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#11

Off the Record / Re: NHL Hockey thread

Last post by Barrister - Today at 12:22:26 PM

OK serious question:

I agreed to take my kids to the Oilers watch party tonight.  The Oilers game is in Los Angeles, but we're going to the arena to watch the game on the jumbotron.  Tickets are sold out it should be fairly raucous even though we're only watching the tv broadcast.

I didn't realize however that the Jets are playing at the exact same time!

So obviously I'm still taking my kids because I said I would.

But the question is - would I be a tool if I wore my Jets jersey?

You see it sometimes at live games - that guy who is wearing a jersey of neither of the teams that is actually playing.  The arena staff will often do a "lost fan" bit where they put that person up on the jumbotron during a TV time out.

But given that it's the playoffs, that the Jets are playing at the same time, and that it's only a watch party - can I pull it off?

#12

Off the Record / Re: What are you listening to?

Last post by Savonarola - Today at 12:16:19 PM

Mott the Hoople - Mott (1973)

From what I've read, a lot of people wondered if Mott could survive without David Bowie.  They did, and came back with an even better album than "All the Young Dudes."  I'd put this as one of the masterpieces of Glam (admittedly not a huge category) along with "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" and "Electric Warrior."  They couldn't survive success, though, and Mick Ralphs would leave to form Bad Company after this album.  Ian Hunter would go solo shortly thereafter. 

It seems like there shouldn't be so many songs about loss innocence and regret after just one successful album (All the Way to Memphis, The Ballad of Mott the Hoople); but that is what Ian Hunter did best. 

#13

Off the Record / Re: 2024 US Presidential Elect...

Last post by Savonarola - Today at 12:00:49 PM

Biden says the quiet part out loud:

 

#14

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 11:52:14 AM

I can tell you that Spurs fans have been overjoyed to discover that meaning

#15

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by Barrister - Today at 11:47:49 AM

Here's an interesting article from the fairly left-leaning Vox:

https://www.vox.com/politics/24140480/canada-pierre-poilievre-conservative-party-populism-democracy

The headline is "Canada's polite populism".


The first few paragraphs:

"Are we a country that looks out for each other ... or do you go down a path of amplifying anger, division and fear?"

That's how Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the stakes in his country's upcoming election in an interview with Vox's Today, Explained this week — outlining the 2025 contest as no ordinary election but a referendum on the very soul of Canada.

This existential framing is an unsubtle shot at Trudeau's rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, a populist firebrand who is currently outpolling the prime minister by a wide margin. Poilievre rose to party leadership as a champion of the extremist trucker convoy that occupied Ottawa in January 2022, and since then has regularly pandered to far-right voters. He has proposed defunding the CBC (Canada's widely respected public broadcaster) and repeatedly promoted a conspiracy theory in which Trudeau is in league with the World Economic Forum.

There's a reason that Trudeau and many others have directly linked Poilievre to Trump: His political style practically invites it. But how accurate is the comparison? Is Canada really poised to be the next Western country to fall to the far-right populist global wave?

The answer, as best as I can tell, is mixed.

It's true that, by Canadian standards, Poilievre is an especially hard-nosed figure, one far more willing to use extreme rhetoric and attack political opponents in harsh terms.

But on policy substance, he's actually considerably more moderate than Trump or European radicals. Mostly eschewing the demagogic focus on culture and immigration that defines the new global far right, Poilievre is primarily concerned with classic conservative themes of limited government. His biggest campaign promises at present aren't slashing immigration rates or cracking down on crime, but building more housing and repealing Canada's carbon tax.

It really reads not as an endorsement of Poilievre, but more like a "why couldn't we have right-wing opponents like this in the US".  I'm not familiar with the author, but his Vox bio does say that before working at Vox he worked at Think Progress, a pretty explicitly left-leaning site, so I think it's fair to call him a left-winger or a progressive.

