This Week - Stewart Lee talks about drinking (05.03.09)

[TheCOWWWWW]

Im durnk

[Sboy200]

@TheCOWWWWW i envy youuuu lol

[STOPjammietime]

Lee's right (as usual) - it's the root cause of alcohol abuse that needs to be tackled. There's something that lies at the heart of our culture that leads to people to want to lose themselves in booze - reservation, shyness, inhibition. Making alcohol more expensive will only make people more broke and it won't do anything to solve the problem. It's just papering over the cracks - something the govt loves to do in the absence of any meaningful research or hard work.

[stefozzie]

if Lee doesn't end up running this country soon I'll cry and cry and cry

[domnal]

Of course one can always come on to You tube for a good old swear and a rant without getting into a fist fight even if you call everyone by the worst vulgarisms available . I believe some violence can be re-directed in this way. You tally whacking ugly fat big fat sweaty fat shower of shit Bastards who only like to swear at people without making any real sense whatsoever. !!

[domnal]

If you are a violent person you can do far more damage SOBER !!

But most violent people believe that being drunk enhances their abilities.

It just enhances their abilities to be an expensive nuisance .

To stop that expensive nuisance you have to offer an outlet to the Violence.

It has little to do with drink. Why are people violent ? Why do they need to be ? etc

[iandeansilk]

Stewart Lee hits the nail on the head. Alcohol makes work viable.

[domnal]

@iandeansilk I often wonder how many murders or assaults have been avoided by someone storming off "down the pub for a pint " rather than punching the lights out on a nasty supervisor who no one would be bothered about

but you'd get the sack for gross misconduct !! I believe that alcohol can be a violence reducer in that sort of circumstance. Hobbies can have a similar effect - It is why married men have sheds !!

[PaperMoonMedia]

wish that fucking black fat cunt wouldn't interrupt big L

[ignorantpom]

What's with all the "This Week" hate? It's alright...

[viajandoenbus]

He come out, Stew...

[JapeUK]

I think its telling when two MPs and a journalist can only waffle over the old days while the comedian is making relatively serious points about the unspoken side of the argument, which are then not even responded to. I've heard more nuanced licensing debates between two blokes in a pub, ironically. Politicians seem to think taxing wil just price (poor) people out of the market, ignoring the 'why'. If you think you need that friday piss up to relax yourself after work, you'll find the money.

[trollfinger]

It's easy to take pictures of the problems that drink cause when there are young people falling all over the street. How do you take pictures of the people that drink doesn't effect ? "Here is a man walking up a street after a few pints"

[wrangliser]

Why is that dumb bitch even there? Retarded?

[warriorofwrestlingv3]

I wish the black woman would shut the fuck up and let people make their points without talking over them.

[TenWhoWereTaken]

That man sitting next to the black woman has an amazing face.

[RoughOutlineProduce]

Diane, stop talking over the ends of people's sentences, you bad bell.

[GriefTourist]

that first pint on friday evening........something alkys will never enjoy again, hahaha

[JoeCrogan]

she is pretty annoying

[evergonge]

did anyone see how cheap the beer was just over a year ago lol! i hate fatty abott

[evergonge]

did anyone see how cheap the beer was just over a year ago lol!

[ginnever]

FUCKING HELL I HATE DIANE ABBOTT

[soundslave]

Another story where a minority of retards ruin everyone elses fun. Most people drink responsibly. A blanket price increase won't help, it'll just earn the government more money through taxes... ohh now I get it.

[inkibert]

How many pints of strong cider would it take to get Michael to shag Diane.

[romannosejob]

I live in Glasgow, and often go out on Friday and Saturday nights, it's really not that bad. Never been in a fight and I've rarely even seen one.

[nothingnesswithouten]

I like it that Stewart Lee starts off with "I don't know." I respect his appreciation of uncertainty.

[jessejames2k]

5:30 "O.K. Now I'm going to write a joke about you, bitch"

[asubjectiveopinion]

What's up with Diane Abbot's eyes?

Is she on medication or something?

[crazytosh1]

Why doesn't Abbot stop closing her fucking eyes when she talks!

[jimbob1969]

why doesn't Abbott just shut her chops and let the guy speak

[FrogmortonHotchkiss]

@jimbob1969 Because she needs to feel important and Stew makes them all seem like lucky irrelevant idiots.

