# Can Boris Johnson do anything other than look like a slob?



## Sunray (Aug 24, 2008)

I switch on the closing ceremony and get the sight of Boris Johnson and with an audience of the entire planet, he's looks like a slob.

Do that fucking jacket up and look professional you stupid twat.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Aug 24, 2008)

He his an utter cock.


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## DotCommunist (Aug 24, 2008)

it's not his slovenly appearence that annoys me. It's his rampant cash wasting tory ways and his thinly vieled racism


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## editor (Aug 24, 2008)

I just moaned about this on the other thread.

I'm not one to criticise people for looking scruffy, but when your paid job is representing London on the global stage in an event watched by billions, it's not too much to ask to make some fucking effort and button up your jacket.

The man's an embarrassment.


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## dlx1 (Aug 24, 2008)

> I just moaned about this on the other thread.


 Same. he had his in his pockets. He was racing up the step he thinks it a race.

You would think he know how to be.

didn't like Ken but Boris just an oof


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## 19sixtysix (Aug 24, 2008)

There are some people are just sort off unkempt. You could put them in a £1000 suit and it'd still look scruffy. Boris is one of natures scruffs. I'm no Boris fan but if we can get to ignore this sort of thing the country will be better for it. The label worshiping shit that goes on is beyond belief. Michael Foot was destroyed by this a long time ago. We must look at the man inside the suit. He is a crusty tory tosser.

Long live scruffiness.


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## goldenecitrone (Aug 24, 2008)

He think he waved the flag around better than that scrawny chav Livingstone would have done. I bet Ken had a big blub watching it on TV, poor bugger.


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## editor (Aug 24, 2008)

goldenecitrone said:


> He think he waved the flag around better than that scrawny chav Livingstone would have done.


"Scrawny chav"?

Grow up.


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## zuszsa (Aug 24, 2008)

I am one of natures slobs - but even I know to do up my jacket and not stand around with my hands in my pockets while in front of a worldwide audience of billions


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## Orang Utan (Aug 24, 2008)

it's seems a trivial matter - whether someone's jacket is done up or not


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## spring-peeper (Aug 24, 2008)

I was suprised to see his jacket unbuttoned and thought that must be the style in London.

Apparently not. 

Maybe he just outgrew his jacket and didn't have time to get a new one?


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## mango5 (Aug 24, 2008)

19sixtysix said:


> There are some people are just sort off unkempt. You could put them in a £1000 suit and it'd still look scruffy. Boris is one of natures scruffs. I'm no Boris fan but if we can get to ignore this sort of thing the country will be better for it. The label worshiping shit that goes on is beyond belief. *Michael Foot was destroyed by this a long time ago.* We must look at the man inside the suit. He is a crusty tory tosser.
> 
> Long live scruffiness.


Agreed


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## JTG (Aug 24, 2008)

Absolutely. Beat on the bloke for having shit politics and rubbish ideas but ffs, his personal appearance shouldn't come into it.

I have always been, and always will be, a scruff. I accept there are many people who will judge me for it but the very fact that they do invalidates their opinion.


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## dlx1 (Aug 24, 2008)

> his personal appearance shouldn't come into it.



yes it does He repsiting<? this county


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## maomao (Aug 24, 2008)

JTG said:


> Absolutely. Beat on the bloke for having shit politics and rubbish ideas but ffs, his personal appearance shouldn't come into it.
> 
> I have always been, and always will be, a scruff. I accept there are many people who will judge me for it but the very fact that they do invalidates their opinion.



well, if we ever ask you to represent our country at a major international event do you think you could tidy your hair and pop a suit on? Just for a special occasion like.


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## Orang Utan (Aug 24, 2008)

JTG said:


> Absolutely. Beat on the bloke for having shit politics and rubbish ideas but ffs, his personal appearance shouldn't come into it.
> 
> I have always been, and always will be, a scruff. I accept there are many people who will judge me for it but the very fact that they do invalidates their opinion.



JTG for mayor!


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## JTG (Aug 24, 2008)

maomao said:


> well, if we ever ask you to represent our country at a major international event do you think you could tidy your hair and pop a suit on? Just for a special occasion like.



no


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## maomao (Aug 24, 2008)

JTG said:


> no




Ok, you don't get the job then.


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## JHE (Aug 24, 2008)

19sixtysix said:


> There are some people are just sort off unkempt. You could put them in a £1000 suit and it'd still look scruffy. Boris is one of natures scruffs. I'm no Boris fan but if we can get to ignore this sort of thing the country will be better for it. The label worshiping shit that goes on is beyond belief. Michael Foot was destroyed by this a long time ago. We must look at the man inside the suit. He is a crusty tory tosser.



I agree with most of that.

Just as there are people who seem incorrigibly scruffy whatever they wear, there are some people who seem always to look elegant - and would somehow still look good even if dressed in a sack.

The criticisms that Foot had to face following one Remembrance Sunday were utterly unfair.  Parts of the press got away with claiming that he had turned up dressed in a scruffy donkey jacket (like some daft Trot student) and this was taken as evidence of disrespect for the dead.  In fact, he was not wearing a donkey jacket - and would not be disrespectful.  I doubt that the journalist and politician has ever worn a donkey jacket in his life.  He was wearing a perfectly OK shortish coat.  Unfortunately for him, Foot has always been one of nature's scruffs -  and so it was relatively easy for the hostile press to get away with maligning him.

Regardless of whether Johnson's a "Tory tosser", he's another of nature's scruffs and both he and Foot look OK to me.


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## London_Calling (Aug 24, 2008)

It's not even the scuffiness most of the time. It's the act, like he's waiting outside the headmaster's office, or is treading the line in Assembley.

