Mailwatch(ed) Forum

I'm out to see 999 tonight. Early doors so I will scoot within the next few minutes.

Have a nice evening, y'all.

I saw 999 in the early 80s, supporting The Stranglers I think. Enjoy.

Oboogie wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 5:50 pm I saw 999 in the early 80s, supporting The Stranglers I think. Enjoy.

I wouldn't have thought the Stranglers would have had a band like 999 supporting them at that time. This was when they were in their 'Play the new album and a couple of obscurities off Rattus/Black & White' days so a punk band wouldn't have cut it then.

davidjay wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:38 pm

Oboogie wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 5:50 pm I saw 999 in the early 80s, supporting The Stranglers I think. Enjoy.

I wouldn't have thought the Stranglers would have had a band like 999 supporting them at that time. This was when they were in their 'Play the new album and a couple of obscurities off Rattus/Black & White' days so a punk band wouldn't gave cut it then.

I may well have got that wrong, I went to a lot of gigs in those days and was off my tits at most of them. I know I didn't go to see them per se, they were definitely support. Could have been a benefit actually CND? GLC? RAR?

I've just realised that they were both on UA so it might have happened a bit earlier. Apologies for trying to be clever - I'm a late seventies music anorak.

EDIT: 999 were support for the European leg of the Black & White tour in 1978 and also at a festival in 1993.

All I know about the Stranglers is that they started off as the Guildford Stranglers. Then the police had a word and they tried music instead.

They were pretty damned good, with an interesting set list comprising the newer stuff, the anthemic originals, and some really early Hope & Anchor rivvm and blues relics. Moreover, the average age of the audience was way under forty.

Our bass player is now deputising as theirs, but their drummer went sick this afternoon. A local lad stepped in to the breach and, quite frankly, was beyond amazing, having learnt the set this afternoon in real time.

You don't get many of them to the pound.

At 27€ a pop, it wasn't cheap but the show sold out, nonetheless. Thank heavens for guest lists and the band's rider...

kreuzberger wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 11:32 pm They were pretty damned good, with an interesting set list comprising the newer stuff, the anthemic originals, and some really early Hope & Anchor rivvm and blues relics. Moreover, the average age of the audience was way under forty.

Our bass player is now deputising as theirs, but their drummer went sick this afternoon. A local lad stepped in to the breach and, quite frankly, was beyond amazing, having learnt the set this afternoon in real time.

You don't get many of them to the pound.

At 27€ a pop, it wasn't cheap but the show sold out, nonetheless. Thank heavens for guest lists and the band's rider...

I always thought of them as the sort of band who saw which way the wind was blowing, cut their hair and carried on with the sort of pub rock they'd been playing since 1974 but good luck to them if they're still touring.

Steve McCabe, the MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, who - full disclosure - happens to be a friend of mine - is facing vitriol from the hard of thinking for declining to walk into the political elephant trap set by the SNP (instead abstaining and voting for Labour’s own King’s Speech amendment). I‘m hearing tonight that there have been groups of eejits “demonstrating” at Steve’s constituency office, condemning Steve, and others, for not “voting for a ceasefire”.

How stupid can these eejits get? Voting “for a ceasefire” is not an option for any UK parliamentarian, because it is not on the table and even if it were and were passed in parliament, no ceasefire would subsequently transpire. What the SNP amendment sought to do was to induce MPs to vote for a call to call for a ceasefire, which, as Steve explains here, while in passing having a pop at Jess, is utterly futile :

McCabe criticised Phillips in particular for what he decried as a 'meaningless gesture' in a vote that held no sway. "I am as concerned as anyone to see peace and reconciliation between Israel and Palestine but there can be no negotiation with terrorists who have made clear they will not observe a ceasefire. They will repeat the acts of October 7 over and over if they get the chance.

"People forget that there was a ceasefire in place, brokered by Middle East countries, until October 7, which Hamas broke when it carried out its attack. What has happened is horrific but a ceasefire is not the way forward.

