Boris Johnson MP: I salute the Victor
Commenting on his unsuccessful bid to become Rector of Edinburgh University, Boris Johnson MP commented:
‘I salute the student body of Edinburgh and congratulate the new Rector on his success. I am sure he will do the job in tremendous style.
It has been a very enjoyable campaign fought with tact, honesty and discretion. I am sorry the student body came out against me but democracy has triumphed.
Given I am English, a Tory and broadly in favour of top-up fees this was a commendable performance. Though I am of course sad and disappointed that fate has taken a different course and I shall no longer have the chance to represent the students of Edinburgh, the campaign has been extraordinarily good fun and that’s the way it goes.
I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who has been involved in the campaign for doing a fantastic job with some pretty unpromising material and I look forward to coming to Edinburgh soon in the course of my duties as Shadow Higher Education spokesman’.
30 Comments
Bad luck old chap, Edinburgh wasn’t good enough for you anyway.
Not happy with your approach to top up fees though; recommend you give it further and serious consideration.
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Commiserations.
Who won? Some doddering octogenarian (who’s probably forgotten where Edinburgh is) or David Beckham? (Edinburgh university scarf sales down perhaps?)
As my father always maintained, There are better fish in the sea than ever come out of it.
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Next time, I suggest advocating kickbacks instead.
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As a student at Edinburgh, I just wanted to thank you for taking an interest in our university and standing as rector, even if the end result was not what some of us hoped.
William
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Democracy? Tact? Honesty? Discretion? Vote?
This was Earth was it?
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Better to have tried and failed etc. If at first you don’t succeed you can get kicked in the whotsits later on too.
However, don’t dwell on the past; look to a future in office. Staring with (preferably) your thoughts, not on these recent hustings, but regarding your man Cameron’s unqualified inability to burst Blair’s bubble of mendacious, sophist, statistical rhetoric at PMQs.
Tell your mates to stop leading with the chin.
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Boris loses race for rector
Bad news for supported of the Boris For Rector campaign – The Telegraph reports he has lost his fight to become Rector of Edinburgh University. I’m sure Boris4Rector will have an update soon, but in the meantime Boris has posted…
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A well-fought campaign and an unfortunate result. Congratulations for raising the profile of this student body in any case; and good luck for your future campaigning.
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I asked on the last education posting, but didn’t get an answer. Why is it that Boris is supporting top-up fees? It seems like he really hasn’t thought things through, but just jumped on somebody else’s policy.
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As a student at Edinburgh, I’m really disappointed that you were unsuccessful. Though I hope there are people looking into the disgraceful behaviour of the NUS and SRC in coming out against you. I’m fairly sure that’s not what they’re there for. Thanks again for a great campaign.
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I LOVE YOU BORIS!!!!
You where great on “Have i got news for you” Please make moe TV apperances.
Thanks
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How do you feel about rich people like me – I would also like to add that I HATE THE STUDENT BODY!!! don’t feel sorry for them!
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Hey Boris,
Sorry you won’t be our rector, but we still think you rock! X
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As a student at Edinburgh, I must admit I didn’t give you my first-preference vote – but you definitely have my sympathy for putting up with the unfair, anti-democratic, negative campaign against you by Ruth Cameron and the SRC. Thanks for running, anyway; you livened up what would otherwise have been a rather dull contest, and providing an alternative viewpoint to the three anti-fees candidates. And I’m sure you learned a few things in the process, too!
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What was the turnout like? I bet it was massive.
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Unfortunately not the Edinburgh massive
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Well fought Boris, well fought.
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James, if indeed you are a real person:
Do you, perhaps, crave the vehement attention of those less frotunate (sic) than yourselfishness?
Does your hatention to the student body derive from some cryptosexual inability to identify with their moontivations?
Just asking.
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Boris,
It was a pleasure to meet you when you visited King’s Buildings. You fought well and in the end it was only a dirty unrepresentative campaign which lost the day. Don’t be a stranger, you will always be welcome in Edinburgh.
Will.
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ben g in responce put: Yes “Ben G” afraid i am real and do fericly crave attention.
You do however forget that this type of media(nonphysical/disassociated) allows for any and all to metaphoricaly “voice” there deepest secrets without, they assume, fear of real world intervention
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And, indeed, to make public asses of themselves.
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Well, you know what Winnie (that’s Churchill, not Mandela) said, possibly shortly before falling down a manhole: if someone is not a liberal before the age of 25 (or whatever – I can’t do the lithp either) he has no heart. Taken to its logical conclusion – given that his older liberal bretheren have no head, according to the great man – we can assume that old Winnie thought the youth airheads. And so, given my experience of many of them, many of them are.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the new rector of Edinburgh, therefore, is maybe Poof Daddy, or some such.
The people have spoken, the fools…
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It’s clever of Boris to write a generous, gracious piece like this…without actually naming the person to whom he lost. Gotta hand it to the man.
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I’ve been trying to work out why so many public-schoolboys have this carefully cultivated unkempt hair (see also Prince Harry) (often goes with shirt hanging out). I think the subtext may be: I’m going to inherit a ton of money and property so I don’t really need to look smart. It’s a secret and perhaps subconscious signal to others from a similar background.
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Isn’t it a Harry Potter fashion thing? Or is Harry’s hair meant to suggest he’s secretly posh?
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Well, he does live in a castle for half the year.
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Slightly but not wholly off-target..
Animal rights protestors are having a demo in Oxford this Saturday. Students and employees in Oxford University and beyond have planned a counter demonstration. They have sought support from the college JCRs (Junior Common Rooms or sort of union locals). In the past these worthies have passed bold resolutions against just about anyone not to the loonier left of George Galloway. Fearless until the end, or at least the last couple of weeks, JCR after JCR is backing down because it fears it might provoke the wrath of ALF (Animal Liberation Fascisti). This is of course the student body that once resolved not to fight for king and country, and Oxford is the place where the Appeasement by election was won by the appeasers in the 1930′s. I suspect most those pushing for appeasement will become BBC satirists and so we should not confuse them with such alumni as our gracious host Boris or a galaxy of other decent souls from Eton or Gasworks Comp. I speak as somewhat of a cowardly custard myself but I find this sickening after all the posturing of various student bodies against various things. Many of you are worried, with some justice about the assault on civil liberties with recent legislation. We are in just as much danger when people who threaten violence against citizens going about their lawful business seem to be able to silence peaceful protests against them.
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If you want the story in the student union newspaper try
http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ht2006wk5/news/jcrs_fear_animal_rights_motions
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Sorry to hog things Melissa and Boris but I think this is important.
The folks organising the demo against the animal rights lot have a website at
http://www.pro-test.org.uk/
Apparently this initiative was started by a 16 year old student called Laurie from Swindon. Who says today’s youth is decadent? More power to your elbow Laurie!
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In todays society of illiterate school leavers perhaps some of those voting actually thought they were voting for a rectum of the university?
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