Blair quits...

[Kaleid]

...who's next?

Tony Blair - amazingly competent and personable PM? Egocentric Cheshire cat who smiled but didn't listen? Or somewhere in between?

Do we really want Gordon Brown running Great Britain for the next couple of years? I'm of the opinion that he should just stick to what he's good at (the economy).

Or would you prefer David "smooth" Cameron to win the next General Election?

[Dr Hooch]

Are you kidding? Brown isn't good at economy (look at all that gold he sold at the market low) and economy is his strong point. I can't see any way of labour winning the enxt election, so here's to them only spending one term regrouping and being back and not stagnant in 2013 or so i expect.

Ugh, I hate Gordon Brown

Tony Blair was good but then he started listening to that hellraising zealot one GWB and he was drawn off dem rails

[Kaleid]

I don't like Brown either; I think he'll make an abysmal PM, but I give him a lot of the credit for an almost unprecedented decade of economic growth.
I honestly can't see anyone I'd like to be PM

[peeted]

Brown hasn't done badley, he doesn't stand a chance against Cameron though.

[slashjunior]

I think labour have done a pretty good job. Before labour came in their were huge debts and Brown has reduced those significantly. Also economic growth has been very strong and the standards of living have vastly improved. The best thing that Brown did was handing over the interest rates over to the Bank Of England. The only thing I don't agree with is the amount we have been taxed. I wouldn't mind if I see noticeable improvements to services, but I don't, so where exactly is all that money going? Improving Brown's image, building more speed cameras or more bus lanes?

I think it is time we had a change and I think the most likely person to suceed Blair is Cameron. Brown just doesn't have those leadership qualities. I don't think many have faith in Brown to run the country. Cameron has really turned around the Tories into viable contenders for the next general elections and they have also gained a lot of seats on the local elections.

Blair has been good. It was a huge mistake going with Bush to Iraq though. I am all for the US and UK being allies, but that was a step too far and probably one the reasons why the 7/7 bombings occurred.

[Danish]

The Labour Party needs to live up to their name.

[Dr Hooch]

The Labour Party needs to live up to their name.

Not if they want to win the next election they don't, and that's the sad truth for you.

[lunchforthesky]

Hung Parliament next time.

Labour/Lib Dem Coalition?

[VomitStainedCretin]

Brown hasn't done badley, he doesn't stand a chance against Cameron though.Yeah, he's fat and Scottish - won't get many votes no matter whether he has successfully dealt with the economy. I predict a 2009 Tory landslide, followed by two further election victories before the public grow tired and vote for the next fresh-faced young imbecile attempting to become PM.

[RCVA]

I think we need a change from a Labour government. I'm not keen at all on Gordon Brown and i want to see how Cameron would do in charge.

I think Blair did a fairly good job, then again he could have done a lot better and his government of spin and propagandhi has left people distrustful of politicians more than they already were.

[lunchforthesky]

Yeah, he's fat and Scottish - won't get many votes no matter whether he has successfully dealt with the economy. I predict a 2009 Tory landslide, followed by two further election victories before the public grow tired and vote for the next fresh-faced young imbecile attempting to become PM.

The Tories are still unpopular from the Thatcher days and can't see them winning by a landslide, even getting majority seems unlikely.

[Jon]

is it really really bad that watching his speech on TV this morning made me sort of want to vote Labour next election?

[lunchforthesky]

If it's keeping you off the Fash then it cant be so bad.

[Jon]

Yeah I've decided that voting Tory can't be good, BNP obviously wasn't a serious suggestion, Labour are pure evil BUT AT LEAST THEY GIVE OUT BENEFITS FASTER THAN YOUR MUM OPENED HER LEGS LAST NIGHT.

I dunno, it seems a bit silly to be a struggling scrounger musician and vote right wing tbh.

[lunchforthesky]

Yep, Labour should do it really. High spending but relatively conservative social policy.

[Smokey D]

Are you kidding? Brown isn't good at economy (look at all that gold he sold at the market low) and economy is his strong point. I can't see any way of labour winning the enxt election, so here's to them only spending one term regrouping and being back and not stagnant in 2013 or so i expect.

Er, aside from 10 years of prosperity that's pretty much lightyears ahead of any other major European economy and the reorganisation of global finance to make London the most important market in the world? Oh yeah, uttely hopeless.

Blair was an extremely compentent and on balance good PM for Britain. Obviously, his obsession with Iraq in the past few years has probably tarnished his memory forever, but he achieved a great deal of good for Britain.

[Jon]

Yep, Labour should do it really. High spending but relatively conservative social policy.
Not nearly conservative enough for my liking and you know exactly what I mean, but I'd hate for Britain to go back to Thatcherism :shudder:

meh, one vote won't make any difference, who cares.

[sexymuffin]

Labor*

[lunchforthesky]

Labor*

Away with you yankee.

[Krabsworth]

Away with you yankee.

Um, historically, it's been away with you. :p

[pearlsjam482]

Are you kidding? Brown isn't good at economy (look at all that gold he sold at the market low) and economy is his strong point. I can't see any way of labour winning the enxt election, so here's to them only spending one term regrouping and being back and not stagnant in 2013 or so i expect.

