Author: Jeremy Dobson
Bowie’s back: What to make of his new material
| January 13, 2013 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under entertainment |
Bowie’s return from obscurity is the comforter we all needed. Our art-rock Jesus is still in the game; he hasn’t pulled a Philip Roth on us. Bowie is a character of such magnitude that even his absence has been noted – just where was Bowie at the Olympic ceremonies? – likewise, talk of retirement and ill health evoked a national worry for the UK’s greatest institution (sorry Queenie, but I’d rather Ziggy Stardust had its ruby jubilee last year; at least the commemorative tea towels would have been interesting). True to his classy record, he didn’t return with an excruciatingly priced concert as the Stones did. A single, a video, a release date and album artwork was ample output from… more
Will Mitt Romney’s Mormonism matter in the US election? Should it matter?
| September 21, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under features, international |
Mitt Romney’s religious convictions don’t end at ticking the box marked ‘Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ on his census form. He’s a serious Mormon: a ‘bishop’ (although the LDS do tend to throw the title around liberally). In his convention speech, Romney played down the importance of his religious beliefs in his childhood: “We were Mormons, and growing up in Michigan, that might have seemed unusual or out of place, but I do not remember it that way. My friends cared more about what sports we followed than what church we went to.” I’m sure his folksy sincerity appealed to some of his fellow baby boomers at the RNC, many of whom may have had an initial queasiness… more
DNC: The Democrats should have stuck by their Party Platform on God and Jerusalem
| September 8, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under international |
In linear-narrative terms, the Democratic Party U-turned when ex-Governor Ted Strickland proposed to include “god” and “Jerusalem” to the Democratic Party Platform. These subjects had occupied space on most party platforms in post-war electoral history. This was heavily prompted by the criticisms from Paul Ryan, the Mitt Romney campaign and much of the press, as well as some discontent from within the party. The subject went to a vocal vote, administered by LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, requiring a two-thirds majority. The results were inconclusive; especially after Villaraigosa took two more votes for “clarity.” But the party instated mentions of “god” and “Jerusalem” anyway, therefore defeating the purpose of a vote in the first instance. Although the Democratic Platform did not mention god until its recent pitiful… more
RNC: the Republican Party Platform shows just how extreme the GOP has become
| September 6, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under international |
The Daily Beast’s Andrew Sullivan rationalises his conservatism by wanting to preserve what is good about the present – not regressing into a fictionalised past. Although I do not subscribe to any form of conservatism, this is the honourable face of the American right-wing. The Republican Party, however, has abandoned this conservatism in favour of reactionary social policy, fiscal hypocrisy, and generally doing anything to get into the White House. They mainly do this by evoking pity at the current state of America and then proceeding to outline a utopia where the US can do away with necessary resorts such as abortion, welfare and foreign aid. The modern Republican Party offers nothing to the vulnerable; not even the rugged individualism it… more
Tom Daley’s Twitter abuse: policing Twitter undermines freedom of speech
| August 1, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under culture, national |
When Tim Berners-Lee appeared at the sublime Olympics opening ceremony, one salient phrase (referring to the web) circled around the 70,000 seats: “THIS IS FOR EVERYONE.” That means the Twitter “trolls” and cretins too. On July 30th, when Olympic diver Tom Daley marginally missed out on a medal, one such cretin under the Twitter name @Rileyy_69 decided to rile Daley with the hateful message: “You let your dad down i hope you know that.” A disgusting thing to say from a terrible person; but, if we are serious about protecting free speech, he does have the right to say it. Freedom of speech is an absolute right; it can’t be tossed aside or diluted when somebody says something nasty. Politicians often… more
The Stone Roses live at Heaton Park – June 29, 2012
| July 5, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under culture, reviews |
Does this mean we can do away with those mediocre tribute acts? The return of The Stone Roses at the overcast Heaton Park didn’t evoke all that much nostalgia, as one might have expected, but rather induced sheer euphoria from the moment Mani eased himself into the slow burning bass line of I Wanna Be Adored. It was less of a “resurrection” and more as though they had awoken from a coma; they wanted to make up for lost time. If you wanted to critique this reunion as you would a normal gig then you might complain that they packed most of their major hits into the back half of the show. But you’d miss the point – this isn’t a… more
Euthanasia: legalisation to liberate Tony Nicklinson is right
| July 2, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under national |
They have Tony Nicklinson on a technicality. At present, the difference between a lawful suicide and a killing is who delivers that final, irreversible push from the land of malady to no man’s land. A doctor would have to give Tony Nicklinson his final push to commit a rational consensual suicide; but that’s illegal. He hasn’t the physical capacity to end it himself because of his condition, except via starvation – a long process perhaps more painful than death or the locked-in syndrome brought about by a stroke that is his daily torturer. Any empathetic person can understand why Tony wants to end his life, or at least have the option rather than endure a future “[condemned] to a ‘life’ of… more
Bombay Bicycle Club live at the Barbican, York
| April 27, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under entertainment, reviews |
The eclectic live performance of this north London quartet (live: a sextet) ranges from the folky acoustics excavated from their sophomore album Flaws - notably in the lovable banjo-led jig Ivy and Gold - to the synth-led encore Shuffle. Such diverse styles are alloyed with Jack Steadman’s knack of making these sounds catchy for their indie devotees, many of whom came out for the York Barbican performance.It seems as though the acoustic guitars have largely been replaced by electric guitars since the release of their impressive latest album, A Different Kind of Fix. No bad move: these twenty-somethings are too young to be rooted to their bar stools for acoustic sets. The most striking aspect of Bombay’s performance was the jagged, uncompromised movement and dancing displayed by the… more
Ricky Gervais, Derek, and people who seek to be offended
| April 20, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under entertainment, lifestyle, national |
A curious thing happened in journalism recently. Ricky Gervais’ pilot episode of Derek, the comic drama aired on April 12th, had a subject deemed so taboo among many pseudo-liberals that such critics deemed it decent, in fact necessary, to review and condemn the feature even before its début. Not for the quality, but for the effect such heinous comedy will have on us, the impressionable viewers. The subject was a parochial old soul named Derek, perhaps Gervais’ most genial creation thus far. To find the critics, type “Ricky + Derek” into the Guardian website search bar and randomly select any article. But kidding aside, journalist Tanya Gold and comedian Stewart Lee did their paper a disservice with their moralistic critiques of the non-intellectual Derek character. Apparently,… more
Why Warsi is wrong: secularism does not share the traits of totalitarianism
| February 24, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under national |
In Britain, the debate over secularism has started to permeate into the political classes. The unelected Baroness Warsi, an influential Muslim and the coalition’s “Minister with Portfolio” (whatever that title means), has denounced secularism in her recent speech to the Vatican, calling it “militant” and “aggressive.” Is she right? I wonder when the tabloids will reveal that the National Secular Society and British Humanist Association, with Dawkins as leader, are going to storm London as part as of some military Whitehall putsch. Damn it, I gave the game away! Embedded within her dry shameless prose, she declared: ” … [Secularism] demonstrates similar traits to totalitarian regimes – denying people the right to a religious identity.” This, her most sordid innuendo,… more
