Remember 97?

[DonnyDoris]

Do you remember 97? I was a politics student at the time and the excitement of the change was unreal!! Does anyone feel that way this time round?

As I recall, the Portillo Moment was followed a couple of hours later with him in the TV studio. The presenter asked him a serious question about how the Tories would manage in defeat. He looked like he was going to answer it but thought better and said "You know what? I won't be there, I'm gone, I don't care".

He then went off to make documentaries about trains 😅

Don't be ridiculous. They were children.... it was mad dog 20/20. The blue one.

Nah - the strawberry one 🤮

An awful lot.

(98)

Heavens, it was DH and I who had the gin!

The kids had Coke and Juice.

There was a significant gap before he took up his present media role including returning to the Commons after the death of Alan Clark and being in the Shadow Cabinet.

He stood down in 2005.

I always feel sorry for Portillo that he was the big moment everyone remembered. He gave a very good speech that night and was magnanimous in defeat. The one that left a bitter taster was David Mellor, he insulted all the other candidates.

Bit like last night, Liz Truss behaved terribly. Didn't even admit her role in the Conservative defeat when asked about it later.

Thanks but I prefer my memory.

In 97 I was 30 so had been under Conservatives for 18 yrs so a Labour Government was a new concept for me.

Now older and more cynical and have seen the way the Labour Party were with 'President' Blair , plus an unnecessary war then the pile of Conservatives shite that took us out of Europe , Partygate , it really is the same shit but different faces.

I intend to retire within 5 yrs with my private pension but I have a feeling that Labour might fuck that up.

I give Labour a year before they start acting like a bunch of idiots and the extreme left take over and bow down to the unions.

If today's weather is an omen for what is to come we're fucked.

Oh yes, the Hillsborough tragedy. Was it over a hundred fans who got trampled to death? The inquiry went on for what seemed like years.

I can remember seeing an archive programme featuring one of the few media interviews Atlee ever did. I thinks it's fair to say he didn't suck up to the media.

The poor interviewer was desperate to get answers of more than one syllable out of him - that's the kind of man he was. No showmanship.

Nowadays, most politicians just can't stop! Yakkity, yak, yak, yak.

Listening to Question Time I just lose it when the chairperson says "can I have a quick yes or no about....... "

I end up shouting "you'll be bloody lucky!" at the radio.

Yes I was working for the Conservative Research Dept at the time and had been put up in a 5 star hotel for 6 weeks with pool and jaguar picked us up and took us in each day. That night was at CCO with everyone watching the results, everyone was still drinking champagne all night. It was expected from private polls they had done though still a bit shocking to see in reality. Remember we all had New Labour New Danger flashing badges. Left around 4am and all the press were out watching us and appeared on TV as Conservatives leaving early but it was 4am and just going back to hotel. There was a giant chicken outfit as well that followed labour people around, head of press I think it was doing that dressed up, very mature. 😂Miss those days.

Yes would say this one was similar on scale of change though Starmer was a bit uninspiring compared to Blair, more voting Conservatives out than voting Labour in. Though they have been pretty dire so hopefully Labour won't be worse.

😂

I remember it well! I was 25 and living in London, living my best life! I stayed up all night watching it and took the next day off to celebrate. We went to the pub and it was packed to the rafters, it seemed like everyone else had taken the day off too! The weather was glorious and everyone was in high spirits, it really felt like the start of a new and better era.
Now I live on the other side of the world (and did not vote) but I watched it all yesterday and was relieved to see the Tories out again. The UK is in a very different place now, and I am older and more cynical. I just hope for everyone's sake that Starmer is a safe pair of hands. He can't be any worse than the last shower anyway.

I do. I feel now is just as magical.

It's the first vote where I've felt that I genuinely matter. And have a say. Before I've felt like my vote did nothing.

Starmer’s speech moved me. Just want a decent, public spirited man( as Sunak described him) for a change.

Everyone was really excited in 1997 where's today people are just faintly hopeful. The country and the world are in a much more precarious state today so it's less sure that labour can stop the rot so successfully.