Quote of the day 13th December 2019

"Actually my next plan is to go and have a cup of tea."

(Caroline Flint, Labour MP for the Don Valley 1997 to 2019)

Every election some departing former MP who has just lost their job manages to take their defeat with such dignified grace and humility or come up with some witty response which reminds all but the most sectarian of their opponents, who might otherwise have been tempted to gloat, that even politicians whose political views you don't agree with are human too.

This year it was Caroline Flint whose Don Valley seat, which she had represented for 22 years, had just elected its first ever Conservative MP. She was asked what her plans were now and gave a quintessentially British response.

Comments

Jim said…
A great election result, finally we can get brexit done. Also looking forward to nicer roads. Good to see my old friend Mark jenkinson is now my MP too. I once went to a local election count to show some support for him, though ironically he asked me to wear a UKIP rosette. (To be fair that was pre move focus to immigration days).

Congratulations to the conservative party. It had to happen for brexit and things, though once that is done we will be on dangerous ground, I'm not a fan of any government not having a credible opposition.
12:51 pm
Gary Bullivant said…
Jim,

I echo your congratulations and share your assessment of the main risk we all now face. Too much Brexit and the United Kingdom risks being ripped apart but for the time being a little smugness would be understandable on the government benches.

Sterling work by Ged McGrath in Barrow too by the way but he can stop pretending now it's over, unless he's the secret weapon for Mike Starkie's Cumbria Mayoral Election campaign that is.
3:21 pm
Anonymous said…
Happy days - we all made a killing on the Markets today
6:52 pm
Chris Whiteside said…
Interesting times.

Of course I am pleased by most aspects of the results - the main exception being in Scotland which will need very careful handling.

I think it is a particularly good thing that the decision on Brexit is now clear and at least we have some certainty.

Whatever you think about Boris he's nobody's fool and the fact that he actually made a comment after the results were declared recognising that many of the votes cast for the Conservatives on Thursday were loaned rather than permanently gifted is a healthy sign.

Because no party should think it owns the votes of any section of the electorate.

I have the impression that one of the reasons Labour did so badly in this election is that they did give the appearance of thinking like that.
7:37 pm
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