[nath]

Originally Posted by vmarks

Friends, countrymen, and publicans.

This is not a thread about nath or Doofy.

KNOCK IT OFF and get back on topic.

Sorry, posted last before seeing that. Agreed.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by nath

You attribute the characteristic of 'raging' to me

Actually, it was to OH COME ON....

Originally Posted by vmarks

Friends, countrymen, and publicans.

This is not a thread about nath or Doofy.

KNOCK IT OFF and get back on topic.

Now shut the up Nath. You stay away from me, I'll stay away from you. Everyone's happy.


vmarks says: sometimes it's better left unsaid.

[Sayf-Allah]

This was a great thread.




OT: It's about time he stepped down. Let's just hope that whomever wins the next elections has the balls to conduct an independent foreign policy. And not the US policy of divide and conquer.

[nath]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Now shut the f up Nath. You stay away from me, I'll stay away from you. Everyone's happy.

I'll post where and about whatever I like sunshine. And it won't affect my happiness one way or the other.

[nath]

Originally Posted by Sayf-Allah

This was a great thread.




OT: It's about time he stepped down. Let's just hope that whomever wins the next elections has the balls to conduct an independent foreign policy. And not the US policy of divide and conquer.

Agreed

I don't think the UK's electoral math will allow whoever forms the next government to be so presidential. Let's hope. Landslide elections have damaged this country repeatedly over the last 30 years.

[Kerrigan]

Frankly I think Cameron and Brown are considerably worse than Blair. Let's hope some charismatic, as-yet unknown party member steps up and wins the premiership in the next election.

[nath]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

Frankly I think Cameron and Brown are considerably worse than Blair. Let's hope some charismatic, as-yet unknown party member steps up and wins the premiership in the next election.

?




(joke)

[Monique]

He is not loosing is job; since he was elected.

He is resigning because it is time and after 3 terms in office you get tired of negative people.

[moodymonster]

Ming?

the merciless?

[Monique]

For me who see things from the outside, the U.K. looks like a great country to live in; but I would never never take away the right of a person to leave the U.K. or criticize it. I never understood or understand why people have to jump over each other because a person is not happy living where they are living right now.

Doofy being from the right and me from the center left make for a better world because disagreeing make for a more colorful discussion.

So what he wants to leave England and does not like the government, again it is his business how he feel and how we see the country we live in is alway very subjective.

[nath]

Originally Posted by moodymonster

Ming?

the merciless?

Those eyebrows could destroy entire galaxies.

Originally Posted by moodymonster

Ming?I never understood or understand why people have to jump over each other because a person is not happy living where they are living right now.

You're right Monique, and I would never do so for that reason.

My mention of Phil Collins in my first post was an allusion to a tradition in the UK that those from other parts might not be aware of. The Sun newspaper always used to run stories before a General Election featuring various celebrities threatening to leave the country if Labour won. "last one to leave the country, turn out the lights', etc. Needless to say, most of them never did...

The exception was Phil Collins, who went up hugely in my estimation for actually sticking to his guns!

As it turns out it was largely a pointless move, as most of Labour's tax increases have focussed on the so-called middle classes, much like the Tory government that preceded them, as opposed to the 'penalising success' style punative tax increases that many of these idiots were worried about.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by moodymonster

although based on the few Italians I've met: women = nice

men = chauvinistic to the extreme, they have no shame

Based on the Italians I've met:

*same result*!!

(very very few isolated exceptions)

V

[lil'babykitten]

I thought Blair said a few months ago he was going to leave in a year?

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by lil'babykitten

I thought Blair said a few months ago he was going to leave in a year?

Maybe you had a prescient dream

V

[lil'babykitten]

Originally Posted by voodoo

Maybe you had a prescient dream

V

Maybe!

[nath]

Originally Posted by lil'babykitten

I thought Blair said a few months ago he was going to leave in a year?

I think all he'd said up to that point was that he would go sometime during this parliament. The specifics were vague enough for him to change his mind, which was probably what was worrying Brown.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5322314.stm

Shocking way to run a government, especially from a generation of politicians who witnessed first-hand what this kind of fratricide did to the Tories.

