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Showing posts with label twitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label twitter. Show all posts
Thursday, 30 August 2012
AudioBoo - Coincidences and Connections.
It never ceases to amaze me how often coincidences occur. Here i talk about a few more.
David Hepworth blog post: http://whatsheonaboutnow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/who-remembers-actual-pay-packets.html
All of my content mentioned in this AudioBoo can be found posted in this blog.
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Watch, Listen, But Not Read?
Are blogs being overtaken by visual and audio content?
Blog post mentioned: http://www.fastcompany.com/3000794/rise-visual-social-media
YouTube video mentioned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXTcq3Fhiw4
My 'Vinyl Junkie' blog: http://vinyljunkie58.blogspot.co.uk/
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
AudioBoo - Where Will It Take You?
The power of Social Media & how things come together in a digital age.
Twitter: @twitchhiker @paul_a_smith and @bwitterhiker
Friday, 24 August 2012
Six Years And Counting.
Yes, it's really been that long since i started here on YouTube.
Here are some reflections.
Vinyl Junkie blog: http://vinyljunkie58.blogspot.co.uk/
Moose Musings eBook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moose-Musings-ebook/dp/B006RXBRTC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1345825598&sr=1-1
Friday, 13 July 2012
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Friday, 20 April 2012
The "scrabbleman" Trail.
October 2016:
STOP PRESS:
"scrabbleman" (or woman) is back!
Two local street art devotees spotted a brand new "scrabbleman" piece in early October 2016, the first new piece after an absence of four years!
"Say Hello To Strangers" can be found in one of the shelters on the promenade between St Leonards Warrior Square and Hastings Pier, a popular past location for "scrabbleman".
Of course the question that everyone is now asking is, "Is this the return of scrabbleman, and are there more new pieces waiting to be discovered?"
This new piece certainly bears all the hallmarks of those original pieces, so I don't think there;s any doubt that this has been made/created by the same person. Made they'd just run out of Scrabble pieces, and were building up a new supply?
Either way, it's good to see him or her back again.
Original Post:
After all the recent coverage on both BBC Radio Sussex and BBC South East Today, which i was lucky enough to have been involved in. I thought i'd produce a bit of a "scrabbleman" trail for all those who may want to search out these mysterious and intriguing art works for themselves.
The trail will mostly take you along St Leonards and Hastings seafront and is around 2 miles long. New additions may, of course, make this a little longer. But, it is easily walkable.
All pieces are either on, or quite close to the seafront. But, some kind of street map would be useful.
I am purposely not giving exact locations in my descriptions of the sites, as half the fun is trying to find them for yourself.
None of the pieces are hidden and they are all in public places. All are easily spotted, as long as you keep your eyes peeled.
I'm not suggesting that this is in anyway the definitive trail, but it's the way that i would do it if you want to see all of the current pieces.
It can be done in either direction, but i would start at the St Leonards end of the trail.
1 - "Love More"
A fairly new addition and the most westerly so far.
This piece can be found on the back of a speed camera, in the middle of the main seafront road! It is also the first not to be on a wall. The fact that it is located on a speed camera suggests that it might not last for long, before it is removed.
A probable companion piece to the recent "Hate Less" discovery in the Old Town of Hastings.
This is the most westerly remaining piece and "Hate Less" is the most easterly. A coincidence?
This first piece is very close to the famous St Leonards "Banksy". The "Banksy" is below the seafront promenade, nearly opposite the speed camera. So, why not have a look at that before you continue onwards?
Here is a photo of the "Banksy" to whet your appetite:
2 - 'Metropolis Apocalypse'
Just when you think the whole 'scrabbleman' phenomenon has died, up pops an undiscovered piece. At first, all us local street art fans were hoping that this piece signalled the return of 'scrabbleman'. But, closer inspection of this newly discovered piece shows that it has probably been there along. You can see quite clearly, in the top right hand corner, where the ivy has grown under the artwork and damaged it.
Also notice the use of the upside down 'W' used instead of an 'M' and the Junior Scrabble 'A'.
This piece can be found part way up the steps leading from the left hand side of St Leonards Parish Church, up to West Hill Road.
It certainly makes you wonder how many more undiscovered 'scrabbleman' pieces there could be out there just waiting to be found.
3 - "Buy Less"
Another of the two word pieces and another new one.
This can also be found near the 'Banksy', in the seafront car park. It is low down and not easy to spot. I even walked past it myself at first.
4 - "Grow More"
Yet another two word piece and a new addition.
You will indeed need to grow more to reach this one as it is up high on a wall on the lower seafront promenade. The first piece to be located on the lower prom. It is close to the next piece.
5 - "First They Came"
This can be found on the seafront opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel, in St Leonards.
It has been suggested that this might be the first piece, partly because of the message. But, nobody is sure about this.
Notice the little cat doodle next to the piece and also the plaque underneath. This suggests that the current piece may well be a second attempt?
6 - "They Got The Guns....."
A new piece and another one to be found on St Leonards seafront. But, this time it's just a little bit harder to spot.
This piece is actually down the slope of the entrance to an underground carpark. It is still easily visible, just as long as you keep your eyes open.
The words are actually lyrics from a song by The Doors, "Five To One". Lyrics seem to be becoming a common theme in recent "scrabbleman" pieces.
Notice the toy gun that has been used instead of spelling out the word "gun". This is the first time that something other than a letter has been used.
7 - "I'm Mad As Hell"
This piece is in an alleyway off of Norman Road, St Leonards.
This alleyway also contains a big white stencilled horse done by "Stewy" and one of several colourful boxes that are dotted around the town.
This piece is sadly no more (October 2016). The Stewy horse and other street art has also been removed, but by who?
8 - "Be The Change"
Just as we lose one piece of "scrabbleman" art from the Jerwood Gallery, this piece pops up in St Leonards. So, it's good to see that "scrabbleman" is still active. and has not been put off.
This is the furthest one from the seafront so far and is to be found in an alleyway between London Road and Kings Road, in St Leonards.
Once again, this contains an un-numbered scrabble tile.
9 - "Trident Or NHS"
Another recent discovery and potentially the first "scrabbleman" copycat piece?
This piece can be found on the side of a building on the bottom end of Norman Road, St Leonards, opposite Western Road.
Local "scrabbleman" enthusiasts are undecided as to whether this is a "scrabbleman" original, or not.
There are a number of reasons for the indecision. If you are following the trail, you may well be able to spot some of our reasons for yourself. Even if you are just an armchair follower, some reasons may well be evident. See if you can come up with any of your own.
In the meantime, the jury is still out on this one.
10 - "Them Belly Full, But We Hungry"
A newish find and the second to quote from a reggae song/poem. This time the lyrics are from Bob Marley.
