Ready for a comeback

[Lt Kije]

How is the Queen accountable ?

[Nick Tessla]

....and you want to replace it with a corrupt European superstate run by people who are even less accountable to us than the bloody Queen!!

 

You really do make me laugh Kije...... your life must be one long contradiction!!

 

 

The relationship with europe and having an elected national head of state are two different issues.

[Lt Kije]

Don't confuse him Nick

[Bazj]

Don't confuse him Nick

 

Kije.... the only confusion around here is you and your spelling and changing views I'm afraid.....

[Bazj]

The relationship with europe and having an elected national head of state are two different issues.

 

in your mind maybe Nick.

 

But it is convenient to brush the unelected mayhem we have with the EU against the stability and strength we have with our monarchy under the carpet I guess!!

 

An elected president would cost this country a massive amount more than we currently pay for the monarchy and while I agree that there are too many hangers on in the lower orders of the house of Windsor; just imagine the number of aides and officials an elected president would "need" and with no tourist value the cost would escalate year on year

[Nick Tessla]

and to think; you and Kije want us to have a president instead of the Monarchy...... Just imagine what idiots we would have in if the chavs had the opportunity to vote.... we wouldn't have a movie star; we'd have Jordan or some bloke who appeared on the Jeremy Kyle show!

 

 

Ronnie was in office for eight years - if such a numpty inherited the throne he'd be there for life. Reagan would still have been in office in 2004, with alzheimers.

[Bazj]

How is the Queen accountable ?

 

The Queen is a lot more accountable than any part of the EU.... We have access to her estates, her accounts and god knows what else..... and seeing as The Queen has not had a rise in funding for 20 years. Her £7.9m annual budget is now worth a quarter of its value in 1990, when it was first set....

 

Do you think the President of France has cost the same to the French people since 1990? Or what about the American President..... reckon you could get him for £8m a year?

 

I didn't think so.!!!

 

 

so all in all a good deal!

[Bazj]

Ronnie was in office for eight years - if such a numpty inherited the throne he'd be there for life. Reagan would still have been in office in 2004, with alzheimers.

 

but you are assuming that we would have a time limit on the number of terms a president would serve..... they tried that in Russia and look what happened there!!

 

Personally I would have preferred Ronnie in 2004 than Sarkozy in 2011!

[Nick Tessla]

but you are assuming that we would have a time limit on the number of terms a president would serve..... they tried that in Russia and look what happened there!!

 

Personally I would have preferred Ronnie in 2004 than Sarkozy in 2011!

 

 

No I am assuning they would not have carried on voting for him, personally I don't see anything wrong with multiple terms. No chance of a third term removes a degree of accountability (which is why I don't agree with the single-term proposals for an elected house of lords)

 

If it's good enough for the head of government it's good enough for the head of state.

 

Comparisons with Russia and the UK, with very different democratic traditions, are not really valid.

[asperity]

Ronnie was in office for eight years - if such a numpty inherited the throne he'd be there for life. Reagan would still have been in office in 2004, with alzheimers.

 

 

It seems the American public don't share your low opinion of Ronnie Reagan:

 

Popular opinion

C-SPAN poll

 

In addition to conducting a historian survey, C-Span also conducted a presidential leadership survey of 1145 viewers in December 1999.[24]

 

Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

Theodore Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Thomas Jefferson

Ronald Reagan

Harry S. Truman

Dwight D. Eisenhower

James Monroe

James Madison

John Adams

John F. Kennedy

Woodrow Wilson

Andrew Jackson

John Quincy Adams

George H.W. Bush

James K. Polk

William McKinley

Lyndon B. Johnson

Richard Nixon

Grover Cleveland

Calvin Coolidge

Gerald Ford

William Howard Taft

Zachary Taylor

Rutherford B. Hayes

Jimmy Carter

James A. Garfield

Ulysses S. Grant

Martin Van Buren

Benjamin Harrison

John Tyler

Herbert Hoover

Chester A. Arthur

William Henry Harrison

Bill Clinton

Millard Fillmore

Andrew Johnson

Franklin Pierce

Warren G. Harding

James Buchanan

 

ABC poll

 

An ABC News poll about presidential greatness, taken 16–20 February 2000, asked 1,012 adults in the US, "Who do you think was the greatest American president?"[25]

 

Abraham Lincoln (19%)

John F. Kennedy (17%)

Franklin Roosevelt (11%)

No opinion (10%)

Ronald Reagan (9%)

George Washington (8%)

Bill Clinton (7%)

Theodore Roosevelt (4%)

George H.W. Bush (4%)

Thomas Jefferson (3%)

Harry Truman (2%)

Richard Nixon (2%)

Jimmy Carter (1%)

Dwight Eisenhower (1%)

 

Washington College poll

 

