Sarah_Jayne

The worst kept secret in politics but Tony Blair has just left Downing Street to go to the place where he will give his official resignation speech. He still has a couple more weeks in the office until the Labour party goes through a farce of a leadership race and Gordon Brown is made the new Prime Minister but today is still the day when he says when that last day is - finally. It has been a very long goodbye.

This is interesting for me as a political nut because when I moved to the UK John Major had already taken over from Thatcher and was in his last year. So, this is the first time I have seen a Prime Minister change without a national election...very interesting stuff from a political nut's perspective.

Webby

Hell.. the leader of the government of the living dead is threatening to resign yet again?? *lol* He sure is a tease

Pity a few other leaders never took that hint of getting the hell out of office...

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CunningStunt

What's wrong with him? Seems everyone in the UK complains about everything, especially politics.

uno

Isn't it weird when a population isn't apathetic?

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Sarah_Jayne

He made the mistake of saying he was going to go before end of term and not just springing it on people..if he just announced it there wouldn't have been such a long time for people to kick him.

Webby

The tolerance level of idiots generally or ineffective governments is nada.

Blair is certainly not dumb and has had good things going for him, but he's now a liability - that prob started with the stupid war in Iraq.

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Sarah_Jayne

He has been in the same job for ten years ...time to move on.

Webby

True Sarah... Can remember scenarios a good while back where Tony was attempting to take the lead, but cabinet members said, "hey.. no you don't!" :-) It was prob around that time the first thoughts on resigning started.

PS If it is Gordon Brown who ends up as PM - chances are he may be OK. He's done a reasonable job as Chancellor and kept the economy afloat.

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Vendot

I personally am glad to see the fucker go..... as you say its been dragged out for so long and he's wanted to cling onto power for too long.

He's got a lot going for him but its always cringeworthy to see him try to defend his decision to go into Iraq with the same bullshit: "Well i am happy to see the end of Saddam Hussain" blah blah and then bring up 9/11 again.

He made a disasterous error of judgement to go into Iraq.... something that we will all pay for ultimately.

Oh and I hate Gordon Brown - no character, no charisma, and something a bit spooky about him. I think if he goes up, the conservatives will win the next election.

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Tim

If only that applied to the UK

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xcitecash

your so right we do...

no need to complain or cheer about Blair leaving as the next guy will be just as bad if not worse..

Here comes the new boss same as the old boss....

...The Who...

Webby

Agree vendot - the Iraq bullshit and excuses has been played out - there is no excuse.

Hehe.. Brown sure appears boring and charisma is nada, but he sure kept at his books and kept the pound strong, which is more than can be said for a few countries.

Only my but can't stand any of em of either political persuasion - they are all talk and wind trying to be something they are not - and will prob screw up more than even Blair managed. It's the same the US side, but prob worse - at least Blair had a braincell.

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Sarah_Jayne

speech about to start ..I don't think he is a bad person even if I haven't always agreed with him. There is just something about Brown that I don't like..even WHEN I agree with him now and then.

Sarah_Jayne

I love the UK but complaining is nearly the national sport..the sun could be shining and it be a beautiful day and somebody would find a reason to bitch.

Sarah_Jayne

27th of June - damnit i will be in the States ..my parents better have BBC America and they better cover it properly

Webby

Sounds like fun!

Kinda missed a lot of what is happening in the UK now, tho keep hearing moans and groans mainly from folks who want to leave, or are leaving, and switch off the light

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Sarah_Jayne

Please, after any gov't being in office this long people will make those moans and bitch.

Webby

Agree - they should only be allowed in office for two years max, then dumped - can't trust em for longer than that *lol* It's just a "human thing" :-)

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Sarah_Jayne

I have watched the full cycle since I moved here:

- 12 year of Torry rule and people are bitching and moaning about the gov't

- Labour takes over and people feel a brief moment of hope because they allow themselves to forget that their primal urge to bitch

- The streets of the country didn't suddenly turn to gold and people returned to the real world and started to grumble

- 10 years of Blair and people are bitching and moaning about the gov't

.. and so it will always go

Webby

Always remember a story from a Parliamentary Secretary who happened to be attached to the Health Ministry as an PS to the Minister....

This particular minister got elected on the basis of sinking millions into the health system for enhancements and a complete overhaul. The day he first sat down at his desk as minister, he called his PS and had this urgent desire to implement his electoral promises.

