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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Top Political Traitors: Your Nominations Please
I am in the middle of compiling my list of Top 20 Political Traitors. Would you care to make your own nominations? Let's stick to people who've been active in politics since 1970 - in this country and overseas. I'llpublish the list later today.
Gordon Brown. The sell-out over the EU Treaty in defiance of an explicit manifesto promise and against the clear wishes of the overwhelming majority of the population is the single-most startling act of political treachery (aka treason) since 1970.
Emma Nicholson Shaun of the Dead Woodward My body is a Temple-Morris The Horsham Labour youth who is now Maude's NBF All those whose reason for avoiding a referendum on Europe is that "it's completely changed from the Constitutional treaty"
On a European level: Oskar Lafontaine (Germany, ex-exchequer). Now in 'Die Linke', former SDP (Labour), changed sides many times in service of all that is Oskar
Number one has to be Heath surely. His behaviour in office arose not out of weakness and stupidity, as was the case with Jimmy Carter but out of cold and cynical calculation.
And while posting I have to point out the usual bollox from Paddy Briggs. What a berk.
His behind the scenes plotting against Margaret Thatcher lead to the farce of the Major government and the subsequent corruption of public standards instigated by the Satanic trinity of Mandelson, Blair and Campbell - father, son, and holy g.
Poor old John Major never stood a chance because of the chaos he inherited.
Heath
Lied to the electorate about the true direction of the Common Market. I voted for a common market not subjugation by a European State.
Blair
Took the Country to war and justified it with the lies in the dodgy dossier.
And, I second Gary Elsby's (10:11am) nomination of Cameron. Why are the Tory MEPs still tied up with the federalist group?
Merely changing parties does not in itself make someone a 'traitor'; I think something more is required.
Clare Short certainly fits the bill. She was protected and indulged by Tony Blair who was prepared to let her shout her mouth off in a way no other Minister was allowed to, but she repaid him by launching a stinging attack after leaving office. (Come on now Clare, if he was that bad, why were you in the cabinet for six years?)
Ex-Blyth Valley MP John Ryman also fits the bill. John Stonehouse could have been expelled from Parliament in 1975 (a date was set for the debate) but he was saved, only to join the English National Party.
There are two 'office-seekers' who certainly merit entry. John Marek, who was Labour AM for Wrexham, spent most of the early 2000s badmouthing Wrexham's Labour-led council and was elected Deputy Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly on the votes of all the non-Labour AMs in 2001. Richard Balfe, who has some interesting associations with small far left groups and was a Labour MEP, was so determined on standing as a Quaestor in the European Parliament that he stood despite losing his party's endorsement.
I might also include Hugh Kerr and Ken Coates, the two maverick MEPs in the 1994-99 European Parliament.
Governor Richardson is certainly being labelled as one in the States so he might be a name to look at - likewise Joe Lieberman or Zell Miller.
I agree with Oskar Lafontaine
In the UK: Saj Karim, John Redwood, Michael Heseltine
One thing I would say though is that one traitor is another person's hero. Certainly Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher hardly strike me as deserving the label "traitor".
Ted Heath certainly does not fit the bill in any respect, and I say that as one who would identify him as the worst post-war Prime Minister by some way. Heath always made it clear his support for British membership of the European Union, and won the leadership on that pledge; it was in the 1970 Conservative manifesto, and there was a full debate in Parliament. Heath can hardly be criticized for betraying any group to which he belonged, even if one accepts the ludicrous position that membership of the EU is damaging to Britain.
Maybe McGuiness and Adams to the Irish republican cause, and add Trimble and Paisley to that too if you are feeling cheeky.
Blair - a traitor to the left.
Whoever really stabbed old whiskey face of the liberals.
The SDP mob with their diversion from Labour.
Heath in 73.
Scargill over the miners strike, as he went into a battle he could not win, and then ended up causing the miners to lose so much, when they needed the best result possible. He also gave the country the taste for stronger controls overs unions than was before acceptable.
Couldn't give a toss what he believes and he has zero effect on the world of politics these days - if he ever did - but surely leaving one slightly irrelevant party just so you can form your own extremely irrelevant party counts as rank treachery?
George Galloway betrayed his country. And then in the true style of socialists he proceeded to betray his comrades and smash his party.
However you could compile the entire list around egotists betraying microparties.
And I'd agree with the rest about Heath betraying so much. Conservatives believe in the rule of law and order, not in giving in to militancy. Conservatives believe in a strong approach to the economy, not chickening and U-turning at the earliest sign of problems. Conservatives believe in parliamentary democracy, not in imposing dictatorship on part of the country. Conservatives believe in the sovereignty of nations, not in submerging national identity into artificial constructs. Conservatives believe in giving clear leadership to the nation, not in making it a serious question as to whether the country is run by Parliament or the National Union of Mineworkers. Conservatives believe in traditional communities, not in ripping up and redrawing the map of the country.
Who hasn't been mentioned yet? George Galloway seems a fairly obvious omission. Not a major figure, nor a politically significant one, but sucking up to a vile dictator and then openly supporting her majesty's enemies would surely in former times have earned him the full rigour of the treason laws, evisceration and all.
Then there's Ken. He betrayed his party: his party begged him to come back. He betrayed London, and London re-elected him. He betrayed the women and gay campaigners he once championed by his lavish welcome for Qaradawi. He betrays democracy on a daily basis with his (potential libel deleted). So far, he has proved that treacery pays. Hopefully not for much longer.
Geoffrey Howe Michael Heseltine Shaun of the Dead Woodward Roger Knapman
Kate Hoey (and I love her for it!)
Ken Leavingsoon for using the Labour brand only when it suits him i.e. sometimes being the Anti-Labour candidate and sometimes being the Labour candidate.
The Labour MPs who voted for Michael Foot to be leader and then skipped off to the SDP.
Mr A Blair for scrapping clause 4
Charles Clarke for being a class traitor and constantly undermining Mr Blobby.
Michael Foot for wearing a Donkey Jacket to the cenotaph.
The Chipmunk for her pathetic attack on HRH The Prince of Wales.
Kinnock for shutting down Militant and therefore damaging Soviet Foreign Policy (aka kicking the reds out from under the bed)
Derek Hatton for being one of the reds under the bed.
One small distinction to note, namely that those who have been the most destructive politicians of the modern era so far as the nation is concerned – I nominate Heath (Common Market), Jenkins (permissive society) and Brown (one man weapon of mass financial destruction) – would not necessarily qualify as traitors for that alone.
