Jump to content
Guest Goldeneye-69

Political Frailty

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, Ulitzer95 said:

@arghton, had a look at the other 2 names.

Can't find anything for George Hillman, but given that he set his first company up in the 1940s, he's likely deceased.
William Ruder died in February 2011, aged 89. NY Times death notice.

@YoungWillz, yeah you're probably right. The enemies list was part of the whole Watergate incident. I'm sure you remember the whole thing well. ;)

Oi!

 

First President I was aware of was Ford, although Carter is more memorable. 

 

But yeah, join the ranks of posters ready to attack me for a reasonable enquiry! Or indeed any post. :P

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@arghton, just noticed I missed one from your list.

George Drennen Fischer is still alive. Born November 19, 1925 in Iowa according to the official records.

A residency search brings up a George Drennen Fischer, 95, living in Norwalk, Iowa as of 2021.

Means he's the 2nd oldest living survivor of the Masterlist after Ted Knap, who turns 101 tomorrow.

BTW, back to James H. Laird... the October 1964 edition of Newsweek says he was 45 then, so born c. 1919.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
22 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

 

Was once banned from wearing an Iron Maiden shirt by Bercow.

 

MP banned from Maiden T-shirt in House of Commons - BBC News

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 14/05/2021 at 22:50, arghton said:

Some politicians may be full of crap, but that list has a couple of horrible names:

 

...

8. Lubomír Štrougal (b. 1924) Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia 1970-1988. During his tenure, the secret service obtained forced "confessions" by means of torture, including the use of psychoactive drugs, blackmail and kidnapping.

...

 

"Štrougal and Vajnar will not be prosecuted for shooting at the border, the public prosecutor's office decided
18. 5. 2021

The suspension of the prosecution of the former top representatives of the communist regime, Lubomír Štrougal and Vratislav Vajnar, which concerned the use of firearms on the Czechoslovak border, is final. The decision was made by the Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Prague, which agreed with the experts' conclusion that both the former Prime Minister and the former Minister of the Interior suffer from a mental illness that makes it impossible for them to understand the meaning of criminal proceedings. 
Strougal is ninety-six years old and Vajnar is ninety years old. The Police Office for the Documentation and Investigation of the Crimes of Communism (ÚDV) began prosecuting them in November 2019. He blamed the men for the abuse of power, for which they threatened two to ten years in prison. The office also accused the former general secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Miloš Jakeš, who subsequently died at the age of 97."

Google translator isn't perfect but this article gives me the picture that Lubomír Štrougal is so senile that he doesn't understand why he was accused of crimes (or is faking it)

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 28/04/2021 at 18:47, arghton said:

Has been absent from political talks recently. Vanhanen had kidney cancer a few years ago and had an open-heart surgery in 2019.

Matti Vanhanen soon no longer the Minister of Finance due to heart-related problems:

https://www.iltalehti.fi/politiikka/a/ea016433-7df2-45e4-a004-67da9ff4e3ea

Says that this summer is "precious" for him.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 06/05/2021 at 18:37, Thatcher said:

Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives (2008-2012) and current Speaker of the Parliament, hospitalised following an explosion (probable car bomb) near his residence. 

Discharged.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
24 minutes ago, gcreptile said:

Scottish MP for Glasgow West Ruth Maguire has Cervical cancer:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-57221076

 

"Serious, but treatable", stage 3.

 

 

*MSP for Cunninghame South. It's in Ayrshire in on the south west of Scotland.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, msc said:

 

*MSP for Cunninghame South. It's in Ayrshire in on the south west of Scotland.

Woops, I saw Glasgow in the headline, thought that would be it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, gcreptile said:

Woops, I saw Glasgow in the headline, thought that would be it.

 

The BBC's Glasgow and West section seems to be everything from Glasgow to the borders and islands. Quite often you'll see a big "local" story only to find its 60 miles down the road.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Former Tunisian minister of the Interior 1970-1971 Ahmed Mestiri has died aged 95.

 

Tunisian Ministers of the Interior seem to pretty often live to 90+, recently one died aged 100 (Othman Kechrid, interior minister 1979-1980).

 

There are two Bourguiba era (1957-1987, lived 1903-2000) ministers of the interior still alive:

 

1973-1977 interior minister Tahar Belkhojda will be 90 on 9th of June.