[lil'babykitten]

Originally Posted by nath

Shocking way to run a government, especially from a generation of politicians who witnessed first-hand what this kind of fratricide did to the Tories.

Ya, I agree with what Tony Benn had to say on the subject. Why don't all the people who want to contest the leadership election just come out with their policy proposals so the country can have a real debate?

[kick52]

i thought he said he would resign before the next election anyway. its not really big news, he is just confirming something in the news a while back.

[red rocket]

Originally Posted by Sayf-Allah

It's about time he stepped down. Let's just hope that whomever wins the next elections has the balls to conduct an independent foreign policy. And not the US policy of divide and conquer.

Independent foreign policy has no place on Airstrip One, I'm afraid.

[nath]

Originally Posted by lil'babykitten

Ya, I agree with what Tony Benn had to say on the subject. Why don't all the people who want to contest the leadership election just come out with their policy proposals so the country can have a real debate?

Be interesting to see if Brown can win a leadership campaign without shifting to the left. He has a similar problem to the Tories in that Blair has made it very difficult for anyone to outflank him on the populist right.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by nath

Be interesting to see if Brown can win a leadership campaign without shifting to the left. He has a similar problem to the Tories in that Blair has made it very difficult for anyone to outflank him on the populist right.

They can't move much more to the right on some issues without simply out-performing the Tories in conservativism.

The new-Labour plot is this: Call yourself centrists and have right-wing liberal policies. The old socialists will vote for you out of habit, the centrists will vote for you as well, leaving only the hard-core Tories. Since they're a minority, you'll win a landslide election.

This is pretty much what happened.

Now after almost a decade of right-wing liberalism from Blair, other people want to take over. For what reasons, we shall see, but I suspect it is for prestige only. After losing the next elections, Labour will have to decide: is it going back to being social-democrat or permanently shift to the right and compete with the Tories on their home turf. Alienating the social-democrats that backed them before.

If the cards are not played right, this could spell the end of Labour as we know it. All thanks to a very stupid Tony Blair. This kind of development has many precidents in various left-wing parties in Europe who have felt the need to re-invent themselves.

With only a few exceptions, such rebirths have ended in disaster. Splitting of parties and weakening of that particular political block for a long time. So far the right/liberal or conservative has not had the same tendencies as the left to re-organize and split up. Through thick and thin they stay together until their time comes.

Not the same radicals at heart, I suppose. Natural conservatives would never split a party if at all avoidable.

V

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

So that leaves Connecticut and France tied for last place.

You wouldn't be living in the "United States of America" if it weren't for France. Perhaps that should edge them over Connecticut.

[Spliffdaddy]

France helped out of a self-serving interest.

Which is typical of France.

We paid them back, anyhow.

So they could create a socialist utopia, apparently.

[nath]

Originally Posted by voodoo

If the cards are not played right, this could spell the end of Labour as we know it. All thanks to a very stupid Tony Blair. This kind of development has many precidents in various left-wing parties in Europe who have felt the need to re-invent themselves.

A hung parliament could change everything though. There are actually relatively few Blairites in the Labour Party, and they're mostly ex-ministers at this point. Byers, Milburn, etc. All loathed by the public for the most part.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

France helped out of a self-serving interest.

Which is typical of France.

We paid them back, anyhow.

So they could create a socialist utopia, apparently.

And who wasn't in the war for self serving interests?

[Spliffdaddy]

heh. these ads crack me up.

[nath]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

heh. these ads crack me up.

Indeed. Blair seems to have 'pulled a Thatcher' - hated at home, admired abroad (although mainly just in the US).

Interesting contrast to Bush, who seems to be hated abroad, and just disliked in the US...

[n8236]

Sure Blair got suckered into the whole Iraq ware and been Bush's lapdog for a bit, but he's done A LOT for the ppl of England. Sadly he will go down in history w/ some sour taste in his mouth, but try to look at it from a half full instead of half empty pov. I vote him to be one of England's best prime ministers.

[nath]

Originally Posted by n8236

he's done A LOT for the ppl of England.

Details, please.