Female President

[Chris_Sleeps 10]

total garbage. Political dynasties are not unusual

I never said they were unusual.

[callippo 10]

people should not be surprised that ability in politics runs in families. If it did not, it would be just about the only profession I ever heard of that didn't. George Bush Jnr, also did get his jobs on merit. He was good. Far too many people in the UK have got the wrong end of the stick about George W. Bush and try to make out that he was some sort of idiot who would never have got anywhere if it wasn't for his dad, when he was not an idiot at all. They never say the same thing about JF Kennedy who didn't even have a proper big political job like Bush did, prior to becoming President.

[mjw47 10]

What tended to put people off W Bush was that he appeared inarticulate & there was a suspicion that he was a puppet for Cheney & Rumsfeld.

There was also the fact that he hid away in the Texas National guard during the Vietnam War. John F Kennedy served his country in the Second War & saw action. This was at a period in his life when he would otherwise have been involved in a 'big political job'.

No comparison between the two men.

[Harleyman 12]

Or sycophants that just suck up to the stupid Yank presidents, I mean here and that old fart Regan Christ its a wonder they didn't have a love child.

 

I know you probably wrote what you did to evoke a good old argument, but sorry friend not rising to the bait, she was as popular as a fart in a spacesuit.

 

I'll bet anything if Labour had been in power during the Falklands crisis they would have crawled away with their tails between their legs and the Falklands today would have been renamed the Malvinas.

 

Britian economically and industrially was a near basket case when Thatcher was elected. The militant unions ran the whole bloody country and there were more strikes in Britain than in France.... and that's saying something !!

The union sycophants sucked up to the stupid Russian leaders in the Kremlin

 

Millions of people living in council properties were given the opportunty to purchase their homes at bargain prices

 

I could name more but wont bother. Sad to say she's no longer with us. History will judge her far differently that you do

[Mister M 1,605]

I'll bet anything if Labour had been in power during the Falklands crisis they would have crawled away with their tails between their legs and the Falklands today would have been renamed the Malvinas.

 

Britian economically and industrially was a near basket case when Thatcher was elected. The militant unions ran the whole bloody country and there were more strikes in Britain than in France.... and that's saying something !!

The union sycophants sucked up to the stupid Russian leaders in the Kremlin

 

Millions of people living in council properties were given the opportunty to purchase their homes at bargain prices

 

I could name more but wont bother. Sad to say she's no longer with us. History will judge her far differently that you do

 

I doubt it. Her governments did a few good things. The quality of the country changed under her premiership it became a nastier, more selfish and coarser place to live. And of course were all living with the consequences of financial deregulation.

Lots of people genuinely suffered under her leadership, and their voices were silent or silenced

[gnvqsos 10]

people should not be surprised that ability in politics runs in families. If it did not, it would be just about the only profession I ever heard of that didn't. George Bush Jnr, also did get his jobs on merit. He was good. Far too many people in the UK have got the wrong end of the stick about George W. Bush and try to make out that he was some sort of idiot who would never have got anywhere if it wasn't for his dad, when he was not an idiot at all. They never say the same thing about JF Kennedy who didn't even have a proper big political job like Bush did, prior to becoming President.

 

Bush was an idiot.When informed of the 9/11 disaster he froze.He was in a meeting with some school children and refused to leave the room.He has no grasp of detail and beat Al Gore by cheating in Florida.Members of families advance in politics due to patronage,nepotism and finance,not ability.

[Harleyman 12]

people should not be surprised that ability in politics runs in families. If it did not, it would be just about the only profession I ever heard of that didn't. George Bush Jnr, also did get his jobs on merit. He was good. Far too many people in the UK have got the wrong end of the stick about George W. Bush and try to make out that he was some sort of idiot who would never have got anywhere if it wasn't for his dad, when he was not an idiot at all. They never say the same thing about JF Kennedy who didn't even have a proper big political job like Bush did, prior to becoming President.

 

Bush was Governor of Texas at one time if that's considered a qualification for President. Being Governor of a state like Texas or Alaska is a piece of cake since both those states are rolling in money

 

Kennedy on the other hand served in the Senate for many years which IMO made him a better candidiate since he knew how Washington politics worked.

 

Then you had Bill Clinton who had been governor of a small, rather poor southern state yet turned out to be one of the best presidents in decades

[gnvqsos 10]

total garbage. Political dynasties are not unusual and I'm not just talking about dictatorships either, but in any democratic set up too. Look at India. Pakistan. Indonesia. Thailand. The Philippines. All these have incumbents or recent incumbents related to previous ones. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. The list is long.

 

the UK is also not exactly short of political dynasties either, although two fathers and sons have never become PM. Tony Benn's dad and grandad were both Cabinet ministers. Ditto Douglas Hogg. Peter Mandelson. The McMillan dynasty. And so on.

 

it is a bit surprising that no woman has made it to President in the USA, as of course women were reaching high political office as governors of states, which are really rough equivalents of being PMs of European nation states, many decades before anyone else. The USA basically led the world with women reaching responsible positions in politics. Hilary only just missed out last time, and had not Obama ran such a brilliant campaign, she would have almost certainly have beaten McCain in 2008.

 

Hardly a very constructive way to engage in debate.Do you mean PMs of European states or presidents-the two roles are not equivalent?

 

---------- Post added 08-04-2013 at 16:05 ----------

 

Bush was Governor of Texas at one time if that's considered a qualification for President. Being Governor of a state like Texas or Alaska is a piece of cake since both those states are rolling in money

 

Kennedy on the other hand served in the Senate for many years which IMO made him a better candidiate since he knew how Washington politics worked.

 

Then you had Bill Clinton who had been governor of a small, rather poor southern state yet turned out to be one of the best presidents in decades

 

Excellent summary from the authentic voice of the USA.And Johnson even outshone Kennedy when in office.

[esme 10]

Mod Note

 

We seem to have drifted off topic somewhat, anyone care to drift back in the general direction of discussing a female president ?

 

Or should I just close the thread as you don't want to discuss the topic ?

[Harleyman 12]

I doubt it. Her governments did a few good things. The quality of the country changed under her premiership it became a nastier, more selfish and coarser place to live. And of course were all living with the consequences of financial deregulation.

Lots of people genuinely suffered under her leadership, and their voices were silent or silenced

 

What quality? It was sickening in the last decade I lived there. There was a strike of some sort every day. If it wasnt ASLEF on strike it was the NUR. I used to have travel a lot on the railways to work. They were horrible, dirty, old, never on time when they did manage to run for any lengthy period.

 

Best thing that happened was deregulation

 

Then there were the overpaid miners. We had a couple of miners lived on our street. Their kids always got stuff at Christmas the rest of us could only dream of. They were as bad as the railway unions. If it wasnt trying to get home on shanks pony from work in the rain because no trains then it was shivering in the dark during brown outs because the miners were out again

 

You probably dont remember or were alive in those times. Britain today is far and away better than it was back then and much of it is the legacy of Thatcherism

Edited April 8, 2013 by Harleyman

[callippo 10]

Bush was an idiot.

 

you will never find any politician anywhere, from any country anywhere in the world, and who actually knew or had business of some sort with Bush, who thought he was stupid. Unlike Reagan, where it seems now, almost all of them - including his big ally Thatcher - really did think he was definitely not the sharpest tool in the box intellectually.

[mjw47 10]

Before you do so esme is there a chance I can get a response from Harleyman to my question at post 15?

As this was posted before I was aware of the Death of Mrs Thatcher I still think it's relevant.