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

[brucejoel99]

Her Majesty has tested positive for Covid. Charlie Boy and Camilla both tested positive some days ago. Always a concern at her age.

Live coverage from Clarence House:

I doubt it'll have much political effect unless the worst happens, covid infections have become too normalized.

Eh, it's admittedly at odds with BoJo's "live with COVID" mantra. He can put an end to testing & isolation, sure, but there's no way to stop the literal Queen succumbing to it from being noticeable, & while the people might not be all that concerned anymore about a lack of testing, would they so easily overlook the potential death of their figurehead!? And given that BoJo seems to act entirely in any way that's capable of making him more popular, this could certainly help prompt a u-turn.

[Conservatopia]

Boris would just lie and say he has no knowledge of the Queen's death and that Starmer and Savile did it anyway.

[Cassius]

Today I learned from our glorious leader of the existence of another international agreement between Russia and Ukraine known only as the Minksk Agreement.

[Conservatopia]

Today I learned from our glorious leader of the existence of another international agreement between Russia and Ukraine known only as the Minksk Agreement.

I think it was minx - obviously a reference to Carrie.

[Torrain]

ITV have obtained a copy of the Met Police questionnaire issued to Downing Street officials:



The questions are pretty threadbare:


The Metropolitan Police says there are three ways to respond to the questionnaire:

• Remain silent and answer no questions
• Provide an answer to the written questions in the attached document
• Provide a prepared statement in your own words

Doesn't make you feel terribly confident that the Met are taking this seriously...

[Blair]

Only hope is that the video/pictures are so damning that they feel they don’t need to do a long survey.

It is the Met though so I lack faith!

[Blair]

FBPE brain has gotten so bad that some are blaming us Brexitting on the fact that the EU took longer to do sanctions and that we’re not leading etc.

[beesley]

https://twitter.com/andyurwin84/status/1497697575591460864?t=qPhTNjp0QW7JQK8i6EH...

Awful tweet from our immigration Minister.
.

[beesley]

https://twitter.com/andyurwin84/status/1497697575591460864?t=qPhTNjp0QW7JQK8i6EH...

Awful tweet from our immigration Minister.
.

Update: he refused to apologise when confronted.

[Torrain]

Interesting, and perhaps important clarification. Has been reassuring to see Johnson mostly avoid sabre rattling and escalatory language in the past fortnight.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1498676957663346695

As much as I would like to see Johnson step aside himself before the next election, I would have absolutely no qualms about him demoting Truss at this point, and wouldn’t even view it as political opportunism on his part (getting rid of a key rival), as much as ensuring a more serious figure gets the role.

There’s just been too much Thatcher cosplay (hats, tanks and fur coats) and unforced errors at this point for me to trust that she’s the right person for the job. I’d much prefer her spot to be taken by DefSec Ben Wallace, former Defence and Int. Development Sec. Penny Mordaunt, a junior FCO minister like James Cleverly, or even Priti Patel at this point.

I doubt she’ll go at the moment, but if we get a quieter week in March or April, with no major escalation/development in the Russia crisis, I hope in vain that the PM might pick someone else, knowing full well that he seems to be incapable of firing anyone.

[Lord Halifax]

Interesting, and perhaps important clarification. Has been reassuring to see Johnson mostly avoid sabre rattling and escalatory language in the past fortnight.

The Ukrainians are outnumbered and desperately need foreign volunteers (with a minimum of military training and fitness), I don't see allowing your citizens to volunteer as "sabre rattling", it's basically the least Western governments can do if they don't want Ukraine to be overrun.

[Torrain]

Interesting, and perhaps important clarification. Has been reassuring to see Johnson mostly avoid sabre rattling and escalatory language in the past fortnight.

The Ukrainians are outnumbered and desperately need foreign volunteers (with a minimum of military training and fitness), I don't see allowing your citizens to volunteer as "sabre rattling", it's basically the least Western governments can do if they don't want Ukraine to be overrun.

I’m not opposed in principle, in fact I’ve got no problem with Brits going, and would oppose the government punishing British fighters in Ukraine once the crisis is over.

