But the best invention the NHS, thank you Labour. Oh and the 1945 Education Act made Grammar Schools non fee paying, thank you.
Worse ‘invention’? A toss up between Thatch selling off council accommodation fuelling long term house inflation and high rents so our kids can’t hope to have a decent home. Or Thatch’s privatisation of a human right - clean water. Quite literally a shit decision.
Don't forget Thatch handing out the rest of our natural resources to her mates too. Compare and contrast to Norway who used theirs to set up the sovereign wealth fund to ensure the country can always look after its people, now worth over a trillion dollars. If you're struggling to grasp one trillion you're not alone, it's too big for most people to comprehend, but think of it like this: one million seconds is 11.5 days, one trillion seconds is 31,689 years
I agree with all of the above. The NHS, despite its faults, is the best healthcare system in the world. Selling off council houses was completely bonkers, as was the privatisation of gas, electricity and water utilities, meaning that most of those companies are now foreign owned, and have to account to shareholders for profits.
Thatcher has a lot to answer for. Interesting fact: When asked what she considered to be her greatest achievement, her answer was 'Tony Blair'.
I always found it amazing that the people who wrap themselves with the flag and talk of 'the British people' would sell every asset with Royal, British or National in the title ( and their grandma) to the their rich mates/Frenchies/Germans/Russians/Chinese for hard cash and a seat on the Board.
Was recently researching the 1989 Water Privatisation Bill progress through Parliament...anyone surprised to find out the government of the time stripped it of any of the meaningful environmental protections being demanded by opposition?
He started the season well, improved things in some areas then made some inexplicably appalling decisions that damaged the club and blighted everyone around him for a very long time...
Genuine LOL moment there. As a Bucks grammar school alumnus who didn't learn Latin (Herschel in Slough), I had to look that up. The result was something along the lines of - My submarine is full of eels!
Just brilliant and what we need when there is no football to discuss.
As a non politics guy, who occasionally scrolls through all the gasroom big boys relaying their own personal view as gospel, what does seem to be apparent is no politican ever gets much praise.
Are there any politicians in the last 20 years who are universally liked by the gasroom? Or is that as silly as asking the same for Wycombe players 😋
I loved Barry when he used to get on Question Time. Incapable of answering without 10 minutes of quite entertaining rambling. Whenever they tried to stop him, he’d go ‘I’ll just quickly make this point’ and go off again.
Atlee, Churchill, Eden, MacMillan, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron (and Clegg), May, Johnson, Truss, all for various reasons ceased to be popular with the electorate.
Sunak was once the most popular politician in the country, when as Chancellor he was handing out millions in furlough payments during lockdown. But that's no longer the case, and he is unlikely to survive after the next General Election.
Andy Burnham seems a decent sort, very culture and football friendly, some good wins already and some basic decency too. Good question, Quite like Jess Phillips and David Lammy too, plenty don't.
Unfortunately both major parties have basically had civil wars so there's loads of stick guaranteed for almost everyone based on wether they were for or against Brexit, or it's various implementing parties, or cocktail parties, or Corbyn, add in some clickbait culture wars crap and you can get people to ignore or shout down almost anything suggested regardless of its validity, or the person's integrity, it's almost like that's not done by accident.
Sunak some days seems far more reasonable than most of his colleagues despite having little in common with most people due to his wealth, and on others goes entirely missing whilst some of his ministers say and do horrendous things that he'd never actually put his name to.
Wes Streeting seems to me to be the most likely of the current lot to have the potential to be universally liked. I'd be surpised if he's not a future PM.
I know people will say there are exceptions, but for me the vast majority of politicians are s***bags who get nothing done.
And then get a knighthood for their 'service' before going off to make money. (Not many of those great public servants go on to do anything for anyone that does not line their pockets.)
When you look back and long for the days of old Ma Thatcher because you knew exactly what she stood for (social division/greed)...and you could stand against...rather than the succession of corrupt, greedy, bland poor quality middle management ('eerm...I'll check but I think you'll find that's nothing to do with me...the person you need to talk to is on leave...') or populist nutbags of all political persuasions that have followed and achieved next to nothing for the country they profess to love, you know things are mad!
I like Burnham and Khan seems to be doing okay despite being so 'unpopular' according to the press. Of the other side, eventhough I disagree with them fundamentally, I can listen to what the likes of Leadsom, Mordaunt, Rory Stewart have to say without wanting to kill them.
For me he is another bland entity...so I'm perplexed as why he is touted as a future Labour leader...then again the first part of my post might explain it nowadays.