Against that background, I suggest Michael Heseltine for Tory traitor, mainly because of Westland rather than the later leadership challenge. Why on earth did he not stay put, keep a dignified silence and assert himself as a worthy leader when MT had stood down of her own volition, rather than set off all the internal strife? On the Labour side, I suggest Roy Jenkins for his role in ultimately ensuring that Old Labour, the party of the working man, was replaced by New Labour, the party of the political elite and cronyism.
As to National Traitor, for taking office upon a manifesto that simply confirmed “our sole commitment is to negotiate possible terms of entry with the Common Market, nothing more” and then to pledge the country to economic and monetary union within the next 10 years – thankfully not realised, although he’ll probably now be singing in his grave at the Treatistution shenanigans – stand up and take a bow, Edward Heath.
Thatcher, Tebbit, Gorman, Marlow, Taylor, Body and the other serial rebels who did som much to destroy the Major government. Not to mention Archer, Aitken & Hamilton who did so much to discredit the party in the eyes of voters.
"On the Labour side, I suggest Roy Jenkins for his role in ultimately ensuring that Old Labour, the party of the working man, was replaced by New Labour, the party of the political elite and cronyism."
Oh, rubbish. Jenkins was always a natural liberal. He probably shouldn't have joined the Labour party, but then with the Liberals almost defunct he realised that he could best advance progressive policies in Labour. Maybe wrong, but hardly treacherous.
David Owen for extending Margaret Thatcher's shelf life - the others in the Gang of Four were just his sock-puppets. His arse licking of Milosevic also contributed to Yugoslavia being screwed up as well.
George Galloway for his suuport of fascism while pretending top be a socialist.
Tony Benn for turning his considerable gifts on his own side rather than the real enemy.
Arthur Scargill for not trusting in democracy and balloting his members before the Miners Strike
And of course the Tory Party en masse as traitors to the Country and progressive thought in general - with the honourable exceptions of Ted Heath and Winston Churchill who in supporting Europe and opposing appeasement took positions against the prevailing Tory orthodoxy.
who should be posthumously stripped of his knighthood.
It wasn't that he was not overt about his EEC agenda (which was a clear manifesto commitment), but that he still lied and deceived the people about the implications for national sovereignty. He also ignored the warnings of the Attorney General who stated very clearly that it would bring to an 1000 years of history.
Blair and Brown for betraying the working classes. And Shirley Williams for ensuring many of the working class were stupid enough to vote Blair in a second time.
Ken Livingstone - he stood against, and beat, the official Labour party candidate for Mayor of London (Frank Dobson), and was expelled from the Labour party.
Every one of his "consultation" exercises e.g. on the Congestion Charge etc. has been a cynical betrayal of public trust.
He and his incompetent (or worse) political appointees e.g. Lee Jasper, have betrayed and brought shame on the communities they claimed to be helping.
Ted Heath for his constant attempts to undermine his successor, despite the fact he wasn't fit to tie her shoes. (He should have been strung from a lamppost for selling us out to the EU as well).
Michael Portillo for his constant attempts to alienate the right of the Conservative party, thereby destroying any hope we have of returning to power.
Ken Clarke (not for his stupid ignorant views on the EU, which he is entitled to) for always, without fail, criticising the position of his own party on Europe and thereby supporting our enemies in their aims.
I don't count those that change sides as traitors, though I do despise them if they have done it for personal gain.
Conning me and most of Britain into voting to join the Common Market. If it had stopped there, that would have been fine but that wasn't the real plan was it?
What about Mrs T herself? She wasn't as Thatcherite as her disciples: she opposed a tax-neutral government by supporting mortgage relief (where Howe and Lawson opposed), she saw health expenditure rise, she didn't privatise the railways or post office, and her views on Europe - opposition to German unification, virulent euroscepticism - simply forged unity amongst other european leaders, furthering the ever-closer union she despised, also prompting Howe's resignation. She failed to capitalise on discontent with rates by creating a better system, getting caught up in the poll tax. Her opposition to consitutional change lost Scotland and Wales to the Conservatives for a decade.
The biggest blow to Thatcherism was Thatcher's gradual loss of touch - she slowly betrayed the revolution made in her name.
Major, hurd and rifkind were political traitors to the human race and human rights by selling out the people in the balkans to the murderous milosevic and giving him the ok to go ahead with genocide meaning that tony blair then had to take the country to war with the madman to prevent him repeating the exercise in kosovo.
Ken Livingstone in the way he becamethe leader of the GLC. Michael Portillo for destabilising the Tories over a period of time without having the guts to run for leader.
Ted Heath without doubt for his ridiculous pro-europe stance.
Blair and Brown for their arrogant disregard for an EU Referendum.
Jeremy Thorpe for being so immoral.
Kinnock for taking the eurosilver which such aplomb and doing absolutely bugger-all about the sleaze and corruption and persecuting whistleblowers like a Stalinite thug.
Senior civil servants who have sold out to NuLab and allowed the Civil Service to be politicised by an arrogant NuLab.
Chris Patten for kowtowing to the bloody slitty eyes.
Post war Labour leaders for giving economic secrets to the Russians and trusting Stalin.
Wilson, Callaghan, Benn, Foot et al., for shamelessly selling out to the unions and anyone else.
Blair for unmitigated mendacity regarding the Gulf War and being the causative for david kelly'd suicide.
Obviously snivelling, lying, pompous Edward Heath, and to whoever wrote he should be posthumously stripped of his knighthood - good idea!
Europhile Chris Patten.
The repellent Gordon Brown for failing to honour a firm manifesto commitment to have a referendum on the EU constitution with bare-faced lies (that he seems to have genuinely thought he would get away with - which is another nail in the coffin of "Gordon the super-intellect").
Mandelson's a nothing. Just a hungry passenger on one of the world's gravy trains. He's no worse than an African dictator, although without the suave dress sense of Idi Amin.
In a separate category of Traitor to The Entire Advanced West, Jo Moore - remember her? - for writing that 9/11 would be a good day for burying bad news.
And, finally, The Traitor King - Tony Blair for having the impertinence to continue to breath the air without our permission and who deliberately set out to unravel our settled and ancient social fabric and destroy the pillars of our law and our government. It's nice to see him fail at everything he turns his hand to. Even if his ghost writer actually writes his book for him, it will fail, like Alastair Campbell's book.
No list of political traitors could be complete without US Senator James "Jim" Jeffords of Vermont, whose transformation from Republican to "independent" handed the Senate to the Democrats in 2001. The list of his political betrayals before that point was, of course, lengthy. He retired from the Senate in 2006 and is not missed.
Ted Heath, because of the way he led us into the Common Market whilst concealing from us the full implications, eg the fact that our fishing industry was being regarded as expendable.
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, for reasons too numerous to mention.
