General Chat

Yes, OneFoot, John Smith would have saved the Labour Party and saved us from Tony Blair.

John Smith gained respect and admiration from all sides of the House.

Barbara Castle, no question
- honest, started to get women treated properly at work, reversed the carnage on the roads.
She also tried to bring in a new approach to industrial relations which was squashed by James Callaghan and his Luddite cronies. We are still suffering Jim's poor choice.

There have been some wonderful orators - Churchill, Tony Blair, John Redwood, Roy Hattersley, Michael Portillo, Tony Benn, Arthur Scargill, Mo Mowlam, Kenneth Clarke, Nye Bevan, George Thomas, Gwynfor Evans, Lloyd George, Dafydd Elis Thomas.

There have been some great leaders - Clement Attlee, John Smith, Alex Salmond, Martin McGuiness. Just to clarify last one, I hated him intensely a few years ago but think he has done more in Northern Ireland for peace and community harmony than anyone (even Gerry Fitt). But willing to be told I am talking through my nose :-)

William Ewart Gladstone remains my favourite politician - a man 100 years ahead of his time :-)

Well said Guinevere Enoch Powell had a short memory like millions of others, didn't mind being part of the British empire when others from countires of this empire were fighting so he could have his " free speech" but when it came down to it he was just a racist

ISNT IT STRANGE HOW SOME OF US THINK THINGS DIFFERENT,TO ME ENOCH SAID WHAT A LOT OF US FELT AT THE TIME BUT TO SCARED TO SAY SO..
BUT I WOULDNT SAY RASIST

I'm not a political animal, but the politicians of the past that I admire are Winston Churchill, Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher.
Can't say I have much admiration for the present bunch, but I'm watching the rise of Boris with great interest! ;-)

Sorry Dizzi but anyone who doesn't think Powell was racist doesn't understand what racism is. Being anti immigration isn't necessarily being racist but being prejudiced against another colour is.

Sorry Chrissie, Unless you knew the Man you cannot say that,most of his constituants were Imigrants and they voted for him because he said what they wanted him to say.

MERLIN
I HEARD THE SAME,A LOT OF HIS CONSTITUANTS WERE HARD WORKING IMIGRANTS AND AS YOU SAID ,,
HE SAID WHAT THEY WANTED HIM TO SAY..

CHRISSIE
I DO KNOW WHAT RACISM IS,AND CAN WORK BOTH WAYS

Merlin, you keep repeating how much his constituents liked him and voted for him blah, blah, blah but not all of them did. Many of them thought he was a racist bigot at the time. His own party thought he was a racist, and would lose them the election.

He was a racist, he said so himself, so to say he wasn't is also to call him a liar.

He was also a traitor to the tories urging people to vote Labour in 1974.

Well said, Guinevere.

DIzzi, if you mean that all races can be racist I'm well aware of that. It doesn't mean it's right.

Baron Ashley of Stoke. or as an MP, Jack Ashley. Don't believe I need to qualify his qualities as he was so well known. :-)

CHRISSIE
I MEAN AGAINST WHITE

Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher for me. They weren't afraid to say what they thought.

John Smith.

Hitler

Enoch Powell. Was he a good politician? No, not in my view.

He was Minister of Health in one of his earliest appointments. The NHS was on its knees because of lack of staff and resources. He brought staff in from the West Indies and made a name for himself. Probably expected them to return home after their work here, but forgot to give them visas and we still needed them anyway for a long time.

Rivers speech was in a sense his swansong. It was admitting he had got his policies all wrong as Health Minister, had learned from his mistakes and was warning others of what might happen as a result.

Despite his flat Brummie tones, he was a great speaker. One of the most brilliant men of his day. A war hero. But an introverted, academic who never understood lives of ordinary people. A busted flush when he made the Rivers speech, and he knew it.

Not a racist (certainly not in the context of Wolverhampton in 1950's). I think today he would be shocked that people thought that of him. But he would have been very keen on proper border controls and would have given Blair and Cameron a very hard time :-)

Interestingly, he tried to do a TV programme about India in 1980's and was refused a visa. Never understood why, with 1 million pop India controls its borders so well compared to UK :-S :-S

Didn't you read what I posted, John? He said himself that he *was* racist.

Quote “What’s wrong with racism? Racism is the basis of nationality.” unquote

Guinevere
TO ME THAT QUOTE DOSN'T SAY THAT
HE'S A RACIST

Can't see how you reach that conclusion, Dizzi.