tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post4222343573478592547..comments2024-03-16T09:24:45.474+01:00Comments on 22 Billion Energy Slaves: Ruled by GoonsJason Heppenstallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-68774219544548607592013-10-21T22:29:51.540+02:002013-10-21T22:29:51.540+02:00I think what we have here is the culmination of se...I think what we have here is the culmination of several decades of increasingly reckless capitalism, combined with techno-fuelled apathy. Politicians think they can get away with things, and quite often they can because people think that we live in an age with no consequences. After all, they are mostly just sock puppets for corporations. <br /><br />You can fool some of the people all of the time …<br /><br />Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-84549415381877499632013-10-21T22:26:06.003+02:002013-10-21T22:26:06.003+02:00Sadly you are not alone.Sadly you are not alone.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-63981173276358978482013-10-21T22:25:37.639+02:002013-10-21T22:25:37.639+02:00Yes - alas. Hardly unexpected though.Yes - alas. Hardly unexpected though.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-69027336014716281072013-10-21T18:57:20.217+02:002013-10-21T18:57:20.217+02:00And all that before they Went Nuclear (earlier tod...And all that before they Went Nuclear (earlier today)Lunchistahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00938872861656187441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-79154835973156570202013-10-20T00:49:20.312+02:002013-10-20T00:49:20.312+02:00There must be something about the no-end-in-sight ...There must be something about the no-end-in-sight scarcity economy that brings out the worst in our leaders around the world! Over here our ruling party--also known as Tories--as equally absurd. In their efforts to keep the Tar Sands developing in Alberta, they are bullying everyone in sight in more and more surreal ways. Our Natural Resources Minister actually took out a full-page ad in all the national papers a couple of years ago just to call all those protesting the development "foreign radicals!" As the protesting First Nations groups pointed out, they were the only ones in the country that don't qualify...<br /><br />An American visiting us here in Canada recently quipped during the US shut-down, "At least you have a functioning government!" Ha ha. The joke, sadly, was that in fact, we didn't; our PM back in January decided to shut down parliament until he was ready to have it meet again, a process called "prorogation." It's a ancient part of our constitutional process reserved for emergencies that has never been invoked; our latest PM has used it 3 times in the last 5 years, and seems to feel it's his right to open or close the House at his whim.<br /><br />Like you, I could go on and on...but I shouldn't. Sigh. Thanks for keeping some sense of humour about it--not easy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-86453779268340488762013-10-19T03:59:57.957+02:002013-10-19T03:59:57.957+02:00Wow, I am truly impressed. I thought it was only h...Wow, I am truly impressed. I thought it was only here.onethinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14535034825090836447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-27175262533933984172013-10-18T23:35:11.614+02:002013-10-18T23:35:11.614+02:00I hadn't heard of Neil Postman, but I'll l...I hadn't heard of Neil Postman, but I'll look him up. I reckon we have some of the best and worst TV in the world here. There are some truly great docs, but mostly it's godawful trash. If the TVs stopped working there would be pandemonium - it is definitely the opiate of choice for most.<br /><br />I'm not sure the new media is shaped by entertainment values, unless you mean the tabloid variety. To me it seems to be more shaped by our unconscious delusions and held together by the glue of unquestioned received wisdom. It's just part of a wider system that doesn't have our best interests at heart.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-60707992482739637222013-10-18T23:23:01.600+02:002013-10-18T23:23:01.600+02:00That's an interesting thought, Judy. It really...That's an interesting thought, Judy. It really does seem like our political class has completely lost the plot - and I don't say that lightly. The idea that *somebody* actually might know what they are doing is oddly reassuring - even if it's the army.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-3857482462990766502013-10-18T22:35:23.841+02:002013-10-18T22:35:23.841+02:00Thanks Jason. It makes me despair. Worse than all ...Thanks Jason. It makes me despair. Worse than all the stupid decisions they make is that the politicians have to deliver them with a smirk on their face. It's like Gove announces he is trashing the school system, whilst grinning at how clever he thinks he is. They make me sooooo angry!<br /><br />I think our only hope is a military coup. Politicaians just aren't cut out for anything other than one upmanship, breaking promises and lying. If you have seen any of the military leaders being interviewed recently it's completely different. They are preparing for financial collape and peak oil, have their heads screwed on and are natural leaders. I wonder how bad things need to be before they step in....?