I bring news from the Tory Conference. For some of you, the news I bring will be welcome… for those of you planning a career at the BBC as a public servant, or, indeed… as a public servant in another sector… this is time for you to get back behind the sofa because the Daleks are definitely coming to stuff you.
I listened with interest to George Osborne’s speech as I multi-tasked my way through the day - smoking, drinking tea, doing a client project and a spot of writing - and was delighted to hear Osborne say that no-one would be allowed to earn more than the Prime Minister if they work in the public sector (without Osborne’s express permission) and that the maximum pension drawing per annum for public servants would be capped at £50,000. Robert Peston blathered on about ‘grandfathering – confusing so many people who read his blog on the BBC that the BBC had to explain what ‘grandfathering’ is….. and made the perfectly reasonable point that this could lead to unintentionally hilarious consequences where a new executive working at top level in The Royal Mail, the BBC and a host of other public sector organisations, would be earning well below the earnings of other executives below them in the corporate ladder. In fact… being honest and trying to be objective – a fine idea in theory…. but a bit of a scrambled egg of an idea in practice?
Grandfathering… by the way… seems to means that Buggins and Muggins, already in post, will still be able to trouser their vast inflated salaries but new people coming in won’t be. Osborne also signalled his intention to reduce government and MP salaries by 5% and establish a pay freeze. Bankers are to be given a right royal Bullingdon Club kicking if they overdo the bonuses and ‘We’re all in it together” if we want marmalade at breakfast in a few years time. CUT< CUT< CUT< CUT…. all good stuff to excite Basildon Man, those of a vapid disposition who read The Sun and do what The Sun tells them to do and at least Osborne did give the political darlings and buffers from Surrey et al their first conference orgasm in over 12 years…. although some Tories may think it more of a case of “F*ck me, George…. F*ck me….. Bash the rich…I like it when you talk dirty… when you treat me mean!.”
But enough of that…. far more entertaining was an excellent interview between two of Britain’s greatest political media icons….. Paxo interviews Boris. It really is good and if you have not seen it… you may wish to. Despite being a slighly surreal Labour voter who (a) doesn’t approve of the PM (b) Not too keen on some of the fuckpiggery which goes on in the name of ‘political correctness’ (c) is appalled by Labour’s record on the erosion of civil liberties in the last 12 years and (d) does not wish Blair to be President of Europe – I did vote for Boris to be Mayor voting Tory for the only time in my life – BUT I shall continue to fly the red flag down at Charon Hall….and go down drinking the King of Spain’s best Rioja if we do, in fact, lose the next election/. It is still an election the Tories can lose because it seems, at the moment that the Tories won’t actually WIN, they will take power because Labour loses it.
Did you know that George Osbore’s real name is Gideon? At first I was thinking it was Gilbert but then remembered that Gilbert and George is something different.
Perhaps he’s the bloke who leaves all the bibles in the bedside cabinets in hotels.
He’s even creepier than ‘Dave’. The Durutti column is ready to march!
I think many a good and wise person has commented in the past that all elections are ‘lost’ rather than ‘won’
I knew that Osbore’s name was Gideon…. but he doesn’t like it…..
Dave reminds me of the Pillsbury doughboy character…. he doesn’t seem to have any features on his face? perhaps I need to go back to 12.5% wine instead of this South African rip your ears off stuff.
They area bit creepy I’m afraid….. at least Michael Howard only had something of ‘the dark’ about him!
Dave and Goerge remind me of Ant n Dec…
i heard gideon on radio 4 this morning. he said some very sensible and not at all obvious things. he said a tory government would have values. it would make decisions. it would err do stuff. i was considerably enlightened and having previously considered him a lightweight i would now revise that opinion and vote for him. values decisions and doing things are very important.
charon hang yer head in shame at voting for boris – a man ignorant of the most important things; one who uses his intelligence to think of nothing sensible; one so blinded by his own privilege he can see nothing but a world cast in his own image. and we put him in charge of the capital. weep for the sons and daughters of albion!
very sensible tho this restricting the wages of the public sector as they are the ones coining it – not the bankers earning millions, not the leaders of utility businesses ripping off the public, not the bloody politicians on the take. let’s blame the public servants! and those on disability benefits – nick their bleedin crutches; that’ll showem. how long before we are targeting single mothers and re-introducing s28?
it’s gonna be like the 80s all over again, only this time they can’t blame the miners because they made us extinct. if the daft bastards of albion vote for this bunch of crooks in cheap suits they(we) deserve everything we will surely get.
waiting for the great leap backwards. hate is good!
Tsk – only one ‘t’ in Durruti. My bad…
It’s still gonna get these pillocks
LMAO. Simply, do you not feel that you should be applying your substantial talents to something more than being a sarcastic smartypants ? Ever thought about becoming a lawyer.
In keeping with most others who have suffered the immense personal misfortune of meeting the man, I can attest that Boy George is as unimpressive in the flesh as he is in the media. He’s about on par with Dawn Primalaro, but he has less facial hair.
Gentlemen…. Excellent…we happy few… we band of blawgers….. united ?
SW… Yeah… Boris….. but I’d had enough of Livingstone and felt that London deserves Boris….. at least he raises London’s profile….
I am getting the red flag out…. I shall have it behind by my desk… like the President of The United States has a US flag behind his desk……
Charon – These nutters scare the living daylights out of me. I am retreating to my bunker/commune in the highlands, it is stocked with high strength wine and spirits. Come join me, we shall drink, sing the International and wait reinforcements from the east.
Lex
I’m particularly taken with the Steve Bell caricature of Gideon with a bum on the end of his nose.
I can sing the internationale in French. Can I hide in the bunker too?
C’est la lutte finaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaale etc
‘I’m particularly taken with the Steve Bell caricature of Gideon with a bum on the end of his nose.’
steve bell is and always has been the king of political cartoonists. sadly his career is as good as over; i hear the bum is bringing an action for defamation.
charon – i hate london too, but i still don’t think it deserved boris.
barboy – large round of applause for the comment. witty, slightly surreal and containing a good quantity of abuse. i like you, sir – find the falcon!
That interview with Boris and Paxman was very funny. I wondered, quite near the beginning, whether Boris had had one too many lunch time lagers (I gather he is partial to a couple and that it makes him feel stupendous or something), however I eventually realised that that is how public school boys speak, having not been in close contact with Etonians for quite some time.
Question Time last night was funny too – both Labour and Conservative were suitably vapid. The Lib Dems, I do like them, are always the implied, designated mediators, never bound to win an election but always, to preside over the farce that is our political system.
Crocstar…. we may have been shaped by childhood – but…. the sins of our schools should not be visited upon us forever….. I did my best to escape… but I did enjoy that bizarre interview.