This is the website/blog of Philosopher Stephen Law. Stephen is Reader in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal THINK. He has published several books (see sidebar). For school talks and media email: think-AT-royalinstitutephilosophy.org
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Labour's election strategy: bring on no-nonsense hard man Gordon Brown
I have already bought my "Step Outside Posh Boy" t-shirt. Go here for the new strategy. I seem to be one of the few people in the UK that are actually rather fond of Gordon Brown.
If GB keeps spouting brainless kack like this, you might want to re-think your fondness for him. Aside from the substance of what he says, which I'm willing to shrug off as political pablum, I must ask: How frickin' tone-deaf to the moment at hand must a politician be to applaud "the Catholic communion" - not just UK citizens who belong to the Church, but the institution itself - for acting as "the conscience of our country"? WTF?
Very good - I'd be tempted to buy the T-shirt myself if I didn't think it'd be misinterpreted as an anti-Labour statement.
I've got purely selfish reasons to be fond of Gordon Brown - I started work and started a family under the Tories and remember waking up to the fact that we'd have been better off on the dole (because it cost money to work - e.g. in travel - but every penny you earned came straight off your benefits). Then Tax Credits came in and suddenly we could actually think about buying a house, taking holidays, and generally having some quality of life.
It infuriates me to hear people reeling out the 'all parties are the same line' now... the Tories' idea of educational opportunity in my home town was to cream off the top 50 kids every year and send them to the local public school, dumping the rest in an underfunded 'comprehensive' (= secondary modern). My kids now attend an actual comprehensive - one that (horrors!) everyone's allowed to go to - which was built from scratch two years ago and which makes the 'posh' school I attended look like a garden shed.
Just show how quickly people start taking things for granted I guess - or maybe people with younger kids now just don't realise what things used to be like, or higher earners don't realize (or don't care) how much the lives of us 'little people' have improved under Labour. Not looking forward to getting the Tories back though.
You know DM, the fruitcake who's been posting death threats/messages of Christian love (I get the two confused) on here lately? Well, I decided to follow some of his links to see what formidable anti-atheist arguments he has in his arsenal. In pride of place at the top of one of his favourite pages, here:
http://nostraamerica.atspace.com/
- is a video called 'Checkmate, Atheists'. Poor old DM seemingly hasn't noticed that it's a rather mirthsome *parody* of crappy Christian arguments, taking the piss out of people exactly like him.
Mmm, DM seems to be one David Mabus, aka Dennis Markuze, from Montreal, Canada. Google 'David Mabus spam' and you'll see he has a certain notoriety. He doesn't seem to like atheists very much. He's on the Pharyngula bannned list:
Not a Labour spambot - a debt lawyer spambot that's latched on to some of the money-worries language in one of my posts and started quoting me with a link attached. Sorry!
14 comments:
An April Fool's I presume. But funny nonetheless.
Me too, Stephen. Best PM in a long time.
April fool yes but the t shirts are real.
If GB keeps spouting brainless kack like this, you might want to re-think your fondness for him. Aside from the substance of what he says, which I'm willing to shrug off as political pablum, I must ask: How frickin' tone-deaf to the moment at hand must a politician be to applaud "the Catholic communion" - not just UK citizens who belong to the Church, but the institution itself - for acting as "the conscience of our country"? WTF?
Very good - I'd be tempted to buy the T-shirt myself if I didn't think it'd be misinterpreted as an anti-Labour statement.
I've got purely selfish reasons to be fond of Gordon Brown - I started work and started a family under the Tories and remember waking up to the fact that we'd have been better off on the dole (because it cost money to work - e.g. in travel - but every penny you earned came straight off your benefits). Then Tax Credits came in and suddenly we could actually think about buying a house, taking holidays, and generally having some quality of life.
It infuriates me to hear people reeling out the 'all parties are the same line' now... the Tories' idea of educational opportunity in my home town was to cream off the top 50 kids every year and send them to the local public school, dumping the rest in an underfunded 'comprehensive' (= secondary modern). My kids now attend an actual comprehensive - one that (horrors!) everyone's allowed to go to - which was built from scratch two years ago and which makes the 'posh' school I attended look like a garden shed.
Just show how quickly people start taking things for granted I guess - or maybe people with younger kids now just don't realise what things used to be like, or higher earners don't realize (or don't care) how much the lives of us 'little people' have improved under Labour. Not looking forward to getting the Tories back though.
Add comment moderation to your blasphemy blog...
you little liars do nothing but antagonize...
and you try to eliminate all the dreams and hopes of humanity...
but you LOST...
THE DEATH OF ATH*ISM - SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF GOD
http://engforum.pravda.ru/showthread.php?t=280780
Einstein puts the final nail in the coffin of atheism...
*************************************
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7vpw4AH8QQ
*************************************
atheists deny their own life element...
LIGHT OR DEATH, ATHEISTS?
********************************
***************************LIGHT*********
************************************
Hee hee... this is worth a chuckle!
You know DM, the fruitcake who's been posting death threats/messages of Christian love (I get the two confused) on here lately? Well, I decided to follow some of his links to see what formidable anti-atheist arguments he has in his arsenal. In pride of place at the top of one of his favourite pages, here:
http://nostraamerica.atspace.com/
- is a video called 'Checkmate, Atheists'. Poor old DM seemingly hasn't noticed that it's a rather mirthsome *parody* of crappy Christian arguments, taking the piss out of people exactly like him.
Or maybe DM is a joke character himself?
Either way, thanks DM - cheered me up!
"atheists deny their own life element... "
you bastards!
/not an atheist, don't deny my own life element
Mmm, DM seems to be one David Mabus, aka Dennis Markuze, from Montreal, Canada. Google 'David Mabus spam' and you'll see he has a certain notoriety. He doesn't seem to like atheists very much. He's on the Pharyngula bannned list:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/plonk.php
(scroll down)
More worryingly though, see here:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/09/update_on_dennis_markuze.php
Perhaps it's worth setting up some temporary moderation till he buggers off?
Yeah, DM hit Atheist Missionary recently too, to the sound of much lulz.
Also, it appears you have been hit by a Labour spambot too. By the Boulder Pledge, I now may not vote Labour. Oh well.
Not a Labour spambot - a debt lawyer spambot that's latched on to some of the money-worries language in one of my posts and started quoting me with a link attached. Sorry!
Oh, I see. Sorry about that, Greg.
DEATH TRAP
One more time:
*******
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff/
********
THE REAL QUESTION:
DOES ATHEISM HAVE A FUTURE?
AND THE ANSWER - NO!
How do I stop all these "best attorney" things (other than deleting em one by one) - anyone know?
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