Politicians you like - but not their party

[Paul Waine]

OK. I've noticed "one or two" negative comments about politicians and political parties that "one or two" posters don't like. I think we all do this.

It set me to thinking, would we have better politicians and better lives ourselves if we could "reach out" across the political divide and have some "love" for MPs who's political views differ from our own?

I've heard and seen respect shown between MPs across the party lines. I guess some may even be friends "at work" - though I'm sure they all have to hide this when elections come around.

Who are the politicians in other parties - i.e. those you don't normally support - that you like: you'd be pleased to meet and maybe share a pint with?

Could you name 10?

At the moment, I've not got 10 - though I plan to do before General Elections.

So far I've got:

1) Andy Burnham - hope he is successful in Manchester Mayor election.
2) Frank Field
3) Diane Abbott
4) Lisa Nandy
5) Kate Hoey
6) Chuka Ummuna
7) Vince Cable

Jo Cox (RIP) would have been on my list (but I didn't know before the tragic events). I'm sure she would have had a long list of Conservatives and Lib-Dems on her "political friends" list.

[Falcon]

Caroline Lucas has to be up there on most people's lists

[Lancasterclaret]

Leanne Wood and Angus Robertson

Not many Lab to be honest, and even less Tories.

McDonnell and IDS make me want to actually slap them

[claretandy]

John mann
Frank field
Kate hoey
Dennis skinner
Simon danczuk

[gawthorpe_view]

Hilary Benn

[SammyBoy]

Kenneth Clarke
Andrew Stephenson - I've heard good things about him from people in the Pendle constituency

[Wilsdenclaret]

Lisa Nandy, genuine caring politician
Ken Clarke
Dennis Skinner

[HatfieldClaret]

Hilary Benn - would be more impressed if he went for higher office
Frank Field - old school and fair
Dennis Skinner - can't not like him
Dan Jarvis - impressive
Andy Burnham - seems normal
Kate Hoey - always liked her
Joan Ryan - I deal with her office a lot at work and she's very good.

Kind of fancy Caroline Lucas in a strange sort of way

[Putneyclaret]

I like Hatfield's choices except for Kate Hoey whom I abhor for her liking for Farage. I would add Ken Clarke for his erudition and eclectic tastes and Yvette Cooper, who can destroy most of her opponents' arguments.

[TheFamilyCat]

Hilary Benn was our MP until we moved last year. I'm not particularly political but I can't say was a good MP - I'd say he had little or zero presence in the constituency.

Not sure he's in a position now to run for higher office after upsetting Corbyn over Syria. Unless you mean challenging Corbyn for the leadership?

[Duffer_]

I struggled to think of any from the current crop but one politician that I always really rated was Simon Hughes, despite being largely indifferent to his political party. He got himself into such a pickle about his sexuality that he lost his biggest assets of credibility and integrity. He made some poor errors of judgement but it was also a sad indictment of our society that he felt he had to mislead people about his sexuality to be accepted.

I also liked Charles Kennedy.

UTC!

[timshorts]

The Tory ex-minister that said this:-

“There is something about being able to understand and empathise with those communities that do feel abandoned by all the political class at Westminster, and understanding people who haven’t so far benefited from the fruits of economic recovery.”

The fact is that these are still the victims of the banking crisis, the financial collapse of 2008, who haven’t so far seen a real recovery in their take-home pay, who are still living in communities with hollowed-out town centres. These people have been looking at Westminster, hearing the rhetoric we have been using for the last six years, and frankly they don’t trust us.”
“The Brexit referendum victory was in part a symptom of the lack of trust many voters have in the political classes.” There was also a “much wider and deeper set of concerns” which came into play and which meant many who live in the country’s poorer communities had expressed their frustration with politicians by voting leave.

Stephen Crabb. Brought up in a single parent family in a pretty f'd up part of the UK. Just don't get him on to religion.

[northernpowerhouse]

Charles Kennedy
Ken Clarke
Nicola Sturgeon (don't like her views but she's by far the best politician in the country)
Angus Robertson
Ruth Davidson (can't help but respect her and she's got some good one-liners)
Silvio Berlusconi (good for a laugh)

[PaintYorkClaretnBlue]

Diane Abbott??? Seriously???

[Duffer_]

Forgot about Ruth Davidson - good shout nph.

UTC!

[fidelcastro]

Kenneth Clarke
Andrew Stephenson - I've heard good things about him from people in the Pendle constituency

This'll be the Andrew Stephenson who voted for cuts to the disabled benefit, yeah?

[fidelcastro]

Charles Kennedy
Ken Clarke
Nicola Sturgeon (don't like her views but she's by far the best politician in the country)
Angus Robertson
Ruth Davidson (can't help but respect her and she's got some good one-liners)
Silvio Berlusconi (good for a laugh)

Charles Kennedy?

With the help of a medium, presumably?

[BennyD]

Vlad the Impaler; he might be a little extreme but his heart's in the right place.

[SammyBoy]

This'll be the Andrew Stephenson who voted for cuts to the disabled benefit, yeah?

As I implied, I don't know a lot about him because he's not my constituency MP. I'm just relaying the positive impression I've heard from friends and colleagues within the context of the thread, but thanks for insinuating I'm in I'm in favour of cutting the disability budget, yeah?

