Bolitics The New Condem Government

[chrisp65]

 

 

ahh, not the day for being sarcastic or petulant

 

happy 3 points everyone!

 

that was one of dem games

Edited March 4, 2015 by chrisp65

[blandy]

 

Just so we can steer clear, is anything else on the banned list because it shames our nation?

 

.....Corduroy trousers?

fortunately, giant strides have been made in that area

[snowychap]

Having listened to the opening exchanges of this week's PMQs (for the first time in a month or so), I thought it was, collectively, a disgraceful performance from Cameron, Miliband and Bercow.

Cameron 'could go on' - shockingly crap - and piss poor of Bercow to have allowed him to do so. Miliband needs to be a lot cleverer about what he asks and how he asks it (though I don't think that's in him).

Edited March 4, 2015 by snowychap

[MakemineVanilla]

Having listened to the opening exchanges of this week's PMQs (for the first time in a month or so), I thought it was, collectively, a disgraceful performance from Cameron, Miliband and Bercow.

Cameron 'could go on' - shockingly crap - and piss poor of Bercow to have allowed him to do so. Miliband needs to be a lot cleverer about what he asks and how he asks it (though I don't think that's in him).

 

I think it is rather more difficult as we get nearer the election.

 

Like last night on Ch 4 News, they were doing a thing on Yarl's Wood, and they interviewed Yvette Cooper, who predictably made all the right noises, "state sanctioned abuse of women" etc, but was rendered mute when asked if Labour would make a commitment to close it.

 

So very heavy on the condemnation but rather light on offering solutions.

 

I am sure there are many areas of policy which they condemn but have no plans to do anything about.

[Jon]

Mainstream British politics has become so sterile and wank, it really has. It's what has driven people to the Kippers, to The Greens and to the SNP etc.

 

I think I love Mr Sheen. He makes umpteen things clean!

 

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/02/michael-sheen-defends-nhs-against-bland-politicians

 

 

'By God, believe in something,' Michael Sheen tells politicians

 

 

 

Actor who played Tony Blair on screen accuses Labour of lacking conviction and joining the Conservatives in ‘systematically undermining’ NHS values

 

The actor Michael Sheen, best known for playing Tony Blair in a series of TV dramas and the award-winning film The Queen, has delivered a passionate defence of the NHS against “bland” politicians in thrall to the market from both Conservative and Labour parties.

Speaking at a St David’s Day march to celebrate the NHS and its founder, Aneurin Bevan, on Sunday, Sheen approvingly noted Bevan’s “burning hatred for the Tory party” and attacked Margaret Thatcher’s infamous claim there is no such thing as society.

But his anger was also aimed at the timidity of Labour politicians and the party’s record in office.

Sheen, who played Blair in The Queen, The Deal and The Special Relationship, said British political leaders had a hidden agenda to privatise the NHS, despite what they claimed.

 

He said: “No one says they want to get rid of the NHS, everyone praises it ... But for decades now there has been a systematic undermining of it [the NHS’s] core values. This is beyond party politics. The Labour government arguably did as much damage to the NHS as any Tory or coalition-led one.”

Related:

Sheen, in a stirring speech delivered from a bandstand in a blustery, rainswept park in the Welsh town of Tredegar, Bevan’s birthplace, attacked the caution of Labour’s leaders and their lack of conviction.

Advertisement

 

He said: “In today’s political climate, where politicians are careful, tentative, scared of saying what they feel for fear ... all political parties drift into a morass of bland neutrality and the real values we suspect are kept behind closed doors. Is it any wonder that people feel there is little to choose between?”

He quoted Bevan saying that those who stayed in the middle of the road get run over.

Sheen appeared to plead directly to the Labour leadership. “You must stand up for what you believe, but first of all, by God, believe in something,” he said.

Sheen also attacked austerity and the political consensus about the effectiveness of market solutions. He asked: “Do we want to be a society that is exploitative, that sees people as commodities, as numbers, and mere instruments of profit? Or do we want to be a society where each person is recognised, where all are equal in worth and value – where that value is not purely a monetary one?”

He went on to stand up for those on benefits. “Do we want to be a society that is supportive, that is inclusive and compassionate, where it is acknowledged that not all can prosper, where those who are most vulnerable, most in need of help, are not seen as lazy or scrounging or robbing the rest of us for whatever they can get? Where we do not turn our backs on those facing hard times, we do not abandon them or exploit their weakness, because they are us.

“We leave no one behind, we only say we have crossed the finished line when the last of us does, because no one is alone and there is such a thing as society.”

Edited March 4, 2015 by Jon

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

They do believe in something - money.

[tonyh29]

Having listened to the opening exchanges of this week's PMQs (for the first time in a month or so), I thought it was, collectively, a disgraceful performance from Cameron, Miliband and Bercow.

Cameron 'could go on' - shockingly crap - and piss poor of Bercow to have allowed him to do so. Miliband needs to be a lot cleverer about what he asks and how he asks it (though I don't think that's in him).

