All PMs are supposed to be 'the people's PM', in the sense that they are supposed to govern for the good of the whole nation. Presumably he just wants to be popular, as usual, but nobody could possibly love him as much as he loves himself.
Funny thing is, the “People’s PM” sounds to my ear like a weird throwback to Blairism. Our Tone was always going on about the People’s everything but the kitchen sink.
I’m willing to believe that this is unintentional and due to ignorance on Boris’s part.
If the press were even handed in applying pressure, there'd now be reams of newsprint demanding that Johnson denounce Britain First, asking why he hasn't denounced them yet, and then floating all the various episodes in which people in his party had been associating with the far right.
Dunno about the rest of you, but I have deleted the link to 'BBC News' from my desktop, and refuse to even glance at the headlines of the so-called 'newspapers' in my local supermarket.
Head in the sand? Maybe, but my blood pressure just will not cope with the sight of this hateful man on the front page of everything, for the foreseeable future.
I will continue to support (however feebly) various more enlightened (aka left-wing) channels, which oppose the egregious Piffleglum, and his minions. More than that, I cannot do.
Perhaps 2020, instead of being the beginning of the Dark Years, will see the opening of that Most Blessed Ditch?
Yes, I have pulled back from political stuff at the moment. I don't want to read about the buffoon at the moment, and I have been ignoring Trump for ages. Also, I have no wish to watch Labour picking over its entrails. This may be irresponsible of me, but I have had a bellyful with Brexit, and related idiocies.
Can anyone recommend a morning radio programme? I've rather gone off Today; Radio 2 is too relentlessly jolly, and I have no interest in sport so 5Live is out.
Can anyone recommend a morning radio programme? I've rather gone off Today; Radio 2 is too relentlessly jolly, and I have no interest in sport so 5Live is out.
Is this for the radio alarm? Something like LBC should do the job, especially if Mr Farage is on ... nothing better for getting you to leap out of bed to turn it off.
Can anyone recommend a morning radio programme? I've rather gone off Today; Radio 2 is too relentlessly jolly, and I have no interest in sport so 5Live is out.
Is this for the radio alarm? Something like LBC should do the job, especially if Mr Farage is on ... nothing better for getting you to leap out of bed to turn it off.
but the cost of replacing the radios & the windows you throw them out of may be prohibitive.
Depending on where you live, you could try one of the local stations. They usually have a long breakfast time programme, and as a lot of the news is local, there's less national stuff on them.
Depending on where you live, you could try one of the local stations. They usually have a long breakfast time programme, and as a lot of the news is local, there's less national stuff on them.
Or go the opposite direction and try the World Service. Usually when I am forced out of bed by a bouncing 3 year old at 5am there's something interesting before they hand over to radio 4 (we don't get digital here so I can only listen over the internet otherwise).
You could try Radio 3 whose commitment to news and current affairs is indicated by the fact that they once read the previous day’s news bulletin by mistake.
Can anyone recommend a morning radio programme? I've rather gone off Today; Radio 2 is too relentlessly jolly, and I have no interest in sport so 5Live is out.
If you don't need to hear news, you could try BBC Radio 4Ex. From about seven in the morning till nine or ten, you get re-runs of 60's comedies, Goon Shows, The Navy Lark, I'm sorry I'll read that again, Ken Dodd, Les Dawson, and sometimes re-runs of more recent but still years old I'm sorry I haven't a clue, Music Quiz, Just a Minute etc. Also, sometimes Saturday's News Quiz or Dead Ringers. They'll tell you what time it is, but that's about the height of it.
The older stuff sometimes comes with a warning for 'outdated attitudes', referencing sexism, racism and homophobia etc. But I've yet to hear anything that has truly offended me more than some of the stuff that gets churned out of the Houses of Parliament in recent years by our elected guardians of the People's peace.
When we were coming back to the UK for holidays, the first thing D. would do once we'd picked up the hire car was turn on the radio and say, "see if you can find Radio 4".
If what was on didn't appeal, we'd try Classic FM, and if they were playing the Albinoni Adagio or the slow movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto (which they usually were ), we'd try Radio 3.
I'm relieved to know that I'm not the only person who's taken to avoiding the news, though over the holidays we've had a largely politician-free period and I've started to listen to Radio 4 again. But not for long - by the end of the month we shall get the chorus of turkeys squawking in delight that Christmas is here at last, sigh.
Thanks for all the suggestions - the World Service sounds like the best bet for me, I think. I need something with occasional mentions of what time it is, so I get out of the house for work at the right time. Though I did try Radio Hereford and Worcester this morning, and that had the time, news headlines, and some chat between the presenters which was okay.