That's what it was today, a kind of passive rejection of convention and/or of appropriate behaviour - it just doesn't mode well for the very highest quality of administrative decision-making the job requires (and has thus far enjoyed).

I don't think he can control this deep-seated psychology.


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## Gingerman (Aug 24, 2008)

Hes got one of those figures that its dos'nt matter what he wears hes still goingt to look like a bag of shite,Im similar meself


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## scifisam (Aug 24, 2008)

London_Calling said:


> It's not even the scuffiness most of the time. It's the act, like he's waiting outside the headmaster's office, or is treading the line in Assembley.
> 
> That's what it was today, a kind of passive rejection of convention and/or of appropriate behaviour - it just doesn't mode well for the very highest quality of administrative decision-making the job requires (and has thus far enjoyed).
> 
> I don't think he can control this deep-seated psychology.



Yup. He doesn't care what he looks like while representing London on the world stage. Of course, we know he doesn't care about the city at all, but some people need physical evidence to remind them.

It is possible to dislike the man's policies and actions, _and_ think he should try to look a bit smarter when in front of the cameras like that. He looked smart enough in his Bullingdon club photo, after all.


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## lang rabbie (Aug 24, 2008)

scifisam said:


> He looked smart enough in his Bullingdon club photo, after all.



He still managed to show a two inch gap between his trousers and socks in that picture.


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## JTG (Aug 24, 2008)

maomao said:


> Ok, you don't get the job then.



That's OK - Boris did


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## Dhimmi (Aug 24, 2008)

Crikey!


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 25, 2008)

The guy's a fucking embarrassment, people see him and think this is what the British offer in terms of their mayor...jesus...


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

'The British' aren't offering him as our mayor.

You are though


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## nino_savatte (Aug 25, 2008)

The irony is that the Tory press gave Michael Foot a rough ride for allegedly wearing a donkey jacket (it wasn't a donkey jacket at all), but this fool gets a free pass.


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## Chz (Aug 25, 2008)

It's the so much the scruffiness - I'd agree that Boris would look scruffy in anything.

It's the complete lack of effort! He's the what'th-generation rich toff? Or even if he wasn't, the Mayor has access to people that can make the effort for you. It's the fact that he doesn't care when he's representing the city; that's what grinds my teeth.


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## tangerinedream (Aug 25, 2008)

I find it odd that on a website that sell t-shirts proclaiming the users 'baby eating anarchists' (however ironically) there are people getting wound up because a politician hasn't pressed his trousers properly. I dislike Boris more than the next man, but I really couldn't give a fuck what he wears, how he brushes his hair or whether his jacket is done up. I would have thought this was the last place to be giving a hammering about 'not looking smart enough' but seems yet again the users of urban 75 are more old fashioned in their viewpoint than Col. Bringbackthebirchbackinmydayweusedspitandpolish who writes regularly to the Telegraph about such issues*.

'Sir - I was appalled to see our so called Mayor of London looking a bit of a dilitary fellow.. I did not fight the war so people could look a bit scruffy etc...'​
Some people ain't that smart. It doesn't matter. End of. Who gives a fuck. Srsly?

_*there is an element of provocation there:_D


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## fubert (Aug 25, 2008)

For what it's worth the fact that he looks like a scruff is something I like about him

Then again I don't have to live in London or deal with him


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

tangerinedream said:


> I find it odd that on a website that sell t-shirts proclaiming the users 'baby eating anarchists' (however ironically) there are people getting wound up because a politician hasn't pressed his trousers properly. I dislike Boris more than the next man, but I really couldn't give a fuck what he wears, how he brushes his hair or whether his jacket is done up. I would have thought this was the last place to be giving a hammering about 'not looking smart enough' but seems yet again the users of urban 75 are more old fashioned in their viewpoint than Col. Bringbackthebirchbackinmydayweusedspitandpolish who writes regularly to the Telegraph about such issues*.
> 
> 'Sir - I was appalled to see our so called Mayor of London looking a bit of a dilitary fellow.. I did not fight the war so people could look a bit scruffy etc...'​
> Some people ain't that smart. It doesn't matter. End of. Who gives a fuck. Srsly?
> ...



absolutely spot on.


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## DotCommunist (Aug 25, 2008)

tangerinedream said:


> I find it odd that on a website that sell t-shirts proclaiming the users 'baby eating anarchists' (however ironically) there are people getting wound up because a politician hasn't pressed his trousers properly. I dislike Boris more than the next man, but I really couldn't give a fuck what he wears, how he brushes his hair or whether his jacket is done up. I would have thought this was the last place to be giving a hammering about 'not looking smart enough' but seems yet again the users of urban 75 are more old fashioned in their viewpoint than Col. Bringbackthebirchbackinmydayweusedspitandpolish who writes regularly to the Telegraph about such issues*.
> 
> 'Sir - I was appalled to see our so called Mayor of London looking a bit of a dilitary fellow.. I did not fight the war so people could look a bit scruffy etc...'​
> 
> ...



well the very second post on the thread points out that it's not his appearence thats annoying. But yes, there are a lot of harumphing posts following that


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## wrysmile (Aug 25, 2008)

I have to say the first thing that Kyser and I notice was that bloody undone jacket. When the world is looking at you, I say, make an effort. Button your suit, keep your hands out of your pockets. Not too much to ask.


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

A welcome breath of fresh air in a world of buttoned up charmless administrators taking themselves far too seriously


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## Orang Utan (Aug 25, 2008)

I can't believe this is an issue when there's so much other controversy.


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## Mation (Aug 25, 2008)

What a weird thread! Surely the only good thing he is doing and is likely to do as mayor is to show that it doesn't matter what you wear! 

