Anglotastic is back, Doctor Who and politics in hand! (1/11/10)

Oh, HI, everybody! Hi, hi, hi! I haven't seen you in oh so long! Guess what?! I got a teapot for Christmas! Teapots are great! You can brew three cups of tea at a time! This is terrible! Because you can brew three cups of tea at a time! That is a lot more caffeine than I'm used to! OMG!!!

Holy teapot, that is a lot of caffeine!

So I know I totally abandoned you for, um, more than a month. It's just that Hogwarts scheduled some craaaazy winter exams, and then everyone went home for the winter break, and then just holy cow things have been nutty. But I am back, and how! The blog will resume its regularly scheduled Monday, Wednesday, and Friday appearances, and everything is going to be Anglo-riffic up in here like whoa.

First up: Doctor Who, natch!
I have finally sufficiently recovered from the traumatic conclusion to series 2 to watch series 3, which is to say that on Saturday, I got up and started watching Doctor Who, and then it was 10:30 at night and I was like, "Um, hello, Saturday? Did I time-travel *past* you? What is going ON?"

There are a few things that I just absolutely have to say, and here they are:

• I really don't like the character of Martha Jones. But I do love hearing the Doctor say my name! Also, seeing the Doctor's personality clash with Martha's threw his character in such sharp relief. That was pretty fab. I lurve you, Doctor!

Say my name, Doctor. Say my name.

• The Master used the word "decimate" correctly! No one does that! *copyeditor swoon*

"Decimate them.…Remove one-tenth."

• Donna on the Doctor's jacket: "God, you're skinny! This wouldn't fit a rat!" = I cannot WAIT for oodles of Catherine Tate in series 4.

You're totes right, Donna. He is skinny. Molly Weasley would insist that you eat a sandwich immediately, Doctor!

• I really, really missed the Doctor.

I'm sorry I ever doubted you, David Tennant. You are man enough to be the Doctor. And your glasses make you look super-smart.

• And finally, a spoiler [highlight to read]: OH MY GOD CAPTAIN JACK IS THE FACE OF BOE!!! THAT IS CRAZY AWESOME!!!

This is what a spoiler looks like.

And now, let's get political. That'll be super-exciting!
I'mma be real with you: I don't get British politics at all. (I'm particularly confused by their apparent ability to schedule elections on a whim. "I'm feeling a bit peckish. I think I fancy a spot of tea, a ham sandwich, and an election to determine who should be running the country.") But there seems to be a lot of drama going down right now, so if you're into that sort of thing—or think you can explain it to me—here you go:

• The British government is filled with people who have names like "Ed Balls" and "Alistair Darling." This is confusing enough, but it's made worse by the fact that it seems they're all spatting with each other. The recent catfight features such mudslinging as accusing each other of fighting class wars. Oh, no you DIDn't, girlfriend!


• Peter Watt, former General Secretary of the Labour Party, is totally dishing the dirt on Gordon Brown in the Mail on Sunday. In the grand tradition of political writing, Watt's article is packed with all the excitement of watching pumpkins grow. But still. What an old gossip, eh?


• Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls (seriously? Ed Balls? I will never get over your ridiculous name. Jeez) teams up with "foul-mouthed rapper Kano" to "promote school diplomas." The resultant track and video are actually pretty fab:

Anatomy book? Check.
Female drummer? Check.
Random seafaring vessel? Check.

I dig it.