to think that the Chilean president

[bubbleOseven]

is really starting to milk the situation now.
In order to boost his popularity at home and be voted in again next time.

My God does the man never stop?

Anybody? come on at least it's not a tax credits/wedding/pope thread.

I dont know what you are talking about but speaking of Chilie, I was watching their Big Brother finale yesterday, it looked really low budget...

IKWUM; I'm sure he's genuinely elated that they're all safe now, just like everybody else, but it's a shame he didn't prevent it from happening in the first place by making sure some decent standard of safety was in place.

A politician milking a good news story for his own ends??? (Did I see Tony Blair's 'A Journey' poking out of his anorak pocket?)

Chile has had a rough year with the earthquake and everything. The mine rescue is their national equivalent of landing on the moon or winning the World Cup. As head of state, the president is entitled to take a lead role in the rejoicing, even if he does have other, more cynical objectives in mind. If he gets better conditions for miners in the rest of Chile then he's worth voting back in. YABU....

Well, I heard him take full responsibility for the mining safety breaches on the news this morning - any politician who can do that deserves a modicum respect, surely? Perhaps he could advise our lot on how to move one step beyond the "regret" they usually express.

However, he's still a politician, and so by his very nature will milk a situation for all it's worth, if it means some good publicity.

YABU- I've been impressed with him. He was there for every single miner's escape and not too uptight to get in there with a man hug. It would be hard for him not to be in demand at the moment when the world's press wants answers. To be fair, he has taken blame, not credit.

He's only just been elected so I hardly think he is milking it for votes.

I think he is just very proud of what his country has achieved by rescuing these men.(rightly so IMO).

He has taken responsibilty for the poor safety record too.

YABU sorry.

Oh come on - he's a billionaire in a country (the average joe in the street) which was destroyed in the 80s by a financial crisis not dissimilar to what we have now...

He's not exactly Mr Happy Clappy living-for-ethics!

YANBU

Mr Happy Clappy living-for-ethics

Maybe not, I know nothing about him personally, I answered the OP's question with my opinion.

Isn't that we do on AIBU?

Er. So did I - so not quite sure why you assumed I was responding to you personally.

I like him, he seems one of those people you instantly warm to :)

Alpine - I will get off my high horse now.

YABU. El Presidente has a sexy voice and nice. Can we swap dave + nick for him??

Nice smile i mean.

According to the BBC coverage he's one of only four or five world leaders who are also billionaires. (And let's not let inverse snobbery hold that against him) One of the other leader-billionaires being that awful waxwork Berlusconi. At least Mr Chile didn't slap female rescuers on the arse and/or suggest to the miners that being trapped half a mile below ground had been like a camping trip.

lol @ Chil - I dread to think what Berlusconi would've made of it. Possibly given an extra medal to those who had mistresses too?

I have no problem with our "illustrious leaders" being wealthy - although I am very about how that wealth is obtained. e.g., Putin, Kennedy, etc., etc. But then nobody ever got rich being a shepherd.

In fact we could also swap Ed Miliband for Putin. You know - ex KGB, goes fishing bare chested?? Then PMQs would be watchable.

But he's ancient ! What about the first miner up? He's more PM material hubba hubba!

Did anyone else read that there were 5 miners coming up to face wives and girlfriends? These blokes have obviously got something that we don't know about...

I have a tiny crush on the Chilean president. I had a bit of a thing for Boris Yeltsin too and would have called DS2 Boris but people would have associated him with Boris nobhead Johnson and that would never do.