Who gives a fuck if he looks a bit scruffy?


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

He marched out without a care in the world, gave a comedy salute, waved to the athletes as he went past and marked the passing of the Games from a country where the image they present to the world is everything - never mind what it's covering up - to a country which is becoming more laid back and carefree with every passing decade and so much the better for it.

Well done Boris


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## Maltin (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> to a country which is becoming more laid back and carefree with every passing decade and so much the better for it.




I agree that more people have a "couldn't care less" attitude to lots of things nowadays. I'm not convinced that this is for the better.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

Mation said:


> What a weird thread! Surely the only good thing he is doing and is likely to do as mayor is to show that it doesn't matter what you wear!
> 
> Who gives a fuck if he looks a bit scruffy?



Well I do, if I applied for a position on the staff of the mayor and turned up looking like a scruff like him for the interview I doubt I would get the position would I but it's ok for him to look like a slob, more do as I say not as I do.


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

whenever I've worn a suit for an interview I've not once done it up.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> whenever I've worn a suit for an interview I've not once done it up.



but I bet it "fitted" you.


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

Probably not


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## tangerinedream (Aug 25, 2008)

Maltin said:


> I agree that more people have a "couldn't care less" attitude to lots of things nowadays. I'm not convinced that this is for the better.



Bring back national service!


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> Probably not



I'm not on about the buttons not done up, I'm on about the general scruffiness of the bloke, suit not fitting, unkempt hair, trousers too short etc.

fuck me I think he does it on purpose to wind everyone up.

Everyone else would be disciplined in their work.


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## ShiftyBagLady (Aug 25, 2008)

has this been posted before?
made me laugh


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

snadge said:


> Everyone else would be disciplined in their work.



I never am


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## Orang Utan (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm surprised so many people seem to notice these things. When he's waving a flag about and all this other stuff is going on around him - fireworks, dancing, etc - people are looking at the length of his trousers or his jacket buttons. WTF?


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> I never am




what do you do? are you part of a team that represents your country overseas?


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> I'm surprised so many people seem to notice these things. When he's waving a flag about and all this other stuff is going on around him - fireworks, dancing, etc - people are looking at the length of his trousers or his jacket buttons. WTF?



you can't fucking help it, he's a scruff compared with people around him.


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## mango5 (Aug 25, 2008)

tangerinedream said:


> I find it odd that on a website that sell t-shirts proclaiming the users 'baby eating anarchists' ydaywe(however ironically) there are people getting wound up because a politician hasn't pressed his trousers properly.


The boards and the website are not the same.  You are 'provocatively' conflating them.  And I think the t-shirts are rarely actually for sale, with no sub-text about the desirability of properly pressed trousers.


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

snadge said:


> what do you do? are you part of a team that represents your country overseas?



not yet, no 



snadge said:


> you can't fucking help it, he's a scruff compared with people around him.



all to the good, makes a change from all the sharp suited idiots. Say what you like about Hitler but he was always smartly turned out.

Ooh! Godwin's Law!


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> all to the good, makes a change from all the sharp suited idiots.



I agree but nobody else is allowed to dress down in his group apart from boris the scruffy one, as I said he is a great believer in "do as I say not as I do".

He can turn out (on purpose) looking like he's rifled somebodies dirty linen basket but god help any of his staff that does the same.

Hypocrite.


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

do you know that for sure then?


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## gabi (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm one of 'nature's scruffs'. However I make an effort for such things as job interviews, weddings, funerals etc. If say, I was asked to represent my nation on TV in front of billions of people I think I'd make an effort along those lines. You know, get a suit that fits me and maybe resist the urge to put my hands in my pockets. 

London's got what it deserved. I hope the fuckwits who voted for him in the first place saw his performance last night and had an epiphany. Yes, that's our shop front. Boris fucking Johnson. Well done everyone.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> do you know that for sure then?



I would say it's pretty obvious looking at his highly polished entourage.

Thus doubly exposing Boris with his shirt picked up of the floor look.


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

Not just that they're not as scruffy as him then? It's an actual policy?


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> 'The British' aren't offering him as our mayor.
> 
> You are though



I'm not, but it doesn't matter as I say it's how it will be seen.


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## tangerinedream (Aug 25, 2008)

mango5 said:


> The boards and the website are not the same.  You are 'provocatively' conflating them.



Is a bulletin board _not_ a website? I think it is and I claim my 5 pounds. 



> And I think the t-shirts are rarely actually for sale, with no sub-text about the desirability of properly pressed trousers.



I have seen one in the flesh - and I live in 'the north' - so they are out there. God knows how many there are in Hoxton! I suggest you run up a line of 'urban 75 - 'get yerself down to BHS'' t-shirts to correct the image imbalance being presented to the public.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> Not just that they're not as scruffy as him then? It's an actual policy?



where have I said that it is policy, every office/profession that deals with the public in the flesh has the same discipline.


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## JTG (Aug 25, 2008)

you said it was 'obvious'


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## tangerinedream (Aug 25, 2008)

snadge said:


> where have I said that it is policy, every office/profession that deals with the public in the flesh has the same discipline.



But tbf to Boris I find it unlikely that he'll deal with appointments at anything other than senior level. His minnions will do that. Someone needs to email the office of the mayor of London and find out if boris has relaxed the dress code for staff. If he's not and indeed if anyone has been in trouble for looking scruffy (though I'm sure that would be harder to find out + would he actually be aware of that?) I can take your point on appearance and hypocrisy.

