has worrying views about health insurance and education vouchers as well.

In all, I am personally not a happy bunny, but will of course continue to do my utmost for the good of the party generally, and exercise my right as a Liberal Democrat to disagree profoundly with my leader if I so desire. The current thinking in my neck of the woods is 'new leader at the next General Election'. God alone knows whether Chris Huhne will think it worth his while to have a third shot.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Occasionally Peter Tatchell isn't a pillock. About once a year or so.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Is true. Just often enough to make me generally glad that he's out there. Distantly. Just, he's a loose cannon, and frankly I'd rather he was on someone else's ship...

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

I remember about 6 months after Michael Barrymore came out, and various friends of mine were saying "can he PLEASE go back in?". A similar concept...

[wolfinthewood.livejournal.com]

I am frequently pissed off by him and Stonewall both. They make like they 'represent' me, but Tatchell is a maverick and Stonewall is a closed-shop pressure group, really a lobbying business, with its eye set firmly on public funding and contracts with government and public bodies. Neither of them has ever asked my opinion on anything: they glibly appeal to some supposed consensus of gay opinion, without ever finding out what anyone out here really thinks, on anything. A set of self-satisfied metropolitan gits.

Also, Tatchell sometimes leaves his brain in his pocket when he starts talking - I think he goes into a kind of rapt self-absorbed trance.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they changed their minds before they started to censor "don we now our gay apparel".

[xnamkrad.livejournal.com]

Hang on - it's been a running joke here (Ireland) for years that when this is played in the UK (I admit I dont listen to the radio stations, just TV) that faggot and arse where left out.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

A calumny. Entirely untrue. Even today, the Beeb was apparently going to let us keep 'arse'.

[xnamkrad.livejournal.com]

Nah - Channel4 with their 'best christmas songs' never let faggot or arse out. As I said I rarely listen to any radio, never mind BBC Radio 1.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Channel4 with their 'best christmas songs' never let faggot or arse out

Really? I had no idea. I'm appalled. Again. At the pusillanimity of broadcasters - again - which seems such a petty waste of appalledness, and why am I surprised...?

[cinderberry.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, there's this:

http://newsbiscuit.com/article/old-slut-on-junk-offended-by-pogues-song

:)

[desperance.livejournal.com]

*sniggers*

Thank you!