If Dave had sex with a pig then you just know Boris did too....

[MagpieRainbow]

The two other big names on the Conservative landscape- Boris Johnson and George Osbourne- both attended similar or the very same educational establishments where this sort of ceremonial induction was a requisite. Had we not better look a bit further away for the next leader of the tories? That would ensure that they are then perceived as a party of meritocracy and not just a playground of those born into wealthy families. And also then we can be sure that they didn't have sex with a pig.

Cameron had to get their last mess under control

Who is going to get Cameron's mess under control? Labour debt was, what, £800 billion after a global recession that started in the USA (not Labour's fault- see Mervyn King) and much lower than Tory GDP debt in the 1980s and 1990s up until 2007 ish but you seem to think that DOUBLING this global-crash-caused debt to £1.6 TRILLION with nothing to show for it - no infrastructure, no increased living standards (quite the opposite), nothing whatsoever - and with no recession (apparently ) or any other possible reason than sheer financial mismanagement (at best) is fixing a mess?

Frankly, anyone who thinks that must be on more crack than a certain high-ranking cabinet member.

mrstweefrom-its nice that things worked out for you. I guess you and your existence are like the sperm that found the egg. Its just a shame for all those other sperms that didn't make it.

I guess you and your existence are like the sperm that found the egg. Its just a shame for all those other sperms that didn't make it

Its a bit different. There's only one egg and millions of sperm. In my generation, the opportunities were there for everyone.

We had Enterprise Allowance, and some jolly money they gave you for working 22 hours a week to make your wages liveable. Very helpful! We had grants to go to University (mine doubled my maintenance income), and Access/Hardship funds to turn to.

If you didn't get off your backside and do something, it was your own fault. You could stay at home on benefit, saving up for a fortnight in Spain and talking a lot of socialist claptrap, or you could get real help when working towards making life better for yourself.

The only exception, I would say, is that there were no anti-discrimination laws to support anyone who had a noticeable disability. There must have been a lot of frustration there. But if you had a plan, there'd have been support.

Oh well, if you and yours are fine, fuck everyone else, eh? It's not like we live in a society or anything, just a country full of individuals who should never have any thought or consideration for others
That's rubbish, frankly.
Someone was extremely rude because I posted a point of view different from their own, so I pointed out how pleased I am with what I have achieved. Negative opinions from stranger aren't going to affect that.
Its ok for me to be happy about having taken my opportunities, worked hard and succeeded (to a point) and seen my child show a positive attitude and take that success further. Everyone should be doing the same and feeling the same way about it. What they shouldn't be doing is blaming the politics of thirty years ago for their own misery now. There are plenty of people succeeding today. Go and join them.

"no increased living standards"

People who work in financial services are should be very grateful to the rest of us.

"Go and join them".

I joined them 30 years ago, thank you.

I'm also old enough to remember the '80s, it was not the halcyon time you wish to portray it as. For people like me, (and I'm guessing you), it was great. But that was because I/we had advantages most of my/our peers did not. Try being a young miner/steel worker/docker with a mortgage to pay and a family to support who then gets made redundant. Or a teenager who went to a badly funded state school in which pupils shared one book between five. Thatcher blighted the lives and opportunities of a whole generation.

As I say, I remember the '80s, it was a shitty time for most people, young or older. And I know how lucky I was that things like mass unemployment didn't have any direct impact on me. I also have a huge amount of empathy for those who weren't as lucky.

me and mine are fine. Where are you? (let the records show the question was asked in a sneering tone)

That was Thatchers only incontestable legacy- right there in that quote. Selfishness and Schadenfreude.

Mrstwee, its admirable anyone suffering the adverse situations you did managed to haul your-self too somewhere you can be pleased with. But you did state you had a (was it unique?) education. Those that did not to take the path you opted on did not choose to be lazy - theres no choice, in the history of humanity no single human being made a choice about anything ever.

Politicians will refer to choice, as will parents and teachers. In short a word for superiors to use on inferiors. Any other use is simply a verbal short hand for compelled by my decision making matrix/matrices.
Freedom of will is a fairy story and maybe some otherwise intelligent people believe it purely because its gratifying to their ego and legitimises looking down on losers.
Some people (usually working class) are immersed in the immediate and as all surprises tend to be bad surprises are discouraged from making worthwhile investments in the future such as education.
Others, usually middle and upwards, (please note I used the word usually) have more pronounced sense of deferment of gratification. Consequently educational investments and jolly good hard work seem more worthwhile.
It is a lot quicker just to use the word lazy though.

And Thatcher did nothing to address this, at least in a positive way. She blighted communities, made the most disadvantaged scramble amongst themselves competing for the mythical 'trickle down'.

30 years is a nano second in Sociological terms.