Notice that both letter "Y's" are not scrabble tiles and look like printing blocks. Well, there aren't as many of those in the game are there? "scrabbleman" is obviously running low on supplies.
This piece can be found back on the seafront promenade at the St Leonards end of Bottle Alley and right opposite the next one on the trail.
(This piece has recently disappeared)
11 - ?
This ex-piece is located on the St Leonards end of Bottle Alley.
I have no idea if it was vandalised, or rejected by "scrabbleman". The letter grouping doesn't correspond with any other known piece. It looks as though it may be an earlier effort, as it is on a black slate, rather than the moulded design of later pieces.
But, what could it have said?
This piece has now gone.
12 - "Sex, Drugs, Dole"
This piece is in a shelter on the seafront promenade, between Warrior Square, in St Leonards and Hastings Pier.
This is one of a few more recent pieces that contain letters without numbers on. It has been suggested by members of the local Twitter community, that these un-numbered pieces may contain a clue as to the idendity of "scrabbleman". An anagram perhaps?
We have since discovered that they are in fact just pieces from the Junior version of the Scrabble game. So, maybe "scrabbleman" has started to run out of original scrabble pieces?
13 - "Smile"
This is one of the newer pieces to be discovered. Which is good news because it shows that "scrabbleman" is still active after all of the recent publicity and attention.
It can be found further along the seafront promenade, towards Hastings Pier.
Once again this piece includes an un-numbered scrabble tile, plus a tile with green edging. The first one like that.
This piece has now been joined by some others, making a total of four pieces on this seafront shelter. See below for more details.
Unfortuately, this piece has now been removed. By whom, nobody knows.
14 - "Usmev"
As mentioned above, this piece is located on the same seafront shelter as "Smile". It apparently translates as "Smile", but in Czech.
This is the only piece, of this set of four, that is currently still in place.
15 - "Bisir"
Once again located on the same shelter as the last two pieces. This is also believed to translate into "Smile", but i'm not sure into which language. Any help would be appreciated. It has been suggested that it could be in Russian?
This piece has now been removed.
16 - "Cuoi"
Yes, you guessed it. This is also on the same shelter. This apparently translates into "Smile" in Vietnamese.
So, "scrabbleman" is both multi-lingual and knows his musical lyrics.
This piece has also been removed.
17 - "'Stings"
Sadly, this piece was removed, or vandalised within a day of it having been recently discovered. So, it is no longer visible. A close look at the photo will show a toy axe and sword within the piece. References to aspects of Hastings perhaps? The Battle Of Hastings and Pirate Day maybe?
This was located in a skate park, off of Falaise Road, near the seafront. It has been suggested that this may have been another copycat piece, hence its removal?
Thanks to Paul, @oldtownpaul on Twitter for this photo.
18 - "Big Society, Big C*nt"
Another very political piece and the first to contain swearing. This has led some people to believe that this could also be a copycat piece.
This was the first piece that i actually discovered myself. But as you can see, it had already been damaged. Somebody has tried to prise it off of the wall. Maybe it is a copycat piece and "scrabbleman", or an associate wanted it removed for that reason? Many theories have been discussed amongst local "scrabbleman" enthusiasts. But, with no definitive answers forthcoming.
It is located on some steps, leading from Falaise Hall/Clambers, down towards the seafront, opposite Hastings Pier.
This is another piece that has been removed. Maybe this is not too surprising, due to the nature and content of the wording?
19 - "We Want To Live"
This piece could have been found on the seafront. This time between Hastings Pier and Robertson Street.
This wass the second piece that was actually located below eye level. So, it was easier to miss than most of the others.
There is another un-numbered tile in this piece and also a red edged tile too. It does make you wonder where "scrabbleman" is getting all of these tiles from?
The piece has now been removed, possibly because it was so easy to get to?
20 - "Read, Read"
This can be found up some steps, near the public library in Claremont, Hastings. This is just off of the seafront, past Hastings Pier.
Is "Read, Read" a reference to the nearby library perhaps?
21 - " Je Taime Visage De Singe"
The only piece, so far, that is in French. Nobody seems to know why either.
The message apparently translates as "I Love You Monkey Face". What could that mean?
This can be found at the Hastings end of an underpass between Hastings town centre and the seafront.
22 - "You Are Loved"
This can be found above the entrance of another pedestrian underpass, this time in Hastings town centre itself.
Due to the design, it is thought that this is one of the earliest pieces.
It's amazing how many people walk past this everyday and fail to spot it.
23 - "Fite Dem Back"
A new addition and one only discovered during the recent May Day bank holiday weekend.
It can be found part way up some steps between George Street, in the Old Town of Hastings and Hastings Castle.
The expression "Fite Dem Back" is the title of a song/poem by the reggae poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. I wonder if this is significant?
24 - "Hate Less"
The least visible piece yet and one of the latest discoveries.
Could this be a reference to the new Ben Eine artwork "Breath Less", which can be found a short distance away? (See below for photo)
This can be found in a small passage way in West Street, in the Old Town of Hastings. West Street runs parallel to George Street, so it is not far from the last piece.
Maybe "scrabbleman" is becoming a bit more secretive and making us search a bit harder to find his work?
25 - "Love You Like I Love You"
After a period of nearly two months, a new piece by "scrabbleman" has recently been discovered.
It can be found in Oak Passage, which is off of the High Street in the Old Town of Hastings. It can also be seen, from a distance, from Butlers Gap in George Street.
It is felt that this is probably an old piece that had just not been spotted by anyone. Although, the local "scrabbleman" fans are hoping that this isn't the case and that more pieces will appear.
The wording could well be quoting lyrics once again. There are a few options including songs by Justin Timberlake and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's.
26 - "Make Up Your Own Mind"
Another piece with non numbered scrabble tiles.
This was to have been found on the side of the new Jerwood Gallery in the Old Town of Hastings.
Could the message be suggesting that you should think about either the controversial gallery itself, or the artworks contained within?
There were rumours that this piece was to be taken down due to the potential damage that may be being caused to the brand new tiles on the Jerwood Gallery.
Sadly, this proved to be the case and this piece has now been removed by the Jerwood Gallery.
An explanation as to why can be found here.
It is being kept by the Jerwood Gallery, for safe keeping, until "scrabbleman" comes to collect it. Hopefully, another place could then be found to display it? I wonder if "scrabbleman" will go and collect it though?
That brings you to the end of the "scrabbleman" trail proper. At least for the moment anyway.
But, i'm going to show you a "bonus" piece which may, or may not, show the potential orgins of "scrabbleman".
27 - "The Black Winkle"
This can be found on a wooden building just a bit further up Rock A Nore road from the Jerwood Gallery. It is not easy to spot. I walked past it myself at first.
It is made up of scrabble tiles and has been nailed into the wood, instead of being mounted. This has obviously been there some time, judging by the rust. Notice the real black winkle next to it.