#16

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Syt - Today at 11:47:27 AM

Saw a headline that Anne Hathaway had professed herself a Gooner. I was at first "TMI!", but then learned that it refers to her being an Arsenal fan and not to, well: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gooning

#17

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 11:47:21 AM

What the hell, I'll engage against my better judgment.

I stopped reading after this.

If you want to have a civil discussion.  Don't start it by being uncivil.

Thanks for confirming my instincts.

When your instincts change and you want to have a discussion that does not start by insulting me, let me know.

Time will tell. Maybe. If Carney gets into that position.

My thoughts are:

• While Carney may be easy to attack, the operative question is whether he'll be easier to attack than Trudeau.
• If voters care about the economy, someone with significant economic credibility may be an asset; especially since Poilievre still comes across as mostly fluff and little substance on that topic.
• While the Conservative line of attack on Carney might be similar to the line of attack on Ignatieff, the key issue is how well Carney responds to it - and I don't think we have any real evidence there yet.
• There are differences both in the political moment and in the resumes. Ignatieff is an academic and public intellectual, Carney is from the world of finance. That has very different vibes, even if it happened outside of Canada. "Harvard Academic" and "Head of the Bank of England while it weathered a significant crisis" sound very different to my ears (not to mention "Head of the Bank of Canada while it weathered a significant crisis").
• Poilievre's main advantage in my eyes is Trudeau-fatigue, and his main strategy is vibes based attacks and "everything sucks, right? We'll do things differently!" Seems to me that the most useful Conservative line of attack would be attempts to link Carney with Trudeau and claim "more of the same", rather than "this guy is an outsider", which would play right into Carney's likely play of depicting himself as a hard reset for the current Liberal establishment.

That said... isn't it kind of academic at this point? Is there any real chance that Trudeau is going to step down?

I don't understand how Carney could be easy to attack.  A person would have to have complete amnesia about the time he was a popular figure in Canada.  That might be the case for some, but for the vast majority of the electorate he already has favourable name recognition.

Your second point is why Carney would be hard to attack.  He has credibility when it comes to understanding economic matters.  And compared to PP, who once said that bitcoin was the way to go, there will be no competition.

Your fourth point is correct, but I would put more emphasis on the "not to mention" the time he was in Canada.

And I agree that PP's main attraction now is that he looks good compared to Trudeau.  A very low bar.  But compared to a person of substance like Carney, not so much.  The competition will be between someone who has been a politician since university - and still shows that level of maturity vs. someone who has done substantial things prior to politics.

That said... isn't it kind of academic at this point? Is there any real chance that Trudeau is going to step down?

Not a chance.

He will be pushed out or he will lose the election.

According to Liberal insiders, what they're aiming at is going into the election with Trudeau, let him lose, then replace him with their favorite candidate. 

Could be Carney, could be someone else too.

I agree that is the most likely scenario.  The wildcard is that I doubt Carney would want to wait till the following election given his age and stage.  It would be much better for him if Trudeau stepped down now.  And we have already discussed the grumbling within the party that many want that to happen.

#18

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Gups - Today at 11:45:56 AM

Tell me about your hooligan days Guppy.

Skinny, brown adolescents weren't that sought after amongst the hollies and Charlton were very minor league in terms of violence any way. Any would be hoolies in my part of London gravitated to Millwall who were amongst the most feared group in England.

I got chased a few times and/or dodged projectiles at Villa, Millwall, Wolves, Leeds but nothing very serious.

#19

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 11:45:40 AM

Curious, I seem to recall the flat you almost bought but didn't was also near there.

Yeah that place was basically next door. I'm a little further away now.

But I sort of knew the area I was looking in for a place and that didn't really change too much - although better connected now.

I suspect you're actually a secret Millwall fan. Why else would anyone claim to support the blue Liverpool team? :p

#20

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Syt - Today at 11:43:49 AM

Saw poll numbers today that public trust in the Supreme Court dropped 20 points within 4 years.