Animal Farm ­ Weblog Articles ­ The Bombsite

You do realize that “Animal Farm” was written in such a way that it can be applied to many different contexts, and thus is the reason it was such an amazing story, right?

Yes. Which is why I can apply it very nicely to our current socialist government. However 1984 is a different kettle of fish and I’m finding that I can also apply that in many increasing ways as well which is kind of worrying.

Two legs baaaaaaaaad. Four legs goooooood.

I bet you watched Disney’s lovely, but inaccurate cartoon made with kids in mind.

I saw an actual film version of Animal Farm last xmas (or maybe the year before). It was terrible, I switched off half way through.
Great book though!

With real animals you mean? I think that would be difficult to make into anything other than boring.

I’ve never seen Animal Farm in film form. I read the book. :P

I’ve only seen odd bits of the cartoon with it’s happy ending.

I can’t recall watching the movie, but i know i didn’t read the book(LOL) it does sound’s interesting though.I need to catch up on my reading.

Animal Farm is one book I’ve always meant to read (I’ve read a ton of classics but never gotten around to that one).

I might go and buy it at the weekend, haven’t read a good book in ages.

there’s two animal farm movies – just make sure you pick the right one.

I’ve always wondered how far this insanity would go on – I heard they hadn’t even consulted the representatives of the community before announcing their measures – the very measures they expect the communties to implement and help root out the terrorists – diplomacy or blunder?

Blair and his cabinet have said a lot of stuff of late – most people agree that it’s because they don’t know what to do, and don’t have a handle on the situation.

The scariest thing is – they have IMPLIED and suggested that having ID Cards would have somehow deterred or prevented these acts from happening. Ever since ID cards were mentioned, and well before that, the Animal Farm parallels have been running through and through – it’s certainly applicable to the United States of Lack of Democracy

Blairs been with Bush too long, it seems, and his words are starting to sound pig-headed (no pun intended) and not particularly well thought out. If this problem is dealt with knee-jerk reactions then we’re in bigger trouble.

IF ID cards are introduced they will be mandatory by law – what worries me is that the vast majority do not see this as a concern – so what if Big Brother has my details, at least having a piece of plastic will protect me and display that I am in fact an upstanding citizen…

Well done sekhu. I wondered if anyone was going to talk about the actual subject of the post rather than the incidental book reference. Seems everybody is trying to avoid the subject in the belief that it will just go away, or maybe President I Rule the World Bush will sort it all out for them. Well are they in for a shock! And I shan’t be having an ID card no matter how compulsory they make it.

Hey, I got distracted (yeah I know, easily done) by all the comments on the book! :)

I do agree with you though, these proposed laws are a scary thing. I’m not in favour of censorship in any form, and that’s what it boils down to. I can understand the reasons why, but I don’t like the possible repercussions at all.

But that’s half the problem these days, nobody thinks in the long term, they only deal with what’s in their faces right now.

No Zenith. You should know that there aren’t any reasons any more. Only excuses. The government says so, so it must be true, right?

Now stop trying to confuse me. Of course I believe every word they say on the BBC, why would they lie? ;)

Seriously though, there are some dangerous people out there ranting and raving and inciting dangerous behaviour. But they can’t just be silenced like that. Whether I agree with their actions / viewpoints etc or not, I don’t believe anyone should be censored. And what would doing that achieve anyway? Ok it might reduce their audience size a little but it certainly wouldn’t stop them.

Supposing these proposed laws go through, I dread to think what it would be like here in 10 or even 5 years time. Censorship would almost certainly spill over into books, movies, plays. Hell it’s already happening in some ways (I refer here to an incident in Birmingham Rep Theatre last year). And this is definately not a good thing.

I’m just waiting for the day when governments start to censor the internet (or attempt to at least). I can see that happening in the not too distant future. That really would be a sad day.

The Government isn’t entirely to blame – it’s mostly to blame, but people have a part in this too – they’re far too bloody apathetic to get up and voice their opinion, that is if they have one – these days it seems simple enough to go with the crowd like lost sheep (again no pun intended) and feel safer knowing that having a different opinion means they won’t be bothered to justify having a different opinion. That seems to a scary reality – if you agree with the majority you need not justify that opinion, however, if you disagree then your opinion will be required to be backed up with evidence.

Take Bush (sorry I know an obvious example, but perfect) and his rally against those who even remotely look like another race – the American people were in their droves, and whenever someone was asked to comment to an interviewer why their opinion differed with the vast majority, they were booed and shouted down. I feel we’re getting to that point here – having an opposing opinion is automatically reasoned as being for – rather than just being what it is: an opinion.