Labour’s own amendment was clearer and more coherent than the SNP’s elephant trap. Here it is :

At end add ‘and submit to Your Majesty that this House wishes to see an end to the violence in Israel and Palestine; unequivocally condemn the horrific terrorist attack and murder of civilians by Hamas, call for the immediate release of all hostages and reaffirm Israel’s right to defend its citizens from terrorism; believe all human life is equal and that there has been too much suffering, including far too many deaths of innocent civilians and children, over the past month in Gaza; reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the rules-based international order, international humanitarian law and the jurisdiction of the ICC to address the conduct of all parties in Gaza and Hamas’s attacks in Israel; call on Israel to protect hospitals and lift the siege conditions allowing food, water, electricity, medicine and fuel into Gaza; request the Government continue to work with the international community to prevent a wider escalation of the conflict in the region, guarantee that people in Gaza who are forced to flee during this conflict can return to their homes and seek an end to the expansion of illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank; and, while acknowledging the daily humanitarian pauses to allow in aid and the movement of civilians, believe they must be longer to deliver humanitarian assistance on a scale that begins to meet the desperate needs of the people of Gaza, which is a necessary step to an enduring cessation of fighting as soon as possible and a credible, diplomatic and political process to deliver the lasting peace of a two-state solution.’

SNP is looking increasingly like a student union at a time when serious leadership is called for. I doubt using Gaza for domestic posturing will do much for Flynn and Youssef’s perceived gravitas.

They could have put in a mention of Nicaragua there. Bastards!

Youngian wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2023 6:22 am SNP is looking increasingly like a student union at a time when serious leadership is called for. I doubt using Gaza for domestic posturing will do much for Flynn and Youssef’s perceived gravitas.

There's some polling here.

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/su ... 15/672b8/3

Support for a ceasefire isn't like the levels that's been suggested, but it's still the most popular option, especially in Scotland (40% v 17% for Labour's position). If you add don't know, none of the above, and people who think Israel shouldn't be criticised that's a combined 43%.

The UK position as a whole is
33% ceasefire
24% humanitarian pause
9% full support for Israel, no pause
11% None of these
24% Don't know

I think the Green Party might have overstepped the mark a bit here. As Robert Saunders says, it's bollocks to talk like the British Parliament had a vote on ending the war. It was a vote on calling for a ceasefire that neither side wants.

I dunno, maybe this is how they get voters off Labour.

I was very uncomfortable with this. My MP Tan Dhesi has tweeted that he has had death threats from people. When I said that was unacceptable people piled on asking me to provide the evidence that he had.

I do not vote Labour, but I have to say in my delaing with Mr Dhesi since he was elected, his office has always dealt with things efficiently and he is always batting for Slough. I can see no reason why he would make upsuch an allegation.

Obviously the bedsit trots dont like him.

Oh no the party's been taken over by the gambling industry.

https://www.thesocialreview.co.uk/2023/ ... -parasite/

The country currently finds itself with high levels of gambling addiction and increased instances of problem gambling across the population. This is due to a combination of historic policy decisions, regulatory indifference, neglect, and the most well-oiled lobbying machine currently operating in British politics. It’s a costly blight but it wasn’t inevitable. The owners of betting companies, having profited to the point of being two of the top five tax contributors in the entire country, are desperate to maintain their position.

Problem gambling is now endemic within British society. This is in no small part because of the industry’s significant advertising spending. Behind this figure is also the fact that sixty percent of profits generated by gambling come from just five percent of customers. These customers are either problem gamblers or perceived as being ‘at risk’. The strategy of gambling firms is to get as many people through the door as possible and then to convert them into ‘whales’ (people who consistently bet vast sums of money).

If you spend an afternoon at or watching football at any level this ‘catch and grow’ strategy is evident. You will be bombarded by advertisements (the Football League is sponsored by Skybet) urging you to gamble as an essential part of the fan experience. At half time would-be punters are occasionally reminded by Ray Winstone or a similar sort of geezer (often a pundit or ex-player) to bet responsibly, but these are a drop in the ocean when compared to the sheer volume of the rest of the advertising spend. The reach and influence of the gambling industry on football extends so far that ex-footballer Steven Caulker was dropped as a pundit on a Bet365-sponsored series because of his previous “positive work” on gambling addiction.

The industry claims sponsorships have no impact on customer conversions or problem gambling, but if that were the case it’s hard to fathom why quite so much money is pumped into ensuring thirty-five percent of Premier League teams have a betting logo on their shirts.

There's a general sort of article where a bunch of campaigners claim their genius ideas have been "watered down by lobbyists"- like they're not lobbying themselves.

But there does seem to be a fair bit to be wary of there.

What do we need to be wary of?

Anna Turley is talking some rubbish there. Hopefully she was just looking for work while she wasn't an MP.

Youngian wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2023 6:22 am SNP is looking increasingly like a student union at a time when serious leadership is called for. I doubt using Gaza for domestic posturing will do much for Flynn and Youssef’s perceived gravitas.

Can we stop deriding Student Union’s I work for one as an advice manager and my day is fire fighting the whittle University and wider bodies want to throw at students.

I didn’t capitalise student union as I wasn’t specifically referring the Student Union but point taken.