Donald I, emperor of the world.

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AndyRM

Elder Goth
This evening re-watched the film Wag the Dog. If others have not seen it you need to see it. If you have seen it, maybe time to watch it again. Brilliant and probably very relevant.

It's a comedy but listen very carefully to the script as there is so much more than the surface story. Brilliant casting, many very renowned actors in roles completely suited.

The entire film stuffed with significant moments (often linking to other parts) but one very "accessible" scene is the "song", the theme to progress the agenda (3 mins and listen to the lyrics - spirit of the film but a the rest is much more subtle).


And so much to overlook eg soundtrack (theme song by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straights).

One review that to me sums the film up well "The movie is a satire that contains just enough realistic ballast to be teasingly plausible; like Dr. Strangelove, it makes you laugh, and then it makes you wonder" (Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times) - even more so these days.

Very few people I mention it to have ever heard of it, not a "block buster" but directed by Barry Levinson, staring Robert de Niro, dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, Kirsten Dunst, Denis Leary, etc. even James Belushi (as himself).

From 1997 so not written or made with Trump in mind and never really mentions Republican nor Democrat - neutral in that regard. And brilliantly filmed "old school" ie no CGI etc. just camera moving and panning etc.


Great film. When I saw it I thought "Well that has to have come out after the Lewinski scandal", but nope, shortly before.

The neutrality is one of the film's biggest assets as you can apply it to pretty much any political skulduggery.
 

Pinno718

Senior Member
...
 

Pinno718

Senior Member

He's still posting insane sh*t on Truth social at silly o'clock*. Maybe bits of him have fallen off and they're gluing them back on.

*Or it's Trumps double. AI thinks the Truth Social posts are far too comprehensible and well structured with extensive vocabulary to be written by DT.
Though imagine a cover up of a Dead President in the ewe ess. Wouldn't it be bloody magic?

The king is dead! Long live the wahey.
 
OP
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C R

C R

Guru
This evening re-watched the film Wag the Dog. If others have not seen it you need to see it. If you have seen it, maybe time to watch it again. Brilliant and probably very relevant.

It's a comedy but listen very carefully to the script as there is so much more than the surface story. Brilliant casting, many very renowned actors in roles completely suited.

The entire film stuffed with significant moments (often linking to other parts) but one very "accessible" scene is the "song", the theme to progress the agenda (3 mins and listen to the lyrics - spirit of the film but a the rest is much more subtle).


And so much to overlook eg soundtrack (theme song by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straights).

One review that to me sums the film up well "The movie is a satire that contains just enough realistic ballast to be teasingly plausible; like Dr. Strangelove, it makes you laugh, and then it makes you wonder" (Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times) - even more so these days.

Very few people I mention it to have ever heard of it, not a "block buster" but directed by Barry Levinson, staring Robert de Niro, dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, Kirsten Dunst, Denis Leary, etc. even James Belushi (as himself).

From 1997 so not written or made with Trump in mind and never really mentions Republican nor Democrat - neutral in that regard. And brilliantly filmed "old school" ie no CGI etc. just camera moving and panning etc.


It was made at the height of the Lewinsky scandal, and I think the US had just bombed the Sudan pharmaceutical factory. Very topical at the time.
 
OP
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C R

C R

Guru
Great film. When I saw it I thought "Well that has to have come out after the Lewinski scandal", but nope, shortly before.

Are you sure about that? I watched it in the cinema at the time it was released, and the parallels with Clinton's shenanigans and random bombings of Iraq and Sudan were in everyone's lips.
 

Pinno718

Senior Member
I liked the idea of Wag the dog but I thought the film was pants and the acting was poor. I found it only semi-plausible and over contrived. That's just me.
 

AndyRM

Elder Goth
Are you sure about that? I watched it in the cinema at the time it was released, and the parallels with Clinton's shenanigans and random bombings of Iraq and Sudan were in everyone's lips.

Hm, I could be wrong, it's been known to happen occasionally.
 
That's not going to stop the rumours...

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It's fun following this just for all the conjecture

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Psamathe

Veteran
Interesting how much bigger the recent SCO summit is and my suspicion it's growing after pressure from Trump to move to closer relationships with friendlier countries.
25th summit
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24th summit
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23 rd summit
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Not really a surprise all these countries are not just rolling over to Trump's demands.
 

Bazzer

Senior Member
A US judge with the fabulous name Sparkle Sooknanan, blocks the Trump administration's attempt to deport unaccompanied children aged between 10 and 17.
The dictator's DoJ claims these were not deportations but repatriations to their families. - Which is of course why the flights were happening in the middle of the night on a holiday weekend.
 

Psamathe

Veteran
.
Interesting how much bigger the recent SCO summit is and my suspicion it's growing after pressure from Trump to move to closer relationships with friendlier countries.
25th summit

View attachment 9754
24th summit View attachment 9755
23 rd summit View attachment 9756

Not really a surprise all these countries are not just rolling over to Trump's demands.
Thinking more on this it does to a degree highlight a shortcoming for the UK. I wouldn't expect the UK to attend the event but when you see a larger grouping of countries working for closer ties in the face of an increasingly unreliable US maybe the UK should have greater focus on establishing better relations with other countries rather than being Trump's sycophant with so much effort in seeking Trump's approval and doing his bidding.
 
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Thinking more on this it does to a degree highlight a shortcoming for the UK. I wouldn't expect the UK to attend the event but when you see a larger grouping of countries working for closer ties in the face of an increasingly unreliable US maybe the UK should have greater focus on establishing better relations with other countries rather than being Trump's sycophant with so much effort in seeking Trump's approval and doing his bidding.

Starmer's still running scared of doing anything more than flashing the odd furtive glance at the EU wondering if there might be anything in the relationship even after the messy divorce.
 
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All uphill

Well-Known Member
Starmer's still running scared of doing anything more than flashing the odd furtive glance at the EU wondering if there might be anything in the relationship even after the messy divorce.

I'm no fan of Starmer and the current version of Labour, but I see that he has to work with the USA as much as possible, while moving closer to the EU. The alternative would be to snub Trump which would be an immediate disaster.

If he goes much faster with the EU he will be accused of creeping around them. Imo he's made the least bad job possible out of the circumstances, unlike his domestic policy choices
 
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