What's been happening in Britain?

[...of J.Temperance]

I'm telling you, the American news' hardly show ANYTHING of whats happening OUTSIDE of America, except Iraq, the India-Pakistan earthquake and the Bali bombing, I've seen next to NOTHING about Europe, I'm not EVEN sure WHO the German Chancellor is now, I HOPE it's not the crazy Merkel woman. Having watched a bit of news each day, I can FULLY understand why so much of America doesn't know whats going on.

So what's happening in Britain?

[non sociopath skin]

1. Hi JT. Good to see you. How was your vacation?

Don't worry about not knowing who the German Chancellor is. The Germans don't either. They're still negotiating over a Grand Coalition but can't agree who should lead it.

When I'm in the States I try to get hold of the NY Times when I can. Doesn't have huge non-US coverage but at least it knows where Yoorp is.

The Skin

[...of J.Temperance]

2. I'm still over here, in Ft. Worth, Texas

Rather a bizarre town, they call it Cow Town, because it's full of, well, Cowboys...and unfortunately areas of it are full-on Redneck and I'm trying to avoid them. In hindsight I should have remained in Dallas, but I left the other day after a friend and I had a car accident on Tuesday night whilst on 75, front tyre blew out and then a truck hit the back of the car...we were okay though, not injured, although the car is very injured.

Heck, it's unbelievable that they're still figuring out who the German Chancellor is. I'm going to SCREAM if Merkel snags it in the end.

I've been reading bits of the Dallas Morning News, not a bad paper actually and the Ft. Worth Star Telegram, which is so so. I've seen USA Today, but no New York Times.

What's Blair been up to? Is he getting even more demented?

It's 6.44am, so I'm heading to bed, but I'll be online tomorrow night sometime.

[Taxloss]

3. You missed conference season.

Not much to report. Labour and the Libs spent their conferencesplotting against their leaders. The Tories actually had a good conference by contrast; their leadership contest was out in the open.

[...of J.Temperance]

6. Heck

Are the Labour backbenchers growing a spine, or are they just jawing as usual?

So, who's the new favourite for the Tories? I think the big fears still remain as Ken Clarke and David Cameron.

[Taxloss]

9. The party was defeated by the unions in several key votes.

Brown gave a fairly good speech. Much of the media coverage focused on speculation over when Blair might step down and his "legacy". I thought it was a pretty lacklustre conference to say the least. Not a disaster, but hardly a picture of an energised party confidently embarking on a third term.

The Tory race is in a bit of a state of flux. David Davis, the front-runner, didn't really sell himself well enough and Cameron had a great conference. It's all to play for, really.

Davis and Fox are both chillingly right wing. Clarke won't make it, IMHO. Cameron is scarily electable. May and Rifkind have little chance, I think. (But we shouldn't strike them out altogether - Major and IDS were both outsiders.)

[...of J.Temperance]

10. I like Gordon

He'd be so much better than the crazy that we're stuck with. Blair will hang on until the last second you watch, he doesn't want to give the perks up.

David Davis, looks like a thug and is unelectable, so I'm rooting for him. Cameron is very telegenic and articulate and young, so he'd be a big problem.

Liam Fox is also a member of the Christian Right, I remember he went to the 2004 GOP Convention and was yukking it up like a hog in slop. Malcolm Rifkind, although a Tory, actually comes across as a fairly decent fellow, he's pretty much a Wet.

[Taxloss]

11. I'm not sure about Gordon. I really don't know what to think.

I fear you may be right about Blair, but I think it's the power and the international stage he loves, not the perks. The real perks would come with retirement - the money from the memoirs and the public speaking, taking on some high-minded role for the EU or the UN ... Africa or global warming, who knows.

It's also possible, and it hasn't been discussed enough in my opinion, that Blair might end up being like Thatcher and endlessly interfering in the party. That would be a catastrophe, as it was for the Tories. He's still a relatively young fellow. Even after 2008/9 he'll still have decades ahead of him.

I also think a lot of Brits like a bit of thug around their politicians, and Davis certainly strikes a contrast with a sophisticated, metropolitan, slightly effeminate Blair. Don't rule him out.

Who'll win? I haven't a clue. These contests are always like the Papal conclave, it could be any of them.

[...of J.Temperance]

12. Completely agree

About Blair ending up like Thatcher re. interfering.

