NF NO THANKS

The content of the Reform expose was, for some, shocking, for others expected. The social media age is a big contributor to the mindset of those caught on camera espousing views and opinions that have no place in modern society let alone within a political party.

Sharing extreme views is easier now and often from the anonymity of Social Media accounts that hide identities and insulate from accountability, but if the person posting does not see their views as extreme it creates a whole other issue.

The party members and other associates spoke with conviction and zero degree of self awareness about what they would do once Reform "got in". Talk of executions, forced deportations and concentration camps were delivered alongside sexist attitudes that were straight out of an episode of On The Buses.

Their leader, that cast member from Wind In The Willows, seems to be ambivalent in private to the misdemeanours of his followers while barely able to criticise in public.

Their leader's initials are a reminder of the past for those of us of a certain age. A past where those letters appeared on walls, in windows on posters, on flyers at football matches and on banners on marches. 

The National Front was a sinister organisation spawned in the seventies utilising a combination of intimidation violence and naive interpretations of Mein Kampf but met with defiance and relentless resistance and in-fighting they melted like the Wicked Witch of the West.

We now have Reform, Resistance, The Patriots and their self appointed Auditors out and about spreading their words of faux wisdom with any opposing view being shouted down by angry red faced individuals lacking teeth and usually clutching a can of Stella Artois.

The people seen had one thing in common; any issues the UK has are because migrants, Muslims and anyone non-white is causing them and the belief that women with large breasts are fair game for sexist remarks 

Tolerating the intolerable seems to be the party motto as they recruit unsuitable members who would not pass muster for most jobs let alone political office.

When an organisation is rotten at its core those that follow that organisation have the tone set by those in charge. The ITV documentary showed that within its walls the Reform Party is an insidious entity and one that is worryingly growing in popularity. I wonder will there be a modern day Anti Nazi League response as there was back in the bad old days?

Here's a link to Exposure A Year in Reform

  

SOFT PAWN

 

Having been, basically, in bed for a week with a bout of truly horrible influenza,I have not had a great deal of sensory input with which to influence this blog. However, I have had the opportunity to immerse myself in Pawn Stars. Yes you read that right 'Pawn' stars; Pawnshop people not adult entertainers. 

The History Channel is currently showing multiple episodes of Pawn Stars, a Las Vegas a sort of Antiques Roadshow CSI Crossover and it's been around since 2019 accumulating a plethora of episodes 

Richard ‘Rick’ Harrison is the Owner of The World Famous (well it is now) Gold And Silver Pawn Shop on the Las Vegas strip. His sidekicks are his son Corey Harrison and Coreys long suffering friend Austin “Chumlee” Russel. Chumlee’s relationship to the family is somewhat like Tom Hagen’s was with the Corleones, although his counsel is generally far from wise

The premise is simple, members of the public saunter into the shop with a variety of items ranging from the desirable to the dismal and the beautiful to the bizarre. The items in question are evaluated and a price arrived upon. But it's not that simple of course, otherwise it would be somewhat boring.

What I guess people watch this show for two main things; remarkable finds that are of interest and make the viewer think about exploring their attics and then there are the ludicrous asking prices and bubble bursting experts that rock up to scrutinise the authenticity of everything from autographs to toys

Pawn Stars finished airing with Season 23 and is on an  indefinite pause but Rick and Chumlee have kept going with the  Pawn After Dark podcast and a variety of spin-off shows.

It was easy for me to go down the Pawn Shop rabbit hole as there is something quite hypnotic about it. The format is simple, repetitive but endlessly interesting. Punctuated by "witty" interchanges between the primaries and appearances by experts who know about virtually every item that is bought in, the show has a roster of characters all with starring roles, albeit briefly.

The interchanges between Rick, Corey and Chumlee are the heart of the show and the viewer almost feels like part of the team as we grow familiar with the shop's day to day process.

This is not high art, it's am American reality TV show set in a pawn shop in Las Vegas and those elements alone may very well put people off,  but, and here's the thing, it still manages to fulfil some of the the high aspiration for television as envisaged by Lord Reith the first director of the BBC:

"To inform, Educate and entertain"

GOAT V BOAT

The Greatest or the best? there is a distinction when it comes to allocating titles. Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer, but was he the best? Casablanca is the greatest movie but is it the best? The Beatles were the greatest band but were they the best?

Tough one, as it's hard to define the difference. Perhaps it's critical acclaim versus statistics, maybe it's popularity versus achievement.