Secondly, is that 'discipline' actually a good thing? I personally find it bizarre that in the 21st century there remains a firmly entrenched view that I have to wear clothes similar that which I would expect an edwardian to wear to the office.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

tangerinedream said:


> Secondly, is that 'discipline' actually a good thing? I personally find it bizarre that in the 21st century there remains a firmly entrenched view that I have to wear clothes similar that which I would expect an edwardian to wear to the office.



I agree it is not a good thing, far to much emphasise is put on it as well as the one upmanship that comes with it.

I have seen threads on these very boards asking where a good suit could be bought for impression etc.

and as for "being naturally scruffy" there is no such thing, it's a choice.


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## tangerinedream (Aug 25, 2008)

snadge said:


> I agree it is not a good thing, far to much emphasise is put on it as well as the one upmanship that comes with it.
> 
> I have seen threads on these very boards asking where a good suit could be bought for impression etc.
> 
> and as for "being naturally scruffy" there is no such thing, it's a choice.



I dunno, you get clumsy people who after about 10 minutes look as if they've been through a hedge backwards no matter what they do.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

JTG said:


> you said it was 'obvious'



it is obvious when you check out his minions in their designer suits and Boris with his oxfam " budgies died" suit.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

tangerinedream said:


> I dunno, you get clumsy people who after about 10 minutes look as if they've been through a hedge backwards no matter what they do.



like playing football at dinnertime or something.


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## tangerinedream (Aug 25, 2008)

snadge said:


> like playing football at dinnertime or something.



Like the biro exploding in yer pocket or dropping your lunch down your front.


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## snadge (Aug 25, 2008)

tangerinedream said:


> Like the biro exploding in yer pocket or dropping your lunch down your front.



If you were representing your country in front of billions you would surely change though, Boris doesn't and revels in it.


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## tangerinedream (Aug 25, 2008)

snadge said:


> If you were representing your country in front of billions you would surely change though, Boris doesn't and revels in it.



*shrugs*


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## claphamboy (Aug 25, 2008)

Sunray said:


> Do that fucking jacket up and look professional you stupid twat.



So, basically, people are upset because BoJo didn’t do his jacket up whilst speaking?

Did anyone bother to notice that right next to him on stage was another politician who also didn’t do his jacket up? 

That politician being not the leader of London, but the leader of the country.


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## Mation (Aug 25, 2008)

snadge said:


> Well I do, if I applied for a position on the staff of the mayor and turned up looking like a scruff like him for the interview I doubt I would get the position would I but it's ok for him to look like a slob, more do as I say not as I do.


That's a daft argument for caring about what he wears. Yes, any hypocrisy of the sort you mention would obviously be A Bad Thing, but surely the correct response is for people to stop worrying about what the fuck other people are wearing. It really doesn't matter.


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 25, 2008)

maybe the reason he looked a scruff in Beijing was cos he flew economy. Saving the London taxpayer a few squids.

Ken was in Beijing too. Remind me which class the socialist flew


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## kyser_soze (Aug 25, 2008)

It's really simple. Jaques Rogge and the Beijing Mayor both had their fucking buttons done up and managed to keep their hands out of their jacket pockets. Boris didn't, he looked a fucking shambles. Two buttons, that's all it would have taken - what I want to know is who the fuck in his press team allowed him out there like that?


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## Orang Utan (Aug 25, 2008)

Why are two buttons so important? Who gives a fuck? It was hot. If it'd been me, I would have been in crumpled linen and no tie


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## trevhagl (Aug 25, 2008)

sadly image is everything to some people, remember Michael Foot? His policies were ok but cos he looked like he'd been dragged backwards thru Oxfam he lost the election.

Mind you Boris is probably ADMIRED for dressing like that, i think it's a student irony thing.
The bloke is a CUNT mind you, like all Tory politicians


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## paolo (Aug 25, 2008)

The problem with BoJo - for me at least - is that there are just too many things to shrug off. He is a terrible speaker when it comes to important stuff, he looks looks shambolic, his hiring appears to be haphazard, and some policies seem to come out of thin air. I'd rather substance over style, but he seems to be neither. I can't imagine him speaking at a time of crisis. As a journalist, chat show guest, etc, he's good material (arguably more so if you don't like him - so there's something for everyone!), but as a leader he seems to require quite a big leap of faith. Too big a leap for me.


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## Sunray (Aug 25, 2008)

What sort of a person, faced with the eyes of more people than probably at any time in human history wouldn't at least try to look their best?


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## JHE (Aug 25, 2008)

I think everyone agrees that BJ is a bit of a scruff, but he really didn't look too bad in China.

In any case, all these complaints about scruffiness, from Urban75 folk, are funny.  It's not as if BJ was wearing combat trousers or a teeshirt with some daft slogan on it.


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 26, 2008)

The Chinese it seems weren't impressed by Bojo the slob either:



> 'At such formal occasion, he should have buttoned his jacket,' he said.
> 'If you dress informally or not properly, it can be seen as disrespect to the host.
> 
> One hand in his pocket: A blogger complained Boris Johnson did not take the occasion seriously and should not have put his hand in his pocket
> ...


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 26, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> It's really simple. Jaques Rogge and the Beijing Mayor both had their fucking buttons done up and managed to keep their hands out of their jacket pockets. Boris didn't, he looked a fucking shambles. Two buttons, that's all it would have taken - *what I want to know is who the fuck in his press team allowed him out there like that?*



Nail, head.


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## Oswaldtwistle (Aug 26, 2008)

I must admit I find Boris' shambolic look a refreshing change from slick media operators like Cameron, Blair and Millband.