Could this be the origin of "scrabbleman"? Nobody knows.
(Since originally writing this blog post, i have now met and spoken to the artist who did this "The Black Winkle" piece. It is actually located on the entrance to his art studio. He insists that he is not "scrabbleman" and that this piece of his is purely a coincidence. I believe him)
Depending on which route you took when walking this trail, you should have noticed other pieces of local street art on your way. I certainly hope that you did.
These include the famous Ben Eine mosaic of Prince Charles, several more stencils by "Stewy", some coloured boxes, huge moths and much more. So, keep you eyes open on the way.
A short detour at the end of the trail, into the High Street in the Old Town of Hastings, will bring you to the brand new piece by Ben Eine, "Breath Less".
Good isn't it?
I'm hoping that new pieces of Scrabble Art will appear, be talked about and shared by the local Twitter community in Hastings. If they do, i will update this trail as needed.
As you may have noticed, some pieces have now been removed by persons unknown.
Street art, by its very nature, is ephemeral. So, we can't expect it to last forever. But, it is still a great pity when street art as original as this is damaged, stolen, or simply removed.
Why not follow the hashtag #scrabbleman on Twitter to see if there are any further developments in either the search for more pieces, or the mystery of who scrabbleman, or is it scrabblewoman, really is?
All the photo's in this trail were taken by myself, unless otherwise credited.
To see more, including extra photo's of the scrabble art, visit my Flickr album of street art at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28547473@N07/sets/72157626002412823/
Happy hunting.
If you do follow this trail yourself, please let me know how you get on. Also, please let me know of any new pieces that you may find yourself, or of any changes to the pieces listed above.
Thank you.
Updated on 4th October 2016.
STOP PRESS:
"scrabbleman" (or woman) is back!
Two local street art devotees spotted a brand new "scrabbleman" piece in early October 2016, the first new piece after an absence of four years!
"Say Hello To Strangers" can be found in one of the shelters on the promenade between St Leonards Warrior Square and Hastings Pier, a popular past location for "scrabbleman".
Of course the question that everyone is now asking is, "Is this the return of scrabbleman, and are there more new pieces waiting to be discovered?"
This new piece certainly bears all the hallmarks of those original pieces, so I don't think there;s any doubt that this has been made/created by the same person. Made they'd just run out of Scrabble pieces, and were building up a new supply?
Either way, it's good to see him or her back again.
Original Post:
After all the recent coverage on both BBC Radio Sussex and BBC South East Today, which i was lucky enough to have been involved in. I thought i'd produce a bit of a "scrabbleman" trail for all those who may want to search out these mysterious and intriguing art works for themselves.
The trail will mostly take you along St Leonards and Hastings seafront and is around 2 miles long. New additions may, of course, make this a little longer. But, it is easily walkable.
All pieces are either on, or quite close to the seafront. But, some kind of street map would be useful.
I am purposely not giving exact locations in my descriptions of the sites, as half the fun is trying to find them for yourself.
None of the pieces are hidden and they are all in public places. All are easily spotted, as long as you keep your eyes peeled.
I'm not suggesting that this is in anyway the definitive trail, but it's the way that i would do it if you want to see all of the current pieces.
It can be done in either direction, but i would start at the St Leonards end of the trail.
1 - "Love More"
A fairly new addition and the most westerly so far.
This piece can be found on the back of a speed camera, in the middle of the main seafront road! It is also the first not to be on a wall. The fact that it is located on a speed camera suggests that it might not last for long, before it is removed.
A probable companion piece to the recent "Hate Less" discovery in the Old Town of Hastings.
This is the most westerly remaining piece and "Hate Less" is the most easterly. A coincidence?
This first piece is very close to the famous St Leonards "Banksy". The "Banksy" is below the seafront promenade, nearly opposite the speed camera. So, why not have a look at that before you continue onwards?
Here is a photo of the "Banksy" to whet your appetite:
2 - 'Metropolis Apocalypse'
Just when you think the whole 'scrabbleman' phenomenon has died, up pops an undiscovered piece. At first, all us local street art fans were hoping that this piece signalled the return of 'scrabbleman'. But, closer inspection of this newly discovered piece shows that it has probably been there along. You can see quite clearly, in the top right hand corner, where the ivy has grown under the artwork and damaged it.
Also notice the use of the upside down 'W' used instead of an 'M' and the Junior Scrabble 'A'.
This piece can be found part way up the steps leading from the left hand side of St Leonards Parish Church, up to West Hill Road.
It certainly makes you wonder how many more undiscovered 'scrabbleman' pieces there could be out there just waiting to be found.
3 - "Buy Less"
Another of the two word pieces and another new one.
This can also be found near the 'Banksy', in the seafront car park. It is low down and not easy to spot. I even walked past it myself at first.
4 - "Grow More"
Yet another two word piece and a new addition.
You will indeed need to grow more to reach this one as it is up high on a wall on the lower seafront promenade. The first piece to be located on the lower prom. It is close to the next piece.
5 - "First They Came"
This can be found on the seafront opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel, in St Leonards.
It has been suggested that this might be the first piece, partly because of the message. But, nobody is sure about this.
Notice the little cat doodle next to the piece and also the plaque underneath. This suggests that the current piece may well be a second attempt?
6 - "They Got The Guns....."
A new piece and another one to be found on St Leonards seafront. But, this time it's just a little bit harder to spot.
This piece is actually down the slope of the entrance to an underground carpark. It is still easily visible, just as long as you keep your eyes open.
The words are actually lyrics from a song by The Doors, "Five To One". Lyrics seem to be becoming a common theme in recent "scrabbleman" pieces.
Notice the toy gun that has been used instead of spelling out the word "gun". This is the first time that something other than a letter has been used.
7 - "I'm Mad As Hell"
This piece is in an alleyway off of Norman Road, St Leonards.
This alleyway also contains a big white stencilled horse done by "Stewy" and one of several colourful boxes that are dotted around the town.
This piece is sadly no more (October 2016). The Stewy horse and other street art has also been removed, but by who?
8 - "Be The Change"
Just as we lose one piece of "scrabbleman" art from the Jerwood Gallery, this piece pops up in St Leonards. So, it's good to see that "scrabbleman" is still active. and has not been put off.
This is the furthest one from the seafront so far and is to be found in an alleyway between London Road and Kings Road, in St Leonards.
Once again, this contains an un-numbered scrabble tile.
9 - "Trident Or NHS"
Another recent discovery and potentially the first "scrabbleman" copycat piece?
This piece can be found on the side of a building on the bottom end of Norman Road, St Leonards, opposite Western Road.
Local "scrabbleman" enthusiasts are undecided as to whether this is a "scrabbleman" original, or not.
There are a number of reasons for the indecision. If you are following the trail, you may well be able to spot some of our reasons for yourself. Even if you are just an armchair follower, some reasons may well be evident. See if you can come up with any of your own.
