The definition of madness
While we wait for the full detail of what look like being even more watered-down and insipid “Devo Lite” proposals from Labour than we were expecting, we suppose we might as well spend a minute on last night’s big “Better Together” announcement that Eddie Izzard was going to hold a benefit gig for the No campaign, putting the Union on a par with starving Ethiopians and earthquake victims.
Einstein is claimed to have said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (and readers hopefully already know our views on Quote Nazis), so we found a line attributed to Izzard in the press release particularly striking.
“All the problems we have as human beings, we can deal with them all, but we have to be able to work together. Everywhere I go around the world that is what people are struggling to find: a way to work together. We have had that for three centuries in our United Kingdom.”
Three hundred years is surely a pretty fair shake of the stick. Exactly how many more centuries do you want to give it before you acknowledge that it’s not working, Eddie?
I guess Eddie spends too much time touring the world to get an idea of how the ‘working together’ thing is going in the UK.
I wonder of he has wondered why around 40% of Scotland wants to be Independent and there re a whole lot more who are thinking about it.
And the overwhelming majority would go for virtually every power being in Holyrood and not Westminster, and make the decisions about ourselves, for ourselves, in Scotland.
I went on the Scottish Labour website this morning to see if they had published their Devolution Commission report there, or at least indicated when it would be available for voters to read for themselves. The most up to date item asks people to submit their views to the Commission!
Bowie, Izzard, the Krankies…
Is there no end to cross-dressing love-bombing…
Not to worry. We have had Izzards FB covered all night.
Real shame though I liked the blokes shows
People, and yes, I mean all people who don’t have a vote in the referendum should butt-out.In this instance we are been given “advice” by a supposed comedian, who was instrumental in organising the Labour party campaign in the 2010 General Election, and we all know what happened to that project. Now I await with interest Johann,s “jam tomorrow” promises. Bet they are funnier than Mr Izzard.
The truism, “It’s a matter for the people of Scotland,” seems not to have any meaning for those who speak it.
I like Eddie Izzard so I’m a wee bit puzzled. I’m sure if he had a few facts he would, like most people, change his mind.
some eddie jokes
Eddie: We stole countries! That’s how you build an empire. We stole countries with the cunning use of flags! Sail halfway around the world, stick a flag in. “I claim India for Britain.” And they’re going, “You can’t claim us. We live here! There’s five hundred million of us.” “Do you have a flag?” “We don’t need a flag, this is our country you bastard!”
European Union
Eddie: It’s the cutting edge of politics in a very extraordinarily boring way!
link to angelfire.com
I wonder if, after his gig in Edinburgh he’ll consider heading for Dublin to do an “Ireland, come back to us” plea gig?
Three hundred years to achieve the appalling legacy of food banks in 21st century Britain Mr Izzard.
That’s a helluva political legacy to leave.
Salt Ire says: “Bowie, Izzard, the Krankies … Is there no end to cross-dressing love-bombing…”
LOL
So the proceeds from this “benefit gig” are legal are they?
I don’t believe Mr Izzard is resident in Scotland so he’s limited to contributing a maximum of £500 surely? Or is everyone in the audience paying £500?
England has held the reins and purse strings for over 300 years in this partnership of equals.
I suggest, that if we are putting Devo this and that on the table, that Scotland gets to control affairs for the next 300 years.
Seems more than fair to me.
O/T God help Slab when Jim Murphy is their latest poster boy.
Talentless “funny” people from South Britain whose sole claim to fame is sticking their tongues deep up Tony Blair’s arse should “butt” out of the independence debate, so to speak. Nobody anywhere is interested in what Izzard has to say about anything. People in Englandshire really have to realise that their sense of “Britishness” does not apply to us, so Izzard is making a complete twat of himself in getting involved in Nu Labour’s attempts at thwarting democracy in Scotland. The anti-democratic alliance of the No campaign parties are scraping under the bottom of the barrel now.
“Bowie, Izzard, the Krankies…
Is there no end to cross-dressing love-bombing…”
Totally stolen
I like Eddie Izzard too. I think he’s really funny. I wonder though, what his BT jokes are going to be?
