David Timoney
Autonomous vehicle. Self-assembly required. May contain traces of critical theory. Retweets not necessarily a WTF
Blog: fromarsetoelbow.blogspot.co.uk
- "I still don’t understand the reason for this level of public dislike for a good and serious man". I rmember Polly once published a book, 'Hard Work', in which she did a load of low-paid jobs far better than the one she now gets a handsome salary for. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Maybe, but why does politics select for people without a moral compass that the rest of us could identify with?
- There are a lot of journalists now keen to assure us that they were on top of this all along and just waiting for "the right moment in the political cycle".
- Since Steve Bell left, Guardian cartoonists have been notable for both their poor caricatures and their shallow thought. That ball in the foreground should really say McSweeney (or possibly Blair), while the one behind completely inverts the relationship.
- Never forget the powerful women who were silent about Nick Cohen.
- The emerging line appears to be "Another error of judgement by Starmer" (Blair notable by his absence). This is supported by a focus on virtue/vice rather than the imperatives that made New Labour the political arm of the global rich. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- "And despite this most damning of disgraces, for some who sit in the cabinet or aspire to, for decades Mandelson was their model." averypublicsociologist.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-...
- Starmer doing what he does best.
- I wish that just for once John Harris would break out of safari mode and offer to take some of his vox pops into central Manchester (or London) and show them the reality. Or maybe just suggest that they know they're talking shite because they were probably there last month.
- The defections of Christian Wakeford, Dan Poulter and Natalie Elphicke from the Conservatives to Labour ahead of the 2024 general election did not trigger a similar observation by yer man. Predictably, Rawnsley goes on to praise "sane, moderate Tories". observer.co.uk/news/columni...
- It's important to note that Starmer knew perfectly well what sort of a sleazebag Mandelson was all along. It was precisely his history as an amoral suck-up to the rich, plus his talents for influence-peddling and media manipulation, that made him an ideal ambassador to the US.
- The film is very funny because it is designed to be, in the same way that Au bout de souffle was designed to be both a comedy of manners and a Greek tragedy. The essence of Godard's film is not the jump cuts or novel shooting approach but its disrespect ("gouaille"). Linklater gets this.
- NOC reflects the relentlessness & tiresomeness of capitalism. The protagonist often works till dawn, ironically digging graves. The film is both funny & enervating. KH&C is about property & inheritance in the context of a family that has no family dynamic. NOC is about families that are too dynamic.
- This is why I get served first. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
- It is accepted wisdom that the LTV doesn't hold up. Yet pretty much every modern empirical study has found that it does, with a strong correlation between long-term prices and labour inputs. As a result, it must be killed anew every few years.
- Loving the Guardian tagging this as "Analysis".
- Indeed. And the participants will go to extraordinary lengths to defend and preserve those networks.
- Sad to see Simon Schama gradually morphing into your Facebook uncle.
- The "scoop" here appears to be "we heard a rumour a few months ago but didn't publish cos reasons. Now the info is in the public domain, we demand exclusive credit."
- I'm not prone to exaggeration but this is probably the biggest scoop I've ever been involved in Mandelson's partner took £10,000 from Epstein to pay for his osteopath course while Mandelson was de facto UK deputy prime minister, according to new files more to follow www.ft.com/content/c950...
- The key feature of this argument is the failure to engage with the reasons why OMOV was introduced (beyond "madness"), notably the popular sense of a democratic deficit. Sodha is too dim to appreciate that the rise of Reform, & now the Greens, is a direct consequence of this.
- I'm not convinced there has been any real change in the imperatives or style of political rhetoric over the years, let alone that mastering Tik Tok (as opposed to ye olde billboards) has changed the game. Starmer & Reves are just outstandingly crap at it. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Amusing that the Green Party (coded middle class) will be represented by a plumber while Reform (coded salt of the earth) will be represented by an academic. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- Polly is baffled that the govt's two steps backwards, one step forwards approach to welfare hasn't earnt it praise. I'm also bemused by her suggestion that Labour needs to counter the right's "scroungers" rhetoric as if they never indulged it themselves. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- If Labour really does want "to be seen as the main leftwing contender against Reform", then attacking the legalisation of drugs seems an odd policy to focus on. Surely that would appeal more to the social reactionaries that Reform hope to attract? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- What you always have to remember in these cases is that: a) these people are technically clueless, b) they love an opportunity for shovelling govt money towards private sector grifters, and c) they think the little people are stupid and must have their hands held.
- BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
- Cracking stuff this. Politicians, opinion polls and anecdata all agree that social media is toxic for fragile young minds. Academic studies show no evidence for this, so let's just implement a ban anyway to be on the safe side. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- The latest in the Guardian series "I was right all along; Starmer is the wrong person for the job". This time from the most grown-up person in Britain: Rafael Behr. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Insofar as electors know who he is, Goodwin is a Brexit guy, which isn't popular these days. That suggests he'll double-down on the anti-elitism & racism. Delivering pizzas in the area while a student at Salford Uni isn't going to endear him to anyone. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- The assumption that Burnham would launch a leadership challenge after the likely pasting in May is misguided. He hasn't got that much PLP support. His better option would be to wait till the equally likely pasting of a Streeting-led govt in 2029. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- It appears Starmer has now lost Polly Toynbee, which is hardly a surprise as she has long been a Wes Streeting stan. But there is interest none the less in her muddled/dishonest thinking about both Burnham and the PM. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Police are looking for two men.
- "Finally, this is a moment for Labour to reestablish the principles of internal pluralism." Lol, rofl and indeed lmfao. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Caveats apply, but my guess is that Burnham would have won in Gorton & Denton and Labour would have won the GM Mayoral by-election. But he would have struggled to coalesce much support in the PLP and thus been marginal & ineffective. Starmer has played a blinder.
- Try thinking harder.
- Choose Pingu not Paddington. Pretty disrespectful to the old Queen, if you ask me.