In the meantime, the jury is still out on this one.
10 - "Them Belly Full, But We Hungry"
A newish find and the second to quote from a reggae song/poem. This time the lyrics are from Bob Marley.
Notice that both letter "Y's" are not scrabble tiles and look like printing blocks. Well, there aren't as many of those in the game are there? "scrabbleman" is obviously running low on supplies.
This piece can be found back on the seafront promenade at the St Leonards end of Bottle Alley and right opposite the next one on the trail.
(This piece has recently disappeared)
11 - ?
This ex-piece is located on the St Leonards end of Bottle Alley.
I have no idea if it was vandalised, or rejected by "scrabbleman". The letter grouping doesn't correspond with any other known piece. It looks as though it may be an earlier effort, as it is on a black slate, rather than the moulded design of later pieces.
But, what could it have said?
This piece has now gone.
12 - "Sex, Drugs, Dole"
This piece is in a shelter on the seafront promenade, between Warrior Square, in St Leonards and Hastings Pier.
This is one of a few more recent pieces that contain letters without numbers on. It has been suggested by members of the local Twitter community, that these un-numbered pieces may contain a clue as to the idendity of "scrabbleman". An anagram perhaps?
We have since discovered that they are in fact just pieces from the Junior version of the Scrabble game. So, maybe "scrabbleman" has started to run out of original scrabble pieces?
13 - "Smile"
This is one of the newer pieces to be discovered. Which is good news because it shows that "scrabbleman" is still active after all of the recent publicity and attention.
It can be found further along the seafront promenade, towards Hastings Pier.
Once again this piece includes an un-numbered scrabble tile, plus a tile with green edging. The first one like that.
This piece has now been joined by some others, making a total of four pieces on this seafront shelter. See below for more details.
Unfortuately, this piece has now been removed. By whom, nobody knows.
14 - "Usmev"
As mentioned above, this piece is located on the same seafront shelter as "Smile". It apparently translates as "Smile", but in Czech.
This is the only piece, of this set of four, that is currently still in place.
15 - "Bisir"
Once again located on the same shelter as the last two pieces. This is also believed to translate into "Smile", but i'm not sure into which language. Any help would be appreciated. It has been suggested that it could be in Russian?
This piece has now been removed.
16 - "Cuoi"
Yes, you guessed it. This is also on the same shelter. This apparently translates into "Smile" in Vietnamese.
So, "scrabbleman" is both multi-lingual and knows his musical lyrics.
This piece has also been removed.
17 - "'Stings"
Sadly, this piece was removed, or vandalised within a day of it having been recently discovered. So, it is no longer visible. A close look at the photo will show a toy axe and sword within the piece. References to aspects of Hastings perhaps? The Battle Of Hastings and Pirate Day maybe?
This was located in a skate park, off of Falaise Road, near the seafront. It has been suggested that this may have been another copycat piece, hence its removal?
Thanks to Paul, @oldtownpaul on Twitter for this photo.
18 - "Big Society, Big C*nt"
Another very political piece and the first to contain swearing. This has led some people to believe that this could also be a copycat piece.
This was the first piece that i actually discovered myself. But as you can see, it had already been damaged. Somebody has tried to prise it off of the wall. Maybe it is a copycat piece and "scrabbleman", or an associate wanted it removed for that reason? Many theories have been discussed amongst local "scrabbleman" enthusiasts. But, with no definitive answers forthcoming.
It is located on some steps, leading from Falaise Hall/Clambers, down towards the seafront, opposite Hastings Pier.
This is another piece that has been removed. Maybe this is not too surprising, due to the nature and content of the wording?
19 - "We Want To Live"
This piece could have been found on the seafront. This time between Hastings Pier and Robertson Street.
This wass the second piece that was actually located below eye level. So, it was easier to miss than most of the others.
There is another un-numbered tile in this piece and also a red edged tile too. It does make you wonder where "scrabbleman" is getting all of these tiles from?
The piece has now been removed, possibly because it was so easy to get to?
20 - "Read, Read"
This can be found up some steps, near the public library in Claremont, Hastings. This is just off of the seafront, past Hastings Pier.
Is "Read, Read" a reference to the nearby library perhaps?
21 - " Je Taime Visage De Singe"
The only piece, so far, that is in French. Nobody seems to know why either.
The message apparently translates as "I Love You Monkey Face". What could that mean?
This can be found at the Hastings end of an underpass between Hastings town centre and the seafront.
22 - "You Are Loved"
This can be found above the entrance of another pedestrian underpass, this time in Hastings town centre itself.
Due to the design, it is thought that this is one of the earliest pieces.
It's amazing how many people walk past this everyday and fail to spot it.
23 - "Fite Dem Back"
A new addition and one only discovered during the recent May Day bank holiday weekend.
It can be found part way up some steps between George Street, in the Old Town of Hastings and Hastings Castle.
The expression "Fite Dem Back" is the title of a song/poem by the reggae poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. I wonder if this is significant?
24 - "Hate Less"
The least visible piece yet and one of the latest discoveries.
Could this be a reference to the new Ben Eine artwork "Breath Less", which can be found a short distance away? (See below for photo)
This can be found in a small passage way in West Street, in the Old Town of Hastings. West Street runs parallel to George Street, so it is not far from the last piece.
Maybe "scrabbleman" is becoming a bit more secretive and making us search a bit harder to find his work?
25 - "Love You Like I Love You"
After a period of nearly two months, a new piece by "scrabbleman" has recently been discovered.
It can be found in Oak Passage, which is off of the High Street in the Old Town of Hastings. It can also be seen, from a distance, from Butlers Gap in George Street.
It is felt that this is probably an old piece that had just not been spotted by anyone. Although, the local "scrabbleman" fans are hoping that this isn't the case and that more pieces will appear.
The wording could well be quoting lyrics once again. There are a few options including songs by Justin Timberlake and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's.
26 - "Make Up Your Own Mind"
Another piece with non numbered scrabble tiles.
This was to have been found on the side of the new Jerwood Gallery in the Old Town of Hastings.
Could the message be suggesting that you should think about either the controversial gallery itself, or the artworks contained within?
There were rumours that this piece was to be taken down due to the potential damage that may be being caused to the brand new tiles on the Jerwood Gallery.
Sadly, this proved to be the case and this piece has now been removed by the Jerwood Gallery.
An explanation as to why can be found here.
It is being kept by the Jerwood Gallery, for safe keeping, until "scrabbleman" comes to collect it. Hopefully, another place could then be found to display it? I wonder if "scrabbleman" will go and collect it though?
That brings you to the end of the "scrabbleman" trail proper. At least for the moment anyway.
But, i'm going to show you a "bonus" piece which may, or may not, show the potential orgins of "scrabbleman".
