From a correspondent..."I was having a coffee with a client at 4 Millbank last week. At the next table were a couple of guys in their late thirties. One – an American – was going on about how awful Gordon Brown was – so dull that he couldn’t get his editor to carry anything about him. The other guy – a Brit – replied (more or less verbatim) – “yes, I know, he sucks the life out of everything – that’s why at the BBC we call him ‘the Dementor’”.
You have to be a Harry Potter fan to get it but it is a perfect description!
I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but it seems apt to me!
31 comments:
Sorry, I didn't realise the primary criterion for choosing the British Prime Minister was his capacity to amuse the American media.
Mr Blobby:
Pink spots
Portly
Plastic
Speeks in meaningless repetitive phrases
Well meaning attempts to help create chaos for all around him
There are other (perhaps more interesting) issues
Can't wait to read your next piece on Livingstone's recovery in the polls.
Having said that, congratulations (sincere) on not giving oxygen to the Daily Express front pages a couple of days ago. I had all manner of dog-whistle cracks lined up!
He wasn't chosen though, was he ezra?
It's literally true.
A friend of mine had to brief Brown some years ago and commented that when he entered, all the warmth was sucked out of the room.
"You mean, like a dementor?" I said.
"Yes - that exactly right!" she replied
His lack of charisma would not be a problem if he was making a good hash of running the country. As it is, his economic chickens are coming home to roost after ten years as Chancellor and he can't seem to make even quite simple decisions. He reinforces the opinions of those (like me) who don't think that a single person should be allowed to wield so much unchecked power.
Ezra, it's a tradition that began with that star or stars, Mister! ... Toneeeee! .... BLAIRRRR!!!!!!!!!! Toneeee adopted the mantle of David Niven playing a WWII Wing Commander when in the US. Ever the star.
And 2:26 makes a very good point.
I suppose the analogy works.
I prefer using analogies to Lord Of The Rings
Which makes Brown, Sauron and Ed Balls, Gollum and any cabinet minister as Grimer Wormtongue.
Alternatively Brown would make a very good Lurch from the Addams Family.
Since as a London Council tax payer I've presumably paid for anon 2.26's comment I'll reply: if you think being 2% behind in the polls is such a wonderful 'recovery', then you've lost and you'll soon have to work for a living rather than be paid to put Leninslime's propaganda up on Tory blogs.
funnily enough, we used to laugh at iain dale behind his back when he did newspaper reviews on the BBC.
How dare you all Demonise our unelected, unaccountable communist Scottish Dictator of £ngland!.
So weak! Iain, So weak!
I prefer the Shrek III parallel myself.
This was of course the prime attack of Steve Bell and the media on grey peas, underpants John Major as he headed towards ... election victory and the nation's affection.
Whats the betting that a Patronus Charm in the shape of a Tory Toff will send him packing.
Gosh iain, the downing street children are at it today. Do they honestly believe by putting their ridiculous comments on people will be persuaded that bottler brown the worst prime minister in modern history (IF not in history!)an unelected unwanted scottish immigrant, is likeable?
Too put them out of their misery tell BB to call an early election to show just how popular he is. I believe there is only one other politician in the world mores despised and that is a certain fellow in Rhodesia.
Strapworld, I take exception to your comment! There are three despised dictators in the world (not counting the tag team of Ken and Jasper). Are you forgetting the benighted folk of Venezuala?
I would say in this order:
Mugabe - because he has killed people and robbed them of their lands and livelihoods while his ugly cow of a wife flew to Paris for the couture shows.
Gordon Brown - for all the obvious reasons.
Chavez because he's the new dictator on the block and we haven't got his full measure yet.
John Fisher said -
"A friend of mine had to brief Brown some years ago and commented that when he entered, all the warmth was sucked out of the room."
It reminds me of the comments section on this blog whenever you-know-who leaves a comment.
And I don't mean Chris Paul.
I prefer the Harry Potter analogy of - Lord Voldemort( aka 'He who must not be named !') and his faithful band of "Death Eaters"
anon @ 3.19
You are deluding yourself. I don't care if you think all non-right-wing posters are paid for.
However , you are also deluding yourself about the state of the polls.
No mention of Darius Guppy yet, but there will be, and then we'll see the figures on who is trusted more on crime, won't we?
I pay London Council Tax, and whenever my noon-Londoner friends mention the Mayor, I get embarrassed, simply because there is no credible choice.
Eight years should be the limit, but how on earth can we choose the other option? It's embarrassing.
We need chocolate on the NHS!!
Sirius Black - How deeply boring.
Dementor or just demented?
I must protest! Gordon Brown does not lack charisma, he has lots of it.
Unfortunately it is all negative.
We all saw the photos of the Dementor's Kiss. Poor Carla.
Verity I would add Livinstone to your list.I cant stand the man.
Does anyone need a clue who I meant?
Anonymous said...
"He wasn't chosen though, was he ezra?"
He was chosen in exactly the same way as Michael Howard was chosen as leader of the Conservative Party.
verity said...
"Ezra, it's a tradition that began with that star or stars, Mister! ... Toneeeee! .... BLAIRRRR!!!!!!!!!! "
You are forgetting Margaret Thatcher. Or was that before your time?
Edland said...
"His lack of charisma would not be a problem if he was making a good hash of running the country."
They said that about John Major. Mind you, he did make a has of running the country.
"Alternatively Brown would make a very good Lurch from the Addams Family."
With Thatcher as Morticia and Michael Howard as Uncle Fester.
verity said...
"There are three despised dictators in the world ....
Gordon Brown - for all the obvious reasons."
By definition, Gordon Brown is not Dictator because he can be removed from office by a simple Confidence vote in Parliament.
Posts resembling the one below substantially exist in the United Kingdom.
URGENT! SCANDALS!
Speaking of Gordon Brown: PLEASE MAKE SURE PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN GETS THE INFORMATION BELOW!
(There are thousands of copies of the information below on the Internet in the United Kingdom.)
LONG LIVE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!
Speaking of Barack Obama:
Barack Obama is a racial-minority individual and does not like racism:
CONSTRUCTIVE WORLDWIDE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION RELATING TO SCANDALS:
(I) I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed atrocious, racist, hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention. Many people know what Bush did. And many people will know what Bush did—even until the end of the world. Bush was absolute evil. Bush is now like a fugitive from justice. Bush is a psychological prisoner. Bush often worries. In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
(II) It is opined that Bill Clinton committed terrifying, racist, hate crimes during his presidency, and I am not free to say anything further about it. ‘Be sure your sins will find you out’ (Numbers 32:23).
(III) What if basically all racial-minority people would subscribe to the interpretations that George Herbert Walker Bush committed monstrous, racist, hate crimes while he was the President of the United States? It will eventually come out: it is only a matter of time.
(IV) I know it may be hard to believe. However, Ronald Wilson Reagan committed horrible, racist, hate crimes during his presidency.
Respectfully Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang, J.D. Candidate
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
(I can type 90 words per minute, and there are thousands of copies on the Internet (by March 29, 2009) indicating the contents of (I), (II), (III), and (IV). And there are thousands of copies in very many countries around the world.)
“BAD NEWS FROM THE UNITED STATES: ON THE RACIST HATE CRIMES AND ETERNAL INFAMIES OF GEORGE W. BUSH, BILL CLINTON, GEORGE H.W. BUSH, AND RONALD REAGAN” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
badnewsfromtheunitedstates.blogspot.com
_______________
‘If only there could be a ban against invention that bottled up memory like scent & it never faded & it never got stale.’ Off the top of my head, it came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
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