This isn’t even about censorship, it’s about civil liberties – we’re more educated, I would argue, than most countries on the rights of an individual but these are being eroded. Lest not forget that while our government denies that Iraq has anything to do with these recent crimes – that there are British citizens quietly locked away in Cuba under the American revolution of law which denotes that the Geneva convention is a fairy tale.

There are many reasons for what is happening, and although not justified, they have to be addressed – pretending that the only reason it’s happening is because whackjobs start mouthing off about this and that is only part of the reason. Using any tragedy to impose more draconian rules and removing the rights of individuals is an excuse. ID Cards are an abomination to human rights and liberties.

Here’s an interesting article on how the LSE was attacked by the Governement. Don’t forget though that we are paying for these cards, even though we don’t want it. Article

I know most Londoners didn’t want the Olympics – we dont’ actually care – three billion that could have gone into our city to help deprived areas was used to push out 400+ businesses, without adequate compensation, to put in place a “theme” park that will last for two weeks and invite hordes of visitors close to my backyard. But then we got the Dome too, and The Eye is going to be taken down soon-ish. Let’s sort ourselves out before we start trying to sort out other countries…

Seeing as El Reg is keen to pledge against ID cards, I found another article which practically had me in a state of shock. It’s four pages long, but it’s less about the headline and more about the content, such as how ID cards will work in employment, schools and so on. Can you say, “51st state of the US of Arse?”

I didn’t know they were taking the Eye down!! What on earth for? It works. It gets used. Sorry. Those are two obvious reasons to be rid of it.

I’m hearing all sorts of crap now about Iran re-starting it’s processing of nuclear fuel. Blair is on a downer cuz his offers were refused and Bush is on a downer cuz he doesn’t like anyone who isn’t American and doesn’t listen to him. So now there are threats of taking Iran before the UN. Oh dear that should frighten them to death then.

So what happened when Israel developed it’s atomic weapons? They were taken before the UN and did what they always do to people who don’t agree with them. They ignored them. They refused to allow UN inspectors in to check the stuff out. What was done about it? Fuck all.

Why? Because Israel is full of middle-class, white-skinned European and American Jews.

Unfortunately Iran is full of brown-skinned Muslims so they just aren’t going to be left to get away with it like the Israelis.

If you fuck with Israel, you end up fucking with America basically – they’re their biggest financial backer so it’s very difficult to impose anything, considering America considers the UN as nothing ore than a hinderance. There is some truth in that, the UN lacks balls it lacks any balls to take on a super power and say, “hang on mate, you can’t do that, and we won’t let you do that”.

Israel, as you say, lacks the sun tanned peeps, but it is also the only country there that is “pro-West” which means as the only country that could be used in the event of a war in the middle east – it’s a strategic decision, and good one at that (startegically, not morally). if all the arab and countries with muslim peeps got on well with the states, and everyone else, then perhaps Israel wouldn’t be backed. Or perhaps if Israelies had darker skin? I dunno – i don’t want to believe that we still live in a world where the colour of your skin determines your rights and your position in society.

Neither do I but I have a distinct impression that there is such a thing as colour-politics. We, the average-joe citizen, are told not to be racist by politicians but then you look at what the politicians are doing around the world and it makes you wonder.

it’s not racism it’s diplomacy :)

Hey, Stuart, I was poking around in the WP Support Forum and found this guy’s site where he talks about the futility of an ID card. Thought it might be of interest to you.

Thanks Joni, I’ll go have a look in a minute. Just updating.

Big Brother is becoming scarier – deporting suspects to countries with human rights records that are about as positive as a Nigerian Internet scam is apparently in possible breach of the European Human Rights – funnily so are the ID Cards. However, BB is willing to pull out of any Human Rights agreement, on top of which, they are willing to ignore a Judges final decision it seems on practically everything.

If a Judge does not agree with BB, then BB is going to introduce powers that either a) force Judges to make a judgment in favour of the Givernment’s request, or b) are overuled by the powers that be in Whitehall – so either way, what Blair is saying is, “Judges don’t make the law – we do”. Anyone remember when Government was supposed to be for the people, by the people? I don’t think Blair does either. He would have made one of the most memorable Tory leader’s in history – shame he’s dressed up as a socialist.

seems clark has another set of moronic ideas and who’s likely to foot the bill?

he wants internet and phone companies to LOG all successfull and unsuccessful access, including location and such. provacy? what privacy?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/09/clarke_under_fire/

Hello you. Where have you been then? Exams done yet?