27 - "The Black Winkle"
This can be found on a wooden building just a bit further up Rock A Nore road from the Jerwood Gallery. It is not easy to spot. I walked past it myself at first.
It is made up of scrabble tiles and has been nailed into the wood, instead of being mounted. This has obviously been there some time, judging by the rust. Notice the real black winkle next to it.
Could this be the origin of "scrabbleman"? Nobody knows.
(Since originally writing this blog post, i have now met and spoken to the artist who did this "The Black Winkle" piece. It is actually located on the entrance to his art studio. He insists that he is not "scrabbleman" and that this piece of his is purely a coincidence. I believe him)
Depending on which route you took when walking this trail, you should have noticed other pieces of local street art on your way. I certainly hope that you did.
These include the famous Ben Eine mosaic of Prince Charles, several more stencils by "Stewy", some coloured boxes, huge moths and much more. So, keep you eyes open on the way.
A short detour at the end of the trail, into the High Street in the Old Town of Hastings, will bring you to the brand new piece by Ben Eine, "Breath Less".
Good isn't it?
I'm hoping that new pieces of Scrabble Art will appear, be talked about and shared by the local Twitter community in Hastings. If they do, i will update this trail as needed.
As you may have noticed, some pieces have now been removed by persons unknown.
Street art, by its very nature, is ephemeral. So, we can't expect it to last forever. But, it is still a great pity when street art as original as this is damaged, stolen, or simply removed.
Why not follow the hashtag #scrabbleman on Twitter to see if there are any further developments in either the search for more pieces, or the mystery of who scrabbleman, or is it scrabblewoman, really is?
All the photo's in this trail were taken by myself, unless otherwise credited.
To see more, including extra photo's of the scrabble art, visit my Flickr album of street art at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28547473@N07/sets/72157626002412823/
Happy hunting.
If you do follow this trail yourself, please let me know how you get on. Also, please let me know of any new pieces that you may find yourself, or of any changes to the pieces listed above.
Thank you.
Updated on 4th October 2016.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
A Website Too Far?
There's always another website to waste your time on isn't there?
This time it's a new site called Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/
Links to some of the sites mentioned:
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/andymooseman/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/andymooseman
AudioBoo: http://audioboo.fm/andymooseman
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28547473@N07/
Saturday, 18 February 2012
You Can't Tell Lies Anymore.
The Internet will catch you out.
Here's the video i mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9chNh_baJe0
Here's the video i mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9chNh_baJe0
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Five Star Blog?
Yesterday, i had a debate, via Twitter, about 5 star album reviews.
It all started when i happened to Tweet about an album review i had read the previous day. The reviewer had given the album in question a 5 star review. 5 stars being the maximum amount and therefore the highest accolade that that reviewer could bestow on an album.
Nothing wrong with that. After all, we see 5 star reviews, or their equivalent, all the time and i'm sure many of them are fully deserved. But, my problem came with the fact that the reviewer had suggested that 2 of the tracks on the album in question weren't actually that good and should, to use the reviewers own words, "be skipped".
Now, my question and the one that i posed on Twitter was. If there are 2 tracks on an album that the reviewer feels aren't that good, how can they then give the album the maximum amount of stars? Surely the album should only get, at the most, 4 stars?
I've always felt, possibly naively, that if an album got the maximum amount of stars, the reviewer must have felt that it was, in their view, perfect and couldn't really be improved upon. After all, if an album is not perfect, what sort of accolade could you give a perfect album when you've run out of stars?
This could, of course, apply to anything that is being reviewed. Whether it be books, movies, tv programs etc etc.
One other point i made was that i sometimes feel that certain reviewers have made up their mind about the number of stars to give an album, before they've even heard it. Some artists seem to get 5 star reviews regardless. You already know how many stars the album is going to get without even looking. The artist in question is, in my opinion, one of those. That's not a criticism of the artist, just an observation.
But, this probably a another topic for another day.
After posing my original question, one of my followers on Twitter answered: "If an Album has 12-15 tracks and 10 of them are masterpieces, you wouldn't give it a 5 star rating?"
A fair enough question and one that i answered with: "No I wouldn't. I'd probably give it 4 stars & question why they put those "filler" tracks on there".
My friend then came back with: "Even the greatest albums didn't have all perfect tracks, would you give 4 stars to Abbey Road (by The Beatles)?"
My answer was: "Good point and good album, but how about Maxwells Silver Hammer and Octopus's Garden (Both of which are on Abbey Road)?".
We continued, Friend: "The importance of an album is not in the in ideal track, it's in the music and the message and what it inspires".
Me: "Can't really disagree with that and it's all down to personal choice after all. But is it a 5 star album if you don't like all tracks?".
I do see my friends point of view and i expect that many others would agree with him. But, i'm sure we can all think of examples of favourite albums of ours, by our favourite bands that have, at least, one duff track on them.
Now, if you came to have to review that same album, how many stars would you give it? Honestly?
My guess is that many people would give that album a 5 star review. But, if you always skip "that" track, should you?
The Beatles are a good case in point and were mentioned in that original Twitter conversation.
The Beatles are and always will be, one of my favourite bands and their albums are amongst my favourites. But, even the most ardent Beatles fans will admit that there are usually "filler" tracks on their albums. I mentioned "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Octopus's Garden" from Abbey Road. But, what of "Yellow Submarine" from Revolver, or "When I'm Sixty Four" from Sgt Pepper?
Other examples are available and not just from The Beatles either.
I have many albums on which i love every single track. Albums with, in my opinion, no fillers, or duff tracks. I'll name just two examples that spring to mind:
Sex Pistols - 'Never Mind The Bollocks' and
Supertramp - 'Crime Of The Century'.
Those choices also give you some idea of my eclectic musical tastes!
So, i guess the question is. Should those favourite albums be rated higher, by me, than albums on which there are those filler tracks? Especially if, as an overall body of work, i actually prefer the albums with the filler tracks?
Oh dear, what have i started?
Maybe, as i suggested to my Twitter friend. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference? After all, when it comes to music and anything artistic for that matter, taste is very much a personal thing and one persons masterpiece, is another persons worst nightmare.
Discuss.
PS: As it happens, this morning, i read a review of the "new" Amy Winehouse album.
It features demos etc that she was working on before she, sadly, died recently.
I was fully expecting this album to get the usual 5 star review. But, the reviewer was very fair and gave the album 3 stars. Because of what he felt were substandard tracks.
See, it can happen....
It all started when i happened to Tweet about an album review i had read the previous day. The reviewer had given the album in question a 5 star review. 5 stars being the maximum amount and therefore the highest accolade that that reviewer could bestow on an album.
Nothing wrong with that. After all, we see 5 star reviews, or their equivalent, all the time and i'm sure many of them are fully deserved. But, my problem came with the fact that the reviewer had suggested that 2 of the tracks on the album in question weren't actually that good and should, to use the reviewers own words, "be skipped".
