Duncan Barbour

[Stephen Ford @StephenSeanFord]

it is still wild to me that Goldeneye, Toy Story, Jumanji and Heat were in theaters at the same time in the december of 1995

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.

[The Scotsman @TheScotsman]

North Berwick lifeboat crews scramble to rescue dog walker who jumped into sea to save pet https://t.co/6vTTf1CPrt

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

Childcare on the Brink: Stop the 2026 Cut That Will Push Childminders Out - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/fZfDRUqi0l via @UKChange

[In Otter News.... @In_Otter_News2]

Scottish currency is awesome...

[Bloom Her Life @glowstronggirl]

How to stop yourself from sinking

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

@glowstronggirl @healthnutritipz ……and in the @RNLI we call this #FloatToLive So Float Like A Starfish and it will help you overcome Cold Water Shock and may save your life as can be seen on #SavingLivesAtSea @NBRNLI Get the kids told…

[ExcludedUK Official @ExcludedUK]

As MPs head off for Christmas Recess, many will be congratulating themselves on a job well done.

Meanwhile, millions of excluded constituents are facing a bleak Christmas and no certainty for the New Year. Still struggling with debt, hardship and the long-term aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic, they remain forgotten and unsupported.

This is not something to celebrate.

ExcludedUK continues to stand with those left behind. Learn more at https://t.co/0yvKedEu5A

MPs and members of the House of Lords who want to be part of the solution can join our Gaps in Covid-19 Financial Support APPG. To get involved, please email [email protected]

No one should be excluded. Not now. Not ever.

#ExcludedUK

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

@PSOSNAyrshire @WaterSafetyScot Very good advice & remember, if you fall into cold water or encounter it in an inland body of water, to relax try not to panic, tilt your head back until your ears are in the water, spread your arms & legs out & float like a starfish. #floattolive @NBRNLI @RNLI @WaterSafetyScot

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

@007 Definitely the tank through the wall on Goldeneye…….why….because I was driving the tracking vehicle that was stationary in front of the wall waiting for the tank to come thru, off the ramp & land. Heart thumping stuff getting that tracking shot!!

[East Lothian Courier @elcourier]

North Berwick RNLI reveal seven lives saved https://t.co/3mzjlRihDb

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

@Brownsvilleted https://t.co/m4qWspAIUS

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

@Brownsvilleted Outrageous and hilarious… Got to watch the whole film, you’ll never look at, or trust your woolly buggers again!!

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

There it is. Putin offers Trump a better rare minerals deal in his country and says Russia has significantly larger rare earth reserves than Ukraine.

Wake the fuck up MAGA!
Trump is a transactional narcissist with a debt to pay and a country to leverage.

This “deal” isn’t just about minerals. It’s about setting up a scenario where Russia and Trump both win at America’s expense.

Trump does NOT care if this weakens the U.S. longterm.
He just needs it weak enough while he’s in control so that no one can stop him from doing whatever he wants.

[Ed Krassenstein @EdKrassen]

For the ignorant Americans who don't understand what US Aid to Ukraine actually looks like, please read and share this list:

- The vast majority of the military aid we're providing Ukraine comes directly from existing U.S. military stockpiles.

- These weapons aren't brand new; they're mostly older stockpiles that the U.S. military planned to replace anyway.

- The funding approved by Congress actually goes to American companies (like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing) to build new, upgraded weapons for OUR OWN military.

- This helps the American economy:
Supports thousands of American jobs
Strengthens American manufacturing
Ensures our military gets newer, better weapons

- Ukraine gets help against Putin's aggression. From his military's horrific violations against innocent women and children.

- America gets stronger, safer, and better equipped in the process.

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

@stuntcentral @Really007pod @PodDojo @BritishStuntReg Sad news indeed. I worked on quite a few film jobs with Nick with First Knight and Braveheart being the first ones. A lovely decent guy and a true gentleman, a comment which I am sure will be repeated by many of his colleagues. My condolences to his family.

[Duncan Barbour @DuncanBarbour]

I remember t day well as I was in Moscow that day for meetings en route to Irkutsk & Bratsk in connection with setting up the 1990 Camel Trophy which was the 1st international motorsport ever held in t Soviet Union. Huge excitement in the city along with the huge queues!! Amazing

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

The first McDonald’s in Moscow opened in 1990, and the story is insane. A Thread🧵

[Glenn Campbell @GlennBBC]

ICYMI

🎥 the film I made about living with a brain tumour is still showing

📺 7.45pm tonight on the BBC Scotland channel

💻 anytime on BBC iPlayer at link below

https://t.co/WWjRtekxzG

Thank you for all the positive feedback.

I’ve been blown away by your messages🙏 ❤️