Liam Fox has apologized...

[santa claus]

You've got me there .... at least, in relation to Brown. It was, as I understand it, the subject of considerable disagreement between Blair and Brown, and Brown won that one, thank goodness. For all my dislike of Brown (and his supposed economic prowess), I'll give him that one.

Oooo getting you to nearly compliment Gordon is like drawing teeth. We would all be in it up to our eyeballs if the decision had gone the other way. History should be kinder to Mr Brown than it is...and Labour is on its way back (not that it lost to anyone anyway).

[Saracen]

Oooo getting you to nearly compliment Gordon is like drawing teeth. We would all be in it up to our eyeballs if the decision had gone the other way. History should be kinder to Mr Brown than it is...and Labour is on its way back (not that it lost to anyone anyway).

Me? Compliment the (rather corroded) Iron Chancellor? Not likely, mate. Wash yer mouth out with soap for suggesting such a travesty.

Even a complete moron is capable of deciding, 50% of the time at least, that if you're stuck up to the knees in quicksand and in threat of downing, it's probably not a good idea to pull the pin out of a grenade, ditch the pin and grasp the grenade firmly between your teeth. So yes, good ol' Gordy, him that abolished boom 'n' bust, he that single-handedly (according to him) saved the world ... errrr .... banking system, is capable of getting a decision right from time to time.

Of course, you'd think that even a barely trained monkey could get it right 50% of the time just by diligent application of a digital decision generator (i.e. tossing a coin), so Gordy has a way to go before matching the performance of an uneducated chimp, but hey, he's made a start in that he got one thing right. I'll see if I can think of anything else ..... but don't wait around, it might take a while. In fact, measure the time by the nuclear decay of plutonium or the cooling of the Sun, but I'll report back if I think of anything.





PS. Despite his claims at the time, the world banking system ain't looking quite so saved any more. He sure postponed an immediate collapse, at a cost to the taxpayers of, currently, £112.5 billion I might add, but he did prevent it blowing up in our faces overnight .... having presided over a good part of the situation that led to the crisis in the first place.

[Saracen]

Actually, he made one other decision I so fully support.
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Yup, he did.
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Honestly.
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Wait for it .....
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He resigned. Mind you, I thought he was going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming from Number 10.

So that's two correct decisions. In 13 years. Way to go, Gordy.

[Saracen]

In case anyone's not getting it, a fan of Brown I am not.

[peterb]

Oooo getting you to nearly compliment Gordon is like drawing teeth. We would all be in it up to our eyeballs if the decision had gone the other way. History should be kinder to Mr Brown than it is...and Labour is on its way back (not that it would be missed by anyone anyway).

I'll just correct that for you And I wonder if Brown's opposition to the euro (bearing in mind his decision to sell gold and buy euros) was fuelleed more by his antagonism towards Blair, than for the good of the country.

[Saracen]

.... and Labour is on its way back (not that it lost to anyone anyway).

Perhaps. Depends who you ask. See Charles Clarke at lunchtime?

But if you're right, and you may be (but it's too early to tell), it'll tell you more about a comparison between the voting public's understanding of economic necessity and their vested self-interest in short-term living standards than it does about policies.

I was really split at the last election. I don't like Cameron much, and part of me hoped that Labour won, because I really wanted to see them flounder trying to do what they knew fully bloody well needed doing, but were unable to admit. On the other hand, if they hadn't summoned the balls (pun intended) to do what's necessary but painful, we'd have been in the economic poop for at least a generation, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone, let alone the whole country.

Hence despite a real desire to see Brown try to flounder his way out if the mess he created, I voted, reluctantly, for the marketing flim-flam man we got.

In the words of the old saying, come the revolution, I've got a long list of those to be first up against the wall and shot, and politicians, of ALL parties, are at the top of it.

[TheAnimus]

A good example is greece right now, the sheer stupidity of most people who are very openly dodging taxes.

The fact they are in the pooper and won't be able to pay even a teacher, that they are so corrupt despite the pre-paid healthcare you will have to bribe someone (this is no anecdote before you suggest!). But the general ethos is one of not getting a recipt even when your buying a news paper. (because they are dodging the tax).

As a result they are having to inforce very painful taxes, which people will dodge even more, you get this kind of bizzare "can't someone else fix it" thing going on. I think that's how labour thinks, well using the term thinks lightly, if they weren't bankrupt themselves, they might have a leg to stand on...

[blueball]

This gets more and more interesting:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15269215

[Whalefish]

Deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole......

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archiv...ritty-scandal/

[blueball]

Deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole......

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archiv...ritty-scandal/

Whoops. It is all getting rather smelly isn't it?

[Whalefish]

I read Peter Oborne's excellent book 'The Triumph of the Political Class' where he ripped into New Labour. I hope he is honest enough to do the same for the current lot, there is certainly plenty of material.

[santa claus]

Another gullible politician bites the dust then. Still, he got to travel the World with his 'friend'.

Instead of faffing around Dai (I'm flying the Welsh flag) Cameron should have put his toe up his rear end and hoofed him back from whence he came. He may have paraded the 'no money left' note left him by his predecessor but his departure note would be decidedly more embarrassing .

There'll be more libs that Tories in the Govt soon if this carries on. Larf.

[Saracen]

....

There'll be more libs that Tories in the Govt soon if this carries on. Larf.

Hardly. Fox was replaced by another Tory, who was replace by another Tory. etc.

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He may have paraded the 'no money left' note left him by his predecessor but his departure note would be decidedly more embarrassing.

We still talking about Fox? If so, that note wasn't defence, it was Chief Sec to Treasury. It was very true of defence though - a total cockup in finance terms.

[santa claus]

Hardly. Fox was replaced by another Tory, who was replace by another Tory. etc.


We still talking about Fox? If so, that note wasn't defence, it was Chief Sec to Treasury. It was very true of defence though - a total cockup in finance terms.

There's only one good replacement for a Tory. The electorate will do the necessary in due course .

Darn it, I knew there was a Liam in there somewhere. 'Course, it was Liam Byrne who left the note for David Laws, another Coalition minister who covered himself in glory and promptly left.

I should check facts and not rely on memory but often better stories are started this way .

[Saracen]

....

Darn it, I knew there was a Liam in there somewhere. 'Course, it was Liam Byrne who left the note for David Laws, another Coalition minister who covered himself in glory and promptly left.

Too many Liams in the cabinet. Well, now there's two less. Reminds me of that corny and rather tasteless old joke .... what do you call 10 dead lawyers? A good start.

[santa claus]

Too many Liams in the cabinet. Well, now there's two less. Reminds me of that corny and rather tasteless old joke .... what do you call 10 dead lawyers? A good start.

Hrhrhrhr! Ok, so we're clear on this now: Liam Neeson has been travelling the world with a special friend whose flat he pays the rent for from the public purse. He kept things quiet so's not to upset his mum. Liam Fox, the movie actor starred in 'Taken' (which curiously omits the words "from behind" in the title) and Liam Byrne is the lead singer of Talking Heads. And Liam Gallagher head butts people