An outbreak of extreme stupidity, or perhaps malice, from the Spanish Socialists
Imagine you run a business, already imperilled by new technology and the like, and the government comes up with the idea of obliging you to make 25% of your stock something that you do not believe there is a market for. Furthermore, you have limited space, and your business is very time sensitive.
And that is the extraordinarily liberal, laissez faire, well thought out, rational proposal that is threatening Spanish cinema operators.
Spain's cinema law "would oblige cinemas to ensure that one out of every four films they show is of European origin". Perhaps like the gems that the EU part funds. Possibly Madrileños are hideously frustrated that there is not enough Ken Loach being screened at El Odeon, but if so they are best off lobbying cinema owners to show more non-Hollywood (because that is *exactly* where this is aimed, isn't it folks?) films, or otherwise voting with their feet. There will always be would be arts commissars who think that it is acceptable to interfere with the market in entertainment as 'the proles' need to be educated for their own good, while lacking the courage to start businesses and take risks themselves. Perhaps if this is a 'success', next steps might include compelling shoe shops to have a quarter of their stock sandals, or for supermarkets to load up on organic / 'fair' trade / what ever is fashionable this week in the same way.
We have, of course, been here before. The French inflicted a quota of French language songs on radio stations, thus unleashing dangerous levels of Celine Dion on blameless public.
Meanwhile, the Spanish cinema owners are protesting loudly, and 93% refused to open yesterday. I wish them every good fortune in fighting this cretinous bill.
And lest I be accused of being a philistine, I have watched 'Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes' and 'Trzy Kolory: Bialy', with great enjoyment, in the last week.
And that is the extraordinarily liberal, laissez faire, well thought out, rational proposal that is threatening Spanish cinema operators.
Spain's cinema law "would oblige cinemas to ensure that one out of every four films they show is of European origin". Perhaps like the gems that the EU part funds. Possibly Madrileños are hideously frustrated that there is not enough Ken Loach being screened at El Odeon, but if so they are best off lobbying cinema owners to show more non-Hollywood (because that is *exactly* where this is aimed, isn't it folks?) films, or otherwise voting with their feet. There will always be would be arts commissars who think that it is acceptable to interfere with the market in entertainment as 'the proles' need to be educated for their own good, while lacking the courage to start businesses and take risks themselves. Perhaps if this is a 'success', next steps might include compelling shoe shops to have a quarter of their stock sandals, or for supermarkets to load up on organic / 'fair' trade / what ever is fashionable this week in the same way.
We have, of course, been here before. The French inflicted a quota of French language songs on radio stations, thus unleashing dangerous levels of Celine Dion on blameless public.
Meanwhile, the Spanish cinema owners are protesting loudly, and 93% refused to open yesterday. I wish them every good fortune in fighting this cretinous bill.
And lest I be accused of being a philistine, I have watched 'Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes' and 'Trzy Kolory: Bialy', with great enjoyment, in the last week.
Labels: Common sense? What's that?, The arts
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on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 at 3:08 pm.
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Yes, Celine Dion can reach toxic levels fairly easily, actually. And I thought the French didn't like the French Canadian accent. Surely Pet Clarke would have filled the bill,if this particular stupidity was quite a few years ago.
What next? Hamburger outlets should be forced by law to devote 25% of their menu to tripe to help out the shepherds in the Pyrenees?
Croydonian, I could not find your email address, so I have a message for you..
I have meme'd you with this brown thing:
See here:
http://aconservatives.blogspot.com/2007/06/two-things-brown-meme.html
Sorry, honest :)
Benedict - I'll admit it does not jump out at you, but there is an e-mail address on the main page: thethreeforks@gmail.com
Anyway, I will go look....
OK, I have not been tagged for a while, so I'll play ball:
Two things Gordon Brown should be proud of:
* His one working eye.
* That he has so far avoided a lynching.
Two things he should apologise for:
* His entire term in office.
