Pfeffle of Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe | 80 comments (80 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe (none / 1)

Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man: A Profile of Boris Johnson
(by Toby Young)

His lack of preparedness seemed less like evidence of his own shortcomings as a debater and more a way of sending up all the other speakers, as well as the pomposity of the proceedings. You got the sense that he could easily have delivered a highly effective speech if he'd wanted to, but was too clever and sophisticated - and honest - to enter into such a silly charade. To do what the other debaters were doing, and pretend he believed what was coming out of his mouth, would have been patronising. Everyone else was taking the audience for fools, but not him. He was openly insincere and, in being so, somehow seemed more authentic than everyone else.
[...] While the rest of us were works-in-progress, vainly trying on different personae, Boris was the finished article.

by das monde on Sun Jul 28th, 2019 at 12:28:30 PM EST

Re: Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe (4.00 / 6)

An enthusiastic leavers view of Boris (fan boi edition).

Everybody keeps saying that boris is ferociously intelligent, yet evidence for this remains elusive. He's certainly clever, can play a crowd and certainly knows how to push right wing buttons effectively. But that is far from an uncommon talent, and even a dumbass like Trump covers most of that.

Being more intelligent than Toby Young seems to be the key to this article, but that is far from being a mark of great accomplishment.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sun Jul 28th, 2019 at 04:46:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe (4.00 / 2)

So Boris missed his ultimate goal to be King of the World ... he could have chosen to run for Office of U.S. President ... I would prefer him above the present resident. His deviance to seek out Brexit as political aim will certainly get Boris a ranking between Caligula - Claudius - Nero. None of it will be of benefit to the majority of the English who voted to Leave ... a sad chapter for citizens of Europe and a decade of uncertainty. 😒

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jul 28th, 2019 at 04:55:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe (4.00 / 2)

Don't even mention the poorly defined requirements for being elected POTUS. There are scenarios where BoJo could get in.

by asdf on Mon Jul 29th, 2019 at 03:08:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

De Pfeffel conquers the USA (4.00 / 2)

Well given he was born in New York, De Pfeffel is entitled to run for US President. What better way to do so than to start as PM of an eastern state and bring it from a European sphere of influence into a US one. With Trump's support he can then become US secretary of State and run for President after Trump's second term. Shure don't the amurkins love the posh British accent?

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 at 12:24:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: De Pfeffel conquers the USA (none / 1)

Art. II

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.

Complicated 18th century English notwithstanding, BoJo will need to relocate his domicile and register to vote before he's ready to nominate himself to the uniparty.

Also, he should bring a wad of dough to feed attys.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 at 11:55:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: De Pfeffel conquers the USA (4.00 / 3)

He renounced his US citizenship a couple of years ago, and to regain it would have to start over as a new immigrant. Whether that would count as "natural born" or not is undefined. Or he could get himself an American girlfriend and leverage the spousal rules like certain first ladies.

Also, note that those 18th Century commas are what allow us to shoot each other at will. "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Very clear innit.

by asdf on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 at 01:27:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: De Pfeffel conquers the USA (4.00 / 3)

Even giving the commas a miss, the major obfuscation (for today, and to a fair extent even at the time of the framing of the Constitution), lies in the word "people".

Voters, and members of the militia, were white adult land-owning males. Or white, adult, land-owning males.

Things are going to slide, slide in all directions
Won't be nothing
Nothing you can measure anymore
L. Cohen

by john_evans (john(dot)evans(dot)et(at)gmail(dot)com) on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 at 02:11:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

DICTION CORNER LOL (none / 1)

City to ban gendered language like "manhole," "manpower" and "firemen"

An ordinance on gender neutral language, introduced by council member Rigel Robinson in March, was passed on Tuesday night, CBS San Francisco reports.
"In recent years, broadening societal awareness of transgender and gendernonconforming identities has brought to light the importance of non-binary gender inclusivity," Robinson's ordinance reads. "Therefore, it is both timely and necessary to make the environment of City Hall and the language of city legislation consistent with the principles of inclusion."

Gender-neutral emendments of the code, of which "people"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 at 04:38:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: DICTION CORNER LOL (4.00 / 2)

introduced by council member Rigel Robinson in March

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 at 06:12:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe (4.00 / 5)

So Toby Young was hugely impressed by Boris at Oxford. But Boris is not all that exceptional. Though most of the outputs of the top public schools are cooky-cutter fake gentlemen like David Cameron, there's room for some eccentricity (we are English for heaven's sake). Off-kilter characters like Boris are not so very rare. In fact, playing the clown as he does, coming up with the apparently dopy but watch-out-I'm-brilliant act Young describes, does not proceed from a sense of insecurity or a need for compensation, but from a sure sense of absolute entitlement. If you can mess around with very high responsibility (as Boris did when Foreign Secretary, and as we may see him do with the premiership), it's because you are so rock-solid certain of your privileged position that it's a second nature. Throw in a smokescreen of silliness and charm, and the arrogance will not appear. An old trick of England's owners.

Toby Young doesn't seem to have learned this while at Oxford. He also doesn't seem to have learned that Eton is a finishing school for highly-entitled shits. The rate of success in turning out finished and polished shits is astounding. That kind of place doesn't cost a bomb for nothing.

Things are going to slide, slide in all directions
Won't be nothing
Nothing you can measure anymore
L. Cohen

by john_evans (john(dot)evans(dot)et(at)gmail(dot)com) on Sun Jul 28th, 2019 at 07:49:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe (4.00 / 3)

Why boarding schools produce bad leaders (Guardian, 2014)

But if progressives want to win emphatically without charisma, they are basically giving up all romantic voters.

by das monde on Mon Jul 29th, 2019 at 07:18:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe (4.00 / 3)

Private schools in the US have a similar problem. The annual total cost of attending a selective private college is upwards of $75,000 per year. Four years of undergraduate studies plus a two more to get the Masters Degree needed for reasonably-paying jobs means you need to come up with close to a half a million bucks.

It is pretty much guaranteed that these students fall into the "privileged" category.

by asdf on Mon Jul 29th, 2019 at 11:50:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

As Mayor of London Outspoken (none / 1)

About Churchill and Europe:

○ 'We Can't Leave Europe, We're Part of the Continent' | Der Spiegel - Aug. 12, 2015 |

○ Boris's latest blunder: 'Nazis didn't use chemical weapons' | Jewish Press - Sept. 5, 2013 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jul 28th, 2019 at 10:17:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Pfeffle of Pfeff Hall Studies the Map of Europe | 80 comments (80 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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