Message in a bottle
Bottle - you've either got it or you ain't.
On Saturday we were given a clear lesson in what it means to possess bottle. Nobody who watched the England rugby team's wonderful victory over Australia could doubt that individually and collectively the team displayed all the characteristics summed up in the expression "bottle".
They were brave, determined, never-say-die. They were fantastic. It was as great a victory in its way as the World Cup Final four years ago.
The Aussies - and later the All Blacks - lost their bottle. The English and, to a lesser extent, the French, discovered new pride, passion, hope and oprimism in even the least promising of situations.
The same can be said for the struggle between the Conservative and Labour parties.
David Cameron showed bottle by the English-rugby-team-load at the Conservative Party conference. It led directly to Gordon Brown calling off the much-vaunted snap General Election.
Cameron was a one-man rugby team facing down a boastful Haka from the pre-match favourite.
Challenged and tested, Gordon Brown was found wanting. He has given himself at least 18 months to recover from this humiliation.
He will need all that time because he has blown not only his honeymoon period and his lead in the polls but his reputation, his credibility and his authority.
It's like being bundled out of the World Cup in the quarter finals because you suddenly reveal that easy victories are one thing but when it comes to a real battle, you just don't have the bottle for it.
By the way, thanks to londonslang.com for this explanation of the use of the word "bottle" to describe courage:
eg "he lost his bottle", "he bottled out", "he's got a lot of bottle". The most common explanation of this term is that it comes from the Rhyming Slang 'bottle and glass' - 'arse'. ie. To loose ones bottle, to loose ones arse (incontinence produced by fear).
On Saturday we were given a clear lesson in what it means to possess bottle. Nobody who watched the England rugby team's wonderful victory over Australia could doubt that individually and collectively the team displayed all the characteristics summed up in the expression "bottle".
They were brave, determined, never-say-die. They were fantastic. It was as great a victory in its way as the World Cup Final four years ago.
The Aussies - and later the All Blacks - lost their bottle. The English and, to a lesser extent, the French, discovered new pride, passion, hope and oprimism in even the least promising of situations.
The same can be said for the struggle between the Conservative and Labour parties.
David Cameron showed bottle by the English-rugby-team-load at the Conservative Party conference. It led directly to Gordon Brown calling off the much-vaunted snap General Election.
Cameron was a one-man rugby team facing down a boastful Haka from the pre-match favourite.
Challenged and tested, Gordon Brown was found wanting. He has given himself at least 18 months to recover from this humiliation.
He will need all that time because he has blown not only his honeymoon period and his lead in the polls but his reputation, his credibility and his authority.
It's like being bundled out of the World Cup in the quarter finals because you suddenly reveal that easy victories are one thing but when it comes to a real battle, you just don't have the bottle for it.
By the way, thanks to londonslang.com for this explanation of the use of the word "bottle" to describe courage:
eg "he lost his bottle", "he bottled out", "he's got a lot of bottle". The most common explanation of this term is that it comes from the Rhyming Slang 'bottle and glass' - 'arse'. ie. To loose ones bottle, to loose ones arse (incontinence produced by fear).
posted by nigel hastilow at 4:22 AM
4 Comments:
Do you have bottle? Will you stand by your Enoch Powell remarks, or will you back down to the inevitable pressure from David Cameron's to keep the shiny new tories from showing their nasty underbelly?
DAVID CAMERON IS WET. HE ONLY WANTS TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS AND COULD NOT CARE LESS ABOUT THIS COUNTRY, NEITHER, FOR THAT MATTER, COULD GORDON BROWN.
THE GOVERNMENT ADMITTED LAST WEEK THAT THE IMMIGRATION FIGURES WERE INCORRECT. THAT MEANS IT IS UNCONTROLLED.
OUTRAGEOUS THAT NIGEL HASTILOW SHOULD BE FORCED TO RESIGN - WHAT HAPPENED TO FREE SPEECH IN THIS COUNTRY?
TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT GB DOES NOT EQUAL RACISM.
about time an mp stood up for how British people of today feel. I am a 37 year old woman, married with 2 children. I am not racist and I think culture and diversity is good for Britain, however, I believe we have taken in enough immigrants and unless we close the doors now - we are going to be overrun. Good for Nigel Hasilow for expressing the views of how many british people are feeling. Well done on him.
what ever happened to Freedom of Speech? Good on Nigel Hastilow - he is saying publicly what most british people are thinking,but are too scared to express incase they are branded racist. What a disgrace he has been forced to resign. Come on Conservatives. Stick your necks out a bit... you will get public backing. Immigration needs to be sorted asap and the british public are looking to mp's or a government who can tackle it...
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