TD Online

First things first: this took me far too bloody long to finish. That’s not a criticism of the book itself – far from it – but more a reflection that I didn’t give it the attention I perhaps should. There’s various reasons / excuses I could make for that, but it mostly boils down to it not being the easiest of reads, and therefore only attracting my attention when I felt I could dedicate half an hour to it without wanting to fall asleep. Time for some fiction now I reckon!

As for the book though, despite the above paragraph, it’s a very interesting read. Effectively a run-down of Anarchism and ‘key’ anarchists throughout the centuries, culminating in their role and defeat into obscurity in Spain in the mid-to-late 1930’s. It covers characters such as Kropotkin, Godwin, Proudhon, Bakunin, Malatesta and Goldman, to name but a few, and also spends a good portion of its time explaining and exploring the somewhat strange relationship between the various anarchists and the communists as were springing up around the time of the First International.

All in all then, lots of things I had – at best – only the slightest of grips on, and it certainly paved the way to making further reading into the different areas more appealing.

It flows well, it’s well written, and spans the periods of time chronologically (as you may expect), often recalling characters that had been introduced earlier on and how most of the main figures knew each other, personally or otherwise,  as well as fairly carefully analyzing some of the failure points and successes at various times in the movement.

One of the things that was perhaps most pleasing about it as a read was the seeming lack of bias on behalf of Joll. As ever with books surrounding the political arena, I’m always a bit wary that the author will be approaching the subject from one side or the other, which usually comes across in the writing and can get a bit tedious. So it was nice to not have that to contend with!

Don’t know if I’d go as far as to recommend this to anyone, but if anarchy / history of political thoughts is your ‘bag’, then you could do worse.

Right then.

About this time last year I wrote a similar little note shortly after the lineup had been announced of things I wanted to see and do ahead of Glastonbury, scheduling clashes notwithstanding. Looking at the lineup for this year, I started getting excited again, and figured I would do the same. Similar to last year, the nice thing about the lineup is that there are a lot of artists I know of, but none I’ve particularly thought I’d ever get the chance to see. Also as with last year, I’ll just hit the names down here,  and aim to do a full writeup after the fact.

Here goes then:

• Hobo Jones and the Junkyard Dogs
• Neil Young
• Lily Allen
• The Specials
• The Streets
• Rolf Harris
• British Sea Power
• Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band
• Eagles of Death Metal
• Pendulum
• Jarvis Cocker
• Spinal Tap
• Florence and the Machine
• Newton Faulkner
• 2ManyDJs
• Scratch Perverts
• Badly Drawn Boy
• The Lancashire Hotpots
• Blur
• The Prodigy
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Madness
• Tom Jones
• Noisettes
• Black Eyed Peas
• Manu Dibango
• Roots Manuva
• Mr Scruff

So, yeh, a bit of a longer list than last time, based on what I’ve seen so far. In addition, some of the stand-up options sound most appealing, as does the Free University of Glastonbury idea. May have to be spending quite a lot of time wandering about the place…

One thing that disappoints me about the lineup is the highly likely clash between Blur and Prodigy – both bands of particular note I would love to see live. If there’s one thing Jay-Z and Massive attack taught me last year it’s that I can’t succesfully mix between the two halfway. Some tough decisions may have to be made…

Obviously, it’s a long list, and many things will clash, especially as I intend to be nipping to and from ‘The Park’ fairly frquently to see what the special guests lineups end up being – I was more than a little gutted to hear I missed Last Shadow Puppets last year. Hmph.

Either way though, I think the essence I’m trying to get across here is this: I’m excited. If you’re going, I hope you are too.

Set List: http://www.boblinks.com/050209s.html

So, last night I was in Glasgow at the SECC watching Bob Dylan and his band live in concert for the first time.

I’ve wanted to see Dylan live for a good few years since I was first introduced to his music and I think it’s fair to say I wasn’t disappointed.

Going into the gig, which I was attending with Steve, Craig, and Steve’s flatmate Gordon, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Steve had seen him before on a couple of occasions, and his advice, in agreement with what I’d heard / read elsewhere seemed to suggest this was a good thing. Expect nothing. Don’t expect to recognise the songs until you hear the lyrics, and the like. They were right. It was like no other gig I’d been to before.

First up, no support acts. Hardly surprising I guess, given the man’s fame and reputation, it would be bloody difficult to have the task of warm up act. Secondly, he simply doesn’t need it. It detracts nothing from the occasion in there being no support act present. The feeling of anticipation in the arena before the show commenced at around 19:45 was electric as it was. If anything, a support act runs the risk of diminishing that feeling.

Secondly, a notable lack of spoken interraction with the audience, right up until he announced the names of his band members as the show closed up. Again, not a bad thing, but just not something I’ve experienced from a ’standard’ gig, where the centre piece of the group is more than happy to harp out the same old cliche’d arguments to an already excited crowd. If anything, I appreciate the lack of it, but it was also a notable change to the other gigs I’ve been to in the past.

Thirdly, and as forewarned, the incredible differences in the songs being played to the point that they are unrecognisable from any recorded versions I’d heard, until he started singing. Steve mentioned whilst we were beering before the show that the reason he heard for this from Dylan’s point of view is that he’s never been completely, 100% happy with any song he’s recorded, so why shouldn’t he mash them up and try to perfect them live? Even if that means taking the songs off on a tangent that hadn’t been thought of when they were first written. It actually makes a whole lot of sense, and to me, emphasises the ‘artist’ quality that Dylan seems to ooze – never quite content, never afraid to try something different, regardless as to how it may be received. An admirable quality, regardless of what you think of the songs themselves.

Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, the music itself. It doesn’t matter whether you think it ‘works’ or not – for me personally, some of it on the evening worked better than others, but that’s the nature of experimentation – the thing about it was that it seemed to be note perfect. Both Dylan and all the band members were on exactly the same page at every step through every song, and you’re left with the impression that one would have to try bloody hard to pull up just one note that was out of place. Maybe I’m overly keen to praise given how much I enjoy his music, but to me this screams emphasis on the artist permanently seeking perfection. These twists to old tracks haven’t just been toyed with one night and rolled straight out, they’ve been born out, practised, tweaked, practised some more until they’re ready to be performed.
The one exception to this during the set was Thunder on the Mountain which, whilst having twists from the recorded version – and sounding much more powerful – was easily recognisable from the first few notes.
Another interesting point relating to the music itself? Not one track from the new album that came out a few days before. Very refreshing.

