Anyone else watch the Stealing Shakespeare documentary last night on BBC1?
Okay, the reason I ended up watching was thanks to a timely tip-off three mins in from Chrissie to say David Tennant was doing the narration, but it was a fascinating programme.
The central figure, Raymond Scott, was by turns eccentric, lavish in his performed lifestyle ("it is possible to live a champagne lifestyle on a larger budget" - yes, if you get yourself nearly £100,000 GBP in debt) and utterly deluded.
Scott, from County Durham, claimed to have acquired a book in Cuba which he then took to the Folger Shakespeare Library... The narrative from that point got more confusing with Scott being proven to have not even been in Cuba at the time he claimed (though he'd certainly lived the highlife there on several previous occasions). The book he presented for investigation? A Shakespeare First Folio - minus its covers, frontispiece, final page and with its binding significantly damaged.
The programme was a curious beast: Scott, happy to have more than his Warhol allotted 15 minutes of fame, appeared throughout the documentary, in his Tiffany sunglasses indoors and outdoors. At first he just appeared to be a rather odd wealthy Brit, with ostentatious taste in clothes, decor and accoutrements (his Ferrari car). He travelled the world, spending freely. But the reality was he was unemployed and living with his elderly mother --- I couldn't help thinking what his mother thought he was doing and whether her parts of the rather ordinary house they lived in were equally lavishly decorated? What is it about credit companies that can allow someone someone to get into such levels of debt?
Anyway, Scott was eventually cleared of stealing the Durham copy of Shakespeare's First Folio (which had been stolen in the 1990s), but was found guilty of handling stolen goods. The Durham edition, mutilated as it was by the time Scott tried to have it authenticated, is hopefully heading back to Durham. Scott faces time in prison, where I really hope someone can helpfully temper his delusions of grandeur (and lying). I'm all for people looking at the stars, not being constrained into misery by poverty and circumstances, but delusion - and corresponding indebtedness - are not the way to dream of a better life.
Showing posts with label Economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Economy. Show all posts
Friday, July 30, 2010
Return of the Poor Law
According to Iain Duncan-Smith on the Today programme, benefit levels could be set locally.
Has IDS been reading 19th century novels again? Did he not grasp that these novels - such as Oliver Twist were (by and large) pointing out the iniquities of 'Poor Relief'?
Truly, the another Victorian age is upon us.
Has IDS been reading 19th century novels again? Did he not grasp that these novels - such as Oliver Twist were (by and large) pointing out the iniquities of 'Poor Relief'?
Truly, the another Victorian age is upon us.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
NO: we are NOT "all in this together". Moreover, the cuts will not "affect everyone"
Can we just nip this utter cobblers in the bud please?
We are NOT all in this together. And frankly the only way canyone can state "cuts will affect everyone" is if you finish it by adding "... but some rather more so than others".
Millionaires: unless you are going to start getting taxed at 95% on your income and assets holding, and the loopholes get closed, AND you get prosecuted for not paying up, then quite honestly your 'fair share' of the burden of spending cuts and tax rises going to hit you negligably - if at all.
So SHUT UP and FUCK OFF.
Proportionately, those least well-off will always pay a higher price for reductions in the state and increased costs.
We are NOT all in this together. And frankly the only way canyone can state "cuts will affect everyone" is if you finish it by adding "... but some rather more so than others".
Millionaires: unless you are going to start getting taxed at 95% on your income and assets holding, and the loopholes get closed, AND you get prosecuted for not paying up, then quite honestly your 'fair share' of the burden of spending cuts and tax rises going to hit you negligably - if at all.
So SHUT UP and FUCK OFF.
Proportionately, those least well-off will always pay a higher price for reductions in the state and increased costs.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Politics, the economy and bringing in the votes/money
Shuggy, as reliably ever, makes an excellent case about who has been most politically damaged by the current economic situation in the UK.
Are we heading to a hung parliament in the ever-approaching UK election? I really do not know. But the economy is clearly screwed and our options are limited.
Loved Shuggy's proposed election slogan (lots more on the Guardian site) and the call to drop some of the shit that Labour are proposing.
