Boaty McBoatface.
 

This is sometimes why I am proud to be British and should serve as a warning to others who think its a good idea to ask the public to name certain things.


Boaty McBoatface leads public vote to name new £200m research vessel | News | The Independent


I can just imagine the looks of disgust at a number of posh British establishments on hearing this news. there will be splutterings in their G & T's and port and sherry or whatever fancy drink they choose. Why was this allowed to happen and whoever is responsible should be flogged with a cat o nine tails or sent to Botany Bay.


This is 2016 and there is this thing called the Internet. Now if you ask the public to get involved to suggest names for whatever it is you are thinking of naming then expect the serious to the totally out in left field names suggested and as demonstrated in this story you might not like the end result.
Now we know the establishment wont let the vessel be named this even if it does have the most votes and as the article states


Anchored in the terms and conditions, the website states ‘the final name will be selected by NERC.’


So if they were going to select a name then why leave yourselves open to ridicule by allowing the public to suggest names knowing that it could go viral in this case.


Yes its just the Brits being silly, irreverent or whatever you describe them as but it shows we do still have a sense of humour and with the internet we can call on all of our friends and their friends and their friends friends to vote for a particular name causing the establishment to go into melt down or suffer from some piss taking across the world as there should never have been a decision to let the public suggest a name.


Sure let the kids suggest names for new Police puppies or horses etc but think about other projects you don't want them suggesting names for.


Manchester City many years ago suggested renaming one of the stands at the end of the ground after one of their most famous players Colin Bell.
Urban legend has it that thousands of Manchester United fans voted for it to be called the Bell End. They eventually decided to name one of the side stands after him.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

I think that that is a brilliant name for a boat. We had a poll to rename our medical clinic and in the end got a reasonable name. I am thanking our lucky stars that Oink wasn't part of the process:cool:

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

It's wonderful. I do hope the ask HM to do the launching thing.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

There's pretty much no chance of the name being actually selected, however one of the scientists said on twitter that they would call it by that name

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

I believe it to be true that, when Nunavut was created, there was a poll to determine what the residents of the rest of the NWT wanted "their bit" to be called. The winning selection was "Bob" so they're stuck with North-West Territories.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

I did not know that, and now I do (Bob was actually 2nd place). You could learn something new every day.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

From the David Squires cartoon in today's Guardian regarding the new England football kit.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

You don't see enough of the banana splits nowadays :thumbup:

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Or Parsley :)

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

I'm a big fan of Boaty McBoatface. They should go with it and be damned the people who say it is too silly. Just look at all the press attention they have gotten already - people are going to be interested to read a blog 'adventures of Boaty McBoatface' on the latest science they are up to. And in schools kids can see where Boaty is on the map and what research they are currently doing. They have inadvertently created a masterful piece of public outreach and they should embrace it!

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

I quite like the Notthetitanic as a suggestion too

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

The Portsmouth to Waterloo train this morning had the name Trainy McTrainface on the elecronic board on the front driver's carriage.


http://www.standard.co.uk/news/trans...-a3209291.html

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

UPDATE :


As the polls finally closed for the naming of its new polar research ship, the NERC confirmed that the votes were overwhelmingly in favour of RRS Boaty McBoatface.


The top five suggestions are:

1. RRS Boaty McBoatface – 124,109
2. RRS Poppy-Mai – 34,371
3. RRS Henry Worsley – 15,231
4. RRS It’s bloody cold here – 10,679
5. RRS David Attenborough – 10,284

Now we all know the establishment will not allow this boat to be named this even with it democratically being the chosen name. Bloody Tories are now acting like North Korea. You asked the public to vote and they did. Would you do this in a general election if you received the majority of votes?


Anyway its a bloody stupid name as its not a boat its a ship therefore it should have been named Shippy McShipface.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

"Name of Vessel" has a nice ring to it.

:egyptian:

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

I've been avoiding this story (in the media) as it sounded like something stupid. Have just been brought up to speed by reading this BE thread. Definitely an "only in Britain" situation. I suppose I am warming to the name. Perhaps, given the notoriety, could be used and the ship referred to as "Boaty" for short.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

(Planey McPlaneface) Aer Bus?

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

It's not though. Refer Nunavut/Bob/NWT. The public collectively has a sense of humour while bureaucrats do not. People try to have a laugh, po-faced administrators struggle to keep up standards of pomposity.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Only in Britain and Bob?

Never understood why they didn't make the whole of NWT, Nunavut...

Bob must be a force to be reckoned with.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

I think a real opportunity was wasted here. Generally the public don't give a flying monkey's about scientific research. People might have actually started paying attention to what Boaty McBoat face was actually doing

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

They didn't call it all Nunavut because the public voted to call it various other names, one of which was Bob. Government decided that Bob wasn't a good name for a chunk of tundra and so part of it is Nunavut and part of it is the NWT. The story is analogous to that of the boat (assuming it's not actually named Boaty McBoatface or It's Cold Here or some other name people voted for but isn't administratively appropriate) and so demonstrates that far from being specifically British, this is an every day tale of sham public consultation that could come from anywhere except Switzerland.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

The Swiss may not have much of a sense of humour, but their flag is a big plus.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

For about half a second I was just going to remind myself and then it came to me. :rofl::rofl:

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

:thumbsup:

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

To anyone who's not a sailor, everything on the water is a boat, unless it's a duck.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Quacky McQuackface

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Phucky Mc...

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

So the name Boaty McBoatface has now been registered in Hansard.
During a Parliamentary Committee Business Chief a top civil servant named Martin Donnelly was asked by South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon which name had won the poll.
The simple sounding question was met with a baffling response by the Permanent Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills, who did not want to say the silly name.
The Tory MP pressed him again: 'Can you state for the record which name won the contest?

But again he had to rephrase the question to 'which name won the won the poll', before he got the answer he was looking for.
Martin Donnelly finally caved in after being asked four times and said: 'I believe Boaty McBoatface won the poll.'
Mr Bacon responded: 'I just wanted you to say that on record. And you did,' to laughter in the room.

The marketing alone would be astronomical. T shirts, mugs, key rings, puzzles and a whole load of Boaty McBoatface could be licensed and monies raised used in the research for the NERC. Kids at school could get engaged and perhaps show more interest as to why Arctic research is done.

I think by not naming it Boaty they are sort of missing the boat on this one.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

If they haven't got a trademark registered we could scoop them ourselves, how hard is it to find out? A little crowdfunding (probably pennies each), flip it to somebody rich and we could have the Mother of Meet-Ups.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Even "Boaty" would have been a good PR move...

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Woo Hoo a result now how is this going to spun?

Is it a case that the NERC and Govt caved in, came to some sort of compromise or the name does grow on you after a while?

Boaty McBoatface will explore the polar seas as a yellow submarine on board a £200m research ship named after Sir David Attenborough.
Science Minister Jo Johnson announced today that the humorous name - which became the runaway favourite in a public poll to christen the ship - would adorn a remote-control sub-sea that will explore the waters of the Atlantic.
But the research ship itself, where Boaty will be housed, will be named Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, in tribute to the legendary explorer in the year of his 90th birthday.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

So Boaty lives on but McBoatface?

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

This was a farce waiting to lose it's trousers.
Asking people to name a boat was like voting for anarchy, ok until it actually happens.
At least they picked the right Attenborough.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

Nice to see the British producing an Arctic research vessel. Kind of embarrassing for Canada which actually has an Arctic but no new Arctic vessels in sight.

BTW half inched this comment from a CBC article.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

When it's old and worn out, we can buy it.

Re: Boaty McBoatface.
 

You are talking about the ship and not Sir David aren't you?