Tacqui Smith

[LegalEagle-ish]

What really gets me tho is that she was one of the mysoginist so-called-feminists saying that all prostitutes are victims and all clients are abusers, plus trying to ban hardcore porn and there she or her old man are knocking one out watching something she wants to vilify.

[Michael Palaeologus]

What LegalEagle-ish said with nobs on. The hyprocrisy is mind-boggling.

It is reported that Tacqui have her Husband an ultimatum, "apologies or you are out". So, she is also willing to sacrifice her marriage for the sake of her political career. Poor sod was forced to make a grovelling apology infront of the cameras.

Of course Tacqui isnt the only poltician to run a mile from her Husband as soon as the whiff of bad publicity grape-shot came their way.

I am sick and tired of this Government wagging a moralistic finger at society while they themselves are in the mire.

So there.

[Mikecg]

Ibilly99 why would anybody want to google a video nasty such as raw meat is beyond me.

[ibilly99]

For the purposes of academic research mike.It's a nasty job but somebody's got to do it.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

She's got the raving hump because he's getting off on someone else other than herself.

If he wants to Fly Solo surely he should be able to a la Charlie Lindbergh.

[snorky]

LegalEagle-ish Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What really gets me tho is that she was one of the

> mysoginist so-called-feminists saying that all

> prostitutes are victims and all clients are

> abusers, plus trying to ban hardcore porn and

> there she or her old man are knocking one out

> watching something she wants to vilify.

very good

[snorky]

Its hardly new for a politician to forsake her relationhsip to further/ add creedence to her/ his career

- see that mercenrary shithole Tessa Jowell as an example

Local resident & career politician Harman proposed hiding expenses from public view a couple of months ago. Nice to see you principles coming to the fore Harman

The money is an irrelvance & a few drops in an ocean in reality - the papers grasp on anything to provoke ire and get a reaction from their reactionary readership

This has got nothing to do with Tug movies

It has eveything to do with a system that attracts the worst, most egotistical & ambitious members of society - we shouldnt be surprised when they fill their boots

You support these parties ( whatever colout they may be ), you keep these kind of people in power and maintain the Status Quo.

I would call for popular revolution & politicians to be strung up on ED lamposts for the Parakeets to gnaw at, but Ive had my fingers slapped once already in the past week, so wont.

[louisiana]

I think even the parakeets would turn up their little noses at these abominable specimens.

But I share your sentiments, snorky. Hanging, drawing and quartering is too good for them.

[Ted Max]

Suggestions appearing that they Mr Taqui is taking the bullet for their 15 year old son. Spin?

He'd have to know the code to work the pay per view, but also why not just get on the internet for your Gay Porn needs, like any normal person do.

[mockney piers]

I have been pondering a system where political service is something akin to somewhere between the honours list and jury service, and the executors of policy get nominated and forced into stints of service of say, 4 years, and that no more than 2 terms can be served by anyone.

I've no idea how it would work, how we would keep the democratic element by voting for policies that should be enacted by the drafted politicians, someone with more time and experience than me might want to start thinking about it.

But I've long thought that it's careerism that's damaged politics so much, but also the mentality of those who are attracted. The concepts of public service don't seen to hold the same cachet and status, except perhaps some of those at the grass roots level and NGOs, in the way it did 60 or even 30 years ago. It has ceased to attract the best minds because banking, law, medicine and many other areas tend to get those. It's no coincidence that many politicians had unremarkable careers in law etc.

In fact the first party man I saw talking sense on Question Time a few weeks back was revealed by another panelist as having left a stellar career in banking to do something he believed in. And he was (mostly) honest, which freaked me out.

We need more people with integrity, rather than self-serving money grubbers (of which TB was the WORST sort) really.

Anybody want to draw up a proposal for seismic democratic reform in this country with me?

Snorks?

[Huguenot]

How do you mean Mockers - the public votes on every policy?

[mockney piers]

As I said, I've no idea, but with modern technology that's getting on for feasible, if the country can get it's finger out in their millions several times a week for singing stars, ice dancers, ballroom dancers etc, vacuous wannabees hanging around on sofas being dull, then why not?

[*Bob*]

What, you mean like a gigantic version of the 'ask the audience' in Millionaire?

A handset in every home with three buttons on it: 'Yes', 'No', and 'Dur'.

[mockney piers]

Exactly.

Invade Iraq?

"I' Urrrrrrr"*

*attempting to write sound that Family Fortunes computer makes.

[bigbadwolf]

Just let Paxman sort it all out.

[mockney piers]

Brilliant, I'm going to usher in a new age of hanging being brought back, an end to habeus corpus (although Labour's already been there) in fact lynching of anyone who looks a bit beady eyed will be made legal, the imminent invasion of France...

Dear god what have I done?