Now, my question and the one that i posed on Twitter was. If there are 2 tracks on an album that the reviewer feels aren't that good, how can they then give the album the maximum amount of stars? Surely the album should only get, at the most, 4 stars?
I've always felt, possibly naively, that if an album got the maximum amount of stars, the reviewer must have felt that it was, in their view, perfect and couldn't really be improved upon. After all, if an album is not perfect, what sort of accolade could you give a perfect album when you've run out of stars?
This could, of course, apply to anything that is being reviewed. Whether it be books, movies, tv programs etc etc.
One other point i made was that i sometimes feel that certain reviewers have made up their mind about the number of stars to give an album, before they've even heard it. Some artists seem to get 5 star reviews regardless. You already know how many stars the album is going to get without even looking. The artist in question is, in my opinion, one of those. That's not a criticism of the artist, just an observation.
But, this probably a another topic for another day.
After posing my original question, one of my followers on Twitter answered: "If an Album has 12-15 tracks and 10 of them are masterpieces, you wouldn't give it a 5 star rating?"
A fair enough question and one that i answered with: "No I wouldn't. I'd probably give it 4 stars & question why they put those "filler" tracks on there".
My friend then came back with: "Even the greatest albums didn't have all perfect tracks, would you give 4 stars to Abbey Road (by The Beatles)?"
My answer was: "Good point and good album, but how about Maxwells Silver Hammer and Octopus's Garden (Both of which are on Abbey Road)?".
We continued, Friend: "The importance of an album is not in the in ideal track, it's in the music and the message and what it inspires".
Me: "Can't really disagree with that and it's all down to personal choice after all. But is it a 5 star album if you don't like all tracks?".
I do see my friends point of view and i expect that many others would agree with him. But, i'm sure we can all think of examples of favourite albums of ours, by our favourite bands that have, at least, one duff track on them.
Now, if you came to have to review that same album, how many stars would you give it? Honestly?
My guess is that many people would give that album a 5 star review. But, if you always skip "that" track, should you?
The Beatles are a good case in point and were mentioned in that original Twitter conversation.
The Beatles are and always will be, one of my favourite bands and their albums are amongst my favourites. But, even the most ardent Beatles fans will admit that there are usually "filler" tracks on their albums. I mentioned "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Octopus's Garden" from Abbey Road. But, what of "Yellow Submarine" from Revolver, or "When I'm Sixty Four" from Sgt Pepper?
Other examples are available and not just from The Beatles either.
I have many albums on which i love every single track. Albums with, in my opinion, no fillers, or duff tracks. I'll name just two examples that spring to mind:
Sex Pistols - 'Never Mind The Bollocks' and
Supertramp - 'Crime Of The Century'.
Those choices also give you some idea of my eclectic musical tastes!
So, i guess the question is. Should those favourite albums be rated higher, by me, than albums on which there are those filler tracks? Especially if, as an overall body of work, i actually prefer the albums with the filler tracks?
Oh dear, what have i started?
Maybe, as i suggested to my Twitter friend. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference? After all, when it comes to music and anything artistic for that matter, taste is very much a personal thing and one persons masterpiece, is another persons worst nightmare.
Discuss.
PS: As it happens, this morning, i read a review of the "new" Amy Winehouse album.
It features demos etc that she was working on before she, sadly, died recently.
I was fully expecting this album to get the usual 5 star review. But, the reviewer was very fair and gave the album 3 stars. Because of what he felt were substandard tracks.
See, it can happen....
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Twitter And TV.
Last night, things finally came to a head.
What am i talking about? Well, here goes....
Why do some people insist on Tweeting about every single thing that happens in certain TV programs?
There, i said it!
I'm sure that this is a recent phenomenon, certainly here in the UK anyway?
Yes, i know that people have been Tweeting about TV progs, probably since Twitter was invented. But, not with the frequency that seems to have crept in recently.
In the UK, two programs seem to produce the biggest amount of related tweets. On a Saturday & Sunday evening we have the X-Factor and on a Sunday evening, following the X-Factor, we have Downton Abbey.
These two programs do have some of the biggest viewing figures. But, i'm not sure that that alone explains the amount of related tweets. And, yes, the X-Factor does encourage audience participation through voting. But, i don't think this explains it all either.
I'll admit that i have sometimes felt the need to post the odd Tweet during tv programs myself. But, the volume of Tweets during the above mentioned progs has to be seen to be believed sometimes. Some people are Tweeting, literally, every minute.
What i'd like to know is that if these people are spending so much time writing and posting Tweets, how much of the actual program are they seeing? And, if you're taking the time to watch a tv program in the first place, why not watch it instead of looking down at your phone, iPad, laptop etc?
Another aspect that intriques me is how many of the Tweets are not very complimentary about the program being watched. If you don't like the program, why on earth are you watching it?
I remember a time when the Internet was considered to be something of an escape, or even an alternative to tv. In many ways that is how i still view it. But, it's obvious that, for an increasing number of people, that is not now the case. The two worlds are combining and overlapping. Colliding even.
Of course, the situation is made all the worse when the tv programs being Tweeted about are ones that you have no interest in yourself.
Over the past few weekends i have often found myself turning off Twitter when these two tv progs are on. But, by doing that, i am then denying myself everything else that is going on in the Twittersphere.
Why should i do that?
So, i have now felt the need to take some drastic action and last night i 'Un-followed" two of the worst TV Tweeting offenders. Maybe it's my fault for following certain people in the first place? But, as with many things in life, you don't always know what you're letting yourself in for when you sign up!
Maybe the situation will get better when those two particular tv progs finish their run? But, i have a feeling that's not going to happen. Another show will, most probably, come along and grab the attention of the TV Tweeters.
I guess i'll just have to keep my finger poised over that "Un-follow" button for a while longer yet?
What am i talking about? Well, here goes....
Why do some people insist on Tweeting about every single thing that happens in certain TV programs?
There, i said it!
I'm sure that this is a recent phenomenon, certainly here in the UK anyway?
Yes, i know that people have been Tweeting about TV progs, probably since Twitter was invented. But, not with the frequency that seems to have crept in recently.
In the UK, two programs seem to produce the biggest amount of related tweets. On a Saturday & Sunday evening we have the X-Factor and on a Sunday evening, following the X-Factor, we have Downton Abbey.
These two programs do have some of the biggest viewing figures. But, i'm not sure that that alone explains the amount of related tweets. And, yes, the X-Factor does encourage audience participation through voting. But, i don't think this explains it all either.
I'll admit that i have sometimes felt the need to post the odd Tweet during tv programs myself. But, the volume of Tweets during the above mentioned progs has to be seen to be believed sometimes. Some people are Tweeting, literally, every minute.
