The Politics Thread

No. Assume the worst (systemic, been happening for years) .

 

If you would like to develop an argument as to why 'The Market' needs regulation and why neo liberal policies are a disaster for the majority of the worlds population look first at the Drug Companies then at the Oil Companies. With just those two industries a very strong case can be built.

They along with their media friends have succeeded in convincing the population that the problem lies at the bottom of society with immigrants and scroungers while they continue to rape the world for it's wealth.

 

With any industry sector, a sufficiently "strong case can be built" .
Markets always need regulation simply because where there is money,
so there is avarice and (eventually) fraud.

Big Business (TM) is generally amoral.
Therefore you cannot expect them not to attempt to take the p*ss
(within the letter of the law or otherwise) when the opportunity comes.

 

So a shop owner in Muswell Hill has said that "three or four" people have said that calling his shop Really British could be a tad iffy, and this has now exploded into yet another LOOK HOW INTOLERANT THE LEFTIES ARE non-story because our good friends at the Mail and the Express have both jumped on the story because it fits their agenda.

Just to clarify, the shop has not been forced to close down, nobody has defaced or vandalized the property, the owner hasn't been charged with any crime, and no public figure has in any way remarked on the matter - but because the owner said that "three or four" people commented about the name of the shop, it gets blown up into yet another Two Minutes Hate - while, by complete coincidence, happened to give a recently-opened shop named Really British that is situated in Muswell Hill a ****load of free publicity, which I am sure was not the intention all along...

 

The evil of collusion, like the threat of moral hazard, only applies to those below a certain income level.

 

When you look at the history of popular music, all the great artists have been produced by one or other of two countries - the U.S and the U.K.

How do we explain this cultural phenomenon?

 

A bloke going by the name of Freddie Mercury shatters that theory...

 

All ?? A lot : yes. But all ??

 

Apart from the prevalence of English as a spoken language, the language
itself may also be an advantage. Many years ago I saw a documentary about the
Hip-hop scene in France. One of the guys spoke of some difficulty in
constructing the rhyme structure used in rap (homonyms etc) .

German similarly does not have a great soft-sounding flow to it.

 

Struggling to think of any you could call great.....

 

AC/DC. Definitely.

 

Bob Marley was great. Kraftwerk (classic line-up) were great. etc etc.

 

Recycled Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin etc with a nod to Chuck Berry and The Stones. I don't see anything too groundbreaking (I'm probably biased as I don't like them).

 

I'll give you reggae - as it was gronudbreaking and original.

But Da Da Da. Really?

 

Debatably non-UK. The Young brothers were both born in Scotland, Cliff Williams was born in Romford.
Bon Scott was from Forfar and Brian Johnson's from Gateshead. Various other members have been Welsh.

U2 and ABBA are the most obvious exceptions, if you're going by sales. Celine Dion? Maybe not, eh?

 

They're not my thing either but I went to see them in '82 with a mate and they were **** hot. Still making decent tunes now, a rarity for a band of their vintage.

 

Many were responsible for reggae.
But the quality and evolution in Bob Marley in sound and lyrics, from the appearance
of The Wailers as kids during the ska scene to global stardom, is what makes him great.


"But Da Da Da. Really??"

Very good (God I hated the Casio preset that Trio used in that song) .

 

ABBA if you're going by several aspects (credit where credit is due) .

 

ABBA, yes. U2, no chance. I can't abide them.

 

It's twee pop which the '60s girl groups did much better. I think Abba were half decent songwriters, but they only copied what had gone before.

The point of my original comment was that the creativity and originality always seems to be U.S or U.K based. Are we/they culturally creative in a way that other nations aren't?