Kenneth Clarke over the EU. Gordon Brown over the EU etc. Ed Miliband over the EU. Baroness Scotland as above Jack Straw for being Jack. Ted "dig him up and hang him" Heath Shirley Williams for education and subsequent appeasements, SDP etc.
I could go on. So many lamp posts, so little time...
I find all the naysayers on Heath a bit odd. He was clear for many years before he became PM that he wanted to join the EEC as it was. It is the job of politicians to sell their desires (in this case genuinely Heath's ideals) to the rest of us the best way that they can. This may involve a little deviousness - tell me one major political figure who has not done some of that.
Heath sold Europe to the country on that basis. It is disingenuous to say that he ought to have told us that we were losing some sovreignty as a result. That was for the antis to make clear and they failed to do that at the time. However, it is not as if there was not plenty of opportunity for them to do so at the time and at the later referendum on the issue.
You might as well give traitor status to Thatcher for the Single Europe Act, Major for Maastricht and Wilson for weaselling around the issue, all for the sake of party unity - in each case a more treacherous thing to have done but each act subject to close parliamentary and medai scrutiny and still allowed through.
So, no Heath is not a traitor. He was useless in many other ways of course and probably the 2nd or third worst post war PM (Eden clear worst followed by Major, Heath, Churchill or Brown on current performance)
Noteworthy for both treachery AND hypocrisy is Hugh Dykes - Conservative MP for Harrow East from 1970-1997, turfed out by the electorate in 1997, applied for selection (as Conservative candidate) at the Uxbridge by-election in July 1997 (didn't get shortlisted) then defected to Liberal Dimocrats shortly afterwards.
History will not treat any of the smaller fry, some of which have been cited in this comments section, as traitors to the country, but as merely ignorant or misguided. However, those politicians who deliberately and knowingly undermined the sovreignity of this country, whilst consistently lying to the public should not be so kindly treated. For what he knowingly did and for his deliberate lies over decades, Edward Heath nearly comes within this category.
Blackguard - Seconded! He didn't just applaud The Traitor King, but he commanded the Tories to give him a standing ovation. What a cheap little opportunist this man is.
Roger Thornhill writes: "So many lamposts; so little time." Yes, but contemplating those lamposts - what Devil's Kitchen refers to as "air tap-dancing" - does warm the cockles of one's heart, does it not?
All the usual suspects: Kenneth Clarke Geoffrey Howe Michael Heseltine Ted Heath Tony Blair Chris Patten Gordon Brown David Cameron Neil Kinnock Roy Jenkins David Miliband Alex Salmond Malcolm Rifkind
Ted Heath for putting us in the EU masked by a campaign of lies and mistruths, No Mandate Brown for the EU Constitution and sooooooo many other things and David Davis for dropping his support for English devolution that would have given us equal rights with the celtic master race during the leadership race which he went on to lose.
verity said... "You do understand, do you not, that this is a BRITISH political blog and that we are discussing traitors to BRITAIN? Our country."
Verity, for a change try reading what Iain actually wrote - "Let's stick to people who've been active in politics since 1970 - in this country AND OVERSEAS".
Anyway, having emigrated to Mexico, haven't you decided that Britain is no longer your country.
harriet harman wasn't it who got elected in 97 on a promise to reverse Tory cuts on Single parent support, and then forced the very same cuts through parliament only weeks later (while filthy Tony smiled in the background)
It's been said before but my vote goes to David Owen. There's the Healey quote that the good fairy gave him Mills'n'Boon looks and intelligence but the bad fairy made him a shit. Also: treacherous Tory de nos jours: Dianne Abbott's sofa-sharing pal Micheal Xavier Portillo who seems to be not particularly helpful to Cameron (not that I mind particularly)
I'm not a Lib Dem myself, and know she isn't a politician (but you didn't say we couldn't include others), but I would nominate Daisy McAndrew (nee Sampson). Out of her depth as ITN political correspondent - in approx week one, she cashed in all her chips by betraying her old boss Charles Kennedy, rushing to be the first to 'expose' his alcohol problem...I know we shouldn't expect much from journos but thought this particularly cheap and grubby...while I'm at it I would also nominate the half of LD parliamentary party for their self-serving piety and mock concern around the same time... oh, and the hugely ingenuine Shaun Woodward for sure.
Sorry, should also add to that list, given its topicality today, Nick Clegg who's been outed as an ex-Tory. See: http://rupahuq.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/corporal-cleggs-conservative-past/
It has to be Grocer Ted. Whatever his supporters say, he sold us a "free movement of goods and people" common market. What we got is a projected United States of Europe. He also destroyed our fishing industry and made enough money from his European friends to buy himself a new yacht. When we are finally independent again we should do what was done to a far greater Englishman, Cromwell, dig him up and hang him!
- Heseltine. - Howe. - Emma Nicholson. - Shaun Woodward. - Quentin Davies (surely the most stupid defection in the history of politics?
- And a collective mention to all of those fools (Redwood/IDS/Bill Cash etc.) who did their best to destroy poor John Major between 92 and 97 - and thereby condemned us to more than a decade of Blair/Brown.
Ted Heath not only deceiving us over what the 'Treaty of Rome' was really all about, but also for slapping our Commonwealth friends in the face by turning his back on them when many of them had died fighting for our join civilisation.
When I consider the contribution of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India and many other honoured countries in contrast to Heath and John Major's appeasement, it makes my blood boil.
4:21 - I currently live in Mexico on a one-year visa from the Mexican government. What on earth does my place of residence have to do with my citizenship? You are very ethnocentric.
I didn't read that Iain had opened up the traitors' book to one and all. I'm surprised that more foreign readers, in that case, haven't waded in with furious condemnations of people we've never heard of.
I seem to have understood this differently to many people here who seem to take traitor as someone who has done something against the interest of the country (which probably includes every politician of any note and is in any case rather subjective). I assumed what was meant was something more frivolous to do with personal or party relationships: possibly more fun. Can't really think of any good examples but perhaps Shaun Woodward deserves his place not so much in his own right but as his defection meant a certain MP got elected at the next election (though i imagine some would think that even more damning). And maybe Churchill and his quote deserve an honourary place.
People should stop attacking Heath; things just didn't work out.
EVERY single Northern Irish politician is seen as a traitor, but my nomination goes to McGuinness and Paisley jointly, with the biggest wimp ever being the long forgotten hasbeen bob mc cartney, the man who stood in six different constituencies at the same time. What an abuse of democracy.
Definately Ian Paisley. For more than three decades, he hounded good, honourable men out of public life for daring to seek pragmatic solutions to Ulster's problems that were far restrained from his cavorting with murderers.