Didn't hear it but caught a news snippet where Ed appeared to be trying to goad Cameron into a TV debate a week before the election

Seemed strange given Ed's lack of public appeal and his inability to land any real blows on Cameron the past few years during their PMQ exchanges

Presumably his strategists and spin doctors have a cunning plan that isn't apparent at this moment in time ?

[tonyh29]

Mainstream British politics has become so sterile and wank, it really has. It's what has driven people to the Kippers, to The Greens and to the SNP etc.

I think I love Mr Sheen. He makes umpteen things clean!

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/02/michael-sheen-defends-nhs-against-bland-politicians

'By God, believe in something,' Michael Sheen tells politicians

Actor who played Tony Blair on screen accuses Labour of lacking conviction and joining the Conservatives in ‘systematically undermining’ NHS values

The actor Michael Sheen, best known for playing Tony Blair in a series of TV dramas and the award-winning film The Queen,

against “bland” politicians in thrall to the market from both Conservative and Labour parties.

Speaking at a St David’s Day march to celebrate the NHS and its founder, Aneurin Bevan, on Sunday, Sheen approvingly noted Bevan’s “burning hatred for the Tory party” and attacked Margaret Thatcher’s infamous claim there is no such thing as society.

But his anger was also aimed at the timidity of Labour politicians and the party’s record in office.

Sheen, who played Blair in The Queen, The Deal and The Special Relationship, said British political leaders had a hidden agenda to privatise the NHS, despite what they claimed.

He said: “No one says they want to get rid of the NHS, everyone praises it ... But for decades now there has been a systematic undermining of it [the NHS’s] core values. This is beyond party politics. The Labour government arguably did as much damage to the NHS as any Tory or coalition-led one.”

Related:

Sheen, in a stirring speech delivered from a bandstand in a blustery, rainswept park in the Welsh town of Tredegar, Bevan’s birthplace, attacked the caution of Labour’s leaders and their lack of conviction.

Advertisement

He said: “In today’s political climate, where politicians are careful, tentative, scared of saying what they feel for fear ... all political parties drift into a morass of bland neutrality and the real values we suspect are kept behind closed doors. Is it any wonder that people feel there is little to choose between?”

He quoted Bevan saying that those who stayed in the middle of the road get run over.

Sheen appeared to plead directly to the Labour leadership. “You must stand up for what you believe, but first of all, by God, believe in something,” he said.

Sheen also attacked austerity and the political consensus about the effectiveness of market solutions. He asked: “Do we want to be a society that is exploitative, that sees people as commodities, as numbers, and mere instruments of profit? Or do we want to be a society where each person is recognised, where all are equal in worth and value – where that value is not purely a monetary one?”

He went on to stand up for those on benefits. “Do we want to be a society that is supportive, that is inclusive and compassionate, where it is acknowledged that not all can prosper, where those who are most vulnerable, most in need of help, are not seen as lazy or scrounging or robbing the rest of us for whatever they can get? Where we do not turn our backs on those facing hard times, we do not abandon them or exploit their weakness, because they are us.

“We leave no one behind, we only say we have crossed the finished line when the last of us does, because no one is alone and there is such a thing as society.”

Ah got to love actors ... Is there anything they can't do

Of course he may have had more credibility if he hadn't fallen for the old no such thing as society myth

[chrisp65]

 

 

Just so we can steer clear, is anything else on the banned list because it shames our nation?

 

.....Corduroy trousers?

fortunately, giant strides have been made in that area

 

 

thought I'd got away with editing that

 

I can confirm, not only have I worn cords today, I also had a sort of woolly tie and a jacket with patches on the elbows. I had the full geography teacher vibe going on - other than I worked a full day. 

[blandy]

..caught a news snippet where Ed appeared to be trying to goad Cameron into a TV debate a week before the election

Seemed strange given Ed's lack of public appeal and his inability to land any real blows on Cameron the past few years during their PMQ exchanges

Presumably his strategists and spin doctors have a cunning plan that isn't apparent at this moment in time ?

 

He did pretty good with his questions. Showed up Cameron totally on each of the areas he asked about.

The problem is to a degree that Cameron, despite being shown up in terms of words and deeds on the 3 things - the telly deabte, Immigration and the tax avoider man, and despite shameful replies, appears "more commanding" - he's slicker, basically.

A lot of people see him as a kind of empty shell with a benign appearance hiding a nasty party, but many others seem to think he's "OK".

He can't be OK, to me. He's a massive hypocrit.

[snowychap]

Didn't hear it but caught a news snippet where Ed appeared to be trying to goad Cameron into a TV debate a week before the election

Seemed strange given Ed's lack of public appeal and his inability to land any real blows on Cameron the past few years during their PMQ exchanges

Presumably his strategists and spin doctors have a cunning plan that isn't apparent at this moment in time ?

That was later and seemed to be more than a little bizarre but probably something that was suggested by Miliband's writers as Cameron was against it.

I'd imagine most people watching PMQs would have heard the suggestion and thought bollocks to that if it's just a 'debate' between those two (Cameron made the remarkable claim in response that what they were doing at PMQs was 'debating').