All was fine until the PS explained that his election promises of X million into the health system was only equivalent to an extra 36 hours of the cost of running the health system They guy was totally clueless on money and obviously his constituency were as well when they voted for him :-)

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v4 media

Blair fucked up with Iraq, so people wanted him out, apart from that he's done alright.

Brown could be quite interesting, aslong as they don't try to image style him, it's already happening, they keep making him smile.

He's a curmudgeonly bugger leave him alone.. Let him get on with being grumpy it's part of his charm.

Webby

They asked him to grimace and make it look like a smile??

To be honest - I LIKE grumpy! Who cares about charisma when ya could have a guy talking reality than some bullshit "politician speak" and not bothering about who he may offend.

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Sarah_Jayne

Of yeah I agree...let him be grumpy..it could make things interesting.

I have said this before but a few months ago I finally figured out that Brown has similar mannerisms (especially that mouth thing he does) to Richard Nixon and from behind looks a lot like him. So, maybe it is just that I have picked that up in the back of my mind and have let him annoy me just because of that even before I hear anything he says.

CunningStunt

Sorry, I am English, but moved to Oz 12 years ago. All I heard when I was there was how bad John Major was, and how "New Labour" (nice branding) would be different. It was / is, for the better, and now people want a change and suddenly everything is terrible? Nonsense.

Btw I speak with a small authority - my sister just passed a bill in parliament in the UK. If Labour or Tories get in, guess who their advisors are? Correct - the same civil servants and economists who are currently there. Massive changes regardless of government - I think not.

Lee

Oh come on Sarah, you must have had experience of American tourists (especially elderly ones)? Possibly the whingiest whiniest bunch of lazy bastards ever...

Re: Blair, Im not a labour man but even I have been impressed by his overall leadership, however his legacy has been truly trashed by the Iraq situation and its probably what history will remember him for.

Webby

Kinda normal stuff and the function of the Civil Service. You seriously think politicians have a clue on running the country??

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Sarah_Jayne

I never said British people are the only people that complain but Americans are generally more 'half full'. The British have a more realist approach that has brought on the bitching. The whole 'build them up to knock them down' thing is a good example.

Maybe that is why I like it here so much because I like a good bitch now and then too

Sarah_Jayne

Oh and old people always complain..regardless of nationality...lol

CunningStunt

Meh. The govt that gets in are the ones with the best PR campaign, trying to convince the proliteriat that they are the best. Hilarious to watch.

Barefootsies

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"Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

buzzy

Tony blair is about as good prime minister as we are going to get, dont expect anything better than him in the upcoming years, and if you dont like blair then your one of them people that dosent like anything, if its sunny you wish it was raining, if it was raining you wish it was sunny lol

chodadog

It's clear he was waiting for the NI process to run its course. It's his legacy. He wants to go down as the PM who solved the Irish question and now he will. Wouldn't have been the same had he left a few months ago.

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Sarah_Jayne

I think of all the things people wish to ride him on he deserved to be there to see that happen. He worked for that.

chodadog

Tories are just a tad annoyed at his snub to Major, though. What Blair did was of course amazing. But Major started it off. Especially impressive for a conservative.

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royaljelly2

yeah he's been doing it for long enough. time to shake things up a bit.

Sarah_Jayne

I agree and I haven't heard anybody deny that. I agree he should have been invited. You have to hate that Mowlam didn't see it happen.

Sarah_Jayne

yup..just time to go and do it on his own terms

chodadog

It's funny.. for years, I've been wishing Paisley would just keel over and die already. But now I hope the bastard lives for as long as possible. He seems to have softened. Same can't be said for his son or Robinson.

Wonder how much the political landscape is going to change. Shinners are going to be in government north and south come the next elections in the 26 counties. It'll be a Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein coalition for sure.

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Sarah_Jayne

Funny...I was thinking more of less the same thing the other day. I was watching him joke while he was giving his speech and thinking 'Man, I used to hate you and now you remind me of my granddad'. The 'Dr. No' vibe wasn't there.

Martin

Perferct timing, going out on a good note. You know the whole N. Ireland peace thing. Good for him. Get out when the gettin is good.

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Enough Said.

"Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

Barefootsies

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Enough Said.

"Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

Hazlewood

Now all we need is Bush to resign and the world shall be healed

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Barefootsies

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Enough Said.

"Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

Sarah_Jayne

Should sort of be the other way around so Blair can say 'another fine mess you have gotten us into'