Monkee

3 hours ago, Keith Houchen said:

It’s translated from a French writer as Google told me earlier!

It’s from Dangerous Liaisons (the original French text). Edit - Sorry, it’s attributed to the book but may be from another source according to my further research.

Knowledge resulting from my Keanu Reeves obsession 🙃

Info - https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold.html

I think @Keith Houchenis referring to TERF opinions. In which case, those opinions are definitely not welcome.

@Nick Jamesthere was absolutely nothing wrong with what you said. I saw that Eddie was trending earlier today and [stupidly] clicked the link. The amount of pure bile was sickening. And it was from all angles - men, women, left wing, right wing, old, young. The language was horrendous and I didn’t even read that much.

It reminded me of what I read last week after watching Jordan Grey on Friday Night Live.

Social media makes me sick sometimes.

14 minutes ago, JNLister said:

So there's three different things here:

Aaaaah, thank you! That all makes sense.

So who then comes up with the manifesto (terminology? e.g. the things Liz Truss said she would do if chosen as leader) for each candidate? 

I guess what I’m getting at is that it seems that things that have happened recently (e.g. the mini budget thing that went down like a cup of cold sick and resulted in more U-turns) have no relevance to what was in place before. If there were things in place when Boris was in charge that didn’t quite work but just needed tweaking, then why have they now been completely scrapped or changed to be totally unrecognisable from before. Or how can one leader say they’ve allocated money to support the poorest people affected by the cost of living crisis only for another to come in and say they’re not going to do that any more and instead they’re going to invest in big fuck off “look at me” nuclear warheads or something equally as ridiculous.

I could sort of understand it if it was a different party that came into power each time but if it’s the same party then WHO is allowing the fuckery that’s going on?

Am I just being really naive here? Is this basic stuff that someone of my age should already know? If so, just tell me to go and Google it or something.

1 minute ago, JNLister said:

Entirely the party. It was a contest to choose the new party leader.

There is no election or contest for the role of Prime Minister. That just goes to whoever is "best placed to command a majority in the Commons" when the outgoing PM resigns as PM. In practice, that means the leader of the party (or group of parties) with the most MPs.

I know about how a PM is appointed and that it’s the leader of the party with the majority who becomes PM. I understand the basics… but I suppose that knowledge is based on the regular turnover that I’ve seen up until recently.

The shenanigans of the past year or so is something I’ve not seen before so that’s why I’m now realising that there’s ‘background stuff’ that I’ve never paid attention to and so I’ve never considered.

2 minutes ago, Vamp said:

There's a wonderful documentary series on British politics called Yes Minister followed by the equally good Yes Prime Minister. Sadly I don't think they apply to contemporary British politics. 

I’ll have to look for that. Is it in the on Netflix or can I maybe just search for a name, maybe like that Alec B’Stard or whatever he was called?

Good point. (Edit - that was to @Your Fight Site’s comment)

I have another one too (overactive brain tonight!) - when a new PM comes in, I know they get to appoint their cabinet. Do they also get a new back-room team?

This might not be the correct terminology but I’ll explain what I mean. This is based off an office conversation this afternoon so I may have got the wrong end of the stick with some things that were said so bear with me here…

The PM is just the face of the party and there’s a team in the background who will be pulling all the strings and looking at popularity polls and reactions to proposals/announcements and that sort of thing - hence the spineless lack of conviction and the spinning top U-turns.

So is this ‘team’ a permanent fixture of the party regardless of who the face is or does the team change with each new leader?

If it’s a permanent fixture then why are there all these decisions that seemingly come from thin air and are poles apart from what was there before? Surely if it’s the same team then they should be tweaking rather than demolishing?

But if it’s a new team each time, I get that they probably want to make their mark or whatever, but again why are the new plans just so vastly different from the previous team?

Apologies if this is like British Politics 101 but I could probably do with something explaining it all to me like a 6-year-old because I just don’t get it.

Genuine question: when Boris™️ resigned and there was the big battle for the new PM with debates on TV and all that shit, where did the money come from for that? Was that all funded by the party, by the individual standing, by the government or elsewhere?

I don’t know the ins and outs of politics, government or political parties, and I don’t even know what specifically to Google to find more information.

The Darkness: I’m really not a fan. Justin Hawkins makes me itchy and  I see them as a novelty act and nothing more. However, I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed watching Justin at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert as he can obviously sing so I don’t understand why The Darkness produce such shitty music that makes my ears bleed. Him singing other people’s songs are a lot more palatable for some reason.

Blink-182: I’m very excited about the new tour announcement. I loved California and I really like Matt Skiba’s influence. I saw them on the last tour in (just looked it up and, Christ, it doesn’t feel that long ago!) 2017 and was blown away by how good they sounded. But I’m excited about Tom coming back too although I hope it doesn’t mean a return to the bubblegum punk of the ‘90s. I loved California as it felt more grown up but still with a sprinkling of knob gags so we might have a taste of things to come on Friday when ‘Edging’ is released - although the title makes me a little apprehensive.

Iron Maiden: I’m not a huge fan but I know some songs and wouldn’t mind seeing them live. Did I read somewhere though that the tour next year is just about their new album? I’m not arsed about seeing them if that’s all they’re going to play.

BST Hyde Park: I’ve seen Billy Joel and P!nk have been announced (not on the same bill but that would be a hell of a show!) but any other rumours about who else might be added?

