Interesting Links for 21-09-2013

[andrewducker]

• Who uses Twitter in the UK?
  (tags: twitter uk demographics )
• The _real_ reason people queue up for an iPhone
  (tags: advertising money iphone )
• Ukip conference: Controversial MEP Godfrey Bloom calls room full of women 'sluts' before branding news reporter 'racist' and hitting him over the head with brochure
  (tags: politics ukip )
• CBT: No better

Comments

[gonzo21]

I appreciate I should take no joy from UKIP's fairly spectacular self destruction, because they probably gained more voters than the lost by calling women 'sluts', and that's just depressing. But it was a truly impressive hitting of the self destruct button.

[danieldwilliam]

I think you're right.

I think quite a few voters will see this as another example of UKIP’s refreshing attitude to politics.

I reckon anyone who thinks it is problematic to call a roomful of women sluts and talk about cutting aid to Bongo Bongo land are already not going to be voting for UKIP.

And the guy’s had the whip removed so Farage can say that whilst UKIP might be a little rough round the edges there are lines beyond which even a personal friend of Farage’s can’t go.

And the coverage they got was blanket.

I’d say UKIP 2 Not UKIP 1 on this.

[gonzo21]

Plus in a sense it totally removed the media attention away from what their policies might be. Which might be a good thing as far as they are concerned. The UK voter has come out of the whole UKIP conference with the impression that they are a bunch of racist sexist arseholes who want to put women and lefty journalists in their place, and NO MORE IMMIGRANTS!

All of which would be likely to see them secure a pretty hefty chunk of the Tory vote if the average Tory voter wasn't concerned about splitting their vote and letting Labour in.

I can't see many Lib Dem voters switching to UKIP. Although I suppose the problem for Lib Dem voters is who else could they possibly vote for anyway.

[danieldwilliam]

I am not so sure that the average Tory voter is that concerned about splitting their vote. I'm not sure it's occured to them that it is a possibility.

Their senior leadership are very worried about it but ordinary voters on the right have never come across a vote splitting situation.

[rhythmaning]

You might be interested in a series The Economist are running on the financial crisis.

The first one - a couple of weeks ago - is on the origins of the crisis, and seemed to sum it up pretty well:

http://www.economist.com/news/schoolsbrief/21584534-effects-financial-crisis-are-still-being-felt-five-years-article

[channelpenguin]

See also Positive Money

[ashfae]

Claims that 'video games lead to violence' lead to violence

I should probably find this frustrating, but in fact I think it's hilarious.

Also *damn* Peter Dinklage can sing!

[danieldwilliam]

I'm taking from the context of the remarks that he meant slut in the sense of being a poor housekeeper rather than sexually promiscous.