A Washington College poll about presidential greatness, taken February 11, 2005, asked 800 adults in the US, "Thinking about all the presidents of the United States throughout history to the present, who would you say was America's greatest president?"[26]

 

Abraham Lincoln (20%)

Ronald Reagan (15%)

Franklin D. Roosevelt (12%)

John F. Kennedy (11%)

Bill Clinton (10%)

Other/Don't Know (9%)

George W. Bush (8%)

George Washington (6%)

Theodore Roosevelt (3%)

Dwight Eisenhower (3%)

Jimmy Carter (2%)

Thomas Jefferson (2%)

Richard Nixon (1%)

John Adams (<1%)

Andrew Jackson (<1%)

Lyndon B. Johnson (<1%)

 

Gallup poll

 

A Gallup poll about presidential greatness, taken February 2–5, 2011, asked 1015 adults in the US, "Who do you regard as the greatest United States president?"[27]

 

Ronald Reagan (19%)

Abraham Lincoln (14%)

Bill Clinton (13%)

John F. Kennedy (11%)

George Washington (10%)

Franklin Roosevelt (8%)

Barack Obama (5%)

No opinion (5%)

Theodore Roosevelt (3%)

Harry Truman (3%)

George W. Bush (2%)

Thomas Jefferson (2%)

Jimmy Carter (1%)

Dwight Eisenhower (1%)

George H. W. Bush (1%)

Other(1%)

None (1%)

Andrew Jackson (0%)

Lyndon Johnson (0%)

Richard Nixon (0%)

 

Rasmussen Reports poll

 

A Rasmussen Reports poll taken June 13–24 of 2007 asked 1,000 randomly selected adults to rate America's presidents. Six presidents—George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy—were rated favorably by at least 80% of respondents. [28]

President Favorable Unfavorable

George Washington 94 2

Abraham Lincoln 92 4

Thomas Jefferson 89 4

Theodore Roosevelt 84 8

Franklin D. Roosevelt 81 12

John F. Kennedy 80 13

John Adams 74 9

James Madison 73 8

Ronald Reagan 72 22

Dwight D. Eisenhower 72 15

Harry S Truman 70 14

Andrew Jackson 69 14

Gerald Ford 62 26

John Quincy Adams 59 7

Ulysses S. Grant 58 24

George H.W. Bush 57 41

Jimmy Carter 57 34

William Taft 57 15

Woodrow Wilson 56 19

Bill Clinton 55 41

James Monroe 49 10

Herbert Hoover 48 34

Lyndon B. Johnson 45 42

Andrew Johnson 45 26

Chester Arthur 43 17

James A. Garfield 42 16

William McKinley 42 24

George W. Bush 41 59

Grover Cleveland 40 26

Calvin Coolidge 38 31

Rutherford B. Hayes 38 19

Richard Nixon 32 60

Benjamin Harrison 30 35

Warren Harding 29 33

James Buchanan 28 32

James Polk 27 21

Zachary Taylor 26 18

Martin Van Buren 23 19

William Henry Harrison 21 16

Franklin Pierce 17 25

Millard Fillmore 17 25

John Tyler 9 15

Recent president polls

 

These polls evaluate Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Harris Interactive poll

 

A Harris poll, taken January 16-23, 2012, asked 2,016 adults what they think of previous U.S. presidents.[29]

 

"Looking at the list of presidents since World War II, which one do you think is the best president?"

 

Ronald Reagan (25%)

Franklin Roosevelt (19%)

John F. Kennedy (15%)

Bill Clinton (12%)

Dwight Eisenhower (4%)

Harry Truman (4%)

Barack Obama (4%)

George W. Bush (2%)

Jimmy Carter (2%)

Lyndon Johnson (1%)

George H.W. Bush (1%)

Richard Nixon (1%)

Gerald Ford (1%)

Not Sure (10%)

 

"Looking at the list of presidents since World War II, which one do you think is the worst president?"

 

George W. Bush (27%)

Barack Obama (22%)

Richard Nixon (12%)

Bill Clinton (5%)

Jimmy Carter (5%)

Ronald Reagan (4%)

George H.W. Bush (4%)

Lyndon Johnson (2%)

John F. Kennedy (2%)

Harry Truman (2%)

Franklin Roosevelt (1%)

Gerald Ford (1%)

Dwight Eisenhower (1%)

Not Sure (12%)

 

"Which one of the following presidents do you think was the best overall president in our history?"

 

Abraham Lincoln (27%)

Ronald Reagan (22%)

George Washington (12%)

John F. Kennedy (5%)

Bill Clinton (5%)

Franklin Roosevelt (4%)

Barack Obama (4%)

Thomas Jefferson (2%)

George W. Bush (2%)

Harry Truman (2%)

Theodore Roosevelt (1%)

Dwight Eisenhower (1%)

Jimmy Carter (1%)

 

George H.W. Bush, John Adams, Richard Nixon, Andrew Jackson, Lyndon Johnson, Calvin Coolidge, Woodrow Wilson and Gerald Ford all received less than 0.5 percent. Eight percent of respondents were not sure.