Favourite Tracks / Moments:

• Maggie’s Farm is a personal favourite track of mine. Heightened by the fact that this was the first performance of the evening, I thoroughly bloody enjoyed it. [ ~ YouTube ~ ]
• Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright – or, more specifically, Dylan’s Harmonica solo towards the end of it – was sublime. The whole track was superbly put together, but the harmonica elevated it to an entirely different level. Simply stunning. [ ~ YouTube ~ ]
• Highway 61 Revisited. Another track that I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I adore, largely for it’s entertainment factor, and simple ‘jumpability’, before even looking at the lyrics. This version left me, quite surprisingly, stunned. It genuinely did take me right up until he started singing before I could work out what was being played, but knew I was going to enjoy it. Whilst perhaps not being musically similar, it reminded me of the excitement I get listening to the recording of Isis from The Bootleg Series Volume 5: The Rolling Thunder Revue from the point of view that it was so loud, boisterous, pwoerful and yet clearly so carefully executed that it just left me awe-struck. Special. [ ~ YouTube ~ ]

Of course, I could highlight many, many more, but that would sort of defeat the point of trying to pick out highlights. It was all excellent. The encore surprised me, as I wasn’t expecting to hear All Along the Watchtower [ ~ YouTube ~ ], and thoroughly enjoyed the version I got to hear, as I was with The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll [ ~ YouTube ~ ], in a rendition that brought quite a surreal twist to something I was used to hearing at a much slower, mournful pace.

General Conclusions:

You may have already guessed – I had a superb time, and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the concert. As Craig commented beforehand, “It’s not every day you see an artist perform that influenced artists like the Beatles”.
And I know what he means.
There’s something slightly surreal (and more than a little exciting) about seeing an artist perform that has had such a lengthy career, playing songs he first recorded decades before you were born, but that you’ve listened to maybe one hundred times or more, and playing them in such a completely different manner that only the lyrics reveal their true identity.
It’s also exciting to see such an artist perform in such a way – rather than churning out the old favourites note-perfect as if they were playing the CD through the loudspeakers – I know why they do it, but that doesn’t make it as exciting as seeing someone constantly striving to shake it up and try something different.
And I think it’s that that I find so fascinating about Dylan. Of course, I love the music anyway, from a lyrical level as much as from an instrumental level, but it’s that extra twist – the defiance – the ability and the strength of mind to constantly try and break his own cycles, and to deal with the consequences later. To reinvent himself, I suppose. But none of those terms really do justice, as they’re banded about the place all too often and with such liberty that they become watered down, weak and, ultimately pointless. And, to me, Dylan is anything but that.

Isn’t he just reactionary? Isn’t it all a ploy to keep people guessing and writing about him? Does he really care? Isn’t he passed his best? Hasn’t he sold out? Yadda-yadda.

Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. The question I have to ask is does it really matter? Whether any of the above questions are valid or not is largely irrelevant. If they are true, then he’s executed them in a considerably more ‘ballsy’ manner than any other leading performance artist in the field. And he’s pulled it off exquisitely. If they’re not true then, well, they’re not true.

Are there songs I would have liked to have heard? Of course – but with such an extensive back catalogue that’s always going to be the case. One of the things that ‘does it’ for me about Dylan is the simple fact of the variation, the ever-present chance of surprise / disappointment / excitement / awesome. It makes it fresh. It makes it exciting. It makes it interesting. It makes it live.

Would see again without hesitation.

---

You need something to open up a new door
To show you something you seen before
But overlooked a hundred times or more
You need something to open your eyes
You need something to make it known
That it’s you and no one else that owns
That spot that yer standing, that space that you’re sitting
That the world ain’t got you beat
That it ain’t got you licked
It can’t get you crazy no matter how many
Times you might get kicked
You need something special all right
You need something special to give you hope
But hope’s just a word
That maybe you said or maybe you heard
On some windy corner ’round a wide-angled curve

Bob Dylan – Last Thoughts on Woodie Guthrie

I’ve just been reminded of this after a long time.

Remarkably true, and an answer if ever there was one as to why I enjoy EvE so much above other games I’ve played. Long may it remain so.

I woke up this morning to be handed a leaflet from my mother who, bless her, didn’t quite understand what it was all about. Apparently a ’strange man’ had turned up on the doorstep this morning handing it to her. Perplexed, I thought I’d best set about reading it. It was addressed to “The Residents of Capernwray”, and had all been printed purposefully – no handwritten addresses here! How posh.

It was signed as being from “Preston Pals: In honour of the men of the 5th Battallion the Loyals”. It’s a name I recognised, but not one I could particularly say I knew where I knew it, or why. A brief search on your Search Engine of choice (ok, Google), should provide some idea. And a quick glance of the opening message soon put me right:

Dear Sir / Madam,

Overleaf we have printed a transcript of an article taken from the underground press which we think is a reasonable summary of our story. We do this because the authorised media have misrepresented our campaign and we wish to make public our side of the story.
We would like to ask the residents of Capernwray to consider the case.

Yours faithfully,

Preston Pals

Sounds enticing, doesn’t it? Just the sort of thing I want to get to read when I wake up on a Sunday morning.

“Oooh, Underground Press you say? My, oh my. But, pray tell, which particular underground publication do you take your story from?”

Because, you see, whilst there is indeed an apparent article written overleaf (written in some quite delicate language and, yes, with big words), nowhere on this leaflet is it detailed the source from which they pulled this “reasonable summary of our story”. I hate to be cynical, but that to me suggests one of two things:

1. They don’t have permission to reproduce this ‘underground’ material
2. They’ve written it themselves, presumably for their own ‘underground’ publications

Neither of which inspire me with confidence. But, hey-ho, I turn the page, anxious to see what literary delights await me. I was not disappointed.

The title of the ‘piece’? “SHOULD MUSLIMS APOLOGISE?”
You see, right there, that’s gripped me. And got me ready to be amazed. It’s almost like something straight out of a top selling tabloid, apparently scrawled down without much thought about content, when in fact it’s probably been very carefully chosen. The headline doesn’t detail what, exactly, they’re asking if Muslims should apologise for. No, they’re leaving that to you’re lovely imagination. You can’t help but carry on to read the piece, can you? I know I couldn’t.