[snorky]

Some of the Swiss Cantons seem to vote for every little piece of legislation and people do get involved, so maybe it is possible

Then again, the Swiss are stolen Nazi gold hoarding tax dodgers and drug cartel cash launderers, so maybe not

[Moos]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Brilliant, I'm going to usher in a new age of

> hanging being brought back, an end to habeus

> corpus (although Labour's already been there) in

> fact lynching of anyone who looks a bit beady eyed

> will be made legal, the imminent invasion of

> France...

>

> Dear god what have I done?

When it comes down to it, I don't think very many people really believe in true democracy, in the ancient-Athenian open-forum model* - look at the abuses and banishments that led to.

*obviously excluding women, foreigners, slaves and other such undesirables, and with acknowledgements to Terry Pratchett.

[mockney piers]

come on snorks, the sins of previous generations and all that...

Plus the City launders more dodgy cash than anyone else, so we brits can hardly talk there.

Mind you they still protect the pope...damn them all to hell!!!

[snorky]

I try not to let reality affect my rants

[JetSetWilly]

bigbadwolf Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I know that one of the title's was "Who's nailin

> Palin".

The other one was "Goin Down on Brown"

[Marmora Man]

  Quote

I have been pondering a system where political service is something akin to somewhere between the honours list and jury service, and the executors of policy get nominated and forced into stints of service of say, 4 years, and that no more than 2 terms can be served by anyone.

I posted something like this below somewhere else - but can't find it - so have tried to remember and expanded it:

Rules for politicians:

1. Must have had minimum of 10 years in a real job - ie no career politicians moving seamlessly from National Union of Students / Young Conservatives / Militant Tendency via a research post in a union / think tank / MP's office to a safe political seat to the cabinet / shadow cabinet. (Something like this used to be an entrance requirement for an MBA - sadly no longer)

2. May only serve for fixed number of terms - perhaps extendible in certain circumstances

3. If appointed as a Lord to serve in the Government - must relinquish the Lord's seat on completion of job. May retain the title as a courtesy.

4. Fixed terms for elections & parliament only to sit for 26 weeks of the year

5. MUST have valid outside interests - minimum of one day a week with a charity, non exec directorship, park keeper, hospital porter, nurse, journalist, doctor, barrister, teacher - anything that means they meet people for whom politics is not the be all and end all.

[david_carnell]

I went to post this earlier in response to Piers's ideas but lost my work - hopefully this is a rough approximation:

I'll let you develop the idea further before I fully attack the citizen's lottery/jury service idea but it seems unworkable. It also highlights one of my biggest problems with modern politics and politicians - short term-ism. And monkeys. But first, short-termism - I propose 7-10 year fixed terms for parliament. If the longer time-frame was adopted it could perhaps be coupled with the re-election of a percentage of MPs every 2 years (say a round 20%) to keep things fresh but unlikely to alter parliamentary balance too quickly.

Barely has a government been elected and they avoid upsetting the apple cart by not pursuing radical policies because the ultimate goal is re-election in four short years. How is it possible to arrive in government from opposition, understand the problems facing you, think of innovative solutions, consult fully, test them, evaluate, implement them in full, evaluate them again and alter them if necessary? Quite simply, it is not. With the government having to pander to media and public opinion polls every five minutes and announce new strategies every time a single tabloid-induced problem rears its head, arch-pragmatism becomes the order of the day rather than truly inventive ideas.

Secondly, should a Minister (who for the sake of argument we shall credit with a modicum of talent and a desire to improve the nation's lot rather than their own) manage to become a Secretary of State and obtain a departmental brief, the merry-go-round that shortly occurs means that effective management of a department and effective implementation and analysis of policy is almost impossible. Once you've been appointed, you need a chance to do your job properly or why bother. The civil service end up running things and this is, essentially, undemocratic. And as a permanent body pragmatism once again becomes prominent. Cabinet positions should also come with fixed terms. A minimum of two years.

Time is essential - without it we'll end up like Italy, replacing our government every twelve months, becoming entangled in a bureaucratic nightmare with creaking public services.

Monkeys next. Pay peanuts and you get them. The NHS is the world's second biggest employer and yet the SoS who is meant to run it receives under ?200k pa. Ridiculous. An equivalent private sector job would pay many times that. If you want politicians to be the best people for the job rather than power-crazed psychotics (and I don't think there are many like that tbh) then it is about time we (tax payers) stumped up the cash to attract the best candidates. MPs - ?100k. Ministers ?200k. SoS ?500k. PM ?1million. And then get rid of expenses aside from a bit of stationary.

[bigbadwolf]

Marmora Man and David Carnell. This is supposed to be a juvenile and toilet humoured thread of my design and isn't the place for a weighty and academic debate. If you do feel the need to ignore me can you at least have the common decency to throw in the odd swear word now and again, even 'tits' will do.

[david_carnell]

Come on.... I said monkeys. Twice.