“Look, I know we conquered you back then, but, let’s face it, you were a bit of a basket case. And even though you’ve been sponging off us ever since, we really like you. I mean, your hills are great. We don’t have big hills like you have. So c’mon, whaddya say?”
Yet another English resident without a vote sticking their oar into OUR referendum. I thought there were rules about foreign money in political campaigns? Why isn’t England denoted as foreign for the purposes of referendum campaign funding?
Can you imagine how BT would be without the likes of Ashcroft’s millions? I mean can you imagine how much they must be paying Captain Darling? I can’t imagine he is doing it for free, or just the promise of ermine.
Izzard’s “Please Don’t Go” gig is ripe for a riposte.
What about a FREE “Get Tae Fuk Eddie” comedy show in response?
I’m always amused that so many Brits wander around with the impression that the UK, and prior to that, England, with its expansionist policies within the British Isles and across the globe, has been a source for good.
Much of the territorial empire may be gone, but the resource-gathering corporate empire is alive and well, and usually operating to the detriment of those local economies.
Oh, wad some power..!
Clash of dates there.
Who’d miss ‘Ian’s Great Wings Piss-Up’ to see Eddie Izzard?
Sorry Rev, mistyped my own username
I liked the phrase someone coined yesterday.
Devo-desperate.
Wikipedia says about Eddie:
“His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime.” Perfectly suited for the BT campaign.
“In 2011, Eddie Izzard revealed that he had political ambitions and wanted to become an MP, Mayor or MEP by 2020.” Well, that says it all really. Just like the Poll Tax , he can start with the people of Scotland and see what happens (A wee tip Eddie- don’t give up the day job).
Scotland or rather the people of Scotland simply do not exist to these guys. Scotland is team GEnglandB and the Scots have no ability or right to self government, end of.
Check out one days edition from liberal and progressive “British” link to archive.is GB newspaper with virtually nothing whatsoever in the whole thing about Scotland except vote NO to Scottish democracy, the phoney gits.
“I liked the phrase someone coined yesterday.
Devo-desperate.”
My new favourite is “Devo Nano”.
“Wikipedia says about Eddie:
“His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime.” Perfectly suited for the BT campaign.”
Stealing that too
My new favourite is “Devo Nano”.
Like it!
I have to be honest, I’ve never found Eddie Izzard even slighly funny (yes, even the Darth Vader canteen thing), but I did have respect for him on the basis of some of the progressive campaigning I heard about.
Not any more though. With that one tweet goes his principles.
There’s a tiny hope that he’ll realise he’s been taken in by the establishment and change his mind, so I hope the cybernats aren’t going to be too hard on him!
The Festival Theatre seating is right-sair-on-yer-erse. If you are going take a cushion. If you are really going take a few eggs for good measure.
“Bowie, Izzard, the Krankies…
Is there no end to cross-dressing love-bombing…”
Evidently not …
link to express.co.uk
link to youtube.com He does a great God as James Mason so maybe God will intervene and save Scotland for England. Couldn’t find a his Mason/God vid but this will do.
Who the fUK is Eddie Izzard anyway?
I really like to know what Andrew Marr thinks of this intervention…
…Ah’ll get ma coat.
Have a look on YouTube for his ‘cake or death’ routine. That’s what the referendum is for many people.
I wonder if Mr Izzard is here on a prolongued tour or are we getting a special visit extolling the virtues of living under Westminster rule before he fUKs off home to the USA?
Devo and Jocko Homo anyone?
They tell us that
We lost our tails
Evolving up
From little snails
I say it’s all
Just wind in sails
Are we not men?
We are DEVO!
We’re pinheads now
We are not whole
We’re pinheads all
Jocko homo
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
Monkey men all
In business suit
Teachers and critics
All dance the poot
Are we not men?
We are DEVO!
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
god made man
but he used the monkey to do it
apes in the plan
we’re all here to prove it
i can walk like an ape
talk like an ape
do what a monkey do
god made man
but a monkey supplied the glue
We must repeat
O.k. let’s go!
Eddie is one of the few of Blair’s Cool Britannia stars that have stuck with Labour so I am not entirely surprised.
