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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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Looking for work in Bolton? You should try Nissan in Sunderland, suggests Tory minister Chloe SmithYou can see her thought process, to be fair. Bolton is in the North. Sunderland is in The North. They must be fairly close to each other, surely? (I particularly like the bit where they figure out that if you commuted the same distance from her constituency, you'd probably end up in another country). Jon
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:12 am |
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Linux_User
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:29 pm Posts: 7173
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Sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder what planet government MPs live on.
The Tories in particular are terrible for their knowledge of the regions - be it the North (including Scotland), Wales or even the South West.
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:50 am |
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lumbthelesser
Occasionally has a life
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 11:38 pm Posts: 442 Location: Manchester
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What is the problem? You can just claim back the first class train travel on expenses, surely? 
_________________ According to a recent poll, over 70% of Americans don't believe Trump's hair was born in the USA.
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:08 am |
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l3v1ck
What's a life?
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:21 am Posts: 12700 Location: The Right Side of the Pennines (metaphorically & geographically)
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Berk.
I believe that sums him up nicely.
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:10 am |
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Linux_User
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:29 pm Posts: 7173
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Him? Has Chloe Smith had a sex change? We should be told! 
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:11 am |
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l3v1ck
What's a life?
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:21 am Posts: 12700 Location: The Right Side of the Pennines (metaphorically & geographically)
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Typo 
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:55 am |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm Posts: 10691 Location: Bramsche
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I've had shorter daily commutes, although it gets to you after 6 months or so. The longest duration commute was Southampton to Cardiff (18 months).
_________________ "Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:19 am |
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finlay666
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:40 pm Posts: 4876 Location: Newcastle
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At one point I was commuting from Birmingham to Reading, 2 hours each way (if I was lucky) I had to leave at 8 to get in for 10, it was pretty brutal to say the least but I got to know the M40 very well  In her defense... she may have misread Bolton as Boldon, Boldon is a stones throw from Sunderland (closer to the Nissan factory in fact than Sunderland itself down the A19)
_________________TwitterCharlie Brooker: Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:32 am |
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HeatherKay
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:13 pm Posts: 7262 Location: Here, but not all there.
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I'm sorry. I don't think anyone should be allowed to defend a Tory minister in public. 
_________________My Flickr | Snaptophobic BloggageHeather Kay: modelling details that matter. "Let my windows be open to receive new ideas but let me also be strong enough not to be blown away by them." - Mahatma Gandhi.
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:41 am |
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paulzolo
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:27 pm Posts: 12251
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Eh? 140 miles is less than 130 miles? Am I reading that correctly?
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:18 am |
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rustybucket
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 5:10 pm Posts: 5837
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I thought that. Still, stupid cow.
_________________Jim
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:25 am |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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I think this is sadly rather unlikely. It was a question in the house not a written question, so she would have misheard it rather than misread it. She would have heard it twice from two different people - David Crausby is an MP for Bolton, and would have been announced as such by the speaker called to propose the question. Then Crausby himself mentioned the place name in his question. So it's unlikely she'd have misheard both. Secondly, your explanation requires Chloe Smith to know that Bolden exists. As oppose to Bolton. I don't know which is bigger in fact but I think I could make a fair argument that Bolton probably has a higher profile than Bolden, although neither is particularly famous. No, I think it's pretty simple - she heard the news that Nissan were taking on workers in Sunderland and didn't have much of a clue where either Bolton or Sunderland actually are, so she took a gamble that she could use some good news to head off a tricky question (the actual question is about how the ConDems have changed the rules so a lot of part time workers no longer qualify for certain benefits, and the constituent who had asked Crausby to table the question stands to lose fair chunk of money over it) and it rather backfired. It's ignorance rather than malice. However this government seems to be very well stocked with ignorance, and it's not helping their public image at all. Jon
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:46 am |
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finlay666
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:40 pm Posts: 4876 Location: Newcastle
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I didn't say it was likely, I said it was an option 
_________________TwitterCharlie Brooker: Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.
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Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:16 am |
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