| Author | Message | ||
     Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 80.5.8.49 |
I am somewhat puzzled over "Plebgate". The ex-Chief Whip admits to swearing at the police, effing and blinding at officers of the law, and that seems to be perfectly all right. I'll try it the next time I'm out. However... Worse, much worse, apparantly, is the use of the word "pleb". Now, to me, a seondary modern school oik, words like "pleb" are from the same Lovecraftian cess pit of foul and abusive language as "bounder", "cad", "cripes" and "cor blimey guv, what a diabolical liberty!" (Apologies to the more sensitive among for my digusting expletive outburst). Am I blooming well missing something here? Flippin' 'eck. Cheers T***y | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.176.179.114 |
I think it's more the "I'm better than you" that's implied by the use of 'pleb'. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.244.38 |
I agree, Terry! Me and my hubby can't stop laughing every time "pleb" is mentioned on the news. "Who on earth uses words like that nowadays?" was hubby's original response. And, yes, if you or I started effing and blinding at a police officer we'd soon find ourselves having an escorted trip to the nearest police station. But Mick is right too, of course, it's the holier-than-thou connotation of the word which is what all the fuss is about. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 178.116.60.39 |
I've always been fond of that cor blimey. Any idea where it comes from? | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.244.38 |
"blimey" is short for "blind me", but I'm not sure why. Maybe it's something like "that's amazing to look at - better poke my eyes out so I can't see it" or something like that? | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.192.48 |
I think it's a corruption of "God, blind me". | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 2.24.27.177 |
'Pleb' became a headline insult because of what it implies: the current government regards itself as being on a higher level than the common people. It was a tacit admission of what most people understand very well: this government is fighting a war against the working class, with the single aim of doing the greatest possible damage to it. Hence the deliberate perpetuation of the economic crisis, which provides an excuse for destroying public services. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 2.24.30.199 |
I think the shock also came from the identification of the police as 'plebs' (common people of no account) rather than professionals meriting some respect. This government has made it clear that it sees all service providers as plebs: Lansley's attitude towards doctors and nurses, and Gove's attitude towards teachers, displays obvious contempt. The only non-plebs are bankers, financiers and the ultra-rich, whom the government regards as a superior breed whose elevated lives the common people cannot possibly understand. There is now an attempt being made to deny the whole incident – but why has it taken them months to say 'it didn't happen'? And if, as the government now claims, the whole thing was a conspiracy orchestrated by the police force, what are we to make of the police force trying to attack a Tory government? Either version of events tells us essentially the same thing: this government does not believe in public services except as something run for profit by private providers. | ||
| David_lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 2.96.199.24 |
Yeah, cor blimey is a contraction of God blind me, as in "God blind me if Joel hasn't got it spot on." I find the current situation we have of career politicians who live their whole lives from university on in the Westminster bubble quite frightening. Bad enough they have no experience of the lives of the people they're meant to represent but when they actually think they're a superior class...it's horrifying. | ||
| Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 80.5.8.49 |
Personally I simply don't believe that the police lied. They just dared to challenge the Power and this is their punishment. It's the same as the attitude of the judge who was "astounded" or something similar that the RSPCA would spend money (doing its job by the way) on prosecuting the fox hunt (based in Cameron's constituency) who had broken the law by actually hunting foxes. You do not challenge the power and think you're going to get away with it scot free. Cheers Terry |