I might vote Tory but that doesn't make me a bad person

I'm sure he's very flattered by the adoration of the Milifans. Compared to that, what does he care what a few old women on gransnet think of his appearance

Yes, the 'Milifans'. They're all heartbroken about his resignation.

I don't get the 'so odd you couldn't look at him' remark at all (apart from agreeing with Grannytwice that I think it's incredibly rude). I liked to hear him speak, not necessarily when giving a speech, but when interviewed. I thought he came across as sincere and having a sense of humour. He never seemed to get rattled by all the personal insults but seemed able to laugh at himself. He has a very loyal fan club amongst young women, apparently!

Of course it's petty, as are the comments on how Ed Miliband looks.

That's the most important part of the job-description, is it? How petty...

The exact opposite to Day6 happened with my husband when he was ill and had to rely on benefits under a Labour government.
It was decided in 1997 that he would never be able to work again, and he was given disability benefits for the rest of his life.
So we can all give examples of what happened under Labour or Tory governments to suit.

I agree with you, GrannyTwice. People complain about the media remarking on how women who want to be taken seriously dress, etc. Remarking on a person's looks is in the same vein. Cameron's only other job has been in PR so of course he looks good. It's what he saysd that worries me.

So, Tegan, who do want to take over from Ed? I notice Hilary Benn has not been mentioned as a possible successor. Who do you think will be able to goad Cameron the best, and make him explode at PMQs?

Tegan - do you really think no one looked at him and no one listened? I think the point you make about oratory is relevant but polish can be dangerous can't it?

Of course Jo is and so am I and fwiw I think making comments on how people look rather than on the issues of what they believe in or stand for is incredibly rude and adds nothing to a discussion - in fact it detracts from whatever you might want to say.

I hate to say this but I agree with the comment about Ed . And I've heard several people say the same. At the time of the leadership election, had I still been a member of the Labour Party I would have voted for him as he seemed like a visionary but, over the past few years I've felt more and more uncomfortable about him. Speaking to a friend on the phone the other week she said she didn't like the idea of him representing us on the world stage. I don't like to say this and I still voted Labour but I've got to be honest about it. He tended to stumble over his words as well. The leaders of all of the other parties were far more polished; he made me feel uncomfortable .

Good post Day6, you've certainly explained and justified your position! Welcome

GT how rude jo1 is allowed to say what she thinks.

Memory loss doesn't detract from the fact that he's a good speaker!

The man with the ear of the people couldn't even remember which football team he supported.

I thought that GJ was very well thought of as a back bencher - what on earth does 'on the edge mean'? DC 'always had the ear' . Miliband was 'so odd you couldn't look at him' . Is this supposed to be a contribution to political debate?

Glenda Jackson always looked very stressy as a politician. You know, on the edge. Can't say that I noticed that.

DC always had the ear of the people. Really?

Milliband was so odd, you couldn't look at him. I'm no fan of Milliband and am not surprised that Labour lost the election but I wouldn't say that you couldn't look at him!

Strange comments IMO.

I'd forgotten G. Jackson. Always looked very stressy as a politician. You know, on the edge. DC always had the ear of people because he was an easy talker. Milliband was so odd, you couldn't look at him, therefore nobody listened.

Like you, I had a basinful of soclalism when I worked. But watch yourself, extreme politics, like Thrush has a habit of coming back to irritate you.

Good post Day6.

I think that the trouble with politics is that a lot of us forget things very quickly. When details of how a particular party acted when in power, fade unless you have personal memories of what aspects were like.

I dont think that prudence is rewarded. Abd it is not encouraged by the Labour party.

Someone said today, on a BBC interview from Scotland, that people forget that it was Labour who introduced PPIis in the NHS. That they were the ones who started selling off bits of the NHS first?

good post Day6 and welcome to the forum, hope you will stay.

Great post Day6.

I don't think you'll have alienated anyone on this thread!

annodomini, I wouldn't put Glenda Jackson in the same category as the other lightweights mentioned she was/is of a different calibre altogether not only in her talent as an actress, but also as a politician and she didn't embark on that second career in the age of social media looking for instant gratification.

What an interesting discussion! I wish I'd had a few of your thoughts to hand when I took on two rather vicious left-wingers on Facebook! (Stupid thing to do. It left me feeling bruised and defensive.)

As others have said, we vote as we see fit, depending on many, many factors and the information we have to hand, and of course our own circumstances. Like many others, I voted Conservative. Isn't it strange that by admitting that I feel I have alienated so many people!

In my case I had a very raw deal served up by the last Labour Government in my time of need. People seemed to have forgotten that Blair also tried to save money by employing minions to get people off incapacity and disability benefits. Needing financial help for a very short period of my life when I'd hit rock bottom, become very ill and had to put an end to a career spanning thirty years was a miserable time for me and my (then) young family. I was treated with contempt, even at a tribunal and more or less told to 'find a job' even though I'd recently been given ill health retirement from my post (hospital consultants, my GP and the occupational health doctor who interviewed me and examined me, many times, agreed, over a consultation period of months, that I was sick and that continuing to work would be detrimental to my health) I had paid taxes and NI for decades and gave up work reluctantly, as I was sole bread-winner.

I relied on the generosity of family and friends to help me pay the bills and mend my broken boiler etc , in the years I couldn't work. I was well and truly skint, paying a mortgage and having children still in education. (I started job-hunting again and returned to work at the age of 59, when well enough.)

I'll never forget that frightening and awful time in my life and sadly, I'll never be a Labour voter again, even though I am from a working class background. It seemed to me at that time there were several kinds of 'poor' as well, and my "temporarily fallen on hard times" (very hard times) exempted me from a range of benefits, and indeed sympathy, because I had been prudent all my working life and paid my own way, always. I wasn't recognised as being needy enough.

Anyway....rant about 'caring' Labour over, but our outlook IS coloured by experience, and as others have said, I almost became a social pariah in some parts for voicing the opinion that Cameron had got lots right during his term of office. Much of it isn't right, but I think that can be said for most PMs at the end of their time at Number Ten.

Thank goodness for democracy, eh?

Glenda Jackson was An Actress not just a sleb.

I think you're right soon, celebrities do think they are at the centre of the universe. Aided abd abetted by the media of course - and some of the public who lap it all up! Eg Stephen Fry had 7.8 million followers on twitter and RB has about 9 million.

Twitter is a good name for it (are they all twits?)

Really, jo1book? Double Oscar winner, Glenda Jackson, has had 23 distinguished years as MP. Perhaps she wouldn't call herself a celebrity since that term has been devalued in recent years by nonentities famous for being famous.