Thursday 2nd October 2025

[refitman]

Morning all.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Despite the fact I'm producing an impressive amount of mucus I'll be having a go at this tonight because as my wise old grandma always used to say the best thing for a cold is awful political television and a skinful of red wine.

[refitman]

You know, the kids are alright



Context:

[refitman]

There was a protest on London last night, about the Gaza flotilla. Weirdly absent from the news

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Question time *sniff* came tonight from *cough* Belfast. Before it *sniff* began the panel *sniff* were all invited *cough* to comment on the stabbings *sniff* in Manchester (I'll stop that now, quite irritating isn't it?). Never had anything like that before in all the years I've been watching it. I hate to say this but on a programme where people regularly quibble about calling the murder of 65,000 people genocide (and one of them was at it again tonight*) it seems some deaths are far more important than others.

For Labour we had Hilary Benn. While watching Hilary this evening I came up with a great drinking game for recovering alcoholics. Every time Hilary Benn says something interesting or insightful you have to have a drink. You can just imagine them sitting miserably sober shouting, 'For the love of god Hilary, enough with the bland platitudes and insipid rhetoric, we're gasping here!' Because it's all he's ever had. Take for example Hilary's solution for peace in Gaza, 'Everyone has to put down their weapons and get round the table like happened in Northern Ireland'. Brilliant Hilary, truly outstanding, Especially from a member of a government which continues to facilitate the arming of Israel while jailing its detractors as terrorists.

For the Conservatives we had Alex Burghart. It's genuinely scary to see how low the Tories have fallen that they have to have nonentities like Alex representing them and while doing so his most telling contribution was to kiss Farage's arse and defend racists. From government one minute to sad, weird fascist groupies the next. And like many of his Oxbridge ilk on the right Alex is incredibly thin skinned and does not take criticism well. Ask him about the things that make normal people angry like the slaughter of tens of thousands of men, women, and children and Alex pays lip service to their suffering yet remains conspicuously blase. However, criticise the Tory underinvestment in the NHS and Alex is mortally offended and gets very angry. Fortunately a very angry Alex is about as scary as furious hamster.

For Sinn Fein we had John Finucane. We all know John's history and it's an absolute testament to him that he can be the man he is. A man staunchly in favour of human rights, of seeing the good in others, of calling out racism and not bowing to the 'legitimate concern' crowd. Don't get me wrong he and Sinn Fein can be as partisan and destructive when it comes to the Northern Ireland Assembly as the DUP, that's the nature of the Stormont beast, but listening to him tonight it was a genuine pleasure to hear someone speak with thoughtful, unafraid conviction.

For the DUP we had Jonathan Buckley. According to the BBC at least a third of that audience should have been Unionists. Not a single one of them clapped for Jonathan all night. Probably because he spent most of it defending Trump and Farage, often using words that either don't exist or using words that do exist wildly incorrectly. And that doesn't include when even an incredulous Fiona Bruce had to call him out for saying 'pansying about' while pointing out it's homophobic connotations. It's not often I feel embarrassed for someone on QT but if you're a Unionist on an NI panel show and face tumbleweed all evening from your own own support because you're talking such obvious shite maybe it's time to think about a change of career.

For Irish (left wing) journalism we had Aoife Moore. Aoife was great. Took on the racist pretence that what they were doing had anything to do with the protection of women (along with an excellent member of the audience). Infuriated a Tory hamster. Pointed out that to her generation having a Stormont assembly that was essentially dysfunctional (when it was functioning) by design might have been acceptable 25 years ago but nobody should be putting up with it now. It was hard to disagree.



*The panellist quibbling about calling the murder of tens of thousands of people genocide was this evening...Hilary Benn.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

"It's for the international courts to decide." Hilary said as a way of abdicating any responsibility.

I guess he's right, I mean civilisation depends on us respecting the...hang on isn't that an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Netanyahu?

[refitman]

Thanks for the review Sky.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

You're *sniff* welcome.