Boris's Brain is missing

[reohn2]

Don't be sorry it brought about a bit of light relief to what is a very serious thread

I hope so. Molluscs and other crustaceans are also available.

Jonathan

I think you (s)nailed it there,

[DaveReading]

At least pubs will be able to resume selling beer in pints.

Oh. hang on ...

[Jdsk]

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.

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!

One.i
There may be several more shades of Gray, eg:
"The Sunday Times has seen messages from Carrie Johnson, appearing to show she had a gathering in No11 flat on evening of PM's 56th birthday":
https://twitter.com/HarryYorke1/status/ ... 5096768513

"Minister disputes claims No 10 pushed Sue Gray to dilute Partygate report":
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ray-report

One.ii
The Brady bunch is growing:

"Thirty-four Tory MPs have now questioned Boris Johnson’s position":
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/th ... ar-AAXR5MQ

One.iii
The Parliamentary investigation has miles to go before it sleeps:

"i understands the Privileges Committee probe into whether the PM intentionally misled Parliament over allegedly lockdown-breaching Downing Street parties is not likely to report before September":
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/boris ... nt-1640340

And the Party Conference runs from 2 to 5 October...

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

Parliamentarians may see this as the ultimate misconduct but I fancy a lot of people take it for granted. They believe politicians' engagement with the truth is limited to avoiding it at all costs, using whatever weasel words fit the need of the moment. Many ordinary people assume that politicians understand this even better than they do so they become bored, assuming that the fuss is manufactured.

What's the evidence for that assertion (and its predecessors) about "many ordinary people", please?

Options of Johnson have changed dramatically in a very short time:
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/ex ... t=trackers

Jonathan


Screenshot 2022-05-29 at 12.29.29.png

I hope it's obvious that when I use an expression like "I fancy" it means nothing more than that. If it's something from a source, I try to quote or link to it (and FWIW, I do try to explain what conclusions I'm drawing from the source.) In this case, I was commenting on the case made by Jonathan Sumption.

To take this a step further, sooner or later Boris Johnson's premiership will inevitably end. We can't predict how, but one possibility is the collapse of his support in Parliament. I fancy (again, nothing more) that new low standards have been set by his precedents. I cannot see how any successor will voluntarily cede the personal power the role now brings.
=====================================================================
PS Edited to include something I meant to say then forgot. I presume you meant "opinions" rather than "options". My comment which you queried was not about people's opinions of Boris Johnson, but rather of party politicians generally which is what I meant by the "engagement with the truth" bit.

[djnotts]

If, a big IF, he goes I fear his successor more. Prison camp Patel? Rees reich Mogg? BJ has provided the tools for the full totalitarian version of UK nationalism, hence beating the jingo drum for the Platinum Imperial nonsense.

[Psamathe]

Commentators keep highlighting that Conservative MPs are not keep to discard Johnson as there is no real replacement. My view is that there are MPs wanting the position and MPs are just being ineffectual. Plus, I suspect those who might take over are not as keen/pushing as they might be as they'll have to pick-up the pieces of Johnson's disastrous Brexit, plus Cost-of-Living crisis. In some respects they may be happy to wait and let Johnson take full blame for what is in part of his own making (e.g. Brexit is a Johnson caused disaster so why should his replacement take the blame?).

(When I say there are replacements I mean senior MPs the Conservative membership would find acceptable - not saying I think they'd do even an OK job).

Ian

[Carlton green]

We have well over two years before the next election must be he held. I anticipate that Boris will be on his way a just little before then and that the Conservatives will hope for a ‘Honeymoon’ period for his replacement in the run up to a General Election in late 2024.

“The next United Kingdom general election is scheduled to be held no later than Friday 24 January 2025”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Unit ... l_election

[Psamathe]

We have well over two years before the next election must be he held. I anticipate that Boris will be on his way a just little before then and that the Conservatives will hope for a ‘Honeymoon’ period for his replacement in the run up to a General Election in late 2024.

“The next United Kingdom general election is scheduled to be held no later than Friday 24 January 2025”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Unit ... l_election

I've seen some talk about Johnson going for an early election. But, thinking aloud, he's in a bit of a quandary now we have the Cost of Living Crisis. Go now and Cost of Living crisis will lose him a lot of votes. Delay a bit and the Covid Inquiry will start making noises about his inept mistakes plus the Brexit questions for which there is no solution will only get worse. Economists get really uptight if inflation goes negative so high inflation now means permanent price increases even if inflation drops back to 1-2%, we'll still be paying higher prices. With such high inflation, later this year he may break the pension triple lock (again) - a sure vote loser with pensioners and I've always thought that age group a significant component of Conservative votes.

If he did want to go for an early election I think circumstances (some of his own making) will prevent it (or make it electorally daft).

Ian

[thirdcrank]

I doubt there's ever a shortage of wannabe party leaders, even less so prime ministers. Perhaps the biggest deterrent to plunging the dagger is not wanting to be the first and risking being blamed for causing a leadership crisis. Timing is so important. And none of them dares trust assurances of support with a bid.

[Carlton green]

We have well over two years before the next election must be he held. I anticipate that Boris will be on his way a just little before then and that the Conservatives will hope for a ‘Honeymoon’ period for his replacement in the run up to a General Election in late 2024.

