Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
News
Original poster

Blair's resignation speech: "This is the Greatest Nation On Earth"

90 replies

ipanemagirl · 10/05/2007 12:52

Whats that supposed to mean exactly?!
Over 6,000 Iraqi civilians dead. Does that make us the greatest?

OP posts:
saadia · 10/05/2007 21:59

I don't think there are any "great nations" and there is no need for any. There are nice places to live and not-so-nice places to live, doesn't contribute to their "greatness" level.

SoapOnARope · 10/05/2007 21:59

ok Italy then

morningpaper · 10/05/2007 21:59

AND no beaches

We have Bournemouth

SoapOnARope · 10/05/2007 22:00

saadia but we are GREAT Britain

of course its a great place to live

morningpaper · 10/05/2007 22:01

Italy hmm they have nice pizza

but too many Catholics

morningpaper · 10/05/2007 22:02
Mhamai · 10/05/2007 22:04

from an Irish/Italian!

Mhamai · 10/05/2007 22:05

I think I fancy him tho! I'm nearly forty and having a pre mid life so that's ok I spose.

Original poster
ipanemagirl · 10/05/2007 22:07

I happen to think this is the best place to be on earth but it's such a corny imperialist thing for a warmonger to say imo, what a terrible time to say it too when most people are thinking about Iraq.

Morningpaper - what do you mean too many Catholics in Italy???!!!!

OP posts:
Mhamai · 10/05/2007 22:08

Just listened again to the end of his speech and I'm starting to hear Sinatra's "Regrets, I've had a few but then again too few to mention."

morningpaper · 10/05/2007 22:15

I definitely have a Small Crush on Our Great Leader

saadia · 10/05/2007 22:44

But great has so many meanings, do we really know what he meant - great as in wonderful, or great as in mighty/powerful?

MrMariella · 10/05/2007 22:55

"I definitely have a Small Crush on Our Great Catholic Leader" - nice one, MP.

Eleusis · 11/05/2007 08:42

I think it is fine for a country's leader to believe and to say that his/her country is the greatest one. I certainly believe my country is the greatest one on Earth. And I would think that most people think that of their own country.

zizou · 11/05/2007 11:38

Eleusis were you serious about wanting cameron to be pm?

Eleusis · 11/05/2007 11:49

Of course. He wants to scrap ID cards. And I think it's time for a change. LAbour has been in too long. The best way to clean up beaurocracy is to shake up the system with a new party in charge. I know people still hate the Tories, but he isn't exactly a Thatcherite.

rabbleraiser · 11/05/2007 11:53

What's everyone's problem with the Tories, anyway?

rabbleraiser · 11/05/2007 11:54

In fact, what was wrong with Maggie? I thought she was f*king ACE !!!

MrsMar · 11/05/2007 12:01

Blimey rabbleraiser, you got a day or two???

Just ask anyone who lives in a former mining area how the 80s and 90s were for them. Never mind the arguments re the mining industry per se, the government of the day made them redundant and then cut them adrift. The economic problems those areas faced were a direct result of the mismanagement of the break up of the mining industry. People with little or no other skills given a pay off and then little or no support or retraining. I did a business project when I was at Leeds Poly in the 80s and my tutor said why do you think there are so many chippies here, all those miners given £20k payoff set up a chippie. Seemed the obvious thing to do, 90% went bust leaving huge swathes of the country on long term unemployment benefits. Oh and then the tories cut those benefits as they were unemployed too long. Nice!

hannahsaunt · 11/05/2007 12:09

Rabbleraiser - I was born and brought up in one of thise mining communities (and subjected to the poll tax experiment). The tory policies were wicked - you have no idea of the sustained damage ravaged which persists even to this day. Blair has made his mistakes but I am proud to have voted for him in 97 - to have a country which finally has a minimum wage, where NHS waiting lists are down, to have access to free healthcare and education (may not be perfect but what is?), to be part of a country which is aware of it's wider role in the world in terms of alleviating global poverty. Not sure I could ever bring myself to vote Tory.

MrsMar · 11/05/2007 12:14

Here here hannahsaunt!! You only have to look at some areas where you have a third generation of benefit dependent people, as so often benefit dependent people end up having benefit dependent children, and it continues ad infinitum. All it would have taken is some support, guidance and retraining back in the 80s for the 100,000 or so miners who were made redundant and we could have avoided the many millions who are still benefit dependent today. Don't get me wrong, as a dyed in the wool leftie I think our benefit system is something to be proud of, that we support others in our society less able to support themselves, but there is no need for someone to be unemployed their whole lives. That just drains the system for those who really need it, God forbid I'm ever in the situation where I can't support myself, but if I am I would like there to be some kind of support structure in place for me.

Eleusis · 11/05/2007 14:03

Okay, so people hate Thatcher. She isn't running. Cameron is. Let's discuss the things he stands for. Anypdy opposed to scrapping the ID card? What about the NHS? Cameron wants to save it. Are you for or against that?

Pruni · 11/05/2007 14:21

Message withdrawn

morningpaper · 11/05/2007 14:26

Cameron wants to save the NHS - from what? All the annoying sick people? The NHS is in better shape now than it has been for years.

Eleusis · 11/05/2007 14:27

Do you think the junior doctors would agree with you? There are plenty of complaints all of the mumsnet boards about th eNHS. Specifically, I believe Cameron is opposed to the widespread cuts current happening all over the NHS.

Swipe left for the next trending thread