[Holtyclaret]

Hilary Benn - would be more impressed if he went for higher office
Frank Field - old school and fair
Dennis Skinner - can't not like him
Dan Jarvis - impressive
Andy Burnham - seems normal
Kate Hoey - always liked her
Joan Ryan - I deal with her office a lot at work and she's very good.

Kind of fancy Caroline Lucas in a strange sort of way

Same with Lucas!

Always like Hoey and Clegg.

[Loyalclaret]

Andrew Stephenson is a good local MP and I'm certainly not a fan of his party

[Paul Waine]

As I implied, I don't know a lot about him because he's not my constituency MP. I'm just relaying the positive impression I've heard from friends and colleagues within the context of the thread, but thanks for insinuating I'm in I'm in favour of cutting the disability budget, yeah?

Hi Sammy, I think you got this right: like the guy, don't like/vote for his party.

[Paul Waine]

Diane Abbott??? Seriously???

Hi PYCB, daughter of Jamaican immigrants, mother nurse, father welder. Grammar school and Cambridge. Speaks her mind. Educated her son in public school to make sure he got a good education, despite the fact that it was a long way from compliant with her party's policy.

Diane Abbott demonstrates the possibilities of social mobility.

As the question asked: "politicians you like - but not their party."

[LeadBelly]

Kim Jong-un: A real cool dude but his party is a tad totalitarian

Nicola Sturgeon: A sexy minx but her party is a wee bit anti-English.

[Clarets4me]

Ruth Davidson ( Scottish Con. Leader ) - on being asked to be one of the three Remain debaters at the 2016 Wembley event, together with Angela Eagle of the Labour Party .... " Really ? Are you sure you want two Crop-haired, flat shoed, hatchet faced Lesbians on the team? "...

Gisella Stuart ( Labour ) - German born, Brexit campaigning Labour MP...knows a 4th Reich when she sees one !!

Neil Kinnock ( Labour) - His Bournemouth speech in 1985 led my younger self to join the Labour Party ( it's changed now, so have I )

Margaret Thatcher ( Con ) - Her last speech in the Commons ( No! No! No! ) was brilliant..

Jim Callaghan ( Lab ) - The IMF turned up demanding Austerity, based on crap Treasury forecasts in 1976...they threatened all-sorts of sanctions but Jim replied " Now listen here, boy " & offered his countermeasure, putting Britain into a seige economy, with tariffs etc.. The IMF backed down and in the event, their loans were not even drawn down...

Tony Crosland ( Lab ) - Ex WW2 Para-Captain, led patrols behind German lines, died in Office as Foreign Secretary after a stroke in 1977.. On a foreign trip in 1976 to China, he was told by a Maoist that couples with a free evening would elect to go to a political meeting.. Crosland replied, that faced with a free evening, there was nothing on God's earth that he'd rather NOT do than attend a party meeting !

Ernie Bevin ( Lab ) - Former Union leader and dock- worker made Minister of Labour during WW2.. best known for two quotes..
On hearing a Colleague say that Herbert Morrisson ( Peter Mandelsson's Grandfather ) was " his own worst enemy ", he replied " Not whilst I'm alive he f***ing ain't " ...and on hearing that the Soviet Union and the American's had the Atomic bomb, he declared " We've got to have it, I don't care how much it costs, and it's got the have the Union Jack on top of it "......

[BennyD]

Kim Jong-un: A real cool dude but his party is a tad totalitarian

Nicola Sturgeon: A sexy minx but her party is a wee bit anti-English.

A sexy minx? What are you drinking, pints of absinthe?

[lucs86]

Struggling with Tories so went down the list in Wikipedia and John Bercow is a Tory, don't know why but thought he was Labour, always thought he was alright. Anna Soubry came across well during the referendum and it would definitely be entertaining to go for a pint with Boris. Ruth Davidson's got a sense of humour and Jacob Rees-Mogg makes me laugh too but I doubt we'd get on.

Don't know if SNP counts here for me really, I want the union to remain but I know if I was Scottish I'd be an SNP voter. In any case Sturgeon, for my money, is easily the most impressive of all the current party leaders. I always like seeing Salmond on TV and Mhairi Black is brilliant.

[HelloHiGoodbye]

Can't think of a nice Tory.

[HelloHiGoodbye]

Struggling with Tories so went down the list in Wikipedia and John Bercow is a Tory, don't know why but thought he was Labour, always thought he was alright. Anna Soubry came across well during the referendum and it would definitely be entertaining to go for a pint with Boris. Ruth Davidson's got a sense of humour and Jacob Rees-Mogg makes me laugh too but I doubt we'd get on.

Don't know if SNP counts here for me really, I want the union to remain but I know if I was Scottish I'd be an SNP voter. In any case Sturgeon, for my money, is easily the most impressive of all the current party leaders. I always like seeing Salmond on TV and Mhairi Black is brilliant.

Mhairi Black is possibly my favourite politician of any party. She's a superb speaker. Unlike the cracked ghoul we're stuck with.

[Imploding Turtle]

John Bercow. In this day and age everyong and everything gets accused of being biased, often from and in both directions, but I can't remember anyone ever credibly accusing Bercow of being biased as Speaker. Ruth Davison too. I think i've said on here before that if Davidson was Tory leader then it wouldn't matter who was Labour leader; they'd lose the next election.

[Walton]

It's all about Mhairi Black

[IAmAClaret]

Jacob Rees Mogg - always talks sense and always looks to encourage the 'correct' way of doing or saying things.