<br />Judyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-76508197181652682092013-10-18T19:08:50.303+02:002013-10-18T19:08:50.303+02:00I always liked Neil Postman's analysis, which ...I always liked Neil Postman's analysis, which was also the title of his book, that we are 'amusing ourselves to death'. Basically all of the modern mass media, including news media, are shaped by entertainment values (albeit with economic values likely sitting behind them), committed only to keeping us sufficiently amused enough to keep watching. Television is certainly one of the modern 'opiates of people' that poor old Marx couldn't have predicted (although he had a few choice words for newspapers).Paul Reid-Bowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05305501394205279347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-27591660450196309932013-10-18T17:26:04.089+02:002013-10-18T17:26:04.089+02:00Cheers Paul. I really try and avoid listening to p...Cheers Paul. I really try and avoid listening to politicians, but of late they seem to have been making some extraordinarily bad decisions that will make our collective futures a whole lot worse. I have no wish to be drawn down into the hole of party politics - it seems like a waste of precious time! That said, the Tories do seem to be particularly bad of late …<br /><br />As for Bake Off … I've never seen any of the programmes I mentioned (I hardly ever watch the thing) - just noticed that others are talking about them and all the main news outlets devote a lot of space to talking about them. Still, if it teaches some skills and has some nice people on it then it must be better than some of the other tripe!<br /><br />I have a friend who's a TV producer and he assures me that 90% of everything we see is pure fakery. We knew that anyway, but it's good to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-83567030002925791282013-10-18T16:11:07.718+02:002013-10-18T16:11:07.718+02:00Jason,
As a fellow resident, I'm impressed by...Jason,<br /><br />As a fellow resident, I'm impressed by your ability to monitor mainstream politics and the media in the UK (not that I think anywhere else is especially better). I fear I need to put my head in a vice whenever any party politicians start to talk, and I've felt that way for a long time. The frequently used analogy, by those who consider collapse a near certainty (catabolic, ecological and/or otherwise), of having the sensation of living in some world like the Matrix seems particularly apt here. The fundamental disconnect between the ecological/material realities and limits, on the one hand, and the day-to-day political rhetoric of economic business as usual, on the other, is something I increasingly find very painful to reflect on for too long. There seems to be only so much cognitive dissonance one can tolerate, so I appreciate this nice quick snapshot of the UK’s special brand of political madness.<br /><br />That said, I must hold my hands up to partaking of one escapist cul-de-sac of the media world that you point towards, namely the Bake Off. In my defence, a show with no politicians, no celebs (well only as hosts), just some skills on display that are going to need honing in the years ahead, and some generally nice people is one of the few things that I can watch these days without my critical faculties flaring up too much.<br />Anyway, very much enjoying the blog and will certainly pick up the book. Good wishes.Paul Reid-Bowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05305501394205279347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-29946099315605285062013-10-18T12:07:50.203+02:002013-10-18T12:07:50.203+02:00Yes, my father used to urge me to read the FT. Bac...Yes, my father used to urge me to read the FT. Back in the day, you could improve your job prospects immensely if you entered the interview room with an FT tucked under your arm.<br /><br />I have to say, in recent years, the FT has been a reasonable source of info compared to others. Not that I read it - you have to pay for it.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-29140562771808300692013-10-18T11:46:25.206+02:002013-10-18T11:46:25.206+02:00I had a subscription to the Financial Times (hard ...I had a subscription to the Financial Times (hard copy pink sheets) a few years ago (`2005?). Just wanted to expand my news sources.<br /><br />The U.S. politicians are amazing, but I found the various European leaders to be mind boggling. People over here (in the U.S.) were talking about how the Euro would be the next world currency. After reading the Financial Times, I had serious doubts.russell1200https://www.blogger.com/profile/16258915475311426433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-51091724827988031482013-10-18T10:18:40.575+02:002013-10-18T10:18:40.575+02:00You are completely right. No roster of goons is co...You are completely right. No roster of goons is complete without the Education Secretary. I'll add him as a footnote.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5584699251999622098.post-12274080909251316842013-10-18T04:28:29.787+02:002013-10-18T04:28:29.787+02:00Goons is the word., You missed Give though, for th...Goons is the word., You missed Give though, for the last few years I was wondering if he was actually a comedian who at some moment would out himself as just having a laugh. The problem I have with them and actually unfortunately also with New Labour before them is I just can't take them seriously unfortunately they are. I wonder how they manage the disconnect between what they say and the results of what they do. Industrial Dysfunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05789882387332826338noreply@blogger.com