Eddie you are wrong on this one. Great comedian and I won’t hold it against him but I do hope he moves on from that 1990s political thing. It didn’t work.
Everywhere around the world you see nations giving up their sovereignty to the bigger one next door to enable them to work together.
“There’s a tiny hope that he’ll realise he’s been taken in by the establishment and change his mind”
Labour’s wealthy luvvies and clebs are part of the establishment.
Jings, how much longer do we have to wait for the details of Labour’s Devo Micro? Can’t they find the crayons and a single blank sheet of A4?
Sorry, didn’t mean to shout that whole last bit in bold…
Who the heck need ‘advice’ from a man that paints his fingernails?
Whilst we are all entitled to air our views I think that he is so out of touch that he doesn’t realise just how toxic BT are. If he did I’m sure (if he had any sense) he would have nothing to do with them.
How sad. I’m guessing Eddie Izzard has only the
newspapers, TV and is Labour supporting BT friends
as his sources of information.
I find him very funny. I like Eddie Izzard.
However, it seems his opinion is solely in tune
with Labour Party policy.
Wonder what he thinks of the foodbanks, bedroom tax,
privatisation of the NHS, rich getting richer (oops, he
is rich!) etc.
Time to get informed Mr Izzard; the Union isn’t working.
Agree with Richard McHarg re thinking that the empire wiz great and can’t understand why the folk of the countries occupied don’t agree.
I remember seeing a bit of Jeremy Paxman’s empire series and he was completely flummoxed when he couldn’t get the local people to agree that the ’empire had been good for something’ – anything.
His face was a picture as people politely said they could think of nothing good that had come out of it.
You know, there’s a whole world of SI prefixes there to be used so I’ll just go right to the bottom and claim “devo-atto”. I don’t know any smaller ones.
[Moved to right thread!]
Eddies sucking up to the Tories is not the first bit of “love bombing” that has bombed.
“A Working Class Man’s Response to John Barrowman’s pro-union speech for BetterTogether ” sheesh.. link to youtube.com
Eddies sucking up to the Tories is not the first bit of “love bombing” that has bombed.
“A Working Class Man’s Response to John Barrowman’s pro-union speech for BetterTogether ” sheesh.. link to youtube.com
In all honesty can anybody recall a single memorable thing the majority of stand up comedians have uttered, a piece of insight or wisdom to pass one generation to another?
You might get something from Scottish comedians because it has barbs attached to it, but it isn’t satire. It doesn’t change our way of seeing; it adds little to our understanding of human nature. Ask them about politics and they stutter and stammer.
News programes love them because they offer the 10 second humorous sound bite and a dash of celebrity for free. When it comes to real world issues better a funny man makes comment than a social worker, doctor or teacher actually working in the field.
“A history of Scottish art”?
Let’s have Billy Connolly present it.
Most of their material is peurile and fatuous, the few with any wit scoring points off contemporaries, as if somehow, a stand up comedian and what he says matters.
I can’t be the only person jaded by the endless recycling of them on each other’s game show, chat show, panel … ad infinitum…
“Engineer, dad?” You kiddin’? I wanna be a comedian. Big money and fame in that.
I apologise AGAIN for ANOTHER so-called Welshman, meddling negatively in Alba’s affairs. I re-iterate -WE’RE NOT ALL THAT WAY INCLINED.
Anyway o/t, this following link I send with a WARNING – the face on the ‘right’, who purports to be on the ‘left’, but which will actually be ‘left on the shelf’ come Sept.19th, I would refuse to show to my children (and they are 30, 26 and 21 years of age respectively!)cos it’s SO scary. I am not going to go after personal attacks, but I worry who, if anyone, is helping Johann with her ‘appearance’ – The Addams Family?!
link to bbc.co.uk
Eddie Lizard is just another reason to vote Yes. Always the affluent that like to tell us how good the union is and how we are better off together…never the destitute singing it’s praises, funny that.
OT the principal of Dundee University, Pete Downs wants to get rid of 120 academic posts (likely replacing them with casualised workers) not because Dundee is in financial straits but in order to ‘grow their surplus’.
Read more and sign the petition here:
link to you.38degrees.org.uk
I have known Pete Downs and thought him a decent man. I am saddened he has been captured by the position he has risen to and forgotten his humanity.