What i'd like to know is that if these people are spending so much time writing and posting Tweets, how much of the actual program are they seeing? And, if you're taking the time to watch a tv program in the first place, why not watch it instead of looking down at your phone, iPad, laptop etc?
Another aspect that intriques me is how many of the Tweets are not very complimentary about the program being watched. If you don't like the program, why on earth are you watching it?
I remember a time when the Internet was considered to be something of an escape, or even an alternative to tv. In many ways that is how i still view it. But, it's obvious that, for an increasing number of people, that is not now the case. The two worlds are combining and overlapping. Colliding even.
Of course, the situation is made all the worse when the tv programs being Tweeted about are ones that you have no interest in yourself.
Over the past few weekends i have often found myself turning off Twitter when these two tv progs are on. But, by doing that, i am then denying myself everything else that is going on in the Twittersphere.
Why should i do that?
So, i have now felt the need to take some drastic action and last night i 'Un-followed" two of the worst TV Tweeting offenders. Maybe it's my fault for following certain people in the first place? But, as with many things in life, you don't always know what you're letting yourself in for when you sign up!
Maybe the situation will get better when those two particular tv progs finish their run? But, i have a feeling that's not going to happen. Another show will, most probably, come along and grab the attention of the TV Tweeters.
I guess i'll just have to keep my finger poised over that "Un-follow" button for a while longer yet?
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Amy Winehouse, Twitter and the 27 Club.
I missed out Brian Jones from my list of people who died at 27. I also included Keith Moon who actually died at age 32. Oops.
That's what you get for making it up as you go along.
The 27 Club: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Twitter - Thinking Local.
This piece of audio was originally recorded for Hastings Local Radio: http://www.hastingslocalradio.co.uk/
It was recorded to tell people about the local aspect of using Twitter. Something that is often overlooked by those who are new to the service.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Ask The Experts.
A bit of a rant about al those self appointed, so called "experts".
Whether they be in the workplace, on online.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Times Change.
Priorities change & other things come along to take your time.
That's life.
For the video playlists i mentioned in this video.
Go to my channel page on YT, click "Playlists" & the 'Scenic Walks' & 'Vloggers Caravan 2010' links are in there.
Hastings Rock can be heard via the Internet, from Saturday April 30th until Friday May 27th.
Follow the link on the website at:
http://www.hastingsrock.co.uk/
The "Listen Live" link will not appear until we start broadcasting.
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Saturday, 19 February 2011
All In This Together?
I happened to Tweet the following this morning, after reading todays newspaper.
"Thinking of contacting HMG and asking if i can pay less tax like Barclays. Well, i had a bad 2010 as well you know. No, thought not"
For those not in the know, this refers to the story that Barclays paid very little tax (2.4%) on their total profits of £4.6bn, in 2009. This is inspite of them apparently paying out £3.4bn in bonuses that same year.
Part of Barclays justification for paying so little tax was that they had a bad year in 2008. Didn't we all?
This information only came to light because of a Labour Party MP asking for it.
Well, that Tweet certainly provoked a response and all the comments were of a very similar nature. One of digust, both for Barclays and for any Government that allows this type of thing to happen. But, the comments were about the state of the nation and of politics today.
For me, this shows something that i have been detecting a lot recently. A real groundswell of public opinion about the current government and about politics and politicians in general.
Obviously, most of the bad feeling is directed towards the current coalition government in the UK. That's no great surprise seeing as they are in power at the moment.
The coalition government are currently in the process of wheeling out a whole raft of spending cuts and inflicting them onto the UK population.
Now, spending cuts are never going to be popular, but the reaction to these is starting to threaten to get particularly nasty. The general feeling is that these cuts are going to affect the lower paid and most vulnerable in society the most.
And those spending cuts are set against a background of British banks paying multi million pound bonuses to their employees. Banks that would not be in existence if it wasn't for the monetary bailouts and guarantees given to them by the then UK government, back in 2008/9.
Bailouts paid for by the British taxpayer. Yes, that means you and me.
Yes, i know that Barclays bank, unlike Lloyds and RBS etc, were not given any money directly in the form of bailouts. But, like all the banks, they were effectively given a guarantee by the UK government that they would not be allowed to fail. Meaning that they and the other banks, could then do what they liked and indulge in some more monetary gambling. Just like the old days.
Effectively gambling with our money. A situation that got us into this whole sorry mess in the first place.
The bank bailouts, bonuses and tax revenue debates is set against a situation where we are constantly being told by politicians that "We are all in this together".
Well, if that's the case, i'd like my tax to be reduced for 2010, a la Barclays, because i had a particularly shit year too.
Like many other people in 2010, i lost my job and now have to live within my means. Something a bank has been told it doesn't have to do.
I get no bailout. In fact when i went to the Job Centre to claim Job Seekers Allowance, i was told i wasn't eligible. Despite paying National Insurance for very nearly 36 years!
So please don't tell me and many more like me that we're all in this together. Because it is plainly not true.
And if anyone is due a nice bonus, then surely it is the British people for giving the banks the money to keep them afloat in the first place? Without our money, they would never have made those fat profits.
But, enough bank bashing. After all, we all expect the banks to behave in this way and we should not be surprised that they do so. Especially when our elected representatives are seemingly unwilling to rein them in, or control them in any way. Despite claims to the contrary.
We do though expect a little bit more, or at least we should do, from our elected political representatives themselves.
But, as we learned during the MPs expenses scandal, many MPs just don't seem to be living on the same planet as the rest of us. They are certainly living in a different economic environment to the vast majority of the population. The population that they represent.
This situtation is not helped by the fact that the leaders of all three main political parties are Oxbridge, or publically educated men. Men with very little to worry about when it comes to money.
In my humble opinion, millionaires are not the best people to be telling me that we are all in this together. Certainly not in times of austerity, like now.
So, the general consensus amongst the UK population is that our politicians are totally out of touch with reality. They live in a world, like The Queen, where they think that everything smells of fresh paint and where everything works. That is not always their fault, of course. They live in a world full of sycophants and "yes' people who are afraid to tell them of the reality of the situation.
How often have you seen, or heard about, that situation in the workplace? Where the head of a company has no idea what goes on on the shopfloor, because the underlings are too scared to tell them.
That's no way to run a country, or a business for that matter.
We have seen many examples of current politicians being out of touch and one happened just this week.
I'm sure we all know about the governments, now abandoned, proposals to sell off much of our public woodlands and forests.
Now, this is a classic case of a government being totally out of touch with the electorate. A government that, by the way, said they were going to be the greenest in history.
For a start, they seemed to fail to realise that these forests and woodlands were not really theirs to sell in the first place. They belong to the people.
But, they also didn't anticipate the huge adverse reaction that these proposals would generate. A reaction which, in the end, forced the government to apologise for their actions and to have to admit that they had "got it wrong".
