so today, when the latest ipsos mori stv poll puts support for scottish independence at 50%, and nicolaere's richard dawkins‘s trenchant view of plebiscites. richard dawkins there. watch this space for more brexit views. french actress isabelle huppert received her first oscar nomination this year for a film that, according to huppert herself, hollywood stars wouldn't touch. the controversy around elle — which won two golden globes and which opens tomorrow — centres on a horrifically violent attack and vicious rape which is revisited graphically during the film, along with further sexual attacks, and the unusual and shocking way that the woman who is attacked responds. elle is the explosive result of the collaboration between the fearless, often tra nsgressive actress and the dutch director paul verhoeven, he of basic instinct and total recall. the thriller—cum—black comedy tests the viewer to the limits. in a moment, we'll be discussing whether such a narrative is anti—feminist, or whether we need to accept a complex, often unpalatable truth that, for some, extreme violence is part and