I’d ask him why Scotland cant have its own government and run its own affairs. Project Fear at least has the logic of trying to scare voters into no but what’s Izzard’s problem?
“but we have to be able to work together”? Aye! Richt! Indeed, Eddie we do. Since 1603 we have had 411 years of The Kingdom of Scotland attempting to do just that. The English Navigation Acts then restricted the use of foreign shipping for trade between England and its colonies. These Acts were a continued process. The one of 1651 had the aim of forcing colonial development into lines favourable to England, and aimed to stop direct colonial trade with the Netherlands, France, and other European countries. They involved England in expensive wars in Europe. The original act of 1651 was renewed by further act in 1662, 1663, 1670, and 1673. With subsequently minor amendment. These Acts formed the basis for English overseas trade. They caused such things as the, English, “Glorious Revolution”, (1688), which in turn began the Jacobite Uprisings, (1688 – 1745), The subscription service to bail out the financially troubled English parliament that led to the formation of the Bank of England, (1694), The Bank of Scotland’s formation, (1695), First Darien Expedition, (1698), and thus the bipartite Treaty of Union, (1706/7). Doesn’t Eddie Izzard think that after all those English Kingdom’s attempts to force the Kingdom of Scotland into union and the subsequent decline in Scotland’s population since then think we Scots have made more than enough efforts to co-operate only to see them all treated with contempt are enough? The population of Scotland in 1707 was about one million and that of England/Wales around five million. So Scotland’s proportionate population has gone from one-fifth the population of England/Wales to now under one-tenth. Scotland’s Kingdom needs to literally grow-up and leave the three country Kingdom of England behind.
People are starving in the UK because of Westminster policies.
It’s not funny. Comedians, supporting Westminster, are part of the problem.
Eddie Izzard is correct, people should be coming together and that is exactly why we have the EU, UN and other international organisations. It is just that Scotland doesn’t need everything filtered through Westminster.
This whole better together nonsense was demolished nearly 50 years ago: “stop the world, Scotland wants to get on”
I came across this, Sir Walter Scott quotation yesterday.
“When we had a king, a chancellor, and a parliament o’ our ain, we could aye peeble them wi’ stones when they werena gude bairns”.
Another good reason to vote YES.
You know, Robert, I take back what I said in the other thread about Stu being a bit over-nazi with his paragraph breaks fetish.
Frank Skinner said his first child was conceived Arthur’s Seat,during Edinburgh Festival,doesn’t want Britain to break up.
Better Together obviously worked for him
Is there no end to the trivial, puerile, pointlessly sentimental reasons these guys will trot out for not wanting us to vote for self-determination for our country?
What about devo beta?
Izzard’s consecutive marathons stint was impressive.
Perhaps he could do something similar, stopping off at decent libraries. Then, if he’s got the sense he was born with, he’ll cancel this ill-conceived gig.
He’s right about one thing – working together.
Well, we’ve tried to ‘work with Westminster’ but they seem allergic to ‘not being in command’ – so that’s a dead loss.
What we haven’t tried is for Westminster to work under us.
So, if Westminster really wants a Union, please form an orderly queue and have your applications ready.
The labour party has a knack for attracting comedians.
I don’t find any of them funny – I suppose it’s down to taste.
I take your point, Morag. However, I had the problem of where to put a natural break in a continued list of intertwined historic events. It is the same resaon so many History websites take the form of a history timeline.
Or Devo Devoid
Eddie Izzard is a YES man!
link to contactmusic.com
Ironically for a NO campaigner, Eddie Izzard was born in the YEAH-MEN
Devo Supermax, Category A…
I’m sure Izzard announced he was giving up comedy and wanted to get involved in politics. If correct, this is his entry ticket.
I’m all for it; far too many peurile comedians slapping each other on the back, recycled among cronies comedy dramas, shows, panel games, talk shows … ad infinitum.
News programmes love them, the get a 10 second funny sound bite and a celebrity thrown in for free.
Frankie Boyle, Greg Hemphill, Robert Florence, Limmy
……………….. VS
Susan Calman, Eddie Izzard, Frank Skinner. The Krankies
Now theres a tag-team bout I’d pay to see
Sorry o/t.