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## HarrisonSlade (Aug 26, 2008)

When I was in the pub watching it, my work mates were all hiding their faces. Not at Boris, but simply because the whole thing was utterly ridiculous. When Boris was holding the flag, and having difficulty waving it, we all expected him to drop it. He was slightly bumbling, but we found it slightly endeering. The spectacle which came afterwards made me ashamed to be British. The site of Leonna Lewis (some bird who won some game show on ITV) singing "Whole Lotta Love, while Jimmy Page plays guitar was just a tad less painful than the experience of watching David Beckham, who seemed to look slightly uncomfortable, hold up a football, and toss it into the crowd. That was more the fault of Coe and Livingstone than Boris.


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

> Leonna Lewis (some bird who won some game show on ITV)



...and most successful female UK artist for at least a decade...do I need to provide the wiki link detailing how well she's sold overseas, including the US?


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## JTG (Aug 26, 2008)

Nobody's mentioned the Chinese bloke had trouble waving the flag as well. It was a big flag.


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 26, 2008)

Kid_Eternity said:


> The Chinese it seems weren't impressed by Bojo the slob either:






			
				Kid E's quote said:
			
		

> One hand in his pocket: *A blogger* complained Boris Johnson did not take the occasion seriously and should not have put his hand in his pocket



I'm sure the next time God wants to lay down some commandments he'll do so in his blog. Cos a blog is the word of God


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## HarrisonSlade (Aug 26, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> ...and most successful female UK artist for at least a decade...do I need to provide the wiki link detailing how well she's sold overseas, including the US?


Judith Keppell did well out of winning "Millionaire". Not only did she become the future King's wife's cousin. She also got a permanent slot on "Eggheads", even though she's as thick as shit. Why wasn't she part of the ceremony?


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## London_Calling (Aug 26, 2008)

Oswaldtwistle said:


> I must admit I find Boris' shambolic look a refreshing change from slick media operators like Cameron, Blair and Millband.


But it's not when it's equally contrived. At least not imo.


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## Cid (Aug 26, 2008)

Kid_Eternity said:


> The Chinese it seems weren't impressed by Bojo the slob either:



I'm not hugely bothered by Boris' appearance when he's doing his domestic duties, but thing about this is that we _really_ need to be focusing on getting everything right with China. They are ridiculously powerful and already pissed off with what they view as patronising, hypocritical talk on human rights (which is all well and good, but with a nation like China you really need to tread carefully when pointing out flaws) so we need to be constantly on the ball with regards to how we appear to them. I'm not saying we need to cozy up to them, just that if we want them to pay attention to what we say we have to show them some respect (and be willing to acknowledge our own flaws/past, but that's another thread). Boris' bumbling good humour is exactly the opposite of what we should be presenting in international diplomacy. He may make some mildly amusing speeches, and his image may work over here (not for me) but as soon as we need to go beyond the cynical world of London he should be hidden away.


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

Eh? What difference does it make what he looks like. I don't like the bloke but telling him to button up his jacket and take his hands out of his pockets make some of you sound like a demon head master. 

"YOU BOY! That is not a Windsor knot, tuck your shirt in and take your hands out of your pockets."

Fucking snobbery if you ask me. If he wasn't a toff or a Tory but some ultra left, wing crusty with dreads and combats you'd be fucking loving it


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

JTG said:


> Absolutely. Beat on the bloke for having shit politics and rubbish ideas but ffs, his personal appearance shouldn't come into it.
> 
> I have always been, and always will be, a scruff. I accept there are many people who will judge me for it but the very fact that they do invalidates their opinion.





tangerinedream said:


> I find it odd that on a website that sell t-shirts proclaiming the users 'baby eating anarchists' (however ironically) there are people getting wound up because a politician hasn't pressed his trousers properly. I dislike Boris more than the next man, but I really couldn't give a fuck what he wears, how he brushes his hair or whether his jacket is done up. I would have thought this was the last place to be giving a hammering about 'not looking smart enough' but seems yet again the users of urban 75 are more old fashioned in their viewpoint than Col. Bringbackthebirchbackinmydayweusedspitandpolish who writes regularly to the Telegraph about such issues*.
> 
> 'Sir - I was appalled to see our so called Mayor of London looking a bit of a dilitary fellow.. I did not fight the war so people could look a bit scruffy etc...'​
> 
> ...





Mation said:


> What a weird thread! Surely the only good thing he is doing and is likely to do as mayor is to show that it doesn't matter what you wear!
> 
> Who gives a fuck if he looks a bit scruffy?



Yay! SOme sense at last.



mango5 said:


> The boards and the website are not the same.  You are 'provocatively' conflating them.  And I think the t-shirts are rarely actually for sale, with no sub-text about the desirability of properly pressed trousers.



Way to miss a point.

"*there is an element of provocation there: "


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## potential (Aug 26, 2008)

pots and kettles.............


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

> I find it odd that on a website that sell t-shirts proclaiming the users 'baby eating anarchists' (however ironically) there are people getting wound up because a politician hasn't pressed his trousers properly.



Not all of us are unwashed dreadlocked crusties tho, and some of us even have the temerity to think that when our mayor is representing the city in front of the world he might have at least attempted to look reasonably smart in front of about 1.5bn TV viewers. Chinese mayor and Mr Rogge managed to keep their buttons done up and hands out of their pockets...


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

snadge said:


> it is obvious when you check out his minions in their designer suits and Boris with his oxfam *" budgies died"* suit.



Haven't heard that for years


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

Has anyone got a pic? I don't watch TV so have no idea what he looked like but I'd like to know why you are all so outraged. Was his fly undone, did he have odd shoes on, did he have burger sauce down his M&S linen suit, did he look like Stanley Edwards after another night on the pop?


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

Is this is what is causing the outrage? Jesus fucking christ, he looks smart.

That lass on the back right is wearing a pair of curtains you only find in caravans from te seventies but no one is pulling her up on that.


