Ex Harrow actors.

[besleybean]

I had a weird one last night.

For those who don't know, actor Laurence Fox is a candidate for London mayor.  He is not going to win, but anyway...

My dream was centred on Laurence sitting on a bench, doing a piece to camera, or giving an interview, not sure which...

towards the end, Benedict comes and sits by him on the bench and they chat away.

Right at the conclusion, Benedict dramatically leans in, embraces Laurence and gives him  a big kiss.

[Arcadia]

If Laurence Fox is who I think he is, I might give him a big kiss too. 😉 

[besleybean]

He's dishy, but quite divisive.

[HerlockSholmes]

Fox is a controversial figure over here but,  as besleybean said, he’s got no chance of becoming Mayor. London has 2 Mayor’s of course and he’s only eligible to try to become one. I agree with some of the things that he says (mainly about the spread of political correctness and the suggestion that we should all walk around ‘hanging our heads in shame’ for events in our history) but he’s also of the group that are outraged that masks and restrictions are insufferable infringements on our freedom. And so while many will agree with some of the things that he says I don’t think that he’ll escape being tarred with the ‘looney’ brush.

Plus, some people just aren’t keen on posh boys.😃

[besleybean]

That latter part I have never understood...

give me a guy with floppy hair and an English public school accent.

I know it's terrible, hey, we all have our pervs!

[Carol the Dabbler]

11 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

London has 2 Mayor’s of course

Really?  I had no idea.  How does that work?

 

[HerlockSholmes]

It’s because there is The City Of London, known as the Square Mile which is the financial district at the centre of London and Greater London which is the rest.

The Mayor of London is a political appointment voted into office by Londoners. Current incumbent is Sadie Khan who is a Labour politician. He took over after Boris. This is the job that Lawrence Fox is after but won’t get.

The Lord Mayor Of London represents the City Of London only. The current incumbent is William Russell who is, believe it or not, the 692nd Lord Mayor. His role is basically to promote business (mainly finance) Every year on November 9th there’s a Lord Mayor’s Parade. He gets to live in the Mansion House. Lots of tradition attached to this as you would expect. If the Queen enters the City Of London there’s a ceremony where the Lord Mayor hands over a sword signifying that he’s showing the Queen that she’s the Boss.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Thanks, Herlock.  (So Fox is not running against Dick Whittington!)  I knew there were two Londons, basically London proper and greater London, but I didn't realize that each had a mayor.

4 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

The Mayor of London is a political appointment voted into office by Londoners.

Here in the US, those two words mean different things.  An elected official is voted into office by voters, but an appointed official is, well, appointed by a higher official.

 

[besleybean]

Well I am an Englander and I didn't even know that.

But it does explain things better.

I mean I knew about The City, within Greater London...but not the 2 mayor thing.

I love the Dick Whittington story.

Sorry to be pedantic, but it is:

Laurence Fox and Sadiq Khan.

Khan is way ahead in the polls.

 

[HerlockSholmes]

6 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Thanks, Herlock.  (So Fox is not running against Dick Whittington!)  I knew there were two Londons, basically London proper and greater London, but I didn't realize that each had a mayor.

Here in the US, those two words mean different things.  An elected official is voted into office by voters, but an appointed official is, well, appointed by a higher official.

 

The Lord Mayor has to be a city Alderman and has to have served as City Sheriff (a largely ceremonial role with only minimal duties) He’s elected by show of hands by members of the various Livery Companies (which are the 110 ancient trade guilds - The Guild Of Fishmongers for example.) He’s paid over £150,000 per year but a tour guide once told me that he has to pay for all of his (extensive) travel and for any functions at the Mansion House ( certainly far from cheap!) So basically the elected Lord Mayor has to have plenty of £ in the bank.

[HerlockSholmes]

4 hours ago, besleybean said:

Well I am an Englander and I didn't even know that.

But it does explain things better.

I mean I knew about The City, within Greater London...but not the 2 mayor thing.

I love the Dick Whittington story.

Sorry to be pedantic, but it is:

Laurence Fox and Sadiq Khan.

Khan is way ahead in the polls.

