Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

I didn't ask who are you "not" going to vote for Alf, aka cloth ears... so are you still going to vote for one of the right wing outfits?... Just answer the question as you would say -):

fred - except in rare circumstances, an MPs job is pretty insecure ..... it is therefore unreasonable to demand that they should hold no other interests

however, the "rules" are not only clearly inadequate but also not frightfully clear in some respects (so the commentators were saying)

that straw and rifkind have "betrayed trust" is looking pretty undeniable, but that does not alter what i have written above

yes :-)

Who's job is safe these days?

10.30 The full statement from Sir Malcolm Rifkind, as he announces an early resignation from Parliament.

"I had intended to seek one further term as MP for Kensington, before retiring from the House of Commons. I have concluded that to end the uncertainty it would be preferable, instead, to step down at the end of this Parliament.

"This is entirely my personal decision. I have had no such requests from my constituency association but I believe that it is the right and proper action to take. As regards the allegations of Channel 4 and the Daily Telegraph I find them contemptible and will not comment further at this time."

"Although I will retire from Parliament I shall continue my public and political life and am much looking forward to doing so over the years to come."

Has he struck a deal with No 10 to go quietly?



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/investigations/11431461/Jack-Straw-and-Sir-Malcolm-Rifkind-lobbying-scandal-latest-updates.html

how much does mark prithard get for work outside gov and does nothing for is voters to busy on private issues read about him

Tanker

I have one big problem with voting for UKIP.......

Although I do find Farage to be quite charismatic and interesting to listen to and I also agree with a lot of the points he makes, his political team of potential MPs are 'lightweights' compared to those representing Labour and Conservative.

My own MP, Andrea Leadsom is a real hard working heavy weight. She wins my vote by miles. There is no one to touch her. So, as aTory, she gets elected.

Now I think this reasoning of mine is most important, in that voters should be voting for individual political representatives and not for the party they belong to.

What do you and others think?

eg. As an example of this kind of thinking, I really do want Boris Johnson to be elected Prime Minister. He would make an excellent partry leader and country leader. He can have his hand on the tiller, steer a strong steady course, get and keep the crew behind him and get all of the jobs done.

Oh and I don't give a rat's arse about his Bullingdon Club, Eton history stuff. Boris has had an excellent education and has really benefitted from it. He is fully capable and can hold tons of information in his head.

Boris for Kensington MP?

I don't think it can be done now he has chosen to run for another seat.

Why not?

He's a shoo-in wherever he goes.

ex great post and honest.

so what would you say about the likes of rifkind who is a top con he did not stop him
being a complete dimwit with money is god no honour no morals no shame

fresh faces would be good for the country .

but in my view we need educated people in gov who care about the good of the country which we do not have . w need to get the best and pay the top wack to get them cut down the gov to around 400 mp and would cost the uk no more just better MPs

There are FOUR major motivations:

Money
Power
Status
Security

There are also different levels of motivation too:

Phenominally high
Massively high
High
Mediocre
Low
Not at all

People at the top of any arena have a good range of all of them and are also very highly motivated to each one of the four too.

Of course 'politics' is primarily to do with Power, Status and Money. Security need be of negligible concern; it just follows on naturally.

Rifkind and Straw neglected to look after their own personal Security motivation.

cynic Post 56948

fred - except in rare circumstances, an MPs job is pretty insecure ..... it is therefore unreasonable to demand that they should hold no other interests


Ask University lecturers, researchers, teachers, social service workers, workers in public services how secure are their jobs and can they plan their futures with any certainty?

=====

If and individual stands for MP then during his period of office he should give up his outside "employment" for that period and give his full reasonable time to his post.

But in order to convince the public of their MP's honesty. theirs tax returns etc and various "employments" for a 2 year period before being an MP and 5year period after they leave office.

Perhaps, we would find out who they are "truly" representing perhaps have an appropriate opinion of their honesty.

Exec,

You are missing interests and goals. (And if you are a Freudian Sexual goals and its derivatives.)

For many they would have done what they have done for half the money, status etc. but would admit that they may have made obtaining their goals easier.

Mammon is not the main driver for many.

By the way:

"Labour now leads the polls with 36 per cent of the vote, while the Tories are on 32. Ukip are on 11 per cent, with the Greens getting 8 per cent of the support.
The Liberal Democrats fell behind the Greens, trailing in at fifth, with only 7 per cent of those asked saying that they intended to vote for Nick Clegg’s party."

EL - i concur about voting for the person where it is warranted (few such cases) regardless of their affiliation

=================

fred - University lecturers, researchers, teachers, social service workers, workers in public services how secure are their jobs

especially in the case of teachers, far too damn secure ..... it's almost impossible to sack them even if they aren't any good

===============

Green Party's Natalie Bennett gives 'excruciating' radio interview

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has made headlines for all the wrong reasons after stumbling her way through a car crash interview with LBC's Nick Ferrari



By Rosa Prince, video source LBC / ITN

12:04PM GMT 24 Feb 2015



The Greens are in chaos after the party’s manifesto launch was overshadowed by a series of stumbling interviews by leader Natalie Bennett including one she herself admitted was “excruciating”.


Reaction to the series of media appearances, organised to promote the Greens general election programme, was heated, with many comparing the series of interviews to a “car crash,” while others suggested she had given the “worst interview ever”.






She repeatedly failed to answer questions about the party’s economic policy, stumbling when asked for basic details about the Green platform.


Following a particularly bungling appearance, with LBC Radio, when she went silent for long periods, Miss Bennett admitted to suffering from “mind blank,” and confessed her “excruciating” performance had been impaired by a “huge cold” after she struggled to explain the party’s housing policy.



The whole thing is here + vid: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/green-party/11431756/Green-Partys-Natalie-Bennett-gives-excruciating-radio-interview.html

Eurozone 'backs Greece reform plans'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31606986

Manuel.

Don't show your ignorance.

Universities etc. Many on short term contract 6 months , 12months etc. That also applies to other groups.

Perhaps, responsible for apathy and low moral in various occupations.#

another case of political hot air and the reality of life
wowee! now there's a surprise
the whole thing has been a total charade
however, the problems ahead will fall on the shoulders of the greek gov't that was elected on a preposterous platform, on which it cannot possibly deliver

teachers are not unless something has changed dramatically in the last few years