But anyway, enough of that. Onto the actual content. The meat and two veg. The crux of this little story. Apologies if any of those phrases aren’t appropriate.
Before I set about picking holes in an already flawed argument, let me summarise what the piece is about: In essence, it details how the heroin trade is an Islamic trade run – it reads – entirely by Muslims, who are getting massively rich whilst destroying many lives and societies within Britain and, indeed, around the world. That is what they want ‘Islam’ to apologise for.
To read between the lines a little for you, the not-so-subliminal messaging here is that old chestnut, Muslims are destroying the UK and the simple hard-working white Anglo-Saxon man is being discriminated against in his own country. It’s political correctness gone mad! We’re being brain-washed! Yadda, yadda, yadda. Nothing we haven’t all heard before. Put simply, it’s a project aimed at creating further hatred and division within our society by spreading falsities under a thin veil of mis-truths, emotional language, and pseudo-reasoning. The idea is not that this will cause a sudden surge of anti-Muslim sentiment that will help these individuals achieve their ultimate aim, but that it will help in spreading an underlying feeling of mistrust between the (usually) Christian English and Muslim English populations, sowing the seeds for further prejudice. In a not-so-revolutionary stroke of genius, it does it by outwardly appealing towards non-violent sentiments and doing its best to tug the old heart strings of its target population.

So, what shining examples of literary brilliance do we have to commentate on? Let’s have a look. The article starts badly (for the journalist):

For the past twelve months a small group of campaigners have caused an almighty furore across the North West of England. They have specifically targeted the middle classes by leafleting in well healed [sic] areas and by sending personalised letters to university lecturers, doctors, barristers, civil servants, clerics, etc. [My Emphasis Added]

I hate to be a bastard but, “well healed”? Please. Don’t insult me. We all know that should be “well-heeled”, don’t we? Especially seeing as it makes more sense, the phrase literally meaning someone who can afford to have the shoes re-heeled regularly and the like. Unless, of course, they really meant those middle classes who have recently got out of hospital, having made a full recovery? I think not. Amateurs.

What does their [Preston Pals] campaign consist of? They are asking Muslims to apologise for the Heroin Trade. To some their actions appear inflammatory, but given mature reflection is this really the case.[sic]

Yes, that needs a question mark on the end. But besides that, let’s apply some mature reflection and see if we too believe that maybe, just maybe, these actions do more than just appear inflammatory and, in fact, are purposefully inflammatory, behind all the rhetoric.

But I’m being pedantic. Moving swiftly on:

These campaigners claim that the Heroin Trade is far more abusive, exploitative and lethal than the slave trade.

An irrelevance. But despite that, a very, very difficult thing to argue successfully. But I’m sure they, like Baldrick, “have a cunning plan” to be able to twist the facts to their advantage when arguing the above.

Even according to the most conservative of estimates between 20 and 25 million people have been directly killed by the heroin trade

I can’t provide a solid refute to that without having any evidence to hand (incidentally, I question why they don’t cite these ‘most conservative’ sources of information in making such outlandish statements) but I strongly doubt that the above is the ‘most conservative of estimates’ unless, of course, the figures it calls upon and what it considers to be ‘directly killed’ by the trade is very wide-ranging and covers quite a broad period of time. Again, unfortunately, the lack of either of those important pieces of information being provided in that statement makes me question its validity.

… they [the Preston Pals] have witnessed entire communities brought low by prostitution, crime, child abuse, benefit reliance and gang warfare all spewing forth as a direct consequence of the heroin trade.

I want to see the categorical evidence that links all the above “directly” to the heroin trade. I’m fairly confident that not every single instance of the above were “spewed forth” directly from the effect of the heroin trade. Yet, clearly, it is written to do it’s damnedest to suggest that is the case. The omission of facts in all these statements is, to me, telling.

In working men’s clubs up and down the valley the blame for this modern day holocaust is laid squarely at the door of those they have come to refer to as the Muslim ‘invader’.

Whoops, a little Freudian slip there, as the fundamental underlying belief and hatred claws at the surface of the tale. But, as if ‘invader’ wasn’t bad enough, stirring up connotations of the Germans on the beaches, Churchill-esque rhetoric, and other bollocks besides…

I’m fairly sure Craig would have something interesting to say on their use of the term “holocaust” as well. My argument would still stand as to the reason they’ve used it – which is as an emotive gesture, once again tugging at heart strings – but I would be in full agreement with him that it’s use is insulting to any form of intelligent life.

Rumours abound that many of the rich and powerful Muslims who hob-nob with ‘county set’ are up to their necks in the trade.

Emphasis on ‘rumours’ if you’d be so kind, maestro. Thanks. Also, any word on where these rumours originate?

What the Pals struggle to understand is why this highly organised and regulated multinational business that directly employs hundreds of thousands of Muslims and making many of them very rich indeed, manages to escape public scrutiny and condemnation?

First of all, I’m fairly confident it makes all those white drug dealers plenty of money as well. Secondly, where are you getting your facts as regards the numbers directly employed? Does the trade issue monthly statements for its shareholders? If so, how do I get involved?
Of course, I’m being sarcastic. The very fact that it’s a largely illegal trade means its shrouded by mystery, rumours, hearsay. If it was crystal clear as to how it all works, it wouldn’t be half the problem it currently is. I’m pretty sure that saying the Heroin trade “manages to escape public scrutiny” is once more being high liberal in the truths it tells. I would hardly say that heroin is the attractive drug with all that positive press that the above statement tries to allude to. Trainspotting, anyone? I don’t believe the statement about it escaping condemnation warrants a retort.
This statement also comes after some further ‘facts’ about the origins of much of the worlds heroin being from Afghanistan / Pakistan. Very true, because that’s where the opium is grown. Just the same as much Cocaine comes from Columbia and similar. There are two reasons as to why it’s in those regions: (1) It fucking grows there; (2) These are largely lawless areas, or areas where law and order as we understand it is hardly able to be put into effect efficiently. Of course it attracts illegal activity. Just the same as how places like China, with little worker-protection regulations, attracts many multinational corporations to base their manufacturing plants there – they can get away with things they can’t get away with in their home countries, and so they go for the cheap option. This isn’t unique to the Heroin trade, so stop trying to pretend it is.

