Boris's Brain is missing

Use this board for general non-cycling-related chat, or to introduce yourself to the forum.
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by simonineaston »

One isn't over yet.
We shall see! I'm keeping fingies X'ed that there are more decent Tory MPs out there than perhaps we imagine - but while there are some, I think it's a forlorn hope ! Most are like IDS, for example - you can tell he doesn't like what Johnson is and does but sticks with him, 'cos for the time being anyway, he remains a vote winner.
The funny thing will be how Johnson gets to leave no. 10 - it's obvious he's wedded to the notion of the premiership in a deeply psychological way and I can imagine that when eventually forced to leave, he will either go full-on melt down (oh how I will laugh!) or else will simply do a mental flip and make like it never mattered to him in the first place.
And finally I wonder what dear ol' Laura K's reaction will be - although she never stops getting on his case, she does appear to quietly quite like him ! Weird.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by simonineaston »

One isn't over yet.
We shall see! I'm keeping fingies X'ed that there are more decent Tory MPs out there than perhaps we imagine - but while there are some, I think it's a forlorn hope ! Most are like IDS, for example - you can tell he doesn't like what Johnson is and does but sticks with him, 'cos for the time being anyway, he remains a vote winner.
The funny thing will be how Johnson gets to leave no. 10 - it's obvious he's wedded to the notion of the premiership in a deeply psychological way and I can imagine that when eventually forced to leave, he will either go full-on melt down (oh how I will laugh!) or else will simply do a mental flip and make like it never mattered to him in the first place.
And finally I wonder what dear ol' Laura K's reaction will be - although she never stops getting on his case, she does appear to quietly quite like him ! Weird.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by thirdcrank »

simonineaston wrote: 27 May 2022, 12:04pm
One isn't over yet.
We shall see! I'm keeping fingies X'ed that there are more decent Tory MPs out there than perhaps we imagine - but while there are some, I think it's a forlorn hope ! Most are like IDS, for example - you can tell he doesn't like what Johnson is and does but sticks with him, 'cos for the time being anyway, he remains a vote winner.
The funny thing will be how Johnson gets to leave no. 10 - it's obvious he's wedded to the notion of the premiership in a deeply psychological way and I can imagine that when eventually forced to leave, he will either go full-on melt down (oh how I will laugh!) or else will simply do a mental flip and make like it never mattered to him in the first place.
And finally I wonder what dear ol' Laura K's reaction will be - although she never stops getting on his case, she does appear to quietly quite like him ! Weird. (My bold)
Unusually for me, I watched Panorama on Tuesday 24 May. I fancy it would have been different had the Sue Gray report been published by then but, anyway, there were several talking head clips of Ian Duncan Smith who at one point was asked whether Boris Johnson should go and as well as replying, he got in his reasons why he should stay, which were along the lines that with the problems leading the country, we needed Boris Johnson's firm, decisive leadership. In close up, he showed his political skills by keeping a completely straight face.
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by simonineaston »

As a long term fanboy of the excellent and furiously energetic Laura Kuenssberg (could she have picked an harder name to spell?) I too was all revved up to watch that Panorama - I agree, IDS has masterful control of his facial expressions! :)
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by thirdcrank »

I should perhaps have mentioned that Ian Duncan Smith is the only current senior politician I've met personally - five years ago to the day as of yesterday. To be fair to him, having been greeted unsympathetically, he stood his ground, resisting the efforts of minders to rescue him, and while tackling some bitter personal criticism without losing his cool, planted his main message which was don't elect Jeremy Corbyn.

viewtopic.php?p=1131569#p1131569
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by Psamathe »

Even with the support announced yetserday, many will still be desperately struggling yet who are the Conservatives really seeking to help
Ian
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by thirdcrank »

Bearing in mind the speed with which this has been introduced, the details were always likely to be messy.

IMO there are two main motivations here
  • "moving on" from partygate by any means possible
  • mitigating some of the worst effects of what seems to have been unexpected price inflation, but which might lead to trouble.
Jdsk
Posts: 24639
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by Jdsk »

Jdsk wrote: 27 May 2022, 11:14am
thirdcrank wrote: 27 May 2022, 11:05am... the source of power in our society is in the hands of the prime minister and there is no effective check on that.
Yes. Far too much, and with nowhere near enough checks and balances.

And now being exploited by an unscrupulous post-holder. But the fundamental flaws were there waiting to be exploited.
Interesting time to release the new Ministerial Code:
"Revisions to the Ministerial Code and the role of the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests":
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... -interests

Commentary on the watering-down:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... r-breaches
includes:
"Johnson has also rewritten the foreword to the code, removing all references to honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability."

Jonathan
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by Psamathe »

Jdsk wrote: 27 May 2022, 3:38pm
Jdsk wrote: 27 May 2022, 11:14am
thirdcrank wrote: 27 May 2022, 11:05am... the source of power in our society is in the hands of the prime minister and there is no effective check on that.
Yes. Far too much, and with nowhere near enough checks and balances.

And now being exploited by an unscrupulous post-holder. But the fundamental flaws were there waiting to be exploited.
Interesting time to release the new Ministerial Code:
"Revisions to the Ministerial Code and the role of the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests":
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... -interests

Commentary on the watering-down:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... r-breaches
includes:
"Johnson has also rewritten the foreword to the code, removing all references to honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability."