Aerosmith: I’m still clinging to the hope that these bastards might reschedule the tour they cancelled “due to Covid” and then promptly announced a Las Vegas residency. 

She was such a big part of growing up - Murder She Wrote, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Beauty and The Beast, The Last Unicorn, and so many more films. This one hurts.

Angela Lansbury 🥺

My mate sent me a screengrab of a conversation in her work WhatsApp group (limited to people she actually likes). The average age must be ‘toddler’ because one girl said she’s seen a clip from a film where these people are all dancing around a dining table and some hands come out of the prawn cocktails. She “thinks” the film is called Beetlejuice and has anyone seen it.

My morning coffee on the way to work. It has to be either Costa or Starbucks - I’m not a fan of either company but they do vastly superior coffees to Pret or Cafe Nero. I’d usually go for Costa over everything else but Starbucks is right outside the station. I justify the overly-inflated prices by having a very skimpy lunch but I won’t (can’t!) go without a coffee in the morning.

12 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

I didn't realize we worked together.

Quite simply: people are cunts.

@Frankie Crisp, what are you in London for (i.e. how central do you need to be)?  There are some cheap and cheerful hotels in Stratford as it’s within easy distance of the Olympic Park, the ExCeL and the O2.

This thread could be the death of me though as I fear once I start on “dickhead behaviour” I’m experiencing at the moment then I won’t be able to stop. I’m surrounded by pure imbeciles at the moment.

Love reading these reviews/updates. Lots of people I know having either just come back or are in Florida right now and I’m missing it so much. I’ve not had a break since May and it’s been a rough couple of weeks so I’d give anything to be in Orlando right now.

@quote the ravenPlease keep updating on what parks you’ve been to.

Only just seen that Harry Landis has died. I knew him when I worked at Equity and he was such a lovely man. I absolutely adored him. I knew him as Felix in Eastenders and never watched Friday Night Dinner. A pleasure to have known him.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/14/harry-landis-dead-friday-night-dinner-actor-dies-aged-90-17374164/amp/
 

This news just tops the shittiest day I’ve had in a very long time. Today can fuck right off.

I was looking at getting a ticket for Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott as I love the Beautiful South. They were the first band I saw when I moved to London in 2003. However, I was a bit dubious about buying tickets until I heard the new album. 

Also, I got tickets today for the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert on Saturday (and gone to the theatre twice in the last 2 weeks) so I don’t think I can afford any more tickets this month.

Great write-up, @PunkStep. I really liked reading all that and it’s made me want to go back again so bad. We’ve been looking at 2023 holidays this week and I’d go back to Florida at the drop of a hat but my mate wants to go somewhere different. Not even an all-inclusive in Mauritius is tipping the balance right now for me.

4 hours ago, Gay as FOOK said:

It's triggered my claustrophobia just looking at that! 

You definitely wouldn’t have like the armoured personnel carrier we got to ride in then. No windows, very cramped with only 8 people in the back, bumpy, dusty and very disorientating. Glad it was only a 5-minute ride.

I went tank driving in Winchester today (postponed from 2020). It was an absolutely amazing experience and one more thing off my bucket list. Here’s me in a Chieftain.

23 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

This was designed with the relevant members of staff, and may seem like a small thing, but it's just a simple effective change that might make a big difference to some people. 

I can't tell you what an absolute shit fit I throw when someone that isn't based at my office rocks up and sits at "my" desk, so I can only imagine how difficult it is for people that need a regular routine.

I HATE hot-desking and, in a previous job, a great manager I only had for a short time made sure I had two monitors which then meant I had to sit at a permanent desk. I used to be made fun of in that job because of “how particular” I was about my desk. I don’t like people sitting in my chair, using my things or touching my desk. Everything has to be in order, in its place and as I want it.

It’s still really difficult for me to acknowledge that this isn’t me being anal or possessive or over-sensitive or even difficult. Since March I have gotten upset a few times about past experiences and how I was made to feel like I was going mad or I was a bad person for behaving in a particular way. It’s really hard to change that mindset and I guess I’m sad at what might’ve been if I’d been diagnosed sooner.

If I’m going out shopping I usually try and go early/very late to avoid crowds (one less thing to deal with). I knew some places do autism-friendly hours but had no idea that some places are now doing more than just an hour and provide headphones if needed. That’s brilliant!

As for headphones, I use my AirPods Pro at the moment even just for noise cancelling if I need to. I can’t wear over the head ones as they hurt my ears and, more importantly of course, mess my hair up. #HighMaintenance

Edit: I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in March so everything’s a massive learning curve right now.

5 minutes ago, wordsfromlee said:

Popped big time for Billy, Libby and Stingray.

I found the Natalie Imbruglia/Holly Vallance part quite strange. They were obviously in another part of Australia/another country but still had it professionally filmed rather than by their phone or whatever.

The only thing that could have made it any better would have been a cameo from Lou Carpenter or the ghost of Drew.

I think I read that Tom Oliver (Lou) is ill but his family are quite private so no-one’s absolutely sure. It was a nice nod to him though when Terese was looking at the documents for River Bend and when she slid them into the envelope and turned it over it was addressed to “T Oliver”.

I’ve just finished crying. There were moments of pure joy in that finale. I just want to look forward to the Farewell Tour now and try not to think about it being so far away.