Forum Topic

John Prescott

Will history be kind to him ? He voted for the Iraq war and voted against an investigation into the Iraq war.

Anna Kirkpatrick ● 2d27 Comments

And did either of them do that?

Keith Iddon ● 1d

Ah, so now you've shifted away from the unreliable ground of your accusation of Kinnock's hypocrisy over the EU.As to the justification for the peerage, Jean Rossin has already given you a clue. A politician might think the system of appointments to the Lords deeply flawed, but so long as the system exists, and the house is full of the other party's placemen and donors, he may feel he can make a useful contribution, with his wealth of experience, to the work of the house.

Robert Fish ● 1d

Explain away the peerage,why don't you?

Keith Iddon ● 1d

Your stricture about seeking re-election is clearly ridiculous. The 1983 Labour manifesto was Michael Foot's. Are you suggesting that Kinnock had to wait for the 1987 election manifesto before he could say he'd changed his mind on Europe?

Robert Fish ● 1d

Not fundamentally they aren't,imo.Not without seeking re-election.You shouldn't have to vote for someone who says one thing one minute,and then the opposite when it suits them.The charge of hypocrisy still stands on Lord Kinnock,and Lord Prescott for that matter.

Keith Iddon ● 1d

Neil Kinnock changed his view on the merits of EEC membership more than a decade before he became a Commissioner. He opposed membership in 1975, on the grounds that the centrist tendency would leave regions such as Wales at a disadvantage. When he became party leader in 1983 he'd already come to recognise the benefits of EU regional development. Your charge of hypocrisy won't stick. Surely, politicians are allowed to change their minds?

Robert Fish ● 1d

He was also campaigned for leaving the EU in 1975 as did many of his contempories,only to accept a very lucrative job as Transport Commissioner after he left front line politics.I am surprised that in the dictionary under hypocrit,it doesn't say 'To act like Neil Kinnock',or words to that effect.

Keith Iddon ● 1d

I remember Lord Kinnock calling for the abolition of private schools when he was leader of the opposition. Under the present Labour Government it would appear that privately educating your off spring is fine just so long as you can afford to pay the VAT that will in future be added to the bill.

Sam Hearn ● 1d

They disadained the House of Lords at every opportunity for years whilst they were in the commons and I am not sure how anyone can't call them out for being hypocrits of the highest order.I also can't see how they 'earned their peerages',but then again I am not  fan of the unelected house myself so don't really see how anyone earns them without being elected.Will Self famously called out Kinnock on HIGNFY for accepting a peerage,despite supposedly despising privilege.If you can't beat 'em,join 'em seems to be the order of the day whemn you get up the ladder of the Labour party.

Keith Iddon ● 1d

At least Prescott and Kinnock earned their peerages, rather than buying them.

Robert Fish ● 1d

Here, here Jean.On the question of Iraq (was it right to go to war or not?), if I'm not mistaken I believe the Conservative shadow government at the time believed in us following President Bush's advice, and agree with Tony Blair in waging war with Saddam Hussein.

Denis I. Fox ● 1d

I understand why some might say it is hypocritical to accept a peerage but while the system exits better in the tent than Pi****g outside? Many were proved wrong about Iraq. Some obviously many also got it right. Same with most things in life. I am always surprised that more of us don't seem to admire people from humble beginnings that rise up and join others with a more affluent background in government. Maybe people just like to be ruled by the elite class?!

Jean Rossin ● 1d

I would have more time for him and the likes of Kinnock who were against the idea of an unelected House of Lords and were vehemently against the idea of accepting a peerage all of their political lives,only for them to accept one and take their places amongst the other unelected peers.

Keith Iddon ● 1d

'There now sits next to the PM in the House of Commons a female equivalent to John Prescot with orange hair.Good on her too.'Angela Rayner said last night that John Prescott had told her 'Just be yourself kid' and he wasn't wrong in my view. A few of our local politicians could do with taking that advice too.

Vanessa Smith ● 1d

We live in a democracy Keith.Put up with it.

Denis I. Fox ● 1d

God help us?

Keith Iddon ● 1d

Prezzers was just a boy from a poor family up north, who left school early with no qualifications and found himself working on cruise ships; after which he got interested in socialism which tied in with his working class roots.Battling bulimia he rose to the top of his beloved political party and stood for five or six years as the Deputy PM.Good on him.There now sits next to the PM in the House of Commons a female equivalent to John Prescot with orange hair.Good on her too.

Denis I. Fox ● 1d

With hypertensive heart disease, he did well to live to the age of 59.

Brian Coyle ● 1d

Honestly Richard I wonder if these people ever stop and listen to themselves, weirder by the day.

Vanessa Smith ● 1d

I'm just waiting for someone to tell us that Prezza was an alien.

Richard Greenhough ● 1d

Welcome to Chiswick W4 an ever growing hotbed of bizarre conspiracy theories.

Vanessa Smith ● 1d

Forget the past. Focus on the fact that Stammer is dragging us into a nuclear war with Putin by toddling after the senile, demented, narcissistic Biden.

Steve Taylor ● 1d

Well if Elon suddenly pops his clogs, I actually might start believing in some of your conspiracy b**lshit.As for Robin Cook, he was right, and I respect his posthumous reputation. Plenty of people opposed Tony Blair's Government's eventual intervention in Iraq though and sometimes people just happen to die of natural causes.

Andrew Jones ● 2d

It's also possible that two jags, Prescott, saw the new woke Jaguar logo/sculpture and transfest advertisement, and it finished him off..

Michael Brown ● 2d

Yes, very dodgy. You can't speak out. I see Elon is out of favour here now..

Michael Brown ● 2d

Robin Cook spoke out against the Iraq war and perhaps unsurprisingly died suddenly at 59.....

Anna Kirkpatrick ● 2d

But Robin Cook told them it was all b"""""ks. He even resigned over the lies, which he knew might mean death for millions of innocent people. Not much has changed..

Michael Brown ● 2d