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Fiona Hill, reading her book atmo, she succinctly clarifies what is, and has been going on to lead us to where we are.
If you don’t know who she is, google her!
We're onto something here.
If he wasn't a bit old, Sir Alex Ferguson as PM. He'd co-ordinate the **** and out it and anyone out of line will soon be wearing a teacup and sucking on a well thrown boot.
Martin Lewis Chancellor
Prof Brian Cox for Science and Tech. I'd add Dara O'Briain as an advisor but as he's Irish he can't have the top job.
Job share Deborah Meaden and David Attenborough for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy; business acumen but with total awareness to environmental impact and needs.
Marcus Rashford for Culture, Media and Sport
Jack Monroe for Social and Welfare
Still thinking for Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary / Justice. Steven Fry needs to be in there somewhere.
On the grounds that I wouldn't trust any politician to run our tea fund effectively; the bloke who runs our tea fund (he manages to buy choc HobNobs every now and then too)
Foreign sec; Michael palin
Gail Bradbrook should oversee the planet.
Arsene Wenger, Johnny Marr, Rory Stewart if it had to be a politician.
Dave Brailsford seems pretty good at managing things, he'd marginal gain us to a world beating position.
James May.
He seems quite a sensible chap, he knows how to fix things.
Rowan Atkinson as Speaker of the House of Commons. He'd be good, wouldn't put up with any shit. Plus Parliament has been missing some comedy recently, it's basically just a tragedy at the moment.
Rachel Riley would make a good Education Secretary to rekindle interest in maths and sciences in particular.
Definitely needs Stephen Fry in there somewhere - Home Sec maybe? Chris Boardman or Dame Sarah Storey for Transport Secretary.
Voldemort would do a better job than Boris. At least he wouldn’t pretend to be something he’s not.
Martyn Ashton and Blake as DPM
Stephen Fry or Eddie Izzard.
On a serious note we should immediately adopt proportional representation.
Then the pm should be the last person standing after a massive "square go" in the house of commons every three months.
Helen Mirren as Defence Secretary. If you've seen the film Red 2 when she's in combat gear with a sniper rifle, she's far better than Liz Truss's efforts in that department.
Steve Coogan
But he’d be contractually obliged to do all public duties - press conferences/summits with foreign dignitaries in full Alan Partridge character
As for actual politicians, I'd go with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Jacinda Ardern.
Other than that I'd go with Beaker as he'd make more sense than this bunch of **** ups.
One word, Brexit.
The public vote is dangerous in a country full of idiots. They are simply not capable of thinking anything through properly and will knee-jerk as with Brexit. How many Brexiters would honestly say to themselves it is now better and leaving was a good idea, I would guess nowhere near all of them.
That is why, in theory, you have representatives who know better, can discuss things amongst themselves etc.
This wasn't the fault of those that voted for Brexit, this was the fault of those that campaigned (or didn't in most cases) for Remain. The Brexit campaign delivered a clear, concise, message - a highly misleading message and one which Remain failed to counter.
Additionally - how many Remainers actually did ANYTHING to help the campaign? How many actually got out there and tried to get the message across?
Elections/referendums are decided by those who show up - not enough Remainers did.
Back on topic - of the current crop of Tories - Ben Wallace or Kwasi Kwarteng.
Of the current crop of politicians...Sir Kier Starmer (as I genuinely believe he wants to make a difference), Lisa Nandy or Sir Ed Davey. I'd really like to see the Lib Dems in power.
Of politicians from across the pond - Beto O'rourke, Mitt Romney, or, yes, Barak Obama.
I love this forum sometimes. Prof Brian Cox and Martin Lewis running the shop would be awesome 😎
I think the issue with leave vs. remain was that most folk didn’t think anyone would fall for the epic bullshit trotted out by the leave proponents. There’s a harsh lesson to be learned there that’s for sure.
For PM it should be me because I’d be PM PM. Only for a day though then replace me with Brian Blessed or the other Brian Cox.
Prof Brian Cox also has a ready made campaign tune. Albeit one that the labour party has already used 25 years ago.
If you were only PM in the afternoon rather than a whole day, then you'd be PM PM PM.
Still thinking for Foreign Secretary
Sacha Baron Cohen.
If you were only PM in the afternoon rather than a whole day, then you’d be PM PM PM.
I like the cut of your jib good sir. With ideas like that you can be a member of PM PM’s PM cabinet
Grayson Perry.
One word, Brexit.
The public vote is dangerous in a country full of idiots. They are simply not capable of thinking anything through properly and will knee-jerk as with Brexit.
Yawn. Have you any idea just how elitist and snobbish that sounds?
Almost every experiment in participatory non-representative democracy resulted in a massive improvement in decision making and a reduction in reactionary policy and outcomes. All it needs is power to be taken away from self-interested representatives and given back to the people who are perfectly capable of making their own decisions. The key thing is that it is participatory. That means doing more than having uninformed referenda. Instead of asking people to cast a vote on something they know nothing about, educate them, involve them in the subject, then listen to their views and come to some form of consensus. With current technology that should be easily achievable.