Jonathan
Says it all about the man and how low our political system/politicians have sunk.

Ian
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by reohn2 »

simonineaston wrote: 27 May 2022, 11:25am The real point of the whole sad affair is to underscore that we are all powerless. Those in high office (ie no.10) can do as they please, apparently without sanction. While it's easy to get bogged down in the detail of it all (to the exclusion, it seems, of the rest of parliamentary business!), the ramifications of the events know collectively as Partygate may well echo down the corridors of power for decades to come.
They are: One, inspite of Johnson's pointless protestations, the precident has now been set that you can mislead parliament, get caught out and not have to resign. Two, the message for one and all is clear, to wit you don't have to worry about standards anymore - just do as you please. No one can touch you - just lie. Three, the rule of law is for the birds. Four, Partygate is acting as a smokescreen while the two sec.s, home & foreign, get on behind the smoke, with some serious stuff that borders on fascist tendancies...
Nail,head,on!
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by reohn2 »

Jdsk wrote: 27 May 2022, 11:30am
simonineaston wrote: 27 May 2022, 11:25am They are: One, inspite of Johnson's pointless protestations, the precident has now been set that you can mislead parliament, get caught out and not have to resign. Two, the message for one and all is clear, to wit you don't have to worry about standards anymore - just do as you please. No one can touch you - just lie. Three, the rule of law is for the birds. Four, Partygate is acting as a smokescreen while the two sec.s, home & foreign, get on behind the smoke, with some serious stuff that borders on fascist tendancies...
One isn't over yet.

Otherwise same concerns.

Jonathan
But there's no law or precedent that says he has to resign,others in high office have resigned when found out,Johnson is a different animal and his sickly party so far haven't had the spherics to oust him,when he should have gone long ago.
This excuse for humanity will hang on by a fingernail if he thinks there's a chance of survival.
There is NO honour in him or his party,he's a blatant and pathalogical liar,his party know it and trade on it for their own interests!

EDITED for grammar and spelling
Last edited by reohn2 on 29 May 2022, 7:39am, edited 2 times in total.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Stradageek
Posts: 1657
Joined: 17 Jan 2011, 1:07pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by Stradageek »

So as not to start another thread, I'll throw this question out here:

Who is/was worse as prime minister?

Margaret Thatcher - megalomaniac
Boris Johnson - venal mendacious narcissist

Too close to call?
User avatar
Cugel
Posts: 5430
Joined: 13 Nov 2017, 11:14am

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by Cugel »

Stradageek wrote: 28 May 2022, 8:30am So as not to start another thread, I'll throw this question out here:

Who is/was worse as prime minister?

Margaret Thatcher - megalomaniac
Boris Johnson - venal mendacious narcissist

Too close to call?
Is it just recent ones then? In all events, you forgot that Tony Bliar. Why should he be included in your list, despite not having the full Tory label (only the one on his underwear)?

Now, what are the criteria for judging "the worse as prime minister". Personally I would put "direct or root cause of most needless deaths" high on the criteria list, perhaps at the top. By that measure, the Bliar is the worst of the those three, despite Thatcher doing a Falklands, not to mentioning oppressing and depressing swathes of British folk with her destructions of their incomes, communities and well being; and Bokum's casual neglect of care, with some positively stupid policies too, that have killed thousands with Covid who could and should have been better protected.

The Thatcher-Thing and Bokum are probably a root cause of many early deaths via policies that punish the poor, the young and even many of the erstwhile middle classes. But Bliar was complicit in invading another country for no reason other than his cod-Christian Crusader fetish and desire to be in the gang of Big Bully USA.

Mind, Bokum's not done yet. If he gets desperate enough, he'll start a war to make himself popular, in the time-honoured fashion of nasty politicians who have run out of popularity. One can imagine The headlines of the gutter press already ...... .

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by reohn2 »

Stradageek wrote: 28 May 2022, 8:30am So as not to start another thread, I'll throw this question out here:

Who is/was worse as prime minister?

Margaret Thatcher - megalomaniac
Boris Johnson - venal mendacious narcissist

Too close to call?
It's a close call in absolute nastiness.
Thatcher caused the slide,Boris continues it,but there's been war criminals and idiots inbetween.

It's the end result that matters and the lunacy and the self imposed blindness of the UK electorate(think continually poking one's own eyes with a sharp stick in the belief it'll be good for you) isn't finished with yet.......
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Boris's Brain is missing

Post by Psamathe »

Explanation of the reasons behind the Ministerial Code changes
https://www.newsbiscuit.com/post/pm-dumbs-down-ministerial-code-to-make-it-more-comprehensible-to-himself wrote:PM dumbs down ministerial code to make it more comprehensible to himself
The Prime Minister has removed the words "honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability" from the ministerial code, it has been revealed.

'Boris just doesn't understand what these words mean', said a source close to the PM. 'His face just goes blank whenever they're mentioned'.

An aide is said to have attempted to help him understand, but was asked by the PM to only use single syllable words if at all possible as his head was starting to hurt.
Ian
Post Reply