Transport for London Bans Gay Cure Bus Adverts
I put up an article a couple of weeks ago about Stonewall’s adverts on London buses.
I thought there would be some protests and after watching them for nearly three weeks, I haven’t even seen one that has been damaged.
I usually read the Evening Standard and listen to the local news and have seen no reports of any protest either.
But now some gay cure adverts planned by an opposing Christian group, have been banned by Transport for London, as reported here.
I have read about the therapy they are promoting in serious newspapers and magazines and it is not something I believe will work. Therapy, such as that for smoking and nail-biting does work, but only because the person seriously wants to give up. So on the same basis if a person seriously wanted to stop being gay, some simple less agressive therapy might help. There is a serious article in the Guardian, that anybody who believes religious-based methods cure people from being gay should read.
But my biggest issue with the adverts, is that they mimic the ones from Stonewall.
Surely this is an infringement of copyright!
Just imagine the row if Pepsi-Cola copied an advert from Coca-Cola.
Stonewall’s Bus Adverts
It would appear that the hated Wonga adverts seem to have all but disappeared, but another group has replaced them from Stonewall.
Stonewall’s Bus Advert
I have no objection, as being gay is just another facet of our many-faceted society, especially as I think that they are promoting same sex marriage in the adverts. I was lucky enough to have a very good marriage, that lasted nearly forty years, so who am I to deny anybody the same happiness, just because their sexuality is different from mine.
I should say that I was only intending to take a picture of the bus on the right, but when your eyesight is dodgy, pictures don’t turn out how you expect them!
Horse Racing Leaves the BBC
A sad day!
I enjoy my horse-racing, especially as my late wife and I bred and owned race-horses for nearly thirty years.
I shall still go occasionally, but I doubt I’ll watch it on the television any more. The reason is adverts. I find them so annoying.
That’s why I must be one of the few people, who has never seen any of Downton Abbey.
I did enjoy the Cheltenham Festival though on Radio 5.
Millions of us are paying for the very silly move to Salford.
The Priory
The Priory Clinic is well-thought of for sorting addiction and other mental problems.
However, I was surprised to see that it was advertising in a local glossy magazine at my dentist’s in Notting Hill yesterday.
Perhaps they’ve found it’s an area, where many of their past clients live.
Do We Get A Bonus for Losing?
The caption is on a cartoon in the Sunday Times, showing two Scottish rugby players, leaving the field in their RBS jerseys, with a banner saying RBS 6 Nations in the background.
Fred must be laughing into his Shreddies.
A Dangerous Van?
I saw this van parked in the City
A Dangerous Van?
But it did catch my eye, which is the purpose the paint job.
Names on Clothing
I was standing in the queue in Waitrose, when a guy came up to stand behind me. He had this jumper on advertising a company called Franklin and Marshall in large letters. As one does, I was curious as to what the firm did, as I’ve seen quite a few jumpers like this. He then said it was just the name of the brand. When I asked how much they paid him, he just laughed.
I may well have a North Face quilted jacket, but the branding is more discrete.
Jon Snow Is Everywhere
It’s a good cause and I agree with the charity’s aims.
Trees for Cities Advert with Jon Snow
Adverts for Trees for Cities are everywhere on the Underground and they feature Jon Snow.
I was at Liverpool University, just before Jon Snow organised the protest against Lord Salisbury, who at the time was Chancellor of the university. There must have been an earlier protest, as I remember something about 1968. In Engineering, who didn’t take too much of a political stance. the reasons were a bit above our head. Although, we did think that Lord Salisbury was not the sort of old right-wing political buffer, who should hold that position. Wikipedia says this about the protest in 1970.
Apart from his political career Salisbury was Chancellor of the University of Liverpool from 1951 until 1971. In 1970, students at the university staged an occupation at Senate House to demand his removal, over his support for apartheid and similarly reactionary views.
I think it is true to say, that today, anybody with those views wouldn’t hold such a position.
In the end Jon Snow was rusticated for organising the protest, but the University did later award him an honorary Doctor of Letters in 2011.
C’s tutor at the University was Robert Kilroy Silk. He was also one of the organisers of the protest against Lord Salisbury, but I have read that at the last minute he didn’t turn up. It couldn’t have been because he was giving a tutorial to C, as she had graduated from the university in the previous year and we were living in London. Obviously, no punishment was handed down to Kilroy Silk.
C always found him odious and I can remember her stinking with tobacco smoke after she had been to one of his tutorials, where he chain-smoked Capstan Full Strength all the way through.
He obviously left the right impression on her, as once we were standing next to him at Newmarket racecourse and no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get her to approach him and speak of her times at Liverpool under his tutelage.
So now I think justice has been done. Kilroy was here, briefly and Jon Snow is everywhere. Sadly C is no more, but I still have her memories of her tutor in my mind.
Wonga Moments All Over London
I don’t like Wonga and I don’t think I’m alone judging by the excellent press they are getting.
Now they are advertising on the sides of London buses.
I hope that this advertising has the wrong effect from the company’s point of view. It may put the company’s name in the minds of possible punters, but if they don’t need a loan yet, it will also attract them to articles in the media, which is probably a good thing, as I’ve yet to see one that is the least bit positive towards Wonga!
Slogans I’ve seen so far include :-
THIS IS OUR SMALL PRINT
Pay back early, pay less.
How much? How Long? You decide.
Straight talking money.
Need wonga now? Just add .com
All seem to me to be rather too subtle for their target market.
Watching England Against Spain
I only watch football on ITV under sufferance, as their commentators aren’t the best and they tend to interrupt everything with pointless adverts.
So tonight, as I often do, I have the ITV pictures with the sound off and I’m listening to the Radio 5 Live commentary. I get a better description and no adverts.
But tonight, the radio commentators are on one side of the pitch and the television cameras are on the other. It could be a bit confusing for some, but I’m finding it enjoyable, especially as with a minute to go,England are winning.
I suspect, it’s also some fiendish plot to get us to watch the match, rather than listen to it, so we have to watch the stupid adverts!
The Anonymous Widower 