Attempts to deal with the problem by education and rehabilitation are contemptuously dismissed by the protestors [sic] as a waste of time.

Having read through this already so far, I am hardly surprised that the protesters shun an education-based approach. It would, after all just confuse and destroy their current arguments. And, as we all know, rehab is for quitters.

This whole campaign is built on the belief that the abolition of the heroin trade will only come to pass when Islam decides to abolish it.

Come on, Islam, pull your fucking finger out, sunshine. :rolls-eyes:
In other news, the author broke with his previous tradition of capitalising “Heroin Trade”. Read all about it.

One of the leaflets under investigation underlines this belief by making the claim: ‘if Muslims applied to heroin traders a tiny fraction of the brutality they expend on adulterers the world would see an end to this evil trade in six months.

Ah, the old Sharia Law argument. Because, surely we all know, it’s an absolute fact that every single Muslim in the world applies Sharia Law and in every case Sharia Law dictates brutality.
Of course, I’m bullshitting. The truth is Sharia Law covers every aspect of life and in many, many cases, there is no reference to brutality to be had. There are exceptions, of course there are, in much the same way that not all Roman Catholic priests bugger children, but that by no means proves the rule. It also lies heavily with interpretation by the cleric in overseeing events. So, to return to the original statement, I want to see the research that translates putting a fraction of that brutality against adulterers into the fight against heroin would miraculously bring about the complete dissolution of the heroin trade. Because, of course, opium isn’t a naturally occurring product on this planet [I am of course taking the proverbial here] so provided Muslims clamp down on it hard, it’ll just vanish. *sigh* I wish people would think things through before putting pen to paper.

These ex-military men believe that the nation of Islam will only be able to do its duty and deal with the Heroin Traders after undertaking a cathartic process of introspection and self-examination similar to the one embarked on by the Roman Catholic community. Before the Roman Catholic community could effectively deal with the problem of paedophile priests there had to be a profound and universal recognition that by fostering a culture of cover-up, denial, and whitewash they were, in a very real sense, collectively responsible for the suffering inflicted by Catholic paedophiles. Islam, these old soldiers protest, must be brought to the same alter [sic] of repentance.

Hmm, where to start? Ok, well, can someone please tell me where this ‘nation of Islam’ is? Is it Saudi Arabia? Is it Egypt? Is it Syria? How about Palestine? Pakistan? Afghanistan? Iraq? Iran? You see, all those countries have very different approaches to their laws, their governance, their religion and, above all, their leaders, spiritual or otherwise. Because Islam as a term is the same as Christianity. It doesn’t specify the individual sects, such as Evangelical, Methodist, Catholic etc. And as such it’s hard to say it has a ‘leader’ or a ‘leading body’, besides the Deity itself of course. So how can it signify it’s universal recognition?
The argument is made weaker by the fact it compares its desires to the actions of the Roman Catholic church, a church with a very clear head of state and, hell, it’s own state. The fact that many other Christian organisations around the world condemned the stories as they were coming out regarding the cases of paedophilia didn’t matter (by the authors own admission) until the Roman Catholic church itself finally made its feelings known (many, many years too late, by the way, if you want my opinion on it). So, sorry, but they are in no way “similar”, and trying to claim they are is to do your readers a huge injustice, and insults their intelligence. So, please, pack up your weak arguments and go do some reading.

Muslims must be made to acknowledge that they are guilty of nurturing a culture of cover-up, denial and whitewash with regard to the Heroin Trade that has allowed this evil industry to bloom. It is only following a profound acknowledgement [which will be signified by the profession of public apologies] that the Islamic world is indeed guilty of inflicting this monstrous blight upon humanity that Muslims around the world will be shamed into doing the ‘right thing’ and deal with the heroin traders that hide and thrive in their midst.

Wow. +1 for the attempt at provocative and moving language. Repetition of the previous statements over ‘cover-up etc.’, ‘evil industry’, ’shamed into doing’, ‘hide and thrive in their midst’.
Because, of course, this is purely a Muslim problem. No heroin dealers live within the white man’s midst. Heavens, no! We’d never allow it! We’re proud and upstanding members of the community, and did we say ‘white’?
Regardless, if this day ever comes to pass (and I highly doubt it – and hope it never – will) I propose that we – the good people of the UK and the world who are able to sift through poorly constructed arguments and feeble attempts at propaganda – launch a similar campaign for a public apology on behalf of all good people everywhere for allowing such hate to be fostered within our communities, and shame ourselves into doing the ‘right thing’ and dealing with the professors of hate that hide and thrive in our midst. Black or white.
In all seriousness though, the idea itself is ludicrous. Walk on.

Given that the Pals have received a number of blood curdling death threats, no one should be surprised that they believe Muslims are more interest in silencing talk about the trade than ending it.

Of course, this doesn’t hint at to what the received threats are about. Are they about the heroin trade or are they, perhaps more likely, about a strong-handed reaction to the hate these fellows are preaching? Also, are these death threats all from Muslims only? How can you tell? You certainly don’t make any effort to make it clear, you just hint at it with your dreary attempt at language.

A belief reinforced by the fact that an initial investigation into this campaign was dismissed by the CPS only to be reopened following pressure from the Muslim Police Officers Association. In submitting to Muslim pressure the authorities may genuinely believe they are working towards social cohesion, but this is not how the veterans see it.

Well, bugger me with a pitchfork – the veterans don’t see it that way? Say it ain’t so! But, regardless, this is the trump card, that last stand to really get the moderate blood pumping. The hint at Muslim-favouritism. It would be them who re-opened the case wouldn’t it? Bastards.
Erm, excuse me, evidence? Please? I want to see the paperwork that categorically states that they re-opened the case? Not that I doubt it. The very wording of everything I’ve seen so far aims to spread an air of mistrust against all Muslims by suggesting they all know the ins and outs of the heroin trade and do their best to cover it up. Like some huge – Mafia-esque organisation hell-bent on destroying the earth. If that sort of information (even as badly presented as this is) ever made an real headway, then  would Muslim policemen and women be able to be respected by the mixed-race communities they work within and aim to police? I can fully understand why they would want to campaign for such a case to be looked at more closely.

