To ask if you have even known a member of the government

[Alexiaridesagain]

And what are they like in real life by senior I mean
-Boris
-Priti Patel
-Rishi Sunak
-Dominic Cummings
-gavin Williamson
-Micheal Gove
-etc

Matt Hancock was my next door neighbour for a year at university.
He was exactly the sort of person people who dislike the idea of Oxford believe it is full of (apologies for the grammar - it's late!) - shallow, self satisfied, tedious etc etc. And he got me in trouble with the Dean for having noisy sex and keeping him awake (though that was actually our other neighbour!!).

It's testament to how awful the rest of the government is that I think he may well be one of the better ones.

Yes I read the same thing about Nadhim setting up a medical company in his wifes name 6 months ago - really hope he cannot provide anything connected to covid or vaccine.

It is heartbreaking as it is about lives not just money.

I've met Ian Blackford (SNP leader at Westminster), he was rude and totally disinterested other than when he was talking about himself.

My Dad knew Donald Dewer and rated him as a highly intelligent and compassionate man. He was really saddened when he died. He was of a different generation of politicians.

@MartiniDry I met Tony Banks! He was involved with a Group. Was working with and he was very approachable.

Another one who’s met Ed Balls, in a work capacity, and I can confirm he was lovely. Twinkly-eyed, friendly, funny and charming, whole obviously being really intelligent. Not up himself at all, I was the least senior person in the room and he was as respectful and attentive in listening to me as he was to the more senior and influential. Quite attractive in the flesh, mainly because of his personality.

My family know Patrick Harvie, leader of the Scottish Green Party. Excellent, lovely man.

My mum has met Nicola Sturgeon a fair few times and thinks she is great. I grew up in her constituency and she's very involved considering how much else she has on.

One SNP MP is quite known to sleep around in a certain crowd of people... not giving a name though!

@baffledcoconut

Nick Clegg. Totally decent chap. Far too nice for politics. Utterly lovely person.

A few of the current MP’s. Utter ballsacks the lot of them.

Shame he turned out to be such a massive c*nt then

@VestaTilley

Not current ones, but met a lot of Tony Blair’s cabinet during my student politics days.

Tony Blair remains the stand out politician of his generation; his Cabinet’s were impressive, heavyweight and had intellectual depth.

Today’s Parliamentary Labour Party is diabolical in comparison.

Just a shame they lead us into the longest war in modern hostory

George Osbourne is one of the nicest people I’ve met through work. Genuinely charming, great fun, and willing to laugh at himself. He bought my son an ice cream and played with him for ages. Dave and Sam very kind, so attentive with their children. Not sure how they left one in a pub, very unlike them. Dom Raab is pleasant but never memorable, always happy to calmly laugh at difficult situations, can be friends with anyone. Met Gove a few times, and my DH describes him as the ideal neighbour. Seems very conscientious. Priti Patel is impossible to work with, one of those women who claw their way up somehow then make life as difficult as possible for everyone else. Felt bad for the juniors in her office.

Gordon Brown is an arsehole and smells a bit musty. He had awful breath. Tony Blair is charismatic but a bullshitter who can’t be trusted — and a huge sense of self importance that he can’t measure up to. He seems to not notice that people in the Middle East don’t tend to like him very much. David Miliband is a lovely man, I spilled something on him and he bought me a new drink. Quite embarrassing. Ed Balls is a weird one - he seems to have zero appreciation for responsibility, and thinks everything is a big joke regardless of how serious. He attended a meeting on security matters, and humour wasn’t really appreciated. Not my cup of tea, but I can see people liking him.

An old uni friend of mine was a project manager on the 2012 London Olympics and worked closely with BJ, as he was Mayor of London at the time.

She was deeply uncomplimentary about him at the time - particularly his work ethic, or lack of - and was genuinely astonished when he became PM: to quote her, "the man has so little energy for work of any kind that he practically re-writes the laws of physics".

DH has met lots through his work, never met one he liked from any party.

My old MP used to come to parkrun. Not to run, but to meet the people. I understand that she used to go to choir practice, WI markets, school fairs etc to to chat. She was lovely. Was gutted when she lost the last election.

Friend was at Oxford with JRM ( shared the same accommodation) and said he was the nicest , kindest and most thoughtful person imaginable. He did say he always disagreed with his politics but as a person he was great and very well liked. My chin hit the floor when he told me that - I honestly thought he was having me on.

I'm not particularly political, but this is an interesting thread.

@puppychaos

My family know Patrick Harvie, leader of the Scottish Green Party. Excellent, lovely man.

My mum has met Nicola Sturgeon a fair few times and thinks she is great. I grew up in her constituency and she's very involved considering how much else she has on.

One SNP MP is quite known to sleep around in a certain crowd of people... not giving a name though!

Oh come on, surely you can give a tiny, miniscule, hint about the sleeper arounder!

Michael Portillo. I was out for a bike ride in the middle of nowhere and got a bit disorientated in the fog. I stopped by the road to look at the map and he and his wife pulled up in their car. He wound down the window and asked if I was OK. He offered me (and my bike) a lift but I declined. It was very kind of him to offer though.

Yes very well, the MP that forced Boris back into isolation

Has anyone met Theresa May? Very curious. She seems like she would be a nice person.

My father did a lot of work with Scottish politicians at one point. He particularly rated Gordon Brown and Alec Salmond.

Allegedly
Pleasant but dull...

I met Rory Stewart as we have a common research interest and met through an academic institution. He was really nice, tended to go into 'lecture' mode but caught himself doing it and laughed, he is very very intelligent. I can see why he is now a fellow at an American University. I hate the Tories more than having allegiance to any particular other party but he softened my approach...very slightly

My Dad was a trade unionist in the 80's and met Thatcher a few times. Obviously there was no love lost but one thing always stands out when he talked about her, he said she really didn't seem to like women at all. He said she was a bit mysogynist if anything. I don't know why but I find that so strange!

@AllegedlyChaos

Has anyone met Theresa May? Very curious. She seems like she would be a nice person.

If you hang around in Woodley or Twyford Waitrose long enough you will. Hated her as an MP and hate her party, politics and policies, but as a human being she's pretty normal.

Jacqui Smith was one of my teachers in the late 80's.

Ed is my hot geek pin up. I would show him round my building site.

Bloody hell, I've never heard it called that before!

@purpleproses

Ed is my hot geek pin up. I would show him round my building site.

Bloody hell, I've never heard it called that before!

I’ve never called it that before, so we’re even 😜