What is clear is that it is unclear, basically no one knows how to judge accurately. I'll try though, using the first three examples.

Muhammad Ali: The self proclaimed GOAT (Greatest Of All Times) was someone who took boxing into the stratosphere with his charisma, talent and razor sharp mind. His ascent in the context of the radical changes in Black life in the USA and the Civil Rights movement was dynamic and meaningful. Boxing writers may say Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson or Henry Armstrong

Casablanca: Critics praise Citizen Kane, the groundbreaking and daring debut from a young Orson Welles. Film buffs point to the amazing The Godfather (part one for clarity as it has Marlon Brando and James Caan) or Ozu's Tokyo Story 

The Beatles: The most important band in the history of popular music would be a title that many would agree with. Their surprisingly brief reign took them from "She Loves You" to "I Am The Walrus" while conquering America and influencing a generation. The ladies and gentlemen of the music press site a variety of artists and bands as the best and it is ever changing. From Pink Floyd to Elvis Presley and from Led Zeppelin to Bob Dylan. A tough call

Perhaps the best way to label things is "favourite", it's opinion based, your opinion, and is not quantifiable but does clarify what the individual thinks about a given subject.

It should avoid argument, but not debate; that's a good thing, and it should stop the disgruntled response of "you're wrong"

So, my favourite boxer is Muhammad Ali, my favourite film is Mulholland Drive and my favourite band is not a band but an artist David Bowie. Now that's not debatable

ABSOLUTE POWER...

 

We are living in an era where the rich and powerful can do whatever they like with impunity, lack of consequences, revolution or uprising. An age of absolute power with any dissent silenced (often permanently)

Therefore, the owners of Manchester City couldn’t give a fig about football’s governing bodies

When the news came out that the club had been found guilty of 114 charges of financial impropriety there was an element of surprise, surprise that it seemed that the Premier League were not going to let this one go. It seemed that two and half decades of malfeasance were going to go unpunished, it felt like this nation state owned club would carry on regardless.

However, the findings of the Premier League were uncompromising, the language used in the statement scathing, the levels of wrongdoing astounding.

The shadow that this casts over the beautiful game is very dark indeed and therefore the decision making about sanctions need to be a scorched earth policy.

To be clear, modern sport is by no means squeaky clean but the sheer temerity with which the ownership ran roughshod over rules that they had agreed to is astonishing.

The belief that sport should operate on a level playing field has been at the core of things since that first ball was kicked, but that is a belief that some disagree with and when those in disagreement have unlimited financial resources belief is irrelevant.  

Many, more qualified than I, can fully explain the levels of cheating that saw Manchester City dominant in the English game and those explanations provide damning evidence of guilt.

Your value system defines your culture, and your culture defines your organisation. Manchester City’s ownership’s value system is that they think they are above the law, any law, but that belief may be misplaced as Manchester City face the mother of all punishments.

BAD COMPANY

 

The 'unwanted company' cinema craze started in the 1980s with films like Fatal Attraction and Dead calm and blossomed in the 1990s with the likes of Pacific Heights, Single White Female, Unlawful Entry, Internal Affairs, Fear, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Bad Influence and Poison Ivy. Some trends are easy to explain; the musicals of the 30s were a reaction to the great  depression, Film Noir was related to the uncertainty of post war life and new Hollywood came out of post Vietnam identity, but this trend is harder to pin down.

Fear of strangers, concerns about threats to stability and unhealthy influence are themes of the genre. This was the end of the Reagan era and the start of the GW Bush era with it's connections to the end of the Cold War and the Gulf War.

So what drove the writers and producers of Hollywood to produce this output?

Could it have been the boom in home entertainment? Watching a movie in the comfort of your own home about someone invading the comfort of your own home may have been an astute combination, but that's not it as they generally did well at the box office.

Baby Boomer anxiety perhaps. The home ownership and urban aspiration that had been worked for so vociferously threatened by the arrival of a an unwanted guest. The Bad Man/Bad Woman lurking on the fringes of a perfect life, the new Bogeyman.

Tarantino and Transpotting rocked up and the cinema landscape changed again. The Deadly stranger receded into the background of the mainstream but worked their way into a genre where they have thrived. That genre of course was horror. The real home of the outsider.

The heyday of the mainstream period of stranger danger was an enjoyable one with fine actors relishing their parts and is an overlooked era of filmmaking.

Who knows, these unwelcome guests may reemerge with the increased fear of the outsider. After all, cinema is at it's best when it reflects life.