Humphreys 3 - Cameron 0.

I agree phoenix that H sometimes over steps the mark. He should save the bulldog approach for senior politicians and not unleash it on the undeserving who are giving up their time to be on the show.
My DH has a lot to do with civil servants and, indirectly, with politicians. He said it was easier to put up with them and their decisions these days, because at least he didn't vote for this lot.
I am fed up to the back teeth with the word "reform" which has to be the most overused one of this government. Any cuts, tinkering etc, whatever they do, they call it "reform". Humph.

I took wholesale resignations of police, journalists and politicians (so far) as pretty conclusive evidence of some wrongdoing.

Going back to John Grumphreys (sic) sometimes his style is admirable, other times it gets me shouting at the radio! The constant interrupting/talking across the other person, the rising pitch of his voice to show indignation, oh heck, I've just realised that those traits are exactly those of my ex husband!

Just watching Leveson with Murdoch. Very interesting Leveson thought it neccessary to say that due to the media coverage he felt it he should state emails could be interperated differently and I felt he was dismayed at the level of vitriol whipped up. Good chap Leveson I hope he does deal with this enquiry impartially as it is proving to be a witch hunt, with some very paculiar questions, quite trite at times. No I am not making excuses for any of the newspapers or their proprietors.

Have you seen Hunts Special Aid has resigned, he stated he had overstretched his duties in so many words. Personally I find the speed of peoples desire to acccuse people of lying or corruption without the benefit of hearing all of the facts quite alarming. Jack Straw is in the same position over the rendition scandal. Now I am certainly not excusing people having to take responsibility for their actions but since when did we become such a hate filled nation that does'nt allow due process to convict. This is happening on a daily basis in the media. Look at the poor McCaans and their little daughter, the landlord who's life was turned upside down when he was put in the frame for murder and it was'nt him. We can all blame the media but are'nt we all loosing sight of the old saying 'Innocent until proven guilty'.

that's what i thought. by mr... hunt... 'full confidence' is usually the last phrase uttered before the boot hits the backside.

Jeremy Hunt has Cameron's full confidence. Bye bye.

Agree about watching Parliament 'at work' POGS
Mine certainly rarely seems to be there

I could'nt care less if Osborne does or does not know the price of milk . I want him to know about revenues, G.D.P.,taxes etc. and personally if I was a reporter or an opposition M.P. I would start to query my level of intellect if that was my question. If you want to trip him up at least ask him an adault intelligent question.

Do any of you watch B.B.C. Parliament? If you don't, try it. It is shameful how childish and wasteful the questions are. Good M.P.'s, on both sides of the House, are few and far between.

I don't know how much a pint of milk is! I only buy the big bottles, so I'd be hard pressed to work it out if the question was sprung on me....

Did anyone watch 'The 70s' last night?

They were looking at 1973-74 in particular ...inflation(due to oil prices ...70% increase) unable to buy houses due to cost; cost of food rising; miners strikes; power black outs ...talk about things going in cycles!! Apart from now ...it's the bankers etc not the miners.

It trully bought back memories of hard times.

Kevin Maguire on Twitter says he wished Cameron had been asked how much a pint of milk is - a good test for all politicians to see how in touch they are with the electorate.

That's the end, but the rest of it is good too. Worth looking up!

Brilliantly apt Ariadne.

An exerpt from "The secret People" by G.K. Chesterton. Apt, I feel.

They have given us into the hand of new unhappy lords,
Lords without anger or honour, who dare not carry their swords.
They fight by shuffling papers; they have bright dead alien eyes;
They look at our labour and laughter as a tired man looks at flies.
And the load of their loveless pity is worse than the ancient wrongs,
Their doors are shut in the evening; and they know no songs.

We hear men speaking for us of new laws strong and sweet,
Yet is there no man speaketh as we speak in the street.
It may be we shall rise the last as Frenchmen rose the first,
Our wrath come after Russia's wrath and our wrath be the worst.
It may be we are meant to mark with our riot and our rest
God's scorn for all men governing. It may be beer is best.
But we are the people of England; and we have not spoken yet.
Smile at us, pay us, pass us. But do not quite forget.
That we are the people of England, who have not spoken yet.

I agree - there are so many MPs now who went straight from university to become Political Researchers and then were given a safe seat.
I have been re-reading Trollope's Palliser novels - not much has changed!

I should have typed weekly pension and not week pension, although £30 quid a week would certainly be a weak pension.

I agree with Nadine Dorries statement of "two posh boys" Cameron and Osbourne out of touch with their voters except I think it should be "three posh boys" because Nick Clegg, when asked a couple of years ago, what the week pension was, he replied "about 30 quid a week". That's the political class for you, God help us!

I am looking forward to hearing the Murdochs sticking the knife into politicians and the police which they will soon be doing at the Leveson Enquiry. They will do it because they no longer have anything to gain in Britain, out of spite and to try to save their own miserable skins.
I see many of Cameron's own MPs are now trying to distance themselves from Cabinet decisions.
I don't see how the fact that Blair was equally venal and duplicitous makes the present shower smell any sweeter. There is always a knee-jerk reaction to any criticism of any government - 'Well, the other lot are just as bad'.

Tribal voting? Didn't the people of Hartlepool elect a monkey as the mayor?
Mind you, I think that was more to do with total disgust at all the other candidates..............hm..............

Greatnan, I did digress from your original post, apologies You aren't the only one feeling disenfranchised. I've seen from previous forums you are now in France, not much better there, what a motley crew!

I notice no one's answered your question directly yet, Greatnan!

baNana and POGS - you have both made the mistake of thinking I have any respect for any of the politicians you have mentioned, but they are not in control at the moment. I no longer have any allegiance to any political party in the UK (I can't vote anyway) - I became disenfranchised in 1997.

Yes I agree with you about Frank Field and Kate Hoey both come across as good eggs and I dare say there are other mavericks out there with their integrity, but sadly they always seem to be marginalised.

I like your style baNANA. I could'nt agree more!

You could also add, shifty like Campbell. Incompetent like Burns( good luck there's no money left). Hypocritical like Prescott, on just about everything but " I wouldn't go into the Lords if you paid me" was the best.

Only mentioned Labour as the opening gambit was about a Tory. Probably like you just balancing the question, there are good and bad on both sides really. I like Frank Field and Kate Hoey for example and they are Labour.

Cameron shifty? do you mean shifty like Tony Blair?, Incompetent, like Gordon Brown? or plain hypocritical like Harriet Harmen?, she of the "all women shortlists",suspended when Mr Harmen (Jack Dromey) was parachuted into a safe labour seat. Or how about Dianne Abbott who wanted to ban private schools until she sent her own son to one on the spurious grounds of race. What I regret Greatnan is most of the career politicians we have on offer of all political persuasions, including Cameron, are out of touch, unrepresentative of their electorate and seemingly lack any sort of integrity whatsoever.