Ted Heath wasn't a traitor, he may have been wrong about Europe but to suggest he deliberately betrayed Britain is a bit unsavoury. Ted Heath fought for this country, more than anyone on this board has I imagine.
AID - If we're including foreigners, which apparently we are, I agree with you about Jimmuh Cahduh. This egotistical hick clearly thinks he has the force of character and powers of language (not to say a deep knowledge of islam) to talk terrorists round to seeing reason and abandoning their wicked ways. Maybe hold a little prayer meeting ahead of the talks. Rosalyn could bring round a mint tea cart.
OTOH, I'm not sure Jimmuh is smart enough to be a traitor. I think he's just a delusional moron, as he was when he was, inexplicably, president of the United States.
SOme of the comments about Heath are hysterical. Although I do not agree with much of what he did, he was following a manifesto commitment, supported by his Cabinet (including Thatcher) and held a full parliamentary debate (during which Jenkins, Smith et al were greater traitors to their party than Heath was to his).
Don't forget that a huge transfer of power to Europe happened under Thatcher. She guillotined the debate. Yet she seems to escape censure from people who foam at the mouth about Ted Heath. DOuble standards from UKIPers?
Can I make a special mention of Rehman Chishti, former Labour PPC turned Conservative PPC for Gillingham & Rainham.
I'm neither a Labour supporter nor someone on the Tory candidates list with an axe to grind, however having seen him networking at a recent event, he struck me as particularly oleaginous and ingenuine, patronising and superior, all at the same time - and think he would be a worthy addition to the list. I hope that maybe I've got him all wrong, and that he doesn't come across like this to the voters of Kent, but I'm not so sure...
To Verity, 15/4 @11.58 that's pretty much what I said earlier (10.26) and obviously I agree.
There's a nice article about the apalling Jimmuh Caatuh here;
http://tinyurl.com/3pk99u
The dreadful thought is that any one of the three current candidates for the US Presidency could overtake him as the worst US President in several decades with ease.
After JC we got Ronaldus Magnus. I don't see another one coming though.
George Bush Senior. Came up with one memorable phrase in "voodoo economics", then spent the next eight years going along with said economics for the sake of the least significant job in world politics.
Incidentally, Shirley Williams has received a few nominations for "the destruction of education." Shouldn't these go to the education secretary who actually destroyed the most grammar schools? (Clue: also female)
Traitors to their party: The Gang of Four - without them, neither Thatcher nor the Tories would have remained in power so long (though Kinnock hd a lot to do with it).
Traitors to their country: Margaret Thatcher - ripped the heart out of Britain, and we still await a transplant.
Without a doubt international: Jimmy Carter (now sucking up to Hamas)
ReplyDeleteUK: Chris Petain or Ted Heath come instantly to mind.
Gordon Brown. The sell-out over the EU Treaty in defiance of an explicit manifesto promise and against the clear wishes of the overwhelming majority of the population is the single-most startling act of political treachery (aka treason) since 1970.
ReplyDeleteMargaret Thatcher - a traitor to conservativism as she was a progressive.
ReplyDelete* Jeffrey Archer
ReplyDelete* Jonathan Aitken
* Neil Hamilton
Traitors to those who elected them. Traitors to the Party they served.
Traitors to truth and to the need for responsible behviour by those in public life.
Emma Nicholson
ReplyDeleteShaun of the Dead Woodward
My body is a Temple-Morris
The Horsham Labour youth who is now Maude's NBF
All those whose reason for avoiding a referendum on Europe is that "it's completely changed from the Constitutional treaty"
Easy, this one: David Cameron.
ReplyDeleteHe calls himself, the 'Heir to Blair'.
He should be getting on with being the Conservative leader.
I'm so sorry to be breaking this news to everyone, but duty calls and someone has to do it.
Edward Heath-about the "EEC "
ReplyDeleteOn a European level: Oskar Lafontaine (Germany, ex-exchequer). Now in 'Die Linke', former SDP (Labour), changed sides many times in service of all that is Oskar
ReplyDeleteMy vote goes to those who rat and then rat again.
ReplyDeleteSo: John Horam lab to SDP to Con
and
Sue Slipman Communnist Party to Labour Party to the SDP
Shirley Williams for destroying the British education system.
ReplyDeleteSaj Karim
ReplyDeletegqprTraitors to their party/leader:
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey Howe
Michael Heseltine
...'treachery with a smile'.
Traitors to their country:
Ted Heath
Tony Blair
...treachery with contempt for democracy.
Number one has to be Heath surely. His behaviour in office arose not out of weakness and stupidity, as was the case with Jimmy Carter but out of cold and cynical calculation.
ReplyDeleteAnd while posting I have to point out the usual bollox from Paddy Briggs. What a berk.
Edward Heath
ReplyDeleteSarah Teather
ReplyDeleteHeseltine.
ReplyDeleteHis behind the scenes plotting against Margaret Thatcher lead to the farce of the Major government and the subsequent corruption of public standards instigated by the Satanic trinity of Mandelson, Blair and Campbell - father, son, and holy g.
Poor old John Major never stood a chance because of the chaos he inherited.
Heath
Lied to the electorate about the true direction of the Common Market. I voted for a common market not subjugation by a European State.
Blair
Took the Country to war and justified it with the lies in the dodgy dossier.
And, I second Gary Elsby's (10:11am)
nomination of Cameron. Why are the Tory MEPs still tied up with the federalist group?
Merely changing parties does not in itself make someone a 'traitor'; I think something more is required.
ReplyDeleteClare Short certainly fits the bill. She was protected and indulged by Tony Blair who was prepared to let her shout her mouth off in a way no other Minister was allowed to, but she repaid him by launching a stinging attack after leaving office. (Come on now Clare, if he was that bad, why were you in the cabinet for six years?)
Ex-Blyth Valley MP John Ryman also fits the bill. John Stonehouse could have been expelled from Parliament in 1975 (a date was set for the debate) but he was saved, only to join the English National Party.
There are two 'office-seekers' who certainly merit entry. John Marek, who was Labour AM for Wrexham, spent most of the early 2000s badmouthing Wrexham's Labour-led council and was elected Deputy Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly on the votes of all the non-Labour AMs in 2001. Richard Balfe, who has some interesting associations with small far left groups and was a Labour MEP, was so determined on standing as a Quaestor in the European Parliament that he stood despite losing his party's endorsement.
I might also include Hugh Kerr and Ken Coates, the two maverick MEPs in the 1994-99 European Parliament.
Quentin Davies
ReplyDeleteShaun Woodward - I nearly vomit every time I see his smug grin on the Labour benches.
ReplyDeleteStill, he must be pleased with how it is all going now...................
Sir Geoffrey Howe (as he then was).
