| Alan Johnstons book 20:49 - May 4 with 6252 views | onlyrinmoray |
Just finished reading his book " This Boy " its a great read Recommend it for some of the older Rs. He was brought up in near poverty in Notting Hill. I knew he was Rangers which was one of the reasons I bought it, they get a lot of mentions. Very rare to be a working class politician rather than a posh public schoolboy
Obviously a good musician played in a couple of well known West London bands The Area and the In Betweens, but never made the big time
Well worth a read |  | | |  |
| Alan Johnstons book on 16:48 - May 30 with 1332 views | Hadders |
A great read, as the OP says. A very powerful depiction of a tough childhood in real poverty, and a wonderful tribute to his mother and sister (not so much to his feckless Dad, who gave him QPR but precious little else). Pity he isn`t interested in being leader- the job was on a plate for him if he wanted it just a year or two ago, I reckon, and he would stand a good chance now. Incidentally, I shook hands with another literary Labour man, Roy Hattersley, in South Africa Road after we beat his team (Wednesday) on the first day of 2014-15. |  | | |
| Alan Johnstons book on 20:57 - May 30 with 1210 views | SpiritofGregory |
| Alan Johnstons book on 22:42 - May 4 by izlingtonhoop |
Wouldn't it be great if a Rangers fan was PM one day?
Not you Michael, sit down. [Post edited 4 May 2015 22:46]
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Won't happen, the Labour Party have lost the Scottish vote and the English working class vote because of complacency and greed. |  | | |
| Alan Johnstons book on 00:34 - May 31 with 1124 views | AgedR |
| Alan Johnstons book on 20:57 - May 30 by SpiritofGregory |
Won't happen, the Labour Party have lost the Scottish vote and the English working class vote because of complacency and greed. |
I'm not starting again, I'm sick of it. Labour lost and it looks like they will react by trying to resurrect Blair, like a Christopher Lee Hammer flick.
However, as much as I respect you 18 Stone, I have to take issue with your down vote. I think it's one of the most perceptive comments SoG has ever made. |  |
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| Alan Johnstons book on 00:43 - May 31 with 1119 views | karl |
| Alan Johnstons book on 00:34 - May 31 by AgedR |
I'm not starting again, I'm sick of it. Labour lost and it looks like they will react by trying to resurrect Blair, like a Christopher Lee Hammer flick.
However, as much as I respect you 18 Stone, I have to take issue with your down vote. I think it's one of the most perceptive comments SoG has ever made. |
Yes 18st, in the Scottish context, i agree with SoG too. Salmond saw the gap and moved the previously 'Tartan Tories' into the left of centre position Blair vacated. You are right that had John Smith been around longer this would never have happened but unfortunately we are where we are and Labour cannot shirk their responsibility for that |  | | |
| Alan Johnstons book on 10:19 - May 31 with 1033 views | Discodroids |
looking very grim for labour, I read a stat last week in several newspapers that they are losing the so called ethnic vote as well...both in the hindu community, which i married into, and the sikh community . Both cast more votes to the tories than labour in the last election.
a thing that always strikes me about labour activists is the white twenty something middle class demographic and the bile and hatred that spews forth from its many talking heads.
i saw an english university lecturer from the cotswalds in the paper last week beaming with pride and spraying like a cat that her son had 'engaged' ,( such a cu.nt of a buzz word, like 'progressive', a very high minded yet vacuous term) with politics ...
expecting to see a picture young lad if about 16/17 i was met with a sight of a geezer of about 30 in a 'mysteron' t shirt holding a banner which said 'fk the tory scum' , hardly ,'all the presidents men', old boy...
last week there was a viral posting of a picture of a load of champers being delivered, after the election to number ten , downing street with 'vile tory scum' attached to it .. queue outpouring of rage and threats and marcus brigstock chucking his muck higher than the sun. problem was it was from 2004.
the modern day labour party says nothing to me about my life.... just a working class eastender who wants to pay the fackin bills sort the kids out for a half decent education , go on holiday for 2 weeks to somewhere hot where they sell cruz campo, see QPR win occasionally and avoid having my meagre cash nicked by my carer in the old peoples home.
the BBC, doctors, university lectures , the clergy, the judiciary, lawyers, judges, high ranking Police , teachers, politicians,think tanks etc etc , piously focussing their attentions to the bottom 10% of society say fuk all to me about my life ..what can their spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations, 'newsnight' soliloquies to thunderous applause and lectern posturing tell me about being in the bottom 10%.. i lived it for the first twenty years of my life in east ham.
and some bloke popping down to the smoke for the day from the cotswolds in a mysteron t shirt with his mum to piss up a war memorial and declare his love for labour says less to me about my life than all of the above.
[Post edited 31 May 2015 10:40]
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| "...The monkey is never dead, Dealer. The monkey never dies. When you kick him off, he just hides in a corner, waiting his turn." |
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