Michael Portillo has some 'interesting' garments don't he…

Im not into trains but Portillo has me watching them. I set my timer ffs. The producers/him have a way of making it about the journey and equally the destination. Chapeau.

Could you imagine the Mekon, blair or Osbourne holding your attention thus?

railway programmes?

shitting hell.

I too caught some of that show last night.

The immediate thoughts that struck me were:

1. Remember how we all ridiculed him for being the son of an immigrant? And here he is being as British as they get in another land….

2. He hasn’t forgotten that politician’s confidence of engaging anyone in conversation, appearing not to listen to their response and then walking off when he’s decided the conversation is finished.

Other than that. seems likeable enough and is evidently enjoying doing travel TV. Fair play.

railway programmes?

shitting hell.

Life can’t all be nutella and glowsticks, emsz.

This IS straight men emsz. It cant be hookers & coke ALL the time

oh c’mon really? here comes a train, oooh look there’s another one….

😆

emsz – Member
oh c’mon really? here comes a train, oooh look there’s another one….

If the shows were an exhibition of trainspotting you might have a point! 😆 but they’re about the journey and the history, surprisingly enjoyable tbh!

Quite liking the Euro rail programmes. Think he does ok.

Also liking the linen jackets….

oh c’mon really? here comes a train, oooh look there’s another one….

Imagine you’re in the train looking out.

My dear departed Mother used to line the cat’s litter tray with a photograph of Michael Portillo.

My dear departed Mother used to line the cat’s litter tray with a photograph of Michael Portillo.

Portillo is taking red/salmon trousers to the next level innit.
lots of establishment types in red trews

seosamh77 – Member
binners – Member
He’s a dapper mofo, and no mistake!
Do you remember when we all despised him? How on earth did he manage to transform himself from utterly loathsome epitome of everything nasty and Tory, to all round nice bloke, bordering on national treasure status?

Everybody likes trains!
Must admit, if you told me 10/15 years ago that I’d enjoy watching portillo on the tele, I’d think you were mad!

Same here, I’ve been really enjoying the repeats of the British ones, they’re on at just the right time to watch after I get home from work.
The Russian one last night was terrific, seeing the country in such a different way to most travelogues.
I like the way Portillo engages with locals in their own language, while clearly not being entirely fluent, he manages to get across.

I too caught some of that show last night.

The immediate thoughts that struck me were:

1. Remember how we all ridiculed him for being the son of an immigrant? And here he is being as British as they get in another land….

2. He hasn’t forgotten that politician’s confidence of engaging anyone in conversation, appearing not to listen to their response and then walking off when he’s decided the conversation is finished.
Ummmm, he’s the British-born son of an immigrant, which surely makes him British, no?
Or do you subscribe to the notion that someone has to be five generations removed from their immigrant forefathers before being acceptably British?
And his mother is/was Scottish, while his dad was an exiled Spanish republican, so I can’t see why he should be ridiculed over his dad’s nationality
And as for 2), they edit the film to fit the broadcast time, but I guess you know that.

Jamie – Freeloader!

emsz – Member
railway programmes?
shitting hell.

Life can’t all be nutella and glowsticks, emsz.[/quote]

May not make it as my epitaph, but I think it deserves a spot on the back of the downstairs bog door. Bravo, the pair of you.

Everybody likes trains!

So there’s the answer to the world’s problems. Stop handing out bibles and the koran. Equip every youngster with a copy of Bradshaws.

railway programmes?

shitting hell.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like working in a care home Emsz… its a lot like this.

I love his dress sense – I like to channel my inner Portillo when I can with a linen jacket or two and some brightly coloured trews. Can’t afford his range or tailor, sadly…

MrsJulianA is unsure about the yellow jacket / red trousers combination (I like) or the pink jacket / red trousers combo (I also like). I may be going out on my own more often if I sport these colour combinations.

binners – Member

How on earth did he manage to transform himself from utterly loathsome epitome of everything nasty and Tory, to all round nice bloke, bordering on national treasure status?

Portillo was despised by many on the left because the geezer was clearly extremely ambitious, he wanted to get to the top of the Tory Party and preferably lead it. With that in mind he courted and seduced the Tory faithful, something which was bound to make him deeply disliked by all those opposed to the Tories.

But yet despite all that Portillo never made a convincing Thacherite imo. He was instinctively very much on the left of the Tory Party. As a minister he was not responsible for steering through any particularly reactionary legislation.

IIRC Portillo was the only Tory Employment Minister who did not attempt to introduce further repressive anti-trade union legislation.

Perhaps it was the somewhat unconvincing nature of his Thatcherite credentials that was ultimately responsible for the failures of his leadership ambitions, certainly Iain Duncan Smith, William Hague, and Michael Howard, provided more convincing Thatcherite credentials.

With Tory Party leadership ambitions no longer in his sights Portillo has been able to shed a lot of the old persona and allow himself to be the half decent human being he probably always was deep inside.

I thought the leadership cancellation was a friendship he had at uni?

