Whitechapel man disrupts Boat Race.

[Monty]

Pr*ck.

No doubt contributed to the bow mans fate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rowing/17645929

Monty

[Chris Scott]

I just hope that they give self described "anti elitist" moron as little publicity as possible.

[Archaic]

I think that bozo should get out in the icy Atlantic and try to disrupt yacht races! I hope someone will suggest it to him.

What an idiot.

Archaic

[Robert]

Maybe he should interrupt this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpaL65TzYv8

[Limehouse]

Actually, the boat race is, these days, far less elitist than football. Think of it this way. Most people could watch the boat race on TV, have a little flutter on the result and quite enjoy the experience just as they have always done. Football however, once enjoyed live by hundreds of thousands of working-class people, is now too expensive to enjoy, except by watching Match of the Day, which doesn't even feature non-Premiership clubs, except I think Cup Matches.

Perhaps this guy should consider my points?

[Chris Scott]

Actually, the boat race is, these days, far less elitist than football. Think of it this way. Most people could watch the boat race on TV, have a little flutter on the result and quite enjoy the experience just as they have always done. Football however, once enjoyed live by hundreds of thousands of working-class people, is now too expensive to enjoy, except by watching Match of the Day, which doesn't even feature non-Premiership clubs, except I think Cup Matches.

Perhaps this guy should consider my points?

I quite agree
The so called "class war" is perpetuated by the lunatic Left and the parodies printed by them of bankers, Oxford students etc bear no relation to reality.
The son of a friend of mine - from a very ordinary working background - has worked bloody hard and done well for himself in banking - but he is not one of the megabuck earners. But the public mood, especially among those who can only think in slogans and parodies, the language of the Left, is so hostile that he actually lies about what his job is. What sad, shallow people we have become.
I have seen comments that state that all Oxford and Cambridge rowers and their followers are elitist, ex public school parasites, out of touch with how "real" people live. Of course, "they all own ancestral homes in the country, beat their servants, go grouse shooting and sit on the banks of the Thames sipping their Pimms." This is complete nonsense as the student base at all Universities is now very broad and multinational. (I put that bit of parody in quotes so the literal minded left wingers MIGHT realise that it is not, in fact, true.)
Also the fact that this publicity seeking non entity Oldfield is not even British shows the wonders of our open door policy.
But of course these class parodies serve the left wing morons so well that they are very loath to abandon them. Their only weapon is the politics of envy.
Chris

[Limehouse]

I quite agree
The so called "class war" is perpetuated by the lunatic Left and the parodies printed by them of bankers, Oxford students etc bear no relation to reality.
The son of a friend of mine - from a very ordinary working background - has worked bloody hard and done well for himself in banking - but he is not one of the megabuck earners. But the public mood, especially among those who can only think in slogans and parodies, the language of the Left, is so hostile that he actually lies about what his job is. What sad, shallow people we have become.
I have seen comments that state that all Oxford and Cambridge rowers and their followers are elitist, ex public school parasites, out of touch with how "real" people live. Of course, "they all own ancestral homes in the country, beat their servants, go grouse shooting and sit on the banks of the Thames sipping their Pimms." This is complete nonsense as the student base at all Universities is now very broad and multinational. (I put that bit of parody in quotes so the literal minded left wingers MIGHT realise that it is not, in fact, true.)
Also the fact that this publicity seeking non entity Oldfield is not even British shows the wonders of our open door policy.
But of course these class parodies serve the left wing morons so well that they are very loath to abandon them. Their only weapon is the politics of envy.
Chris

Hi Chris,

Well, you might be surprised to learn that I am quite left wing!

However, this pointless gesture, spoiling the boat race for everyone and putting himself and others in danger served no purpose. You have to pick your fights carefully. There is a case to be made that many working people have been priced out of leisure persuits they used to enjoy, and my comment about football is an example. Perhaps this chap is unaware of how elitist football has become in terms of it being too expensive for many people to see live these days.

As for bankers, well many of them certainly overreached themselves in terms of the investments they were making and the bubble had to burst sometime. However, the bank bosses and the governments (both Tory and Labour) who failed to regulate and monitor this behaviour are as much to blame for the current mess.

I think the fact that this left-wing lady is standing up and saying this guy was wrong and that his idiot behaviour achieved nothing serves to show that not all left-wingers will automatically support such behaviour and that we are not left-wing loonies but people with genuine concerns about real inequality.

Warmest regards.

Julie

[Chris Scott]

Hi Julie
Agree with nearly all your last post - one point, which I admit is nitpicking, is that you seem to be basing the definition of elitism purely in financial terms when you say
"Perhaps this chap is unaware of how elitist football has become in terms of it being too expensive for many people to see live these days."
Personally the impression I get from those who still believe in a "class war" is that elitism is only partly based on one's wealth, but also includes perceived advantages due to one's background, birth and education. In other words, a kind of inverted snobbery.

