Still alive! 2

Have you ever noticed references to the parliamentary Opposition getting Short Money and wondered where the term came from? Well, it was named after Edward Short – now Baron Glenamara – a Labour politician who came up with the idea that the Government should help fund the Opposition (loonies who argue that Cuba has a healthier democracy thank the UK, take note!).

Baron Glenamara is still alive. Born in 1912, he is the second oldest living member of the House of Commons. The other is, of course, James Allson.  Baron Glenamara has been around a long time; he was leader of the Newcastle City Council Labour group in 1948!! Good on him.

Another long-living Labour peer and contributor to political discourse can be found in Baron Barnett, who naturally came up with the Barnett Formula. Joel Barnett’s formula for funding the various outposts of the UK may not satisfy everyone but it has guaranteed him political immortality – which is surely the best sort of immortality there is!

And finally, for something a bit different, I am glad to see that Malvin Kaminsky – aka Mel Brooks – is still alive and kicking. This is the man responsible for The Producers, Spaceballs, Robin Hood: Men in Tights and all kinds of other comic gems. The baked bean scene in Blazing Saddles is puerile genius.

Born in 1926 makes Brooks a hefty 84. Maybe the secret to his longevity is a well-developed sense of scatological humour. It seems grossly unfair to me that the Pope gets an official state visit to the UK whilst Mel Brooks does not.

Spot the difference II

In the latest of this irregular feature (the previous one suggested that Cheryl Gillan is a grumpy Tory version of cheery Labourite Ann Clwyd) it is put to loyal readers that Labour’s Shadow Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw resembles Tory Grammar School-phile Graham Brady. Except obviously Brady is chubbier.

BB

 GB

BB

GB

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Ok, that’s enough.

“Bring me my machine gun and my sixth wife”

I like the Daily Mash’s suggestion that polygamist President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has come to the UK in order to claim Cheryl Cole as his latest spouse.

Zuma has made a predictable complaint about Britons looking down on South Africa because they are reactionary, imperialist, racist etc.

This should not stop us mocking a man who amongst numerous misdemeanours believed having a shower would protect him from AIDs.

For those who don’t get the “Bring me my machine gun” reference, Zuma’s favourite song is Umshini Wami. The lyrics are quite straightforward but not very appropriate for one of the most violent societies on the planet.

Hayek versus Keynes rap battle

This is geeky, hilarious, and educational. Watch it now!

Comments under YouTube videos typically read: “LOLZ!!!1!!111!!!”, “that wos grosss” and “the pimpin baby and the donkey r da gr8est!”

However, the Hayek versus Keynes rap video has provoked more thoughtful reactions:

Frankidealist35 (17 hours ago)

Although then again I guess this video is mostly based on FA Hayek’s philosophy in Economics in One Lesson… it would be neat if they could make another video comparing Keyne’s and Hayek’s view on planned vs spontaneous economies.

 

Jackcodak (18 hours ago)

 

The debate on currency seems relatively simple to me. It doesn’t matter if we have a gold standard or a fiat currency. Markets happen. If we were prisoners of war, we would trade cigarettes. If smokes weren’t available like in prisons today, we would trade mackerel. A devalued dollar helps exports in the short run but drives up the cost of inputs. A strong dollar helps us to buy more trinkets but makes our output look less attractive. Neither gold nor silver nor the Fed will “save” us…

 

mbburch06 (20 hours ago)

 

There are, of course, other factors in play with commodities. The point is that gold is mainly used as a hedge against inflation. So when you say that gold has deflated 30% for 5 years, you are confusing cause with effect. It’s the buying power of the dollar –not gold– that’s unstable.

The dollar has lost value as the Fed fires up its printing presses, and this has devalued the dollar relative to gold (and everything else). Obviously under a gold standard this would not happen.

Love it!

Someone’s sung a funny.

Found via Dave Osler:

‘Nevermind the bollocks, here’s the Conservatives’. Cameron’s message not going down so well in Hackney?

The Tory propaganda posters haven’t been up for long, but they’ve already been subjected to some ‘artistic reinterpretation’ in Hackney…

Spotted in Dalston Lane.

Degenerate dancing makes Adolf angry.

While working down t’museum the other day I came across something in the archives that I found quite amusing.

‘The Lambeth Walk’ is a song and dance number from the 1937 musical Me and My Girl. It provided a bit of much-needed light relief in the late 1930s and became a worldwide hit. It goes something like this:

Nazi propaganda rag ‘SA Mann’ was very annoyed by the popularity of The Lambeth Walk. It was concerned that the dance was a bad influence on young Aryans. In its issue of January 6th 1939, ‘SA Mann’ warned its readers about the dangers of The Lambeth Walk:

We will not cast up reproach on its murky origins from the slums of London……even though this dance has already claimed the sacrifice of human lives. In Brighton a 52 year old waiter, called Herbert Brennan, fell dead from heart failure while doing the Lambeth Walk. with a frenzied cry of “Oi!” on his lips, the cry of the joy of living, he left this world for the eternal dancing ground. He was the first victim of the dance floor. Shall the sense of style of German society be next? A degenerate dance? No, a degenerate people! And these things go on not only in cheap dance halls and disreputable night clubs. Even high class hotels have opened their revolving doors to this disgusting bit of Jewish apery. 

Silly Nazis.

Nick Griffin: “I’m scum and I’m a racist”.

Tories and Europe.

“To all the voters! This nation is horrible! This nation must be destroyed!”

Reading up on Japanese politics, I came across the name ‘Toyama Koichi’. Apparently he became a YouTube sensation back in 2007 when his election broadcast was released. Koichi was standing as an “Anarchist-Fascist” candidate in Tokyo’s gubernatorial election. He is quite a character, as you will see from watching the video.

The weirdest thing of all? Out of fourteen candidates he came eighth.