While I very much for the robust questioning of politicians, I must admit that this bit of vox-pop to “man of the people” Eddie Izzard did make me feel warm n’fuzzy. He is the kiss of death for many a cause, and I am not convinced his posturing is likely to impress poor people struggling in Redcar (who I care about far more than rich celebs wanting to continue being fabulous). The referendum seems to me to have been quite good at shaking up politics and political attitudes such that tribal voting is being undermined on all sides: not before time, IMHO. I wonder if these shifts will maintain post 24th June? I wouldn’t mind if they did.
https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/left-case-brexit
Undignified hectoring. All Farage needed to say was that his Huguenot ancestors came to England fleeing religious persecution, and that UKIP has an official policy of allowing people in that position to settle in the UK, so he’s not a hypocrite on that issue (although I don’t get this you’re-answerable-for-what-your-forefathers-did-100s-of-years-ago schtick either)
Still, a 50something comedian who looks like yer gran is just the ticket for getting the yoof vote out, I spose.
Doesn’t look like my grandmother. My nan had a broken nose and neck tattoos. Lovely woman invariably kind to animals and small children when sober.
Yes, I remember that time she clubbed a golden retriever to death with a rolled up toddler.
Do you think Eddie is in homage to Pauline Campbell-Jones, the Job Restart character in “The League of Gentlemen”?
http://leagueofgentlemen.wikia.com/wiki/Pauline_Campbell-Jones
Come to think of it, I have heard him refer to other comedians as “worthless dole scum”. In French of course.
If we vote to remain in the EU will the UKIPPERS call time on the party and also resign from the European parliament? I should imagine they will keep taking the shilling and the proverbial piss.
The UK votes Remain.
Nigel Farage returns to the chamber of the European Parliament (stay with me, it’s a fantasy).
As one, the other 750 MEPs point to him and rise to their feet, chanting
WHO ARE YER?
WHO ARE YER?
WHO ARE YER?
…as a beaming Herman Van Rompuy hoists a huge portrait of Sir James Goldsmith to stand alongside the EU Flag in perpetuity.
I preferred him when he was was in The Damned
He said Brexit?
I said WOT!
I didn’t know Nigel Farage was in The Damned.
If he ain’t got a dream how’s he gonna make his dream come true?
Is she rilly going out of the EU?
No, Nigel Farage *IS* ‘the damned’. It doesn’t get any worse. Even the Lord of Despair flees from the supercilious golf-club jingo-frog of doom.
Satan: ‘Ah, Mr Farage, I’ve been expecting you. Take a seat over there…’
Farage: ‘Share a circle of Hell with a load of foreigners? Not bloody likely, matey. They come around here, spreading chaos and woe, asking for bail-outs from endless torment, expecting us to subsidise their fiery trident mountains…’
Satan: ‘Oh, for God’s sake…’
Wasn’t Brexit in The Fall at one point?
Now touring as Brexit And The Expats
She was on The No-Frenz Experiment
And Bingo Maastricht Break-OUT
I thought that Dimbleby lost control last night. I’m all for letting the debate go on a few seconds into chaos but last night was mayhem. Izzard was either ranting at Farage, hammering the same question over and over, or talking so quickly that you simply couldn’t make out what he was saying. I am almost at the point of giving up on QT. This series has been poor. Whether that is just the referendum debate (which I just want to be over), the mix of guests or the fact that the MP’s invariably know how to ‘play the game’, without saying anything.
Dimbleby loses control every week. He is very good at hectoring those who disagree with his point of view, but is disagracefully indulgent of the likes of Farage (who appears to be on every other week). It is also very rare these days that there is any sense of balance in the panel, always seems skewed one way or the other.
Confusion in his eyes that says it all,
Dim’s lost control
And “that man in the spectacles” looked scared
Dim said, I’ve lost control again
And Eddie Izzard said that Farage was a hypocrite,
Dim’s lost control again
And that woman kept her hand up while she spoke
Dim said, I’ve lost control again
And the audience applauded in a weird place
And he’s lost control again
If he was a woman he’d have been retired years ago
He’s lost controllll
*flails arms frantically, knocks water jug on Stella Creasy’s lap*
UP!!!!
I thought he was horribly ill-mannered and condescending to Hilary Benn regarding his family. Benn was merely signposting the point that the referendum decision would have greater repercussions for younger generations; there was no need for Dim to carp repeatedly that having a family was ‘nothing special’. Benn’s riposte should have been ‘actually pal, my family is very special to me’
Regarding Izzard, I generally like his politics and his passion, but found him embarrassing last night. I think his putative political career is already dead in the water.
Having a family is ‘nothing special’ – doesn’t get on with the Any Questions Hitmaker Jonathan D, does he?
Izzard might just do for the ‘remain’ vote what the Red Wedge crowd did for Labour.
‘Which way are Bronski Beat and The Style Council voting? Erm, welcome back Maggie!’
I like Eddie izzard very much, both as a comedian & as someone who wears his heart on his sleeve WRT his political/social beliefs.
However, I am with dd above, I think going on QT wearing the pink beret thing will have given the leave campaign a few more votes. His transvestism is old news, & well known, however, I think a lot of people will be thinking along the lines of “I am not voting for what that poof believes in”.
A lot of people are saying along the lines of ‘I am not voting for leave because Farage/ Boris/ Gove/ Katie Hopkins etc are urging me to’ likewise, there will be a lot of people feeling exactly the same about voting remain because EI is urging them to do so.
there is a time & place for everything, &, just as I would not go to a job interview wearing a
Led Zep Tee shirt & combats, he should not have gone on QT dressed like that.
I genuinely believe he has set back the remain cause.
As ever, OOAA.
If only EI had worn his falsies as well as the pink beret the “leave” vote would have been in the bag.
I enjoy EI’s work and have seen him live a few times. He’s always good value, but I can’t help thinking there’s something wrong with him, like a kid who has had too much red cordial.
His ego is the size of a planet, too. All that running for London mayor stuff.
And that shade of lippy – WTF was he thinking ?
Comedians on Question Time is always a bad idea. Remember the Russell Brand debacle?
Oh, do you know, Nigel was on that one as well! What a coincidence! RB called him a “pound-shop Enoch Powell” as I recall.
He wasn’t as bad as Alex James – utterly toe-curling. He became known as “the cheese knob” in our house after that.
Speaking of Red Wedge and knob cheese, here’s Attila The Stockbroker with The Night I Slept With Seething Wells. A two-fer.
Strangely, having read the ‘wrong’ music papers as an adolescent I knew nothing else about Seething (Steven/Susan) Wells until he died, and in the tributes realised what I had missed. A lot, based on his few generally available pieces, written through his treatment.
His turns as singles reviewer and readers letters editor at NME were brilliant. A divisive figure, as he was clearly less interested in music than he was in baiting the readers, but if that’s done well it can be ripping fun. As we know.