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Betty Boothroyd

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Maybe I'm the only one who didn't like her.

 

A true person who used her political career for her own political self-advancement, voted into Speakership by all those MPs who couldn't raise an erection after Thatcher departed the scene and a complete establishment figure who utilised her popularity (only hardened by the televising of the Commons) to swan around with the rich and famous and the Royals, leaving the people who believed she could represent their interests to fester in the blight caused by successive Governments.

 

TL; DR: Selfish cow.

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1 hour ago, RoverAndOut said:

Huge miss from the point of view that someone of her standing deserved to be on the DL when they died, but agree there was no reason to expect her passing this year.

 

What a woman. RIP Betty.

Indeed she was at the theatre watching the show about only last month. So she wasn’t in noticeable poor health. 

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23 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

Maybe I'm the only one who didn't like her.

 

A true person who used her political career for her own political self-advancement, voted into Speakership by all those MPs who couldn't raise an erection after Thatcher departed the scene and a complete establishment figure who utilised her popularity (only hardened by the televising of the Commons) to swan around with the rich and famous and the Royals, leaving the people who believed she could represent their interests to fester in the blight caused by successive Governments.

 

TL; DR: Selfish cow.

 


Cheer up grumpy.

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Very sad news. A truly great Yorkshirewoman and fellow Dewsbury College alumni. 

 

And yes, as is custom to these sort of threads, I did work with her. I helped film the opening of the Boothroyd Building which housed the new spanking new Dewsbury College library in 1993(?) when I was a student there. Everyone, including the library staff, were a little bit nervous and apprehensive as she was such a formidable figure, but she was fab - no airs and graces, kept ducking out during the boring bits for a fag, had quite the range in ribald jokes, and over all was a really good laugh. One Of Us. Lovely woman.

 

RIP.

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1 minute ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Cheer up grumpy.

Hey, I don't just dislike Tories you know. ;)

 

I struggle to list her achievements.

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One of my friends just pointed out that Betty was among a select list of peers who didn’t turn up to swear allegiance to the new monarch.

 

We should have spotted this as it could have given us some insight into her health. I’m out and about right now but if anyone has a way of looking at that session and seeing who else wasn’t there…

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17 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

One of my friends just pointed out that Betty was among a select list of peers who didn’t turn up to swear allegiance to the new monarch.

 

We should have spotted this as it could have given us some insight into her health. I’m out and about right now but if anyone has a way of looking at that session and seeing who else wasn’t there…

I think the oaths and allegiances took place over several sessions - might even be ongoing?

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1 minute ago, YoungWillz said:

I think the oaths and allegiances took place over several sessions - might even be ongoing?


Hmm I think you’re right. Might be a hard task noting those who were missing then. 

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Just now, Ulitzer95 said:


Hmm I think you’re right. Might be a hard task noting those who were missing then. 

Had a look, last date for them seems to have been 2 February but yeah, hundreds of peers going to take some time.

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35 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

Had a look, last date for them seems to have been 2 February but yeah, hundreds of peers going to take some time.

I saw a tweet last week saying Lord Lebedev has only just gone that day to swear in. 

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Just now, The Old Crem said:

I saw a tweet last week saying Lord Lebedev has only just gone that day to swear in. 

Dunno, I only checked the top of the orders of business. :lol:

 

Maybe they do it when they need 300 quid and pop in for a coffee and a heat.

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3 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said:

One of my friends just pointed out that Betty was among a select list of peers who didn’t turn up to swear allegiance to the new monarch.

 

We should have spotted this as it could have given us some insight into her health. I’m out and about right now but if anyone has a way of looking at that session and seeing who else wasn’t there…

I doubt she'd had the opportunity though, given how many peers there are who sit (if this was pre-reform we'd have had hundreds more needed).

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11 minutes ago, Comped said:

I doubt she'd had the opportunity though, given how many peers there are who sit (if this was pre-reform we'd have had hundreds more needed).


She last voted July 2021, last spoke in chamber  Oct 2020.

 

We should have been paying closer attention.

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4 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said:

One of my friends just pointed out that Betty was among a select list of peers who didn’t turn up to swear allegiance to the new monarch.

 

We should have spotted this as it could have given us some insight into her health. I’m out and about right now but if anyone has a way of looking at that session and seeing who else wasn’t there…

Who were the others?

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1 hour ago, Ulitzer95 said:


She last voted July 2021, last spoke in chamber  Oct 2020.

 

We should have been paying closer attention.

However, she seemed to otherwise be in fine health. Enough to be out and about with some frequency. Being absent from the chamber doesn't mean too much at that age.

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This account run by veteran journalist Michael Crick denies she was a lesbian. Paul Routledge is no relation to Patrica Routledge neither. 

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2 hours ago, The Old Crem said:


This account run by veteran journalist Michael Crick denies she was a lesbian. Paul Routledge is no relation to Patrica Routledge neither. 

Arguably when it comes to politics he is the exact definition of credible source. Unless there was something he didn't know, which is theoretically possible.

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4 hours ago, Comped said:

Arguably when it comes to politics he is the exact definition of credible source. Unless there was something he didn't know, which is theoretically possible.


As someone who has worked in that arena for 15 years, I can tell you right now he speaks absolute shit 90% of the time.

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I always felt it was no coincidence Routledge said "The lady of the house speaking" in Keeping Up Appearances as a nod to her rug muncher?

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Lindsay Hoyle:

" ..... she always gave me advice, whether I wanted it or not, Betty would ring up and just put me right," he said

 

I bet she did.

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34 minutes ago, Toast said:

Lindsay Hoyle:

" ..... she always gave me advice, whether I wanted it or not, Betty would ring up and just put me right," he said

 

I bet she did.

"Stop being a useless fucker" is solidly underrated political advice tbf.

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