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

[OSR stands with Israel]

Since there hasnt been a thread started since the elections , here

[Meclazine for Israel]

Go Boris!

Surely he can get Brexit done now.

[CumbrianLefty]

We leave the EU next month in all likelihood - what does he then do for the next 4 years?

(as I said elsewhere one answer to that, sadly, is making us into a managed democracy)

[Silent Hunter]

Probably throw some fairly serious investment at the North; his majority is reliant on some fairly marginal wins up there and if he doesn't want those seats to switch straight back in 2024, he'd be wise to send them some bacon.

Repeal the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.

[Tintrlvr]

We leave the EU next month in all likelihood - what does he then do for the next 4 years?

(as I said elsewhere one answer to that, sadly, is making us into a managed democracy)

Boris Johnson is far from an ideal candidate for Prime Minister, but he's no Viktor Orban.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Lol.

[Zinneke]

Rumours are Reese-Mogg will be sacked in the cabinet reshuffle as Johnson goes into London Mayor mode again,

He's no longer being grabbed by the balls of the ERG so he'll be gunning for soft Brexit to alleviate feats about the economy :

https://twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/1205810115565301762

All this palava for essentially accepting EU rules on goods, and hamstringing your services (although hopefully NI becomes a sort of Hong Kong for the UK to the EU in that respect, god knows it needs it...problem is bankers want to live in London, not the ing Gold Coast of Ulster)

[Silent Hunter]

Most voters arguably care most about immigration rather than goods rules.

[HisGrace]

So much for Corbyn being an unstoppable electoral juggernaut. This is a preview of what what would happen with a "progressive"/avowed socialist against Trump.

[Silent Hunter]

Corbyn would be too far left even for the Democratic Party; he's more Omar or Kucinich than Sanders.

[Pericles]

Most voters arguably care most about immigration rather than goods rules.

Indeed, this is why I think Theresa May could have proposed a softer Brexit and still been faithful to the referendum result. While freedom of movement and therefore single market membership had to end, the UK should have remained in the customs union and most working class voters in the North don't care about pursuing free trade deals with the US. However May put short term political expediency ahead of the national interest. This is one of the many tragedies of the brexit saga, she should have reached out in 2017 and when she finally did in 2019 out of desperation (and even then her efforts may not have been serious) the debate had polarized too much and compromise was impossible.

[Angel of Death]

How democracies die:
https://twitter.com/JohnSimpsonNews/status/1206010631763234817

[Lumine]

Was watching the post-1992 election episode of Spitting Image, and it's sort of hilarious how well it fits to the post-election landscape in some ways:

-The Shadow Cabinet and a delusional Kinnock awkwardly blame the weather, the recession and the fact that there was an election as the reasons for Labour's defeat, then they loudly turn on Kinnock and shout "RESIGN!!!"

-The Conservatives not being able to believe they won and/or wondering what on earth (given the bad economic situation) would make the voters not vote Conservative.

-Paddy ("Seatsdown") Ashdown variously noting the Tories fought a dirty campaign (and that they should have done the same), that their slogan was "My vote" (and that's all they got) and stating "the Liberal Democrat was neither good, nor bad... but absolutely awful".

-A heartbroken Kinnock waking up in the middle of the night to play "Everything's coming up roses" on a piano (which is a surprisingly moving moment, even if I don't sympathize with Kinnock)

I can just about imagine very similar sketches with Corbyn, Johnson and Swinson if the series was on today (though I'd wonder what Corbyn might be playing).

[Silent Hunter]

Back in 1992, the polls were predicting a Labour minority government. For Major to get the highest number of votes for any party leader - Boris didn't quite match the 14 million tally - was a huge surprise.

[CumbrianLefty]

How democracies die:
https://twitter.com/JohnSimpsonNews/status/1206010631763234817

Arguably the BBC in general, and Today programme in particular, don't deserve any better.

I would worry more about the about to become infamous page 48 in that regard - pure Orbanism.

[Silent Hunter]

Could be Orbanism. Could be a sop to the ERG that Johnson will ignore. We'll see what legislation actually gets proposed in the Queen's Speech.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Could be Orbanism. Could be a sop to the ERG that Johnson will ignore. We'll see what legislation actually gets proposed in the Queen's Speech.

My guess is it's somewhere in between, like (barf) introducing US-style partisan appointment of Supreme Court justices but leaving the constitutional system otherwise the way it is.

[Silent Hunter]

The PM appoints the justices already, but from a pre-made list; he can only make two rejections and if he does, the third gets the position.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The PM appoints the justices already, but from a pre-made list; he can only make two rejections and if he does, the third gets the position.

My understanding is that this is still seen as a largely nonpartisan and nonideological system; the Archbishop of Canterbury is chosen in much the same way, and nobody sees that as a party-political office (although iirc there have been cases of probably-politically-motivated decisions being made surrounding it).

[brucejoel99]

British people like to say they have an "unwritten" constitution, but what this effectively means is that there's no constitution at all. Anybody who can command a majority in Parliament has absolute & unchecked power over the country, meaning Britain is just one Act of Parliament away from the Supreme Court being abolished. Britain is just one Act of Parliament away from habeas corpus being abolished. Indeed, Britain is just one Act of Parliament away from elections & democracy being abolished.

[Blair]

Was watching the post-1992 election episode of Spitting Image, and it's sort of hilarious how well it fits to the post-election landscape in some ways:

-The Shadow Cabinet and a delusional Kinnock awkwardly blame the weather, the recession and the fact that there was an election as the reasons for Labour's defeat, then they loudly turn on Kinnock and shout "RESIGN!!!"

-The Conservatives not being able to believe they won and/or wondering what on earth (given the bad economic situation) would make the voters not vote Conservative.

-Paddy ("Seatsdown") Ashdown variously noting the Tories fought a dirty campaign (and that they should have done the same), that their slogan was "My vote" (and that's all they got) and stating "the Liberal Democrat was neither good, nor bad... but absolutely awful".

-A heartbroken Kinnock waking up in the middle of the night to play "Everything's coming up roses" on a piano (which is a surprisingly moving moment, even if I don't sympathize with Kinnock)

I can just about imagine very similar sketches with Corbyn, Johnson and Swinson if the series was on today (though I'd wonder what Corbyn might be playing).

Is that one on youtube? Don't think I've seen it before but would be great comic relief at this time.

We also need a more catchy thread title!

[Lumine]

Is that one on youtube? Don't think I've seen it before but would be great comic relief at this time.

We also need a more catchy thread title!

It is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBXrV0z0l8M

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

We also need a more catchy thread title!

BomaJority?

[Cassius]

UK General Discussion: Tsar Boris Good Enough?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

'This Benighted Plot'