EastEnders: Slight Return

LORD Michael Cashman is to reprise his role as EastEnders’ first gay character Colin Russell as he returns to the soap after 30 years.

Cashman, 65, is to make a brief return to Walford in a story line that bosses are staying tight-lipped about – but his visit to Albert Square will involve Dot Cotton.

Cashman starred as Colin Russell from 1986 to 1989 and shortly after making his debut, he found himself in a relationship with Barry Clark, played by Gary Hailes, which saw them have the first gay kiss in a British soap opera – and on primetime television...

“Arguably without EastEnders I would never have gone into politics; I would not have been one of the founders of Stonewall and its founding chair, and I would never have ended up where I am now."

The Sun.  

So now you know who to blame.

Thought For The Day: Matthew Parris

Those of us who founded Stonewall had it easy. Not because the media and the establishment were sympathetic to our cause (at first they were not) but because we had sharply defined goals, mostly legislative. We knew what we were pitching for, and whom to lobby; and we knew what counted as success. Those formal battles have almost all been won. But in schools, in some police forces, in sport and in the workplace there is still prejudice. No law will change this. Cultural change is slow, untidy, formless — not a pitched battle between two sides — and persuasion is so much harder than legislation. Ian [McKellen], Michael [Cashman] and I don’t envy today’s campaigners. They should envy us.

Matthew Parris, The Times.

PS Comments include a brief exchange between Mr Parris and Mr Fagburn about Mr Cashman.

US LGBT Envoy: No, Thank You

There are four reasons why a special envoy could be counterproductive.

First, so much work is already taking place, especially since former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton directed the State Department to advocate for the protection of the human rights of LGBT people in 2009. LGBT equality is being integrated into the State Department’s work, via the Global Equality Fund, several programs within the Department of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and elsewhere. So why is this role needed?

Second, why the focus on LGBT equality specifically? We do not see special envoys on issues like gender violence, indigenous people’s rights, or poverty—usually envoys focus on issues jeopardizing peace—so why do LGBT rights require one? There is a risk that the envoy makes LGBT rights seem like “exceptional” rights that need exceptional attention, which could be counterproductive.
Third, one concern often raised about the envoy position is that it’s a way of “responding symbolically to congressional or public pressure rather than representing the administration’s serious commitment to address a challenge.” This is a concern I share. Although it is too early to tell, the envoy position runs the risk of being purely symbolic.

Fourth, the symbolism may actually be the wrong symbolism. The fact is that Berry is a white man—as will be his U.K. equivalent, if opposition leader Ed Miliband wins the May 7 election and appoints Lord Michael Cashman as his LGBT envoy, as promised last fall.

The envoy could run the risk of looking like (and being) a white person trying to save brown and black LGBT people from their brown and black oppressors. LGBT activists in Africa have long had to debunk the idea that homosexuality is something white people in Western countries do that is then imported into African countries. Thus the whiteness of the Western special envoy could reinforce this and create more challenges for black LGBT activists...

Adebisi Alimi, Daily Beast.

Hurrah for patronising and pointless gesture politics!

Lord Michael Of Cashman: The Madcap Laughs

The Independent On Sunday, obvs.

A man screaming at the sheer pointlessness of modern life, pictured recently.

Rainbow List 2014: Under The Influence

Our judges debated long and hard, weighing several forms of "influence" in making their choices. We even invented a new rule, known as The Janet Jackson Rule: "What has s/he done for us lately?" The result honours those who have long and brave histories of standing up for equal rights, even when equality wasn't even legal, as well as youngsters whose openness in the past year shows children (and adults) that who they are and whom they love need not be a barrier to success in any walk of life...

Independent On Sunday.

It's hard to know where to start with this one.

Despite The IoS rebranding their annual Pink List of 101 LGBTs of note, the Rainbow List, it was reassuring to see this year's selection is as ridiculous as ever.

Michael Cashman is in with a bullet at number one - though strangely this highly influential gayer was not in the hot 100 last year.

It's hard to see what has changed, beyond the former EastEnders actor being elevated to the House of Lords for services to Blairite brown-nosing.

What has he done for us lately?

Erm, in February he cut up his Visa card in the European parliament cause, you know, Russia.

Take that, Putin!

Maybe Michael got the sympathy vote - his civil partner and 'researcher', Paul Cottingham, died last month.

Of course it would be churlish to speculate there was some 'Vote for Michael' campaign organised by Labour Party HQ.

There's another high entry at number three - Vicky Beeching, a lesbian Christian Country singer!

Erm...

If nothing else, I'm sure she's definitely the most influential lesbian Christian Country singer in the UK.

Does anyone seriously believe that anyone would have voted for Simon Topham (60), beyond maybe some of his adoring slaves at Millivres Prowler Group?

Luckily one of them, his loyal lieutenant Kim Watson, was on the judging panel.

Mind you, you can get on the Rainbow List with nominations in double figures.

As every year, the whole list is hampered by its tokenism; I'm sure Claire Harvey, the 'Team GB sitting-volleyball Paralympic captain' is a wonderful woman, but should she really be at number 38?

Thankfully there's no-one here nowhere near as record-breakingly pointless as last year's number 16, David Gwinnutt, the inventor of the Pink Jack flag!

But so many placings seem random and/or baffling.