Ugh, I hate Gordon Brown

Tony Blair was good but then he started listening to that hellraising zealot one GWB and he was drawn off dem rails

Look, I'm sorry, we did the best we could to keep him from being reelected. We are so sorry.

As an American, I'd like to apologize for my country, since no one else will. Dear World, we're sorry for pretty much messing you up.

[lfantwister]

As an American, I'd like to apologize for my country, since no one else will. Dear World, we're sorry for pretty much messing you up.
America is the greatest country in the world. Don't talk like that!

[sexymuffin]

don't apologize to the ****ing brits

[fingers mccoy]

are you being sarcastic that's the coolest thing ive ever read pearlsjam ahahaha

i always liked tony blair, i found the iraq obstinacy inexplicable but w/e that's his big mistake and it more than soured a good memory

i love gordon brown because there was this speech he was asked to give after a dinner about educational finance or something and on the phone they said 'must be forty five minutes' and he was like 'wtf forty five minutes' but did it anyway

then they were like 'dude four to five minutes' after he'd done it

and they all had a laugh they did

[Otherside]

don't apologize to the ****ing brits

****ing americans these days eh?

[sexymuffin]

****ing americans these days eh?

bunch of spineless pussies and socialists tbh.

[PerpetualBurn]

The interesting question as I see it is should Blair's successor call an election?

[GreyHam]

it would be something of a show of faith

i can see a lot of people being unhappy with gordon brown being placed in power

of course its gordon brown or cameron and i would hate for the tories to win

and of course the lib dems STILL havent found themselves any sort of identity

i know where my votes going though...

[Jon]

monster raving looney?

[GreyHam]

nope, lib dem all the way, all the way to spain

[Jon]

I've always preferred Italy to Spain, dunno why.

Saying that I loved Barcelona when I went, anything by Gaudi knocks seven shades of **** out of Venice, and is slightly, slightly better than the stuff in the Vatican.

[lunchforthesky]

The interesting question as I see it is should Blair's successor call an election?

No because he will lose, Brown needs time to win people round, if indeed it is possible.

However from a democratic stand point yes he should.

[Aklerc]

FYI, I know next to nothing about the ins and outs of politics. But I hate the fact that Brown is going to be PM. I like Cameron.

[lunchforthesky]

What is to like about him.

He is a sleazy Tory appealing to popular opinion when deep down he longs to bring back the poll tax, half public spending and recapture the empire.

[Dr Hooch]

Emily Cameron is a nice man but his party are horrible

Some of them don't even believe in ladylove I'm afrayed :(

Look, I'm sorry, we did the best we could to keep him from being reelected. We are so sorry.

As an American, I'd like to apologize for my country, since no one else will. Dear World, we're sorry for pretty much messing you up.

sok man i'll let it slide we should've voted for a PM that actually listened to people

[deathscreamingsheep]

Let's not forget that Cameron has actually no policy at all.

[Dr Hooch]

Let's not forget that Cameron has actually no policy at all.

I mean he doesn't even play the guitar or the saxaphone... :rolleyes:

[pedro durruti]

Wait I don't get it why may there not be an election? I admit our elections might be flawed over here but at least we HAVE one you undemocratic tea jockies!

[Dr Hooch]

You vote for the party and the party chooses the leader.

He made it clear he was going when he ran last election.

[PerpetualBurn]

Wait I don't get it why may there not be an election? I admit our elections might be flawed over here but at least we HAVE one you undemocratic tea jockies!

Okay, so what happens is that you don't try and criticise a political system which you obviously have no understanding of. It only highlights your stupidity.

[pedro durruti]

Yeah obviously I don't know anything about it because I said I don't get why there is no election..

[PerpetualBurn]

Okay, so don't throw inane insults at the system if you don't understand it then.

[Chrizzle fo' Shizzle]

lol you Brits and your parliamentary system

[pedro durruti]

Okay, so don't throw inane insults at the system if you don't understand it then.
That was just a joke :(

[Aklerc]

Emily Cameron is a nice man but his party are horrible

Some of them don't even believe in ladylove I'm afrayed :(



sok man i'll let it slide we should've voted for a PM that actually listened to people
Hmm everyone seems to hate the tories. My parents are too scared to tell anyone they're conservative. I mean obviously traditionally they're right wing, but nowadays the modern tory party aren't going to be like they used to be (excuse the vagueness, as I said before I don't know much :( ) there's the whole modern tory/trad. tory battle isn't there? What's really bad about them anyways?

[ChodaBoy]

http://www.nationalreview.com/images/DavidCameronatCommons.JPG

He is what's wrong with them. Doesnt ever seem to have a clue what his plans are

[Aklerc]

A picture is such a useful explanation. Thanks.

[GreyHam]

i always see cameron as blairs tory counterpart - hes got that same swagger and confidence that blair had in 97, playing off the un popularity of the current government

i dont believe a word of it

yellow power

[Chrysostom]

I give him a lot of the credit for an almost unprecedented decade of economic growth.