ReplyDeleteDespite Major surprisingly winning the '92 election; the link to 11 years of Gordon Brown destroying the UK economy!
Governor Richardson is certainly being labelled as one in the States so he might be a name to look at - likewise Joe Lieberman or Zell Miller.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Oskar Lafontaine
In the UK: Saj Karim, John Redwood, Michael Heseltine
One thing I would say though is that one traitor is another person's hero. Certainly Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher hardly strike me as deserving the label "traitor".
Heath the Grocer.
ReplyDeleteDiscusted Grange-over-Sands
Thatcher and Tebbit, for seeking to damage Major's Government in the 1990s, thereby worsening the result in 1997.
ReplyDeleteTed Heath certainly does not fit the bill in any respect, and I say that as one who would identify him as the worst post-war Prime Minister by some way. Heath always made it clear his support for British membership of the European Union, and won the leadership on that pledge; it was in the 1970 Conservative manifesto, and there was a full debate in Parliament. Heath can hardly be criticized for betraying any group to which he belonged, even if one accepts the ludicrous position that membership of the EU is damaging to Britain.
ReplyDeleteTraitor.
ReplyDeleteMaybe McGuiness and Adams to the Irish republican cause, and add Trimble and Paisley to that too if you are feeling cheeky.
Blair - a traitor to the left.
Whoever really stabbed old whiskey face of the liberals.
The SDP mob with their diversion from Labour.
Heath in 73.
Scargill over the miners strike, as he went into a battle he could not win, and then ended up causing the miners to lose so much, when they needed the best result possible. He also gave the country the taste for stronger controls overs unions than was before acceptable.
Robert Kilroy-Silk.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't give a toss what he believes and he has zero effect on the world of politics these days - if he ever did - but surely leaving one slightly irrelevant party just so you can form your own extremely irrelevant party counts as rank treachery?
George Galloway betrayed his country. And then in the true style of socialists he proceeded to betray his comrades and smash his party.
ReplyDeleteHowever you could compile the entire list around egotists betraying microparties.
And I'd agree with the rest about Heath betraying so much. Conservatives believe in the rule of law and order, not in giving in to militancy. Conservatives believe in a strong approach to the economy, not chickening and U-turning at the earliest sign of problems. Conservatives believe in parliamentary democracy, not in imposing dictatorship on part of the country. Conservatives believe in the sovereignty of nations, not in submerging national identity into artificial constructs. Conservatives believe in giving clear leadership to the nation, not in making it a serious question as to whether the country is run by Parliament or the National Union of Mineworkers. Conservatives believe in traditional communities, not in ripping up and redrawing the map of the country.
Who hasn't been mentioned yet? George Galloway seems a fairly obvious omission. Not a major figure, nor a politically significant one, but sucking up to a vile dictator and then openly supporting her majesty's enemies would surely in former times have earned him the full rigour of the treason laws, evisceration and all.
ReplyDeleteThen there's Ken. He betrayed his party: his party begged him to come back. He betrayed London, and London re-elected him. He betrayed the women and gay campaigners he once championed by his lavish welcome for Qaradawi. He betrays democracy on a daily basis with his (potential libel deleted). So far, he has proved that treacery pays. Hopefully not for much longer.
Gordon Brown - 10 years of continual plotting against Tony Blair. If that's not treacherous, than I'm a banana.
ReplyDeleteAnd since everyone else seems to be saying it, Ted Heath.
I hope Iain will give us his opinions.
Gyles Brandreth
ReplyDeleteObviously Galloway.
ReplyDeleteAnd he was paid.
But Benn.
Ensured Thatcher a free run.
Galloway,obviously.
ReplyDeleteTo his own country and secretly funded.
And a traitor to the Iraqi people by supporting the government which was oppressing them
Richardson owed his loyalty to Bill Clinton, and has been clear that loyalty has been repaid and would not be transferable to family members anyway.
ReplyDeleteLiberman, on the other hand, is a worm.
Geoffrey Howe
ReplyDeleteMichael Heseltine
Shaun of the Dead Woodward
Roger Knapman
Kate Hoey (and I love her for it!)
Ken Leavingsoon for using the Labour brand only when it suits him i.e. sometimes being the Anti-Labour candidate and sometimes being the Labour candidate.
The Labour MPs who voted for Michael Foot to be leader and then skipped off to the SDP.
Mr A Blair for scrapping clause 4
Charles Clarke for being a class traitor and constantly undermining Mr Blobby.
Michael Foot for wearing a Donkey Jacket to the cenotaph.
The Chipmunk for her pathetic attack on HRH The Prince of Wales.
Kinnock for shutting down Militant and therefore damaging Soviet Foreign Policy (aka kicking the reds out from under the bed)
Derek Hatton for being one of the reds under the bed.
Sir Richard Rich.
ReplyDelete("St Mark reminds us that it profit a man not to sell his sould for the whole world: so to do so for Wales, Rich, for Wales?)
Interesting thoughts.
ReplyDeleteOne small distinction to note, namely that those who have been the most destructive politicians of the modern era so far as the nation is concerned – I nominate Heath (Common Market), Jenkins (permissive society) and Brown (one man weapon of mass financial destruction) – would not necessarily qualify as traitors for that alone.
Against that background, I suggest Michael Heseltine for Tory traitor, mainly because of Westland rather than the later leadership challenge. Why on earth did he not stay put, keep a dignified silence and assert himself as a worthy leader when MT had stood down of her own volition, rather than set off all the internal strife? On the Labour side, I suggest Roy Jenkins for his role in ultimately ensuring that Old Labour, the party of the working man, was replaced by New Labour, the party of the political elite and cronyism.
As to National Traitor, for taking office upon a manifesto that simply confirmed “our sole commitment is to negotiate possible terms of entry with the Common Market, nothing more” and then to pledge the country to economic and monetary union within the next 10 years – thankfully not realised, although he’ll probably now be singing in his grave at the Treatistution shenanigans – stand up and take a bow, Edward Heath.
The wretch Shaun 'two butlers' Woodward.
ReplyDeleteThatcher, Tebbit, Gorman, Marlow, Taylor, Body and the other serial rebels who did som much to destroy the Major government. Not to mention Archer, Aitken & Hamilton who did so much to discredit the party in the eyes of voters.
ReplyDeleteEasy: Geoffrey Howe, Michael Heseltine & Ted Heath. Let's not forget Ken Clarke too.
ReplyDeleteS. Woodward Esq.
ReplyDeletePaul Marsden
ReplyDelete"On the Labour side, I suggest Roy Jenkins for his role in ultimately ensuring that Old Labour, the party of the working man, was replaced by New Labour, the party of the political elite and cronyism."