 

It looks like there are 20 candidates although I’d suggest that Count Binface hasn’t much chance of success (although he’d get my vote.)😀 Jeremy Corbyn’s older brother is apparently running. Sadie Khan appears to be strong favourite to be re-elected as you say Besley bean. 

 

[HerlockSholmes]

On the subject of the Livery Companies/Trade Guilds here are a few sayings that we use that came from them (maybe🙂)

http://cityandlivery.co.uk/the-city-explained/sayings-associated-with-the.html

[besleybean]

Count bin face?

But yeah, if I could, I would vote for him too!

[Carol the Dabbler]

15 hours ago, besleybean said:

I love the Dick Whittington story.

Hey, any story with a cat in it is OK by me!

10 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

He’s elected by show of hands by members of the various Livery Companies (which are the 110 ancient trade guilds - The Guild Of Fishmongers for example.)

I asume nowadays that would be anyone in the fish & seafood business?  Or are those now ceremonial positions as well?

10 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

He’s paid over £150,000 per year but a tour guide once told me that he has to pay for all of his (extensive) travel and for any functions at the Mansion House ( certainly far from cheap!) So basically the elected Lord Mayor has to have plenty of £ in the bank.

Who pays for the Mansion House, servants, maintenance, etc.?  Sounds like this could be a nice high-profile free ride, as long as the LM doesn't spend too much on travel and parties.

10 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

Count Binface hasn’t much chance of success (although he’d get my vote.)

I just heard that name the other day (on Lost in the Pond / Ask a Brit).  I take it he's a non-serious candidate, though presumably in it to make a point?

 

[besleybean]

I miss the Raving Loony party!

[Carol the Dabbler]

7 hours ago, besleybean said:

I miss the Raving Loony party!

That's (was?) a political party?  Don't recall ever hearing of it before.

 

[besleybean]

Yes, set up by Screamin' Lord Sutch, the eccentric 60s singer.

[HerlockSholmes]

On 4/11/2021 at 9:47 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

Hey, any story with a cat in it is OK by me!

I asume nowadays that would be anyone in the fish & seafood business?  Or are those now ceremonial positions as well?

Who pays for the Mansion House, servants, maintenance, etc.?  Sounds like this could be a nice high-profile free ride, as long as the LM doesn't spend too much on travel and parties.

I just heard that name the other day (on Lost in the Pond / Ask a Brit).  I take it he's a non-serious candidate, though presumably in it to make a point?

 

The Livery companies are just ceremonial they due stuff like promote the industry that they represent, regulate it, promote training of apprentices and such.

Im unsure who pays for the Mansion House and staff but I assume that it’s the City Of London. Very few people actually live in the Square Mile these days. They work and go home to Greater London. If you walk through the Square Mile on a Sunday morning it’s a bit like a ghost town.

Whenever we have elections we always have joke candidates. The most famous being The Monster Raving Loony Party mentioned by Besleybean and Count BinFace. You had Donald Trump of course.😃

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 4/11/2021 at 6:11 AM, HerlockSholmes said:

The Lord Mayor has to be a city Alderman and has to have served as City Sheriff (a largely ceremonial role with only minimal duties) He’s elected by show of hands by members of the various Livery Companies

How does one get to be an Alderman or City Sheriff?

39 minutes ago, HerlockSholmes said:

The Livery companies are just ceremonial they due stuff like promote the industry that they represent, regulate it, promote training of apprentices and such.

If they regulate the industry they represent, then they're not just ceremonial, surely!  Sounds like what we call bureaucrats -- people with a lot of power but precious little accountability.

41 minutes ago, HerlockSholmes said:

Whenever we have elections we always have joke candidates. The most famous being The Monster Raving Loony Party mentioned by Besleybean and Count BinFace.

We often have joke candidates too.  There was a comedian named Pat Paulsen who used to run for President every four years, and about the time he retired from "politics," the humor writer Dave Barry took over.  They've often made good points, but they've never represented any actual political parties, and I don't believe they were on the ballot anywhere (though they could have been written in, in some states).  Do your joke candidates need to be affiliated with a quasi-legitimate political party, or are they strictly unofficial like ours?