Well you shouldn't. He sold out gold reserves, raided around 5 billion pounds from pension funds and more to the point has claimed the credit for an economy that was starting to grow of its own accord under the last Tory government. The economy stabilized the second we pulled out of the ERM under Major. It annoys the hell out of me that people are blind to this and think the state of the economy was Brown's doing. It wasn't.

[Dr Hooch]

Hmm everyone seems to hate the tories. My parents are too scared to tell anyone they're conservative. I mean obviously traditionally they're right wing, but nowadays the modern tory party aren't going to be like they used to be (excuse the vagueness, as I said before I don't know much :( ) there's the whole modern tory/trad. tory battle isn't there? What's really bad about them anyways?

Conservative is the name, conservative is the problem.

They dream of the good old days, when all children were well spoken and polite, everybody worked 9-5, and things they didn't understand like gays, heavy metal and long hair just didn't exist for them to complain about.

Obviously the party isn't reeeeally like that anymore (except for david davis and friends) but Cameron is finding out it's kinda hard to have "new conservatives"

[Kaleid]

claimed the credit for an economy that was starting to grow of its own accord

Surely you can see that the handing over of interest rates to the Bank of England was instrumental in this? It was one of the first things Brown did when he came to office.
Ten years of growth doesn't just occur because of policies exercised by a previous government (and that idea is questionable); it needs a talented hand at the helm. The only mistake Brown made was to tax a little too much; fine if we could see where it was all going, but it's never that transparent.
I still think he is a great Chancellor and a poor prospective PM

"new conservatives"
yeah, an oxymoron if ever I saw one

[Aklerc]

Conservative is the name, conservative is the problem.

They dream of the good old days, when all children were well spoken and polite, everybody worked 9-5, and things they didn't understand like gays, heavy metal and long hair just didn't exist for them to complain about.

Obviously the party isn't reeeeally like that anymore (except for david davis and friends) but Cameron is finding out it's kinda hard to have "new conservatives"
So isn't it a good thing that he's trying to change it?

[Dr Hooch]

So isn't it a good thing that he's trying to change it?

ofc but he's trying and failing really

not necessarily his fault but still

[Smokey D]

Well you shouldn't. He sold out gold reserves, raided around 5 billion pounds from pension funds and more to the point has claimed the credit for an economy that was starting to grow of its own accord under the last Tory government. The economy stabilized the second we pulled out of the ERM under Major. It annoys the hell out of me that people are blind to this and think the state of the economy was Brown's doing. It wasn't.

It's not all his doing, but he has contributed to it. 10 years is too long for the economy to be riding on the puff generated by the Tories.

[SoulSeekerz]

Blair was not all the blame for the British woes, but he took the heat , of course.

[sexymuffin]

okay does anyone want to explain to me how the british election system works

i don't think i understand it.

[Smokey D]

The party with the most votes in each constituency wins the right to sit in Parliament. The party with the most seats in Parliament governs teh country and picks the Prime Minister.

[sexymuffin]

so then the prime minister isn't really elected by the people

well i guess it can be argued that neither is the president, what with the electoral college and all, but it seems a little more direct.

[Der Übermensch]

so then the prime minister isn't really elected by the people

well i guess it can be argued that neither is the president, what with the electoral college and all, but it seems a little more direct.

Nope. He's appointed by the Monarch on the recommendation of Parliment. In theory, the Monarch can choose anyone, but in reality, its the leader of the majority.

[Smokey D]

Technically, I suppose you could say the appointment of the Prime Minister is less directly democratic than the President in the States. In practise, though, it's about as direct as you could get.

[Der Übermensch]

I think the last time the monarch didn't listen to Parliment for the PM ws during Victorias reign... but I may be wrong.

[lfantwister]

well i guess it can be argued that neither is the president, what with the electoral college and all, but it seems a little more direct.
the only problem with our system is people get mixed up about the leader's personality and family life and stuff and sort of ignore the issues. which i'm assuming wouldnt happen in the british system?

[SoulSeekerz]

I am pretty sure the Iraq war did Blair in. He seemed awfully tired after all the war fiasco's.

[ashman]

I think the last time the monarch didn't listen to Parliment for the PM ws during Victorias reign... but I may be wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Douglas-Home

1963

It's a gray area.

[Dr Hooch]

the only problem with our system is people get mixed up about the leader's personality and family life and stuff and sort of ignore the issues. which i'm assuming wouldnt happen in the british system?

It does, I'm afraid, because these days they'll let anybody vote, pretty much. even women* :P


























*joke?

[lfantwister]

:((

[sexymuffin]

It does, I'm afraid, because these days they'll let anybody vote, pretty much. even women

ahahahaha women. voting

ahahaha rep +

edit: must spread but good joke though

[Der Übermensch]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Douglas-Home

1963

It's a gray area.

Hmmm... Interesting... doesn't seem like it was against Parliment's wishes though.... just that it was too confusing to know whom to pick really...
The last one against the will of Parliment seems to be under Willy 4.

[Dr Hooch]

ahahahaha women. voting

ahahaha rep +

edit: must spread but good joke though

http://www.marriedtothesea.com/gallery-voting-500.gif


But yeah, If there's one thing you can rely on the public for it's voting for all the wrong reasons