17 June 2021
Diary of a Corbynista
World Beating Contempt
by Don Urquhart
10 June
Message Board responses to Corbynista in Shaw Sheet 281:
Walsall:
I was particularly amused by the comment from Martin Daubney, the former MEP, as described in the Fail, who wanted to praise the 2 England players who did not take the knee, not realising that England were not the team in white, so wanted to praise a couple of Romanians. He got quite royally roasted on Twitter. However, the Mail could not bring themselves to mention which party Daubney represented. I am not sure it would surprise anyone that that he was a Brexit Party member.
Sunlounger:
The Labour party has to grow a pair and state what it believes is and that it is not anti-Semitic. I will openly criticise the Israeli government for its treatment of Palestinians. I will openly criticise Palestinians for launching rockets into civilian populated areas in Israel. I do not think that these criticisms make me anti-Semitic and Islamophobic.
11 June
A friend showed me a Guardian article about “safe spaces” in relation to university students not wanting to listen to people they disagree with. It’s quite common apparently.
Conventional wisdom has it that young people are in thrall to social media. I dabble in Twitter and am often surprised how upset people appear to be about being “blocked” and how personally they take things generally. So it’s more like social clubs and masons’ lodges with conventions you mustn’t breach.
I’m reminded of Monty Python’s brave lampooning of the Kray Brothers. Dinsdale Piranha nails Stig’s head to the floor and Stig explains:
Well he had to, didn’t he? I mean there was nothing else he could do, be fair. I had transgressed the unwritten law.
Twitter is very like that. And people complain that Twitter is not a “safe space”. Well it’s a step up from the Piranhas’ front room.
12 June
I dined with a friend who told me he didn’t watch films and drama series because he couldn’t suspend disbelief. As someone who has been enchanted by Marriage at First Sight Australia I must be at the other end of the scale. Tony (not his real name) thought that he might lack empathy despite the fact that he moves heaven and earth to help anyone in need.
I came across the “safe space” issue again reading about Ann Henderson who left her job as Rector of Edinburgh University feeling physically threatened by groups opposed to her willingness to encourage free discussion on the subject of gender dysphoria. She was labelled “transphobic”.
I don’t think I lack empathy but I do lack the experience and insight to contribute where transgender issues are involved.
Thirty years ago my old boss at an investment bank presented a learned paper on Artificial Intelligence at a high powered conference. One of the Directors complimented him: “It must have been important because I didn’t understand a word of it”.
That’s me and transgender issues.
13 June
I was thrilled to be vaccinated. Sid was done at about the same time.
They gave me AstraZeneca. Do you think I’ve been stiffed?
The government messaging was and is that Pfizer and AZ are much of a muchness. Then I caught a TV graphic showing Pfizer at 88% effective and AZ bumbling along at 60%. A bit of googling got me to a Public Health England (PHE) study:
Vaccines highly effective against B.1.617.2 variant after 2 doses
This has it that after 2 doses, Pfizer is 88% effective against the Delta variant compared with 60% for AZ (see hospitalisation details in David Chilvers’ article this week – Ed).
Now I think this means that were Sid and I to be breathed on by a Delta sufferer there are 4 chances in 10 of us catching the thing.
I’m not complaining just hoping we have it licked before I start going down The Arsenal again.
14 June
Johnson, Raab, Cleverly and the rest are pushing the line that the European Union is refusing to be flexible. I have a feeling we will be learning of many evil intentions from Paris, Berlin and Brussels as our Government runs out of arguments as to why they should not honour the oven ready get it done Agreement that won them the General Election.
For me the key demographic they won in December 2019 was that of people like the Millwall Football Club supporters who rejoiced to describe their relationship with the sane world:
No one likes us, we don’t care.
It’s the approach the Johnson mob is taking with the foreigners.
15 June
Covid: PM determined restrictions will end on 19 July is the top headline on BBC News this morning.
What’s the news here?
The government has decided to retain the existing restrictions for 4 more weeks?
No. It’s about how Johnson feels about things. And by extension how dependent we are on the whims of the great leader.
We are in big trouble when the news items of our national broadcaster are written by 10 Downing Street.
I suspect that the BBC is not his favourite broadcaster. After the Press Briefing one of the anointed questioners was from a new TV station which seeks to emulate Fox News as the voice of right wing bigotry.
16 June
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss all over the media talking up the trade deal apparently concluded via elbow bumping between Johnson and Australian PM Scott Morrison. Greater minds than mine have dissected this deal from the economic perspective and have opined on its effects on UK farmers and on climate change.
I would just like to point out that its presentation exemplifies yet again the contempt demonstrated by Johnson and his oppos for the British public. Minister after Minister has been out to tell us that Australian animal welfare standards are as good as ours. The BBC dutifully shows us photogenic antipodean farmers with the same message.
RSPCA Australia begs to differ. Here is its message relayed by our own RSPCA.