So, what we had from government this week was yet another U-Turn. Although they'd never call it that, of course.
Now, it's one thing to admit that you are going to change your mind due to popular opinion. But, it is quite another to promise one thing in your election manifesto and then to do something completely different when you are elected. But, that is precisely what this government has done.
If you can't relate to those whom you represent, have little understanding of what they actually want and have to lie to get yourself elected, it doesn't exactly fill you with a lot of confidence in them does it?
Is it any wonder then that so many people these days have little, or no, respect for politicians and don't bother to vote?
I mentioned earlier about the various comments that i had on that original Tweet.
Well, here is another, "Time to do an Egypt?"
Now, i'm sure that was meant, at least, partly in jest. But, it does get you thinking doesn't it?
Amongst those thoughts is probably something along the lines of, what did the people of Tunisia and Egypt say about their previous rulers? What was it that started them onto the road to rebellion and revolution?
Well, it could probably best be summed up by saying, amongst other things, "They (the rulers) don't relate to those whom they represent. They have little understanding of what the people actually want and they have lied to get themselves elected".
Sound familiar?
(I have a funny feeling i may well be returning to this topic, as i've not mentioned everything i intended to)
"Thinking of contacting HMG and asking if i can pay less tax like Barclays. Well, i had a bad 2010 as well you know. No, thought not"
For those not in the know, this refers to the story that Barclays paid very little tax (2.4%) on their total profits of £4.6bn, in 2009. This is inspite of them apparently paying out £3.4bn in bonuses that same year.
Part of Barclays justification for paying so little tax was that they had a bad year in 2008. Didn't we all?
This information only came to light because of a Labour Party MP asking for it.
Well, that Tweet certainly provoked a response and all the comments were of a very similar nature. One of digust, both for Barclays and for any Government that allows this type of thing to happen. But, the comments were about the state of the nation and of politics today.
For me, this shows something that i have been detecting a lot recently. A real groundswell of public opinion about the current government and about politics and politicians in general.
Obviously, most of the bad feeling is directed towards the current coalition government in the UK. That's no great surprise seeing as they are in power at the moment.
The coalition government are currently in the process of wheeling out a whole raft of spending cuts and inflicting them onto the UK population.
Now, spending cuts are never going to be popular, but the reaction to these is starting to threaten to get particularly nasty. The general feeling is that these cuts are going to affect the lower paid and most vulnerable in society the most.
And those spending cuts are set against a background of British banks paying multi million pound bonuses to their employees. Banks that would not be in existence if it wasn't for the monetary bailouts and guarantees given to them by the then UK government, back in 2008/9.
Bailouts paid for by the British taxpayer. Yes, that means you and me.
Yes, i know that Barclays bank, unlike Lloyds and RBS etc, were not given any money directly in the form of bailouts. But, like all the banks, they were effectively given a guarantee by the UK government that they would not be allowed to fail. Meaning that they and the other banks, could then do what they liked and indulge in some more monetary gambling. Just like the old days.
Effectively gambling with our money. A situation that got us into this whole sorry mess in the first place.
The bank bailouts, bonuses and tax revenue debates is set against a situation where we are constantly being told by politicians that "We are all in this together".
Well, if that's the case, i'd like my tax to be reduced for 2010, a la Barclays, because i had a particularly shit year too.
Like many other people in 2010, i lost my job and now have to live within my means. Something a bank has been told it doesn't have to do.
I get no bailout. In fact when i went to the Job Centre to claim Job Seekers Allowance, i was told i wasn't eligible. Despite paying National Insurance for very nearly 36 years!
So please don't tell me and many more like me that we're all in this together. Because it is plainly not true.
And if anyone is due a nice bonus, then surely it is the British people for giving the banks the money to keep them afloat in the first place? Without our money, they would never have made those fat profits.
But, enough bank bashing. After all, we all expect the banks to behave in this way and we should not be surprised that they do so. Especially when our elected representatives are seemingly unwilling to rein them in, or control them in any way. Despite claims to the contrary.
We do though expect a little bit more, or at least we should do, from our elected political representatives themselves.
But, as we learned during the MPs expenses scandal, many MPs just don't seem to be living on the same planet as the rest of us. They are certainly living in a different economic environment to the vast majority of the population. The population that they represent.
This situtation is not helped by the fact that the leaders of all three main political parties are Oxbridge, or publically educated men. Men with very little to worry about when it comes to money.
In my humble opinion, millionaires are not the best people to be telling me that we are all in this together. Certainly not in times of austerity, like now.
So, the general consensus amongst the UK population is that our politicians are totally out of touch with reality. They live in a world, like The Queen, where they think that everything smells of fresh paint and where everything works. That is not always their fault, of course. They live in a world full of sycophants and "yes' people who are afraid to tell them of the reality of the situation.
How often have you seen, or heard about, that situation in the workplace? Where the head of a company has no idea what goes on on the shopfloor, because the underlings are too scared to tell them.
That's no way to run a country, or a business for that matter.
We have seen many examples of current politicians being out of touch and one happened just this week.
I'm sure we all know about the governments, now abandoned, proposals to sell off much of our public woodlands and forests.
Now, this is a classic case of a government being totally out of touch with the electorate. A government that, by the way, said they were going to be the greenest in history.
For a start, they seemed to fail to realise that these forests and woodlands were not really theirs to sell in the first place. They belong to the people.
But, they also didn't anticipate the huge adverse reaction that these proposals would generate. A reaction which, in the end, forced the government to apologise for their actions and to have to admit that they had "got it wrong".
So, what we had from government this week was yet another U-Turn. Although they'd never call it that, of course.
Now, it's one thing to admit that you are going to change your mind due to popular opinion. But, it is quite another to promise one thing in your election manifesto and then to do something completely different when you are elected. But, that is precisely what this government has done.
If you can't relate to those whom you represent, have little understanding of what they actually want and have to lie to get yourself elected, it doesn't exactly fill you with a lot of confidence in them does it?
Is it any wonder then that so many people these days have little, or no, respect for politicians and don't bother to vote?
I mentioned earlier about the various comments that i had on that original Tweet.
Well, here is another, "Time to do an Egypt?"
Now, i'm sure that was meant, at least, partly in jest. But, it does get you thinking doesn't it?
Amongst those thoughts is probably something along the lines of, what did the people of Tunisia and Egypt say about their previous rulers? What was it that started them onto the road to rebellion and revolution?
Well, it could probably best be summed up by saying, amongst other things, "They (the rulers) don't relate to those whom they represent. They have little understanding of what the people actually want and they have lied to get themselves elected".
Sound familiar?
(I have a funny feeling i may well be returning to this topic, as i've not mentioned everything i intended to)
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Friday, 12 November 2010
Thursday, 4 November 2010
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