Is the man mentally deficient ?

[AnOther]

I'm not a political animal and belong to the school of thought that the only thing which differentiates politicians of one party from another is the colour of the tie dangling in the trough.

Given the above I wouldn't normally pass comment on any of them however seeing Gordon Brown on the news over this last day or two has prompted me to wonder if the man is in actually in possession of his senses.

Apart from his tedious stock mantra "I'm getting on with the job" he now tells us that his priorities are to reduce the price of fuel and food. Well pardon me Gordon but I think all but the most simple minded will be well aware that price of these commodities is driven by global influences so quite how someone who is a mere speck of fly poo on the international map imagines he can have the slightest influence on those beggars belief and smacks of breathtaking arrogance. The only thing you could do is reduce taxes but you can't afford to do that because, thanks to you, the country is already skint, and even if you did you'd only claw it back somehow with the other hand anyway.

Do the honourable thing and s0d off now whilst you still have a shred of credibility and whilst you're at it wipe that irritating, condecending, imbecillic grin off your face. At least 'His Tonyness' had the decency to try and look as if he gave a sh1t.

Glad I got that off my chest this morning [blink]

[Dick Smith]

If you think he is metally deficient, perhaps you should campaign for the return of David Steel.

[Bugsy]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

Do the honourable thing and s0d off now whilst you still have a shred of credibility and whilst you're at it wipe that irritating, condecending, imbecillic grin off your face. At least 'His Tonyness' had the decency to try and look as if he gave a sh1t.

[/quote]

Totally agree Ernie, it really does defy belief that he is still around.

Wonderful comment from B.O. yesterday when asked if he had any advise for Gorgon. "I have no advice but you are always going to upset people after you come to office, it goes with the job"

No mention of 'being elected'...................very clever.

Frankies description of GB on 'Mock the Week' was quite apt I think, when he said he looks like "a smiley face, drawn on a s c r o tum"

[:)][:)]

[Iceni]

[quote user="Bugbear"]

No mention of 'being elected'...................very clever.

[/quote]

AFAIK there has been no election since 1945 when the winning party achieved > 50% of the vote so there is a good reason for saying that no PM is legitimate. As for changing PM mid-stream I see nothing wrong with patronage, after all without that we would never have had Sir Alec Douglas-Whom. Aahh, but he was not a great success either was he ?

IMHO there will not be a leadership election in the autumn because there is no-one stupid enough to want to take over.  (Possible flaw in this argument - I am talking of of politicians here not rational humans).

But there is nothing I can do to change things, even if I wished, so will just sit back and worry about my courgette plants taking over the world.

John.

 

 

 

 

[AnOther]

[quote user="Bugbear"]Wonderful comment from B.O. yesterday when asked if he had any advise for Gorgon. "I have no advice but you are always going to upset people after you come to office, it goes with the job"[/quote]You have to admire the man for his candour BB but unfortunately vocalising that sort of truth is somewhat outré and more likely to lose one support than gain it.

John: I wouldn't give the proverbial 2 wotsits either if it were not for the disasterous effect that the state of the country and the economy is having on my pension prospects which directly impacts (delays) my retirement date.

 

[Dick Smith]

[quote user="Iceni"][quote user="Bugbear"]

No mention of 'being elected'...................very clever.

[/quote]

AFAIK there has been no election since 1945 when the winning party achieved > 50% of the vote so there is a good reason for saying that no PM is legitimate.

 

[/quote]

That, of course, is a ridiculous statement in any system in which there are more than two political parties. Like ours...

[Iceni]

There are far more than 2 parties/candidates in France but the winners here gain > 50%.  And in occasional constituencies in UK too.

John

[Russethouse]

He could drop the tax on fuel a little then possibly peoply would go out more and spend money (too simplistic but might encourage a little more 'feel good' factor)

Also abolishing stamp duty for first time buyers might help first time buyers and help generate work in the building industry.