A smear campaign that won.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?aq=0&oq=portillo+gay+&client=ms-android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&q=portillo+gay+scandal

A smear campaign that won.

I distinctly remember that he outed himself. As I said, he was not an instinctive Thatcherite. imo.

EDIT : As the link in your edit shows.

Can’t forgive him.
A hypocrite of the first water, who supported the vilest political policies to further his own career.

Or the Hamiltons.

Or Anne Widdecome, a ‘national treasure’ who believes that female prisoners should be chained to their beds during childbirth.

Their actions and beliefs when in power define them – no amount of spin can disguise how repugnant these people were.
I see no reason to believe they’ve changed.

Don’t think his dress sense is that out there. I wouldn’t wear any of that stuff myself but the purple jacket is pretty much the only thing that’d raise an eyebrow.

Amen bother Rusty.

1. Remember how we all ridiculed him for being the son of an immigrant?

speak for yourself.

A hypocrite of the first water, who supported the vilest political policies to further his own career.

Or the Hamiltons.

Or Anne Widdecome, a ‘national treasure’ who believes that female prisoners should be chained to their beds during childbirth.

Their actions and beliefs when in power define them – no amount of spin can disguise how repugnant these people were.
I see no reason to believe they’ve changed.

That kind of makes my point really. Instead of focusing your vitriol purely on Portillo and listing all the terrible deeds he is guilty of you have had to throw in the Hamiltons and Widdecombe.

A lot of people despise Portillo but they don’t quite know why. Oh yes, it’s because he’s a Tory, just like the Hamiltons and Anne Widdecome, a ‘national treasure’ who believes that female prisoners should be chained to their beds during childbirth.

By all means hate Portillo because he is a Tory, if that floats your boat, but don’t pretend it’s because he stands out as a particularly unpleasant or nasty Tory when there’s no evidence to back it up.

Personally I think that had he succeeded in his leadership ambitions he would probably have made the most acceptable Tory leader since Ted Heath.

I don’t often agree with Ernie but even as a leftie I have to on his point above.

‘Cant forgive him’.

Explain why.

Michael Portillo = Cool Limp Hitler

Thanks Angus, back when he was in politics he did come across as a ****, but these days he seems more “of the people ” as he’s not going to be leader or anything great in politics.

I think the immigrant thing was very much surprise that he aligned himself with a party against immigration (at least some of them did) with a background that was clearly not from round ‘ere…

his dad was not just a foreigner, but actually a leftist refugee.

#daddyissues

The few lefty dinosaurs who dislike people like Portillo do so on principle because he is unashamedly public school. What distinguishes him from the lefty dross who run the media at the moment is that he retains his dignity and refuses to dumb down and act chummy, as bikebuoy points out.

Love this comment by ourmaninthenorth:

He hasn’t forgotten that politician’s confidence of engaging anyone in conversation, appearing not to listen to their response and then walking off when he’s decided the conversation is finished.

the lefty dross who run the media

You’re presumably referring to the people who keep commissioning him to travel the world and make programmes about choo-choo trains.

he is unashamedly public school

That would be a weird thing for him to be, as he was educated (apparently pretty well) at government primary school, a government secondary school, and a government tertiary education facility. Perhaps you’ve put your finger on why so many Tory party members of the 1980s disliked him.

Nothing to do with his education.

He is a bisexual who voted against gay rights.
The son of an immigrant who voted against the rights of immigrants.

A cowardly, lickspittle of a scared hanger on, affecting the arrogance of his peers to hide his insecuritues.

And I can’t forgive him for being a Thatcherite.
Ever.
No one is innocent.
But some are more guilty than others.

And I mentioned those other people as prime examples of how far these repulsive people will go to attempt to rebrand themselves.

He voted on the age of consent.

He voted on Gay/lesbians in the armed services.

Whether its good or bad – who knows. You can be straight and have an opinion on both too. Does that make you homophobic if you don’t appease?

A cowardly, lickspittle of a scared hanger on, affecting the arrogance of his peers to hide his insecuritues.

Did you really write that yourself …………………….. really?

Yes.

Why do you ask?

I’m impressed and will use the term ‘lickspittle’ to my peers whenever appropriate 😉

PARKLIFE!

PARKLIFE!

Well that’s got old really quick.

Rusty Spanner – Member

And I can’t forgive him for being a Thatcherite.
Ever.
No one is innocent.
But some are more guilty than others.

And I mentioned those other people as prime examples of how far these repulsive people will go to attempt to rebrand themselves.

How about this Thatcherite politician ?

How do you feel about him ?

Or the comment that Thatcher once made when she claimed that “New Labour” was her greatest achievement ?

I don’t have too many issues with Tories behaving like Tories, it’s kind of what I expect from them.

However politicians who fought tooth and nail against Thatcher and then embraced her and everything she stood for once they were in power, now that’s what I call hypocrisy.

How do you feel about “how far these repulsive people will go to attempt to rebrand themselves” ?