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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

If only someone like Gareth Southgate was our Prime Minister...

113 replies

flashbac · 08/07/2021 10:51

Imagine.

OP posts:
Backhills · 08/07/2021 11:58

@hayley037

I loved Gary Nevilles comment last night during the commentary: "The standard of leaders in this country the past couple of years has been poor, looking at that man (Southgate), he’s everything a leader should be, respectful, humble, he tells the truth."

England wouldn't vote for a Southgate though, he would be seen as too boring as a PM or politician.

I think Starmer is trying to position himself as a corrective to the division in political and public life - the only adult in the room - but clearly it is not working, and will not work, because the public doesn't have the appetite for it. We want glamour, violence and bluster, and we're poorer for it.

I think that's a reasonable position for Starmer to take, but the trouble is that seems to be all he has "at least I'm not them". That on it's own is not enough.
ChainJane · 08/07/2021 11:59

Hold your horses, I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves here. England haven't won anything yet and it's 50/50 at best whether they do. Assuming he fails, that's not a great thing for a politician to be chosen upon. Even if he somehow leads the team to win the tournament, so what? There's a big difference between managing a couple of dozen well-paid sportsmen with all the resources you need on hand, to running a country where whatever you do won't be good enough.

When Southgate has a five year spell of his team winning every game comfortably without any controversial behaviour, then might be the time to think about him running for office.

newnortherner111 · 08/07/2021 12:01

I would accept just a competent Prime Minister with moral values. That would be a step forward from a man who were it not for my lifelong opposition to the death penalty I would be happy to see hang for his inactions and the deaths they have caused.

Killahangilion · 08/07/2021 12:03

Never heard of him. Is he a young politician or TV presenter?

Oh, just googled and he’s a footballer…!

After the Brexit shambles, I guess anyone’s preferable to Boris, even a professional footballer. Hmm

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 12:04

Killahangilion

Have you been living under a rock

FreeBritnee · 08/07/2021 12:06

@RickiTarr

He’s very easy on the eye, too. We never get ornamental PMs. Sad
How do men do that? Drives me mad. Many of them age do bloody well.
Bagelsandbrie · 08/07/2021 12:06

@Killahangilion

Never heard of him. Is he a young politician or TV presenter?

Oh, just googled and he’s a footballer…!

After the Brexit shambles, I guess anyone’s preferable to Boris, even a professional footballer. Hmm

Hmm

Okaaaay. How does anyone not know who Gareth Southgate is today? Grin

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 12:08

Bagelsandbrie

There's a whole bunch of people determined to announce how much they don't understand or like football.

Backhills · 08/07/2021 12:08

Yes, lots of slightly geeky footballers from that era have aged very well. Lineker, Shearer were never handsome youths. I suppose it's the grooming that comes with the TV work so there must be hope for us all if we could be bothered

TotorosCatBus · 08/07/2021 12:10

Plus he seems to be happily married.

Blossomtoes · 08/07/2021 12:12

@Backhills

Wonderful! Does anyone know what his actual politics are? Grin

If I was anything senior to do with the Labour party, I'd be grooming Marcus Rashford as a future leader.

Totally. I’d love to see Rashford have a second career in politics. He’s the absolute embodiment of what a politician should look like.
Bagelsandbrie · 08/07/2021 12:12

@Bryonyshcmyony

Bagelsandbrie

There's a whole bunch of people determined to announce how much they don't understand or like football.

Yep seems it.

I never normally follow the football. At all. Literally don’t have a clue about any of it but when it’s at this stage christ alive you only have to glance at your phone or turn on the TV to see what’s going on and who’s who…! I love it when it’s like this, it’s so exciting when life has been so boring and depressing for everyone for so long.

PiccalilliChilli · 08/07/2021 12:13

Politics would absolutely corrupt him. Let's keep him nice and sensible. Grin

QueeniesCroft · 08/07/2021 12:35

There is so little niceness in the world at the moment, and he seems to represent all the lost decency.
Even if he "fails", he will do it well. Failing well is a great example to set.

PicsInRed · 08/07/2021 12:38

I think the OP is Matt Hancock, paving the way for his own comeback and run for PM - following his enormous covid missed penalty.

We'll know for sure when he shows up with a new suit and a managerial beard.

VaggieMight · 08/07/2021 12:43

Someone as nice as him wouldn't be attracted to politics.

VeganVeal · 08/07/2021 12:50

I think there is a big difference between running the country and getting 11 men to run around a field kicking a ball of an hour and a half, so no

Backhills · 08/07/2021 12:58

Do you realise how stupid you sound when dismissing football as a group of men running around?

Football is a multi billion pound industry, the Premiership alone contributes c. £6bn pa in tax, the more successful the national side is the bigger the industry becomes.

Those "men" are notoriously difficult to manage, with the way success comes so quickly and so young.

There's an enormous amount of politics to manage in any senior role in football and the football manager is absolutely and completely responsible for it all. No England manager gets to keep his job in a crisis by arranging for the downfall of his Health Secretary.

I've no idea if Southgate is suitably qualified, but he definitely does have significant transferable skills.

Daisy829 · 08/07/2021 13:03

Love him & it’s so nice to see him doing well after all the stick he got a few years ago.

LizzieW1969 · 08/07/2021 13:04

If I was anything senior to do with the Labour party, I'd be grooming Marcus Rashford as a future leader.

^This definitely. Marcus Rashford should definitely consider going into politics in the future.

Gareth Southgate is a great England Manager obviously, but he doesn’t strike me as someone interested in hogging the limelight. He’s too unassuming to be a politician, I think.

longwayoff · 08/07/2021 13:32

Marcus Rashford sounds like an all round good guy. Please keep him away from the devouring snake pit of politics.

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 13:45

@longwayoff

Marcus Rashford sounds like an all round good guy. Please keep him away from the devouring snake pit of politics.
Quite
hayley037 · 08/07/2021 14:06

I do wonder what will happen after the tournament if we win it, Johnson and Downing Street will surely try to jump on the bandwagon with a drinks reception, meeting the players, etc. I guess they already are with some of their twitter posts over the past week or so.

But this government and the people who generally vote for its kind of politics are not particularly favourable to the players. I wonder if they would choose to make a political statement and turn down the invite, I know that I would and would certainly not shake hands with someone like Boris Johnson.

We had the obvious school meals debacle where the u-turn by the government was obviously only done because of the furore that Rashford caused.

Then you had Johnson, Patel and numerous other Tories all public defending racists being able to boo anti racist gestures and the taking of the knee with one Tory MP actually stating he would be boycotting games because of it. Southgate even had to write an open letter to the nation about it.

colouringindoors · 08/07/2021 14:10

Totally agree. This is well worth a read:

www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/dear-england-gareth-southgate-euros-soccer

colouringindoors · 08/07/2021 14:11

Marcus Rashford is awesome.

This is also really interesting

www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/raheem-sterling-england-it-was-all-a-dream

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