 

[Gastines]

I have enough trouble with my own budget so dealing with the UK pot might stretch me a bit.The obvious to me is obviously only obvious to me,if you follow? [Actually,  I must remember that one,it sounds as though it came from somebody important] As an example,  as the recent problem over the loss of the 10p tax rate has caused the Government so many problems , why isn't it easier just to re-instate it? This Government 's answer to everything is to make everything more complicated and to employ thousands more pen-pusherd to administer all the claims caused. I seem to remember Gordon Brown promising to reduce the Civil Service staff by 120 thousand. I wonder how many more are employed now? As I have letters from 4 dealing with a very simple request from me.I suspect a large percentage of them play "Pass the envelope" instead of trying to deal with anything. Still,I suppose it keeps the unemployment  figures down.

Regards.

[AnOther]

By fuel RH we are not just talking about petrol and diesel for cars but of course electricity and gas both of which are inexorably tied both to the price of oil and the greed of the private utility companies.

Limiting it to petrol or diesel for a moment though, I wonder what in your opinion would constitute a sufficient drop to generate a 'feel good factor' ? Personally I doubt that anything short of below the £1/lt mark would be enough to generate any sort of 'feel good factor' and frankly it's not what the country needs as it's this which is largely responsible for it being in the mess it is. You could liken it to giving a newly confessed alcoholic a £10 note and saying, go on, have a last drink before you go into rehab !

As for stamp duty and 1st time buyers, I think you must be watching a different news channel to me !

The reason why that particular species is on the verge of extinction is because they simply cannot get a mortgage - period. Whilst not having to pay stamp duty might just be the pivotal point for a very small minority their numbers would make zero difference to the building industry.

[AnOther]

I understand what you mean [:)]

The 10p tax fiasco is yet another symptom of a complete lack of understanding coupled with their pig headded stubborness in refusing to admit they got something wrong.

Obfuscation (thank you John [;-)]) is this lot's stock in trade. The one crucial thing all those people who voted Labour in in the first place forgot was that they live by two simple words: TAX and SPEND and once you have exhausted the overt means of taxation you have to resort to the covert. Still, fair dues, they have stuck to their promise not to put up income tax [:'(]

4 letters for a simple request you say, sounds just like another country to me, is this what they mean by harmonisation [:P]

 

[Russethouse]

For the economy to thrive you need peopleout of their houses, spending money, (that they can afford hopefully) since our public transport system is generally not that great dropping the price of petrol just might encourage that a little......it would also help business and keep  prices stable because transportation costs would drop. I can remember someone saying to me 'petrol will never reach a £ a gallon!' [:-))] I have a long memory !

First time buyers are a catalyst for the housing market, already one mortgage provider has lowered its rates  I believe, if you don't have first time buyers the building industry stagnates, we need to keep people in work. Anything to help and encourage first time buyers will help us all in the longer term

[Dick Smith]

[quote user="Iceni"]

There are far more than 2 parties/candidates in France but the winners here gain > 50%.  And in occasional constituencies in UK too.

John

[/quote]

A totally different system. Like comparing apples and fish.

[Gastines]

With Ref to the first time buyers.. Having just returned from a Granddaughter collection trip to Bournemouth,it gives a good idea of the problems the building companies and speculators are having. Forward planning it is not. Virtually every larger house for sale has been bought up,either knocked down and new rabbit hutches built or converted to rabbit hutches. Family homes they are not. 1-2 beds .no garden etc. Not worth the money,not worth the Building Societies risk and the wages are amongst the lowest in the UK ,hence insufficient deposits.  The Government has decided to allow another quota of 42000 new homes to be built in Dorset, where and by whom should be quite interesting. Perhaps now that thousands of builders/tradesmen will be out of work it might be the time for the Government to spend some money on worthwhile projects,ie. council houses/hospitals/schools/sea defences/flood road repairs etc etc. There is an untapped source of groundworkers/labourers in prison,might give them something useful to do if they can get away from their Playstations.

