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#1

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 05:15:17 PM

Odd, I like the grimy version more. Probably because that's what I'm used to.

That makes sense.

I watch an embarrassing amount of art restoration style TV shows and YouTubes () and sometimes do prefer the slightly hazy damaged varnished painting that had hung in a room thick with cigar smoke for 100 years.

#2

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 05:11:24 PM

Yeah I can see how it makes sense in a federal system - although not aware of anywhere else like that - thinking of other federal states like Germany, India, the US. There's regionalist or state specific parties but not aware of anywhere else that's split the two.

And you definitely have an element of that "before" stage you're talking about here. Welsh Labour, for example, since devolution have always operated on the basis of clear red water between them and the national party - always positioning themselves to the left which was very annoying for a national Labour government, but good for Welsh Labour (which has been in office since devolution in 1999). Similarly the success of Ruth Davidson really re-branding the Scottish Tories under her leadership and taking them to second place ahead of Scottish Labour (which was unimaginable in 1999 when the Tories had 0 Scottish MPs).

In fairness this always happens in local elections when one party is doing well that the leaflets produced by local parties for their elections basically remove all the national branding, colours, no pictures of senior national politicians on the campaign trail - it's all about how "local" they are. Though that leaflet takes it unusually far

Although I'm slightly worried about the leader thing because I think that is a trend that's happening more broadly in democratic politics as that the old party structures and mass parties have died. I think there seems to be a trend to a more personalist/leadership style politics. I'm not sure it's a good thing because I think the parties and party structures played an important role in democracy - but (as ever) I don't think we can go back. I'm not sure it's a positive trend - it seems like a more acute triangle version of democracy v a broad pyramid if that makes sense.

#3

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Admiral Yi - Today at 05:01:20 PM

Odd, I like the grimy version more. Probably because that's what I'm used to.

Me 2.  More Rembrandty, less Baroque.

#4

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Barrister - Today at 04:56:28 PM

[my post didn't save for some reason, not important enough to re-type]

Annoying.

I was just saying that in Canada provincial politics is increasingly being divorced from federal politics, and even before that was happening formally you'd have provincial politicians often branding themselves around the leader, and not the party name.  All in all I think that makes sense in a federal system.

Of course I was far more eloquent the first time. 

#5

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by FunkMonk - Today at 04:55:06 PM

I realized it was too much work to follow all of Arsenal, Palace, all the teams in League One, and now West Ham (because my three year old loves the fact they blow bubbles and she loves that their GK wore pink) so I've decided to cut back on Palace and the entirety of League One and just follow Charlton.

Of course they then promptly lost their first game since February   

#6

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by HVC - Today at 04:51:03 PM

Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People has been restored stripping 8 layers of varnish:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/apr/30/delacroixs-liberty-shows-her-true-colours-after-louvre-restoration

The change is fantastic:

Odd, I like the grimy version more. Probably because that's what I'm used to.

#7

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by HVC - Today at 04:50:11 PM

Apparently the correct way to tackle them and piss them off is to get out your phone and play Disney music - this makes their footage, the entire reason they're doing it, unusable on YouTube and tick tock.

I've seen far right folks are very keen on the smug smile and silently filming thing at protests and generally when they cause a disturbance.
I'll have to make sure to have a disney track on my phone in case I run into it again.

Here it skews left: filming of cops and post offices and the like.

The few I've seen I don't know if they're lefty or righty. They show up at libraries and other public buildings to show off their "rights" and power trip over cops. I've watched very few in the hopes they'd be pepper sprayed or tazed, but am always sorely disappointed.

#8

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 04:45:21 PM

Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People has been restored stripping 8 layers of varnish:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/apr/30/delacroixs-liberty-shows-her-true-colours-after-louvre-restoration

The change is fantastic:

#9

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

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 04:25:08 PM

No it's just an opinion and mine is different and quite possibly very wrong. I barely have dinner figured out but I have views

Although as I say it's based on the clip he shared on social media - so that's I assume where he or his team think he's makinng the point/crux of his argument best.

#10

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 04:21:59 PM

[my post didn't save for some reason, not important enough to re-type]

Annoying.