Letter from Paul in Norfolk - bang on!
He puts it so well.
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Katy Balls wonders whether Tory MPs think “classic Kemi is the antidote the party needs, and one the country can warm to” (The combative ‘anti-woke warrior’: why the Tories are starkly divided over Kemi Badenoch, 2 August).
The Tory leadership’s preferences are, of course, a matter for them, but the ascendency of politicians as combative as Kemi Badenoch should concern us all.
Divisiveness may be an unfortunate consequence of policy, but when it is the product of attitude, temperament or inclination, it is surely indefensible – and Badenoch is squarely in the latter category. This matters because the case for improving the tenor of political discourse is undeniable, and its degradation is surely attributable to the kind of dogmatic, tin-eared stridency to which Badenoch owes her reputation.
The ability to understand experiences other than your own; the willingness to be respectful of those with opposing views; and the readiness to model those standards of civility – these are all qualities that we ought to take for granted in our politicians. But the absence of them has almost become a badge of pride for MPs such as Badenoch.
Paul McGilchrist
Cromer, Norfolk
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Currently enjoying the Twelve Inch 125 series, but not sure I agree with him about Scritti Politti. Saw them a few years back at Brighton Concorde 2 and found them pretty boring. Happy to stand corrected though
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I’d say she will almost certainly be the next Tory leader, which is excellent news for those of us who don’t want to see the Tories back in power again any time soon (ever).
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I wrote a new Substack on 25 years of The Sopranos and its impact in the TV landscape.
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I think there were 8 far-right thugs in Brighton & 2000 counter-protesters. As you’d expect really.
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The five in Walthamstow were trying to put a brave face on it but they knew as well as everyone else that were it not for the Police forming a line around them, they’d have been royally fucked over.
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nice piece Joe. When we went to Naples last year, I had all these preconceived stereotypes in my head, each of which was comically confirmed within about 3 hours of arrival, EXCEPT one - there was no crime, no gangsters, no greaseballs on scooters picking their teeth with flick knives, which I found weirdly disconcerting. I had expected to be on edge at night but everyone was really cool. I read the advice on here and watched this thing on youtube which had also warned about the main station but we had no issues and even sourcing gear wasn’t problematic. the locals got a pissed off about the Gomorrah depiction for obv reasons and maybe some of that still goes on, but feels to me that maybe the old school mafia is waning?
I still don’t understand how that Telegram list came about (I’ve heard varying reports that it was fake), or why it generated the traction that it did (unknown account with no endorsements from anyone with influence). Even if it was genuine, perhaps the nazi’s weren’t planning to do anything on Wednesday and it was a way of them testing the water, to see what the turnout would be should they decide to try anything further down the line. Hopefully they’ve now come to realise that they dont stand a chance.
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Can’t stand Green Gartside’s voice not a fan here either x
Probably my favourite ever TV show, been meaning to rewatch it for the third or fourth time for about a year but just haven’t found the time but I recently read a theory that the reason Phil Leotardo is so vicious and unforgiving of Vito being gay is that he himself is in the closet and if you watch closely there are hidden clues so need to watch it again for that and just the fact it’s so brilliantly rich and multi layered with great characters, great dialogue, great music…
Not read your piece yet but will read it later.
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My first job when I moved to London was in an office that had just designed the MOS offices. They were quite happy with the result so got more work out of them and I was tasked with redesigning the VIP Bar as well as one of the directors flats (I think it was Mark Rodol) who was actually quite decent but James Palumbo didn’t come across very well if I remember correctly. The whole enterprise seemed pretty dodgy to me at the time, very brand oriented and things were done as cheaply as possible. I went a few times and was never blown away by it but it was the late 90’s so the magic had definitely started to erode by then.
I think it was Mark Rodol I had an interview with in the mid 90’s for an accounts job, I’d had a first interview already which went well, and although the salary wasn’t too great, and it was the other side of London to where I was living at the time I was still well up for a job there, until a couple of minutes in he said “so yeah, we’re a little bit mad here and often start working at seven in the morning and finish at seven in the evening…”
I politely told him that wasn’t going to work for me, he thanked me for my honesty, and that was that. Shortest interview I’ve ever had.
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Lots of red and black cables going everywhere.
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The life and tragic death of John Balson: how a true crime producer documented his own rising horror The life and tragic death of John Balson: how a true crime producer documented his own rising horror | Television & radio | The Guardian
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one for a long commute
the link between football and cocaine in South America
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Yes to this kind of thing
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Pretty grim that. Being caught in the middle between horrific crime and rapacious capitalism sounds like one of the worst places you could be.
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