Heartland

HLers probably already know this word/concept and most likely have their own opinions, eh? (It doesn't seem to have been discussed here - yet) ... We're not supposed to talk about it of course, but in relation to the current fiasco of Snouts in the Trough, I think Stephen Fry may be right - Perhaps?! ...

Never been a big Elton John fan myself...

Mokita = "truth we all know but agree not to talk about." according to Wiki.

Like the idea of "the elephant in the room".

Which particular elephant?

markfiend wrote:

Mokita = "truth we all know but agree not to talk about." according to Wiki.

Like the idea of "the elephant in the room".

Which particular elephant?

OK Fiendish One, very funny, but I was hoping for something a little 'deeper' than this, especially from one with a 'brain the size of a planet' such as yourself ... Witticisms are fine of course, but we're not in the playground now, eh?! - Can we follow the thread Stephen Fry started perhaps?



If Mokita/The Elephant ain't worthy of your attention, then perhaps the Bell Curve Debate/Mismeasure of Man? (also pretty topical and might even be connected? ...)

With no 'political slant' (e.g. the Torygraph), this is pretty apposite :~

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/

I think it comes down to how much respect you have for the organisation paying your expenses.

Aye, and (for them) that is zilch of course ...

(Can I claim for my kids' fees at Eton?)

I wasn't trying to be a cnut about it. Me fail reading comprehension, sorry...

OK, the MPs' expenses "scandal" I assume? I don't know what the fragrant Mr Fry has to say on the subject, linky perhaps?

Anyway, Public "servants" caught ripping off the public. In more news, bear sh!ts in woods.

The only person to enter parliament with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes.

Better?

markfiend wrote:

I wasn't trying to be a cnut about it. Me fail reading comprehension, sorry...

OK, the MPs' expenses "scandal" I assume? I don't know what the fragrant Mr Fry has to say on the subject, linky perhaps?

Anyway, Public "servants" caught ripping off the public. In more news, bear sh!ts in woods.

The only person to enter parliament with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes.

Better?

That's fine my Fiendish Peer

GF MkII would indeed be a very good thing ...

Pardon for quoting from 'The Torygraph' (again), but this is quite pertinent and apposite as you will see:~

“SIR – A suitable collective noun for MPs (Letters, May 12) should be gaderene.�
J.H. Parker
Glossop, Derbyshire

&

“SIR – It's not all bad news about MPs' expenses claims. I teach a lip-reading class and we study various lip shapes each week. This week we were scheduled to study the shapes M, P and B.

The words MPs' expenses therefore fitted the bill exactly and I was able to incorporate potato peeler, horse manure, nappies and repairs to swinging hammock into our work.�
Mary Thomas
Hythe, Kent

'Comment', Letters to the Editor, The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, May 13th, 2009, p.25.

Isn't it a cocktail with rum and lime?

IZ.

But using Windoze I see ...

markfiend wrote:The only person to enter parliament with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes.

Ok, so my two favorite socialists on da board are dissing (tm) anybody who works in parliament...

I mean, am I the only one seeing contradictions in belief systems here?!

nodubmanshouts wrote:Ok, so my two favorite socialists on da board are dissing (tm) anybody who works in parliament...

I mean, am I the only one seeing contradictions in belief systems here?!

Probably. Parliament has mutated into a political class with very little distinction between the parties.

I may be a socialist but I also have anarchist leanings. I regard politicians as a necessary evil (and I'm not always convinced of the "necessary" part.) Power corrupts.

Amen, Mercatman.

Dodges Unlimited Inc. wrote:HLers probably already know this word/concept and most likely have their own opinions, eh? (It doesn't seem to have been discussed here - yet) ... We're not supposed to talk about it of course, but in relation to the current fiasco of Snouts in the Trough, I think Stephen Fry may be right - Perhaps?! ...

Fry was an arse. really disappointed in his comments. i think he missed the point. Paxman has been and will remain a god figure (right up there with Carrot J. OBE)

paint it black wrote:
Fry was an arse. really disappointed in his comments. i think he missed the point.

I admit that I was shocked by his comments, but he is anything but stoopid, eh? (his exact quote would be helpful perhaps from one of my wise peers?) ... This is why I raised the concept of 'Mokita' ... Don't we all have a similar guilty secret? - i.e. exploitation in one way or another? - I know this is highly controversial and will bring a predictable storm of righteous indignation raining down on me, but this is not helpful (save it eh?) - The time for pointless bitching has long past, eh? There ain't too many Mother Teresas out there but plenty of smug barstewards ...

“The face of ‘evil’ is always the face of total need.�
William S. Burroughs, The Naked Lunch (1959) introduction

“The Road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions�

“Arrogance is a Kingdom without a Crown�

The first two of these have no deliberately religious intent from yrs tly, and we have our Yankee 'cousins' to thank for the last ...

Did Vince Cable have his 'hands in the till' too I wonder, or could he actually help us out of this? - A constructive suggestion perhaps?

paint it black wrote:

Dodges Unlimited Inc. wrote:HLers probably already know this word/concept and most likely have their own opinions, eh? (It doesn't seem to have been discussed here - yet) ... We're not supposed to talk about it of course, but in relation to the current fiasco of Snouts in the Trough, I think Stephen Fry may be right - Perhaps?! ...

Fry was an arse. really disappointed in his comments. i think he missed the point. Paxman has been and will remain a god figure (right up there with Carrot J. OBE)

J. carrot lost it years ago. I can't back this up with any facts but he suddenly changed from amusing me to annoying the s**t out of me....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/n ... 045869.stm

i'm a softy for VC won't hear a bad word against him. okay eh lol!

Gollum's Cock wrote:

J. carrot lost it years ago. I can't back this up with any facts but he suddenly changed from amusing me to annoying the s**t out of me....

golden balls is ace. some of the one-liners (topical) he throws out are very clever

I have absolutely no idea what this thread about.

nodubmanshouts wrote:I have absolutely no idea what this thread about.

it's a lot like life

Here, here! A fair day's wage for a fair day's work. Pay them a decent wage in the first place. Stop expenses altogether. Next?

I think Fry's point was that there's genuinely something nasty about journalists jumping on MPs backs like this all the time. I agree with him. It smacks of hypocrisy - most of them would do the same thing in a similar position - and only contributes to the further devaluation of political positions in this country. They put on this show of being fearless pursuers of truth when all they really care about is basking in the general public's bubbling cynicism to sell a few more papers. And really it's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Not in a world in which wars are fought for lies, money is throw on any old harebrained scheme... Really I find it hard to get riled about some demotivated and rundown MP claiming some extra pennies for a packet of biscuits.

Daniel Hannan made the point recently that if you demonise MPs to such an extent you'll never attract good and honourable people to be MPs. This is right I think.

And socialists are always contradicting themselves. So that's no surprise really. They also tend to be a lot less fun to hang out with.

the_inescapable_truth wrote:I think Fry's point was that there's genuinely something nasty about journalists jumping on MPs backs like this all the time. I agree with him. It smacks of hypocrisy - most of them would do the same thing in a similar position - and only contributes to the further devaluation of political positions in this country.

You might be onto something actually. The Private Eye doesn't have its "Lunchtime O'Booze" stereotype for nothing. And there's the cliché about four journalists sharing a cab and asking for four receipts...

the_inescapable_truth wrote:And socialists are always contradicting themselves. So that's no surprise really. They also tend to be a lot less fun to hang out with.