Well the Turner Prize was awarded to Martin Boyce from Glasgow. So obviously he didn't have too far to go as the prize isn't even now held in a Tate Gallery or at Tate Britain where a lot of the Turner paintings are exhibited anyway - it was held at the Baltic Gallery in Newcastle. Reflection of the less importance of the prize itself or was it that Lauren Leverne hails from Newcastle and fancied a spot of visiting the folks and presenting the Channel 4 show all at the same time with Goldie in his wild grey snood? Or was it that Martin Boyce wouldn't be prepared to accept his prize, down with the southern softies?!
Richard Godwin in this week's Evening Standard says that the Libyan people have Bernard-Henri Levry (known simply as BHL) to thank for getting rid of Gaddafi. As a guest on Radio 4 on Monday, the dishy French philosopher - one time paramour of the insatiably stylish Daphne Guinness, as well as being married to the world's most beautiful woman - Arielle Dombale - revealed that it was he who persuaded non hand shaker Nicolas Sarkozy of the moral case for intervention. Levy's fellow guest, undishy British philosopher Roger Scrutton, was well jel. "If only public intellectuals had that influence in Britain!" he complained.
For the last generation, despite the twists and turns of Conservative and Labour prime ministers, Britain has been determined to stay at the top table in Europe. This week, David Cameron, after months of posturing and disengagement, took the catastrophic decision to walk away, Ed Miliband says in today's Guardian. We should be under no illusions about the import, the impact or the reasons behind the decision. Instead, he has delivered the reality that 26 EU countries will now meet to discuss financial services without our country being represented in the room. That is not in the interests of Britain. And while Cameron tells us he made his decision to protect British business, it is British business that will lose when Britain is not involved in decisions about their largest export market.
Cameron was obviously sent to Coventry. Sitting on his own like a Billy No Mates, he did what every furtive singleton does at a bar, waiting for their blind date - start playing on his blackberry whilst in a sea of empty tables and chairs. Eurozone = 40% of UK trade. City of London = 10% Has Cameron done the right thing?? A French diplomat described the P.M.'s style best, 'David Cameron's negotiating stance was like a man attending a wife-swapping party, without a wife'.
If you were thinking of calling 5 Pollen Street for a table, then I suggest you put the receiver down. After opening in February to mixed reviews, 5 Pollen Street, situated opposite media posers hang out Pollen Street Social, even with the former Harry’s bar Eugenio Rolfo at the helm, will be lucky to survive another credit crunch bashing year. It was a great shame that I didn't get to go when it first opened, when the likes of Chris Martin and Gemma Arterton were impressed by the cooking. Alas, it really did not live up to the mark in the average cooking, souless ambience and most upsetting of all, the outrageous £173 bill for three - with no alcohol - as was taking an AA great friend out for dinner - £4 for a mint tea and £5 for an orange juice out of the carton and not freshly squeezed - sunny delight anyone?! Sorry to get all Michael Winner, however, such a disappointment, in what must be, London's most beautiful small restaurant - walls covered with fabulous Gary Hume paintings & wall hangings.
For the last generation, despite the twists and turns of Conservative and Labour prime ministers, Britain has been determined to stay at the top table in Europe. This week, David Cameron, after months of posturing and disengagement, took the catastrophic decision to walk away, Ed Miliband says in today's Guardian. We should be under no illusions about the import, the impact or the reasons behind the decision. Instead, he has delivered the reality that 26 EU countries will now meet to discuss financial services without our country being represented in the room. That is not in the interests of Britain. And while Cameron tells us he made his decision to protect British business, it is British business that will lose when Britain is not involved in decisions about their largest export market.
Cameron was obviously sent to Coventry. Sitting on his own like a Billy No Mates, he did what every furtive singleton does at a bar, waiting for their blind date - start playing on his blackberry whilst in a sea of empty tables and chairs. Eurozone = 40% of UK trade. City of London = 10% Has Cameron done the right thing?? A French diplomat described the P.M.'s style best, 'David Cameron's negotiating stance was like a man attending a wife-swapping party, without a wife'.
If you were thinking of calling 5 Pollen Street for a table, then I suggest you put the receiver down. After opening in February to mixed reviews, 5 Pollen Street, situated opposite media posers hang out Pollen Street Social, even with the former Harry’s bar Eugenio Rolfo at the helm, will be lucky to survive another credit crunch bashing year. It was a great shame that I didn't get to go when it first opened, when the likes of Chris Martin and Gemma Arterton were impressed by the cooking. Alas, it really did not live up to the mark in the average cooking, souless ambience and most upsetting of all, the outrageous £173 bill for three - with no alcohol - as was taking an AA great friend out for dinner - £4 for a mint tea and £5 for an orange juice out of the carton and not freshly squeezed - sunny delight anyone?! Sorry to get all Michael Winner, however, such a disappointment, in what must be, London's most beautiful small restaurant - walls covered with fabulous Gary Hume paintings & wall hangings.
In the Independent, David Thomas thinks Pandas are useless, antisocial, frankly rather boring animals. Their rise to global triumph, as a symbol of all things furry, is a telling commentary on our obsession with appearance over substance; for saccharine sentimentality over objective reason and for wishful thinking over harsh reality. Essentially, they are the WAGs of the animal kingdom: superficially attractive in an obvious sort of way, but entirely lacking in any genuine accomplishment.
Tian Tian, whose name means ‘sweetie’, and Yang Guang, meaning ‘sunlight’, travelled from China on board a Boeing 777F flight dubbed the FedEx ‘Panda Express’, along with a vet and two animal handlers. Hope they settle in and understand their handlers accents, as well as coping with the cold air and becoming fans of Alex Salmond. Scotland, as beautiful as you are, you’re welcome to your independence. We could use all that money that we support you with to improve our terrible schools, churning out our vacuous little monsters.
Aside from above, 10 other things I read, did and encountered this week that may be of interest, or maybe you would prefer me to shut up and you can go back to reading your new Heat magazine:
1. Skidding up to the Royal Academy door on the last weekend to see Degas & the Ballet: Picturing Movement;
2. Settling into reading Newsnight's Paul Masons books: Meltdown: The End of the Age of Greed & Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere: The New Global Revolution;
3. Listening to the 'world's most influential ad man' on Desert Island Discs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017vjlw/Desert_Island_Discs_Martin_Sorrell/
4. Leaving the Christmas drinks parties before it all gets too messy & embarrassing;
5. Wondering who in their right mind talking of embarrassing, would ever put themselves forward for Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies;
6. Amazing Jonathan Yeo: You're Only Young Twice plastic surgery paintings at Lazarides Rathbone gallery;
7. At last, not buying new CD's and downloading everything onto the i-pod/i-phone;
8. Wanting an i-pod docker as earphones giving me a grannyish ear ache;
9. Looking forward to watching other Ryan Gosling films after seeing his performance in Ides of March;
10. Not giving a hoot about the dreadful X-Factor final - even their mentors are mortified by the average bunch left, not a patch on X-Factor USA - go Chris Rene! Best to book tonight's 5x15 event instead for Human Rights Day featuring Nick Broomfield/Craig Brown/Giles Duley/Beverley Naidoo/Terry Waite in Shoreditch.
No comments:
Post a Comment