From their [the veterans] point of view the authorities are collaborating with the Muslim invader to suppress a legitimate grievance honourably expressed.

Lofty language, wonderful. The fact that Muslims are every bit a part of British society as British Christians, British Hindus, British Pagans, British Atheists, British Buddhists, ad infinitum means that the authorities are also acting perfectly within these duties in following up on “a legitimate grievance honourably expressed”, even if it runs at odds to your own grievance. To coin a popular phrase (probably American in origin): get over it.

What should concern us all is the perception that as shepherds to their people, the authorities are seen as not only failing in their duty to defend, protect and care for their flock, but appear to have taken the side of the wolf pack.

The most important thing here, and in the last few statements, is to note the lack of apostrophes surrounding terms like ‘wolf pack’ and ‘invaders’ that existed in earlier paragraphs. We’re done with pretending to be civil, it seems to suggest. Time to hit hard.
Again, the very fact that the article assumes all Muslims are in this together shines through, and ignores the fact that the vast majority of UK Muslims are also part of the proverbial flock and should be treated as such.

It was with the tone of man [sic] who felt betrayed that one of the Pals remarked: ‘the real inflammatory behavious occurring in our valley comes from Lancashire’s Muslim colony which is inflicting a tsunami of suffering, misery, and death upon those who have been forced to give them a home’.

Hmm, quite. Let’s forget what we set out to argue and get to the bottom of it shall we? You don’t like Muslims being here. Yet you need them. Because without them you’d have to blame the white man for all your little ills and feelings of being hard done to. So for now, you’ll just use them as pawns in your game, just as you yourselves are being used by the (presumably also white) man who’s feeding you the propaganda you need to make you feel better about yourselves.
The language used is important. ‘Tsunami’ is a very evocative turn after the terrible effects in Thailand of a few years ago. It conjurs up images of absolute destruction. ‘Colony’ harks back to our own days of Empire, where we would bravely set forth to colonise (and conquer) far off lands often against the desires of the local population. ‘Forced to give them a home’ is, besides often being a pack of lies, conjurs up imagery of the downtrodden white man having to step aside to provide warmth and shelter to the ‘invaders’. You know, human warmth and kindness – urgh!

Conclusions

You may have already worked out that I am not sold on any part of this argument. By and large I have quoted segments of the entire piece, from start to finish, and feel I have only omitted odd sections where I feel there is little to actually comment upon, or I have referenced them in the next piece. I will endeavour to scan this anyway, and make it available for you to read through at your leisure, should you wish.

I have no doubt that many of the grievances the “Pals” feel is real, and it clearly affects them dearly. What I do doubt is that their grievances have managed to manifest themselves this way without a ‘guiding hand’ – that lone friend or group of friends they all know that was their to provide them with a reason, an excuse, and a target to blame their grievances upon. It is no doubt the same friend or group that inspired some of the rhetoric they now preach. In short, they’ve had their trust abused, and they’ve been manipulated to further the friend’s or group’s own aims. They are just pawns in the game, being pushed around and used and abused as is seen fit. Because of this, they are in many ways the nmost dangerous. They’re people you know, people you trust, people you value. And as such, their arguments (no matter how flawed) seem to be able to resonate with you as you sympathise with what they’ve been through and, in your own way, attempt to make what they’re saying fit in with your own lives and troubles. Because, simply, things seem so much easier if you have someone else to blame.

This is nothing new. It is a technique that has been used for centuries by politicians and would-be politicians to leverage themselves into a position of power and further their own aims. To give one popular example, Hitler used it extensively from him first getting into politics, using the Jews as a target that ‘real Germans’ could land their blame on. They were a large enough minority to have everyone relate to, yet small enough that they can’t efficiently fight back in any reasonable way.

What disappoints me most about this piece is that, for those people who are teetering on the edge, who are disappointed, don’t have everything going their way, or who just fail to attempt to read between the lines, this will come across as moderately convincing, and may well push them further in extreme ideologies. And, contrary to that author’s point of view, I do believe that you can’t police against that, it can only be rectified through ‘education and rehabilitation’. Please don’t let yourself fall into that trap.

Being able to blame others won’t take your problems away, it will just blind you to the fact that you have no one to blame but yourself.

Well, nearly two weeks into the New Year and I finally get around to starting to write this, a quick look back on the year that was 2008 inspired, entirely, by Craig’s similar post on the subject from a short while back.

Still, better late than never, eh? *sigh* There’s one resolution already on its way out then…

Anyway, one thing that came up when I was deciding what I wanted to write was how best to structure it. Chronologically seems the most logical, but then there’s also the options of trying to categorize everything. Oo, decisions, decisions! Anyway, I settled, more or less, on chronological order, divided into quarters as, conveniently, my life this year largely fits into them. Sad, really. Some will be more detailed than others but, hopefully, none of this will turn into a Super-Wall-of-Text for you to struggle through, most of it has already been covered in previous posts.

First Quarter

The year started in a painfully slow way. I was without a job, lacking much motivation to really go out and find one, stuck on an almost American Timezone by playing Eve most nights and sleeping much of the days, in a relationship that was soon to end and by and large getting by on the money I’d brought back from Egypt. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun, but leaves little to talk about.

I applied for a couple of jobs, one of which I now do, and enjoy. But, during this time it didn’t look likely that it was going to happen. I didn’t, in all ho0nesty, know what I wanted to do with myself. I knew what I’d like to be in, but couldn’t work out what I was going to do if I didn’t get offered any of the jobs I’d been offered. In all honesty, I was edging closer to the idea that I was going to be going back out to Egypt with my tail between my legs and trying to part time study so I could get a proper job. Not that I’ve ever been particularly opposed to going back out, but I’d hate to be going back appearing as though it was a last resort. “That’s pride fucking with you. Fuck pride.” But that’s largely by the by.
By the end of the quarter I hadn’t heard from any of the jobs I’d applied for and was really needing to get some sort of income / generally getting impatient.

