Comments on: Boris in bicycle fall http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/ Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:46:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Max http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9378 Max Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:30:19 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9378 Boris for PM Boris for PM

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]]> By: raincoaster http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9377 raincoaster Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:20:26 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9377 Jack, I think the Guardian called him The Pale Rider. Should this worry us? Jack, I think the Guardian called him The Pale Rider. Should this worry us?

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]]> By: raincoaster http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9376 raincoaster Thu, 30 Mar 2006 17:29:30 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9376 Melissa, thanks for the update. Unfortunately, my rollerblading tends to go like my posting...I cruise along smoothly for awhile, then somebody cuts me off and I spend the next fifteen minutes throwing references (or just wet newspapers) at him until he backs off. So, no change. If I had any money I'd offer to buy Boris a drink if he's routed through Vancouver; alas, as a good socialist I of course have none. Maybe I can talk the Irish Heather into letting me run a tab? Will keep you posted. Melissa, thanks for the update. Unfortunately, my rollerblading tends to go like my posting…I cruise along smoothly for awhile, then somebody cuts me off and I spend the next fifteen minutes throwing references (or just wet newspapers) at him until he backs off. So, no change.

If I had any money I’d offer to buy Boris a drink if he’s routed through Vancouver; alas, as a good socialist I of course have none. Maybe I can talk the Irish Heather into letting me run a tab? Will keep you posted.

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]]> By: Melissa http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9375 Melissa Thu, 30 Mar 2006 11:30:13 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9375 raincoaster Boris not fully recovered enough to ride bike. He's off to China next week, so that should give him a rest from London traffic and he should come back all the stronger for it. Thanks for asking ps your rollerblading sounds kl and I can see you slickly weaving your way through the morass of people/obstacles and gliding from a to b effortlessly - you genie raincoaster

Boris not fully recovered enough to ride bike. He’s off to China next week, so that should give him a rest from London traffic and he should come back all the stronger for it.

Thanks for asking

ps your rollerblading sounds kl and I can see you slickly weaving your way through the morass of people/obstacles and gliding from a to b effortlessly – you genie

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]]> By: Jack Ramsey http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9374 Jack Ramsey Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:36:42 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9374 We are all tourists in the Great World of Life raincoster and it is often our fate to be run down by the Blond Reaper on the Bicycle of Destiny. Having said that I am a signatory to the Great Charter of the PTL. There used to be game on I Haven't a Clue which was advice for tourists in London. Some good bits I remember are Have you tried the famous echo in the British Library Reading Room? London cab drivers love to haggle over the fare. 'Pig' is an affectionate piece of Cockney slang used to address policemen. I suppose the latest is that the shadow Minister for HE likes to cycle around the capital incognito so he can chat to ordinary people but he really loves it if you recognise him and jump in front of his bike. We are all tourists in the Great World of Life raincoster and it is often our fate to be run down by the Blond Reaper on the Bicycle of Destiny.

Having said that I am a signatory to the Great Charter of the PTL.

There used to be game on I Haven’t a Clue which was advice for tourists in London. Some good bits I remember are

Have you tried the famous echo in the British Library Reading Room?

London cab drivers love to haggle over the fare.

‘Pig’ is an affectionate piece of Cockney slang used to address policemen.

I suppose the latest is that the shadow Minister for HE likes to cycle around the capital incognito so he can chat to ordinary people but he really loves it if you recognise him and jump in front of his bike.

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]]> By: raincoaster http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9373 raincoaster Wed, 29 Mar 2006 23:11:52 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9373 Jack, I thought this was the thread to show support for the Protection from Tourists League. Can we count on your support? Jack, I thought this was the thread to show support for the Protection from Tourists League. Can we count on your support?

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]]> By: Macarnie http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9372 Macarnie Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:15:25 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9372 Jack :<i>socialist economies are wasteful</i>. Never a truer word spoken, especially about the pseudo post-modernist socialist society, such as the one in which we live. You missed one country out of the list you made in Re.category of government. Market economy with neo communistic tendecies : viz The UK . One man thinks he sits on God's right hand . He at No 11 thinks he is God. Jack :socialist economies are wasteful. Never a truer word spoken, especially about the pseudo post-modernist socialist society, such as the one in which we live.

