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  1. #501
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    Dominic

    Off topic

    Name that can't be used in Denmark

    Dummernik already in use

    Like the german 'Dumrian'

  2. #502
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    Off topic
    Nice smeg-related inadvertent throwing of shade

  3. #503
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    The British electorate has repeatedly demonstrated that it is catastrophically dumb, so no doubt this will all blow over just like all the other blatant examples of bojo's glaring unsuitability for the job.

  4. #504
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Nice smeg-related inadvertent throwing of shade
    Deep !

    And

    If you say so

    (was kinda meant for you in the first place)

    Dominic

  5. #505
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    (was kinda meant for you in the first place)
    I choose to disregard any shade thrown my way from you . . . or read it as a compliment.

  6. #506

  7. #507
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    The British electorate has repeatedly demonstrated that it is catastrophically dumb, so no doubt this will all blow over just like all the other blatant examples of bojo's glaring unsuitability for the job.
    In fairness, anything is preferable to the soap dodging lefties.

  8. #508
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    ^Why not bomb them from Florida?

  9. #509
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    For his sake, and Britain’s, now is the time for Boris Johnson to ride off into the sunset

    Max Hastings

    At the end of The Magnificent Seven, most delightful of all westerns, there is a scene in which the elderly Mexican village sage says to Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen: “Your work is done.” It was time for the farmers to take over again. Following which, the two gunfighters rode away, to massacre evildoers elsewhere.


    We shall dismiss scepticism about whether Boris Johnson can plausibly be compared to either Brynner or McQueen, but suggest that this is a good moment for the prime minister’s chums to put to him the old Mexican’s proposition: “Your work is done.” We might then return our governance to people willing to be interested not in farming, but instead boring stuff such as keeping the gas on and making sure children attend school.


    What’s more, how do we keep Britain functioning between today and Christmas, when the foreign lorry drivers’ and turkey-feeders’ temporary visas will expire? There is no immediate prospect of evicting the incumbent from Downing Street against his, or perhaps Mrs Johnson’s, wishes.


    It may be possible, however, to start convincing the couple that their interests would be well served by an early bath. The prime minister could tell his host of admirers that he has delivered Brexit and the Covid vaccination programme and averted a Corbyn premiership.


    Whatever view we take of his record, he is assured of many pages in the history of the times. Only Nigel Farage has been more influential in reshaping our politics. Johnson can resume his rightful career as an entertainer. His memoirs, entwined with the diaries that he has assuredly been keeping (to the discomfiture of everyone who has spoken to him privately since he took office) will be worth millions. He might explore new terrain by becoming a devoted family man.


    Almost none of the above is designedly facetious. If Johnson quits soon, he can remain famous, become rich and escape the protracted descent awaiting him if he lingers, eventually to vanish beneath the flock of poultry returning to roost in Downing Street.


    Who would follow? To many of us, Rishi Sunak seems the only acceptable answer. It is true that we still know relatively little about him, because of his rapid ascent from Winchester head boy, through obscure backbencher to chancellor. He would be handicapped by the impossibility of matching Johnson’s feelgood skills with all manner and condition of people. But he possesses star quality, grace, dignity, integrity, a sense of responsibility and gravitas, such as none of his cabinet colleagues can match. He does not taunt Johnny Foreigner. He was not a member of the Bullingdon club.


    His most immediate and important task would be to appoint ministers for their competence, rather than for mere loyalty to their patron. It would be foolish to pretend that the Tory backbenches are bursting with stars in waiting, but Jeremy Hunt and Tom Tugendhat would improve on Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries.


    A habit has grown up in the media, as well as in the country, of displaying a courtesy towards members of this government that is only justifiable by their possession of state offices and the shrugged mantra “there is no alternative”, rather than any objective assessment of their performances.


    It now seems time to say: we cannot go on like this, with Sunday outings at the mercy of such a figure as Grant Shapps. Johnson had a chance to use last month’s cabinet changes to replace proved incompetents with people more worthy of their offices. He chose instead to shuffle the boobies. In this, he flaunted the arrogance made possible by a majority of 80 and a moribund opposition. Whatever the case for Johnson, he mocks voters with his choice of subordinates.


    We should recognise that, even if the chancellor sooner or later moves next door in Downing Street, he will face intractable challenges. Roy Jenkins once said that he could not recall any prime minister assuming office at the fag end of a long period of one-party rule who proved able to make anything decent of it. He was thinking of Alec Douglas-Home, Jim Callaghan and John Major; since Jenkins’s death, Gordon Brown’s experience reinforces his point. Even if Sunak proves a virtuoso lion tamer, horse whisperer and snake charmer, he will lead a party of which the electorate is inescapably growing weary. Many of the problems, especially energy, derive from failures by David Cameron’s government or earlier and are not susceptible to quick fixes.


    If we find it difficult to deal with the United States under the Biden administration, consider the likelihood that 2024’s election will propel into the White House Donald Trump or somebody like him, who “does not do allies”. A new prime minister might, however, begin a reset of relations with our European neighbours, such as is impossible under Johnson. He could rebuild the electorate’s faith in the rhetoric of those in charge, make promises that he has at least some modest aspiration to fulfil. He can be trusted with money, both his own and other people’s. He seems to possess moral authority, a quality that should still matter for people who aspire to rule.


