tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post3317818613642737266..comments2024-02-21T08:52:55.878+00:00Comments on Your Freedom and Ours: The world seems to have gone madHelenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799545178433498944noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-31701701097835754272015-07-28T17:39:05.992+01:002015-07-28T17:39:05.992+01:00And the world's gain.And the world's gain.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13799545178433498944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-47021253357181124912015-07-25T16:57:07.118+01:002015-07-25T16:57:07.118+01:00Your loss.Your loss.John Shakespearenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-48451797841067890792015-07-24T14:09:59.318+01:002015-07-24T14:09:59.318+01:00I doubt if that particular part of the left will s...I doubt if that particular part of the left will stay on our side. The Greek issue will move where it has always been, the back burner and the country will go on surviving on our hand-outs as well as supporting anything the EU might want to do to any other country. Also, if we get a right-wing (by Greek standards) government there, attitudes will change. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13799545178433498944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-65220163009578833342015-07-24T14:07:14.011+01:002015-07-24T14:07:14.011+01:00But I don't want to learn to play the banjo.But I don't want to learn to play the banjo. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13799545178433498944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-67590177831082027272015-07-21T00:53:26.371+01:002015-07-21T00:53:26.371+01:00Come on Helen; be fair. You can get lots of excell...Come on Helen; be fair. You can get lots of excellent banjo tuition on YouTube, as well as access to the music of Tuba Skinny.John Shakespearehttp://www.jshakart.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-56132300478639258232015-07-16T22:34:49.968+01:002015-07-16T22:34:49.968+01:00Childish tribalism in British politics, and media ...Childish tribalism in British politics, and media being on one 'side' or another, has always tended to make commentators ignore the obvious if it has been drawn to their attention by 'the enemy side'. Ignored for years (nay, decades) have been the credible and obvious points about democracy in the EU by newspapers like The Guardian and Independent (it was all 'working together with partners'..., and anyone who disagreed was an evil racist fascist Nazi).<br /><br />In similar vein, for the first three London Mayor elections, these papers ignored all the points about how dangerous it was that tv and spending restrictions effectively barred candidates in 'the wrong class' from campaigning (eg it is staggering that candidates are banned from writing to all their constituents during any part of the long campaign). But the minute these rules affected a candidate they approved of in 2012, loud and general were their squeals of 'not fair'. They had been told dozens of times before, but they conveniently ignored the facts. <br /><br />However, if it does have the effect of making the left (and particularly the left media) less slavishly pro-EU, it will surely have some impact upon any referendum. I take your point about Greece and its absurd economics and indeed politics (and Richard North has an excellent piece today on that, if any reminder were needed). However, at the same time that is no reason for the EU to foist upon it the absurdities of an impossible 'agreement' which appears to be designed to both spite a particular group in Greece, to effect regime change in some way, and to ram the boot down onto the face of the country for voting the way it did (permitting the EU to encourager les autres and show what happens if they disobey). <br /><br />In that sense, the EU has done us all a favour - although partisan media is protecting its own 'side', it nonetheless never thought it would ever have to, and its best arguments about the insanity of the accord are sound ones (irrespective of Greek recent history) - the shock has woken it up from a generation of 'working with our partners' slumber. Not a bad thing really.<br /><br />Damian Hockneynoreply@blogger.com