Collection of Things

Less a blog today, more a small collection of things of which I wish to inform you. Serious one first:

NHS REFORM BILL

The NHS reform bill is currently being debated by the House of Lords and with the assumption that it will get passed in some format whether we like it or not, this is the last chance to at least try and make changes to it and assure that it is vigourously checked through by experts to stop the most damaging aspects come to fruition.

What can we do? Well you can take 2 minutes to do this:

NHS MESSAGE TO THE LORDS PETITION

You really have no excuse not to.

 

ALTERNATIVE REALITY TOUR

Yesterday I took part in Josie Long’s Alternative Reality Tour in Bedford. Its a brilliant brilliant idea whereby she puts on a show, for free, somewhere in the centre of a supposedly ‘run down’ town and comedians and musicians all entertain whilst saying how much they hate the government. A truly lovely thing. Last night’s was outdoors under the castle mound by the Embankment and (probably because it was a monday) a small but lovely group gathered to hear Josie, Nat Tapley, Simon Munnery, Grace Petrie and me say and sing our thoughts. I’ve never performed in the outdoors by a castle mound before so it was a first to me, and even though my blood sugars had gone low ten minutes before and I felt I garbled out my set, it was a brilliant night. The evening was made for me by two teenagers who’d heard some noise and arrived to investigate. They stuck around for about 3 acts then left saying ‘That was the most random thing ever’, ‘Yeah but it was funny though’. That, as far as I’m concerned, is a win. There’s only two more shows this week, in Gloucester then Devon, but it should become a regular venture of Josie’s soon. Check out the website here:

ALTERNATIVE REALITY TOUR 

Let’s hope this is just the beginning of more comedy returning to being a raconteurs game where laughter can actually change people’s opinions rather than just entertain the drunk.

 

SOUNDS OF THE 70’s

Sometimes I get very bored and make silly things. Yesterday (with help from L) I made these two:

SOUNDS OF THE 70’s – 1

SOUNDS OF THE 70’s – 2

I will make more. I’m not sure why.

 

BLOCK THE BILL, BLOCK THE BRIDGE 

The video I posted up the other day of my set at the protest on Westminster Bridge has been outdone by a superior recording. Many thanks to Miggiuk for posting it:

TIERNAN DOUIEB – WESTMINSTER BRIDGE

 

POLITICAL FOOTBALL

Do you ever find out about something that’s truly exciting? Speaking to very nice journalist man Dan Hancox after the ARTour, he told me of an anarchist football team that recently played a Leninist football team. This concept blew me away. How can anarchists have a football team? How do they work out formation and tactics? Does everyone just do what they want, scoring goals by carrying the ball there, carrying the goalposts elsewhere or just destroying the pitch entirely? And do the Leninists have the opposing team killed if they lose? Or win? So many questions. And the most important of these is: Are there other political or conceptual football teams? A Marxist team where everyone must play all the positions? A capitalist team where everyone is merely out for their own reward? I’d very much like to see a Nihilist team who refuse to play as there is no point or perhaps a surrealist team who has one player standing on top of the goal, one several miles away from the stadium and one dressed as a carrot? If these don’t exist, I feel we should invent them and get a league going. If nothing else, it’d be a damn sight more exciting than most other sports.