In Eve, I was still with TGRADS, who were still with the (now sleeping) Brutally Clever Empire out in the region of Fountain. We’d moved there pretty soon after I’d got back from Egypt, so I was fairly psyched about it all and being a part of it, which goes some way to explaining why I was playing so much into the New Year.
However, various things happened in game, one of which was the general direction BRUCE was heading, and the stepping down of FOOM, the Executor Alliance. FOOM, for me, seemed to share many of the positive points that TGRADS have, and had pushed BRUCE in the right direction throughout its time and into Fountain. Once in Fountain, the mass influx of Corps that generally didn’t seem to share the BRUCE ethos I’d been used to left me a bit disillusioned. When FOOM left, along witha  few fellow TGRAD members, I decided it was time for me to step back out of 0.0 based life for a while and work out what I want to do in Eve. So I ran back to Empire to work out what I wanted.

Second Quarter

Pretty much started with me working at Bigland Hall Equestrian up near the Lake District, doing pretty basic office stuff / organization. It was dull and slow at times, and I didn’t always get on with the management, but it wasn’t terrible and, perhaps more importantly, it was something to do. In landing that job, I have to thank Carol, my old employer from Capernwray Diving, for putting me in touch and recommending me so highly. God knows I needed the kick up the arse a job provided. It was fun, it was a bit different, and I got the Outdoorsy parts of it I needed by nervously trying to help out with bits on the yard every now and then.
It was good, and I felt pretty thankful for the job as it was, so I was left feeling pretty dreadful when I got a letter through the post inviting me for an interview to my current employers, the job I’d applied for nearly 2 months early. To say it was a surprise is a massive understatement.

As excited as I was about it though, I couldn’t get myself too excited, as I still highly doubted I’d get through the interview and survive, nevermind get the job. However, through some weird turn of events I got back for a second interview and got offered the job, starting in June. It was pretty difficult to break it to my boss at Bigland Hall that I was going to be leaving, but I couldn’t bring myself to pass up the chance to work in an industry I’d always wanted to get into.

Other than that though, it’s fair to say little else of note happened in terms of life stuff. There was the trip to Farnes, plenty of beer and silly nights out, and general good times. As is often the problem, having a regular income convinced me that regular outgoings are fine and dandy.

As for Eve, well, I was no longer in TGRADS and BRUCE, and was sort of missing the camaraderie I enjoyed with TGRADS. I was enjoying doing the bits myself, JW, and Mystified were doing, but I severely lacked motivation, and went through and early mid-life-crisis style moment when I cancelled my subscriptions to take some time off from the game. I think I lasted about 3 weeks. I just lost any motivation to play and do what I was doing, and felt I needed to take some time to actually make myself do things besides that when I was home from work, like catching up on reading and similar. Of course, I knew I was never going to actually _quit_ the game fully, I just needed some time out to work out what I wanted to do next in game and try some other games / get some other stuff done.
It was good, needed, and enjoyed, but it was good to be back in the game again, renewed and confident in my enjoyment of it.

Third Quarter

The one downside about getting the job offer when I did with the start date it had was that it came at just about the same time as a bunch of events / time off that I’d had lined up and booked off when I was at Bigland, all of which required me taking some time off almost immediately. In fact, I did 4 days, then took the Friday off to go to Oxford for Illumina. The full writeup of that is linked there, but it was bloody epic. A great experience, and a thoroughly bloody good laugh. I’ll definitely be trying to do it again.
So, a heavy weekend in Oxford then back into my new place of work, trying to get used to things, remaining convinced that I was in way over my head, and with a new nickname of sorts. If it wasn’t for the ‘in over my head’ feeling, I would have been fine. Nice bunch of people, fairly small crowd to get used to, and in an area I’m interested in and learn from every day. Bloody lucky, really.

Less than two weeks later I was having to take time off again, this time nearly a week in total, as I’d gone and got myself tickets for Glastonbury Festival and was heading down there with Mike, John, Owen and Duncan for the festivities. It felt bloody cheeky to be taking such a lot of time off work so soon after starting but I’m glad I did. It really was superb. And makes me look forward to this year’s event greatly.

So, Glastonbury finished, I recovered my senses, and the weekend after I went to LUGRadio Live 2008 – another fun event, just as much as the year before. Fortunately, this one didn’t require any more time off work.

The other weeks of this quarter passed by largely without incident. The weekends remained busy with various things, and the weeks were filled with work. As work progressed the ‘in over my head feeling’ subsided slightly, although, just as it does now, new things kept being uncovered to keep me confused, just as the earlier things became clearer. All good fun.

Back in the Eve Universe, I was back into the swing of things after taking a break and decided I wanted to get TD back into the pew pew aspects of the game. I put out a few recruiting posts on some of the forums to see what came back and see what took my fancy. I’d already decided I didn’t want to get back into full 0.0 politics again and get tied up in the tedium that is space control, but I did want to get back with a decent group of a moderate size that knew their pew pew. I got a few invitations of interest, the two that I thought long and hardest about being Contraband Inc. and Jericho Fraction.
Contra were the first group I got the invite to talk to, and I really did find them an interesting option. They had been a fairly longstanding member of the infamous Mercenary Coalition I had followed stories of for so long and, being mercenary-orientated and no longer in an alliance I wasn’t going to have to worry about them getting too caught up in 0.0 politics any time soon. They’re a bunch I know of for their ability to pew pew, and so they would have been able to teach me a good few things, and it would be a new approach, one that I haven’t tried before. The downside was that the few members I did meet in their public channel I never really managed to gel with.
Jericho Fraction, the executor corp of The Star Fraction alliance, was a name I’d known since some of my earliest days in the game, and one I’d come to respect. The website explains it much better than I can in a sentence but, essentially, JFand subsequently SF is a Roleplaying alliance within the game taking the line of anarchists (to put it as simply as I can) – a line which, in terms of game mechanics, is quite tricky to play out and gain ‘markable’ progress (at least, that was how I’d always viewed it). I’d always toyed with applying to join the Fraction throughout my time in Eve but never did for a couple of reasons – (1) I didn’t (arguably still don’t) think I had the Roleplay / Writing skills to be of value to the group, and (2) Until I had joined TGRADS I had experienced nothing of the PvP side of the game so never thought I had anything to bring to the table there either. So this time, when I got a recommendation to look at them more closely, I pretty much instantly realized that I was going to apply to JF and see what happens. Shortly after I applied I got another invitation to speak to a name I had heard of but knew little about but decided against it, focusing my efforts on getting in with the group I’d admired for so long. In terms of what I’d been thinking when I put up the availability posts, JF hit all the boxes – the people I spoke to in the Public channel were friendly, amusing, and interesting; the alliance was small enough that realisitically I could see myself being able to speak and get to know most of them, they take part in a lot of small-scale gang warfare in varying environments, have positively no desires of standard 0.0 empire-building policies, and the interview process was superb.
It sounds sad to admit it, but I was actually remarkably proud when I did get accepted, and just wished I had more playtime to really make the most of it. It’s proved to be just as much fun as I’d hoped for.

