It’s taken me four weeks to write this, because I barely knew where to start.
Channel 4 showed the singular and vastly wonderful The Banshees Of Inisherin at the weekend, and as brilliant as it is in its own right, it also came loaded with all sorts of resonances and finally prodded me into action.
The equally singular and wonderful Jonathan Nash, who will be known to readers of this isolated and quiet island parish under a variety of names, died last month, of death. It was sudden yet expected, and in those respects very much the opposite of the man himself.
Alert viewers may have already noticed a new addition to the central links column: The Sealand Gazette. (If so, they should award themselves 200 Alert Viewer Points and add them to their Viewerscore card.)
The Gazette came about because I have a bad habit of using Twitter as a sort of Post-It Note for news stories I want to keep on file for future reference. It is, of course, singularly badly suited for this purpose, because finding anything you posted on Twitter more than a couple of days ago is a hideous trial and – as I learned only recently – Twitter deletes your old tweets forever when you exceed your quota, which varies according to how prolifically you tweet but can be as little as a few weeks.
So instead, now there's the Gazette, the newspaper for people who increasingly wish they lived on an isolated former gun platform in the middle of the North Sea. Published through the rather nifty Scoop.it platform, the benefits are that it's incredibly easy to use – a couple of clicks adds a story – and both persistent and searchable.
(NB To search the Gazette use the "FILTER" function below the banner, not the Search box at the top of the page, which searches the whole of Scoop.it instead.)
At launch many of the stories are old-ish, because I've been going through my Twitter account grabbing everything I've posted there since April before it gets wiped, but from now on it'll be hot-off-the-presses stuff, and there's even a Page Three girl today as an introductory bonus. (Though of course, it's a rather sinister and troubling one.) Readers can also easily suggest stories to add.
The Gazette should be a lot less trouble to maintain than the short-lived "Reasons Not To Recycle" blog, and fulfil much the same purpose. (Misanthropic nihilism, essentially.) But I'll make a special effort to throw in a few nice stories too, because mass reader suicide isn't the goal. Although in the broader sense, it is a bit.
Captain Caveman on A Long Hard Think: ““When the right start claiming anything they see as left is ‘communist’ you know they have lost the plot and…” Sep 13, 22:55
Captain Caveman on A Long Hard Think: ““3 against 1 again” Ah, your counting skills just as woeful as your debating skills I see, Alf. Anyway, it’s…” Sep 13, 22:46
Southernbystander on A Long Hard Think: “When the right start claiming anything they see as left is ‘communist’ you know they have lost the plot and…” Sep 13, 22:18
Mark Beggan on A Long Hard Think: “What does Cesaire say about Muslim colonization or Communist or Dynasty takeovers. Is that a separate study? Be honest, you…” Sep 13, 21:43
Northcode on A Long Hard Think: “I thought it might be helpful to offer a clarification of what I meant in my earlier comment where I…” Sep 13, 21:25
Alf Baird on A Long Hard Think: “Cesaire wrote specifically about Hitler, and his “crime against the white man, and the fact that he applied to Europe…” Sep 13, 20:25
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “What was he angry about?” Sep 13, 20:15
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Four, Alf, you’re forgetting Northy. As I’ve pointed out before, if we play the “thought experiment” of agreeing 100% with…” Sep 13, 20:12
M.E on A Long Hard Think: ““What? You got a problem with it? What do we look like, the Crime Police?”” Sep 13, 20:08
Alf Baird on A Long Hard Think: ““Yet, we and those who came before us, have consistently acquiesced in our own dependency.” Indeed so Lorncal, and which…” Sep 13, 20:04
Alf Baird on A Long Hard Think: “3 against 1 again, rinse and repeat. Reminds us of an EBC independence ‘debate’.” Sep 13, 19:49
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Blocked the Darien initiative, eh? I can’t decide which is the most ludicrous aspect of that complaint. That you’re greeting…” Sep 13, 19:06
Mark Beggan on A Long Hard Think: “That seems a lot like The man they love to hate.” Sep 13, 18:59
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “They both released cover versions of “Jerusalem”, accompanying themselves on the melodeon.” Sep 13, 18:56
DaveL on A Long Hard Think: “I’ll add childlike insults to the list of whinges and whines we hear from you. You’ll be telling me next…” Sep 13, 18:54
Mark Beggan on A Long Hard Think: “Cecil Rhodes was a raging homosexual. How does that fit with the theory. Confused? You will be.” Sep 13, 18:50
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “So Memmi was Jewish? The usual suspects are going to have to airbrush him out of the post colonial boys’…” Sep 13, 18:49
Chas on A Long Hard Think: “DaveLooney Many thanks for your response. Who do you speak for? Could it be Fanny, Mummi or Ceaser. Or is…” Sep 13, 18:26
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “I speak English, TURABDIN, and I am better than the rest. Like most Scots, I’ve little time for the inferior…” Sep 13, 18:23
twathater on A Long Hard Think: “I notice now that the yoonionist parties have come to the realisation that their unwavering support for Is ra hel…” Sep 13, 18:21
Hatey McHateface on A Long Hard Think: “Very happy to accept that you are, Confused. We’re in Scotland, world leader in accepting self-identification in all its forms.…” Sep 13, 18:15
DaveL on A Long Hard Think: “…they’re both on Hatey’s ‘Love/Hate’ scale but at opposite ends?” Sep 13, 17:51
DaveL on A Long Hard Think: “@ Chas You speak for no one but yourself and all we hear is whines whinges and moans. Get back…” Sep 13, 17:46
Captain Caveman on A Long Hard Think: “QUACK QUACK OOPS. Ah, but you’ve been such a lovely contestant, Fatso. Bus fare home. 🙂” Sep 13, 17:44
James on A Long Hard Think: “Is the answer….”Captain Caveman”?” Sep 13, 17:41
