why do people loathe George Osborne?

I think it is slightly unfair to criticise him for changing his name, as he was 13 at the time, so it's not as if he did it for political reasons. But he does seem very callow, and it seems horribly unwise to have a chancellor with such limited experience right now. Of course this is true for most of the Tory front bench, and politicians in general are much less inclined to have experience outside of political circles now, which is also a bad development I think. The fact that he is such good buddies with Cameron is also worrying.

I do occasional recruitment for my firm. I have to say if I were recruiting for the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, I would be looking for the following attributes:

1. Technical understanding (Fail)
2. Adaptability (Fail)
3. Broad based understanding (Fail)
4. Ability to relate to others (Fail)
5. Demonstrably living the values that the firm exemplifies (Pass)

So I would reject George Osborne for further interviews for the post in question

[Do you remember that John Major ran away from the circus to become an accountant? Don't you think that GO did the same when he changed his name from Gideon to George?]

He is insincere, has a face made out of wax, he is unqualified to even open a bank account and he cheated on his expenses despite his vast inherited wealth.

Heaven help us if that sorry excuse for a politician becomes Chancellor

Apparently George Osborne's highest financial qualification is GCSE Maths. He did get a degree from Oxford in History, but had virtually no jobs becoming a career politician. It appalls me that a man with zero financial experience could be responsible for running this country's economy. Before anyone mentions it, similarly for Alistair Darling who is a lawyer not an economist/accountant!

I think CVs for all candidates at elections should be published and included with canvassing material put through doors. At least we would then have more idea if they are up to the job!

Oh yes, here we go - on sky news, of all places.

This is the man who's likely to be running the economy, apparently.

He flipped his home and owes the tax-payer thousands.

and he's smarmy.

Didn't he do something dodgy in Corfu..I seem to remember the papers doing a piece on that a couple of years ago?

I think you mean GIDEON Osbourne.

Changed his name - I wonder why? Everyones got a friend called DaveGideon.

loathe Osbourne? - how long have you got

I agree with Sethstarkaddersmum.

As always, it seems

I don't have any time for him personally.

He's been brought up in an atmosphere of privilege, which fair enough is not his fault. But he's achieved very little personally.

The whole Bullingdon Club thing gives away that he has a feeling of entitlement.

He has little or no idea about economics or finance, having no roles that have involved any deep understanding. He landed a job at Conservative central office. His ideas on taxation are frankly laughable. He's pretty keen on a flat-rate 22% tax.

Despite being a multi-millionaire (inherited wealth, no danger of him earning it) he fiddled his expenses and flipped his home to avoid paying tax.

He looks like a waxwork dummy and has no personal charm.

Tell me, what IS there to like about this man?

Because he always looks like he is sneering and because he has no ability to presnet his ideas in a convincing way (maybe because they are not his ideas in the first place).

I agree, notnearlyasblondeasIwas, I don't think Peter has many fans

He just makes me shudder and when I hear him speak I want to run away - for me he is just everything that is yuck

because he reminds people of Mandelson

mind you he has had a lot of quango jobs since

There you go data entry and selfridges now potentially chancellor scary

Osborne's first job was to provide data entry services to the National Health Service to record the names of people who had died in London.[8] He also briefly worked for Selfridges. He originally intended to pursue a career as a journalist, but after missing out on a position at a national newspaper, was informed of a vacant job at the Conservative Central Office.[8]

I think you may have hit on something there sethstark. Its like there is a conspiracy of silence. Not in the tory press interest to expose him either if there is something to expose.

Dp says he has only had two previous jobs neitehr of which were particularly weighty and hes spectacularly unqualified for the job. Haven't got round to checking will wiki him now!

He seems both insincere and pretty bad at his job, which doesn't help.

The first comes down to the reasons above.

The second comes down to his track record and the appearance that the tories don't rate him either - did he appear at all in the election campaign?

I am pondering on why the media have never tried to rehabilitate him now.... can't be coincidence.
Do you think if we all knew the real George Osborne we would like him even less?

I think he's too much like DC and not in a gorgeous way, more in a posh-boys together way.

They both come across like eighties throwbacks but fortunately for David he is that bit more personable and actually seems a good family-man.

However people can't relate to George O at all, and he was lacking in any presence during the early days of the economic collapse, and this has weakened his credentials for being in charge of the country's finances.

Cyteen. You're just jealous, because your own lips are not naturally shiny and pink.

1. all that poshness and Bullingdon stuff combined with:
2. he doesn't look very nice
3. we have never been given any reason to like him.

#3 is important - the point is the media can humanise almost anyone if it tries to. If they decided to do a campaign where there were lots of warm profiles in the press talking about how he loves his labrador puppy and his mates talking about how he sponsors a child in Africa [all the above is made up btw] and showing us photos of him when he was 3 looking cute, a lot of people would probably warm to him despite 1 and 2. Look how people used to hate Camilla Parker-Bowles and then that one got turned round.

I don't, I think he's gorgeous like his freind David.