BS: Comic relief from the Tories

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 03:07 AM

Gervase, where you been? Answer your phone occasionally eh??

Cllr, all I can say is.... good luck, you're going to need it. Mind you, so do the other side!

Bring back Keir Hardie!!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Cllr
Date: 15 Sep 01 - 01:23 PM

The problem is that when the grass roots had the choice in the previous leadership campaign Clarke won hands down but the parlimentary group picked William. Now the moderate grass root support has withered and so the party has once again elected a right winger as leader. My analysis on the situation has been for the last four years that we were mirroring the changes that that the Labour party had been going through after thew 87 election. I was hoping that we could circumvent the time these changes take by selecting Clarke as Leader. If Iain Duncan Smith has the will he may be able to change the party back to the centre right position, currently usurped by New Labour,without causing the splits a moderate might have created. This would pretty much follow the pattern that Kinnock started in the eighties when engineering the transformation of the labour party. Problem is we could be looking at another ten years of New Labour.

In the mean time I'm going to stick to local Government.

Cllr

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Gervase
Date: 15 Sep 01 - 12:37 PM

Ouch. Too much like intruding into private grief, this!
But it is a sad day, because we do need a bloody good opposition in the UK to counter the magalomania and control-freakery of New Labour, and I can't see IDS and his Euro-obsessed band of Thatcherite Treens being able to furnish that.
These are indeed strange times. Over on another thread I was saying how much I missed Clinton, and now I'm missing Don Portillo far more than is good for an old leftie!
So Mike, don't go now - stick around and roll your sleeves up.
Your party is going to need people like you to rebuild and realign it and ensure that, after it gets stuffed next time, it can get its head out of the sand and provide a real opposition.

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Cllr
Date: 15 Sep 01 - 11:38 AM

In the spirit of this thread and being the token tory on Mudcat I thought I should make a Contribution. So her goes "Hurrah for our new glorious leader... "

Cllr

Can I go now?

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: brid widder
Date: 15 Sep 01 - 08:50 AM

My vote would have gone to Ann Widdecombe...in fact I'd even considered joining to give her my support!!!...that smile...sadly the tory party seem to have something against hair these days. I reckon 'his lordship' Jeffers will be absolved... now if he goes bald while he's inside....

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 15 Sep 01 - 03:59 AM

I was hoping for a real opposition to stop Labour becoming the New Conservative party

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 15 Sep 01 - 03:03 AM

Echo the Iain Whoo? Didn't even know they were electing anyone, I've been that busy I've not even had the radio on.

Still, as posted above, better Who than Portaloo.....

Maybe Jeffrey will be allowed back in the gang in about 3 years time..... or when hell freezes over!!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 05:50 PM

I'm glad he got the Job. With luck he'll lead the tories to another landslide defeat, he'll get his best friends in the shadow cabinet and show us all what a bunch of right wing fascists they are. just look at who he's already picked! Hardly slightly to the left of him are they?-Michael Howard! Long live Iain Dunking smiff, may he oversee the destruction of the tory party for good.

And then as a warning to new labour who I'm sure will be pleased to see this happen, beware the days of class politics and new "toryism" from you lot should come to an end.

Eric bottom left and long time fan of Ken Livingstone

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Walking Eagle
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 02:36 PM

Brid - - from what I've read these past few years, it sounds like your New Labour Party is a lot like our New Democrats here in the U.S.

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: GUEST,Les/ Manchester uk
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 02:23 PM

I still support the idea that the number one task for New Labour remains the complete distruction of the Tory Party, so far so good.

Perhaps we should be careful about trudging about in the private grief of the Tory Party. Remember, a significant number of the dance community are members of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Whippet
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 08:17 AM

Why ? Xavier was the man to save us all. What with that haircut and being a botty boy an all

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: English Jon
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 06:57 AM

God alive. The man's a Jack-booted Nazi. Still, rather him than Portillo.

EJ

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 06:41 AM

I notice how everyone has even spelt the poor man's name wrong, which I suppose is an indication of something. He's not Ian, he's Iain - technically he's Scottish,like Tony Blair.

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Fiolar
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 06:32 AM

No! Not Doctor Who. Ian Duncan Smith whose wife is one of the landed gentry and I believe is the heir to a complete English village. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 06:30 AM

Sound on Europe????

don't get me started

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 06:19 AM

The only thing I have ever said about him is... Who?

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Whippet
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 06:12 AM

But Ian is a lovely modest man with a lot to be modest about. Long live the right wing !!

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Ringer
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 04:52 AM

Sound on Europe, sound on hairstyle: I wish him well.

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 03:44 AM

I still say Jeffrey Archer should have got the job!

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: mooman
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 03:41 AM

Dear Sarah,

Since most 'Catters that posted on the "political compass" thread seemed to be, like me, in the lower left hand quadrant I am, nevertheless, filled with some hope!

mooman

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Sarah the flute
Date: 14 Sep 01 - 03:29 AM

How nice to know we are now almost certain to retain the people's prime minister Saint Tony for the next 15 years at least - no doubt he will give the Tories a BIG HUG for their sensible decision.... pity we will now only have a choice to vote for the right or the far right...Oh well

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: mooman
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 07:22 PM

According to the "political compass" website posted up here last week, Mr Smith is only a little more authoritarian and right wing than our dear Tony.

mooman

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: brid widder
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 07:18 PM

it was refreshing to here the new 'right wing' leader of the Tory party...make his first statement in that role in support of a Labour Prime Minister....although in a 'New Labour' Britain .......

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: mooman
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 07:10 PM

I'm glad he got in and congratulations to him. The Tories will fortunately now be even more unelectable than before.

mooman

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 07:08 PM

And the circle turns and turns and turns, I recall when Ian Smith was a pain in the proverbial, calling for ID in "Rhodesia" meeting with Harold Wilson on HMS Tiger ................or have I lost the plot?

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Gareth
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 06:51 PM

In a dark week, there is some hope !

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Comic relief from the Tories
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 06:35 PM

I heard this live on the wireless, waffled on a bit didn't he?

Subject: Comic relief from the Tories
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 06:30 PM

Thanks to the Tory Party in England for providing a bit of much needed light relief today, with their election of Mr ID Smith.

I notice that none of the terrestrial TV channels even bothered to carry it live. One channel had the Weakest Link instead, which figures.

I don't think posting this counts as controversial does it? I'm not prejudiced. If I had to have a party leader living next door, I'd probably prefer Mr Smith to Mr Blair. (But I'd much sooner have Ken Livingstone, and I'd bore him rigid going on about Public Entertainment Licences, and the right to sing.)