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## Sunray (Aug 26, 2008)

firky said:


> Eh? What difference does it make what he looks like. I don't like the bloke but telling him to button up his jacket and take his hands out of his pockets make some of you sound like a demon head master.
> 
> "YOU BOY! That is not a Windsor knot, tuck your shirt in and take your hands out of your pockets."
> 
> Fucking snobbery if you ask me. If he wasn't a toff or a Tory but some ultra left, wing crusty with dreads and combats you'd be fucking loving it



I dont think wanting my elected representitive to look like he gives a fuck is snobbery.


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

Try finding a picture of him waving the flag, with Rogge and the Beijing mayor in shot...

Thing is, it's not a bad suit, and his tie was done up...just the open jacket and the hands in the jacket pockets...fuck me, hands in the trouser pockets would've been less gawky FFS...


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## Orang Utan (Aug 26, 2008)

He looks alright for the weather - why can't be comfortable?


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

Why can't be dressed in dignified manner as mayor of Beijing?

I still want to know who out of his press team let him out with his buttons undone...


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## Orang Utan (Aug 26, 2008)

Why does it matter? He was wearing a suit - that's enough in that stifling heat.


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

They probably let him out like that because there is nothing wrong with the way he is dressed. He is wearing a smart suit, a smart shirt. He certainly doesn't look like a 'slob' because his jacket isn't buttoned up.



Sunray said:


> I dont think wanting my elected representitive to look like he gives a fuck is snobbery.



If it isn't snobbery it is certainly shallow.


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## ymu (Aug 26, 2008)

firky said:


> Is this is what is causing the outrage? Jesus fucking christ, he looks smart.
> 
> That lass on the back right is wearing a pair of curtains you only find in caravans from te seventies but no one is pulling her up on that.



Nah, that was the British after-party. He was pissing about before that in the Bird's Nest - waving, pumping fists, pointing at people (when his hands weren't in his pockets) - which was a bit rude to the hosts. It was the usual attention-seeking bumbling act - just a bit out of place when the occasion was quite formal.


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

He does have the manner of an embarrassing uncle who's had a few beers but I don't think he looks like a slob. Should he lose a bit weight too, curtsey to the women and kiss their hand? I thought stuffy antiquted opinions about attire would be the last thing to be defended on urban.

Downloaded the closing ceromony so I'll have a deeks with a beer


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## JHE (Aug 26, 2008)

firky said:


> Is this is what is causing the outrage? Jesus fucking christ, he looks smart.
> 
> That lass on the back right is wearing a pair of curtains you only find in caravans from te seventies but no one is pulling her up on that.





ymu said:


> Nah, that was the British after-party. He was pissing about before that in the Bird's Nest - waving, pumping fists, pointing at people (when his hands weren't in his pockets) - which was a bit rude to the hosts. It was the usual attention-seeking bumbling act - just a bit out of place when the occasion was quite formal.




Thanks for the pictures.  There's bugger all wrong with his clothes in those pictures and his hair is uncharacteristically smart.

What a lot of spurious complaints there are on this thread!  They wouldn't all be from keen admirers of Livingstone, would it?  The Livingstoners wouldn't be making up silly objections to Johnson, would they?

Face it, folk.  The posh blond Tory twit won.  He won fair and square.  Don't worry.  In four years time, Londoners will get the chance to vote him out.  In the meantime, you'll just have to put up with him.  

His speech was quite entertaining.  I liked the bit about bringing back the ox-carrying contest.


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

Fuck! I have downloaded the Canadian broadcast of the closing


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

JHE said:


> Thanks for the pictures.  There's bugger all wrong with his clothes in those pictures and his hair is uncharacteristically smart.
> 
> What a lot of spurious complaints there are on this thread!  They wouldn't all be from keen admirers of Livingstone, would it?  The Livingstoners wouldn't be making up silly objections to Johnson, would they?
> 
> ...



Well for me it's got FA to do with Livingstone and everything to do with expecting my mayor to not look like a dishevelled and slightly gawky schoolkid in front of a global TV audience.


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

But he doesn't look like a slob, nor does he look deishevelled or slightly gawky and even if he did - so fuck, what difference does it make? I am not being obtuse here I just don't get it as it makes no difference to me.


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

That firks is part of the rich tapestry of life that is Urban 75 - you think he looks alright, I think _when he's standing next to the other two bods_ he looks scruffy. I don't think that having a jacket unbuttoned is scruffy as a general worldview, nor do I think he was being a slob (which is way OTT a description), but when he was standing in the row, with the flag handover, in comparison with Rogge and MoB he looked unfinished and unitidy.


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## DotCommunist (Aug 26, 2008)

firky said:


> But he doesn't look like a slob, nor does he look deishevelled or slightly gawky and even if he did - so fuck, what difference does it make? I am not being obtuse here I just don't get it as it makes no difference to me.



He is a fat toff bastard and I'll take any given oppotunity to slag him off. His undone jacket exposed the sort of paunch thirdworlders can only dream of and his hair, while clearl remmelled in was still fucking shit compared to the polished barnets of every other fucker in camera shot. I hope he gets fucking gout and dies, the absolute cockmunch. Had he turned up immaculatly done I'd still wish painful disease on him just because of his actions and stanking politics. Fuck him.


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

The other thing as well is, I expect my toffs to look smart. FFS, if they're going to be wankers at least let them be well turned out wankers...


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## Orang Utan (Aug 26, 2008)

But he does look smart - this is what I don't get!


