# British politicians have no dignity (and that's why I like them) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406 "2003-08-20T11:40:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/1 "2003-08-20T11:40:58Z")
Here’s the story: inspired by a picture of rabid racist politician, the late Enoch Powell, on a pogo stick, a high school kid wrote to hundreds of British politicians to see if they’d been photographed doing equally silly things. He got more than 80 replies, some with pictures. He’s set up a [website](http://www.statesmanorskatesman.co.uk) to collate the results. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/2 "2003-08-20T12:30:28Z")
Very entertaining. Personally, I would have paid good money to see Enoch Powell on a stick when he was alive. Who’d have thought it – Jim Callaghan a sk8rboi? Apparently not even Jim himself. But I was shocked to hear that Norman Tebbit has never been on a bicycle; was that not a family tradition amongst the Tebbits? ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/3 "2003-08-20T12:40:42Z")
Margaret Thatcher seems to be having fun… maybe not as much fun as the guy sitting behind her, though 😃 ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/4 "2003-08-21T10:44:45Z")
I find it hard to believe that that media-whore Jeffrey Archer hasn’t been photographed doing _at least_ one of those activities listed. He couldn’t possibly be lying could he??? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/5 "2003-08-21T10:48:42Z")
And looking further I’m bloody impressed that Teddy Taylor managed to blame silly photos of Politicians on the EU! Damn Europeans… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/6 "2003-08-21T12:10:13Z")
Archer? Lying? No, no, I won’t have that. Does a lot of great works for charidee, blah, blah. Did you notice how he was referred to in the _Facts and Figures_ section? I’m surprised he didn’t claim to have invented the BMX bike. Taylor is actually insane isn’t he? Talk about monomania. I’m surprised Lembit Opik was the only Lib Dem photographed riding a bike too, but [Denis Healy on a death slide](http://www.statesmanorskatesman.co.uk/healey1.jpg) takes first prize IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/7 "2003-08-21T12:57:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > Denis Healy on a death slide This is my new all-purpose curse: e.g. **Stubs his toe** Argh! Dennis Healy on a f\*cking Deathslide! ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/8 "2003-08-21T13:39:49Z")
Did none of the politicians write back to point out that, for an A level student, his simple ‘formal’ letter contained 5 grammatical errors? However, I note that the letter from Thatcher’s lackey has an glaring grammatical error in it too. And Healy’s is just illegible. Apparently everyone these days is out on rollerskates rather than learning how to write proper!!! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/9 "2003-08-21T13:49:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > Apparently everyone these days is out on rollerskates rather than learning how to write proper!!! :mad: \ This the fault of the EU - they’ve taken power in Education away from the local level and… \ ---
**Author:** ![RedNaxela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ad7895/32.png) [@RedNaxela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedNaxela)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/10 "2003-08-21T14:32:16Z")
Also, apparently everyone these days is using smilies rather than learning how to write proper_ly_!!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/11 "2003-08-21T14:42:58Z")
It’s true enough that Jason’s letter was badly written, with numerous punctuation errors to add to the grammatical ones. Many of the replies were almost as bad, but I think it would have been a bit cheeky of the pols to slag off his English (whatever they may have thought privately). Surely it’s understandable that a reply to that sort of letter should have been written hastily, and the handwriting of people who write as much as they do is unlikely to be neat. It’s not very entertaining to read the dreary replies from the likes of Blair and Short, but I’d have been more worried if they’d had time to spare reminiscing about fun on wheels let alone criticise a schoolboy’s grammar. All the same, I nominate [Baron Mackay of Clashfern](http://www.statesmanorskatesman.co.uk/mackay.jpg) for the Rowley Birkett award. I get the impression Jason’s letter may have been his only communication from the outside world since the mid '90s. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/12 "2003-08-21T14:57:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > I nominate [Baron Mackay of Clashfern](http://www.statesmanorskatesman.co.uk/mackay.jpg) for the Rowley Birkett award. I get the impression Jason’s letter may have been his only communication from the outside world since the mid '90s. I get the feeling that Baron Mackay is about a paragraph short of bursting into an Uncle Albert-esque “During the War…” ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-politicians-have-no-dignity-and-thats-why-i-like-them/196406/13 "2003-08-21T17:25:16Z")
I’d say about a sentence short.