Boris's Brain is missing

[roubaixtuesday]

But has Johnson got enough MPs who haven't been resigning or letter writing to fill the posts necessary? Might he double-up in the hope that in a few weeks they''ll all come running back wanting prestigious jobs?

Sacking the levelling-up secretary will send a message to those regions in need of levelling-up.

Everybody knew Johnson would have to be dragged out of No 10 but the farce going on at the moment beggars belief. It really does reflect on Johnson's character flaws.

Ian

Oh, absolutely it reflects on Johnson's character flaws.

Johnson is toast and utterly in denial. "Sacking" anyone is irrelevant to their, or Johnson's future.

It's hilarious. And, of course depressing.

I actually feel a bit guilty enjoying watching it all. I hate the idea of anybody being so humiliated, particularly so publicly. But I also detest Johnson and he is doing this to himself, not having it done to him by others.

Ian

Johnson deserves everything he gets. And a lot more besides. He's loving the attention even now. Narcissist.

[Jdsk]

Gove sacked.

You'd need a heart of stone not to laugh.

The look of Gove is in your eyes
A look your smile can't disguise

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

This could run for a while. So long as he can survive a confidence vote it's hard to see a way of sacking him. All the 1922 Committee stuff is just internal party admin. I fancy he is depending on nobody in his parliamentary party being prepared to be the one who is seen as causing its demise: the leadership contenders want to become PM, rather than leaders of a fractured and fractious opposition.

[francovendee]

I can't see how he could possibly survive a second vote. Those who have resigned, 41 and rising, would certainly vote for his removal. 148 voted against him last time so add this there is a clear no confidence majority.

I wonder if the Police and military are on high alert in case No 10 sees his supporters cause a riot?

[thirdcrank]

By "confidence vote" I meant in the HoC. I see a difference between the 1922 Committee which is just Tory part admin and enough Tory MPs abstaining or voting with the opposition on a HoC division to defeat the government and bring it down.

There was a taste of Boris Johnson's attitude and perhaps the political reality yesterday at the liaison committee when the point about the resignations was put to him and he quipped there was no shortage of replacements. He's toast, as the saying goes but he plans to burn indefinitely.
====================================
PS I keep reading about a "lectern moment" whish isn't going to take place. I know what a lectern is ..................?

[francovendee]

As he's already toast how will he be remembered?

The man who won a large majority.
The man who 'got Brexit done'.
The man who ignored Westminster conventions.
The man who lied repeatedly.
The man who refused to leave No 10.

Possibly a mix of all the above.

The scandals and laughable denials from his government has made some interesting politics.
If Starmer is found guilty we may have two new leaders.
Strange times indeed.

[reohn2]

This creep won't go until he's pushed,and he's counting on no one person or his party as having enough shove to oust him.
It's the mark of a total "the country revolves around me" narcissist who believes he can do as he pleases because his destiny is to be top dog and can't be replaced!
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he's counting on the country rising up behind him,in a similar way Trump did and still does,such is his delusion.

[Jdsk]

Gove has decided what line to take.

The white ones normally?

(assume your wording was deliberate...)

It's always nice to know that someone's reading it!

: - )

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

I wonder if the Police and military are on high alert in case No 10 sees his supporters cause a riot?

Then there's the secret marriage in the bunker, the suicide pact, the burning of the records and then the corpse by the last few loyal supporters... and what sort of lampposts are there in Downing Street?

Nobutseriously we've had two MPs murdered with political motivation, right-wing terrorism has been identified as a major threat, and I hope that you're right.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

This could run for a while.

It's only fair that 211 Conservative MPs should have time to come to terms with the shocking revelations about the Prime Minister's character and behaviour. It clearly came as a total surprise to them as less than month ago they voted for his continuation in office.

Jonathan

[Sweep]

This creep won't go until he's pushed,and he's counting on no one person or his party as having enough shove to oust him.
It's the mark of a total "the country revolves around me" narcissist who believes he can do as he pleases because his destiny is to be top dog and can't be replaced!
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he's counting on the country rising up behind him,in a similar way Trump did and still does,such is his delusion.

Can't see that happening, but am pretty sure Putin's keyboard warrior monkeys will be hard at work on this, stirring trouble. I hope the security services are onto this.

[Sweep]

well he will surely go down in history.
Surely nothing at all remotely like this has happened since the vote was extended beyond a few rotten boroughs?
So first time ever in Britain's democratic history?

Seems to me the only remaining question is how he physically leaves.

will he nip out the back or through the Cabinet Office on Whitehall?

Or will he walk down Downing Street to a car - a la Thatcher?

And if so will we see a stifled tear?

Or smirk?

[Sweep]

Meanwhile as the saga drags on, what the country of course is desperate to know is:

What does Nigel Evans, the silent useless MP for Ribble Valley, think about the issue?

Give us a word Nige.

A sign in the midst of the darkness.

[thirdcrank]

I imaging Boris Johnson would have his own perspective.

He became Tory leader and ipso facto prime minister because neither of his immediate predecessors could deliver Brexit. (People may not like Brexit, but that's how he got in.) His character was not a secret either to his party colleagues or those of the wider public who paid attention beyond old clips of HIGNFY IIRC, Teresa May was pretty much a "stop Boris" candidate when she succeeded David Cameron.

Within the limitations of the fixed term parliament, he tried to deliver Brexit by unlawfully bypassing Parliament and was prevented from doing so by the Supreme Court, whereupon he called a general election which produced a big majority. ie the source of a prime minister's authority.

Now, I suspect he considers that majority to be personal to him and although his name wasn't on the ballot papers, he would have a point.

It's widely reported that his support among his MPs has collapsed, but the result of any vote depends on the setting. Would Tory MPs vote for a new party leader? Almost certainly. Would they vote down Boris Johnson in a confidence motion in Parliament? Turkeys voting for Crimbo.

None of this may be the way to run a country but that's the way it is, pending somebody delivering something better.

[DaveReading]

Can't see that happening, but am pretty sure Putin's keyboard warrior monkeys will be hard at work on this, stirring trouble. I hope the security services are onto this.

I suspect they have more important things to do than reading the output of Russian trolls.