But the tone and words used by government officials can cause waves, especially in a situation as tenuous as this one. The Foreign Secretary openly celebrating/encouraging British citizens fighting Russian troops in a foreign country is a bad look, that could provide Moscow justification for escalation (including military action, but especially in taking actions like sanctioning cyber attacks against UK institutions like the NHS).

[Blair]

As some other U.K. politicians have said they’d welcome trained and experienced veterans (of which we have a number) but untrained civilians with no knowledge or skills could easily be a hindrance and a greater cost.

[Blair]

A rather alarming story in private eye about the health of dear old Brenda.

I didn’t realise it was quite that bad!

[Silent Hunter]

George VI was in his "usual health" before dying in his sleep.

[Blair]

Gavin Williamson who famously called for Russia to ‘shut up and go away’ has been given a knighthood.

It is worth noting he is probably the most incompetent person to have held high office for at least the last 30 years. He was sacked as Defence Secretary on suspicion of leaking classified information and then proceeded over the most shambolic examination system for 18-year-olds that has ever taken place.

[Conservatopia]

Williamson was so bad that people now look at Grayling and say "hey Grayling was okay actually".

[CumbrianLefty]

George VI was in his "usual health" before dying in his sleep.

Increasingly think she isn't going to emulate her mum in reaching a century.

[Torrain]

Big story in tomorrow's Sunday Times about Johnson intervening to personally waive security concerns over a peerage for a Russian oligarch.

https://twitter.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1500232483324968970

The Times says they have contemporary sources from No.10, and evidence that Johnson intervened directly to pile pressure on the intelligence services, whose change in recommendations lead the House of Lords Appointments Commission to reconsider the nomination (which they first rejected in March 2020).

And this all happened at the same time Johnson was meddling with government contracts vis a vis Government adverts in newspapers, including Lebedev's own London Evening Standard.

*

I know that I'm far from an unbiased source on Johnson (as much as I appreciate his rhetoric on Ukraine and more level approach in recent days, I'll still be cracking open a celebratory can or two the night he steps up to a podium and announces he's going), but this seems like a pretty open-shut case of pro-oligarchical corruption that undermines his moral authority and leadership in this situation.

I would like to think that the government has serious plans to tackle the Moscow money in the City of London, but I'm genuinely concerned that they're going to try and skirt the issue until it's too late, deeply damaging what's left of public trust in Westminster in the process.

[Joe Republic]

Is it safe to assume that Partygate is completely forgotten?

[CumbrianLefty]

Is it safe to assume that Partygate is completely forgotten?

Certainly not - its isn't at the forefront of people's minds right now, sure, but it shouldn't be assumed that is the same thing. It was still coming up regularly on the doorsteps at Erdington, for example.

[ingemann]

Is it safe to assume that Partygate is completely forgotten?

Certainly not - its isn't at the forefront of people's minds right now, sure, but it shouldn't be assumed that is the same thing. It was still coming up regularly on the doorsteps at Erdington, for example.

These kind of scandals never dies people stop being furious about them, but they remember them and it will permanent color their view of Johnson, and you will likely see people connect it with the Conservatives for the next two decades. The same way the Labour’s left will be connected to antisemitism (fairly or unfairly) for just as long. Of course

[Blair]

Is it safe to assume that Partygate is completely forgotten?

It's forgotten in the sense that people in Westminster with various interests want it to not be discussed- although it's worth noting that it was already beginning to run out of steam until the police investigation finishes.

People have up their mind on it (and around 65% of people think he should quit) but the problem was that the discussion moved from what was morally right to do to 'what do these 50 Tory MPs' think about it.

So no doubt if a fine does drop a few MPs will call for him to quit but I'd be surprised if we even saw a no-confidence vote get triggered.

[Blair]

The interesting thing will be the polling; the Tories are no longer at the 'oh god this is brutal stage' (they were in the high 20s at their lowest) but the PM is still doing quite badly in personal ratings and Labour still seem to be hovering between 38-42%.

Ironically as many Labour people said this is the ideal situation; Boris is still a net vote loser for them.

[CumbrianLefty]

But the MoS this morning has "TORY MPs SAY THIS IS BOJO's FALKLANDS", so......