ReplyDeleteOh, rubbish. Jenkins was always a natural liberal. He probably shouldn't have joined the Labour party, but then with the Liberals almost defunct he realised that he could best advance progressive policies in Labour. Maybe wrong, but hardly treacherous.
Prudence - "Michael Foot for wearing a Donkey Jacket to the cenotaph."
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a donkey jacket. It was a very expensive and quite stylish duffel coat. The Queen Mother, who was at the ceremony, complimented him on it.
Hardly traitorous.
I nominate.
ReplyDeleteNeil Kinnock
Jack Dromey and Ralph Nader. In no particular order.
ReplyDeleteDavid Owen for extending Margaret Thatcher's shelf life - the others in the Gang of Four were just his sock-puppets. His arse licking of Milosevic also contributed to Yugoslavia being screwed up as well.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Galloway for his suuport of fascism while pretending top be a socialist.
Tony Benn for turning his considerable gifts on his own side rather than the real enemy.
Arthur Scargill for not trusting in democracy and balloting his members before the Miners Strike
And of course the Tory Party en masse as traitors to the Country and progressive thought in general - with the honourable exceptions of Ted Heath and Winston Churchill who in supporting Europe and opposing appeasement took positions against the prevailing Tory orthodoxy.
Sir Edward Heath
ReplyDeletewho should be posthumously stripped of his knighthood.
It wasn't that he was not overt about his EEC agenda (which was a clear manifesto commitment), but that he still lied and deceived the people about the implications for national sovereignty. He also ignored the warnings of the Attorney General who stated very clearly that it would bring to an 1000 years of history.
Blair and Brown for betraying the working classes. And Shirley Williams for ensuring many of the working class were stupid enough to vote Blair in a second time.
ReplyDeleteMichael Heseltine and Kenneth Clarke - both traitors to our party.
ReplyDeleteEdward Heath - a traitor to the country.
Edward Heath - for betraying his country
ReplyDeleteMichael Heseltine - for betraying the UK's greatest peacetime PM
Quentin Davies should get some sort of award for stupidest traitor.
ReplyDeleteThe only rat to join a sinking ship? I bet he's kicking himself for joining Team Brown just as the polls began to slide.
1. Adolf Charlatan Lynton Blair
ReplyDelete2. Traitor Ted Heath
3. David Miliband
4. Gordon Broon
5. Gormless George Galloway
Ken Livingstone - he stood against, and beat, the official Labour party candidate for Mayor of London (Frank Dobson), and was expelled from the Labour party.
ReplyDeleteEvery one of his "consultation" exercises e.g. on the Congestion Charge etc. has been a cynical betrayal of public trust.
He and his incompetent (or worse) political appointees e.g. Lee Jasper, have betrayed and brought shame on the communities they claimed to be helping.
I'd also like to nominate Digby Jones - a natural Conservative who signed up to the Labour project. Bet he's kicking himself now...
ReplyDeletePity about the 1970 limit, as I would nominate Lord Stanley, who betrayed Richard III at Bosworth and let in those wretched Tudors.
ReplyDeleteOh sorry, is that a racist comment?
Post 1970, the biggest traitor has to be Blair, betrayed his Party and his country.
From our side, traitors to the Tory party:
ReplyDeleteTed Heath for his constant attempts to undermine his successor, despite the fact he wasn't fit to tie her shoes. (He should have been strung from a lamppost for selling us out to the EU as well).
Michael Portillo for his constant attempts to alienate the right of the Conservative party, thereby destroying any hope we have of returning to power.
Ken Clarke (not for his stupid ignorant views on the EU, which he is entitled to) for always, without fail, criticising the position of his own party on Europe and thereby supporting our enemies in their aims.
I don't count those that change sides as traitors, though I do despise them if they have done it for personal gain.
Blogger David Boothroyd said...
ReplyDeleteMerely changing parties does not in itself make someone a 'traitor'.
hope not, otherwise the winner is...
...Sir Winston Chrchill
Edward Heath.
ReplyDeleteConning me and most of Britain into voting to join the Common Market. If it had stopped there, that would have been fine but that wasn't the real plan was it?
Geoffrey Howe. Without Thatcher he'd have been nothing, and look at how he thanked her.
ReplyDeleteAnd Heseltine, for the same reason.
What about Mrs T herself? She wasn't as Thatcherite as her disciples: she opposed a tax-neutral government by supporting mortgage relief (where Howe and Lawson opposed), she saw health expenditure rise, she didn't privatise the railways or post office, and her views on Europe - opposition to German unification, virulent euroscepticism - simply forged unity amongst other european leaders, furthering the ever-closer union she despised, also prompting Howe's resignation. She failed to capitalise on discontent with rates by creating a better system, getting caught up in the poll tax. Her opposition to consitutional change lost Scotland and Wales to the Conservatives for a decade.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest blow to Thatcherism was Thatcher's gradual loss of touch - she slowly betrayed the revolution made in her name.
Gordon Brown.
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey Howe. Without Thatcher he'd have been nothing, and look at how he thanked her.
ReplyDeleteAnd Heseltine, for the same reason.
Surely Hestletine, for stabbing the party leader in the back causing a fallout that has dogged the party for the past decade...
ReplyDeleteIts going to have to be Heseltine
ReplyDeleteMajor, hurd and rifkind were political traitors to the human race and human rights by selling out the people in the balkans to the murderous milosevic and giving him the ok to go ahead with genocide meaning that tony blair then had to take the country to war with the madman to prevent him repeating the exercise in kosovo.
ReplyDeleteKen Livingstone in the way he becamethe leader of the GLC.
ReplyDeleteMichael Portillo for destabilising the Tories over a period of time without having the guts to run for leader.
Ted Heath without doubt for his ridiculous pro-europe stance.
ReplyDeleteBlair and Brown for their arrogant disregard for an EU Referendum.
Jeremy Thorpe for being so immoral.
Kinnock for taking the eurosilver which such aplomb and doing absolutely bugger-all about the sleaze and corruption and persecuting whistleblowers like a Stalinite thug.
Senior civil servants who have sold out to NuLab and allowed the Civil Service to be politicised by an arrogant NuLab.
Chris Patten for kowtowing to the bloody slitty eyes.
Post war Labour leaders for giving economic secrets to the Russians and trusting Stalin.
Wilson, Callaghan, Benn, Foot et al., for shamelessly selling out to the unions and anyone else.
Blair for unmitigated mendacity regarding the Gulf War and being the causative for david kelly'd suicide.
Enough for now.
Howe for his appalling, disgusting, immoral speech resignation speech.