Cummings (Johnson's SPAD) has a new blog up, which appears to be an attempt at recruitment. Amusingly, the type of person he describes as not wanting is a perfect fit for his boss:
I don’t want confident public school bluffers. I want people who are much brighter than me who can work in an extreme environment. If you play office politics, you will be discovered and immediately binned.
Cummings (Johnson's SPAD) has a new blog up, which appears to be an attempt at recruitment. Amusingly, the type of person he describes as not wanting is a perfect fit for his boss:
I don’t want confident public school bluffers. I want people who are much brighter than me who can work in an extreme environment. If you play office politics, you will be discovered and immediately binned.
Please, sir, what is a SPAD (aside from a World War I French biplane)?
An unelected bureaucrat pulling the strings of those who actually stood for election. An essential part of a government that complains about how other international organisations are run by unelected bureaucrats.
de Pfeffel seems to want to become a popular PM. Ditching Cummface would help him towards this end methinks.
I don't know, being able to blame the "evil advisor" for any failings (a bit like the noble women carrying small dogs they could blame for any unwanted smells) is a traditional way to maintain popularity. Arguably that was the part played by Alistair Campbell under Blair. Blair maintained his "teflon Tony" persona for a long time partly because all the knives were in Campbell's hands, not his.
I can't quite explain why, but I don't think it ever occurred to me that Alistair Campbell was pulling Tony Blair's strings (he may have manipulated the way Blair's actions were reported, but that's presumably what he was paid for), but that's very much the way I see the relationship between Cummings and ABdePJ.
I can't quite explain why, but I don't think it ever occurred to me that Alistair Campbell was pulling Tony Blair's strings (he may have manipulated the way Blair's actions were reported, but that's presumably what he was paid for), but that's very much the way I see the relationship between Cummings and ABdePJ.
I would agree with that: Alistair Campbell became synonymous with the term Spin Doctor, but Cummings is rather more of an unaccountable Grand Vazir, and trying to run No. 10 and meddle in the running of the state.
Comments
You're right, and I apologise. No disrespect to the ANZACs was intended.
I’m willing to believe that this is unintentional and due to ignorance on Boris’s part.
Which 'people', anyway? Certainly not mine...nor of all those who did NOT vote tory.
He-he! Why am I reminded of ' thine adversary the devil' ?
But they aren't, so there won't.
I hope my beseechings are more efficacious than were my prayers to Any Gods There Be to send Mophead to perdition.
One feels one has to do something - anything - to mitigate the Evil of the coming Dark Years.
Head in the sand? Maybe, but my blood pressure just will not cope with the sight of this hateful man on the front page of everything, for the foreseeable future.
I will continue to support (however feebly) various more enlightened (aka left-wing) channels, which oppose the egregious Piffleglum, and his minions. More than that, I cannot do.
Perhaps 2020, instead of being the beginning of the Dark Years, will see the opening of that Most Blessed Ditch?
but the cost of replacing the radios & the windows you throw them out of may be prohibitive.
Or go the opposite direction and try the World Service. Usually when I am forced out of bed by a bouncing 3 year old at 5am there's something interesting before they hand over to radio 4 (we don't get digital here so I can only listen over the internet otherwise).
If you don't need to hear news, you could try BBC Radio 4Ex. From about seven in the morning till nine or ten, you get re-runs of 60's comedies, Goon Shows, The Navy Lark, I'm sorry I'll read that again, Ken Dodd, Les Dawson, and sometimes re-runs of more recent but still years old I'm sorry I haven't a clue, Music Quiz, Just a Minute etc. Also, sometimes Saturday's News Quiz or Dead Ringers. They'll tell you what time it is, but that's about the height of it.
The older stuff sometimes comes with a warning for 'outdated attitudes', referencing sexism, racism and homophobia etc. But I've yet to hear anything that has truly offended me more than some of the stuff that gets churned out of the Houses of Parliament in recent years by our elected guardians of the People's peace.
Planet Rock is my general music station of choice. For talk it's still R4.
If what was on didn't appeal, we'd try Classic FM, and if they were playing the Albinoni Adagio or the slow movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto (which they usually were
Please, sir, what is a SPAD (aside from a World War I French biplane)?
I don't know, being able to blame the "evil advisor" for any failings (a bit like the noble women carrying small dogs they could blame for any unwanted smells) is a traditional way to maintain popularity. Arguably that was the part played by Alistair Campbell under Blair. Blair maintained his "teflon Tony" persona for a long time partly because all the knives were in Campbell's hands, not his.
I would agree with that: Alistair Campbell became synonymous with the term Spin Doctor, but Cummings is rather more of an unaccountable Grand Vazir, and trying to run No. 10 and meddle in the running of the state.