Gallup poll

 

A Gallup Poll, taken February 2-5, 2012, asked 1029 adults in the US, "How do you think each of the following presidents will go down in history—as an outstanding president, above average, average, below average, or poor?"

Gallup poll 2012Result Barack Obama George W. Bush Bill Clinton George H.W. Bush Ronald Reagan Jimmy Carter Gerald Ford Richard Nixon

1. outstanding 10% 7% 18% 6% 27% 5% 5% 3%

2. above average 28% 18% 42% 29% 42% 20% 16% 11%

3. average 26% 28% 28% 44% 20% 34% 54% 28%

4. below average 17% 22% 7% 11% 6% 22% 15% 32%

5. poor 18% 25% 5% 9% 4% 16% 4% 23%

no opinion 1% - - 1% 1% 3% 6% 3%

Gallup poll

 

A Gallup poll, taken on November 19–21, 2010, asked Americans to say, based on what they know or remember about the nine most recent former presidents, whether they approve or disapprove of how each handled his job in office.[30]

 

John F. Kennedy (85% approval/10% disapproval)

Ronald Reagan (74% approval/24% disapproval)

Bill Clinton (69% approval/30% disapproval)

George H. W. Bush (64% approval/34% disapproval)

Gerald Ford (61% approval/26% disapproval)

Jimmy Carter (52% approval/42% disapproval)

Lyndon B. Johnson (49% approval/36% disapproval)

George W. Bush (47% approval/51% disapproval)

Richard Nixon (29% approval/65% disapproval)

 

Vision Critical/Angus Reid poll

 

A Vision Critical/Angus Reid poll, taken on February 18–19, 2011, asked respondents about 12 former and current presidents and whether they were a good or bad president.[31]

 

John F. Kennedy (80% approval/6% disapproval)

Ronald Reagan (72% approval/16% disapproval)

Bill Clinton (65% approval/24% disapproval)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (61% approval/6% disapproval)

Harry S. Truman (57% approval/7% disapproval)

Jimmy Carter (47% approval/28% disapproval)

George H.W. Bush (44% approval/38% disapproval)

Barack Obama (41% approval/33% disapproval)

Gerald Ford (37% approval/25% disapproval)

Lyndon B. Johnson (33% approval/27% disapproval)

George W. Bush (30% approval/55% disapproval)

Richard Nixon (24% approval/54% disapproval)

 

:wink: :wink:

[Nick Tessla]

How many members of the public could name more than four or five Monarchs and /or PMs - never mind ratimg them?

[asperity]

Well there's no accounting for the ignorance of the general public, but apart from that I don't see the point of your post :unsure:

[Bazj]

How many members of the public could name more than four or five Monarchs and /or PMs - never mind ratimg them?

 

seeing as there has been only one monarch for almost 60 years, many wouldn't have cause to name more than a few....

[wolfie]

Voting in Reagan as President and then years later voting him as one of the best Presidents they have had, tells you something of what Americans are like. :blink:

[asperity]

Perhaps it tells you more about what the Presidents since Reagan have been like <_<

[observer]

I recall some time ago, a TV prog where they did a straw poll in the streets of New York on the US Constitution - most thought it was some "commie" manifesto!

[wolfie]

Perhaps it tells you more about what the Presidents since Reagan have been like <_<

 

Or both.

[Bazj]

Perhaps it tells you more about what the Presidents since Reagan have been like <_<

 

Perhaps it tells you that maybe he wasn't as bad as the UK press and Spitting Image made him out to be...... At least he had the right idea about Libya and Gadaffi; prefering to bomb the hell out of him rather than sucking up to him in a tent in the desert like our own Labour prime minister Tony Bliar

[Lt Kije]

No he was worse Baz, for half of his second term he had Alzheimers. He thought God was on his side. Any one who sits with a nuclear button in one hand and claims to do gods work, should not be in office!!!

[observer]

Do we get a vote for "God"?! :wink:

[Bazj]

No he was worse Baz, for half of his second term he had Alzheimers. He thought God was on his side. Any one who sits with a nuclear button in one hand and claims to do gods work, should not be in office!!!

 

Bliar was exactly the same with his beliefs though...... I did think Reagan was the best of the run of presidents in the 70's and 80's.... at least he had balls!

[Lt Kije]

Carter was better

[asperity]

Carter was better

 

 

:shock: :shock: At what? :blink:

[Cleopatra]

Growing peanuts!

[Lt Kije]

:lol:

At playing at presidents than Reagen