concern-trolling America’s utereses

For Ross, that’s ’bout as good as it gets.

TBogg, have I told you how much I…appreciate your way with snark?

“Britain’s Conservatives have acquired a reputation among their more populist American cousins for being aristocratic squishes…”

Uh, Ross? Maybe it’s because the Tories ARE “aristocratic squishes”. But the thing about British Tories is, they don’t pretend to be anything else. That’s more than you can say about the superstars of American movement Conservatism (Rush, Palin, O’Reilly)who rake in megabucks while still pretending to be representative of the “average” Jane or Joe Sixpack. Oh, and Ross, I know how much you wish British conservatives would be just like American reichwingers (’cause god knows, 8 years of total GOP control has worked out so well for us on this side of the pond) what with their mania for cutting taxes for the wealthy and dumping all the costs of running a government onto the states, but the fact is, any British government that tries anything remotely resembling that would have a populist shitstorm on their hands, the likes of which they’ve never seen.

level of expertise/interest in British politics and history

In the field of wingnut-baiting it’s entirely possible that all you need to know is that Neville Chamberlain was a Conservative.

Has Ross never seen “Twit of The Yr.?”

It wasn’t really satirical, & there’ve been forty more yrs. of inbreeding to heighten their aristocratic qualities.

Not sure Douthat’s ‘expertise on British politics exceeds yours, Mr Tbogg. What he delivered in his column could have been cobbled together by any senior high school student with internet access in one afternoon.

There’s one aspect in which Douthat, not surprisingly quite inadvertently, may be correct though: The Tories might offer the GOP some valuable insight into how long it can take for a party to decontaminate its reputation.

Even after 13 years in the political wilderness, and with a Labour party that looks awfully exhausted, David Cameron is still fighting against the stench of the Tories reputation as being the ‘nasty’ party. And with Nick Clegg from the Libdems having outperformed both Cameron and PM Brown in the recent TV debate, that lingering olfactory problem may be just about enough to gift the Cons another exercise in futility.

What JK Rowling said about Cameron:

He has repackaged a policy that made desperate lives worse when his party was last in power, and is trying to sell it as something new. I’ve never voted Tory before … and they keep on reminding me why.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7096786.ece

Ross should be cock punched with a jagged, out of control bludger and Cameron should get a Nimbus 500 up his ass. And Pinch Sulzberger. Also. Only a moron like Rose would cite to an article in which JK Rowling makes such a fabulous, devastating case against the Tories on just one issue.

WTF is Abinormal? Do they just not talk about these things?

Signed,

Chunky Reese Witherspoon

Well sir, you see how it is is, we gots an election, Mr Bogg. Looks like it’s going to end in a draw. I love that JK article. For some reason I’d seen her as a probable Tory voter. Must be the accent.

Tacky as it is, you might learn a bit and be entertained by the guide in this magazine. I’m going to take a shower now after having done that.

TBogg, I wouldn’t worry about your lack of expertise on UK politics; I’m a Brit and I *still* don’t know WTF Douthat is rambling on about.

Something about Conservatives being elitist douchebags from whom Republicans could learn a thing or two. Also, the Conservative tradition is to make grandiose promises about small government, get into power, and screw a country up. We should definitely have another go at that.

In related news, I do enjoy the Liberal Democrats billboards:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/labservative/4478269907/in/set-72157623747661070/

JDM3, THANK YOU for the link to J.K. Rowling sticking the knife in the Tory Party. The taxpayers of the U.K. undoubtedly are very grateful that she didn’t become an expat, and i’m grateful that she didn’t forget what it’s like to be poor.

Having read through Angry Ewok’s feckless attempt at explaining British politics to Americans whose knowledge of Perfidious Albion begins with the Ministry of Silly Walks and ends with the Lumberjack Song, and also still having a few shreds of respect left for the Gray Lady (they also employ Paul Krugman and Mark Bittman, after all), I’d like to imagine that this is the result of his editor, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, calling him in his office and waving Ross’ latest effort (perhaps something about how the Nazis created an evil clone of Pope Benny, who has been responsible for every bad thing that he’s done, as well as some of the more gruesome photos) in his face, and reminding him that most of the other bloggers who got passed over for Ross for the Op-Ed gig would still like a crack at it.

Of course, all Ross did was glance over a few Wikipedia articles and news posts about Cameron and the recent debate, forgetting about 90% of what he’d read before he was halfway through writing, but that’s about par for the course. After all, he has a lot of fretting to do about poor ol’ Popesie to get through on any given day.

You lure me in with a picture of Patsy, Patron Saint of Skanky Hot Blondes and it’s nothing but a serious discussion? About a Douchebag?? And politics? Cheap, dirty trick. I love it. More Patsy Pix, please.

Shorter Douthat:

If Cameron wins, it is great for the American Tea Party. (and John McCain).

Thank You. Also.

Patsy AND Edwina next time!

Thanks for providing the photograph of Doughnut’s mother, Ms. Patsy Eclair.

The fags (brit usage) and the empty bottle are the final pieces of the puzzle for me…

And why is Ross writing about Cameron Diaz?!? Didn’t he already make a complete a-hole of himself by writing about another Hollywood Blonde?

a win for both Andrew Rosenthal and America

That would be The Pasty Little Putz (what? he has another name?) being forbidden by law from ever committing “writing” again.

Or as we would say in the U. S., the Republican party exists to make hard lives harder.

Here’s David Cameron speaking for himself at a TED talk no less:
http://www.youtube.com/v/3ELnyoso6vI&hl

He sounds to me like a kinder, gentler Newt Gingrich, when Newt was in that transparency in government Thomas mode. I would think that what Cameron is proposing would make Maggie Thatcher spin in her grave if she was already dead instead of, reportedly, senile.

My notes from Cameron’s talk:
How do we make things better without spending more money?
Family
Friendship
Community (that really would twist the Iron Lady’s knickers)
Values
Environment
Achievement
Fulfilling Work
Well-Being
Power to the People (right on, Chairman Mao)
Understanding of People
Transparency
Choice
Accountability

He ends by citing JFK and RFK as his models

Not having read Mr Douthat, I boldly assume that this talk puts his opinion piece in the crapper.