Leaderboard

Some truths: People who want power will act like people who want power . People who don't realise this are always amazed when it happens. All governments keep certain sections of society under-educated and under paid. This stops them playing up, and makes them take jobs that over-paid and over-educated people wouldn't do. All amateur pundits have no power at all after the event. Every time someone moans to me about Brexit, I ask them what they did to stop it- holding meetings, writing letters, organising petitions etc., and none of them did. THEY ALL HOPED SOMEONE ELSE WOULD DO IT. We are all like a group of football fans in a pub saying that "We should never have sold that player'"etc.... WE? WE? Do they think their views have been considered? Do they think they are on the Board? Madness- 'their' football team just takes their season ticket money. That's all. Meanwhile, people like the Chinese sit back and laugh as they ignore all rules whilst claiming they follow them, and are so happy that we are fighting amongst themselves so therefore cannot be a credible opposition to anything they do. Like Labour is at the moment. "Divide and Rule', anyone? Every country gets the Government it deserves. The saddest thing is this acrimony after starting a thread about someone who rose above all this somewhat....:-(

What hump?

Marty felman - gone too soon

I'm not very keen on Peter Mandelson, but he's manifestly a highly intelligent guy, and he summed things up well last night with lose, lose, lose, lose Blair, Blair, Blair, lose, lose, lose lose. Blair obviously made some bad mistakes and ultimately didn't endear himself in the public consciousness, but it's his kind of soft Labour, and group of competent ministers, which appeals to the public. Look at the shadow cabinet now. They don't exactly inspire confidence. Labour and Labour activists are mired in factional fighting, and sniping at the "Tory scum" - making up, as you have done, school playground names for the PM, that they've lost sight of what the electorate are seeking. Moreover, you've also fallen into the same trap of inferring that the public is stupid (your word "duped"). All Labour's (and the MSM's) efforts to smear the government with the low level stuff about Boris's flat etc, fell on deaf ears because the vast majority are just not interested. The criticism needs to be something which will resonate with the electorate. What Labour lack is a clear idea of a constructive way forward. Like some original ideas which capture the public imagination. Not to mention a charm offensive to net floating voters. At the moment they're just presenting an open goal to Boris Johnson. I hope the pendulum does swing back again, as we desperately need an effective opposition, and a credible alternative at the next election. It's just not healthy if the same lot keep being elected. By the way, I'm not sure what you mean by your second bullet point, as the vaccine rollout was a true example of a collaborative effort. Downplaying the government's role in that, is just factually inaccurate. Also, although they're catching up now, we left the EU far behind with that rollout as we were a lot quicker off the mark when it came to ordering it in the first place. Whatever your opinion, that is hard fact. Good job we had an escape clause from the EMA, or we'd have been in the same boat as them, given we were still in their sphere of influence up to 31.12.20.

We all have flaws. Politicians are no different. Ridiculous expecting them to be saintly figures throughout their lives, as some seem to.