Sorry about all that but a dip in the sea intends to refresh.

Regards.

[powerdesal]

It would make more sense to recycle the builders into a crash programme of building nuclear power stations as a matter of some urgency or there are going be some serious power shortages in UK in the forseeable future.

Not much point in new houses / hospitals / schools etc if there is no leccy to supply them.

[AnOther]

Talk about word blindness, despite the 14 replies, 3 of which were mine, I've only just noticed my initial blooper, i.e. Metally - doh [:$]

 

[Gastines]

Powersdeal. I agree with your point but I believe the French Government +EDF are doing the work. The UK probably can't afford to do it. Hopefully new public buildings will have either Solar panels or Wind turbines,or both, plus less wasted space to heat  and light. Many new public buildings,museums for example ,seem to have vast empty spaces with no apparent purpose.Self importance for the Architect perhaps. The power shortage obviously hasn't got through to most large stores/showrooms which seem to be floodlit each sunny day and all night. One worry,if the Energy suppliers lose somecashflow from the wasters,will they up the price to compensate?

Regards.

[AnOther]

I'd like to recycle some politicians INTO nuclear power stations Steve [:D]

A burgeoning world population, fuel and food and water shortages, anybody else think the film Soylent Green is beginning to look less and less far fetched [+o(]

 

[Iceni]

I live in hope that the shortages that Ernie mentioned will help to reduce the population but it seems that those who can least afford it, not just in economic terms, still breed like the proverbial rabbits. That together with the insistence of the governments of the "rich" countries squandering the hard earned cash of their taxpayers in a feeble attempt to combat so-called natural disasters of the "poor" just means that we will all sink.

Now there's a cheerful thought for a hot and sunny Monday.

John

 

[Iceni]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

Talk about word blindness, despite the 14 replies, 3 of which were mine, I've only just noticed my initial blooper, i.e. Metally - doh [:$]

[/quote]

Tut, tut Ernie you really must pay attention. Dick Smith gave you a clue in his reference to David Steel (the first reply).

John

[Renaud]

One of the tactics that New Labour used to come to power was by attacking Tory ‘slease’. Tony Blair promised that New Labour would be ‘whiter than white’. Then Bernie slipped him a million to keep tobacco advertising in Formula One…

 

From that moment New Labour slid into ‘greyer than grey’ and then sought to excuse themselves by saying ‘well all politicians are the same’.

 

I think that this is an unfair slur on David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Alex Salmond and a host of decent men and women in public life.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Gastines"]

Powersdeal. I agree with your point but I believe the French Government +EDF are doing the work. The UK probably can't afford to do it. Hopefully new public buildings will have either Solar panels or Wind turbines,or both, plus less wasted space to heat  and light. Many new public buildings,museums for example ,seem to have vast empty spaces with no apparent purpose.Self importance for the Architect perhaps. The power shortage obviously hasn't got through to most large stores/showrooms which seem to be floodlit each sunny day and all night. One worry,if the Energy suppliers lose somecashflow from the wasters,will they up the price to compensate?

Regards.

[/quote]

Another total waste of resources.

I suspect the wasteful use of power by the public authorities and stores / showrooms will cease when a power shortage happens, there isn't one at the moment but it will come if new generation (NOT bl**dy windmills) is not constructed PDQ. Rolling blackouts, brownouts etc will concentrate the minds of those responsible, but of course by then its a bit too late.

[AnOther]

Far too subtle for moi John [:$]

[babcock]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

 A burgeoning world population, fuel and food and water shortages, anybody else think the film Soylent Green is beginning to look less and less far fetched [+o(]

 

[/quote]

Check http://www.emi.u-bordeaux.fr/public/asimov/saveearth.html

[Weedon]

Thank god GB doesn't smile that often because when he does he scares the living daylights out of me.  We can only hope that the move to get him out of office gathers momentum and Harriet Harman gets the job. Don't know how good she will be but there is something there for the more mature man...nudge nudge know what I mean[;-)]