Mark Thomas (off topic)

[Matt]

I've just been to a gig by Mark Thomas. I've honestly never been as moved at any gig I've been too. He was on stage for about three hours in total, talking about various projects and anecdoates centered around efforts he's involved in to make the world a fairer place and highlight injustices.

Towards the end of the gig, it became less funny as he became really passionate about what he was saying. He was literally screaming down the microphone as he descibed how he felt when finding himself sitting on the table next to politicians in Turkey who approve legislation used to torture, rape and murder hundreds of thousands of people.

I've never been to a gig before, much less a comedy gig, where instead of looking around and seeing people pissing themselves with laughter, you see people openly crying as the comedian uses humour (and sometimes just says directly) how injust and tragic some things are in the world. On the way out, people were so moved they were discussing ways they could help make the world a better place.

Sorry to banter on, and it's waaaaay off topic, I know - but I'm hoping this ickle recommendation to catch the remaining dates on the tour slips by since I'm usually so good.

I thank you.


Matt.

[Tenacious D]

Yes I have to agree the guy's on the fucking ball. You just have to say he is one of the more enlightened human beings and Im glad their is people like him around. If you like Mark Thomas check out the late and great Bill Hicks he's just plain amazing (sorry if you know about him already , I just feel its my duty to turn anyone on to his work).

[Dave]

I have to agree with Tenacious on this one.You have to get Bill Hicks best of CD, he does a piece about Pornography and Pornographers, true classic.I do miss that Man.

[Diem]

Has nobody seen the Mark Thomas Comedy Product on Channel 4?

Its has had three? seasons and he is brilliant.

And ditto everybody on Bill Hicks.

[magoo]

MT is passionate about his causes and also a thorn in the side of the authorities and large companies. This makes him a good guy in my book. Also since the Tories became an un-electable joke he has become the unofficial opposition to New Labour!! They fear him more than Ian Duncan Smith or Ann Widdecome and who can blame them because once he locks on to an issue he is as tenacious as a terrier.

[Richard B]

It's all so easy for him. Everyone is wrong and he is right (cue abuse). Yes, the world has a lot of shits in it and yes Governments do crappy things (and politicians aren't always able to live up to their own high ideals) but he makes it sound so easy.

We have a real world to live in - a world where we have to compromise - but aim high at the same time. People like Mark Thomas are fully entitled to say everyone who has ever held high public office is a corrupt bastard, but I happen to think that even the Tories are doing what they think is right. Let's face it - no-one goes into politics for the money - Tony Blair, even Michael Howard (for gawd sake), could concentrate on the Bar and earn five times as much with none of the abuse.

It's a free world and I accept Thomas is good at what he does - but it's a very easy shot to piously point out where every politician goes wrong and he, Mark Thomas, is so right. And he knows it - that makes him a tosser in my book - as cynical as nearly everyone he attacks, preying on the idealism of the young, pretending there is a simple answer.

There, I've said it - you can abuse me as much as you like, but we need people who can do, not people who just throw mud (and cynically at that), like Thomas.

[me]

i always felt politicians went into politics because they have a very deep seated need to control their world and as a by-product, ours too. control freaks. you're right in saying that somebody has to make these 'tough' decision, but i certainly dont have to like them and they certainly dont have to take the 100+k a year AND considerable benifits to do it. and nobody goes into politics for the money,HA! politicians could make more money at the bar? yeah right, cos all politicians are inteligent legal eagles with a keen mind. try biggoted lazy hypocrites skimming the nation of its taxes till they can weasel/defraud enough money to retire to the south of france,cos britain is the shit hole they helped create. if your gonna set your self above the rest of us the least they could do is try to make a difference and not just jump on the gravy train and flip us the finger in contempt at us for being stupib enough to belive their lies! WANKERS!

[Richard B]

It's very easy to post abuse behind an false name.

There's not much of an answer to the end of your message other than I'll have some of what you're on. I noticed you were as bad about Mary Whitehouse last week.

For the grief they get, ?100k for senior politicians is nothing. You can earn much, much more at the Bar or in the City without the grief - and our top politicians on all sides could do that.

It's good for us that they don't. Part of the problem today is that some people won't accept that politicians are changing things for the better - I could reel off a list of things where a difference is being made.

It's easy to say "everything's crap and they are all in it for themselves" but it's not true - open your eyes - oh, and next time, let's know who you are.

[Matt]

Of course, a little research would reveal that Mark Thomas, far from simply 'throwing mud', founded a project called the 'Ilusu Dam Campaign'. I won't go into it now, cos it's a long story, but do some reading.

People who "just throw mud" don't manage to stop a government backed project, an Export Credit Guarantee Department decision and team up with various human rights groups to pressure four multi nationals to pull out of an environmental disaster and a deepoly unethical project that would displace thousands of Kurdish people. Thomas is a prime example of a good human being precisely because he DOESN'T throw mud.

May be you're mixing him up with ... hmm, I don't know... yourself, maybe?

[alec]

Interesting but off-topic. No more posts please or the whole thread will be deleted in an effort to discourage threads which are even further off-topic and even more likely to lead to abuse.