RIP Bob Kerslake

[BillyStubbsTears]

Brilliant and dedicated top civil servant has died.

I never once heard him on the radio or read him in the papers without coming away better informed and provoked to think.

If we had a few dozen more of him and a few dozen less of the quality of cabinet ministers we've had recently, the country would be in a far healthier state. A massive loss.

[Bentley Bullet]

You mean the Labour-supporting crossbencher?

What a surprise!

[BillyStubbsTears]

Every time I think you've become as nastily unpleasant as you're ever going to get, you step up to the plate and prove me wrong.

What the hell is wrong with you?

[Bentley Bullet]

It's very sad that we have lost a brilliant and dedicated top civil servant, and may he Rest in peace.

I do wonder though, if he had been a Tory-supporting crossbencher whether you'd have felt the same about him.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I understand exactly what you think.

What I don't understand is how bitter and twisted you have to be to think like that.

[belton rover]

Billy, you ask for it most of the time.
You could have just have written a nice eulogy about someone you have respect for. Instead you use his death to highlight how terrible the recent (tory) cabinet ministers are.
And then you call others nasty for picking you up on it. No doubt, you believe you have, yet again, been misrepresented.

[Draytonian III]

Well said Belton Rover, totally correct

[BillyStubbsTears]

Very moving comments in the replies here, from people across the political spectrum.

https://twitter.com/roskerslake/status/1675392026072821761

I've never known anyone to have a bad word to say about him.

[drfchound]

And no one on here has either.

[tommy toes]

So you lot having a go at BST think that people like Johnson, Hancock, Patel, Braverman, Zahawi, Schapps, Williamson et al deserve our respect eh?.
They need to be constantly called out and compared when good honest people like Kerslake pass on.
You must be off your trolleys.

[drfchound]

Tommy, no one has suggested that the Tories you have mentioned are beyond reproach have they.
Well, apart from bst in the OP.
I would have thought that he might have mentioned the passing of a decent man without bringing politics into it.

[tommy toes]

Hound
I think it's fair to compare the measure of a man like Kerslake to the current crop when he passes on.
We'll agree to differ.

[drfchound]

I think reply number three in this thread says it all.

[belton rover]

So you lot having a go at BST think that people like Johnson, Hancock, Patel, Braverman, Zahawi, Schapps, Williamson et al deserve our respect eh?.
They need to be constantly called out and compared when good honest people like Kerslake pass on.
You must be off your trolleys.

With respect, Tommy, you are completely missing the point.

[Filo]

I think reply number three in this thread says it all.

I think reply number 2 says it all and points to where the poster wanted this thread to go, he succeeded

[BillyStubbsTears]

Bang on Filo.

I was commenting on the loss (at far too young an age) of someone who has devoted his life and brilliant intellect to making this a better country. Someone who transcended party politics and worked successfully with politicians of all persuasions and was respected by pretty much everyone he interacted with.

BB comes back with that crass, bitter response. And, incidentally, doesn't even seem to understand what a "crossbencher" is.

[belton rover]

I think reply number three in this thread says it all.

I think reply number 2 says it all and points to where the poster wanted this thread to go, he succeeded

I think post No 1 tells us where the poster wanted the thread to go, and he succeeded.

[Filo]

I think reply number three in this thread says it all.

I think reply number 2 says it all and points to where the poster wanted this thread to go, he succeeded

I think post No 1 tells us where the poster wanted the thread to go, and he succeeded.

You might not realise it, but you’ve proved my point regarding post number 2

[Bentley Bullet]

So you lot having a go at BST think that people like Johnson, Hancock, Patel, Braverman, Zahawi, Schapps, Williamson et al deserve our respect eh?.
They need to be constantly called out and compared when good honest people like Kerslake pass on.
You must be off your trolleys.

BST has shown his disrespect for those you mention very clearly and very often for years now, but even a nasty, unpleasant, bitter and twisted person like me has enough decorum to abstain from starting a thread announcing someone's death for the purpose of political point-scoring.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I think reply number three in this thread says it all.

I think reply number 2 says it all and points to where the poster wanted this thread to go, he succeeded

I think post No 1 tells us where the poster wanted the thread to go, and he succeeded.

You might not realise it, but you’ve proved my point regarding post number 2

Amazing how often this happens isn't it?

