UK's Tory Party leader's son dies...

[MinionZombie]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090225/...s-45dbed5.html Very sad news, the poor kid was severely disabled (cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy). Incidentally, the PM's son has cystic fibrosis (sp?) - again, that was sad news when it was annoucned - regardless of your political affiliations, I don't think anyone would wish such things on our political leaders and their families.

[Mike70]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090225/...s-45dbed5.html Very sad news, the poor kid was severely disabled (cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy). Incidentally, the PM's son has cystic fibrosis (sp?) - again, that was sad news when it was annoucned - regardless of your political affiliations, I don't think anyone would wish such things on our political leaders and their families. i wouldn't wish this sort of thing on anyone, no matter how i felt about them - not even my worst enemy. as a parent, stories like this really cut into me and i feel really sad for anybody that has to go through the loss of a child. i can't even imagine and it fills me with horror to even think about such a thing. if you think stories like this make you sad now, just wait until you have kids. they take on a whole new dimension when you read about things like this then look at your own kids. sounds like this kid had a rough, rough time of it in his short life. hopefully, he's found some peace now.

[MinionZombie]

sounds like this kid had a rough, rough time of it in his short life. hopefully, he's found some peace now. Indeed, daily seizures pretty much - but he had round the clock care, and a loving family who are lucky enough to be able to provide for him. It's quite touching to hear the story about how when the kid was put onto a new kind of medication (after the stuff he was on basically stopped him responding to anything), he "got his smile back", and we heard how David Cameron came bounding into his office with a bit smile saying that his kid got his smile back ... I found that particularly touching. And also, as has been said on the news, it's the irony of ironies that the person who can understand most what DC's going through right now, is PM Gordon Brown - whose first born died after being premature, and has another kid with cystic fibrosis (sp?) - DC and GB are deep political enemies, and have had many heated exchanges in the House of Commons. ... Not to slander Brown, but there'd been talk in the press that Brown (or Brown's office) had tried to ban David Cameron (leader of the Conservative Party, aka "Her Majesty's Opposition" at the moment) from an event that took place yesterday afternoon - an unveiling of a new portrait of Lady Thatcher (previous leader of the Conservative Party, and ex-Prime Minister) - Thatcher's office put DC's name back on the list and that stayed - but obviously DC wasn't there yesterday afternoon after this awful event. My point being - be it either Brown, or his office, or both - I hope it makes them think about how pathetic they were being in trying to block DC simply because GB and him don't get along whatsoever (it's not the first time the GB office has tried to block a Tory from sitting next to him at the same event). ... Anyway - I hope that bit of silliness has been thoroughly put in perspective for those who were trying to block DC at that event. ... Back on course though, it's an awful thing, and I'd never wish anyone to go through that. just wait until you have kids. they take on a whole new dimension when you read about things like this then look at your own kids. I can certainly imagine. Since attending a funeral for the first time in 2005, death has taken on a very different power with me - like, there's an advert for a Channel 4 documentary going round at the moment about one day in Britain showing a baby born, a couple married, and a person being buried - and there's a shot of this one guy absolutely balling his eyes out in sorrow, and then a clip of him being interviewed about not being able to help the person who died - that just cuts me up, whereas it wouldn't have beforehand. Or things like reading about the Children's hospice type place (where kids are taken to die, basically, their families by their side) in Scotland that Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman went to visit when they were doing the Long Way Down motorbike trip (this was in the Long Way Down book that accompanied the TV show) - that cut me up too. So I can fully understand/expect stories such as this to affect me in a wholly different/more powerful manner when/if I have kids somewhere down the line ... although hopefully not for a good decade or more (i.e. not having kids till then I mean).

[SymphonicX]

really sad news - I'll only level one criticism about the whole thing... Saw one of their "family friends" on the news who nonchalantly mentioned "yeah this brought the camerons down to earth, they spent a lot of time in the hospital mixing with sects of society that they normally would have nothing to do with". You really want that guy running the country? Still, condolances to him and his family suffering through this horrible situation, a real tragedy.

[Mike70]

i actually liked brown (and believed that politicians are actually humans) for a moment after watching this vid. on a separate tip: does william hauge look more like a soccer hooligan than a politician or is it just me?

