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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

276 replies

Alexiaridesagain · 09/01/2021 21:07

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

OP posts:
FreshEggs · 10/01/2021 16:26

I went to school with the Labour MP Sam Tarry (he was head of Corbyn’s 2016 campaign I believe).

Tarry was the school bully and a good friend of mine suffered terrible homophobic abuse from him on a daily basis. It has affected him for life. Tarry also punched another friend of mine when at sixth form. I suppose he might have changed but he was absolutely vicious at school.

SecretSpAD · 10/01/2021 16:26

Oh and Nick Clegg - very lovely man who didn't deserve to be shafted in the way he was. His wife is very nice and very very clever as,well.

PinkPiranha11 · 10/01/2021 16:44

Met Boris once, way before he was PM, I think he may have been London Mayor or just before. He was very charismatic - one of those people although remembers your name and used it when talking to you repeatedly. I think this is a politician’s “trick” to make you feel listened to. I was a bit intimidated by how posh he was. He didn’t have much to do with me personally.
Met Iain Duncan Smith once briefly at a DWP conference - he was unbelievably sharp and clever. I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him. He came across as polished but a bit rude. He was very busy though TBF.
A previous boss worked with John Major post him being PM and said he was a proper gentleman.
I worked with Yvette Cooper once, I took her to a housing project for vulnerable women in our city. She was genuinely moved by the ladies there and wiped away more than a few tears.

BikeRunSki · 10/01/2021 16:54

Hillary Benn came in to work once to tell us what a great job we were doing in the middle of a major incident. He came back a few weeks later to find out more about what we do and how we do it. Lovely guy, much appreciated (our office was in his constituency, I work of a government agency).

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 10/01/2021 16:59

I would have loved to see him become leader @BikeRunSki

VanGoghsDog · 10/01/2021 17:00

@m00rfarm

What about Ed Balls - after watching Strictly I imagine him to be a lovely person with a great sense of humour ... please do not disappoint!
He is lovely, really funny and sociable. Loves karaoke.
BikeRunSki · 10/01/2021 17:02

Me to @IncludeWomenInTheSequel

MirandaWestsNewBFF · 10/01/2021 17:04

@BikeRunSki

I have met Ed Milliband several times for work, and shine him round my building site (I work on flood defences in his constituency , which is very vulnerable to flooding). He’s nice to chat to, not entirely convinced he understood what we are doing. His aide has a really nice bag!!
Ed is my hot geek pin up. I would show him round my building site.
earsup · 10/01/2021 17:10

@sadeyedladyofthelowlands63

*I've said this on here before, as I never miss an opportunity to slag her off, but I used to work with Priti Patel, ages ago.

She was awful. Lied to avoid having to do any work. Would jab a knife into anyone else, to avoid work, or avoid blame. Totally untrustworthy. Really didn't shine out at all.

I am baffled that she has risen so high. I can only conclude that all her thoughts and energy were directed to her political career.*
A close friend of mine has met Priti Patel several times through her work. She agreed with your assessment and said the woman could not string a coherent sentence together if her life depended upon it.

OOOOh....I used to teach Pritti...A level media studies....its not mentioned that she spent 2 years at a college in walthamstow to study her A levels...maybe she was doing re sit...i cant remember....But she was always so pleasant and lovely....i cant really say anything bad or negative about her at all...!!...sorry...!!
Rainbowandscarlett · 10/01/2021 17:12

We used to live next door to our local mp (labour)

He would only ever speak to us if he was cornered/elections where coming up-as a lowly single parent we didn’t mean much to him,I guess

Unless I was going out of my house,clutching my voting slip,he wouldn’t say a word to me-only look down his snooty nose at us

One day my dad had to sit in on some meeting with him and he kept looking at my dad like he was a tramp (to be fair dad doesn’t ‘do’ clothes-he’ll wear something until it falls off and often has a faint whiff of horse manure as he’s a gardener)

It was so funny a few days later when my dad pulled up outside my house on his massive,very expensive motorbike complete with very expensive leathers just as mp was coming out of his house and my dad said hello to him

Dad said you could hear the penny dropping in mp’s brain as it dawned on him that ‘the tramp’ may actually have money (and a house) and may actually have a vote-which didn’t go to him on voting day as dad is a dyed in the blood green voter and as he said ‘having money or not having a bean doesn’t give that t*at a right to look down his nose at me!’

CLCB07 · 10/01/2021 17:19

@FreshEggs. I think Sam Tarry was a director of Momentum before becoming an MP. He got the Labour nomination in quite controversial circumstances.

