Originally posted by @finnegan
https://peterreynolds.wordpress.com/2017/08/06/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-uk-government-than-this/

This is a great fun read. I disagree with much of it. I will not cut and paste so you will have to consider actually checking it out, secure in the assurance that it is in fact a lively read, well worth the time.

Well... it's not yet quite Thatcher shutting down all Welsh mines in the most brutal way she could orgasm over, nor is it quite Blair bending over and dropping trowse for Bush to shaft him in Afghanistan and Iraq, so no, it's not even the worst England (!) government in living memory, let alone ever. (Lord North, anyone? Liverpool/Castlereagh? Nobody's yet written "Stop, traveler, and piss" about Mandelson, though well they might.)

Of course, if Theresa goes far enough in Mr. Reynolds' direction, she might well achieve the utter depravity, callousness and lack of self-awareness that none of the abovementioned, though not for lack of trying, ever managed. But she hasn't. Not quite yet. Though not for lack of trying.

Originally posted by @shavixmir
Well, May does sort of mix the boring greyness of Mayor [sic], the stupidity of Brown's PR and a water-downed callousness of Thatcher...

You can say what you want about Blair, but he PR'd the crap out of being Bush's bottom.

"Major" I presume you meant. The worst one can say about John Major's PM-ship was that it was bland. Incidentally, that is also the best one can say about it. At least he didn't make any huge blunders (like invading Iraq and Afghanistan).

Brown with his vapid drivel about 'volues' was limp.

EDIT: Th. May was dealt a very weak hand to play. I suspect that many of those who voted in favour of Brexit are having second thoughts about it now and would vote differently if the referendum were held again tomorrow.

Originally posted by @finnegan
https://peterreynolds.wordpress.com/2017/08/06/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-uk-government-than-this/

This is a great fun read. I disagree with much of it. I will not cut and paste so you will have to consider actually checking it out, secure in the assurance that it is in fact a lively read, well worth the time.

Yes, a good read indeed. I particularly like the coined word “Twiterati.”

I quote:
“Democracy – The UK’s system of government is now a joke compared to other modern democracies.  Our electoral system is primitive.  Conservative and Labour parties conspire to keep the system as it is because it keeps them both in power.  It is obvious that we should be moving towards some form of proportional representation, online voting and a radical shake-up of the House of Lords.  MPs also need to be much more accountable.  The terrible murder of Jo Cox has let too many of them off the hook that the expenses scandal put them on.  Recently they have been whining about the abuse they get online. In general they deserve it for the terrible job they are doing. Also, they get protection from the police for such abuse.  The police are useless when it’s a member of the public under attack.  We need a job description for MPs, rights for constituents and a complaints procedure with teeth.”

Quite. Britain has no written Bill of Rights. Sorely lacking in this day and age. John Major’s so-called Citizens Charter was a feeble attempt to deflect the issue.


“Transport – With Chris Grayling at the helm and the farce that is HS2, there is no hope for a sensible transport strategy.  I simply don’t buy the argument that a slightly faster journey time between north and south will do anything to create a better future.  Train fares are ludicrously high.  The conditions commuters are expected to travel under are ridiculous.  The Southern Rail scandal is a microcosm of government incompetence and inaction.”

I remember the news when British trains were popping off the rails due to poor points maintenance (by convict labour, as it was later revealed). I have travelled on public transport in most European countries, from Sweden to Rhodes, and I have to say that public transport in Britain is on paar with Third World countries.

IMO, there are two benchmarks for measuring a government’s performance: investment in infrastructure, and education.

However, I disagree with the closing statement: “As the Conservative Party is dying, it is dragging Britain down with it.” The Tories are not dragging Britain down, they are accurately reflecting the fact the Britain's star as a world power has set. Britain has been punching above its weight for a long time, and it is time to relegate Britain to the league where it belongs. Wake up and smell the coffee: without the EU, Britain is a Third World country, on paar with Portugal, a country with a glorious past behind it.

I suspect that many of those who voted in favour of Brexit are having second thoughts about it now

No we are not!

Originally posted by @shallow-blue
Well... it's not yet quite Thatcher shutting down all Welsh mines in the most brutal way she could orgasm over, nor is it quite Blair bending over and dropping trowse for Bush to shaft him in Afghanistan and Iraq, so no, it's not even the worst England (!) government in living memory, let alone ever. (Lord North, anyone? Liverpool/Castlereagh? N ...[text shortened]... for lack of trying, ever managed. But she hasn't. Not quite yet. Though not for lack of trying.

Posterity will ne'er survey
A nobler scene than this.
Here lie the bones of Castlereagh.
Stop traveller, and piss.

Lord Byron. 1816. "Epitaph for Lord Castlereagh"

Many thanks for that link. It was new to me.

Castlereagh also features in Shelley's great poem, the Mask of Anarchy.

http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/PShelley/anarchy.html

Originally posted by @rtmiller
No we are not!

Is that the magisterial 'we'?