The Griper's Times

I'M aware that I've written a lot recently about why we're all totally fucked, so in the interests of balance and blood pressure I've decided to start a regular posting on positive/you've got to laugh stuff. I originally had the idea for something like this during the dark days of the pandemic, but the idea of writing something satirical in my spare time somewhat withered on the vine when my day-job consisted of documenting the Chancellor's plan to bribe people to visit crowded restaurants in the middle of a pandemic. I mean, why do something for free you can get paid for? Returning to the idea five years later - when I'm not much getting paid for anything - and I've decided to make it more of a review of good stuff I've come across, somewhat in the vein of Stewart Lee's "I Arrogantly Recommend". Except Lee includes a year-to-date obituary for esteemed public figures and I've left that out. I've kept some of the jokes, although ...

WHAT properly put a stop to the riots last summer was not necessarily the police or even the fast-tracked court hearings. It was a massive show of strength. After a week or more of mobs attacking refugee centres and abuse being hurled at people who happened to be a different colour pissed-off progressives mobilised in force. In Liverpool "Nans Against Racism" locked arms to form a human barricade around a church which offered advice to immigrants. In Brighton meanwhile, eight racist agitators found themselves entirely encircled by some 500 counter-demonstrators and ended up cowering behind a police cordon. Even The Daily Mail, in a front page the following morning, seemed to recognise where the balance of power lay. "Night anti-hate marchers faced down the thugs," read the headline, which also echoed the Prime Minister's own language in describing the protests as "far-right." It's helpful to remember these scenes when, some 12 months on, we're...