The Bewilderness

Who could now tell man from pig in the Palace Yard?

One would have sympathy for Julie Kirkbride, if her life were similar to ours. But it wasn't, so we won't. Out she should go. And she should take Sir John "fill yer boots" Butterfill with her. Sir John, a Hint: you are a public servant, not the public pays for your servants. Time for you to retire (and pay back your profit).

I also hear that Downing Street is checking the tax liabilities of the Ministers who did not quite understand HMRC's rules. because none of them are the sharpest tools in the box, except when it comes to minimising their tax payments. Remember, evasion is illegal, avoidance is judicious. But the Cabinet Office checking Cabinet Ministers. This would be the Star Chamber treatment? Isn't there a conflict of interest?

At a briefing for journalists at Westminster on Wednesday morning, however, the Prime Minister’s Official spokesman said that Downing Street is now “checking” the expenses claims and tax liabilities of all other ministers.

"We will be asking all ministers to check to see if there is a tax liability that is due,” he said. “We are reminding all ministers to ensure that if they have received a benefit in kind they should pay tax on it.”

The spokesman admitted that No 10 does not know how many ministers have used their expenses to pay for tax advice and whether they have incurred a tax liability as a result.

Asked how many ministers had claimed for accountancy services, the spokesman said: “We will be checking with ministers".

The spokesman gave only a qualified assurance that all ministers have complied with the rules.

“To the best of our knowledge, ministers do appear to have honoured all of their tax liabilities,” he said.

Hmm, these need to go as well. Perhaps they could exercise collective cabinet responsibility and go at once.

Look around the Palace of Westminster and it was no longer possible to distinguish man from pig. Exit the pigs, having lived high on the hog for thirty years. Clear them out.

Watchmen outfoxed

Watchmen may about to enter development hell ....again. Now, you would imagine that any company ensures copyright is owned before spending millions of dollars on a blockbuster. Seems that Warner has been outfoxed:

In a surprise ruling, a federal judge in Los Angeles said he intended to grant 20th Century Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest in the “Watchmen,” a movie shot by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures and set for release in March.

Hat-tip: Slashdot

Mr Blue Sky

I watched the Korean animation, Sky Blue, at the Odeon Shaftesbury Avenue yesterday; part of my desire to watch all films on general release that have some fantastical or science-fictional element. As the film had acquired US backing and translation, this eased its distribution in the Europe and the United States. It has received indifferent reviews and the simplistic storyline does not stand comparison with the peak of Japanese anime.

The dependence upon duality, class warfare and romance for narrative progression is not saved by the effective backgrounds, which portray an apocalyptic post-industrial landscape, caused by pollution and climate change rather than nuclear warfare or natural catastrophe. Environmental scenarios are not discounted in far Eastern science fiction films and they form an important part of the backdrop, unlike the thematic productions churned out by Hollywood.

Another jarring consequence of watching these post-modern clashes is the references from Western civilisation that are incorporated, often in ways that invert or deviate our cultural expectations. Who would expect Gibraltar to be used as a term for the Blessed Isles, a mythical paradise? Our commonplace Rock is invested with exoticism for the Korean market.

Does this popular culture within the Far East demonstrate their receptiveness to technological change and development, as opposed to the conservative responses in the West? Science fiction scenarios that have remained in literary or speculative forms in the West have permeated Japanese manga and anime, disseminating transhumanist concepts to a wider audience. They form a distinct strand in popular culture, colonising established print media. I suspect that they are more widespread in the Anglosphere than an initial survey indicates, given the increasingly popularity of Japanese cartoons. However, the 'culture of transhumanism' is taking place below the radar, in activities such as gaming which do not attract the attention of cultural critics.

Will this cross-cultural fertilisation result in a move for science fiction in Hollywood away from the catastrophe or licensing models epitomised this summer by 'The War of the Worlds' and 'The Fantastic Four'? In a horror genre that is more diverse and creative, Japanese culture has proved popular and influential in the United States, but not groundbreaking. The Far East may have greater success in  visual  science fiction and fantasy.