Interesting how views differ. To me, he's much more engaging than Starmer, speaks very well, happy to put the boot in at the right times (and more than just dully reading off pre prepared lines) and adds a bit of fight to debates. Very interesting upbringing and has really come from nothing to be in the Shadow Cabinet at a relatively young age.
If he can unite the country and lead us to the Promised Land of peace and prosperity for all @FmG I will, in fine Gasroom tradition, be happy to have been proven wrong.😊
I think the problem is that the politicians with the most integrity, those who do their job and serve their constituency best - of all political persuasions - are rarely the ones who make it to ministerial (or shadow ministerial) level and therefore barely enter the public consciousness. I'm no Tory - far from it - but I bet there are some good eggs even in their ranks who are dedicated to helping their local towns and cities. I just couldn't name any of them.
The fact there are some so so obvious arse kissers, scammers and sub par humans in their number should present the opportunity for some of them to rise above, unfortunately the better ones either know they won't get anything done or worked out they can have a better career on the telly.
In a tribal-dominated political system it is very difficult to find a politician who is high profile enough to be universally popular.
Even those who have won landslide elections in my lifetime have only done so with the support of about a third of the electorate and in the case of Johnson, Thatcher and latter-day Blair probably had more people hate them than actually like them.
Of the current lot I quite like Jess Phillips and David Lammy but recognise that many others don’t.
Sliding doors style I do wish Brown and Blair had decided to do it the other way round. I would have been interested to see what Gordon Brown could have done with a decent working majority in 1997.
Paddy Ashdown was also someone I really liked and someone my party have never really been able to satisfactorily replace.
I am increasingly worried by the fact that we seem to live in a world where Steve Baker seems to be seen as a voice of reason.
Comments
But the best invention the NHS, thank you Labour. Oh and the 1945 Education Act made Grammar Schools non fee paying, thank you.
Worse ‘invention’? A toss up between Thatch selling off council accommodation fuelling long term house inflation and high rents so our kids can’t hope to have a decent home. Or Thatch’s privatisation of a human right - clean water. Quite literally a shit decision.
Don't forget Thatch handing out the rest of our natural resources to her mates too. Compare and contrast to Norway who used theirs to set up the sovereign wealth fund to ensure the country can always look after its people, now worth over a trillion dollars. If you're struggling to grasp one trillion you're not alone, it's too big for most people to comprehend, but think of it like this: one million seconds is 11.5 days, one trillion seconds is 31,689 years
I agree with all of the above. The NHS, despite its faults, is the best healthcare system in the world. Selling off council houses was completely bonkers, as was the privatisation of gas, electricity and water utilities, meaning that most of those companies are now foreign owned, and have to account to shareholders for profits.
Thatcher has a lot to answer for. Interesting fact: When asked what she considered to be her greatest achievement, her answer was 'Tony Blair'.
Shhhhhh, there's some gasroomers who absolutely love Tory Blair.
A trillion is the number of thumbs down I'd get if I compared using the NHS with my experiences of other countries health systems.
I always found it amazing that the people who wrap themselves with the flag and talk of 'the British people' would sell every asset with Royal, British or National in the title ( and their grandma) to the their rich mates/Frenchies/Germans/Russians/Chinese for hard cash and a seat on the Board.
Was recently researching the 1989 Water Privatisation Bill progress through Parliament...anyone surprised to find out the government of the time stripped it of any of the meaningful environmental protections being demanded by opposition?
Oh how things change...or not.
I’m worried now about chatting to fellow Gasroomers in the Vere suite on Saturday.
Nil desperandum.
He started the season well, improved things in some areas then made some inexplicably appalling decisions that damaged the club and blighted everyone around him for a very long time...
With hindsight, it's a shame we didn't sub him off before his genocidal crusade.
Genuine LOL moment there. As a Bucks grammar school alumnus who didn't learn Latin (Herschel in Slough), I had to look that up. The result was something along the lines of - My submarine is full of eels!
Just brilliant and what we need when there is no football to discuss.
As a non politics guy, who occasionally scrolls through all the gasroom big boys relaying their own personal view as gospel, what does seem to be apparent is no politican ever gets much praise.
Are there any politicians in the last 20 years who are universally liked by the gasroom? Or is that as silly as asking the same for Wycombe players 😋
Barry Gardiner is a bit of a cult hero around these parts.
I loved Barry when he used to get on Question Time. Incapable of answering without 10 minutes of quite entertaining rambling. Whenever they tried to stop him, he’d go ‘I’ll just quickly make this point’ and go off again.