[navigatorhat]

Surely the changes in attitudes to smoking have been more to do with the cultural changes brought about more by how it was depicted in the media combined with informing the public about hazards than any form of pricing intervention. Bearing this in mind, shouldn't we then try to examine more closely how we show characters binge drinking, shagging, abusing drugs and comitting violence on our television screens?

Cultural change often starts with altering the perception of the world around us.

[jedaaa]

i think portillo hit on something at the end when he said about drinking being pushed all out to the friday night thing, now people dont just drink when they feel like it these days...

[TheBandWasShawodywod]

He's not there for his intelligence, he's there to promote something. They have one every week on in the spotlight!

[canberraollie]

he's not there for his intelligence, he's there for the catering.

[boyleb1]

@canberraollie now we`ve started!

[rsfllw]

how long ago was andrew neill's entire family murdered ?

[fitzy545]

who is the comedian here??? boring english humour

[Wickerbasket]

@fitzy545 Clearly he's not there for his humour, he's there for his intelligence.

[davymgaunt]

I saw Mr Stewart Lee on monday at West Yorkshire Playhouse. Fantastically funny and very ascerbic!

[stevenuuu1212]

Why is Stewart so much more articulate and intelligent then the other 3? He's a comedian too.

[molly0000000s]

Diane Abbot makes a empty point about everywhere but here, people drink leisurely. Stewart Lee answers that with a good comment. Diane Abbot ignores that and carries on about the English being bingers. What a cunt. Portillo is a knobhead too. Why am I such an angry man.

[HdDan13]

@molly0000000s Have a drink and relax ;)

[gonufc]

Oh, Diane Abbott is black? It's not like she's ever mentioned it....

[McHanraohanrahan]

Im fairly sure that intro didnt need to be 2 minutes long. Watching Stewart Lee with these guys is like that episode of The Muppets where Jean-Paul Sartre was the guest.

[furQ]

andrew neil channelling wogan. diane abbot out of her depth, contradicting herself in order to appease the most apparently influential panellist. what i wouldn't give to just hear stewart lee and michael portillo just discussing this issue at length. more interesting and probably much more edifying.

[AndImIrish]

why does that bitch keep interupting - really annoying and contributes absolutely nothing apart from ticking the gender and race boxes!

[biffington]

i swear, if she rolls her eyes into the back of her head at the beginning of a sentence one more time, im gonna travel back in time and punch her square in her stupid fucking face.

[artorwar]

–adjective

1.

formally precise or proper, as persons or behavior; stiffly neat.

[jeli888]

why are the two guys in the sofa sitting so close to each other? looks weird.

[artorwar]

@jeli888 Funny you should mention that. Andrew Neil (presenter) insists on it. The friction keeps his hair prim.

[jeli888]

@artorwar what does prim mean?

[GQmensah]

That woman is so annoying, I really cant muster people who dont have the capacity to let people finish their sentences before blurping in, and not even with something clever

[Omegian14]

@GQmensah That's a woman? O-o

[12345l6789]

If Stew was in charge our country would be amazing. I think all free-minded lefties and Liberals should move to our own governed island.

[SethHesio]

She's a moron.

[edwardgbell]

Actually starts at 2:20

[alexhamster1134]

@edwardgbell thanks

[LukeGriffths121]

Stewart Lee talks a lot of sense here.

[sarahlarry17]

nobody drinks like the irish and the poles

[Deanocfc]

That black bloke is so annoying.

[yozeroz]

EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION!!!!!!!

[12345l6789]

what does his badge say?

[phillipbailey70]

@12345l6789

BLAST..? 

[InitiumNovum]

Stew probably didn't study much Jilly Cooper whilst he was studying English at Oxford.

[Porce1ain]

Portillo and the other one are just awful.

[fishbob1193]

who's one of those 3? I am...

[steveflashman]

The thing I like most about Stewart Lee is that he NEVER EVER assumes an air of superiority... (And he COULD!) Despite an ability to challenge the staus quo and make people THINK about what he's saying, (as well as the obvious fact that he's terribly, sometimes uncomfortably funny) he comes across as a genuine guy. One of the funniest, and definitely the most incisive comedian/commentator currently performing in Britain... Respect. SF

[ENGLISHBL0KE]

Skip to 2:22 to avoid having to watch 2:22 worth of 'This Week' without needing/wanting to.

[ZAFARCAKE]

@ENGLISHBL0KE THANKS ALOT!