The short blurbs describing people's achievements are so slapdash they must have been written by a particularly dim intern after a quick Google.

Separate lists for gay men, lesbians and trans people - put to a popular vote with no 'judges' tinkering - would be far more interesting and illuminating.

As it stands, this shit list is still Britain's biggest gay joke.

PS They say you can leave comments about the list, but you can't, oddly.

It's a shame because I wanted to thank all the people who voted repeatedly for themselves.

Michael Cashman Watch: And Tomorrow The World!

You know we have made extraordinary progress on Lesbian and Gay rights over the last twenty years. If I think about the transformation that I have seen growing up into adulthood, the biggest transformation.

We’ve made such progress on equality. But we have to face the fact that internationally things are, if anything, going backwards. We can’t just let that happen. We can’t just say “well, that’s OK”. The next Labour government will fight to make sure that we fight for our values and for human rights all round the world.

So today I can announce that I am appointing Michael Cashman, Lord Cashman, as our envoy on LGBT rights all round the world...

From Ed Miliband's speech to the Labour Party conference yesterday.

Good grief, I wouldn't even trust Lord Cashman of Brown-nose to be LGBT envoy to Walford Square.

Sorry about this world.

PS There's a programme on BCC Radio 4 Extra on Friday, Pioneers, where Mr Cashman recalls the 1987, Eastenders gay kiss fiasco.

Michael Cashman: Oh Lord!

Arise Lord Cashman of Formerly Of EastEnders Fame By Order Of The Blairite Gay Brown-Nose.

Andrew Pierce: Michael Cashman

Talking of second-raters, the rumour is that former EastEnders actor Michael Cashman - the first openly gay character in a TV soap - is to be elevated by Ed Miliband to a peerage in this new intake.

After his TV career faded when he left the soap in 1989, Cashman became a Labour MEP and gay rights activist.

Aptly named, he was embroiled in controversy in 2008 when it emerged he was paying his civil partner Paul Cottingham £30,000 a year of taxpayers’ money as an ‘accounts manager, personnel manager and payroll administrator’.

Daily Mail.

Pierce on Cashman is surely the unspeakable in full pursuit of the unelectable?

PS The charming Mr Pierce adds; 'I’m delighted Evan Davis is to be the new face of BBC2’s Newsnight in succession to Jeremy Paxman. Now that he’s leaving Radio 4’s Today programme, I can start listening to it again.'

Update: Oh and a book alleges the young Mr Cashman used to be a right-wing Tory - sounds like him and Andrew should be bosom buddies.

Worst Tweet Of All Time: Tony Blair

Let's say #ThanksMichael at @LGBTLabour's event for @mcashmanCBE next Wednesday. http://t.co/6RuNvh56kQ pic.twitter.com/MtssSpC1Oq
— Tony Blair Office (@tonyblairoffice) June 30, 2014

Tony Blair marks the end of Michael Cashman's unglittering career as a toadying Labour MEP.
Which also means his boyfriend, Paul Cottingham, will be out of of a job, too.
A double-blow!

'No, no, thank you, Michael!'

Poll: Britain's Vainest And Most Boring Gay Man

Saint Peter Tatchell, when not ceaselessly campaigning - which he doesn't like to talk about - and single-handedly inventing everything gay ever, Pete likes nothing better to adoringly look at his own reflection.

Michael Cashman MEP!
Was also in EastEnders!
Sends out even more pointless press releases about himself than Saint Peter.

Patrick Strudwick.
Judges singled him out for his recent article; 'Why oh why has no-one else written about the evil craze on the gay scene of gay men raping goldfish?'
Here he takes a much-needed break from updating his strangely salutary Wikipedia page to look sad.
Oh boo hoo hoo!
Patrick weeps for the gay world.

Right!
Down to the last three now.
Email your votes by midnight!

Michael Cashman MEP: The Moronification Of Gay Politics Is Now Complete!

Ex-Eastenders actor cuts up his Visa card live on film!
Take that Putin!

EastEnders: The Vortex

"I think EastEnders was the first soap to broadcast a gay kiss about 24, 25 years ago so it's only taken them 25 years to get into the bedroom from the living room... I think that we showed a heterosexual kiss on Monday night between Max and Vanessa that had no complaints, so I think we're right to show a loving, tender relationship within the context of the timeslot... I think Christian and Syed are the most established gay, loving relationship on TV. It wasn't crude, it wasn't over-sexual. It was something that you see every day within a heterosexual relationship and I stand by the decision to do it. [Syed] had just accepted his marriage proposal, so it was a beautiful moment."

Bryan Kirkwood, Executive Producer, Eastenders.
Just to push Fagburn even closer to insanity he was actually discussing this on This Morning this very morning.
Where! Will! This! Media! Vortex! END!!?

• Michael Cashman tweeted today; "25 years ago this month I played EastEnders gay Colin. A first!" (Fagburn thinks "gay Colin" may not have appeared until August 1986. And gay Gordon had come out in Brookside the year before anyway. But let's not split hairs).

Update: The vortex carried on into Thursday's Sun; 'Two in a bed is fine, says Enders chief'
A reader has left the comment;
"to the 125 people that complained you have a button on your remote that you can turn it OFF or turn OVER because the bbc have shown what 2 men in bed dont complain when its 2 women are in bed"
Quite.