Fourth Quarter

In many ways this was by far the quietest quarter in terms of anything notable, the one exception being a trip to Reykjavik in Iceland for the Eve Online Fanfest. It was a fun trip, if over all to quickly. I’ll be making an effort to go to this year’s, that’s for sure.

Work continued at a steady pace, with plenty of stuff to be doing, new things to get to grips with and still more and more stuff that keeps me on my toes. The chance to be out and about increased and I’m pretty damn happy with how it’s gone. Overall I’m still occasionally a bit nervous that compared to others around me doing the same job, I’m the weak link, but at the same time I think I’m getting a lot out of it.

Eve-wise, things have steadily plodded on. I’m still with SF, out in the Amarr-Minmatar conflict zones hassling the Amarrians. It’s been damn good fun so far.

Looking Forward

So, that was last year, what about this one?

Well, I don’t make resolutions as such, so that’s out, but what in general do I aim to do during the year?

• Start running regularly again – I’m aiming for 3 times a week
• Keep on enjoying and learning at work
• Go to Glastonbury again
• See Bob Dylan live in concert (Glasgow, May)
• Move into somewhere I can call my own
• Head back out to Egypt on holiday to see friends I’ve not seen in over a year now
• Read more
• Sort out my personal time management so I can spend some more time in Eve and make a real impact for SF

And that’s about it. I was toying with going into details there, but I’m sure I’ll do that as and when it happens. I was also going to list some regrets, but then I realized I don’t really have any. There’s been plenty of things last year that could well be described as ’sub-optimal’, but they’re all just part of the learning curve, and to regret them would be silly.

Job done.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read any of Fleming’s Bond and, I’ll be honest, I’d forgotten how much I really enjoyed his writing style, and why I’ve enjoyed the Daniel Craig Bond films like I have.

Fleming’s Bond is human. He’s gritty, has issues, doubts himself, and is far from perfect. But he’s human. And he’s involved in, shall we say, ‘adventures’ that let that shine.

This collection of short stories (around 7 in total, I think) includes some titles we’d all recognize; Quantum of Solace (obviously…), The Living Daylights, Octopussy, and From a View to a Kill for example. Hardly any of them relate to the films except in terms of borrowed titles.
But that’s not to detract from them, either as films or books. They’re just titles.

Instead, the short stories by and large seem to help ‘pad out’ Bond as a character. There are the odd one or two that deal with the action, the excitement and the ruthlessness we’ve come to know and love through the big screen, but at the same time many of the stories do more to flesh out the man than his actions.

Take Quantum of Solace, for example. It’s a very short story (around 40 pages, from memory) detailing a conversation Bond has with some Governor of sorts somewhere. There’s no typical ‘Bond action’, no fancy Bond-esque innuendos, in fact, not much Bond talking, but what he does say shows a depth of character that all so often is lacking from the big screen translations.

Since I’ve spoken about this but been unable to remember the exact translation, here’s an excerpt that explains the Quantum of Solace – this may only make sense to those I’ve spoke to about it, as the rest of the story does a better job of the detail:

… it’s the same with all relationships between a man and a woman. They can survive anything so long as some kind of basic humanity exists between the two people. When all kindness has gone, when one person obviously and sincerely doesn’t care if the other is alive or dead, then it’s just no good. That particular insult to the ego – worse, to the instinct of self-preservation – can never be forgiven… I’ve seen flagrant infidelities patched up… crimes and even murder forgiven by the other party… bankruptcy and every other form of social crime… Incurable disease, blindness, disaster – all of these can be overcome. But never the death of common humanity in one of the partners… I’ve invented a rather high-sounding title for this basic factor in human relations… the Law of the Quantum of Solace…

So, yeh, there it is. As you have hopefully guessed, the short story surrounding that excerpt elaborates on a particular example, and does a damn good job, but the fact is it doesn’t revolve around Bond. It doesn’t even revolve around anyone he knows. But seeing his reactions, reading his thoughts as this entire process takes place, provides that little extra piece of understanding into the character as a whole. And the other short stories do the same.

As with previous Bond books I’ve read (albeit many years ago), these short stories were a joy to read, and I seemed to fly through it (especially when compared to my reading pace of late). As such, I’d recommend it to anyone who has an interest in something that’s light and easy to read, but also has enough in it to make you think every now and then.
You by no means have to strain to read it. You can read bits, put it down and come back to it later quite easily. But it’s very good at what it does.

One of the first auto-biographies (of sorts) of a comedian that I ever read was Rik Mayall’s ‘Bigger then Hitler, Better than Jesus’ and, following on from that, I learned to take all of them with a heavy pinch of salt, at least until proven otherwise.

And that’s probably the one piece of advice I would pass on. And it applies to this, in my opinion, which is probably a huge disservice to Russel Brand – it’s not that I don’t believe every anecdote and tale of craziness – there’s plenty in there that is just too insane / sick / mental / fun for it be moderately fabricated, but the tales that are described are so far away from things I can relate to I did find myself once or twice thinking, “Oh, come on, you’ve dramatized this a bit somewhat, haven’t you? Sneakily crafted in some little white lies to spice it up? It’s ok, you can tell me.”

But that all sounds very negative, and I don’t mean that at all.

The book is a fun, comfortable read, albeit with stories in there that, I would imagine, depict some pretty alien scenes to the majority of readers.

What does the writing style tell us about Brand? Probably nothing that’s not already documented, but I also don’t really want to be drawn on those conversations.

