Boris Johnson

I agree, Jalima, about kids not choosing where they go to school, but they can choose what they do after that.
Even if they went to Eton and Oxford, they didn't have to join the Bullingdon Club.
Lots of them didn't.

I Meant the telly accents, Jane.
Believe it or not, I live in the North East.
I couldn't understand my husband's parents when I first met them. However, they lived in north Northumberland, not Newcastle.

I'm not particularly a fan, but I do think that behind that eccentric, bumbling exterior is a very sharp mind, probably rather calculating too.

People don't generally choose where they go to school, their parents choose for them so I would never hold that up as a form of contempt (why would you?). I think that Boris's whole family is rather eccentric; as far as I remember his father was MP for the constituency where some of my family live.

As I said I've also been to Manchester and Newcastle as well as other places too numerous to mention. I found all sorts of variation of accent in use by the various people I met and worked with. Somehow i had no problem understanding them. Not everyone in every area speaks with the strongest accents! Its not a competition in language comprehension

They're not real, Jane.
They are watered down accents so that they can be understood down south.

Broad northern accents are lovely! I've always liked visiting Newcastle and also Manchester. Especially Manchester. I think its my lifetime addiction to Corrie. Auf Wiedersehen Pet cemented my liking for Geordies. I owe so much to my TV!

I read somewhere this morning that if Jeffrey Archer had suggested a plotline in which the schoolboy rivalry of two Old Etonians caused political chaos across Europe, it would have been rejected out of hand.

Oh I think Boris's fans see him as a nice guy, a bit bumbling and ineffective but with a sense of humour and a really nice nature. He's the stereotypical upper class English eccentric and we always love them (well some of us do!). I wonder if anyone would find him half so amusing if he had a broad northern accent?

Not a thing one can do about those who choose to judge POGS

To see ourselves as others see us.

I don't do nah de nah Jane10, I offer my opinions , never give a thought to trying to change anyone 's point of view , we don't agree on political threads , this I agree with

Annie we'll just never agree on this. I've said repeatedly that I don't understand his likeability. Soon we'll end up at the nah nah ne nah nah stage! No point in continuing. You haven't changed my point of view and I haven't changed yours. The usual stalemate we always end up with on political threads.

Perhaps his fans see in Boris what many Americans see in Trump Jane 10

For you maybe Anniebach. How else can you explain his popularity? You may say 'not with me' but plenty of people, like me, just like him. See Jings comments above.

Charisma is like beauty , in the eye of the beholder?

Charisma brings to mind con men , car sales men etc

it takes all sorts, but a man in a crumpled raincoat does nothing for me[JC]

Boris has charisma ?

An LD recovery?
They havent been in contention for more years than I can remember. Plus politics lately is more about extremes. Not that I considered LD as middle as the road as many people do or did.

Corbyns nice but he just plain ain't got Boris's inexplicable charisma. I agree that neither of them would be credible on the world stage. I just hope that there are some talented people of integrity waiting in the wings but, in the world of professional politicians, ie that's all they've done in their lives, I'm not very optimistic.

Corbyn laughs quite a lot, just not in front of the cameras.

He was laughing this week when at a meeting after PMQs and saying that Cameron was jealous of his dress sense.

I just cannot see Boris as a Statesman representing the UK on the big stage, neither can I see Jeremy Corbyn.

So who is left in the wings? Perhaps we shall have a more dynamic electoral system by 2020 and a LD recovery, bringing about a coalition and a completely more dynamic new politician into number 10. One who perhaps is presently not in the running for leadership of any of the 3 main parties.

I would love to hear who you would nominate as the being the best candidate to be our PM after the next election. But please NOT Boris.

Well, was it Peter Mandelson who famously said that New Labour was intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich

As long as they pay their fair share of tax?? Obviously Tony and Cherie have taken him at his word.

However, perhaps someone who travels to work on their bike (Boris) or the Tube (Ken) is more aware of the normal everyday lives of Londoners than someone with vast inherited wealth such as Zac who may not be aware of how the plebs vast majority of people live.

trisher I would like to see Corbyn laughing - perhaps he does occasionally - if so, I missed it lol

Class - why does that come into it? Boris may have gone to Eton, but Corbyn is posh too!! If we are counting that against them, which I would not.

Who says its hiding his real nature. What ridiculous speculation just because you don't like him.

It's fake if it's hiding his real nature. I think it is.

I don't think other countries would fall for it either.

What's a 'fake' personality? If you don't like it it doesn't mean its fake!