OT. The futures Bright, the Futures Brexit!!!

[Gaspode]

....Boris J meanwhile, has the public persona of a bad clown (nerfing that Jap kid to the turf being a low point, trying to ham it up with US secretary of state John Kerry was another), but we DON'T see him actually going about the important part of his business - that's all done in 'smokey rooms' or whatever the modern day equivalents are, and with people who, quite honestly, are on a different level to 'us' (not better, just different). I can't believe that someone as thoughtful as theresa May would have just chucked him into that job out of spite - if she'd been in that sort of mood she'd have made him UK ambassador in Japan - so I think we need to wait and see on the Boris one, but he could be making a much bigger impact than is evident. Could.

General consensus from those who know him is that Boris is an incredible clever individual who is quite happy to hide behind the buffoon image. He wouldn't have been given such a high-profile job otherwise. It's a bit like people looking at Corbyn and only seeing a silly old duffer with his head in the 70's and his heart in the Kremlin - I'm sure the truth of the man is completely different to his image.....
As far as Boris goes, he seemed to make a pretty good fist of being Mayor of London - in fact I'm sure a lot of London folk would have been happy for him to stay on rather than be saddled with Citizen Khan.....

[ramAnag]

Very charitable view imo, Andy.

At least Bradley has made it to 8/10 and I really would love your Bruce Rioch comparison to come true.

Boris in comparison has never, as far as we know, reached any such heights. His 'bad clown'/buffoonish public persona might make him unusual in the world of politics but I doubt it is useful to either him personally or us as a nation as far as his role as a professional politician is concerned.

I've never suggested that Theresa May has given him the job out of 'spite', but the murky Machiavellian world of politics does work in peculiar ways and I wouldn't be surprised if eventually it becomes a case of 'give him enough rope'...he is after all one of her political rivals, albeit a currently quite chastened one.

One of our problems these days is, I think, that politicians are indeed on a 'different level' and unfortunately, in rather too many cases and as exemplified at PMQ's, it is some way below the rest of us. Either way, before Roger jumps in with it, I can think of one particular BJ that is infinitely preferable to either of these two.

[roger_ramjet]

Brian Jones?

[ramAnag]

Brian Jones?

Him too.

[Andy_Faber]

Very charitable view imo, Andy.

At least Bradley has made it to 8/10 and I really would love your Bruce Rioch comparison to come true.

PMQ's,

On the Bradley thing, I'm ultimately a caring soul despite some of my barbed comments, and I've been wondering why I can't bring myself to be quite as sympathetic towards him as I was towards Bruce (and others) back in the day. And of course its the reward thing. When Bruce had an off day, I could empathise with that, he probably got paid a multiple of what me and those around me in the paddock got paid, but a reasonable multiple, and I had to put in mind, yes he's like me, we both have our off days, we both manage to turn a quid despite that and we both hope for better days. Bradley gets paid probably fifty times what the man in the street gets paid, and that empathetic link has (at least in my case) unfortunately been lost, and the sympathy follows

On the PMQ's thing, I think anyone who wonders why the general population has got contempt for politicians, they just need to watch that. Funny it may be on occasion, but our politicians shouldn't be funny

[ramAnag]

Spot on Andy imo. Sports stars used to be so much more 'ordinary'. They're now so privileged that sympathy is in short supply.

As regards your 'our politicians shouldn't be funny' comment...that was my point about Boris really.
He may be 'an incredibly clever individual' Gaspode, but having got to know Oxford quite well for four years of my life, I can vouch for the fact that it's full of 'incredibly clever individuals', many of whom look, and often act, as if they struggle to dress, feed and generally look after themselves, let alone represent the nation.

[roger_ramjet]

Spot on Andy imo. Sports stars used to be so much more 'ordinary'. They're now so privileged that sympathy is in short supply.

As regards your 'our politicians shouldn't be funny' comment...that was my point about Boris really.
He may be 'an incredibly clever individual' Gaspode, but having got to know Oxford quite well for four years of my life, I can vouch for the fact that it's full of 'incredibly clever individuals', many of whom look, and often act, as if they struggle to dress, feed and generally look after themselves, let alone represent the nation.

4 years? Did you go to Brooks then?

[ramAnag]

Lol...long story...don't think Brookes had been invented in my time.

[roger_ramjet]

it was Oxford Polytechnic at the time I reckon

[ramAnag]

It was...but not there either.