Blair's about a combination of power mad and the fancy perks. I just hope that when he FINALLY leaves office, he'll just piss off somewhere, I really don't want to be seeing and hearing him endlessly babble and preach about ANYTHING.

I'm not sure about David Davis, my gut instinct is telling me that he'll not win a General Election...as opposed to David Cameron.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. To add to things that happened since I think you left

The IRA decommissioned all its arms; Paisley moaned that the Methodist minister chosen to be an independent witness was pro-IRA or something. Now, a man described as the IRA's chief of staff is being investigated for multi-million pound money laundering, though a series of rental properties in England and Eastern Europe.

More than a thousand have died in central America from rain and landslides - I'm surprised how little notice this has had on DU, given it's another hurricane on the USA's doorstep.

Turkey is going to start accession talks with the EU. It's a minimum ten years until they could join; Austria tried to block it, and, seemingly in return for Austria finally backing off, Croatia is being allowed to proceed in its accession talks, after pressure was taken off them to surrender a war crimes suspect.

[...of J.Temperance]

7. Paisley

Jesus, Mary and Joseph...I hate that man on par with Junior.

We've got the news about the 18,000 dead in India and Pakistan, it's been on the front page of the Ft. Worth Star Telegram today. We've also had some news about Central America, but not much...I suppose because they're just a bunch of poor people it isn't deemed important by the American media :sarcasm:

Personally, I don't think Turkey should be allowed to join the EU. I think they'd cause a variety of problems.

Thanks mon amie ;)

[mr blur]

5. And Blair appears to be going completely off his head,

although, to be sure, he didn't have that far left to go. "New labour" seem to think they're the Tory Party ca. 1984 and are all for bringing back back yuppies, greed and share-ownership for all.

The Tories haven't a clue who the are or who their new leader should pretend to be in order to win over "Disgusted, Islington" or win back Middle England (wherever that is these days).

couple of Guardian TOONS to sum up:

[...of J.Temperance]

8. Blair is so embarrassing

It's high time he was sectioned actually. He appeared normal at one point, I don't know why he's gone so crazy. He's even starting, from a side profile to look like Thatcher, which is hugely disturbing.

The Tories are pretty much finished for at least the next two elections. However, I think Clarke or Cameron could peel away some Centrist votes, so we can't let our guard down too much.

I love Steve Bell :)

[billyskank]

14. He's been in power too long

a friend told me his theory; all leaders go mad after about eight years. The exception is John Major, because for the last four years of his premiership he was always putting out fires.

So forget about all the other arguments about whether Blair should stay or go, the only one that matters is this one: he must go, or be pushed, because he's gone batshit insane!

[...of J.Temperance]

19. To be honest

Blair appeared perfectly normal UNTIL Junior got in. When President Clinton was in office, Blair seemed normal. When Junior got in, within a few months Blair became as they say in Louisiana, he became as crazy as a bedbug or as crazy as a runover dog.

Blair went insane within three and a half years, so he's obviously bucked the eight year trend. Blair must go, he must be thrown overboard, he's a complete liability to the party and he's also a proven pathological liar, the party in order to SURVIVE, they MUST kick the POS into touch and well before 2008.

[demobrit]

13. News in England

This is the BBC website showing local news from Nottinghamshire home of Robin Hood



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/default.stm

[Mr Creosote]

15. No idea

I've been busy falling in love so have been rather distracted.

[...of J.Temperance]

16. So are you going to elaborate?

Yes?

[Mr Creosote]

17. A little bit

seeing as it's you that's asking :-)
I wasn't looking, but I found the most wonderful woman I've ever met. All a bit complicated just now - she's a long way way away. Met her through Norwich City FC actually.
Everything else has gone out of the window - I'm a teenager again.

[...of J.Temperance]

18. Aw

Seeing that it's me asking :hug:

It ALWAYS happens that way, you meet someone when you're NOT looking for someone.

I'm glad that you've found someone and that she's a fellow Norwich City fan :) One of my ex-boyfriends I met by accident, and he was a St. Louis Cardinals fan just like me, bizarrely we met at a Chicago Cubs game, but it's nice to meet someone who supports the same team as you do.

I wish you and your lady friend good luck...and go ahead and be a teenager again, that's a fab thing mon amie ;)