“The next United Kingdom general election is scheduled to be held no later than Friday 24 January 2025”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Unit ... l_election

I've seen some talk about Johnson going for an early election. But, thinking aloud, he's in a bit of a quandary now we have the Cost of Living Crisis. Go now and Cost of Living crisis will lose him a lot of votes. Delay a bit and the Covid Inquiry will start making noises about his inept mistakes plus the Brexit questions for which there is no solution will only get worse. Economists get really uptight if inflation goes negative so high inflation now means permanent price increases even if inflation drops back to 1-2%, we'll still be paying higher prices. With such high inflation, later this year he may break the pension triple lock (again) - a sure vote loser with pensioners and I've always thought that age group a significant component of Conservative votes.

If he did want to go for an early election I think circumstances (some of his own making) will prevent it (or make it electorally daft).

Ian

Brexit, Afghanistan exit, COVID, Ukraine and Inflation problems make an early general election unlikely and so does the Government’s current massive majority which they’re unlikely to retain. In their position the current best logic for them would be to stay as long as is possible and to go for fresh leadership in a couple of years time, having Boris where he is is convenient for now and a scapegoat could be handy latter. I’ve no doubt that the hidden leaders of the Conservative party are looking about for alternatives to Boris, but for them it will be a case of wait and see. I hate to say this but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if - perhaps by a small majority - the Tories won the next election, they are canny folk who stick together when it matters.

[reohn2]

........ I hate to say this but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if - perhaps by a small majority - the Tories won the next election, they are canny folk who stick together when it matters.

The puzzling thing is that people keep voting for them,seemingly in the hope that doing the same thing over and over will yield a different result.
A very clever chap had something to say about that kind of behaviour......

[Carlton green]

........ I hate to say this but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if - perhaps by a small majority - the Tories won the next election, they are canny folk who stick together when it matters.

The puzzling thing is that people keep voting for them,seemingly in the hope that doing the same thing over and over will yield a different result.
A very clever chap had something to say about that kind of behaviour......

I don’t find it puzzling at all. People choose the less unpalatable of the choices on offer - or don’t bother voting at all - and with the assistance of a biased media the opposition successfully and repeatedly ensure that they’re the more unpalatable choice. If a Labour Government had made as many appalling choices as our current Government has made then there would be one heck of a fuss about things, but when your pals own the media then the opposition have got to play up hill and into the wind. It can be done but only by a really good team that plays as one; unfortunately that wasn’t what faced Boris last time around. Starmer has a slim chance of winning the next election, but only if folk have enough sense to follow his leadership and only under a simple and moderate manifesto. There are two viable choices for winning a UK election: the Tories as is or election of another party positioned over centre ground. Decide whether you want the Tories back for another term and them take your pick.

[reohn2]

........ I hate to say this but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if - perhaps by a small majority - the Tories won the next election, they are canny folk who stick together when it matters.

The puzzling thing is that people keep voting for them,seemingly in the hope that doing the same thing over and over will yield a different result.
A very clever chap had something to say about that kind of behaviour......

I don’t find it puzzling at all. People choose the less unpalatable of the choices on offer - or don’t bother voting at all - and with the assistance of a biased media the opposition successfully and repeatedly ensure that they’re the more unpalatable choice. If a Labour Government had made as many appalling choices as our current Government has made then there would be one heck of a fuss about things, but when your pals own the media then the opposition have got to play up hill and into the wind. It can be done but only by a really good team that plays as one; unfortunately that wasn’t what faced Boris last time around. Starmer has a chance of winning the next election but only if folk have enough sense to follow his leadership.

As you say,when all your pals are in key media positions and money,including illegal Russian money,pours into your coffers to the tune of many millions of £s,it's a hard fight for decency,honour and the good of the country to prevail.
My only concern if a Corbyn government were in charge is how he'd have reacted to the war in Ukraine.
One thing's for sure democracy is being bought and sold as a commodity by the very wealthy for means to their own ends and the electorate sadly fall for it time and again.

[Carlton green]

If Corbyn had been in power then IMHO he’d have tried to reason with Putin and then been used as a tool to fracture the European stance. As far as I’m concerned the Labour Party took a wrong turn when they elected the wrong Milliband and Corbyn was one outcome of that wrong turn.

I don’t blame the electorate for their choices, those that vote do their best to make a rational choice. Misinformation is out there - if worse elsewhere - and people are herded in this direction and that direction. What makes me most annoyed is the way in which Labour repeatedly stabs itself in the foot, they seem to think it better to loose an election than to give a little policy ground and then win. It’s as I’d they don’t understand that winning deprives the opposition of power and is therefore more important than anything else, once in power you can do something but when not in power you’re at the mercy (not much) of those who are.

[reohn2]

I understand your stance,I don't agree with it but I do understand it,the alternative was the Blair government populist and like the Tories brought the country down.
The end result is more of the same,Corbyn was an alternative but the UK,hellbent on economic suicide by leaving the EU decided two idiots and and an abject liar weren the better option.
They most definitely were wrong IMO.
So go on,blame the Labour party all you like,you won't be the first,but the party that has brought the country to the state it is now in,is the self serving,self pocket filling at the country's expence,is most definitely the Tory party!