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## JTG (Aug 26, 2008)

DotCommunist said:


> He is a fat toff bastard and I'll take any given oppotunity to slag him off. His undone jacket exposed the sort of paunch thirdworlders can only dream of and his hair, while clearl remmelled in was still fucking shit compared to the polished barnets of every other fucker in camera shot. I hope he gets fucking gout and dies, the absolute cockmunch. Had he turned up immaculatly done I'd still wish painful disease on him just because of his actions and stanking politics. Fuck him.



I prefer him to the two wankers he was stood next to though


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## twistedAM (Aug 26, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> Well for me it's got FA to do with Livingstone and everything to do with expecting my mayor to not look like a dishevelled and slightly gawky schoolkid in front of a global TV audience.



Tour de France launch, London 2007
Doesn't the lizard look good?


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## kyser_soze (Aug 26, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> But he does look smart - this is what I don't get!



*bangs head on wall*

Not when he's lined up next to the other two he doesn't.


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## DotCommunist (Aug 26, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> The other thing as well is, I expect my toffs to look smart. FFS, if they're going to be wankers at least let them be well turned out wankers...



old money has the ease to loung around in raggedy barbour at home and generally be too rich to give a fuck about conventional notions of smartness. Boris has cultivated that bumbling toff routine and had the arrogance to carry it onto the world stage, the arse


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## Orang Utan (Aug 26, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> *bangs head on wall*
> 
> Not when he's lined up next to the other two he doesn't.


I don't see much difference - they're all dressed in shit suits


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## JTG (Aug 26, 2008)

he should have turned up in one of these:


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## Firky (Aug 26, 2008)

Better still


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## Sunray (Aug 27, 2008)

If he looked like that I can at least see that he put some effort in and gave me the impression he gave a fuck.  I would instantly assume he knew what he was doing and applaud his sense of occasion.


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> That firks is part of the rich tapestry of life that is Urban 75 - you think he looks alright, I think _when he's standing next to the other two bods_ he looks scruffy. I don't think that having a jacket unbuttoned is scruffy as a general worldview, nor do I think he was being a slob (which is way OTT a description), but when he was standing in the row, with the flag handover, in comparison with Rogge and MoB he looked unfinished and unitidy.



Agreed. You dress for the occasion. To take a more sombre example, when my Grandad died, my cousin's boyfriend turned up to the funeral in jeans and a t-shirt. I like him, and I know that's what he was comfortable in, but it still seemed disrepectful, because that occasion wasn't supposed to be about him and what he felt comfortable in. 

Boris wasn't supposed to be there _as Boris_, the character, he was supposed to be there in his role as Mayor of London, and should have dressed for that role. 

Ken wasn't the best at looking smart, either, it has to be said. Maybe it's a new London Mayor tradition.


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## Orang Utan (Aug 27, 2008)

The less people feel the necessity to stand on ceremony, the better - and this is coming from someone who hated Boris and loves dressing up.


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## Firky (Aug 27, 2008)

I think it is more important that your cousin's boyfriend turned up myself. 

I had to carry my grandmas funeral, it was a hot day. I wore a suit but didn't wear a jacket when carrying the coffin. Did I do wrong?


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## Orang Utan (Aug 27, 2008)

I've been to 2 funerals and I'm not the sort of person who has a suit ready for them, so each time, I've had to wear other things. I'd like to think that both times, my friends didn't even notice what I was wearing, and if they did, were 'glad' that I was there to pay my respects. It's not as if Boris turned up in an Exploited t-shirt.


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## Kaye (Aug 27, 2008)

I honestly never knew that doing buttons up is supposed to be more smart.


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> I've been to 2 funerals and I'm not the sort of person who has a suit ready for them, so each time, I've had to wear other things. I'd like to think that both times, my friends didn't even notice what I was wearing, and if they did, were 'glad' that I was there to pay my respects. It's not as if Boris turned up in an Exploited t-shirt.



I wouldn't necessarily expect a suit or anything especially smart - it's not a fashion show - but smartish black trousers and a shirt aren't beyond anyone. Borrow from friends if you don't even have those. My cousin's BF looked like he'd popped into the funeral on the way to the shops. It did bother me, partly because I know it would have bothered my Grandad, who wore a suit (no tie, though) every day till he died, but partly because it wasn't something you'd do on the way to the shops - it's something different, a ceremony to mark someone's passing and facilitate the natural process of grief. That ceremony includes particular clothing.

LC's right that Boris didn't just wear more casual clothes because he's more comfortable in them. It's part of his manufactured character. It's not nearly as important as many other aspects of his character, of course.


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## Geri (Aug 27, 2008)

snadge said:


> and as for "being naturally scruffy" there is no such thing, it's a choice.



I disagree - looking scruffy is what comes naturally, it's dressing up and being smart that takes effort and time.


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> I don't see much difference


I don't get it either.  

His hair I'll grant you.  And he does exude an air of disorganisedness.  And he could do with shedding some weight.  But none of this makes him a slob, or scruffy.

Not that I think it's a matter of any import whatsoever.


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## nino_savatte (Aug 27, 2008)

I think the thing that I found irritating - more than his poor dress sense - was his over-enthusiastic [public] school boy flag-waving. What a tool.


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## JTG (Aug 27, 2008)

was interested to read all about the storm of outrage at this in Monday's Guardian.

Oh no, hang on, there wasn't one.

Was there any comment on this anywhere else or did nobody else care either?


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

JTG said:


> Was there any comment on this anywhere else or did nobody else care either?


Not that I've noticed.

This thread reminds me of when the elderly Michael Foot had the temerity to wear a duffel coat on a cold morning.


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## Belushi (Aug 27, 2008)

danny la rouge said:


> This thread reminds me of when the elderly Michael Foot had the temerity to wear a duffel coat on a cold morning.



He may as well have taken a piss on the cenotaph!