* His entire life in politics.
Two things he should do immediately he becomes PM:
* Resign.
* Call an election.
Two things he should do while he is PM:
* See above.
Well said, Croydonian! My kind of reply! No prisoners!
I have returned to the blogosphere. Or at least am pondering a return to favoured old haunts. It's been a rough coupple of months what can I say....but the old urges are coming back.
As for Gordo....fuck him. He's hardly worth the effort. Pity about Comrade IzNewmania.
Good to see you back IT - you've been missed, as comments chez vous testify.
Don't believe half of what 'mania 'says'. He'll be back, meanwhile he's been hyperposting at Dale's and Guido's. Or rather has been, as he's on holiday at the moment.
Oh, welcome back, Stamboul Tory!! That is wondeful news!!! Yayyyyy! You will feel better now you're back here with us!
I came over here to post something and now I've forgotten what it was in all the excitement.
Now that Stamboul Tory is back, can we slaughter and roast a Labour minister in celebration?
Would one be enough to go round all our pets?
It would have to be Prescott to maximise full bellies all round.
Well, you are right, Croydonian. And some dogs actually enjoy chewing on roasted gristle - they even growl over it sheer pleasure of ownership - for 10 or 15 minutes. So, in the aggregate, hours of innocent enjoyment for British cats and dogs.
However, after the slaughter, they would have to be tested for socialist toxicity before being put on the spit.
Otherwise, Prescott is a great suggestion.
But in case there isn't enough to go around, what about a Labour life peer?
I give you the woman who made Patricia Hewitt look down to earth, the woman who made Blair look modest, the woman who made Stephen Byers look competent:
The one, the only, the incomparable Margaret, 'Baroness', Jay.
Excellent, Croydonian, and in the true spirit of the hunt! And she's a big 'un!
verity and croydonian
two of my favourite online people.
I'm emotional .
Prescott en Kava sounds delicious. Does he come with extra chipolatas?
It's heart-warming to see that my resurrection has sparked a debate on the ritual slaughter of Labour Cabinet Ministers. Might one nominate Benn the Younger- he's profoundly irritating although not very fleshy.
I can't access the masterpiece known as The Hitch. Has blogger pronounce a fatwa from on high?
The trouble with Benn the Younger is that he is a teetotal vegetarian - I think he might be a bit too healthy a meal.
And we're all very fond of the Hitch too, who can be found in a new incarnation here.
Praise be! the Hitch Lives.
While we're on the subject, what's happened to Rigger Mortis?
I think we should be told.
Good God, chaps! We're not contemplating getting out the steak knives to eated spit-roasted cabinet minister ourselves! They're not even halal! (To be halal, they would have to be ritually slaughtered by Tony Blair ... hmmmm, now there's an entertaining thought... He may not want to do it - bad for his image - but if it were Gordon Brown who was going to be the plat du jour, Cherie would do it).
They don't qualify to be eaten by people! Oh,no. This is to provide an alternative to canned pet food for a couple of days for all our companion animals. I am even prepared to let Iain's Gio into the party. He's tiny and won't eat much.
I agree with Stamboul Tory - Hillary Benn is not suitable. Pets like fatty things to chew on.
As this entire thread has veered OT since Stamboul Tory showed his face, can I just point out that Dizzy has noted that an MP called Gordon Prentice has put forth a motion for the government of Pakistan to mind its own business. He has also formally styled islam a "medieval religion", although this is not correct. It's Dark Ages. Eight hundred.
Ann Cryer also signed it. She is a very fine lady. She has a huge constituency of Pakistanis and she has been trying for years to get incestuous first cousin marriages outlawed. The Pakistanis account for 3% (according to the Labour Government) of the population and 31% of the birth defects in Britain, all on the NHS.
To all those who race in saying, "where is your link"? I don't save every link to every word I read every day on the internet. But it was in The Telegraph around a year ago.
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