1980-1984 interior minister Driss Guiga will be 97 this year.

 

https://lapresse.tn/83852/a-batons-rompus-avec-driss-guiga-jai-essaye-de-convertir-ghannouchi-au-bourguibisme-cela-na-pas-marche-il-a-essaye-de-me-convertir-a-lislamisme-et-cela-n/

Guiga article from 2021

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Been told that Harry Greenway (wiki), 86, former Conservative MP for Ealing North (1979–1997) is in the final stages of dementia. Diagnosed about a decade ago.

Easy scoring for the DDP... if he even makes it to next year.

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Been told that Harry Greenway (wiki), 86, former Conservative MP for Ealing North (1979–1997) is in the final stages of dementia. Diagnosed about a decade ago.

Easy scoring for the DDP... if he even makes it to next year.

Don't know much about him, bribery scandal disappeared.

 

All I know is he is a deeply Christian person who believed in beating children at school by the reintroduction of corporal punishment and seems to have had a fetish for hospital matrons.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
38 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

Don't know much about him, bribery scandal disappeared.

 

All I know is he is a deeply Christian person who believed in beating children at school by the reintroduction of corporal punishment and seems to have had a fetish for hospital matrons.


A lot of the MPs in those days believed in that. Changed times. I can't think of any who advocate it today.

An excuse to post this. :D
 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:


A lot of the MPs in those days believed in that. Changed times. I can't think of any who advocate it today.

Whether Greenway changed is of course another matter. While in Parliament he supported the Thatcher regime, blindly thinking from his comfortable parliamentary seat that Scottish public officials were paid more handsomely than those even in his own borough (North South divide forgotten about!), supported Bill Cash's first attempt in 1996 to force a referendum on the EU, and consistently seemed more concerned about horse welfare and bridlepaths than those of humans (commend or condemn? Ha!).

 

Alternatively, there is no doubt he was a champion for the excellence of children in schools as a former teacher and consistently questioned the support given to the Church Commissioners and the lack of parking in London. He seemed equivocal on whether Portillo would (or should?) get the Kensington nomination after Portillo coughed to his homosexual past (albeit Greenway was no longer an MP then). 

 

Yes, I have done a little more reading.

 

But it is what you have the opportunity to do in power and with power that matters, not whether hindsight or changed times when you are out of office relieves you of your recorded position.

 

He's probably forgotten it all or most of it now, by the sounds of it. May he achieve succour from his faith and the God he believes in welcome him home in due course.

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 10/01/2020 at 12:28, Ulitzer95 said:

Agreed that a lot of them have been dropping off recently.

Thought I'd take this opportunity to look at how many WWII veterans from the three strands of government in the U.S. are still with us.

There are still 15 living formers members of the House of Representatives who served:

b. 1919: Lester L. Wolff
b. 1920: Neal Edward Smith
b. 1921: Mike McCormack
b. 1923: Bob Dole, Al Quie
b. 1924: Frank Joseph Guarini, Weston E. Vivian
b. 1925: Fletcher Thompson, G. William Whitehurst, Lucien Nedzi
b. 1926: J. Roy Rowland, Elwood Hillis, Earl Hutto, Mark Andrews, Robert J. Lagomarsino
b. 1927: Benjamin B. Blackburn, Arthur Ravenel Jr., Austin Murphy, Bud Brown, Edwin Edwards, Jim Weaver, James W. Symington

There are just 3 living Senators who served (they are also the top 3 oldest living):
b. 1923: James Buckley, Bob Dole (also listed above)
b. 1925: Daniel Evans
b. 1926: Mark Andrews (also listed above)
b. 1927: John Warner

There are 11 living Governors who served:
b. 1921: John Malcolm Patterson
b. 1922: Wayne Mixson
b. 1923: William Winter, Al Quie (also listed above), Linwood Holton
b. 1924: Dale E. Wolf, Jimmy Carter
b. 1925: Ted Schwinden, Daniel Evans (also listed above)
b. 1926: George Ariyoshi
b. 1927: Phil Batt, George Nigh, Winfield Dunn, Edwin Edwards (also listed above)

Jimmy Carter (also listed above) is of course the only living President who served. There are no living Vice Presidents who served.

