Freedom!! We're talking about your freedom!!

Hairy Homer · 15-12-2003 1:32pm #1

Freedom from the reds and the blacks and the criminals
Prostitutes, pansies and punks
Football hooligans, juvenile delinquents
Lesbians and left-wing scum

Freedom from the ******s and the pakis and the unions
Freedom from the gypsies and the Jews
Freedom from the long-haired layabouts and students
Freedom from the likes of YOU!!!!!

Ah, the good old Tom Robinson Band from the 1970s. Any poets out there able to update with a more topical set of issues?

Methinks it would be timely.

BTW for sensitive wet behind the ears souls who may not be aware of Tom Robinson, the above lyrics were meant to be ironic and tongue in cheek. He was a gay trendy soclalist.

Probably still is.

Hobbes · 15-12-2003 1:45pm

this has what to do about politics?

shotamoose · 15-12-2003 3:01pm

Originally posted by Hairy Homer
He was a gay trendy soclalist.

Probably still is.

He's married now IIRC. To a woman. And he's definitely not trendy.

DadaKopf · 15-12-2003 3:12pm

If you think that's bad, the world's smartest man, Richard Dawkins, wrote an article in last Saturday's Guardian about how 16 year olds are too mentally underdeveloped to vote.

It still didn't stop a certain "Tom" MP rapping about the YOOF franchise:

A sickening preview of how New Labour might woo the 16-year-old vote is given on the website of a Blairite MP, whom we shall not name for fear of embarrassing his children. In a special section addressed to "Teens", he remarks that "Politics is cool, m'kay" and adds:

"Hey, chill with the anti-Europe vibes already! You totally won't be able to wear the word 'fcuk' on your shirt anymore if we break our connection with France, y'dig? ROFFLE! So, cut it with the bling bling and do something for the community, man. Join in and take action with any of the groovy sites we've listed, or just drop Tom a line for a quiet rap by the electronic email. Tom's well-up on the Interwebnet, and he won't harsh your buzz or dis you down the line."

And this isn't remotely ironic.

Hairy Homer · 15-12-2003 5:24pm

Originally posted by Hobbes
this has what to do about politics?

Er. Well. There's the subject matter of the lyrics. Which is overtly political, if rather dated to the 1970s when it was written.

sceptre · 15-12-2003 11:42pm

Originally posted by DadaKopf
how 16 year olds are too mentally underdeveloped to vote.

Plenty of 26 year olds are in the same boat, it's just that they get to steer it. Living in the land of "I'm going to vote for party X because my grandfather told me to" we could say the same about quite a few people aged 36, 46, 56, 66, all the way up.

mike65 · 16-12-2003 12:23am

I love how Tom Robinson (whos work I have always liked - 2 TRB lps even!) has become what he railed against to a large degree...it happens to all of us!

As for voting - 16 years olds with the power to install sinn fien is worrying!

Mike.

daveirl · 16-12-2003 1:27am

This post has been deleted.

DadaKopf · 16-12-2003 1:52am

Originally posted by sceptre
Plenty of 26 year olds are in the same boat, it's just that they get to steer it. Living in the land of "I'm going to vote for party X because my grandfather told me to" we could say the same about quite a few people aged 36, 46, 56, 66, all the way up.

Sorry, I should have linked the article. Dawkins said it's to do with the level of physiological development occurring in our frontal lobes. They're responsible for abstract thought and continue to evolve until about 18, 19, 20, sometimes 21. His argument is it's actually dangerous - for the kids and the country - if children, unable to make mature ethical judgements, are responsible for the run of the country.

Of course, the development of these lobes depends a lot on stimulating them from an early age. If they're not got by a certain age, yer kinda screwed.

So definitely educate kids about politics, voting, issues etc, get those lobes developing but wait until they're properly developed. I think that's what you're referring to. It's a problem.

That's Dawkins' rational argument against the 16 vote. Labour's argument is phoney and a vote puller.