Michael Foot
I used to like Michael Foot. He seemed more intelligent and decent than the average politician and it annoyed me how the media used to focus on his slightly unkempt appearance. This screen shot from Google reveals that he is well-known for his less-than-fashionable outerwear.
Michael Foot: dedicated avoider of fashion
Apparently, he was also a scallywag. Aren’t they all?
After reminiscing for a bit, I realised that I hardly knew anything about what he stood for. Unfortunately for Mr Foot, he was leader of a divided Labour Party full of loony lefties. Foot was a co-founder of CND. He thought it was a good idea to unilaterally disarm our nuclear deterrent at a time when the Soviet Union had theirs pointed our way, and when mutually-assured destruction was preventing nuclear war. After what New Labour have done to Britain, had we disarmed and the USSR was still going, I doubt they would bother wasting missiles on us.
But he scores massive points for wanting to get the UK out of the EEC.
Condolences to those he leaves behind.
I’m afraid I have sunk to a series of base and disrespectful puns at my place. It takes some of the flak from the Gorgon for a day.
I was very much against his unilateral disarmament but looking back, it seems the Commies have won anyway and we could have saved a lot of money.
In fact, if we’d been out of the EEC and had no American-controlled missiles to maintain, we could probably afford to tolerate a lot of Labour’s lunacy. But then, if they had more money, they’d just be more loony.
In the inimitable words of Thumper the rabbit from Bambi…”If you can’t say nothing good, don’t say nothin’ at all’. Hence my silence on Mr Foot.
BTW,
By far the very best speech I have ever heard on why the EU is an evil monster and a threat to our national survival was given in oratorial style similar to Mussolini. It carefully picked apart all the lies given for continued membership, the inevitability of it becoming a single entity and highlighted the fact that it cost a vast amount of money to maintain, not a small part of which was spent on jobs for the boys.
It was given by the ex-Labour leader, now Baron, Neil Kinnock. You know, the multi millionaire EU Commissioner and champagne socialist, husband to the then Glenys Kinnock, the MEP (you know what the ‘E’ stands for), now Baroness Kinnock, the multi millionaire champagne socialist and ardent campaigner for the EU. This pair have troughed on a galactic scale and their children are following in their footsteps.
Just wanted to point out that politicians are renowned for saying one thing and then doing the complete opposite. We’ll never know if Mr foot would have done what he said if he had obtained power, but I know where my bets are placed.
PS If anybody thinks me a Conservative troll, I hate them as well. I try to have a policy of not speaking ill of the recently departed, but seeing as she is still with us, she’s fair game; Thatcher was a cruel, sick disaster that was inflicted on this nation by selfish numpties that couldn’t see further than the end of their noses, she sowed the seeds of the fruit we see today.
Leg-iron,
Mr Foot was one of those people I could never remember if he was still with us or not and prompted me to check fairly recently. Ronny Reagan was another, but he’s definitely dead now as well. Not so sure about Michael Jackson!
Good points, but under the Soviets you’d be drinking state-manufactured vodka rather than fine malts.
I’m trying to imagine how New Labour could be *more* loony. Actually, no need to imagine as it looks like Brown might still be PM after the election. Hope you like cheap vodka…
English,
I too detested Thatcher. I never thought something worse would come along. We have this crazy left/right, class-ridden thing where people keep voting for these same two bunches of idiots. There are some good ones there, but it’s like King Canute trying to hold back the sea for them.
How easy would it be to relocate to the land of Vikings?
Stewart,
As an EU citizen (I know, you don’t like that) you have the right to live and work in any other EU country, so you could go to Sweden, Iceland, or Denmark. Norway and Svalbard are not in the EU, but they are signatories to the EEA (European Economic Agreement), which basically amounts to the same thing when residency is the question.
You have to apply for a residence visa, which is a paperwork formality and not an actual application, at your nearest Police station within 3 months of arrival. This lasts for 5 years and can be renewed by repeating the procedure within 6 months of its expiration.
After 7 years residence and tax contributions you can apply for citizenship. You would have to abandon your British passport if you do this, as Norway will not permit dual citizenship.
Cost of living is expensive and taxes are high, but wages are about 3 times that of the UK. The taxes appear to be actually spent on the things they are promised to be, like roads, bridges, hospitals and old people, so I don’t object to paying them so much.
Norway has a staggering budget surplus (North Sea oil and gas) and is not part of the Euro. The currency is one of the strongest and safest in the world, so if you want to swap those leaden Krugerrands for something useful, try the Kroner. It has remained completely stable for the last 4 years, with the pound losing close to 35% of exchange value during this period.
My advise to you is to get out. Do it now, while you can. Lots of Germans saw what was coming in ‘31 and ‘32 and left. Lots more thought it could never happen and stayed too long. Really, get out.
The rot is worldwide, but some places are better than others and some other places are miles better.
Really, don’t leave it too late.
Thanks, English, for that. I don’t like being an EU citizen, but I was never asked. Don’t know where that democracy is they keep talking about.
Svalbard sounds good. I bet you’re allowed to own a gun in case a polar bear gets in your face.
Denmark’s too liberal.
Sweden’s too socialist.
Iceland’s got no money.
Finland? Don’t get me started!
Norway it would have to be. Do Norwegians buy a lot of flags?
I’ll stay here and fight until I am forced into exile, but I should be sensible and devise a cunning plan because this country is getting seriously out of order.
Hey Stewart,
Believe it or not, most houses have a flagpole, and those that don’t have a flag-stand on the roof or balcony. The national flag is flown at Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, along with the national day (17th of May) and funerals, birthdays, baptisms, etc. Also on bank holidays, known as ‘red days’. It stirs the blood to see a cross in huge numbers, flown by most, on numerous occasions.
2% income tax on Svalbard, I jest not. If you are good at fishing, a tidy profit could be made. Licenses for guns are just a paperwork formality. Most houses contain a reservist, and it is his legal responsibility to maintain a field-worthy weapon. Same on the mainland.
If you leave it until the trials, it will be too late. Better to fight and run, and live to fight another day, than to go down in a blaze of glory. Perhaps?
PS Apart from the languages (too many to mention) it is a bit like being in England about 50 years ago.
Check your mail.
Greetings English,
All those flags must be a marvellous sight. Maybe I could continue selling flags in the UK and live on Svalbard paying 2% income tax!
Too many languages? I don’t understand.
I’ll check my emails.
Hey Stewart,
They have three official languages, and dozens of (mostly) mutually intelligible dialects. It’s a throwback to the days of living and dying in the village you were born in. Lots of places were cut of from others before the days of modern transport networks and so the language became corrupted. Fairly recent attempts to standardise it have, in fact, made things worse, with the new language (Nynorsk) becoming simply another dialect and having little use in most parts of country, except in the Western and mid-Northern regions.
You live and learn! Are there a lot of English-speakers?
Almost everybody under the age of 50 can speak perfectly good English, most older people cannot. The 18 -30 year olds speak English very well but with heavy american accents, from watching Hollywood movies to learn the language.