[lozington95]

@ENGLISHBL0KE Why did I only notice your comment at 2:23? I just wasted 2:22 of my life

[juliespence]

@ENGLISHBL0KE You have saved me two minutes twenty two seconds of precious life that would otherwise have been spent watching this week. thank you.

[TheLargeJesus]

Drink isn't the problem anyway, it's the douchebags who drink it, they should just run an idiot sterilisation programme, of course it's a tad totalitarian but it would solve a million problems.

[LizaLips1]

Everyone on that show should stop talking and just let Stewart Lee take over, especially YOU, Diane.

[Scottishcarly]

lol - tis weird that the UK has such a bad drink prob .... though I just clicked on this for the fab-ness of Mr Lee :)

[citizenharris]

hobbitthedog thankyou for informing me that you only watched because of stewart lee. i was getting really quite worried.

[AlistairAnaheim]

Americans don't even get the argument that drinking could have some small positive effect. Instead, it's always "drinking leads to unwanted pregnancy and manslaughter." Obviously, both sides have decent points, but at least there's a public forum for people who want to argue and not be dismissed as "immoral" or "irresponsible." Don't want to be in the middle,but it seems to me that an honest public discourse is preferable than erring on the puritanical side because "better safe than sorry."

[theZodiacDigital]

@AlistairAnaheim the european generalizations of americans are so dumb and unrealistic. so all americans are against drinking? that's interesting... shit.

[lowtalkerr]

The problem isn't the amount drank, it's the people who are drinking it. This country (england) is just full of mindless ignorant yobs who just want to fight whoever is near enough to punch, it's really depressing. I'm only on this clip because of stewart lee though. but..... fuck this country :)

[ska2808]

@lowtalkerr Well, it's not just a yob/working class thing anymore. Nothing's worse than most University students out "on the lash". In fact, I think I find middle class drinkers even more irritating. If I drink, I drink moderately, and rarely get to the level of drunkenness that some people feel they need to achieve in order to have a good time, or even to bear being around their supposed friends.

[ghosterdude]

why is that jerk sitting in the middle of the couch, while the lady is in a corner?

[spaceoreo]

@ghosterdude To fit them in a decent looking two-shot.

[peter2360]

@zombiekicker

You make that seem as if that's the fault of the cannabis, and not your possible sensitivity for disorders in the schizoprhenic spectrum..

[thestalkinghead]

Stewart Lee is the smartest person in the room, i wish they wouldnt interrup him with there stupid comments.

[lowestoftbus]

Whats the point of portillo having a view. He lost his seat in 97 to labour because he was to big headed thinking that the seat was safe. He has no idea

[FactualTruthProvider]

Lee and Portillo. I believe the 1990's Stew would say 'WTF?' - if such an acronym existed at the time.

[darran126]

What's that song called near the start?

[DomSezXL]

@darran126 Just looked it up with Shazam: Being Bad Feels Pretty Good - "Does it Offend You, Yeah?"

[stonebridgeboy86]

Good old Stewart Lee flipping the other side of the coin.

His point about alcohol 'revealing' social problems and not being the cause of disorder itself is true. It bothers me the amount of people that think alchol=violence. If you're a violent person, alcohol will lower your inhibitions and make you violent all the quicker. Why have I never started/been in a fight whilst out drinking? Because I'm not an aggressive person.

[marksimpsonhas23test]

the presenter of this programme, and portillo and abbot are absolute prannocks. regurgitating the same old tired arguments. not a creative or inspired bone in their body

[lustreboy]

Stewart's first point of how much does it save was also discussed in a similar fashion by Doug Stanhope, when he talked about air rage.

"oh it's such a terrible thing, he was drunk, he was outrageous, we should ban alcohol on planes.

But what about the guy who has a couple of drinks and doesn't freak out, and batter the wailing baby 2 rows back"

-- Obviously Doug does it a million times funnier and more insightful.

Stewart Lee is class though. Big Fan!

[Ruck2]

"goblin from the cuprinol ad"

[Webbula]

I could debate this all day.

I live in a small northern town, comprised mainly of clubs, pubs and shops. I have to avoid the town centre on Fridays and Saturdays because I just seem to keep getting physically harassed during my walk home from work. I think the alcohol culture is a huge drawback of living in England.

It's actually a hobby now to get drunk, vomit and then brag about it the next day.

Honestly, I could write a book about it, I'm that opinionated about it. It absolutely sickens me.

