I have to say I liked the look of him some time ago as the new Tory leader.

JK2006 wrote:
I have to say I liked the look of him some time ago as the new Tory leader.

THE BEARD HAS TO GO!

He needs to shave that grubby looking beard off and go back to the clean shaven look he had a couple of years ago. It does him no favours and beards put people off leaders in this day and age. He doesn't wear his one well at all.

And so we are down to the final three, who will be crowned this years Tory leader. Pass the crown, stick a sash across them and plonk them on the throne. New Tory leaders are now so common it's a bit like Miss World.

The nation already has a Conservative leader of the opposition and it's Nigel Farage.

Membership will have a say from now on - and it'll be a close call. Result - November 2nd.

Hi looks more like a bouncer than a prime minister. He's quite uncouth, describing the Rwanda plan as Batsh*t, and calling a town a sh*thold in parliament. Come on Kemi.

robbiex wrote:
Hi looks more like a bouncer than a prime minister. He's quite uncouth, describing the Rwanda plan as Batsh*t, and calling a town a sh*thold in parliament. Come on Kemi.

I do love it when people say what they mean and they don't care afterwards. What's wrong with being honest??

Almost everyone bitches about their town, and then get salty when someone else does it. If someone called my town a shithole, I would admire their honesty.

If you want to upset a liberal tell them the truth. If you want to upset a conservative lie to them.

Cleverly knocked out. Badenoch would be a disaster. Jenrick is as mad as a March hare.. Oh dear.

robbiex wrote:
Hi looks more like a bouncer than a prime minister. He's quite uncouth, describing the Rwanda plan as Batsh*t, and calling a town a sh*thold in parliament. Come on Kemi.


But people tend to like a bit or realism rather than someone so terrified to say anything contentious. We have too many cowardly politicians who are literally scared of their own shadows.

Anyway this type of behaviour in politicians is nothing new. President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) was a bit rough around the edges wasn't he when it came to how he spoke and I'm sure I've heard audio of him swearing away. Indeed didn't even his successor Nixon swear a lot on the tapes he recorded despite his more public persona, so some can disguise themselves better. Perhaps that old grey pea eating John Major had a foul mouth behind the scenes, after all he was getting off with Edwina unknown to everyone at the time.

I agree Cleverly should start shaving again. He's not the answer though. They've learnt little by their loss. He'd be more of the same. He's the one who started the chat over the Chagos islands sovereignty in the first place and another ineffective Tory Home Secretary who just watched the boats keep coming across.

The simple truth is he is nothing more than the least worse option at this time for them.

I doubt he will get the Tory leadership somehow. My hunch is the members will opt for Badenoch, who is interesting and articulates what needs to be said very well although I wonder about her wider electability to the country.

Green Man wrote:
Almost everyone bitches about their town. If someone called my town a shithole, I would admire their honesty.

Not in my experience. London has everything and towns and villages in the home counties - quality of life, history, transport links, education/sports facilities, the arts and country life. Where's better?

Cleverley has been knocked out, now its between Kemi and Jenrick, who looks like his mum has prepared him for his first day at big school.

Good prediction Rich. Looks like you wrote that just before the result came through.

Don't trust Jenrick. He could be doing a Starmer, saying one thing to bag the party leadership and then junk the lot afterwards. He was a centrist Cameroon five minutes ago. Look at him, does he look inspirational.

Kemi Badenoch will win. The Conservative Party get yet another first, the first black party leader, but most importantly she has the intellect and fight to unpick Starmer.

Al Gershwin wrote:
Green Man wrote:
Almost everyone bitches about their town. If someone called my town a shithole, I would admire their honesty.

Not in my experience. London has everything and towns and villages in the home counties - quality of life, history, transport links, education/sports facilities, the arts and country life. Where's better?

Where I live there is very little public transport, if it snows then there is nothing. Most towns are craps they are always the same, a wall mural is just a blanket.

Green Man wrote:
Where I live there is very little public transport, if it snows then there is nothing. Most towns are craps they are always the same, a wall mural is just a blanket.

Sounds bad. A move appears to be the only option.

Al Gershwin wrote:
Green Man wrote:
Where I live there is very little public transport, if it snows then there is nothing. Most towns are craps they are always the same, a wall mural is just a blanket.

Sounds bad. A move appears to be the only option.

I am in a good location for work. Most rural places are the same throughout this septic isle.

