A review of the 1995 classic film “Clueless”
October 2nd, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Although I’m a massive movie fan, I guess that it’s not surprising that I never caught “Clueless”. At the time of its release, I was a father in his late 40s – not exactly the demographic attracted to this witty satire of teenage life in Beverley Hills very loosely based on the Jane Austen novel “Emma”.
But roll forward to this year and the coronavirus lockdown. One of the ways in which I stayed connected was to have a weekly online movie quiz with a buddy from my film courses. She revealed that she just loved “Clueless” which of course I’d never seen.
When cinemas eventually reopened again, the British Film Institute had this film in its early schedule, so I – a male in his early 70s – invited my film buddy – a female in her late 30s – to accompany me to its showing (her first viewing actually on the big screen).
I have to say that I found it a sheer delight. Both written and directed by Amy Heckerling, it is absolutely crammed full of acute one-line zingers and the central character – rich high schooler Cher played wonderfully by Alicia Silverstone – has as many lines of narration and dialogue as her change of outfits.
While trying to set up a new friend with a boy, she neglects the attractions of her stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd), but you just know that will not remain the case and the ending brings a broad smile to every face (young or old). Totally cool
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How much crazier can the American presidential election become?
October 2nd, 2020 by Roger Darlington
So Donald J Trump has contracted Covid-19. This is hardly surprising given the lack of precautions that he has routinely followed. But what happens now?
His symptoms could be mild or even none. But ..
If Trump becomes severely ill, he may temporarily transfer power to the vice-president under the 25th Amendment of the US constitution – and reclaim authority when he deems himself fit to serve. If both Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence are incapacitated, then the House speaker, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi, would be next in the line of succession.
Such a scenario occurred in the television series “The West Wing”.
Just saying.
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A review of the film “On The Basis Of Sex”
October 1st, 2020 by Roger Darlington
When veteran US Supreme Court member Ruth Bader Ginsberg died last month aged 87, I quickly accessed and viewed the two films about her released in 2018. First, I saw “RBG”, a fine documentary covering the whole of her life. Then I caught up with “On The Basis Of Sex”, a feature film written by Ginsburg’s nephew Daniel Stiepleman and appropriately enough directed by a woman (Mimi Leder in her first such role in 18 years).
Here (English) Felicity Jones portrays RBG in an account of her life up to her important court victory on a sex discrimation case involving a man. At this point, the film stops, so the viewer never sees ther older RBG on the Supreme Court.
Whereas the documentary includes extracts from recorded interviews with Ginsberg herself, the feature film only shows the real RBG in an uncredited seconds-long appearance at the very end. But Jones gives a fine performance and Ginsberg’s diminutive stature (5′ 1′) is emphasised by casting the uber-tall Arnie Hammer as the husband who provided amazing support. The courtroom sequence is classically dramatic – not so much “Twelve Angry Men” as one determined woman.
One can hardly rate the two films against one another because of their different styles and I would strongly recommend both. They really complement each other. If the feature film has a weakness, it is that its messages are telegraphed so overtly. So, for instance when Ginsberg and her daughter pass a building site, inevitably they are subjected to wolf-whistles. But this is a minor quibble.
RGB’s contribution to the cause of sexual equality in the United States was outstanding and, if this film brings her record to the attention of more people when the fight is far from over, that is only right and just.
Link: Wikipedia page on Ruth Bader Ginsberg click here
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Could the revelations of Donald Trump’s tax affairs finally finish this Teflon president?
September 29th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Four and a half months ago, I did a posting entitled: Al Capone was finally brought down because of his tax affairs. Could the same thing happen to Donald Trump?
Make no mistake: the expose of Trump’s tax affairs by the “New York Times” is huge. It is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism and astonishing that it was kept totally quiet until now.
Trump was probably going to lose the presidency anyway. But this tax scandal could ensure that he loses big. And we need that to minimise blockages in the way of a smooth transition.
Dare to hope ..
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If President Trump’s secures his Supreme Court nomination, what could a President Biden do about it?
September 29th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
In a recent posting, I ventured to suggest that, following the death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, President Trump would quickly nominate Amy Coney Barrett as a replacement (which he has now already done), but that enough Republican Senators would oppose such a rushed appointment so near to the election of a new president (which now looks very, very unlikely).
So if Trump gets his way, how could the Democrats respond?
Effectively there is nothing the Dems can do unless in November they win the Presidency, maintain their majority in the House of Representatives, and secure a majority in the Senate. If current polls are accurate, they will do all three. What then?
First: a bit of history. Though the first Surpreme Court comprised six justices, Congress has altered the number of Supreme Court seats – from a low of five to a high of 10 – six times over the years. In 1869, Congress set the number of seats to nine, where it has remained until today.
So Biden would be within his constitutional rights to nominate more members to the Court and the Senate would be within its constitutional rights to approve those extra nominations.
