Political Frailty

[msc 18,397]

25 minutes ago, Toast said:

 

I'd completely forgotten him.

At the time he had a bit of a reputation as a boring but reliable cabinet minister who just did their job.

 

Christ, I've missed those after the last decade!

[Szabaka 93]

Berkshire Hathaway's board of directors have been dropping dead

 

https://www.wsj.com/business/berkshire-hathaway-board-investors-6b6e44a0?st=x0y6mu4m6anf23x&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

 

[maryportfuncity 10,616]

3 hours ago, msc said:

Alistair Darling dead!!

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/30/alistair-darling-dead-former-chancellor-labour-aged-70/

 

Worth a trawl in the obits for a few details

 

Fond of a spliff in his younger days, and partial to prog and classic rock incl. Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Leonard Cohen and - recently - The Killers

 

 

 

 

[RoverAndOut 4,726]

3 hours ago, msc said:

Alistair Darling dead!!

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/30/alistair-darling-dead-former-chancellor-labour-aged-70/

 

Sad about this, seemed a very solid and trustworthy hand on the tiller and the job he and Brown did on preventing financial armageddon in 2008 will only become more highly regarded as history moves on, especially when contrasted with the cluster fuck of last year. As you said, oh to have him in charge of the economy now!

[DCI Frank Burnside 3,870]

Once referred to as the bearded Trot by Neil Kinnock

[prussianblue 1,003]

On 29/11/2023 at 15:49, Ulitzer95 said:

 

Norman Irons and James Douglas-Hamilton died just a few days apart and were both candidates for the Edinburgh West seat at the 1987 UK General Election. Hamilton narrowly held the seat against his Liberal challenger, Derek G. King (b. 1949), who seems to still be alive. The fourth candidate, Labour's Mike McGregor (former Edinburgh councillor, b. 1940), is not only still alive too, but has just tweeted about their deaths:
 

 

Now two days later we have the death of Alistair Darling, the successful candidate in the neighbouring constituency of Edinburgh Central in 1987. 

[Deathrace 1,161]

1 hour ago, prussianblue said:

 

Now two days later we have the death of Alistair Darling, the successful candidate in the neighbouring constituency of Edinburgh Central in 1987. 

I'm beginning to think Malcolm Rifkind and Michael Ancram might wish to get their affairs in order if the Reaper's cull of ageing former Edinburgh MPs continues. 

[prussianblue 1,003]

59 minutes ago, Deathrace said:

I'm beginning to think Malcolm Rifkind and Michael Ancram might wish to get their affairs in order if the Reaper's cull of ageing former Edinburgh MPs continues. 

 

Ancram is a good source of trivia. His surname isn't actually Ancram. Family name is Kerr, but he was the Earl of Ancram until he succeeded as Marquess of Lothian in 2004. He could remain in the Commons after that because hereditary peers no longer have an automatic right to sit in the Lords. He's in the Lords now, not because he's a marquess, but because he now also has a life peerage. He's the only marquess in the Lords.

[Deathrace 1,161]

5 minutes ago, prussianblue said:

 

Ancram is a good source of trivia. His surname isn't actually Ancram. Family name is Kerr, but he was the Earl of Ancram until he succeeded as Marquess of Lothian in 2004. He could remain in the Commons after that because hereditary peers no longer have an automatic right to sit in the Lords. He's in the Lords now, not because he's a marquess, but because he now also has a life peerage. He's the only marquess in the Lords.

OK, the artist formerly known as Michael Ancram might wish to be on his guard. 

[Deathrace 1,161]

It must have been a very aggressive form of cancer that did for Darling as Alastair Campbell said he saw him recently and he didn't appear unwell and George Osborne is quoted as saying he didn't even know Darling was ill. 

[YoungWillz 20,919]

On 29/11/2023 at 20:35, YoungWillz said:

James Couchman, Tory MP for Gillingham (1983-97) reportedly dead here: https://www.politicshome.com/members/profile/association-of-former-members-of-parliament/remembrance-of-departed-colleagues

Date of death for James Couchman confirmed as 16th November: https://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/marketplace/advert/couchman-notices_54641

[Thatcher 2,340]

Baroness Glenys Kinnock dead aged 79. Former MEP for Wales from 1994 - 2009, and Member of the House of Lords from 2009 - 2021. Wife of former Labour Leader Neil Kinnock, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017.