[davetherave303]

@Webbula " a drawback on england" a drawback on humanity more like, its the worst drug out there along with tobacco, and both are freely available, ok their fine in small ammouts, as is the case with all things, excess lead to where we are now, places like france who introduce drink to the youth does not make it a thing to try as soon as your legal, or earlier in most cases, ie the chav brigade with a bottle of cider,

[davetherave303]

@davetherave303 cont... we can only prey for a day when were more like our europian neighbours amsterdam and legaize the good shit, that encourages friendly behaviour as apposed to rank arrogance and general assholishness, for those that cant handle drink that is.

[scottbaron]

Its a good laugh though.

[Webbula]

For most, yes. But a lot suffer because of it.

[TheSolitaryHeart]

@Webbula Oh dear then you would be sickened by me then as that sounds like a normal night out for me! Ah well you only live once.

[FATSLATER1]

Portillo and Abbott were clearly pissed when this discussion was taking place! Ha! Ha!

[ronMexico121]

Somebody put a dick in that fat bitch's mouth already.

[dweenlander]

Well, a few of you recognised Portillo, but are you all so poorly informed that you couldnt recognise Diane Abbott (that would be the fat bitch as a couple of you Epsilon Semi-Morons referred to her)?

[Bjarku]

im no fan of tories, but that woman paused as if to let Portillo speak which is why he "talked over" her. if she wasnt so fucking haughty she would have realised he'd made an honest mistake and she would have let him finish instead of carrying on with a haughty, incredulous look on her face and carrying on on talking without saying very much at all.

[awesomefrankrapid]

now THAT is a strange looking couple

[samsmith09]

That fat bitch should learn some manners, you don't cut across people as it shows lack of respect.

[hididdlyho82]

Is that really true on the continent you here that all the time! I don't know if thats true! Stewart Lee's talking rubbish about Scotland and english drunks, a drunks a drunk! Drink should go up in price people drink too much in their own home!

[huntertristan]

michael portilo's body language seems very hostile during this segment... I wonder why he is so defensive?

[pakiboy6666]

Why cant the fat bitch let the men finish a sentence?

Whats her problem?

[HoosierMF]

she's a fat bitch

[hididdlyho82]

Whats your problem? She's just expressing a opinion

[awesomefrankrapid]

she feels no-one wants to her what she has to say and if she doesnt say it she'll never get a chance

[Semprini89]

This week AND Stewart Lee, 2 excellent things ine one room

[wobjob]

My god, her opinions are almost as insufferable as her voice. Burn the witch!

[cricket801]

Stewart Lee = smartest guy in the room

[Frase2006]

sorry i ment to click thumbs up but hit thumbs down. Boo! Sewart Lee = Legend :-)

[Manics1989]

@cricket801

Agreed, although it's not hard with those plebs!

[Wickerbasket]

@cricket801 Country. Not room.

[destructorcreator]

Why don't they get Lee on for the really hard-hitting subjects? Get him on and let him rip Littlejohn a new one.

[stargazer1977]

The man, Portillo, was one of the most disliked politicians of the 90s; he's since been kicked out and has come out as Bi/gay and amazingly he seems like a decent guy after all... why didn't he behave like this in the first place? The woman is actually a politician and is appalling in every aspect I can think of. She's the daughter of immigrants done-good but she's such a bad advert for her type that I reckon she's added 10,000 applicants to London Transport's applications department.

[velinap]

Why are the black woman and politician man sitting so close to each other? He's almost sitting on her lap and there seems to be extra space on the sofa anyway. Are they also drunk at the time of the interview or there's some other intimate reason for that?

[j3parrots]

They went to school together r good friends and Michael Portillo is gay... I think he is

[engurland]

That woman keeps looking up into her head to try and find something worthwhile to say.

[Frase2006]

haha quality comment

[mpat1980]

who runs from being hit with a broom? was that a drunk witch?

[Manics1989]

I can't stand that bloody woman.

[memoryman83]

could not agrre more. shes too stupid to understand her own stupiditiy

[gorkys6]

I hope Stewart Lee gave himself a good scrubbing down after getting so close to oily Portillo and the disgusting reptile Andrew Neill

[Flipflopab]

Christ, Micheal Portfolio feeling intimidated walking down Margate, fuckin' hell come down Pontefract

[hobbitthedog]

I am watching this not because I care about drunk Brits (I'm an American), but rather because I love Stewart Lee.

