As Tony Blair departs the scene the media is concentrating on his legacy - both good and bad. Even the most partisan among us can recognise that Blair has actually done one or two good things for the country.
The same cannot be said for his glorious deputy, John Prescott. I struggle to think of a single achievement in more than ten years in the post. Surviving is probably the best youi could say about him.
Or am I being unfair to the great Mouth of the Humber? Discuss.
39 comments:
He will have earned it all if he tells us what he's held over Blair for all these years.
He's been a constant source of entertainment and mirth.
This labour government has done nothing for me. It has divided the nation, has set town against country, and made the country less safe. This is the worst government I have seen in my 60 years. It is a shame the younger generation has had to learn about labour the hard way. It will only get worse. Lets hope we start to hear more from the Tories.
Who care's he got paid,who's paying for that plane ,the taxpayer or the Labour party ,he's not on goverment business.
My/our esteemed MP, one Gwynfor Prosser,Claims he (Prescott)was responsible for a £17 million investment into the former Kent Coalfields here, near Dover. Can't see where the money went myself, but I am not conversant with high finance.
Both being former "sailors" and equal with their mendacious use of English and Welsh to boot one has to reserve a degree of skepticism.
Anybody know how much we are going to have to pay him & pauline in their "Retirement"? Just a thought!!
I agree he may not have achieved a thing - but I suspect that Tony would not have achieved that 'Clause 4' moment without JP delivering some support from the unions.
And right from that point on TB has been fucking the public services silly.
One or two good things Iain? Perhaps today is a good thing telling us he is stepping down.
Good to see his climate change credentials were on full display today flying instead of taking a train or cycling
To quote a neighbour 'I always thought Labour were a bunch of ignorant thugs, but JP proved it for me'
The purpose of John Prescott was always just to keep the Left on board. In that respect, his role has been crucial in enabling Blair to prosecute his agenda.
He has proved that power (or perceived power) is an aphrodisiac because it certainly wasn't his good looks or boyish charms!
He discredited regional assemblies such that the proposal won't come back and, er, that's all ed.
But Chuck Unsworth near the top is right, he was entertainment:
He made it worth being in England in August to enjoy his antics "running" the Government.
He enabled snobs like me to enjoy gloating at his terrible English.
He increased the profile of croquet.
He showed that however old and ugly you are, there is always a chance of an extramarital shag.
He wasn't a New Labour clone. It's not a time for sound bites, but we will miss his clunking fist upon our shoulders.
We will not see his like again.
Prescott has brought humour and entertainment into politics albeit unwittingly. He`d make a wonderful pantomime dame, his malapropisms are legendary! Should he be able to string some intelligible words together he could write his memoirs. Pity his poor wife though, she`ll have him hanging around Prezza Towers all day. Nevermind Pauline perhaps he`ll be able to indulge in his favourite pastime, Croquette !
"What has John Prescott done for us"
Well for the last year he has cost £'sss while he has sat doing nothing in government as a reward for chasing his secretary round the office!
Prescott is a tragic figure. During the late 1980's he was a 'conscience of the left' figure. He got the deputy leadership's role in Labour precisely because of this image. In government he has shown himself to be incompetent, incoherent, and his energies directed to secretarial pursuits. He has achieved sweet FA in his government roles. What he has done for us is show us how easy it is for those with so-called 'principles' to steadily drop them as time goes by. A working class hero living in a 'mock tudor' mansion- in HULL!!! Please. At least Labour MP Andrew Smith remains true to his roots. He still lives in a shithole in the Blackbird Leys estate. Plus, he is not on the take either. His 'Members register of interests' consist of 'nil'.
1. He made it alright to punch out the lights of anyone with a mullet.
2. Er....that's it.
He has been an inspiration to me!!!
He did provide us with a few great moments.
'The Green Belt is a Labour policy and we intend to build on it'.
After being hit by an egg in 2001, he punched the protester, claiming 'self defense', bringing street brawling on to the campaign trail.
When Greenpeace put a solar panel on his roof with the sign 'Oi, 2 jags, hit targets not voters', he said"Wives are not for terrorising."
And when he failed to show up repeatedly on Have I got news for you, they replaced him with a tub of lard.
http://hobycartoons.blogspot.com/2007/01/prescott-defence.html
No, that was in place of Roy Hattersley.
I cannot think of one, let alone two, good things that Blair has done for my country.
Unhappily, I can think of far too many bad things.
Calling him the Mouth of the Humber may mislead people into believing he is a Yorkshireman. He is not, as a Yorkshireman myself it is important to me that this erroneous belief is not perpetuated. I must acknowledge that my fellow Yorkshire people showed appalling judgement in voting for him.
Mr Prescott has remained as oafish as he was when chucking his weight around with employers 40 years ago. However his legacy is the division of the UK into regions under various Acts (see Christopher Booker last Sunday)to furtively take Britain further into the EU maw together with the destruction of swathes of decent and solid Victorian housing, compulsorliy purchased from private owners, to be replaced with tacky state new bulid; who dares say Socialism is dead?
