Who is the greatest prime minister of the last 65 years?

[Guest]

Expecting countries to follow international law is a bit much I suppose.

 

Sadly it is.

 

Even at the moment there must be 4 or 5 countries breaking international law in a major way and hundreds breaking it in more minor ways.

 

Ask the Ukraine.

[Webbo]

I think it came down to us being lucky and the Argentine command being greedy and impulsive, to be honest. As you said, all they had to do was wait, but they were too impatient and through a lot of courage and logistical effort we made it through.

 

If we had ended up losing the Falklands Mrs T wouldn't have lasted another election, that's for sure.

I wouldn't argue with any of that. The t1npot fascist junta invaded to prop up their popularity at home, just like the present incumbent in Argentina is stirring up trouble now for the same reason.

[Merging Cultures]

Imagine some dickcheese spills your bitter down the pub Webbo. You exchange some words of disagreement. Dickcheese starts walking off, and you think to yourself, he's still got legs, he might come back.

What do you hotshot? Break his spine with your steeltoes, and perhaps dance on his head a bit. A dickcheese in the hospital is better than him spilling your boss drink. Am I right?

Worst analogy ever.

[Guest]

If we were skint we wouldn't have been able to afford the war at all. The war cost many times what it would have cost to simply defend the islands in the first place and has necessitated us to spend on defence of the islands for the foreseeable future when they would probably be safely forgotten about now. It was a mistake that almost led to catastrophe, fair enough all politicians make mistakes, but it's ridiculous that Thatcher actually emerged with massive support after the war and it probably had an influence on people like Blair. 

 

And Putin.

[The Doctor]

Nothing stopping them retraining. That's something you and I will always have to be thinking about as we go through our careers in times of increasingly rapid change. Do you feel particularly hard done by in that respect? I don't.

 

except of course a complete lack of investment or provisions to do so. The industries those towns relied on were shut down and the communities were given no provision to retrain. 

[Webbo]

If we were skint we wouldn't have been able to afford the war at all. The war cost many times what it would have cost to simply defend the islands in the first place and has necessitated us to spend on defence of the islands for the foreseeable future when they would probably be safely forgotten about now. It was a mistake that almost led to catastrophe, fair enough all politicians make mistakes, but it's ridiculous that Thatcher actually emerged with massive support after the war and it probably had an influence on people like Blair. 

like I said, it's easy to be wise after the event.

[Rincewind]

Those communities were 'mining' communities. No other industry available. No offices no computing. the miners were mining families for generations. much like the steel and shipping. people left school at 15 and went into the only jobs available. there was not the opportunities for retraining as the facilities were not there. Before retraining can be offered the jobs need to be there and many of the miners were in their thirties to fifties.Too old for university without qualifications and support. It is better today but if you have worked in one area of a trade for 30 plus years it is very difficult to change and be accepted for retraining by a company when you may only be able to give them 5  years service.

[ADK]

She should have made sure that those people had alternate jobs available. It was whole communities and swathes of the country that suddenly became unemployed, emasculated and without hope.

 

Yes I agree with this. It's something that still hasn't been solved imo.

[sphericalfox]

Worst analogy ever.

 

You're right, I was trying to keep it simple. That analogy course I took last year was a waste of money. I might as well have pissed it up the wall.

[Merging Cultures]

You're right, I was trying to keep it simple. That analogy course I took last year was a waste of money. I might as well have pissed it up the wall.

I hope you framed the certificate and hung it on your Mum's sitting room wall?

[sphericalfox]

I hope you framed the certificate and hung it on your Mum's sitting room wall?

 

I've had it printed on some personalised bog roll.

[Merging Cultures]

I've had it printed on some personalised bog roll.

Fancy!

[Strokes]

Imagine some dickcheese spills your bitter down the pub Webbo. You exchange some words of disagreement. Dickcheese starts walking off, and you think to yourself, he's still got legs, he might come back.

 

What do you hotshot? Break his spine with your steeltoes, and perhaps dance on his head a bit. A dickcheese in the hospital is better than him spilling your boss drink. Am I right?

I suggest you stop being a dickcheese.

[sphericalfox]

I suggest you stop being a dickcheese.

 

or....

[Strokes]

or....

............

[Voll Blau]

Good to see Big Clem up top.

[BoneDog]

And Putin.

 

It sounds as though you blame Putin for what's going on in Ukraine right now, which unless we disregard the basic facts, is outrageous.

 

http://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-americas-lebensraum-is-washington-preparing-to-wage-war-on-russia/5431970

 

Some top articles in this lot.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/indepthreport/ukraine-report

[Guest]

It sounds as though you blame Putin for what's going on in Ukraine right now, which unless we disregard the basic facts, is outrageous.

 

http://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-americas-lebensraum-is-washington-preparing-to-wage-war-on-russia/5431970

 

Some top articles in this lot.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/indepthreport/ukraine-report

 

I believe that my statement inferred that Margaret Thatcher may have been an influence on Vlad Putin.

 

Take that anyway you wish.

[Alf Bentley]

I was torn.

 

Couldn't decide between Ted Heath's great achievement in negotiating British entry into Europe and Gordon Brown's triumph in rescuing the world from the great capitalist crash of 2008.

 

So, just had to go for Attlee in order to keep him top and to raise the paranoia levels of all the Tory boys on here who think the place is over-run by reds.   

[Guest MattP]

Good thread.

Attlee certainly the best Labour leader out there by a country mile, even Thatcher spoke very highly of him.

Vote has to go to Churchill though - guided our country through it's greatest ever crisis completing a massive personal turnaround after the disaster of Galipoli.

I presume Ken was the solitary vote for Gordon Brown.

[zak_lcfc]

Voted Atlee, studied every prime minister in twentieth century Britain for my degree and since then I've always had him as the best prime minister of the past 100 years, the introduction of the welfare state was needed badly at the time, arguably this policy wasn't too hard to make post war as all the focus was now domestically for 'peace time' but his government did a good job in implementing it

[Alf Bentley]

Vote has to go to Churchill though - guided our country through it's greatest ever crisis completing a massive personal turnaround after the disaster of Galipoli.

I presume Ken was the solitary vote for Gordon Brown.

 

If you click the bit in brackets after the PM's name, you can see who voted for them. 

 

No great surprises....though you seem to have voted for Maggie, not Churchill! 

Ken is not the solitary Brownite.

 

Would be interesting to hear the case for some of the less obvious, minority choices, assuming those votes aren't all meant humorously.... e.g. Macmillan? Wilson? 

[Guest MattP]

Can't do it on a mobile! I must have clicked the wrong button - as much as I adore Mrs Thatcher she certainly doesn't compare to Mr Churchill.

I think a lot of people are taking the piss looking at these votes.

[Finnegan]

Pretty sure the Blair and Brown votes are taking the piss.

Attlee (well, Bevan) was the NHS so it's pretty straightforward there really. Saving lives and livelihoods not taking or ruining them. Tidy.

[Carl the Llama]

I have abstained for now because at the time of writing Caroline Lucas MP hasn't had any terms as PM.