20 million dollars worth of plastic surgery. And that's the face you choose.
A Century of Labour, Wendy Cope, Colonel House
In my forty years as a newsletter, leaflet and blog writer, I’ve remained a steadfast film fan and witnessed the evolution of how we share our cinematic experiences. From the early days of fanzines through to today's sophisticated platforms. Letterboxd, a relatively new entrant in this space, has caught my attention for all the right reasons.
Remembering the days when I used to run my own site for film discussions amongst friends, I appreciate how Letterboxd revolutionises this concept. It's not merely a film review app; it's a social network tailored for movie buffs. The platform allows users to log films, write reviews, and follow friends or critics, making it a hub for deciding your next movie.
What impresses me most about Letterboxd is its intuitive interface. It's user-friendly, making it simple to keep track of films I've watched or plan to watch. The ability to curate lists and participate in film-related discussions adds a communal dimension that's both engaging and informative. So far I’ve added about 120 movies and I’ve only been on a week. I’m going to log what I watch systematically from here on in and backfill when I remember a film that grabbed the attention.
Letterboxd's rating is a highlight with a simple five-star (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) system. This feature, coupled with the platform's ability to track viewing habits, makes it an invaluable tool for anyone passionate about cinema.
In summary, Letterboxd isn't just another film review app; it's a fan community that resonates with our love for films. It's a platform where enthusiasts can converge, share, and discover, making it a must-have for anyone with a keen interest in cinema. Thank you to film fan Malachy Watson for recommending it to me!
If you’re as subscriber, why not find me on the platform. My user name is Lord Curzon!
Reading
Jon Cruddas, A Century of Labour
Momentous events took place this month a century ago. I don’t just share my January 8th birthday with Elvis, Shirley Bassey and David Bowie. This year, January 8th also marked 100 years since Pravda reported the death of Lenin and the illness of Leon Trotsky, signalling his future excommunication from the Communist Party High Command.
In the UK, the House of Commons voted no confidence in Stanley Baldwin (in my opinion the most misunderstood Conservative Party leader of the last century). It heralded the formation of the first ever Labour government, led by the the most misunderstood Labour leader of the last century, Ramsay MacDonald.
I’ve known Dr Jon Cruddas for forty years. At times we worked closely together. I supported him when he ran to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in 2010. In that time I’ve seen him explore the ideas of Blairite social democracy, Christian Socialism, Industrial and Workerist interests on the trade union left and the return to class-based politics of Blue Labour.
His first job was as an industrial researcher in the Labour Party Headquarters of Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. His appointment was viewed with suspicion by many as he was considered by some to be too academic for a political researcher’s job.
As a political scientist Jon has wrestled deeply with the strands of political thought that are in the historic weave of the Labour Party. Like a tortured political physicist, I’ve seen him wrestle for a unifying theory of socialism, contorting himself to bring together the many tribes of Labour into a contemporary coherence. Jon’s book, A Century of Labour, is similarly contorted, as he chronicles the many strands of thinking that is the tableau of Labour’s first hundred years.
His book is an enjoyable and pacy read for Labour party nerds, keen historians and students of politics. Congratulations to him for being about the only Labour politician who thinks celebrating our first 100 years as a party of government is worth it.
Watching
An alternative to the midlife crisis. Are we ready for pro-aging not anti-aging products? Can we make aging aspirational?
Extract of the Week
With conflict in Europe and the Middle East erupting around us, you realise how easy it is to slip from peace to war and how hard it is to regain the peace. The failure of Netanyahu to articulate any vision of what a lasting peace may look like is a failure of leadership from a beleaguered leader at the end of his career.
Colonel Edward House played a significant role in shaping American foreign policy during World War 1 and afterwards. He was instrumental in the formulation of the League of Nations and substantially impacted the Treaty of Versailles negotiations. The papers reveal his deep involvement in diplomatic efforts, his views on international affairs, and his interactions with key figures of the era.