ReplyDeleteObviously snivelling, lying, pompous Edward Heath, and to whoever wrote he should be posthumously stripped of his knighthood - good idea!
ReplyDeleteEurophile Chris Patten.
The repellent Gordon Brown for failing to honour a firm manifesto commitment to have a referendum on the EU constitution with bare-faced lies (that he seems to have genuinely thought he would get away with - which is another nail in the coffin of "Gordon the super-intellect").
Mandelson's a nothing. Just a hungry passenger on one of the world's gravy trains. He's no worse than an African dictator, although without the suave dress sense of Idi Amin.
In a separate category of Traitor to The Entire Advanced West, Jo Moore - remember her? - for writing that 9/11 would be a good day for burying bad news.
And, finally, The Traitor King - Tony Blair for having the impertinence to continue to breath the air without our permission and who deliberately set out to unravel our settled and ancient social fabric and destroy the pillars of our law and our government. It's nice to see him fail at everything he turns his hand to. Even if his ghost writer actually writes his book for him, it will fail, like Alastair Campbell's book.
No list of political traitors could be complete without US Senator James "Jim" Jeffords of Vermont, whose transformation from Republican to "independent" handed the Senate to the Democrats in 2001. The list of his political betrayals before that point was, of course, lengthy. He retired from the Senate in 2006 and is not missed.
ReplyDeleteTed Heath, because of the way he led us into the Common Market whilst concealing from us the full implications, eg the fact that our fishing industry was being regarded as expendable.
ReplyDeleteTony Blair and Gordon Brown, for reasons too numerous to mention.
Top traitors.
ReplyDeleteKenneth Clarke over the EU.
Gordon Brown over the EU etc.
Ed Miliband over the EU.
Baroness Scotland as above
Jack Straw for being Jack.
Ted "dig him up and hang him" Heath
Shirley Williams for education and subsequent appeasements, SDP etc.
I could go on. So many lamp posts, so little time...
I find all the naysayers on Heath a bit odd. He was clear for many years before he became PM that he wanted to join the EEC as it was. It is the job of politicians to sell their desires (in this case genuinely Heath's ideals) to the rest of us the best way that they can. This may involve a little deviousness - tell me one major political figure who has not done some of that.
ReplyDeleteHeath sold Europe to the country on that basis. It is disingenuous to say that he ought to have told us that we were losing some sovreignty as a result. That was for the antis to make clear and they failed to do that at the time. However, it is not as if there was not plenty of opportunity for them to do so at the time and at the later referendum on the issue.
You might as well give traitor status to Thatcher for the Single Europe Act, Major for Maastricht and Wilson for weaselling around the issue, all for the sake of party unity - in each case a more treacherous thing to have done but each act subject to close parliamentary and medai scrutiny and still allowed through.
So, no Heath is not a traitor. He was useless in many other ways of course and probably the 2nd or third worst post war PM (Eden clear worst followed by Major, Heath, Churchill or Brown on current performance)
Gordon Brown re the EU Constitution referendum
ReplyDeleteTony Bliar re the dodgy dossier
I nominate David Cameron for applauding Blair in the House.
ReplyDeleteNoteworthy for both treachery AND hypocrisy is Hugh Dykes - Conservative MP for Harrow East from 1970-1997, turfed out by the electorate in 1997, applied for selection (as Conservative candidate) at the Uxbridge by-election in July 1997 (didn't get shortlisted) then defected to Liberal Dimocrats shortly afterwards.
ReplyDeleteHistory will not treat any of the smaller fry, some of which have been cited in this comments section, as traitors to the country, but as merely ignorant or misguided. However, those politicians who deliberately and knowingly undermined the sovreignity of this country, whilst consistently lying to the public should not be so kindly treated. For what he knowingly did and for his deliberate lies over decades, Edward Heath nearly comes within this category.
ReplyDeleteI nominate Guido Fawkes, because he is an utter rotter.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2:36 - You do understand, do you not, that this is a BRITISH political blog and that we are discussing traitors to BRITAIN? Our country.
ReplyDeleteBlackguard - Seconded! He didn't just applaud The Traitor King, but he commanded the Tories to give him a standing ovation. What a cheap little opportunist this man is.
ReplyDeleteRoger Thornhill writes: "So many lamposts; so little time." Yes, but contemplating those lamposts - what Devil's Kitchen refers to as "air tap-dancing" - does warm the cockles of one's heart, does it not?
Gordon Brown for treachery to his party and his country for plotting against Tony Blair for all those years
ReplyDeleteDouglas Hurd, for treachery to humanity for appeasing Milosevic (may he rot in hell)
Cllr David Sutton (Lab, leader of Reading Borough Council until May 1st) for campaigning for a Tory MP while holding office as Labour leader.
All the usual suspects:
ReplyDeleteKenneth Clarke
Geoffrey Howe
Michael Heseltine
Ted Heath
Tony Blair
Chris Patten
Gordon Brown
David Cameron
Neil Kinnock
Roy Jenkins
David Miliband
Alex Salmond
Malcolm Rifkind
Ted Heath for putting us in the EU masked by a campaign of lies and mistruths, No Mandate Brown for the EU Constitution and sooooooo many other things and David Davis for dropping his support for English devolution that would have given us equal rights with the celtic master race during the leadership race which he went on to lose.
ReplyDeleteverity said...
ReplyDelete"You do understand, do you not, that this is a BRITISH political blog and that we are discussing traitors to BRITAIN? Our country."
Verity, for a change try reading what Iain actually wrote - "Let's stick to people who've been active in politics since 1970 - in this country AND OVERSEAS".
Anyway, having emigrated to Mexico, haven't you decided that Britain is no longer your country.
Geoffrey Howe - should be strung up for treason
ReplyDeleteharriet harman wasn't it who got elected in 97 on a promise to reverse Tory cuts on Single parent support, and then forced the very same cuts through parliament only weeks later (while filthy Tony smiled in the background)
ReplyDeleteIt's been said before but my vote goes to David Owen. There's the Healey quote that the good fairy gave him Mills'n'Boon looks and intelligence but the bad fairy made him a shit.
ReplyDeleteAlso: treacherous Tory de nos jours: Dianne Abbott's sofa-sharing pal Micheal Xavier Portillo who seems to be not particularly helpful to Cameron (not that I mind particularly)
Heath and Blair
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Lib Dem myself, and know she isn't a politician (but you didn't say we couldn't include others), but I would nominate Daisy McAndrew (nee Sampson). Out of her depth as ITN political correspondent - in approx week one, she cashed in all her chips by betraying her old boss Charles Kennedy, rushing to be the first to 'expose' his alcohol problem...I know we shouldn't expect much from journos but thought this particularly cheap and grubby...while I'm at it I would also nominate the half of LD parliamentary party for their self-serving piety and mock concern around the same time... oh, and the hugely ingenuine Shaun Woodward for sure.