I’ve just heard some of Putin’s speech. From what he’s said you could be forgiven for thinking that he’s actually looking for a war. His audience obviously agree with him too. We’re in very dangerous territory now.
Wan thing you can be assured of with Eddie Izzard
when you lift up his frock higher n higher,
yer gonna find a DICKHEID.
Some straws in the wind from the Hootsman.
link to archive.is
Jon D: Devo Devoid sums it up for me. Love it!
Tim Criced 11.08, No apoligies needed Tim,we have more for us
than against us.
But who is he? Why would people in Scotland give a stuff about what this guy wants? Its not working bt!
Why is there such a long list of those willing to sell Scotland out for their own personal gain? Ermine, mayorship, reviving a flagging career, seat on the board – I hope the price is worth it and these folk can live with themselves. I couldn’t.
Devo ATOS… let’s not forget what Slab’s henchmen inflicted on this country.
Why is Eddie Izzard takeing a selfy of his Rimming Finger.
@John H, I expect if he gets one that we will be dished once again, I think the Westminster Government would be delighted to see a war to stop us going once again. It must not happen.
To return to Eddie Izzard, who cares.
BBC24 hosting “Generation 2014′ at this moment… come watch posh kids depress you…
I like Eddie he’s one of the few comedians that I can listen to for an hour and still think he’s funny. He is also a Blairite and a champagne socialist, funny how they’re all millionaires that come out for Better Togetherness. Anyway, I remember he was heavily involved in the AV Referendum to which he was on the losing side (polled 32% I think), so his (along with Stephen Fry and Richard Wilson) impact was small if that.
I’m sure he’s looking at the Scottish Referendum and how it will impact on the British Labour Party at Westminster, 40 less seats for Miliband, can’t have that by jove. He has given £££thousands to Labour over the years, filmed political broadcasts for them and has stated he would like to be a Labour politician by 2020.
BBC News Kids debate…Jim Murphy asked how to help the manufacturing industry..”We have to find news ways to make things…but lets talk aircraft carriers instead”
Oh hes getting skelpt with Yousef here!
They cannot help themselves.
Jim Murphy not corrected on details about banks, but Hamsa corrected by JB about Scotland’s wealth,
Jim tries to use the argument about interest rates being set in a foreign government, about the same situation as we have now, just formalising it surely.
Lots of show of hands being asked for.
Audience consists of 16 & 17 year olds from Generation 2014 and BBC Radio Projects.
All I hear is the wind whistling through a ghost town, interspersed with the rustle of a wind bush rolling down the street and the creak of an abandoned rocking chair.
Above the empty ‘Last Chance’ saloon, with its failed swing doors, partly off their hinges, is a ‘Welcome Eddy Izzard’ sign.
Welcome to ‘Better Together County’.
Eddie Izzard is an anagram of Dizzier Ed Ad
Now that’s what I call spin.
Right, I’ve been through the full document listed and it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
It is certainly not a devolution worth wanting.
Tax powers we would be insane to use is the headline and the only thing of major import. It is also just a variant on the powers we now have and which have never been used because they are a trap.
The rest is just jam tomorrow.
How about positively the last version of more powers for the Jocks:
Devo Omega
I’m confused. Here’s a quote from the BBC’s website on SLAB’s proposals
“The commission said Holyrood should be able to raise about 40% of its own revenues, £2bn more than the most recent Scotland Act 2012.”
We are told that the Scotland Act 2012 would raise around 12% of Scotland’s revenue. Now with the addition of £2 billion pounds – suddenly the percentage has risen to 40%.
Rev – we need some of your clarity on this.
Could someone explain to me how, according to Labour’s Scottish branch, plans for the Scottish Parliament would raise 40% of Scottish revenues by this nonsense just released; and how this would be “£2 billion more than the most recent Scotland Act”?
Fact, Scottish tax revenues are £53billion. Current devolved is 7% of that (£3.7billion). Scotland Act moves that up to 15% (£7.9billion).
BUT, 40% of £53billion is £21.2billion.