Regarding the forthcoming election, I think the turnout will be interesting - both nationally and in specific seats/regions. Additionally, as yet none of the parties really seem to have nailed what will actually pull in the votes - as opposed to what policies they should adopt because they are just good/morally right, or the fairy-tale beliefs some have of what pushes voters buttons.
And to do anything, there still needs to be money. Money being spent (the government can't just stop spending) and money being generated (yes, that does mean taxes). I'm still hooting/despairing of the weekend proposal that shares in the 'state-owned banks' would be made available to the public at a cut down price to buy. Really?! We've paid once (collectively) by bailing out capitalism's finest attempt to screw-over the global economy and to make it work we get the chance to pay again (individually) to potentially - but maybe not - make a personal profit out of that collective payment. I honestly do not get that sort of crap.*
And I still do not get the public (and government) obsession with benefit 'cheats'. Most on benefits struggle to have enough to exist on, plenty goes unclaimed, and at the top various forms of tax avoidance take far too much 'benefit' out of the system and government income.
Everyone needs to get their act together on these points.
Sorry. I may be rambling. Could be the codeine. Could be the pain. Could be I'm just politically incoherent.
*then again I'm the person who warned and railed against the 1980s penchant for share-buying in utilities etc, including vociferously challenging my BTEC Business Studies tutors who were actively advising the students to borrow on creditcards to pay for shares and then sell them immediately on for profit (undermining even the semblance of the share sales being about giving individual ownership to users). I laughed like a drain when the BP share fiasco happened.
Are we heading to a hung parliament in the ever-approaching UK election? I really do not know. But the economy is clearly screwed and our options are limited.
Loved Shuggy's proposed election slogan (lots more on the Guardian site) and the call to drop some of the shit that Labour are proposing.
Regarding the forthcoming election, I think the turnout will be interesting - both nationally and in specific seats/regions. Additionally, as yet none of the parties really seem to have nailed what will actually pull in the votes - as opposed to what policies they should adopt because they are just good/morally right, or the fairy-tale beliefs some have of what pushes voters buttons.
And to do anything, there still needs to be money. Money being spent (the government can't just stop spending) and money being generated (yes, that does mean taxes). I'm still hooting/despairing of the weekend proposal that shares in the 'state-owned banks' would be made available to the public at a cut down price to buy. Really?! We've paid once (collectively) by bailing out capitalism's finest attempt to screw-over the global economy and to make it work we get the chance to pay again (individually) to potentially - but maybe not - make a personal profit out of that collective payment. I honestly do not get that sort of crap.*
And I still do not get the public (and government) obsession with benefit 'cheats'. Most on benefits struggle to have enough to exist on, plenty goes unclaimed, and at the top various forms of tax avoidance take far too much 'benefit' out of the system and government income.
Everyone needs to get their act together on these points.
Sorry. I may be rambling. Could be the codeine. Could be the pain. Could be I'm just politically incoherent.
*then again I'm the person who warned and railed against the 1980s penchant for share-buying in utilities etc, including vociferously challenging my BTEC Business Studies tutors who were actively advising the students to borrow on creditcards to pay for shares and then sell them immediately on for profit (undermining even the semblance of the share sales being about giving individual ownership to users). I laughed like a drain when the BP share fiasco happened.
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Slippery Slope to Socialism - too much for the US government...
Cripes, if only it was socialism...
Don't get me wrong: I understand that this is a crappy situation to be in as a taxpayer - bailing out banks for their own screw-ups. But even some staunch free-marketeers have admitted that the alternative to no bail-out may be even worse (and the problem is the whole not-knowingness of it: it may all go belly-up anyway).
It needs fixing. (Hilariously some are actually arguing that it was the high level of regulation on the free market that got the banks into this mess - hell if I know how they get to that conclusion...)
Don't get me wrong: I understand that this is a crappy situation to be in as a taxpayer - bailing out banks for their own screw-ups. But even some staunch free-marketeers have admitted that the alternative to no bail-out may be even worse (and the problem is the whole not-knowingness of it: it may all go belly-up anyway).
It needs fixing. (Hilariously some are actually arguing that it was the high level of regulation on the free market that got the banks into this mess - hell if I know how they get to that conclusion...)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)