I think the tub of lard was a stand in for Hattersley.
He may have built a few more houses than any compatriot, though obviously not remotely as many as the free market would have.
He gave Tracey a few good moments.
He hit that guy, which it is difficult to say he didn't deserve.
And he probably did stop the 2 Bs scratching each other's eyes out in public.
Provided support for Clause 4 and other Blairite projects.
Shame that all this coverage of Blair's resignation will completely dwarf the release of the figures on the costs of ID Cards today (http://www.homeofficewatch.com/index.php/2007/05/10/guess-what-theyre-publishing-today). Then again, I guess today's going to see a lot of the government's bad news buried.
John Prescott reminded us why pigs are slaughtered; and why the 11 Plus was a brilliant exam in assessing ability.
The may have been seen as the mouth of the Humber for the past 37 years, however he is originally from the other side of the Pennines.
He kept Blair and Brown from knocking lumps off each other in public (as opposed to knocking lumps off each other in private). Whether on not that was a good thing is open to debate.
£168 million was taken from the pension fund of 50,000 retired employees when the National Bus Company was privatized by the Tories. Despite nearly 10 years of campaigning, the Tories not only refused to return the money, but, announced its decision to fight the case in court.
Prescott returned the money with due interest, a total of £356 million.
A small thing maybe, but not to those pensioners who saw their pension funds raided by the Tories in a privatisation.
Dont claim he is welsh either - he isnt - its a huge shame and embarrassment he was born here
As Simon says...
Prescott is a sad and now tragic figure. Many years ago he was an left-wing opposition politician of some substance and principle. Who can remember him clashing with Hesletine on Question Time over the minimum wage?
He has however sold out his political credibility and principles in the cause of the seedy New Labour project. In doing so he delivered the left for Tony, somthing that will cause the left to revile Prescott now and in the future. Trapped by the baubles of office, he sold out his integrity and personal credibility with ill-judged and frankly laughable string of extra-marital affairs.
He was administratively incompetent, with no or little leadership skills or vision and has achieved precisely nothing from his cabinet career.
A very sad end to a very sad and failed politician.
He's not that incompetent actually. Him and Junior have made a good few bob out of their links to developers. Junior finds the land and Dad makes sure they get planning permission and Compulsory purchase and anything else they want. Tidy!
I feel sorry for all those interpreters who now will be be redundant: who needs to translate Prescott into French/Russian/Dutch/Double Dutch etc anymore? and what about staffing levels at Hansard? or would a bit more "post- neoclassical endogenous growth theory" be able to take up the slack?.
Appologies, you are all correct, Hattersly, not Prescott, was the tub of lard.
Whilst attending the BRIT Awards in 1998, Chumbawamba vocalist Danbert Nobacon poured a jug of iced water over Prescott, saying, "This is for the Liverpool Dockers"
On coming to office, Prescott pursued an integrated public transport policy. On 6 June 1997 he said: "I will have failed if in five years time there are not... far fewer journeys by car. It's a tall order but I urge you to hold me to it." However, by June 2002, car traffic was up by 7%. By its own test, Government transport policy has failed.
From wikipedia
# Council tax; repays council tax on Admiralty House
# Sexual infidelities and harassment allegations; including his affair with Tracey Temple
# Benefits controversy; forced to give up houses after losing his department
# Croquet controversy; photographed playing croquet at Dorneywood when acting Prime Minister
# Phil Anschutz affair; super casino planning row
OK, OK. Here's just one favourable Prezza anecdote:
Although running late Prezza insisted that his minders took him to the back end of Gorton constituency to personally thank the chippy that produced the cod and chips for a supper at the Labour Club. JP has a common touch (or thump).
And from just two loaves and five fishes he fed five thousand hungry mouths.
The first bit is true.
I remember when he had to get a car to a Labour conference because of his wife's hair. That amused me.
"Even the most partisan among us can recognise that Blair has actually done one or two good things for the country."
You have cost me a night's sleep Iain as I will now lie awake wondering what on earth those good things might be.
He has shown you can be a rude fat ugly pig and still have a large number of birds on the go, and the mrs dont moan so long as she has a few perks chucke dher way.
Andrew Allison. A Conservative View: according to my sources he was born/ac cured from a place entitled Prestatyn. Moving to Yorkshire whilst still a youngster. I truly can understand why most people would not want to be associated with his growing up or immaculate conception.
I agree with chuck unsworth he's given us all a laugh. Not his wife I should think.
Prezza's given every fat oaf in the country the hope that he too might one day score.
Barring that I suspect his only "success" of the past ten years has been to act as a gigantic flak magnet. How much ire has been expended on Johnny Boy that could have been more effectively directed at his boss?
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