 

Obituaries: BBC, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Telegraph, Metro, Guardian and The Times.

[YoungWillz 20,919]

4 minutes ago, Thatcher said:

Baroness Glenys Kinnock dead aged 79. Former MEP for Wales from 1994 - 2009, and Member of the House of Lords from 2009 - 2021.

DDP pick.

[Commtech Sio Bibble 2,008]

11 minutes ago, Thatcher said:

Baroness Glenys Kinnock dead aged 79. Former MEP for Wales from 1994 - 2009, and Member of the House of Lords from 2009 - 2021. Wife of former Labour Leader Neil Kinnock, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017.

At this rate I'm just not going to have a list for next year, 5th person from my shortlist to die this week.

[RoverAndOut 4,726]

8 minutes ago, Commtech Sio Bibble said:

At this rate I'm just not going to have a list for next year, 5th person from my shortlist to die this week.

 

It was a good shortlist then! Just a bit too good. 

[Sean 6,282]

1 hour ago, YoungWillz said:

DDP pick.

Unique for my no more expenses theme team.

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,328]

7 minutes ago, Sean said:

Unique for my no more expenses theme team.

Given her dementia diagnosis  I'm very surprised she was  a unique  pick but well done.  

[Grimgrass 510]

On 20/10/2020 at 13:02, arghton said:

Elsi Hetemäki-Olander (b. 1927) Parliament member 1970-1991. Didn't serve.

Elsi Hetemäki-Olander dead at 96.

[NJD123 26]

6 hours ago, Thatcher said:

Baroness Glenys Kinnock dead aged 79. Former MEP for Wales from 1994 - 2009, and Member of the House of Lords from 2009 - 2021. Wife of former Labour Leader Neil Kinnock, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017.

 

Obituaries: BBC, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Telegraph, Metro, Guardian and The Times.

 Diagnosed in 2017 and stood down from the Lords in 2021? Was she voting on legislation while living with Alzheimer's for four years? 

 

At least the Americans kicked up a fuss with the whole Diane Feinstein situation.

[Youth in Asia 1,082]

21 hours ago, Thatcher said:

Baroness Glenys Kinnock dead aged 79. Former MEP for Wales from 1994 - 2009, and Member of the House of Lords from 2009 - 2021. Wife of former Labour Leader Neil Kinnock, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017.

 

Obituaries: BBC, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Telegraph, Metro, Guardian and The Times.

The original champagne socialist.

After a career of selflessly working to help the poor, Neil and Glenys retired with a taxpayer-funded pension pot of around £4.4m, given them around £200k per year to live on. Isn't it ironic ...

 

[Gisooo 3,259]

On 02/08/2022 at 22:10, arghton said:

Herbert Weiz (1924) Minister of Science and Technology of East Germany 1974-1989. Alive?

 

Yes he was alive

 

Herbert Weiz (Wiki) dead at 99

[Grimgrass 510]

On 20/10/2020 at 13:02, arghton said:

Sakari Knuuttila (b. 1930) Parliament member 1966-1991.

Sakari Knuuttila now dead as well.

[Ulitzer95 12,431]

David Wilshire (wiki), British Conservative MP for Spelthorne (1987–2010), dead at 80.

Telegraph obit.

Died back on 31 October but only reported now. Very controversial figure – he was the architect of Section 28. Later got fucked by the expenses scandal in 2009 and was forced to stand down.

[YoungWillz 20,919]

42 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

David Wilshire (wiki), British Conservative MP for Spelthorne (1987–2010), dead at 80.

Telegraph obit.

Died back on 31 October but only reported now. Very controversial figure – he was the architect of Section 28. Later got fucked by the expenses scandal in 2009 and was forced to stand down.

And good riddance.

[Joey Russ 7,210]

On 28/08/2019 at 15:22, gcreptile said:

Former South Dakota Senator Larry Pressler has bladder cancer:

https://kfgo.com/news/articles/2019/aug/28/former-senator-pressler-treated-for-bladder-cancer/931798/

 

He says he's currently in remission, but at 77.... well, you have to die of something eventually. 

Y’all have Larry Pressler in your dead pool? Too bad, his wife died instead