Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[HVC]

Never found jimmy carr funny, with the exception of how he handles hecklers. But I think that's his accent more then anything.

[frunk]

Jimmy Carr is at his funniest when other comedians are making fun of him, which is to say he makes a good punching bag.

[Tonitrus]

The only Brit stand-up comic I really like is Stewart Lee. 

Which might make me a pretentious git. 

[Admiral Yi]

Stand up is an American import, n'est-ce pas? Fairly recent?

Oh wait, I remember there was that dude who did stand up in drag.  Played a general in Valkrye.  I think he was doing stand up in the oughts.

[Sheilbh]

Stand up is an American import, n'est-ce pas? Fairly recent?

Oh wait, I remember there was that dude who did stand up in drag.  Played a general in Valkrye.  I think he was doing stand up in the oughts.

Eddie Izzard - trying (again) to be selected as a Labour candidate. I think this time in Sheffield Central.

Not sure - I think style shifts in the 70s with American comics. But before then you had (with varying degrees of raunch) music hall comedians and at the classier end people like Peter Cook going in the 50s and 60s and the satire boom.

Edit: Apparently Lenny Bruce played Peter Cook's club in Soho in the 60s.

[Josquius]

I was curious so checked and wikipedia seems to think standup was born in the UK out of the US import of minstrel shows.

Incidentally the UKs adoption of minstrel shows completely bereft of their original context is something I find fascinating.

[celedhring]

Stand up is an American import, n'est-ce pas? Fairly recent?

Oh wait, I remember there was that dude who did stand up in drag.  Played a general in Valkrye.  I think he was doing stand up in the oughts.

"Guy that comes on stage and tells some jokes to entertain the audience" has been a pretty established theatrical act since at least the XIXth century in many places. For sure I know Spain had these kind of acts since at least the 1950s, with schticks and such (particularly as part of burlesque shows). Yanks have refined the genre of course, and it's the most influential stand-up tradition nowadays, but the concept is pretty old.

[mongers]

Stand up is an American import, n'est-ce pas? Fairly recent?

Oh wait, I remember there was that dude who did stand up in drag.  Played a general in Valkrye.  I think he was doing stand up in the oughts.

Eddie Izzard - trying (again) to be selected as a Labour candidate. I think this time in Sheffield Central.

Not sure - I think style shifts in the 70s with American comics. But before then you had (with varying degrees of raunch) music hall comedians and at the classier end people like Peter Cook going in the 50s and 60s and the satire boom.

Edit: Apparently Lenny Bruce played Peter Cook's club in Soho in the 60s.

There's a very long tradition of comics doing stand up in labour/workingmen's clubs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comedians_%281971_TV_series%29

[garbon]

Looks like time to say goodbye to Kwasi

[Richard Hakluyt]

We barely knew him 

[HVC]

Kind of curious to see in what unique and innovative way the new guy makes it worse.

[Sheilbh]

Looks like time to say goodbye to Kwasi

Not really sure Truss can survive that. Losing your Chancellor who you are entirely aligned with politically and is key to your project within six weeks because they implemented your signature policies is extraordinary.

I can't think of an another example like this.

And - again just one poll - but there was one poll showing the Tories on 19%. Obviously that won't happen and once either of the main parties goes below 30% the electoral models stop functioning in a way, but if that actually happened they'd be reduced to 4 seats

Already rumours of Sunak and Mordaunt doing a deal for a coronation - which seems more plausible than the idea I saw of Gove as a caretaker/unity PM within the Tories to try and lose with some dignity/save some seats.

[The Larch]

And Kwarteng is gone. Shortest tenure as Chancelor ever?

[mongers]

Looks like time to say goodbye to Kwasi

Didn't he say in Washington yesterday aternoon that he wasn't going anywhere?

[Sheilbh]

And Kwarteng is gone. Shortest tenure as Chancelor ever?

No - there's always Iain MacLeod who was the great hope of one nation Tories in the 60s. He was Heath's Chancellor for a month or less before he died very suddenly.

Definitely in terms of being fired in the modern age though (there's probably some 19th century Chancellor who was in office for three days before he realised he couldn't do the job from his estate or something).

Didn't he say in Washington yesterday aternoon that he wasn't going anywhere?

It's like when the club issue a statement saying the manager has their full support. If someone says they're not going anywhere the only question left is when.