God alone knows what Belton thinks I was apparently wanting to achieve, but he's had years of convincincing himself that he should assume the very worst inference in anything I ever say, so I assume he's vanishing down that hole again.

[belton rover]

I think reply number three in this thread says it all.

I think reply number 2 says it all and points to where the poster wanted this thread to go, he succeeded

I think post No 1 tells us where the poster wanted the thread to go, and he succeeded.

You might not realise it, but you’ve proved my point regarding post number 2

And you are proving mine.

[BillyStubbsTears]

So you lot having a go at BST think that people like Johnson, Hancock, Patel, Braverman, Zahawi, Schapps, Williamson et al deserve our respect eh?.
They need to be constantly called out and compared when good honest people like Kerslake pass on.
You must be off your trolleys.

BST has shown his disrespect for those you mention very clearly and very often for years now, but even a nasty, unpleasant, bitter and twisted person like me has enough decorum to abstain from starting a thread announcing someone's death for the purpose of political point-scoring.

What the absolute f**k are you on about?

My first post was addressing the quality of politicians we have had across the spectrum for years. Something I've bemoaned regularly.

I didn't say anything party political. You dived in on that theme.

[belton rover]

I think reply number three in this thread says it all.

I think reply number 2 says it all and points to where the poster wanted this thread to go, he succeeded

I think post No 1 tells us where the poster wanted the thread to go, and he succeeded.

You might not realise it, but you’ve proved my point regarding post number 2

Amazing how often this happens isn't it?

God alone knows what Belton thinks I was apparently wanting to achieve, but he's had years of convincincing himself that he should assume the very worst inference in anything I ever say, so I assume he's vanishing down that hole again.

If you haven’t read my post, then you shouldn’t be making comments based on what you think I might have said.
If you have read my post, then grow up and stop pretending you haven’t.

[drfchound]

If bst had omitted the last paragraph in his OP then there could have been a very nice thread about a good man.
Perhaps in future he may reflect on that.

[Draytonian III]

This is the first thread I’ve read for a long time that BST has started and I only did it because I didn’t know who Bob Kerslake was, but nothing changes with him turning everything in Tory bashing exercise. The days of Harold Wilson are gone and so thank goodness are the days of Tony ( sell the country down the river ) Blair.

[BillyStubbsTears]

This is the first thread I’ve read for a long time that BST has started and I only did it because I didn’t know who Bob Kerslake was, but nothing changes with him turning everything in Tory bashing exercise. The days of Harold Wilson are gone and so thank goodness are the days of Tony ( sell the country down the river ) Blair.

I am genuinely bemused. Where the hell have I bashed any political party in this thread?

[Branton Red]

Bob Kerslake was a decent, intelligent and thoughtful individual happy to work with politicians of any persuasion for the good of the country.

How sadly ironic that this thread has descended into indecent, unintelligent, thoughtless petty minded vindictiveness.

Before either side claims that the other started it I'll just give my old Mum's response to such an argument when I was a lad "well you didn't have to continue it"

[belton rover]

Bob Kerslake was a decent, intelligent and thoughtful individual happy to work with politicians of any persuasion for the good of the country.

How sadly ironic that this thread has descended into indecent, unintelligent, thoughtless petty minded vindictiveness.

Before either side claims that the other started it I'll just give my old Mum's response to such an argument when I was a lad "well you didn't have to continue it"

Quite right Branton. I consider my head banged together with someone.
Some posters just bring out the worst in me.
I should know better by now.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Bob Kerslake was a decent, intelligent and thoughtful individual happy to work with politicians of any persuasion for the good of the country.

How sadly ironic that this thread has descended into indecent, unintelligent, thoughtless petty minded vindictiveness.

Before either side claims that the other started it I'll just give my old Mum's response to such an argument when I was a lad "well you didn't have to continue it"

I agree. Absolutely unnecessary. And yet it happens time and again when certain people wade in to discussions in here.

[drfchound]

This is the first thread I’ve read for a long time that BST has started and I only did it because I didn’t know who Bob Kerslake was, but nothing changes with him turning everything in Tory bashing exercise. The days of Harold Wilson are gone and so thank goodness are the days of Tony ( sell the country down the river ) Blair.

I am genuinely bemused. Where the hell have I bashed any political party in this thread?

I suspect that because you actually didn’t mention the Tories you will be claiming you weren’t Tory bashing.
You did though say “in recent times” which kind of gives the game away a bit.
Nice back tracking though.