All political careers ultimately end in failure.
Atlee, Churchill, Eden, MacMillan, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron (and Clegg), May, Johnson, Truss, all for various reasons ceased to be popular with the electorate.
Sunak was once the most popular politician in the country, when as Chancellor he was handing out millions in furlough payments during lockdown. But that's no longer the case, and he is unlikely to survive after the next General Election.
Andy Burnham seems a decent sort, very culture and football friendly, some good wins already and some basic decency too. Good question, Quite like Jess Phillips and David Lammy too, plenty don't.
Unfortunately both major parties have basically had civil wars so there's loads of stick guaranteed for almost everyone based on wether they were for or against Brexit, or it's various implementing parties, or cocktail parties, or Corbyn, add in some clickbait culture wars crap and you can get people to ignore or shout down almost anything suggested regardless of its validity, or the person's integrity, it's almost like that's not done by accident.
Sunak some days seems far more reasonable than most of his colleagues despite having little in common with most people due to his wealth, and on others goes entirely missing whilst some of his ministers say and do horrendous things that he'd never actually put his name to.
Wes Streeting seems to me to be the most likely of the current lot to have the potential to be universally liked. I'd be surpised if he's not a future PM.
When asked who his hero was, he responded with Tony Blair!
2 thumbs down...I'm obviously mistaken!
I preach only the truth @Malone 🙄
I know people will say there are exceptions, but for me the vast majority of politicians are s***bags who get nothing done.
And then get a knighthood for their 'service' before going off to make money. (Not many of those great public servants go on to do anything for anyone that does not line their pockets.)
When you look back and long for the days of old Ma Thatcher because you knew exactly what she stood for (social division/greed)...and you could stand against...rather than the succession of corrupt, greedy, bland poor quality middle management ('eerm...I'll check but I think you'll find that's nothing to do with me...the person you need to talk to is on leave...') or populist nutbags of all political persuasions that have followed and achieved next to nothing for the country they profess to love, you know things are mad!
I like Burnham and Khan seems to be doing okay despite being so 'unpopular' according to the press. Of the other side, eventhough I disagree with them fundamentally, I can listen to what the likes of Leadsom, Mordaunt, Rory Stewart have to say without wanting to kill them.
His name often appears not so favourably, but I don't know what he's (allegedly) done.
A lot of posts on here get thumbs down for no good reason. Many of mine certainly do, even when the subject matter is non-controversial and factual.
But I've now got over 100 more ups than downs, so must be doing something right.
For me he is another bland entity...so I'm perplexed as why he is touted as a future Labour leader...then again the first part of my post might explain it nowadays.
Interesting how views differ. To me, he's much more engaging than Starmer, speaks very well, happy to put the boot in at the right times (and more than just dully reading off pre prepared lines) and adds a bit of fight to debates. Very interesting upbringing and has really come from nothing to be in the Shadow Cabinet at a relatively young age.
If he can unite the country and lead us to the Promised Land of peace and prosperity for all @FmG I will, in fine Gasroom tradition, be happy to have been proven wrong.😊
I like Clive Lewis
I think the problem is that the politicians with the most integrity, those who do their job and serve their constituency best - of all political persuasions - are rarely the ones who make it to ministerial (or shadow ministerial) level and therefore barely enter the public consciousness. I'm no Tory - far from it - but I bet there are some good eggs even in their ranks who are dedicated to helping their local towns and cities. I just couldn't name any of them.
Damn. I must have missed your non-controversial post. Maybe next time…
The fact there are some so so obvious arse kissers, scammers and sub par humans in their number should present the opportunity for some of them to rise above, unfortunately the better ones either know they won't get anything done or worked out they can have a better career on the telly.
In a tribal-dominated political system it is very difficult to find a politician who is high profile enough to be universally popular.
Even those who have won landslide elections in my lifetime have only done so with the support of about a third of the electorate and in the case of Johnson, Thatcher and latter-day Blair probably had more people hate them than actually like them.
Of the current lot I quite like Jess Phillips and David Lammy but recognise that many others don’t.
Sliding doors style I do wish Brown and Blair had decided to do it the other way round. I would have been interested to see what Gordon Brown could have done with a decent working majority in 1997.
Paddy Ashdown was also someone I really liked and someone my party have never really been able to satisfactorily replace.
I am increasingly worried by the fact that we seem to live in a world where Steve Baker seems to be seen as a voice of reason.
Charles Kennedy was alright, wasn’t he?