Friday, May 04, 2007

Science and Religion 2

Okay, the headline is a lie. But your comment rate has slowed and I feel lonely. The last time I posted on science and religion, there were 80 comments, so it might work this time. The correct headline for this post is: Local Election Shock. Since my previous, thoughtful essay on the results, I have discovered a handwritten but, sadly, photocopied note from two ladies named Roberta and Joyce. Roberta tells me 'canvassing has been an exhilarating experience' and Joyce goes so far as to inform me that 'it's been brilliant being your councillor for the past seven years.' Roberta, get a life, and, Joyce, has it indeed? The only way out of this silliness is to transfer more tax-raising from central to local government. We might then start thinking seriously about the membership of our local councils. We might also turn out for elections and abandon this stupid habit of voting in eccentric ways that bear no relation to our general election intentions. Unfortunately Gordon Brown is not the man to do this.

16 comments:

  1. In my view, Gordon Brown is not the man to do anything - except perhaps scowl a lot, and go on ruining the middle classes!

    (For my more considered opinion of him (joking of course!) see my blog entry 'Tableau in the garden' on I Beatrice....)

    Self promotion being the only way forward in these parts, it seems.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some of my happiest memories are canvassing for der National Front back in the exciting days of the early 80s. We were at war with Argentina over the Orkneys, Fun Boy Three were flying it in the charts, Margarete Dachdecker was the Ministerpräsident von England...the things I heard on the doorsteps of Britain...happy days.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lonely boy. Ah. Now then. The Welsh elections must have been fun. A Mr Pugh (New Labour) was defeated because he had spent £3000 of public money on a Christmas card showing him playing Welsh 'Scrabble'. I suppose they make words like Caerbloddwyndidioggd? The winner, a Tory, had been sacked from the Western Mail for saying that its content was a 'joke' (he was a columnist). Meanwhile, the BNP nearly got a candidate in Wrexham, by protesting about the number of Polish migrant workers. Judging by those who have worked in The Dark Place, I'd have said they would all have been fervent BNP supporters. The news from Scotland isn't much better, especially about the company that so ballsed up the two ballots that 'tens of thousands of votes' have had to be discounted as 'spoiled'. Have to go to a dark room to recover from this night of political excitement.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I received a handwritten but, sadly, photocopied note from a lady called Marguarite telling me 'canvassing has been an exhilarating experience' and 'it's been brilliant being your councillor for the past seven years.'
    Some enterprising producer of faux letters for councillors to distribute has obviously benefited from the elections, even if the rest of us are left numb with indifference.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mr Dark can only manage words like 'bat' or 'on' when he plays Scrabble so he shouldn't be snooty about those Welshies. Whoops. There's plod at the door.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Try the headline 'God' or 'Women are useless' next time!

    It is a shame people rubbish the local elections, but then sometimes i don't blame. So yes good idea Bryan. Exhilarating? Thats just weird! But then it does make jolly exciting tv!

    On another note, and probably neither the time or place to say this, but: Save Our Post Office!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Science and Religion 2

    That was a very cruel joke, Bryan. For some of us without real lives, it feels like CZJ just flashed her bum at us with a come hither look and then suddenly burst out laughing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Science is bleedin great. I love science, me. I don't like religion. It's crap.

    Eh, the elections... yeah, the elections, well... democracy is crap. I don't like it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What is CZJ? Is it something like CJD? Suppose we could try some of the alternatives to democracy. Neolithic tribalism? Pharoah worship? The Venetian Republic? Absolutist monarchy? North Korea?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fun Boy Three! I'd forgotten all about them. Great band. And who remembers The Thompson Twins and Kajagoogoo?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bryan is suffering from CWS (Comment Withdrawal Syndrome) so he pulls a bait & switch, using the hallowed topic of science and religion to pawn off some back-bin, knock-off insights on local politics that are past their expiration dates? Sorry Bryan, but the CWS defense won't work in court for the consumer fraud lawsuit that I'll be filing shortly. For shame, Bryan!

    ReplyDelete
  12. See you in court, Duck. I shall be armed, you persuaded me of the dignity of self defence.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Science is bleedin great. I love science, me. I don't like religion. It's crap.

    And they say we are losing touch with the richness of the Western Canon.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Thompson Twins were pretty good but Kajagoogoo was pure crap with bad haircuts.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ah, Peter, don't be like that. I bleedin love the Western Canon. Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Aristotle, Apollonius (actually, I haven't finished him yet to be honest). I should be moving on to 'b' next week, you'll be glad to hear. Can you recommend any good 'b's? I believe Bacon is a bit tasty.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Neil:

    Boswell is bleedin great. I love Boswell, me. I don't like Bacon. He's crap. :-)

    ReplyDelete