    With hindsight, we can see the last decade as a period when, for most of us, it was jolly comfortable to be British; we seemed able to have it all and made self-indulgent choices accordingly. We have entered a new era, in which a tension exists and a collision is threatened between our loneliness, worsening economic realities and the admirable aspirations of a new generation to be greener, nicer and work less hard.


    Somebody is going to have to tell the young that this virtue must be paid for and that, for instance, workers who stay at home more should expect to be paid less. They will not like that message and will not applaud a prime minister who delivers it. But that is one among many reasons why we need a responsible national leader, sooner rather than later.


    Johnson has a window to quit Downing Street on his own terms and return to doing what he does best: telling adoring audiences what they want to hear. The old Mexican in the movie could scarcely assure him that his work is done. But as much of it has been accomplished as is ever likely to be on his watch.


    Max Hastings is a former editor of the London Evening Standard and the Daily Telegraph, where Boris Johnson was a correspondent

    For his sake, and Britain’s, now is the time for Boris Johnson to ride off into the sunset | Max Hastings | The Guardian

  10. #510
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    there is no alternative -moribund opposition.

    Max even answered the question posed in his critique. Now what? It becomes clearer every day that Starmer and co are not the solution.

  11. #511
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    Max even answered the question posed in his critique. Now what? It becomes clearer every day that Starmer and co are not the solution.
    Maybe everyone should throw their weight behind the Lib Dems or the Greens.

    Let's face it if the big two continue to be useless c u n t s, what harm can it do to try an alternative?

    Won't happen though.

  12. #512
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    It becomes clearer every day that Starmer and co are not the solution.
    To be honest, I fear you may well be right.

    BoJo's days are numbered though. With Sunak as PM I don't think labour would have a ghost of a chance.

    As it is, this is going to be a tough winter for Johnson imo.

    And Starmer may slowly gain ground.

    But christ, that essay was insipid.

  13. #513
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    Whoever has the reigns for the next decade, its gong to be an fiscal tightrope - i reckon its a 20-30 year job to re-balance, but its been 50 years in the making. Still no different from virtually every other "first world" country, it has a debt and aging population combo to circumnavigate.

  14. #514
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    Plus everyone under 30 being quite keen to know how their environment has been so royally screwed up.

    The complete absence of trust in BoJo is going to become a factor here, too.

    He's a joke that stopped being funny a while back.

  15. #515
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    Maybe Blair and Brown got it right all those years ago, when they opened up immigration. It’s no accident that all those Ugandan Asians are handing over well run SMEs to their kids now.

    It wasn’t by design on behalf of the party, they just got lucky with it. For every sporting success and Olympic medal, there are at least 30 chav sink estate families on benefits.

    The law of unintended consequences.

  16. #516
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    In other news its the Tory conference in Manchester, following the Labour conference last week. The difference is nicely delineated by the Beeb, long accused of left wing bias but sold as an A-political news institution funded by the public but they have decided to play a 5 part docu on the love-in between the national disaster that was "Tony WMD i'm a man of the people Blair" and "Gordon No-one can question me Brown".

    You have to wonder if the scum we pay to run these quangos think they are bullet proof, coz this is one hell of nail in their coffin following a 16% pay rise for the twat who runs it whilst every other public servant gets near nought. Rights on lovies....your time is nigh and you have yourselves to blame. I for one can't wait, the Beeb is long past redemption.

  17. #517
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Q: How will BoJo travel back from
    COP 26, an environmental forum where he has advocated a radical change in thinking in order to save the planet?

    A: By private plane.

    The train from Glasgow to London takes 4.5 hours.


  18. #518
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    Q: How will BoJo travel back from
    COP 26, an environmental forum where he has advocated a radical change in thinking in order to save the planet?

    A: By private plane.

    The train from Glasgow to London takes 4.5 hours.

    Choices eh? Some people are so busy, they have to make more than one choice a day. Others who are extremely busy, sometimes allow others to make some of those choices.
    None of the above will ever be a concern for you though. Some people are just not important enough.

  19. #519
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Well you managed to sink far lower than the pathetically lame standard of your usual posts there.

    Still, doubtless a Bali-based retiree and sexpat ranks high in terms of ‘importance’.

    Lobbed any used Nespresso capsules onto the beach today?


  20. #520
    I'm in Jail

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    Squirrel, has his, "I love Greta badge" firmly pinned to his chest.

  21. #521
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    I guess it’s a good thing that only hardcore morons don’t get it at this stage.

  22. #522
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    Well you managed to sink far lower than the pathetically lame standard of your usual posts there.

    Still, doubtless a Bali-based retiree and sexpat ranks high in terms of ‘importance’.

    Lobbed any used Nespresso capsules onto the beach today?

    Don’t bother replying to my original observation. Go for the easier false assumption as you usually do.

    You have a hard on for Boris, despite the fact that you are an irrelance, and there is nothing you can do to change it or him.

    As far as importance goes, I am fully aware of my status here. I am no where near as important or officious as you clearly seem to think that you are.

  23. #523
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Yeah, that’s just based on absolutely nothing whatsoever.

    I’m clearly far more important to you than the topic of any political issue I post on though.

    And considering in this case that the topic was the future of the planet …well, that’s a tad unsettling since I’m not that way inclined.

  24. #524
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    Other than your penchant for posting Guardian links almost exclusively, you are PONTI.

    Yet again, other than your false personal assumptions, you are struggling to be relevant.

  25. #525
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    You’re just a dimwit with a grudge.

    This area of the forum is about issues.

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