There is a lot to be said, especially in the current political climate, for having an odd number of justices. That way, one avoids a tied vote. To expand the Court by another four members, would be seen as court-packing and an abuse of power. However, in current circumstances, to increase the size of the Court by two, would be very controversial – especially among Republicans – but might well be seen – especially by Democrats and independents – as an acceptable response to Trump’s abuse of power.
If Barrett’s nomination succeeds, the conservative-liberal balance on the Supreme Court would be six to three, If Biden was able to secure two liberal additions to the court, the balance then would be six to five. So, even then, liberals would not have a majority on the Court, but things would be more evenly balanced and one conservative could tip the balance on any even decision.
This might seem to be an unduly optimistic expectation, but the evidence of the first session of a Supreme Court session with a narrow conservative majority has been that the court sometimes defies expectations and takes a sensible position that reflects majority opinion among the population.
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A review of the 2018 film “RBG”
September 22nd, 2020 by Roger Darlington
The death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who served for 27 years as its most radical member, was a tragedy for the whole of liberal America. Aged 87 and having twice survived cancer, she succumbed to a third bout of cancer just weeks before the election of the President who constitutionally has the sole power and responsibility to nominate a successor.
Two days after her death, I viewed this excellent documentary which was actually released two years earlier. This diminutive (she was only 5′ 1″) and notorious (she was likened to the rapper The Notorious B.I.G.) lawyer was a feminist icon and it is fitting that this wonderful tribute was made by two women: Julie Cohen and Betsy West.
They have skilfully knitted together interviews with the lady herself, her devoted husband Marty, her children, the president who appointed her (Bill Clinton), fellow activists such as Gloria Steinem, many colleagues and even some opponents to tell her story, focussing especially on her lifelong battle for female equality and a series of vital Supreme Court cases in which she participated.
Hollywood movies often come in pairs and the same year that “RBG” appeared so did a feature film representing her life entitled “On The Basis Of Sex”. I now want to see this.
Link: Wikipedia page on Ruth Bader Ginsberg click here
Posted in American current affairs, Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Will Donald Trump get his third Supreme Court nominee? I may be wrong, but I don’t think he will.
September 21st, 2020 by Roger Darlington
The death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a tragedy for the whole of liberal America. Aged 87 and having twice survived cancer, she succumbed to a third bout of cancer just weeks before the election of the President who constitutionally has the sole power and responsibility to nominate a successor.
Republicans want President Donald Trump to nominate a conservative candidate for the Court and the Republican-controlled Senate to approve that nominee in what is called the ‘lame duck’ period between Presidential and Congressional elections in November and the assumption into office of the successful candidates in January. Democrats want the decision to fall to the new President and the new Senate.
So what is going to happen?
I rarely make political predictions and, in the current political climate of the United States, any forecast is highly problematic. But I’m going to stick my neck out and forecast that Trump will nominate a replacement but fail to win a majority of votes in the lame duck Senate for his nominee. The current frontrunner for the vacancy is Amy Coney Barrett of Chicago, a federal appeals judge and the ideological opposite of Ginsburg.
If I am right about this and about the election results, Joe Biden will become President, nominate a young African-African woman, and the new Senate – which will then have a narrow Democratic majority – will endorse her.
How can I say this?
I think that Trump will make a nomination in the next few days and that the Senate will start confirmation proceedings in the next couple of weeks, but the confirmation process cannot be completed before the elections at the beginning of November.
Currently the Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate which would be enough to confirm Trump’s appointment. But already Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and fellow moderate Susan Collins of Maine have argued that the Senate should wait and could fail to back a Trump nomination. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Mitt Romney of Utah might also do the decent thing.
It is even possible that some Republican candidates for marginal Senate seats could be pressed on this issue in the election and feel compelled to commit to withholding support for the Trump nominee.
Another possible factor may be the Senate race in Arizona to fill the vacancy left by John McCain. Should the Democrat Mark Kelly defeat the Republican Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat, some experts believe that he could be seated as early as the end of November, making the mathematics of the Supreme Court fight even more precarious.
Watch this space …
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (2)
“Presidents & Prime Ministers: What Makes Great Leaders In Times Of Crisis?”
September 16th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
This was the title of a talk given this week by Mark Malcolmson, Principal of the City Literary Institute in London, which I was able to attend online. Mark structured his address around three principles of leadership.
- Having a clear sense of what is right
He cited as examples of this Gerald Ford’s pardoning of Richard Nixon to heal the US post-Watergate, John Kennedy’s acceptance of blame for the Bay of Pigs fiasco which was Eisenhower’s plan, JFK’s handling of the Cuban missile crisis which took the world to the edge of nuclear war, Truman’s sacking of General McArthur when he overreached in the Korean War, and Eisenhower’s opposition to the British and French invasion of Suez.
- Having a clear vision of the future
Here he gave as case studies the sustained opposition to the Soviet empire of President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher, Lyndon Johnson’s promotion of civil rights and the Great Society, and Richard Nixon’s rapprochement with China.