You missed one country out of the list you made in Re.category of government. Market economy with neo communistic tendecies : viz The UK .

One man thinks he sits on God’s right hand . He at No 11 thinks he is God.

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]]> By: Jack Ramsey http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9371 Jack Ramsey Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:39:53 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9371 I believe that Trotsky one characterised the Soviet Union as having a socialist economy with a fascist political structure. (The old boy had the occasional insight). This is a double no-no. If we are insisting on boolean dimensions then we can have socialist economy + fascist political structure (Soviet Union) market economy + fascist political structure (arguably Nazi Germany though National Socialist policies did have a significant socialist content, more likely Musso's Italy, China today) socialist economy + open society political structure (Western Europe at current stage, India, Chile) market economy + open society political structure (USA, Japan) However I prefer continuous dimensions with the odd singularity and of course there is not really independence between the axes.. A pure market economy is not a priori morally better than a pure socialist one but experience seems to indicate that socialist economies are wasteful. It might be possible for a sufficiently authoritarian command economy (located nearer the socialist/fascist area than many others) to respond to climate change by oppressive means where the living standards of the masses are reduced drastically. However it seems more likely that a liberal capitalist economy, located not at the market extreme of the economy axis and with an open society political system prepared to intervene in the economy carefully by making green issues an objective force in the market, will be successful. What's this thread about again? I believe that Trotsky one characterised the Soviet Union as having a socialist economy with a fascist political structure. (The old boy had the occasional insight). This is a double no-no. If we are insisting on boolean dimensions then we can have

socialist economy + fascist political structure (Soviet Union)

market economy + fascist political structure (arguably Nazi Germany though National Socialist policies did have a significant socialist content, more likely Musso’s Italy, China today)

socialist economy + open society political structure (Western Europe at current stage, India, Chile)

market economy + open society political structure (USA, Japan)

However I prefer continuous dimensions with the odd singularity and of course there is not really independence between the axes..

A pure market economy is not a priori morally better than a pure socialist one but experience seems to indicate that socialist economies are wasteful. It might be possible for a sufficiently authoritarian command economy (located nearer the socialist/fascist area than many others) to respond to climate change by oppressive means where the living standards of the masses are reduced drastically. However it seems more likely that a liberal capitalist economy, located not at the market extreme of the economy axis and with an open society political system prepared to intervene in the economy carefully by making green issues an objective force in the market, will be successful.

What’s this thread about again?

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]]> By: Macarnie http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9370 Macarnie Wed, 29 Mar 2006 13:59:13 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9370 Yes raincoaster , < i> we </i> know that , but talk to the people on the ground, as I have done over the decades, and they were all under the impression, ( because they were told so) , that they lived in a socialist Heaven or hell, where they had a vegetable every week. One week was cabbage week ( again) in East germany, and if you had youir ration cat=-rds , and had been good to the authorities , next week you'd be excused cabbage, and would have sauerkraut instead.They couldnt wait for the monthly allowed delivery ,( if you had relatives in The Bundes -republik), of coffee. Whatever the reality; it all went under the banner of socialism. Yes raincoaster , < i> we know that , but talk to the people on the ground, as I have done over the decades, and they were all under the impression, ( because they were told so) , that they lived in a socialist Heaven or hell, where they had a vegetable every week. One week was cabbage week ( again) in East germany, and if you had youir ration cat=-rds , and had been good to the authorities , next week you’d be excused cabbage, and would have sauerkraut instead.They couldnt wait for the monthly allowed delivery ,( if you had relatives in The Bundes -republik), of coffee. Whatever the reality; it all went under the banner of socialism.

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]]> By: raincoaster http://www.boris-johnson.com/2006/03/17/boris-in-bicycle-fall/comment-page-5/#comment-9369 raincoaster Wed, 29 Mar 2006 13:40:01 +0000 http://80.82.117.242/?p=255#comment-9369 Mac, good heavens, the USSR was no more socialist than Tony Blair! The USSR was Fascist, and Blair is, of course, doctrinaire Opportunist. Mac, good heavens, the USSR was no more socialist than Tony Blair! The USSR was Fascist, and Blair is, of course, doctrinaire Opportunist.

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