[Abernathy]

I think Starmer was similarly reprimanded, wasn't he? Came to nothing. Run-of-the-mill stuff, it would seem.

The Trots are bound to be moistening their gussets over this, as Jess is more or less their anti-christ, but it's summat and nowt.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

In one case she is being investigated for an engagement for which she waived the fee and earned zero...

[Youngian]

I’m sure Tracey Ullman isn’t the only comic to take the piss out of Corbyn. Is it the US comedy show and Woody Allen films that makes Tracey so suspect?

The conspiracy theory is the offending sketch was written for Ullman by David Baddiel.

Baddiel must be part of this secret new elite controlling our media, Matt Goodwin’s on the case.

[Andy McDandy]

Well, it'd explain him and Rob Newman getting their series, and the enduring presence of Three Lions.

[Youngian]

Baddiel still works with Hugh Dennis so will Punt and Newman surface?

[Philip Marlow]

My general take on Baddiel was that he had an accurate if limited case - there are people on the left who fail to recognise antisemitism for what it is - which got inflated, partly at least, as a result of his failure to recognise his own limits. Or racism outside of his own experience of it.

He wrote an article on the subject for the Spectator, and I will admit that I came within an ace of asking if he thought the magazine was trolling him by putting his name next to Taki's on the masthead, but then I thought that might be mean.

[The Weeping Angel]

I'm not sure how it got inflated. One of Baddiel's best examples was when he highlighted how the National Theatre put on a play and the Jewish billionaire was called Hershal Fink. Now surely someone somewhere must have realised that was anti-semitic.

[Andy McDandy]

Clichéd maybe. The Coen brothers made a film about a Jewish playwright (and yes, his religion is plot relevant) called Barton Fink. Then again they may have n-word privilege. As for the billionaire aspect, depends. Arnold Rothstein was Jewish, a very rich man, and hideously corrupt. And again his faith was crucial to his business, in his case because the Irish and Italian mobs wouldn't work with him, until Charlie Luciano struck a blow for interracial cooperation and became his right hand man.

[The Weeping Angel]

It wasn't cliched Andy.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/ ... cters-name

The Royal Court Theatre in London has apologised “unreservedly” to the Jewish community for naming a fictional, manipulative billionaire Hershel Fink.

It comes as a report by the theatre’s board on Tuesday found that the systems in place were inadequate to identify and correct the issue at the appropriate time.

Anthony Burton, chair of the Royal Court, said: “The Royal Court Theatre apologises unreservedly for the pain that has been caused around the production of its play Rare Earth Mettle.

“This incident fell short of the Royal Court’s own high ambitions in terms of inclusivity and anti-racism. It is committed to learning from it and clear actions have been put in place including specialist training on antisemitism.

“The Royal Court must and will become a space in which Jewish artists and other professionals can work without fear of antisemitism, as it always should have been.”

The play, by Al Smith, originally featured Hershel Fink as the CEO of an electric car company, who in marketing material was portrayed as a grasping billionaire trying to monopolise the earth’s resources.

The theatre apologised and changed the name to Henry Finn after it was accused of perpetuating an offensive stereotype.

Theatre management said they were unaware that Hershel Fink was a Jewish name and called the incident an example of “unconscious bias”.

[Youngian]

Mrs Corbyn has been watching Frasier and fancies herself as a pop psychologist

[davidjay]

Mrs Corbyn has been watching Frasier and fancies herself as a pop psychologist

Kinder, gentler...

[Tubby Isaacs]

How many mental health slurs?

[mattomac]

Man looks paler after several months of British winter weather.

If Starmer looks ill her Husband looks like a cadaver.

[Crabcakes]

As someone has noted, unless Ms Alvarez has held some jobs we’re not aware of it might not be her tweeting…

[Tubby Isaacs]

Starmer's promise on fees was stupid, but given that the Tories get to say "promised that, but you know, events dear boy, and the mess we inherited" I'm not quite following the Owen Jones argument that Starmer is the new Bozo.

Plus of course, Corbyn's man of principled lark is based on never having had to deliver on anything he promised. The cost quoted for nationalising water sounded a bit low to me- £14.5bn- given that I think the outstanding debts were higher than that. I suppose Jez just sticks the excess on the national debt, and everything's ok.

[Youngian]

John McD argued nationalisation would be fiscally neutral as shareholders will be issued government bonds or something. Groucho Marxism.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Famously, government debt doesn't cost anything.

[Youngian]

Liberals bad, not being liberal bad.

[mattomac]

Owen Jones is a little prick

[Oboogie]

Owen Jones is a little prick

It is important to me that you know I read that and automatically tacked "Doo-dah, doo-dah!" on the end.
And I did it out loud.