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

Belushi said:


> He may as well have taken a piss on the cenotaph!


In November?  Freeze yer cock off, mate.


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

One thing I've noticed is that pretty much all the people saying 'oh, Boris, he's a laugh, don't worry about it,' do not live in London. Unless they're KeyboardJockey. *waves*


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## JTG (Aug 27, 2008)

If he was the Mayor of Bristol I wouldn't give a toss either frankly.


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

scifisam said:


> all the people saying 'oh, Boris, he's a laugh, don't worry about it,' do not live in London.


Who is saying that, though?

If I were in London, I would worry about his policies.  Not, though, about his dress code, or his jokes:  the dress code doesn't bother me (indeed he wears a suit and an ironed shirt, and when appropriate a tie: what more do you want?  I don't remember any fuss when Tony went without a jacket or tie); the jokes are often good (the 'ping pong's coming home' routine was very funny); it is the policies which should cause concern.


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

danny la rouge said:


> Who is saying that, though?
> 
> If I were in London, I would worry about his policies.  Not, though, about his dress code, or his jokes:  the dress code doesn't bother me (indeed he wears a suit and an ironed shirt, and when appropriate a tie: what more do you want?  I don't remember any fuss when Tony went without a jacket or tie); the jokes are often good (the 'ping pong's coming home' routine was very funny); it is the policies which should cause concern.



The policies do cause concern, though. Criticising someone's decolletage doesn't mean you forget their actions. I bet every single person on this thread has complained bitterly about his policies too. I know I have. This was just another thread for complaining about him on, and we were bored.


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## JTG (Aug 27, 2008)

so complaining about his dress was an irrelevant distraction from his policies and not important in any way?


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

scifisam said:


> Criticising someone's decolletage doesn't mean you forget their actions.


Indeed.  Just as finding them sartorially tolerable and capable of humour doesn't imply approval of their political intent.


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## nino_savatte (Aug 27, 2008)

danny la rouge said:


> I don't remember any fuss when Tony went without a jacket or tie);



Yeah but Blair didn't look as though he'd just crawled out of a hedge tbf.


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

nino_savatte said:


> Yeah but Blair didn't look as though he'd just crawled out of a hedge tbf.


And Boris does?


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

danny la rouge said:


> Indeed.  Just as finding them sartorially tolerable and capable of humour doesn't imply approval of their political intent.



I'd have no quarrels with his clothing in other circumstances - he'd look quite smart, if, say, he were presenting prizes at a summer fete - and I find him funny sometimes - though, actually, I've never found him humourous in himself; he's always been good as a butt of others' jokes, which is fine for what it is, but he seems to have been overblown as a great wit even by those who dislike him as a politician. 

But his clothing and humour, in this instance, were political.


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## nino_savatte (Aug 27, 2008)

danny la rouge said:


> And Boris does?



Yes, he does...though I get the feeling that you're looking at him through a lens that flatters.


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

danny la rouge said:


> And Boris does?



Well, yes, generally, he does. He did comb his hair for the Olympics, at least, but then he walked along with his hand in his pocket, to keep up the image.

FWIW, I remember tons of fuss when Blair went without a jacket and tie - that's why we remember that he went without a jacket and tie. And do you really want to say 'it's OK - Blair did it!'


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

scifisam said:


> I've never found him humourous in himself


He's not Oscar Wilde; he's more like a posh Mr Bean.


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

scifisam said:


> And do you really want to say 'it's OK - Blair did it!'


No, I want to say: it's 2008, not 1958.


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

danny la rouge said:


> No, I want to say: it's 2008, not 1958.



Yup. And look at what everyone else is wearing, and how they're standing. They are dressed like people in smart clothes c.2008. He is dressed like a person at a garden party in 2008. 

To be honest, that picture of him walking up the Olympic aisle, appearing to juggle snooker balls in his pocket, that's the worst.

A posh Mr Bean is quite apt. My Mayor, the posh Mr Bean. 


As ever, this is a situation where I'd criticise any Mayor of London for dressing down so much and acting the clown. Except that the only reason I'm talking about it is because this particular Mayor's actions (in London) are so fucking awful. If he were slovenly but otherwise a good Mayor, it would just be a passing comment - for others on here, as well as me. I guess if people think he's a good Mayor, then they can shrug off him acting the jester on the world stage.


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## danny la rouge (Aug 27, 2008)

scifisam said:


> They are dressed like people in smart clothes c.2008. He is dressed like a person at a garden party in 2008.


Your fashion knowledge puts mine in the shade; they look _exactly_ the same to me.


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## hermitical (Aug 27, 2008)

scifisam said:


> Boris wasn't supposed to be there _as Boris_, the character, he was supposed to be there in his role as Mayor of London, and should have dressed for that role.


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## Get Involved (Aug 27, 2008)

JTG said:


> was interested to read all about the storm of outrage at this in Monday's Guardian.
> 
> Oh no, hang on, there wasn't one.
> 
> Was there any comment on this anywhere else or did nobody else care either?



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...London-2012-Olympic-handover-performance.html

edit: sorry, already been done,didn't read whole thread


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## claphamboy (Aug 27, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> I still want to know who out of his press team let him out with his buttons undone...



And do you want to know why Gordon Brown's press team let him out with his buttons undone?


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## scifisam (Aug 27, 2008)

claphamboy said:


> And do you want to know why Gordon Brown's press team let him out with his buttons undone?



That was at the celebration afterwards.


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## _angel_ (Aug 27, 2008)

This thread is pathetic.


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## Firky (Aug 27, 2008)

Belushi said:


> He may as well have taken a piss on the cenotaph!





danny la rouge said:


> In November?  Freeze yer cock off, mate.


----------