3 living members of the Cabinet who served:

Johnson administrationAlan Stephenson Boyd (b. 1922), Ramsey Clark (b. 1927)
Nixon administration: Henry Kissinger (b. 1923), George Shultz (b. 1920)
Ford administration: Henry Kissinger (b. 1923, also listed above)
Carter administration: Charles Duncan (b. 1926), Ray Marshall (b. 1928)
Reagan administrationGeorge Shultz (b. 1920, also listed above) NONE!

No living justices of the Supreme Court who served following the death of John Paul Stevens (1920–2019).

As far as I know, these are complete. I will do the UK (Commons and Lords) when I get time, but that will probably involve more research.


Updated list for the deaths of Wolff and Warner.

27 names remaining (there were 41 in January 2020 when I started this list).

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 30/04/2021 at 14:47, arghton said:

There's a lot of talk about the oldest state leaders alive...but what about the earliest ones alive?

 

1940s

1943 - Simeon II (b. 1937) Tsar of Bulgaria (1943-1946) and later Prime Minister of Bulgaria (2001-2005). Earliest living former state leader.

 

1950s

1950 - Gyanendra (b. 1947) King of Nepal 1950-1951 and later 2001-2008

1952 - Elizabeth II (b. 1926) Queen of the United Kingdom (1952-present) Currently longest ruling state leader and monarch.

Fuad II (b. 1952) King of Egypt and Sudan (1952-1953)

1954 - Mustafa Ben Halim (b. 1921) Prime Minister of Libya (1954-1957) Oldest living state leader, earliest non-royal head of a country.

1956 - Queen Sirikit (b. 1932) Queen Regent of Thailand (1956)

 

1960s

1960 - César Yanes Urías (b. 1920) and Rene Fortín Magaña (1931-2020) El Salvador junta members 1960-1961

1963 - Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar (b. 1929) Sultan of Zanzibar (1963-1964)

1964 - Constantine II (b. 1940) King of the Hellenes (1964-1973)

Trần Thiện Khiêm (b. 1925) South Vietnam Member of the Provisional Leadership Committee (1964) and Prime Minister (1969–1975)

Kenneth Kaunda (b. 1924) President of Zambia (1964-1991)

1965 - Pié Masumbuko (b. 1931) Acting Prime Minister of Burundi (1965)

1966 - Yakubu Gowon (b. 1934) and Emmanuel E Ikwue (b. 1940) of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1966-1979)

1967 - Hassanal Bolkiah (b. 1946) Sultan of Brunei (1967-present)

Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini (b. 1932) Prime Minister of Yemen Arab Republic (1967, 1969, 1970-1971, 1971-1972 and 1974-1975)

 

1970 - Abdou Diouf (b. 1935) Prime Minister of Senegal 1970-1980, President 1981-2000

Lubomír Štrougal (b. 1924) Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia 1970-1988

Luis Echeverría (b. 1922) President of Mexico 1970-1976

Fixed the 1960 section:

Magana died in 2020 and Colonel Yanes Urias was apparently born in 1920 (reported to be 40 at the time of the coup, too) and seems to be this man, atleast the name and birth date match and someone in the comments says he's the guy:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ComunicacionSV/status/1382068505751793666

Ey4X-luWgAAA-i7.thumb.jpg.0c9e4385e9e4ef4161cc2a48c91de111.jpg

Could still be someone else, though.

 

 

Rubén Alonso Rosales is another case that's giving me a headache. Born 1925, probably dead already. Mentioned to have died in 2000 on some sites.

All the other four 1960-61 junta members are confirmed to be dead.

 

 

And then there's the case of the second junta, the 1961-1962 Civic-Military directory. Out of the members:

Aníbal Portillo died in 2010 at the age of 95.

José Antonio Rodríguez Porth was assasinated in 1989, he was 74.

José Francisco Valiente died in 1988 at the age of 77.

Julio Adalberto Rivera Carballo died in 1973 at the age of 51 from a myocardial infarction.

Mariano Castro Morán died in 2005 at the age of 85.

Feliciano Avelar - the annoying case of this junta. Reported to have been born 1919, so there's a tiny chance he's still alive.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Report of the death of former Labour MP  (and successor to Michael Foot) for Blaenau Gwent, Llew Smith from cancer: 

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×

Important Information

Your use of this forum is subject to our Terms of Use