Fortunately, I have children who pretend to listen to me and occasionally do. They have a deep interest in history and appreciate that they live in a generally stable, safe and secure country. I’m afraid it’s for their generation to learn how my generation has screwed it up.
Here’s Colonel House leaving his work on the Treaty of Versailles, with all the fault lines and pressure points, but knowing that sometimes you have to take the only available peace. Maybe we should send both volumes of his memoirs to every leader in the Middle East.
Edward House, The Intimate Papers of Colonel House
June 29th, 1919: I am leaving Paris, after eight fateful months, with conflicting emotions. Looking at the Conference in retrospect there it much to approve and much to regret. It is easy to say what should have been done, but more difficult to have found a way for doing it...
While I should have preferred a diflerent peace, I doubt whether it could have been made, for the ingredients for such a peace as I would have had were lacking at Paris. And even it those of us like Smuts, Botha, and Cecil could have had our will, as much trouble might have followed a peace of our making as seems certain to follow this.
The same forces that have been at work in the making of this peace would be at work to hinder the enforcement of a different kind of peace, and no one can say with certitude that anything better than has been done could be done at this time. We have had to deal with a situation pregnant with difficulties and one which could not be met only by an unselfish and idealistic spirit, which was almost wholly absent and which was too much to expect of men come together at such a time and for such a purpose.
And yet I wish we had taken the other road, even if it were less smooth, both now and afterward, than the one we took. We would at least have gone in the right direction, and if those who follow us had made it impossible to go the full length of the journey planned, the responsibility would have rested with them and not with us.
Poem of the Week
What I’m about to say sounds crazy, but I’ll tell you anyway. The Houses of Parliament are split between the Commons and the Lords. I’m very conscious that the Lords are the subordinate chamber to the Commons. My biggest fear of a return to SW1 was getting dragged into all the day-to-day political intrigues in the Commons.
The fear is so great that I purposefully avoid the Commons, even making a rule that I avoid walking on the green carpets and sticking to the red ones. The colours denote the territorial divide between the elected and appointed chambers.
This week, I broke the rule and spent time on the green carpet of the Strangers bar in the Commons side of the palace. The place was abuzz as it was the night of the Rwanda votes. I had a very convivial conversation with our charismatic Home Secretary. He is remarkably knowledgeable about the UK Music Industry and takes an interest in the lives of the people around him.
Somewhat understandably, James Cleverly was delighted with the result. He would have been working very hard to put the Government’s case to Conservative backbenchers who were minded to vote against the Bill.
It would have been straightforward to get into an argument with him! Yet, what would have been the point of that? He was off duty. He’s been arguing his case all day. And so we spoke about music and made polite conversation. He’s affable, and I enjoy his company.
The voice in my head during this encounter was Wendy Cope’s!
“Differences of opinion” is about a darker subject, that of the sockpuppeting and boorish male partners. Yet the line about arguing that the earth is flat resonated. I mean, the Rwanda plan is expensive and convoluted. Everyone, even James Cleverly, knows it won’t sort out the issue of small boats, but the political battle lines are drawn, and no one can afford to give in.
I’m glad I spend my time on the red carpet these days, but speaking to James and many other former colleagues in the Commons for a night was lovely.
Differences of Opinion by Wendy Cope
He tells her that the earth is flat - He knows the facts, and that is that.
In altercations fierce and long
She tries her best to prove him wrong.
But he has learned to argue well.
He calls her arguments unsound And often asks her not to yell.
She cannot win. He stands his ground.
The planet goes on being round.
If quoting from this newsletter, please mention “Tom Watson’s newsletter on Substack.” Thank you.
Cheers Tom. Jon Cruddas' remains my overseas voters MP. I campaigned with him in the past. Good man, as are you. I wish him well in his future.
Well this Letterbox site may be good but their sign up process is LUDICROUS! I was asked ten times to verify that I was human by going through ridiculous click on odd-one-out pics, and even then it wouldn't give me membership. I gave up. Furthermore what I could see of the site looked to be far too complex.