One word, Brexit.
The public vote is dangerous in a country full of idiots. They are simply not capable of thinking anything through properly
Specifically with Brexit, much as I would like to I cannot lay the blame squarely on mass stupidity. Or at least, not for the referendum. Rather the problem (on both sides) back then was ignorance, it was all conducted far too fast. The day before the vote people were googling "what is the EU?" Most voted on a single issue they'd latched on to, some voted on little more than a coin toss. Despite latter protestations to the contrary, next to no-one really understood what they were voting for. I didn't.
Those that subsequently clung on like Gollum to the ever more blatant lies, especially those that still do so today, that I'm happy to attribute to gross idiocy. But that's not how it started out.
Serious answer, Clive Lewis.
All it needs is power to be taken away from self-interested representatives and given back to the people who are perfectly capable of making their own decisions.
I was about to go into this in a second post but you beat me to it.
The problem is that many people will vote in favour of what they want rather than what's actually best. This is compounded by, as you rightly say, not understanding what's for the best. If we replaced those at the top with the great unwashed, we'd simply be exchanging self-serving malice for ignorance. What's needed for that to work is education (and of course, a desire to be educated).
I'm not going to say any more on this, it's derailing an otherwise frivolous but interesting thread.
John Cooper Clarke, but only because I'd love to see him lined up for a photo op with the other G7 leaders.
Almost every experiment in participatory non-representative democracy resulted in a massive improvement in decision making and a reduction in reactionary policy and outcomes.
It can do, but one the reasons we don't have a joined up health service that has outcomes as it's heart is that fact that as soon as a local hospital is threatened with closure, or a change in it's provision; folks get together to protest about it, and it almost always works. Which is why every local hospital does nearly every sort of function not quite as well as it should, and we don't have say 4/5 hospitals that just do heart surgery or pediatrics. Localism is fine for the sort of "pavement politics" like making sure the lights come on or the park is nice, but for some things you need to have a central function that can look at the whole rather than just down the end of the road.
Anyway.
Larry the Cat. he seems to know the score.
Saint Nigel obviously.
Beat me to it.Was just typing a vote John Cooper Clarke
Beat me to it.Was just typing a vote John Cooper Clarke
Just imagine what PMQ's would be like.
Localism is fine for the sort of “pavement politics”
Wasn't really suggesting localism for everything. Obviously some things need to be done at bigger scale. My point was basically that the more power and involvement people have over things that affect them, the better decisions and outcomes will be. At the moment we do the exact opposite across the entire political and economic system. Most of our leaders and decision makers today are not there because they are good at whatever they do, but because they know how to play the system to get there.
Well if the contender is to be someone who isn't straightjacketed by ideological commitment and has an affable and amusing personality which appeals to the wider public then the obvious name that springs to mind is Boris Johnson.
Such is the paradox of US Tea Party style antipolitics. Discrediting all politics and politicians is a well-established strategy of the immensely wealthy right-wing elite.
Cougar.
Or if we have to have actual politicians, Caroline Lucas.
Or if we have to have actual politicians, Caroline Lucas.
Is that the same Caroline Lucas who wanted us to have a centrist neoliberal government composed of the likes of Justine Greening, Jo Swinson, Anna Soubry and Yvette Cooper?
who wanted us to have a centrist neoliberal government composed of the likes of Justine Greening, Jo Swinson, Anna Soubry and Yvette Cooper?
And forgot to mention the names of any black women.
Steve Coogan
But he’d be contractually obliged to do all public duties – press conferences/summits with foreign dignitaries in full Alan Partridge character
That might have worked pre Brexit but today's Britain is more Paul Calf
Political experience from Obama, Merkel, Jacinda and Rory Stewart, maybe Kier Starmer.
External ideas from Attenborough, Chris Boardman, Brian Cox, Gary Neville, Rashford, maybe even Steve Kerr (NBA player/coach- see his recent stance on gun control for passion and getting straight to the point).
As a wider point I think we should do more to get actual experience/knowledge into government. Why do the US have an ex-general as defence secretary, and we had people like Liam Fox?
Edit- my own list certainly shows a political bias, but the point I was trying to make is to ignore some of the right vs left ideology and utilise practical experience & solutions.
Jurgen Klopp
Why do the US have an ex-general as defence secretary, and we had people like Liam Fox?
Yeah the Russians do that too. Personally I'm quite relaxed about the armed forces being under the political control of civilians.
There is probably a stronger argument that the Secretary of State for Health should have had some clinical expertise, or the Secretary of State for Education some background in education, if you want to go down road.
Obviously almost everyone in the country is an expert on crime, and punishment, so no legal qualifications would ever be required for Home Secretary, just an ability to implement what was discussed down the local.
Boris the chimp from chester zoo
Guy Martin.
Guy Martin.
Yeah, he'd be a good Chief!