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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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 Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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He's 81 would you believe?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Skinner
I think we should start a campaign, "Dennis for PM". Politics would be a lot livelier, that's for sure.
My ideal cabinet:
Dennis (PM)
Arthur S (Business and Development)
Red Ken (Minister for Communities and Local Government)
Shirley Williams (Minister for Employment and Equal Opps)
Glenda Jackson (Home Office)
Tony Benn (Chancellor)
Not one New Labour among them, apart from perhaps Glenda. Either that's a sign of my advancing years, or general disillusionment that integrity seems to have gone out of politics. |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 930
Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:37 am Post subject: |
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I thought he was 81 twnety years ago a bit like Micheal Foot who was only in his 60s but looked about 90 when he was up against Thatcher. 
I like those old days wehn politicians had character. These days politics is like snooker, all the players are bland and characterless.
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Dedicated
Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:05 am Post subject: |
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Whatever people think of Margaret Thatcher, she symbolised a set of ideals that can continue to serve us well : self-reliance, hard work, determination, fiscal discipline and aspiration.
Among the current crop of MPs, as the Russians would say,
"there is not one who is worth the sole of her shoe". |
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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| she symbolised a set of ideals that can continue to serve us well : self-reliance, hard work, determination, fiscal discipline and aspiration. |
Well, you know that these ideals also existed before Thatcher don't you! (And dare I say, in those communities of hard-working individuals who had the rug pulled from under their feet by Thatcher's policies...)
I think that one of the greatest problems today is that aspiration, hard work, self-reliance and so on - are crushed by economic reality. There aren't enough jobs (because our industries have been decimated) and what's on offer tends to be part-time, zero hours contracts in traditionally poorly-paid sectors.
I'm no economist, but I can see the misery that austerity creates in belt-tightening Italy, for example. I can also see the complete unfairness of who's being expected to pay for "fiscal discipline". (Hint: it's not those who can afford it, but hard-working families, the sick and the poor.)
And why do we need fiscal discipline in the first place? Because we had to bail out the "out of control" banks, that's why. With tax-payer money. Although the decision to rescue these banks was Gordon Brown's, it's hard to see how - in the way our economy operates - what the "acceptable alternative" would have been. I think that if we want a fair society - one where talent, hard work and aspiration are rewarded, and where the more vulnerable are supported, we also have to recognise that financial institutions and markets have their part to play in being responsible. And if they can't or won't, then we either scale down our aspirations, or we take action and face up to them.
Yeah, right. I think that's revolutionary talk! |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Teacher in Rome,
Serf's Up. Kidding aside, I agree totally. We have our own versions of Maggie here in the US.
Regards,
John |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Archie Rice
Joined: 13 Feb 2013
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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| A belated good riddance from me. That spiteful, malicious ratbag still casts a shadow over society in uk. She was a selfish old bitch and made the country in her image. The good old values of British fair play and being a good chap were cast aside on her watch. She was an unreconstructed nasty piece of work. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 6:33 am Post subject: |
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Archie, I am not sure I follow you too well here. Are you saying you didn't like her?  |
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sixthchild
Joined: 18 Apr 2012
Posts: 298
Location: East of Eden
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| Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:07 am Post subject: |
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| I would tend to follow the Dedicated viewpoint, although she had her faults (don't we all) compared to the current crop she is still a hard act to follow and I mean that in the nicest possible way. |
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