Taken as is, it’s fun, interesting, and occasionally prods areas of the heart and mind unexpectedly. And it is amusing. I’ve never disliked Brand, and in many ways found the book as I expected I would – a slight reflection of his on-screen personality in text form.
If you’re a fan of his anyway, you’ve probably already toyed with reading it – and I’d recommend that.

If you actively dislike him (I know plenty of people claim to) then don’t bother picking it up because, in all honesty, you “won’t get it”. Not that there’s anything to get, nor is there a particularly benchmark I can set aside as being “it”, but it won’t do anything for you.

If you’ve never really heard much of him then it’d be interesting to see how you find it. It does contain a plentiful amount of sex, drugs, and rock and roll though, so bear that in mind if you are easily offended by such things.

First off, I think it’s fair to say that this review has been a long time coming – I’ve been reading this book for absolutely ages, which is unfair on the book to say the least.

I have not been a long time reading it because it’s a long book, nor because it’s a dull read – far from it. More, I’ve been a long time reading it because I couldn’t bring myself to leave it mid-chapter if I got sleepy / had to get up and move somewhere else and such matters. That’s still no excuse for it taking as long as it has.

And this little ditty will by no means lean the weight deserved on this book.

It is, simply, superb.

Herbert’s writing is immensely deep, intricate, and well thought out. The scenes described come to life and capture the imagination like almost no other book can (the last example I can think of that caught me like this is when I first read Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ when I was about 12). Every aspect of it comes alive in your mind and immerses you in the storyline, from the green-garden-esque scenes in the Atreides’ household when they first arrive on Dune to the sandy wastelands interspersed with rocky outcrops of the southern regions, it all grips you and comes to life in the process. You can feel and hear the sand whip across your feet, envision the hordes stepping in their intentional non-rhythmic way across the sands, and feel the tips of the blades when they come close. It’s really super, super stuff.

When people use the term ‘Science Fiction’ I’m sure a lot of folks first thoughts (like mine used to a good few years ago) turn to the idea of space travel, lasers, and Death Stars. The reality is, ‘Dune’ is what Science Fiction is all about, in my honest opinion.

It’s about providing the reader with enough ‘reality’ that they can see and feel it, hear and smell it, whilst at the same time allowing the story to include things that are just that bit beyond reality – comprehendible but distant, realistic but strange.

Whether you are a ‘Sci-Fi’ fan or not, I would reccommend everyone reads this book at least once.

I will certainly read again, and desperately seek out the sequels.

Seven Hours.

Seven fucking hours.

That is the total amount of time I have spent travelling to and from Manchester this weekend. Let me just point out that, according to schedules, that seven (count ‘em, 7) hours should be 2 and a half. I just got nearly three times my money’s worth. Bargain? Hmmm.

Anyway, that’s by-the-by because, despite delays, I actually thoroughly enjoyed them.

The first delay was on the way down to Manchester, when the train came to a stop jsut after Chorley because the previous train had disrupted the ‘points’ or some such technical train-like term. So we stopped, for the best part of an hour, in what I like to consider a No Man’s Land of the train world.
Yet, it was remarkably refreshing. Sat at the end of the carriage as I was, we were a cluster of maybe 6 or 7 people. And after a short while being stopped everyone started to open up. There was no frustration, no excessive tutting and shaking of heads, just light-hearted amusement. Simple jokes, shrugging the situation off, and genuinely just making the most of an unfortunate situation. People opened up, started talking about where they were heading, a few of us had drink on us that we were toying with cracking open if we were delayed much longer, and the like. It was how I imagine the war-time atmosphere was (granted, the bombs weren’t falling). It restored my faith in the public.

Anyway, before we knew it (and before we resorted to drink) we were movijng again and arrived at Bolton, where it terminated because of the delays. Lots of concerned people ushering their children everywhere and tutting wildly. I laughed a little. To myself. And then jumped on a train to Victoria instead, as it looked like it’d be quicker. Soon enough, I’d arrived.

The return was funnier still.

I did the quick walk to Picadilly in my remotely hungover state, got a good ol’ Pasty to help me on my way, then got on the 12:25 train destined for Blackpool via Preston, where I was hoping to change to Lancaster.
It started with a decidedly dodgy edge when the train we got on was originally Stockport-bound, but got terminated for us to jump on. It got as far as Oxford Road before stopping, the crew jumping off, and no replacement crew being available. I could do little else but chuckle as I continued to read.

Then the engines stopped. Sighs all round, but, once more, smiley faces making the best of it. Public confidence restored, once more. After a little while, general pleasantries were swapped and I got talking to the lady sat opposite me who, as it happened, was also trying to get to Lancaster. Others left, jokes were told, and amusement was had by all as we finally started moving again and finally got into Preston and rushed to get much needed refreshment. During this process, we managed to miss the connection to Lancaster, so opted for beer whilst awaiting the next train. The bar tender did an excellent job and also joined in the banter spawned from random events. Most amusing, and more or less settled my ailing body.

Finally got the train, and got into Lancaster at 16:00, a mere 3 hours late. Super stuff.

But the important thing that came out of all this? The banter, the chat, the getting along with strangers and genuinely just meeting nice, nice people. Lovely stuff.

Sophie – thanks for the chatter – it was much appreciated and lightened my day after feeling pretty terrible from drink after effects. Genuinely very nice to have met and thanks for a fun couple of hours chatting shite. I hope you enjoyed the brief spell in sunny Lancaster and enjoy your course / being back in Manchester.

To the others I didn’t catch the names of – thanks for just being nice and restoring my faith. Dramatic? Probably. But it was lovely.

The strange part is that I almost certainly will never see any of those people again but… it doesn’t matter. I feel better because we had the banter and were nice to strangers. It would be nice to make and keep friends with everyone you meet, but it doesn’t have to happen that way. Lovely jubbly.

As to why I was in Manchester, I was there for Craig’s birthday. And I failed terribly at drinking.

To the people who met me at Craig’s, and to Craig and Lehna – I apologise. I have no excuse for seemingly being as drunk as I was as quick as I was, and I certainly have no excuse for locking myself away and sleeping on the bathroom floor. I’m still at a loss as to what actually caused my downfall. I’m sure I could sit here all night and come up with excuses, but that is all they’d be and it wouldn’t actually fixed anything. Sorry anyway for playing the drunken fool, it was lovely to meet you all.

And, Craig, happy birthday, you old bastard.