 

[besleybean]

I think they are official, but independent.

[HerlockSholmes]

11 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

How does one get to be an Alderman or City Sheriff?

If they regulate the industry they represent, then they're not just ceremonial, surely!  Sounds like what we call bureaucrats -- people with a lot of power but precious little accountability.

We often have joke candidates too.  There was a comedian named Pat Paulsen who used to run for President every four years, and about the time he retired from "politics," the humor writer Dave Barry took over.  They've often made good points, but they've never represented any actual political parties, and I don't believe they were on the ballot anywhere (though they could have been written in, in some states).  Do your joke candidates need to be affiliated with a quasi-legitimate political party, or are they strictly unofficial like ours?

 

I’m not certain how they get to be either although I believe that it’s by nomination. The person has to be a local councillor (minor official) The title comes from an Anglo-Saxon word ‘ealdorman.’  I saw a documentary a few months ago but I’ve forgotten some of the details. The title Sheriff comes from Shire Reeve. Reeve being a title and Shire being...well you’ve read The Lord Of The Rings.🙂

Im 55 and when I talk to someone in their 20’s or 30’s it makes me feel a bit older. Just think how the English feel when we tell an American that The Worshipful Order Of Fishmongers got their Royal Charter in 1272.😮 And even then it was in existence in some form probably 100 years before that. I bet you can imagine me sitting here covered in cobwebs.😃

Our joke candidates are entirely independent. We also have Independent non-joke candidates some of whom formerly represented a party but have decided to strike out on their own for whatever reasons. Maybe they fell out with their party over some policy? Some campaign on ‘issues’ like Lawrence Fox does. The Independents have far less chance of success because they tend to struggle for financial backing for promotion and advertising and they rarely get asked on tv or radio for Interviews. Fox has a slight advantage of course because a) he’s known, and b) I believe that he’s getting some financial backing from someone (I believe it’s someone that donates to the Conservative Party.) He’s also campaigning about things that a lot of people are concerned about like the rise of Political Correctness so he has an ‘audience.’ He still has no chance of winning though. 
 

To be fair most Independents are fully aware that they have no chance of winning but they use the campaign to get issues that are important onto the agenda so that the Parties in power (Conservative and Labour mainly) can’t ignore them. 

[besleybean]

Sorry, don't want to get all Benedict on people about the spelling of names....

But it's 'Laurence' Fox!

[Carol the Dabbler]

6 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

Our joke candidates are entirely independent. We also have Independent non-joke candidates some of whom formerly represented a party but have decided to strike out on their own for whatever reasons.

For a change, we use the same word to mean the same thing!  Our Independent candidates are on the ballot as such, and do not represent any party.  Pretty much everything you said about your independents applies to ours as well.  (However our joke candidates do not typically bother about becoming official candidates and being on the ballot, since getting there takes a good deal of work -- collecting signatures on petitions, etc.)

6 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

I’m not certain how they get to be [an Alderman] either although I believe that it’s by nomination. The person has to be a local councillor (minor official)

Dare I ask how one gets to be a councillor?

 

[HerlockSholmes]

20 minutes ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

For a change, we use the same word to mean the same thing!  Our Independent candidates are on the ballot as such, and do not represent any party.  Pretty much everything you said about your independents applies to ours as well.  (However our joke candidates do not typically bother about becoming official candidates and being on the ballot, since getting there takes a good deal of work -- collecting signatures on petitions, etc.)

Dare I ask how one gets to be a councillor?

 

We have what are called Local Elections every couple of years where councillors are voted into office. So while the Conservative Party are currently in Government a local council can be run by a different party. The area where I live has pretty much always been run by Labour.

[Carol the Dabbler]

23 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

We have what are called Local Elections every couple of years where councillors are voted into office. So while the Conservative Party are currently in Government a local council can be run by a different party. The area where I live has pretty much always been run by Labour.

OK, thanks!  That sounds about like how things are here, as regards different parties controlling different areas.

Putting together your last few posts, it appears that in order to become Lord Mayor, one must have been elected as councillor in an actual election, and from there on you're chosen by your fellows.  So it's kind of like becoming Prime Minister?