Mabelface · 10/01/2021 17:26

I know Edwina. She's nothing like her politics in real life. Whilst I abhor some of her views, she's a really warm and kind woman, really interesting. One of her daughters, however...

GrimDamnFanjo · 10/01/2021 17:31

Used to work in politics and in government so met and worked with quite a few.
Late teens early twenties knew loads through youth and student politics who then entered parliament many now left.
Knew one, erm, very well for about 10 years.

My personal view is that a lot of people in politics have something in them that others don't. Political stuff fills a gap in their personality.
Mostly you have to be very driven and able to live with actions others couldn't. Very single minded and determined.
I would bet that there are more than a few sociopathic individuals in all parties.

LadyEloise · 10/01/2021 17:45

"...... she's a really warm and kind woman, really interesting......"
@Mabelface Funny you should say that as did a previous poster .
Edwina is quite often interviewed on radio in Ireland re UK topics. She comes across rather well.

SwedishEdith · 10/01/2021 17:46

OOOOh....I used to teach Pritti...A level media studies....its not mentioned that she spent 2 years at a college in walthamstow to study her A levels...maybe she was doing re sit...i cant remember....But she was always so pleasant and lovely....i cant really say anything bad or negative about her at all...!!...sorry...!!

Wiki says Westfield Technical College in Watford. But as she was born in 1972 and graduated 1994, looks like there's a year missing somewhere.

Bouledeneige · 10/01/2021 17:52

I've met a few. Like Boris - I thought him rather shallow and full of himself. I've also met David Cameron who was a good speaker but not very interested in people and a bit spinet. Greg Clarke though I knew quite well - he's very intelligent and has a lot of integrity. A very nice man. I've met a lot of Lib Dem MPs who were thoroughly decent, committed and knowledgeable - particularly Norma Lamb.

Also knew quite a few Labour MPs back in the day before they were in Parliament - who were a bit full of themselves - James Purnell, Chris Bryant.

They have mostly lived quite boring lives having been involved in politics and lived and breathed it and all the gossip and politicking all their lives.

TheCap · 10/01/2021 17:57

I worked with a member of Blair’s Cabinet (after he’d left politics) he was absolutely lovely and incredibly charming.

Smileyaxolotl1 · 10/01/2021 18:03

Boule
Agree about Greg Clark- very gentle and intellectual.
Doesn’t surprise me about Norman Lamb. One of the good guys.

GrimDamnFanjo · 10/01/2021 18:05

@Bouledeneige I knew CB when he was a Councillor in Hackney. He was vile.

WhoLettheCatOut · 10/01/2021 18:05

Agree with others about Justine Greening. No longer an MP but Dominic Grieve was incredibly bright and impressive, he might be the only Tory I could ever consider voting for.

Blessex · 10/01/2021 18:06

I went to uni with Dominic Raab. He was a lawyer. He also was very sporty. Honestly I remember him as a bit dull.

earsup · 10/01/2021 18:10

@SwedishEdith

OOOOh....I used to teach Pritti...A level media studies....its not mentioned that she spent 2 years at a college in walthamstow to study her A levels...maybe she was doing re sit...i cant remember....But she was always so pleasant and lovely....i cant really say anything bad or negative about her at all...!!...sorry...!!

Wiki says Westfield Technical College in Watford. But as she was born in 1972 and graduated 1994, looks like there's a year missing somewhere.

Odd...I know in news reports about her past and upbringing etc, its never mentioned she spent a year doing the A levels at my college...she could have been on the one year re-sit course....its a long long time ago...i didnt ever think she would enter politics and she really must have changed a lot if people report her as being lazy and nasty. it wasnt my experience at all.
Bouledeneige · 10/01/2021 18:10

GrimDamnFanjo I'm not surprised about CB. He could be quite witty but he's very arrogant.

I also knew David Milliband a long time ago. I thought him rather dull and worthy. He was like a middle aged man at 21. Much prefer his brother.

NotAnotherUserNumber · 10/01/2021 18:11

@TartanDMs

I have worked with several high profile ministers over the last 12 years and got to know some better than others. Ed Balls was a pleasure to work with. Michael Gove is very charming, has beautiful manners and remembers details about you even if you only meet him a few times - it's extraordinary. Pity he's who he is. Nicky Morgan and Justine Greening were very easy to work with, in the remit I had. I developed a grudging respect for Lord Agnew, he could be a twat but you always know where you stand and although I didn't appreciate being phoned for a personal bollocking over something that wasn't my fault, he was very gracious in his subsequent apology.
going by the list of who you have worked with it sounds like you are outing yourself as DfE SCS, which seems a very brave thing to do on mumsnet!
keeperswif · 10/01/2021 18:12

My brother in law hard working honest friendly adores my sister