And yet, according to Labour, CT (5.4%), VAT (17.6%), NICs (16%), most of PAYE (20.1%, oil revenues (10.5%), duties (8.2%) et al, should be reserved. (percentages in brackets represent the percentage of total Scottish revenues).
You’ll also note that the majority of Labour’s ‘paper’ explains why all these taxes above, and the significant welfare and social justice powers must be reserved for Westminster to ‘distribute throughout the UK’.
But rest assured, the contents of the paper will, of course, be subject to vigorous examination by our media.
Regarding this ‘Crimea’ thingy going back to Russia. What the big deal? It’s only a few years since we carved a chunk out of Christian Serbia and handed it over to the crackpot Muslim Albanians who had colonised a Serbian region called Kosovo.
Then when the Serbians complained and said ‘hey, that’s not fair’ we bombed the hell out of them and filled the media with lies and propaganda. What’s the difference between what’s happening in the Crimea and what happened in Kosovo?
It’s just the big empires up to their usual tricks.
Seems apposite…
Devo Debunked
Devo Debacle
Devo Desert
Devo Disembowelled
Devo Tumbleweed
Devo Diddy
“Why is Eddie Izzard takeing a selfy of his Rimming Finger”.
Ronnie, he’s been fingering Andrew Marr.
DEVO NO
DEVO NOT
Jog on, Eddie. (It’s what you do, after all.)
Macart, Geoff Huijer and Ken500 all blame the Union for food banks!
Lets capitalism off the hook, doesn’t it?
Don’t they think there are food banks in England too, even in the South-East?
The source of all our problems is capitalism.
According to Dcanmore, I must be a millionaire. Not that I’ve noticed.
Will Podmore says:
18 March, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Macart, Geoff Huijer and Ken500 all blame the Union for food banks!
Lets capitalism off the hook, doesn’t it? Don’t they think there are food banks in England too, even in the South-East?
THERE ARE NO FOODBANKS IN NORWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Devo Mibbes
@Breastplate,Aye and a few others tae,get in line there form
a orderly queue.
@Will Podmore
I am not sure what it is that irks you – there is a lot more to elementary capitalism that has us with food banks in an age of massive wealth.
Yes, that are food banks in the south of England – but those living in that country should call their politicians and government to account on that.
We have our own government, determined to secure the political systems to deal with the problem, and in so doing have half a chance of tackling poverty here.
The man is a —- wait for it hawfwit
DEVO-TEASE
Did Izzard ever do a fundraiser for the UDA in Belfast? If not, why not?
Hmm… a benefit concert maybe they could get David Bowie, Susan Boyle, and a load of other celebrities to sing “We’re Sending Our Love Down the Well”
I hope someone gets that reference
stars in your eyes
William Nawless
Very disappointed as he’s usually pretty astute in his observations.
Have to say though that “I don’t think he’s funny/talented/don’t know who he is” are rubbish arguments when it’s what he’s doing that’s the problem. Raise your game people!
Devo-shite
Sorry to go of topic but could someone please tell me is Alastair darling English I heard he was born in London is this correct if so it would explain why he has not got Scotland’s interests at heart
“Sorry to go of topic but could someone please tell me is Alastair darling English I heard he was born in London “
He was born in London but has spent most of his life in Scotland.
Paula: The Simpsons
Fannybawz fkn freako!
so he is going to a better together meeting to tell them they / he are better together so if they all believe that already is he not stating the bleeding obvious (to them )then ?
I rejoined the SNP this year after 20 odd years away – I reckoned as an Englishman now living in England I had no right to remain involved in Scottish politics.
However as Eddie Izzard and countless other English people seem to think they know what they are talking about (they don’t) it seemed reasonable for me to add my informed opinion to the YES campaign.
I only wish I had a vote but since moving back south I don’e (and shouldn’t). It doesn’t stop me having an opinion though.
Heedtracker points out that there are no foodbanks in Norway. Possibly because Norway is not in the EU, so it can run its own affairs? But the SNP would put Scotland into a dependency on the EU more restrictive than your present partnership with the rest of Britain.
Grouse beater talks of tackling poverty in Scotland. Beaking away from the Union would cost every person in Scotland £1000.