[Robert]

Julie, the reason that footballers are paid the huge sums of today's game, is that people actually do pay to see it. They might not all go to see it live at the grounds, but they do subscribe to various football packages on their TVs. Perhaps the only free TV football they get, is the ITV soccer coverage (paid for by ITV) or the BBC soccer coverage (not free but paid for with a smallish piece of the licence fee).

If people stopped paying money to watch footballers, then footballers would not be earning the sums that they do!

By the same token, if people stopped buying pop music, there would be no millionaire pop stars. And if they stopped buying lottery tickets, there would be no mega-lottery winners. It's everyone's choice whether to give money to pop stars, or lottery winners. They don't have a choice with the footballers as far as the licence fee is concerned, but they do have a choice as regards Sky etc.

[Limehouse]

Hi Julie
Agree with nearly all your last post - one point, which I admit is nitpicking, is that you seem to be basing the definition of elitism purely in financial terms when you say
"Perhaps this chap is unaware of how elitist football has become in terms of it being too expensive for many people to see live these days."
Personally the impression I get from those who still believe in a "class war" is that elitism is only partly based on one's wealth, but also includes perceived advantages due to one's background, birth and education. In other words, a kind of inverted snobbery.

Hi Chris,
I see your point, and again, I have to turn to examples that are not strictly traditional for a left-wing thinker!

There are very definite advantages to being born with 'the right' background. Opportunities open up for you that other people have to work much harder for. As an example, I had to wait until I was in my thirties to have a university education due to a range of difficult personal circumstances. If the circumstances were the same, but my background was more advantaged, there may have been a trust fund to ensure i could have that education at a much younger age.

However, when it comes to culture, many working-class people have gained access to what was previously thought of as 'high brow' culture, due to the financial donations made by wealthy people and those cultures have become less 'elitist'. Free art galleries and museums are examples but there are plenty more.

Sadly, football, previously a sport that attracted hundreds of thousands of people to stadiums (mostly men though, in the early days!) on Saturday afternoons has become too expensive for many people to enjoy.

I think many sensible left-wingers, those who have been so for many years, now think less about a class struggle, than about inequalities that occur due to low incomes, family break down, and a reduction in the services that used to give working class people and hand up (not a hand out).

Julie

[Limehouse]

Julie, the reason that footballers are paid the huge sums of today's game, is that people actually do pay to see it. They might not all go to see it live at the grounds, but they do subscribe to various football packages on their TVs. Perhaps the only free TV football they get, is the ITV soccer coverage (paid for by ITV) or the BBC soccer coverage (not free but paid for with a smallish piece of the licence fee).

If people stopped paying money to watch footballers, then footballers would not be earning the sums that they do!

By the same token, if people stopped buying pop music, there would be no millionaire pop stars. And if they stopped buying lottery tickets, there would be no mega-lottery winners. It's everyone's choice whether to give money to pop stars, or lottery winners. They don't have a choice with the footballers as far as the licence fee is concerned, but they do have a choice as regards Sky etc.

Hi Robert,

Although I didn't actually mention footballers' wages, I can see your line or argument as, the wages must surely have contributed to the cost of entrance tickets.

However, what has also contributed is clubs being floated on the stockmarket (Tottenham being the first in 1983), the cost of kitting out and maintaining the stadiums, the cost of launching new kits every season and, i have to say it, the idea that something should be priced according to 'market forces' which adds a premium to many prices if a service or product is 'in demand'.

It is sad that so many school children cannot today enjoy the thrill of a live game of football at their (hopefully!) local club.

Julie

[Robert]

Hi Julie

I don't know whether the kids who support lower division clubs can get to see a live game. Certainly the ones who support Man Utd will have a problem.

The days are gone when a player could spend his whole career at one club, and then hope for a good Testimonial receipt to help him get by while he tried to find some factory or office which would give a job to a guy in his 30s with no conventional work experience. And good job too! But the fans do connive in the current state of affairs. For example, the annual new kits : these are cynically changed every year to make the fans keep spending, year in, year out. But the fans don't have to do this. And I have to say, more fool them if they do.

[Limehouse]

Hi Julie

I don't know whether the kids who support lower division clubs can get to see a live game. Certainly the ones who support Man Utd will have a problem.

The days are gone when a player could spend his whole career at one club, and then hope for a good Testimonial receipt to help him get by while he tried to find some factory or office which would give a job to a guy in his 30s with no conventional work experience. And good job too! But the fans do connive in the current state of affairs. For example, the annual new kits : these are cynically changed every year to make the fans keep spending, year in, year out. But the fans don't have to do this. And I have to say, more fool them if they do.

Hi Robert,

It's £25 for an adult to sit in the family stand (if you get my meaning) at Peterborough United. They are in the Championship. Some clubs in this league charge more! That's a high price if you want to take the family along (obviously, kids are less - about £15 I think). I would think Manchester United is up around the £40 mark for a league game. Certainly when I saw POSH in the play-offs at Old Trafford last year, it cost us about £70 each.

Quite agree about the kits. They are an incredible price. It's criminal. I would not encourage such robbery.

Julie

[Robert]

That settles it, Julie : if I ever take up going to live matches, it's Barnstoneworth for me!