- Capturing the zeitgeist
Instances of this were Ronald Reagan’s response to the explosion of the “Challenger”, Tony Blair”s reaction to the death of Princess Diana, and George W Bush’s visit to New York City immediately after 9/11.
Mark acknowledged that some of his choices would be contested or controversial, but I enjoy discussions of history that cut across time and place.
Incidentally, if leadership generally is of interest to you, you might like to check out my advice of “How To Be A Good Leader”.
Posted in History | Comments (0)
What are the most popular baby names in Britain?
September 10th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Of course, names change in popularity. According to the data compiled annually by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and published each September, the most popular names for children born in England & Wales during 2019 were as follows:
| Position | Boys | Girls |
| 1 | Oliver | Olivia |
| 2 | George | Amelia |
| 3 | Noah | Isla |
| 4 | Arthur | Ava |
| 5 | Harry | Mia |
| 6 | Leo | Isabella |
| 7 | Muhammad | Sophia |
| 8 | Jack | Grace |
| 9 | Charlie | Lily |
| 10 | Oscar | Freya |
There are some patterns here.
First of all, astonishingly the most popular boys’ name and the most popular girls’ name are essentially the same (Oliver and Olivia) – what is technically known as cognates – and these names have been in the top two for their gender for the last 11 years. Is this the case in any other nation?
Second, it is striking how traditional most of the names are for both boys and girls, although for the boys it is interesting that the familiar form of names rather than the original version is often preferred – Harry instead of Harold, Jack instead of John, Charlie instead of Charles.
Third, in the case of girls, eight of the top 10 names end with the letter ‘a’ and five contain the letter ‘l’.
On the other hand, the name John (my father’s name), which was the most popular boys’ name until the end of the Second World War and is still the most common male name in Britain for the poulation as a whole, is nowhere in the top 100 names in the 2019 listings, while David – which is the second most common name in Britain – slipped out of the top 50 of names chosen for baby boys born in 2004 and is still only 56th.
Similarly Margaret – the most common female name in the population as a whole – does not even appear in the top 100 names chosen for girls these days, while Susan – the second most common name in Britain – is not even in the top 100 either.
These observations underline how much fashion shapes the popularity of different names. Fashion is a stronger influence with girls’ names than those of boys.
So, for example, in the last decade or so Ivy has soared to number 12, while Elsie has jumped to 21. Arthur has surged into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time since the 1920s (it is now 4th), and Ada has jumped into the girls’ top 100 for the first time in a century too (it is now 47th), both perhaps inspired by characters in the BBC television drama “Peaky Blinders”. By contrast, in 2019 for the first time since 1984, Emily was in the top 10.
It should be noted that the Office of National Statistics (ONS) produces its ranking of the popularity of names using the exact spelling of the name given at birth registration. If one combines the numbers for names with very similar spellings, a very different picture is revealed.
For boys, combining the occurrence of Mohammed, Muhammad, Mohammad & Muhammed plus eight other spellings of the names would put it in first place – a reflection of the changing ethnicity of the British population and the powerful trend for Muslim families to name their son after the Prophet.
Similarly, if one combines the occurrence of Isabella, Isabelle, Isabel and Isobel, one would find the name top of the girls’ list and, if one took Lily and Lilly together, the name would come fifth, while Darcie, Darcey and Darcy would boost that name’s ranking.
Also it is interesting to note that names are becoming more diverse: less than half (45%) of babies had a name within the top 100 lists in 2019, down from two thirds (67%) in 1996.
Names and naming practices vary massively around the world – as you can discover from this informative essay.
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A review of the novel “The Friends Of Harry Perkins” by Chris Mullin
September 9th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Mullin – then a political journalist – wrote the best-selling novel “A Very British Coup” which was published in 1982. It told the story of a Left-winger who became Prime Minister but was countered by the nefarious forces of the establishment. I found it very readable, but I thought the the characters were caricatures and the action limited. It worked better when it was subsequently turned into a television series.
Mullin went on to be a Member of Parliament from 1987 until 2010 which included three ministerial positions. In 2019, he published this sequel to “A Very British Coup” in a work whose title evoked the memory of the heroic failure of the radical premier. The new story centres on Frederick Thompson who had served as Perkins’ Press Secretary. His politics are much more pragmatic than those of his mentor, so does he stand a better chance of forming a reformist Labour Government?
Although the sequel is set a mere 10 years after the original, the context is the near future in a post-Brexit Britain and, in a preface, Mullin acknowledges that “a slight leap of imagination is required”. It is a bleak environment in which “there has been no great Armageddon, just a slow decline into insularity and irrelevance” and a continuing focus on immigration and a rise in nasty nationalism, while abroad America has just declared war on China. Again the novel is readable but hardly impressive.
I call it a novel, but really it is a novella, since it only runs to 180 pages, and it is followed by two short stories (which are rather good).
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