UK General Discussion:The Rt. Hon Alex Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, Populist Hero

[CumbrianLefty]

In really important news, however, our PM has......had a haircut!

[CumbrianLefty]

Johnson getting some deserved stick for his transparent attempt to shift the blame for virus deaths onto care homes the other day. Yes, *some* of these places are distinctly sub-optimal but that is not really the point here - not least because the government has encouraged them to be like they are.

[CumbrianLefty]

He got most of our clueless pundits (who understand BIG NUMBERS even less than most other stuff) to gush over him uncritically, though - so in that sense it was "mission accomplished".

[CumbrianLefty]

He got most of our clueless pundits (who understand BIG NUMBERS even less than most other stuff) to gush over him uncritically, though - so in that sense it was "mission accomplished".

True - another win for the Dishy Rishi for PM campaign.

How many "moderate Tories" have inspected the wallets of certain "liberal" commentators now?

[CumbrianLefty]

Including the antisemitism?

Careful now, he can get quite litigious about such claims.......

[CumbrianLefty]

Ahem, it wasn't a totally serious comment you know

(except that he *does* have a fondness for assistance from his "learned friends")

[CumbrianLefty]

His ego would likely too big for either SF or the SDLP.

Some sort of People Before Profit style personal vehicle?

[CumbrianLefty]

The governments ability to cynically palm things off onto local government, whilst not giving them the resources to manage this effectively, is reaching the end of the role I feel.

Large scale bailouts of certain councils are likely in the near future.

[CumbrianLefty]

I'm a little bit concerned about the local clusters reporting, particularly as some outlets emphasise the 'high south asian' aspect. While it is true that some cultural factors are at play here, there's a lot of the demography of politics/poor health, extended families in one household that is perhaps too nuanced to get across. For now the potential instigators are fuming over face masks, but I worry going forward.

Yeah, intriguing how *this* was the final straw for some.

Not all the unavoidable excess deaths, scandalous circumstances in care homes or similar trivia.

[CumbrianLefty]

And the committee have now said - unanimously - that they intend to publish the Russia report before parliament rises for its summer recess next week.

Another "galaxy brain" move from Cummings gone wrong?

[CumbrianLefty]

It's now quite worrying to read the Tories might try and force a vote to remove him from the committee; it was reported this was not possible because of the committee having seperate legislative standing... but I'm not an expert.

I'm not actually sure there would be the votes for this; unless they do it on the last day before recess when they hope to cash in on MPs not physically being in Westminster. MPs are always the most likely to rebel on issues like these...

Baffling to do this all over a chairmanship of a committee. The biggest takeaway is that it's now possible to claim that all MPs, not just those on the payroll, are bound to vote in line with the whips in Select Committee elctions... we use to at least let them be free contests!

Of course, Julian Lewis has past form with political espionage and skulduggery, so his outwitting the government whips on this one isn’t unexpected.

Does he- what's he done before?

Basically, back in the 1970’s, he posed as a Labour moderate in order to infiltrate the Newham North East branch of the Labour Party (which itself had been infiltrated by the Militant Tendency) in order to try and overturn the deselection of right-wing Labour minister Reg Prentice. He did briefly manage to wield some influence in the CLP, although he failed to overturn Prentice’s deselection, so the latter crossed the floor to the Conservatives and wound up serving as a junior minister in the first Thatcher government.

I’m not sure how much is true, but it’s a nice little anecdote.

Its all pretty well documented, the Prentice business was a real cause celebre at the time (and his defection was a serious blow to the Labour right as it "confirmed" left wing folk myths about them)

[CumbrianLefty]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-53472289

I suspect we may have a candidate for first by-election of the new parliament

If it happens, only the second in a Tory-Labour marginal since 2010.

[CumbrianLefty]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-53472289

I suspect we may have a candidate for first by-election of the new parliament

If it happens, only the second in a Tory-Labour marginal since 2010.

Fourth surely? Corby, Copeland and Peterborough?

Note the order......

(ie Copeland and Peterborough were *Labour-Tory* marginals)

[CumbrianLefty]

It would be interesting as you'd have an extremely credible argument for the writ to be delayed; it's not safe currently to carry out elections & both parties would hate it.

My best guess is that this goes through the new all singing & dancing complaints process & he's forced to apologise & go on some sort of training; this also isn't exactly new information for those who read Guido either but it's digusting. Baffling of course how he hasn't lost the whip.

Labour would be favoured in a by-election; Dave Hanson losing was one of the bigger shocks & Welsh Labour are very well organised.

Well the default position for Tories/government under Johnson seems to be "brazen it out no matter how damning the actual evidence", so I'm not getting my hopes up about anything happening. Unless even more stuff comes out, perhaps......

[CumbrianLefty]

Though nonetheless, I feel the need to repeat this for certain people:

RUSSIA DIDN'T ACTUALLY "DO" BREXIT. RUSSIA DIDN'T ACTUALLY "DO" TRUMP.

The continued pretence otherwise from centrists on both sides of the Atlantic (again clearly on display yesterday) deflects from a far more pertinent reason - their own cosseted complacency for years and years beforehand.

[CumbrianLefty]

A thought that occurs to me is "why aren't we interfering back?"

Maybe we do, but just aren't as good at it?

[CumbrianLefty]

Yes, the "Kremlin gave Corbyn TOP SECRET DOCUMENTS" meme is the purest bull***t.

[CumbrianLefty]

I don't think there was any actual connection between Corbyn and Russia other than his usual stupidity causing him to be a useful idiot, but well... he didn't exactly help himself on that front did he? cough cough skripal affair cough cough

His *initial* response, almost certainly prompted by Milne, was indeed somewhat regrettable.

[CumbrianLefty]

There are so many "highlights" to choose from, the former RCP's first ever Lords member included.

Its up there with Wilson's "lavender list" in terms of tacky awfulness IMO.

[CumbrianLefty]

Revolutionary Communist Party/Living Marxism/Institute Of Ideas/Spiked. You know, those grifters.

[CumbrianLefty]

I do love that they've had five years of scandal in six months and Centrist Dad can't get ahead of them.

You say that as if we had a level playing field or something.......

[CumbrianLefty]

Removing the whip is made public, yes (pretty difficult to avoid when you think about it)

Which may be why a decision on that is being avoided for now.

[CumbrianLefty]

I think that is getting slightly ahead of things for the moment tbh.

(no formal charges yet, for one thing)

[CumbrianLefty]

Not to be confused with his former employer (and current foghorn) the Daily Borisograph.

[CumbrianLefty]

A level "results" are out today in England/Wales - already shaping up to be at least as much of a potential s***show as the Scottish experience in the last couple of weeks was.