[fishman148]

@hobbitthedog please feel free to stick ur tounge into and past his annus

[eraserhead321]

@hobbitthedog you have good taste my friend across the pond.

[hippotoast]

@hobbitthedog Are you aware of Stewart's view of America and in particular its stand up comedy? If so how do you feel about it?

[GordonMorrice]

Like the fat people phenomenon (obesity), the "boozing is bad" phenomenon is really to do with snobbery and puritanism. Getting drunk doesn't make people violent. Those drunks who get in fights would still have gotten into those fights had they been sober the time. Pacifists and wimps drink booze and never fight. Sociopaths and nutters get into fights drunk or sober. Better policing is required. As for health concerns, the responsibility should be on the individual, not the NHS.

[boomchilds]

Of course drinking makes you violent!

The NHS is over stretched by piss heads who carve chunks out of each other every weekend.

[GordonMorrice]

If drinking alcohol makes people violent, then what happens when YOU drink alcohol. I have been inebriated on alcohol hundreds of times over the years and never once have I been violent. The piss-heads who fight would fight ANYWAY, that was my point. They live shallow, desultory lives - they hate life, they hate other men and women. Alcohol just sets them up for a fight more easily, that's all. In itself, alcohol, though psychoactive, is not a psychotic drug, but a depressant.

[IHaveTheQi]

Just because drinking alcohol doesn't make you violent doesn't mean it doesn't make some people violent

[GordonMorrice]

Come on, you're simplifying reality somewhat with that statement. The "some people" you refer to didn't become violent because alcohol molecules entered their brain, they were pissed and something pissed them off, ie. someone told them to fuck off or touched their girlfriend's ass, for example and they would have became aggressive and violent regardless of them being drunk. The alcohol make make them more likely to fight, but it isn't the CAUSE of their violence, their general temperament is.

[GordonMorrice]

Alcohol basically makes you drop your mask of conservativism. For some people, under their mask is a lively, talkative, cheerful person; for others, under THEIR mask is a moody, aggressive, loud-mouthed arsehole. We all wear various masks and we adapt our behaviour according to any given situation. if you spoke to your mother the way your talk to your mates, she'd be very unhappy and ashamed and might even cry.

[IHaveTheQi]

So how is that different from alcohol making people unpleasant? If normally they wouldn't do something because of social boundaries but alcohol makes them ignore those boundaries then the end result is the same as if it simply made them violent. You're splitting hairs needlessly

[GordonMorrice]

Thumbs down for me again, I see! If you can't the difference between something "making" someone be unpleasant and them being intrinsically unpleasant, then I don't know what to say. The end result may indeed be similar to you, but so what if it is? What do you suggest - having to present a psychological profile before you get served alcohol, because disaffected assholes who drink aren't going to do the right thing and stop drinking for your sake. As long as you drink and act sensibly, why worry?

[davyjames]

I'm so sick of panel discussions where people talk about the goverment doing anything about binge drinking. WTF. Since when is it the job of some people in goverment to dictate the prices of items in shops (punishing the poor who drink and the retailers but not the rich, and also lining the politicians pockets with more taxes) or to tell us how to live our lives. Clearly it is a policing problem. If somebody is violent under alcohol there are laws to prosecute. but don't punish the rest.

[zaygezunt]

Well put, I agree 100%

[beartyincognito]

If your are sick of panel discussions on binge drinking, why are you looking them up on youtube?

The problem with drinking in this country is the social attitude to it. As long as you can say "I got so drunk last night I can't remember what I did" and people think you had a good time, then no legislation will make any difference.

The social attitude crosses social boundaries, so enough of this rich vs poor bollocks. The UK just needs to grow up a bit re its attitude to booze.

[davyjames]

I agree that people need to grow up but if you are drunk and you COMMIT A CRIME then there are law sin place to prosecute. in other words we DNO'T NEED ANY NEW LAWS. As for why I was looking up panel discussions. I wasn't. I was looking up clips of stewart lee. Not sure what he's doing on this stupid program.

[maverickgoose123]

This country is a boozy nation because it's cold and rainy and there's not much to do outside when the weather is crap. Historically. That's how the drinking culture developed over 100s of years. Quite simple really.

[italodiscorevival]

Spot on i reckon. In northerly latitudes people consume more sugar and alcohol to obtain the vitamin D which is unavailable from the sun.

[jedaaa]

you could be right, i always suspected thats why russia consumes 80% of the worlds vodka, as its sooo dam mind numbingly cold