[Tricky]

You really want that guy running the country? He's extremely preferable to the current arsehole in charge,he certainly cant be any worse

[MinionZombie]

He's extremely preferable to the current arsehole in charge,he certainly cant be any worse I don't understand the jip that Cameron gets - all politicians either are priveleged, or become priveleged. It's about having good policies, and being a good leader. Brown has conducted a cluster fuck in my view, and Britain simply needs a change - basically, we need what America got - no, not Obama, nor Obamarama - just some bloomin' change. Anyway - I don't look upon the 'sects of society' thing jadedly - besides that was someone else saying it, not Cameron - but it is true - I don't mix with folks in the underclass, but likewise I don't mix with anyone from the upper class. Health brings everyone to a level playing field - and it brought him directly into contact with other people, and importantly, it developed DC's outlook on life in general, and the NHS. Although this view from some that Tory's would want shot of the NHS is complete bullshine, especially these days - all they want is for it to be run properly - that's the key. ... Anyway, I'm getting into a rant here, and getting skewed off topic - which isn't really the right thing for this thread. Mike - William Hague (who actually used to be leader of the Conservatives), is one of their top figures (and indeed most respected) - and funnily enough, he was/is known for having downing several to fourteen pints in a session, hehe. That always makes me chuckle ... Britain and booze, eh? And I guess you've not seen many football hooligans eh? Blimey, some of the ones in this country are like skanky cliff faces ... but they're amazingly human beings.

[Mike70]

Mike - William Hague (who actually used to be leader of the Conservatives), is one of their top figures (and indeed most respected) - and funnily enough, he was/is known for having downing several to fourteen pints in a session, hehe. That always makes me chuckle ... Britain and booze, eh? And I guess you've not seen many football hooligans eh? Blimey, some of the ones in this country are like skanky cliff faces ... but they're amazingly human beings. no, we don't have many football hooligans over here. hauge looks to me like a dude who'd be more comfortable in a bar fight than debating in the house of commons.

[krakenslayer]

no, we don't have many football hooligans over here. hauge looks to me like a dude who'd be more comfortable in a bar fight than debating in the house of commons. The thing about football holliganism in the UK, though, is that it's not just an small(ish) concentrated group like the KKK. Sure, there are a hard core of organised hooligans who belong to various "football casuals" (i.e. street thug) gangs, but the problem extends into the general public as well - probably as much as 50% of the adult male population in some deprived areas will have been involved in opportunistic football-related violence at some point... For example, a bunch of drunk guys have just watched their favourite team take a beating, while walking home they some guys wearing the shirts of the winning team, the two groups exchange insults and the scene ends with someone's head cracked open on the pavement. In places like Glasgow, the situation is intensified by the fact that football allegiances are usually related to deep seated cultural, political and religious divisions - Glasgow Celtic has long been associated with fans of Irish Catholic descent (and therefore with therefore with Irish republicanism and anti-British sentiment) whereas Glasgow Rangers are usually associated with British-loyalist Orange Order Protestants. In Glasgow, there are certain rough areas where you cannot go if you happen to be wearing a blue shirt, and other areas where people actually dye their lawns blue. It's insane.

[Mike70]

The thing about football holliganism in the UK, though, is that it's not just an small(ish) concentrated group like the KKK. Sure, there are a hard core of organised hooligans who belong to various "football casuals" (i.e. street thug) gangs, but the problem extends into the general public as well - probably as much as 50% of the adult male population in some deprived areas will have been involved in opportunistic football-related violence at some point... For example, a bunch of drunk guys have just watched their favourite team take a beating, while walking home they some guys wearing the shirts of the winning team, the two groups exchange insults and the scene ends with someone's head cracked open on the pavement. In places like Glasgow, the situation is intensified by the fact that football allegiances are usually related to deep seated cultural, political and religious divisions - Glasgow Celtic has long been associated with fans of Irish Catholic descent (and therefore with therefore with Irish republicanism and anti-British sentiment) whereas Glasgow Rangers are usually associated with British-loyalist Orange Order Protestants. In Glasgow, there are certain rough areas where you cannot go if you happen to be wearing a blue shirt, and other areas where people actually dye their lawns blue. It's insane. it's a fucked up, crazy world we live in isn't it? some morons go after people because of the color of their skin (like the KKK, all of whom should be covered in honey and fed to fire ants. yes, that is a blanket generalization but one that fits, there isn't a single redeeming quality about anyone associated with the KKK) and other cretins attack people based on the color of shirt they happen to be wearing. my great hope for anyone in the KKK is that their children grow up, all become catholics, pursue a career in civil rights law and develop a taste for brown sugar.