@bluesqueakpip I noticed the desperation and angry sadness when he said that!

I’m absolutely on board with post-Missy, since we seem to have been given a reason for, shall we say, a little moral regression. I’m not sure Missy was entirely reformed anyway. This Master seems desperate. ‘both Ones Who Ran Away’ exactly. At least since the gap, a…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip I agree about Missy somewhat – that is, what he’s doing now makes sense as either between the two or after Missy – it could either explain a more friendly disposition to the Doctor in Missy originally, or explain why oh so nearly properly ‘guid’ Missy is back on human swatting form. And as you say, the Doctor tends to meet the…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip Fair enough, it doesn’t seem so bad when you put it like that. It was certainly quite an uncomfortable scene but I suppose that was the intention.

@bluesqueakpip The Le Guin story (the premise of which I know rather than the text, since it’s pretty well-known) comes to my mind too.  But I’m not sure Chibnall is going to radically alter the Who Mythos into a Big Lie thing.  It would seriously undercut something like “The Day of the Doctor” to have the whole of Gallifrey turn out to have n…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip I was wondering about that idea myself — that this Master may not be exactly how he’s acting at the moment.

@badwolfalice I was reminded of DNA too!

@bluesqueakpip

As the BBC was unavailable in our remote location, Christmas viewing at the Blenkinsop pile consisted of of the never-viewed-before Muppet Christmas Carol (day time viewing and actually pretty great) and the 1972 version of the M.R. James story A Warning to the Curious (twilight  viewing and suitably creepy).

@pedant @thane16
Can I be clear(er)?

In my anecdote, when the person made the comments about the strain on local services and it being the fault of “the Poles and Lithuanians”, my family member and myself both made the point that the person’s belief needed to extend to… my family member, two other people in the conversation and others they’d…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip @ Blenkinsopthebrave. You’d know Bernard Keane, Mr Blenk?

A good book A Short History of Stupid is worth it.

Also, as to good books, we know where this comes from & its relevance: “As goode almost kill a man as kill a goode booke; who kills a man, kills a reasonable creature [..] but he who destroys a good booke kills reason…[Read more]

Hi @bluesqueakpip et al
As it was my anecdote, I think I do need to be explicit about what I mean (I’ve already failed in my writing once on this. I guess I’ll probably get it wrong twice but here goes!).

[Alonsy perhaps…]

Basically I have family living in Northampton and Yorkshire (also elsewhere).
I was speaking to the Northampton…[Read more]

ah, @pedant my wording, my bad.

“They’re not racist but… they’re uncomfortable”

I can’t get back into my head and so can’t exactly remember what I was trying to get at.
Whatever I was doing I was being too clever by half.

Maybe I was trying to write a phrase with far too many things ‘between the lines’ (or ellipses).

So, while I don’t think…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip

Yes, the point was that people may not have time to read pamphlets. The balanced views written on pamphlets may’ve been ditched due to a busy schedule with commuters listening to talk-radio hosts -this just from Remainer friends in the UK & the husband’s family who don’t have time for reading (they’re working 2 or 3 jobs due to…[Read more]

@whisht   @bluesqueakpip

Trade deals ?  The EU is afraid that equalization  will diminish its power in other trade alliances.  They

want ‘harmonization’  aka a level playing field. The UK wants equalization.  The rest of the world is moving

towards the equivalency system.  Yes the trade deals will take some time but these  3 years that Pa…[Read more]

ah – I’m late to the ‘party’ on this post General Election discussion in the pub (which is exactly the right place for it).

There’s a lot of things said and not sure I have either the knowledge or wisdom to ‘respond’ or even give my thoughts on it all.
However I also recognise that many here aren’t in the UK and are getting their insight from…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip

Again, you see, I never said this. And others reading your response would assume I was ignorant of a political situation.

Me:

would it be politic to ensure everyone understands the consequences. DO busy folk read the pamphlets? Or do they listen to hyped up talk show hosts on their way to Boots? Are they Guardian readers? And…

[Read more]

@pedant duly followed. Incredible. Spawn now has homework. He’s busy reading novels. But with a diet of NorthS***re & docos (the latter from me) he now needs MORE. An appetite for knowledge never to be fulfilled.

The graphic seemed to indicate that Labour wasn’t followed because of Leadership but with Brexit, 2nd & further down.

** @bluesqueakpip…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip

no, I didn’t make a mistake. I am fully aware of the electoral college having lived in the States for a while.

It was an inversion. Inversions rarely happen. Even Rutherford Hayes lost the popular vote & the electoral college vote at the same time.  All the vote tallies, as aggregates, are frequently out of whack when elections…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip

I think the reason for referencing Sherlock in the trailer is not just because it is a Gatiss/Moffat collaboration, but because Sherlock did Conan Doyle with a twist (ie, set it in the present). Although their  Dracula has a traditional period setting, I have heard that they may be doing Bram Stoker with a twist.

But, wel…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip

Just from you point of view in the comments above, I was disconcerted as to the responses. I was also  interested in how people felt about Re/Brxt : it’s a complicated mess.

If the message of the referendum is deliberately misleading, then legally, I suppose, one could find an alternate measure of more accurate reasons for…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip

I would argue that there is a big difference between “grumbling” (which is healthy to democracy and part of an engaged electorate) and “rejecting the umpire’s decision” (which can lead to a breakdown of political legitimacy, insurrection and, in extreme cases, civil war). What I see in the US at the moment, for example, is a lot of…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip

I am not remotely interested in engaging with your witless sophistry.

Just fuck off please.