ReplyDeleteSorry, should also add to that list, given its topicality today, Nick Clegg who's been outed as an ex-Tory. See:
ReplyDeletehttp://rupahuq.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/corporal-cleggs-conservative-past/
It has to be Grocer Ted.
ReplyDeleteWhatever his supporters say, he sold
us a "free movement of goods and people" common market. What we got is
a projected United States of Europe.
He also destroyed our fishing industry and made enough money from
his European friends to buy himself a new yacht.
When we are finally independent again we should do what was done to a far greater Englishman, Cromwell, dig him up and hang him!
- Heseltine.
ReplyDelete- Howe.
- Emma Nicholson.
- Shaun Woodward.
- Quentin Davies (surely the most stupid defection in the history of politics?
- And a collective mention to all of those fools (Redwood/IDS/Bill Cash etc.) who did their best to destroy poor John Major between 92 and 97 - and thereby condemned us to more than a decade of Blair/Brown.
Ted Heath not only deceiving us over what the 'Treaty of Rome' was really all about, but also for slapping our Commonwealth friends in the face by turning his back on them when many of them had died fighting for our join civilisation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I consider the contribution of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India and many other honoured countries in contrast to Heath and John Major's appeasement, it makes my blood boil.
Crispin Blunt and John Maples. You know why, Iain.
ReplyDelete4:21 - I currently live in Mexico on a one-year visa from the Mexican government. What on earth does my place of residence have to do with my citizenship? You are very ethnocentric.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read that Iain had opened up the traitors' book to one and all. I'm surprised that more foreign readers, in that case, haven't waded in with furious condemnations of people we've never heard of.
I seem to have understood this differently to many people here who seem to take traitor as someone who has done something against the interest of the country (which probably includes every politician of any note and is in any case rather subjective). I assumed what was meant was something more frivolous to do with personal or party relationships: possibly more fun.
ReplyDeleteCan't really think of any good examples but perhaps Shaun Woodward deserves his place not so much in his own right but as his defection meant a certain MP got elected at the next election (though i imagine some would think that even more damning). And maybe Churchill and his quote deserve an honourary place.
People should stop attacking Heath; things just didn't work out.
Alec Kellaway.
ReplyDeleteHeath and Blair, traitors to their country for selling us to Europe.
ReplyDeleteHas to be Heath and Blair.
ReplyDeleteHeath gave Europe control of our democracy.
Blair devolved our democracy making sure that we could not fight back to regain our democracy from Europe with a united voice.
EVERY single Northern Irish politician is seen as a traitor, but my nomination goes to McGuinness and Paisley jointly, with the biggest wimp ever being the long forgotten hasbeen bob mc cartney, the man who stood in six different constituencies at the same time. What an abuse of democracy.
ReplyDeleteYes I kid you not. He was desperate tho!!!
Definately Ian Paisley. For more than three decades, he hounded good, honourable men out of public life for daring to seek pragmatic solutions to Ulster's problems that were far restrained from his cavorting with murderers.
ReplyDeleteGordon
ReplyDeleteTony
ReplyDeleteTed Heath wasn't a traitor, he may have been wrong about Europe but to suggest he deliberately betrayed Britain is a bit unsavoury. Ted Heath fought for this country, more than anyone on this board has I imagine.
ReplyDeleteIt is a toss-up between Tony Benn and Ken Livingstone.
ReplyDeleteEdward Heath, by a country mile.
ReplyDeleteDishonourable mentions for Ken Clarke, David Miliband and Gordon Brown.
DK
Nick Brown for his incompetent handling of the foot and mouth crisis and Margaret Beckett for the cover up [no pulic enquiry].
ReplyDeleteAID - If we're including foreigners, which apparently we are, I agree with you about Jimmuh Cahduh. This egotistical hick clearly thinks he has the force of character and powers of language (not to say a deep knowledge of islam) to talk terrorists round to seeing reason and abandoning their wicked ways. Maybe hold a little prayer meeting ahead of the talks. Rosalyn could bring round a mint tea cart.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, I'm not sure Jimmuh is smart enough to be a traitor. I think he's just a delusional moron, as he was when he was, inexplicably, president of the United States.
Tony Blair- for betraying the UK
ReplyDeleteGordon Brown- for betraying prudence.
Ed Balls- a traitor to the middle class- "Prolier than thou"
Shirley Williams- destruction of education
Patricia Hewitt- destruction of the NHS, and then moving to corporate vultures picking at the edges of NHS
SOme of the comments about Heath are hysterical. Although I do not agree with much of what he did, he was following a manifesto commitment, supported by his Cabinet (including Thatcher) and held a full parliamentary debate (during which Jenkins, Smith et al were greater traitors to their party than Heath was to his).
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that a huge transfer of power to Europe happened under Thatcher. She guillotined the debate. Yet she seems to escape censure from people who foam at the mouth about Ted Heath. DOuble standards from UKIPers?
from the kaiser's point of view, Antonio Salandra.
ReplyDeleteAR
Can I make a special mention of Rehman Chishti, former Labour PPC turned Conservative PPC for Gillingham & Rainham.
ReplyDeleteI'm neither a Labour supporter nor someone on the Tory candidates list with an axe to grind, however having seen him networking at a recent event, he struck me as particularly oleaginous and ingenuine, patronising and superior, all at the same time - and think he would be a worthy addition to the list. I hope that maybe I've got him all wrong, and that he doesn't come across like this to the voters of Kent, but I'm not so sure...
To Verity, 15/4 @11.58 that's pretty much what I said earlier (10.26) and obviously I agree.
ReplyDeleteThere's a nice article about the apalling Jimmuh Caatuh here;
http://tinyurl.com/3pk99u
The dreadful thought is that any one of the three current candidates for the US Presidency could overtake him as the worst US President in several decades with ease.
After JC we got Ronaldus Magnus. I don't see another one coming though.
George Bush Senior. Came up with one memorable phrase in "voodoo economics", then spent the next eight years going along with said economics for the sake of the least significant job in world politics.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, Shirley Williams has received a few nominations for "the destruction of education." Shouldn't these go to the education secretary who actually destroyed the most grammar schools? (Clue: also female)
Traitors to their party:
ReplyDeleteThe Gang of Four - without them, neither Thatcher nor the Tories would have remained in power so long (though Kinnock hd a lot to do with it).
Traitors to their country:
Margaret Thatcher - ripped the heart out of Britain, and we still await a transplant.
Heath, without a shadow of a doubt, for the reasons stated.
ReplyDelete