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Boaty McBoatface Vs RRS Sir David Attenborough

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Why does everyone have this mock-everything ideology..... No one actually cares that the ship s supposed to be used to conduct important research. Calling it something so deliberately stupid is just a slap in the mcboatface and is actually disrespectful to everyone involved.

In light of this, I'm sure that everyone will rush to support it.

Mini-Rant over. Mostly.

Reply 41

Fullofsurprises

Original post by iEthan

[rant]This annoyed me way more than it should have. Why ask the public for a vote and then decide not to listen to them? Grrrrrrrrrrr.[/rant]

Because what the public said was bizarre, idiotic, childish and confused? :dontknow:

Reply 42

Fullofsurprises

Original post by Observatory

As opposed to HMS Cromwell (Thomas or Oliver?), HMS Queen Elizabeth (I or II?), HMS Churchill (John or Winston?)?

I am afraid naming ships for precision rather than art is a rather ugly American import.

Can we at least agree that "Sir" isn't necessary?

I find myself agreeing on your last point.

Reply 43

Sandtrooper

Volunteer Team

What about a compromise - David McDaveface?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 44

nulli tertius

Original post by Observatory

Why not simply RRS Attenborough?

Because of this perhaps?

https://youtu.be/RpRIz3Ev9GQ?t=3532

Reply 45

gwagon

I don't get this Jo Johnson guy.
1. Make a poll
2. Completely disregard it.
3. Choose your own name, effectively slapping all the voters across the face.
4. Democracy???

Reply 46

nulli tertius

Original post by gwagon

I don't get this Jo Johnson guy.
1. Make a poll
2. Completely disregard it.
3. Choose your own name, effectively slapping all the voters across the face.
4. Democracy???

Johnson didn't make a poll. As the minister responsible, he has merely had to clear up the mess.

Reply 47

gwagon

Original post by nulli tertius

Johnson didn't make a poll. As the minister responsible, he has merely had to clear up the mess.

There was hardly any mess to clear up when the top contender was literally 100,000 votes up from the next one...

Reply 48

nulli tertius

Original post by gwagon

There was hardly any mess to clear up when the top contender was literally 100,000 votes up from the next one...

Of course there was a mess to clear up.

100,000 votes is an insignificant proportion of the total numbers of UK taxpayers who were paying for this vessel, the majority of whom would have been unaware of the existence of the poll and would not have given a fig if it was named after Attenborough, Scott or Shackleton. Do you think the Daily Mail wouldn't have got many more than 100,000 to protest about a joke choice if such was made?

Moreover the scientific community would have gone ballistic if they thought their work was being belittled.

There is now going to be a Parliamentary enquiry but I can tell you now that the outcome will be that public bodies must never again have open competitions which are vulnerable to hijacking. The government dodged a bullet with a humorous name. As was seen with the hijacking of the pop charts following Margaret Thatcher's death, they could have ended up with the RRS Blair is a War Criminal.

As it was, it was perfectly obvious that the choice RRS Catalina De Aragon was made by Spanish participants in the Gibraltar issue rather than by folk celebrating a queen of England with no known interest in exploration.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 49

Laurenafenete

I think that this is a good compromise as Sir David Attenborough has done a lot for science and for making science accessible to the public with many regarding him as a national treasure, myself included and apparently they are naming a submarine which is going to be on the boat the Boaty Mcboatface so its not like they are completely disregarding what the public wanted.

Spoiler

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 50

medapplicant2016

Original post by Reue

Why bother with a poll asking for suggestions? Should have just given options people had to pick from.

Oh come on, it wasn't exactly a full-on referendum..they were just getting suggestions - and I'm sure it'll always be known as that informally

Reply 51

Reue

Original post by medapplicant2016

Oh come on, it wasn't exactly a full-on referendum..they were just getting suggestions - and I'm sure it'll always be known as that informally

Well that certainly helps me sleep better at night

Reply 52

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

I'm glad they won't be calling it Boaty McBoatface. Ridiculous name for a ship that will do such important work. If people care so much about having a ship called Boaty McBoatface then they can raise the money and pay for it themselves.

Reply 53

JamesN88

Democracy has failed, next stop North Korea. :biggrin:

I think naming it after Henry Worsley would have been quite fitting, it would have been my choice.

Reply 54

TimmonaPortella

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Because what the public said was bizarre, idiotic, childish and confused? :dontknow:

lol wow, well put.

Did some people seriously think that the NERC was going to act on a joke suggestion -- let alone that they should act on it?

I found the suggestion pretty funny originally, but that was on the assumption that everyone knew it wasn't going anywhere...

Reply 55

That Bearded Man

It's a decent save tbh, everyone's loves DA and they've named a side vessel boaty. Still, that's democracy for you, democracy WHEN IT SUITS.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 56

Fullofsurprises

Original post by That Bearded Man

It's a decent save tbh, everyone's loves DA and they've named a side vessel boaty. Still, that's democracy for you, democracy WHEN IT SUITS.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Usually democracy is about which people are in charge, not what you call boats.

Reply 57

nulli tertius

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Usually democracy is about which people are in charge, not what you call boats.

"The Admiralty had demanded six ships; the economists offered four; and we finally compromised on eight."

W S Churchill

Reply 58

ChaoticButterfly

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Usually democracy is about which people are in charge, not what you call boats.

Fascist FoS at it again :rolleyes:

Original post by Snufkin

On the radio some guy called in to say he was naming his canal boat instead. I wish people got as angry about things that actually matter as they did about this :s-smilie:

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 59

Fullofsurprises

Original post by ChaoticButterfly

Fascist FoS at it again :rolleyes:

On the radio some guy called in to say he was naming his canal boat instead. I wish people got as angry about things that actually matter as they did about this :s-smilie:

It serves the same role as football, distraction for the angry masses.