Also I got my house a very good price, despite being rustic which I love, but I am waiting for the market prices to go up and up, then I might move.

Early retirement is out of the question now, thanks to the Tories.

Green Man wrote:
Early retirement is out of the question now

Consider the stock markets. Gold has recently hit its highest level ever - largely because it's where people put their cash during wars and conflict.

Then there's spodumene and lithium, the principal ingredients for the new batteries, to power electric cars and vehicles - deemed to be the future of transport.

Al Gershwin wrote:
Green Man wrote:
Almost everyone bitches about their town. If someone called my town a shithole, I would admire their honesty.

Not in my experience. London has everything and towns and villages in the home counties - quality of life, history, transport links, education/sports facilities, the arts and country life. Where's better?

I live in the home counties, and I don't think it is great. There is no train station where i live, neighbours don't talk to each other, other than to bitch about some minor issue. As for london, it has a good choice of entertainment, theatre, sports, opera etc. After all it is the capital and has about 8 million people in it, about 8 times larger than second city Birmingham. However it is very expensive, over-crowded, there is a lot of crime, particular in the outskirts, and there is much unrest. Out of all the 50+ London boroughs there are about 4 or 5 that I wouldn't mind living in, the rest are either dumps or non descript. Wimbledon, Richmond, Barnes, Kingston, Hampstead, and a few others are nice to live, but only available to the super rich

I love living in the Home Counties. I am on friends-terms with several neighbours, have a direct train line to London, local quiet town centre, short drive into country-side.

I think London gets knocked too much and media horror stories distort. Having until recently worked there and walked/tubed all over for 3 years I encountered no trouble, and not just in JK's sort of area!

That said, I will admit that I am deliberately bringing up the children outside of London. The gang/knife culture is worrying. And despite rumours by GM I am not among the elite-wealthy who can "bunker" themselves away in London

Al Gershwin wrote:
Green Man wrote:
Early retirement is out of the question now

Consider the stock markets. Gold has recently hit its highest level ever - largely because it's where people put their cash during wars and conflict.

Then there's spodumene and lithium, the principal ingredients for the new batteries, to power electric cars and vehicles - deemed to be the future of transport.


I did use to do that but most of the time I just broke even. It's no different than betting on the horses.

robbiex wrote:
Al Gershwin wrote:
Green Man wrote:
Almost everyone bitches about their town. If someone called my town a shithole, I would admire their honesty.

Not in my experience. London has everything and towns and villages in the home counties - quality of life, history, transport links, education/sports facilities, the arts and country life. Where's better?

I live in the home counties, and I don't think it is great. There is no train station where i live, neighbours don't talk to each other, other than to bitch about some minor issue. As for london, it has a good choice of entertainment, theatre, sports, opera etc. After all it is the capital and has about 8 million people in it, about 8 times larger than second city Birmingham. However it is very expensive, over-crowded, there is a lot of crime, particular in the outskirts, and there is much unrest. Out of all the 50+ London boroughs there are about 4 or 5 that I wouldn't mind living in, the rest are either dumps or non descript. Wimbledon, Richmond, Barnes, Kingston, Hampstead, and a few others are nice to live, but only available to the super rich


I live in a transport trap area Robbie. Most people use the park and ride when they can but you need to get to depot first by car. Dr Beeching closed the lines here but some of the tracks still exist. All the good neighbours left after the plandemic to work abroad or be closer to family members. Neighbours don't really mingle anymore, but to moan about damaged fences, cat's or shoddy paintwork some has done by accident, not even has a steady hand.

I don't care if a cat comes to my garden to do it's business, it's nature. I get just wary of my dog's that's all. When I leave for work I normally get greeted by a cat waiting for some fuss and and stroke on the head; at the door step.

I agree about London, most people have this vision that London is paved with gold. When some Yankee friends went to London last year they were mugged by some yobs. As a joke I said 'I would be be worried if you were not mugged in London'. It didn't go well of course but I them many Londoners are leaving in their droves because of crime.



There is a lot of wealth in certain areas in London, of course there is also a lot of poverty and slum residential area's and high streets.

The wealthy people are victims of random crime like muggins or assault and battery.

When I go to Brum most of the crime I see is done by White Brummies on drug's defacing shop fronts, shop lifting from the rag market or Bull Ring and mindless vandalism. I do get offered drugs by some gangs of youths which I politely decline. The fight's I have seen is by homeless people or some druggies fighting over money.