[tonyh29]

..caught a news snippet where Ed appeared to be trying to goad Cameron into a TV debate a week before the election

Seemed strange given Ed's lack of public appeal and his inability to land any real blows on Cameron the past few years during their PMQ exchanges

Presumably his strategists and spin doctors have a cunning plan that isn't apparent at this moment in time ?

He did pretty good with his questions. Showed up Cameron totally on each of the areas he asked about.

The problem is to a degree that Cameron, despite being shown up in terms of words and deeds on the 3 things - the telly deabte, Immigration and the tax avoider man, and despite shameful replies, appears "more commanding" - he's slicker, basically.

A lot of people see him as a kind of empty shell with a benign appearance hiding a nasty party, but many others seem to think he's "OK".

He can't be OK, to me. He's a massive hypocrit.

Aren't they all though ? probably in every country not just ours though our current leaders do seem to be as bad as anyone in history

[meregreen]

 

 

 

Only a Tory could make a joke out of such a shameful thing.

If you have never seen a kid eating Monster Munch or equivalent for their breakfast, you either live in a bubble or just don't look.

Don't you remember when Jamie Oliver tried to improve kids' diets and parents defied the scheme by pushing junk food through the school railings?

Isn't universal free school-meals for infants just the government acknowledging that parents don't feed their kids right?

You still sought to make light of something that shames our nation. It's not that sarcasm and humour should be banned, there is a time and place for it. This subject isn't it.

Real world I'd agree , but this is a football forum where gallows humour and in appropriate posts are par for course

If it's too sensitive for you may i politely suggest you sign up to mumsnet

 

Hungry children is not something that should inspire any humour anywhere , gallows or otherwise. If you disagree, fine. As for the mumsnet jibe. Keyboard warriors never have impressed me much.

[bickster]

Hungry children is not something that should inspire any humour anywhere , gallows or otherwise. If you disagree, fine. As for the mumsnet jibe. Keyboard warriors never have impressed me much.

erm you started that by calling someone a Tory

[meregreen]

 

Hungry children is not something that should inspire any humour anywhere , gallows or otherwise. If you disagree, fine. As for the mumsnet jibe. Keyboard warriors never have impressed me much.

erm you started that by calling someone a Tory

 

Is saying that Tories use tasteless humour to deflect from serious issues an insult then. I'd say it's more an observation. 

[chrisp65]

well, I gave it most of a day to be happy but you're still at it

 

could you post us up the banned list please, so we don't make the wrong jokes

[blandy]

 

 

..caught a news snippet where Ed appeared to be trying to goad Cameron into a TV debate a week before the election

Seemed strange given Ed's lack of public appeal and his inability to land any real blows on Cameron the past few years during their PMQ exchanges

Presumably his strategists and spin doctors have a cunning plan that isn't apparent at this moment in time ?

He did pretty good with his questions. Showed up Cameron totally on each of the areas he asked about.

The problem is to a degree that Cameron, despite being shown up in terms of words and deeds on the 3 things - the telly deabte, Immigration and the tax avoider man, and despite shameful replies, appears "more commanding" - he's slicker, basically.

A lot of people see him as a kind of empty shell with a benign appearance hiding a nasty party, but many others seem to think he's "OK".

He can't be OK, to me. He's a massive hypocrit.

Aren't they all though ? probably in every country not just ours though our current leaders do seem to be as bad as anyone in history

 

Probably, though I personally find Cameron and Osborne etc. to be particulalry loathesome in that regard. Maybe it's just me, but the sheer cynicism, the shamelessness of it is a new low, in a long history of lows. They're despicable.

[bickster]

Hungry children is not something that should inspire any humour anywhere , gallows or otherwise. If you disagree, fine. As for the mumsnet jibe. Keyboard warriors never have impressed me much.

erm you started that by calling someone a Tory

Is saying that Tories use tasteless humour to deflect from serious issues an insult then. I'd say it's more an observation.

I'd say you've spectacularly missed the point, again!

[meregreen]

 

 

 

Hungry children is not something that should inspire any humour anywhere , gallows or otherwise. If you disagree, fine. As for the mumsnet jibe. Keyboard warriors never have impressed me much.

erm you started that by calling someone a Tory

 

Is saying that Tories use tasteless humour to deflect from serious issues an insult then. I'd say it's more an observation.

 

I'd say you've spectacularly missed the point, again!

 

Enlighten me.

[tonyh29]

Only a Tory could make a joke out of such a shameful thing.

If you have never seen a kid eating Monster Munch or equivalent for their breakfast, you either live in a bubble or just don't look.

Don't you remember when Jamie Oliver tried to improve kids' diets and parents defied the scheme by pushing junk food through the school railings?

Isn't universal free school-meals for infants just the government acknowledging that parents don't feed their kids right?

You still sought to make light of something that shames our nation. It's not that sarcasm and humour should be banned, there is a time and place for it. This subject isn't it.

Real world I'd agree , but this is a football forum where gallows humour and in appropriate posts are par for course

If it's too sensitive for you may i politely suggest you sign up to mumsnet

Hungry children is not something that should inspire any humour anywhere , gallows or otherwise. If you disagree, fine. As for the mumsnet jibe. Keyboard warriors never have impressed me much.

Can't say Shania Twain has either