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

[Blair]

https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1501991579136966660?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoo...

[Blair]

More poll results like that & I wouldn't be shocked if we have a new Home Secretary- the handling of the visas for Ukranian refugees has been one of the more newsworthy issues this week and has been a fiasco. I think we've had at least 4 different positions in 7 days.

It's worth remembering that Priti Patel is already the most disliked member of the Government in public polling, and at a guess most people only know her as a result of the Bullying investigation.

Combined with the tinned ear briefings coming out of the Treasury about energy prices (their plan is to stick with an awful & unpopular pre-russia policy of forced loans to customers) I'm yet to buy into the 'Falklands' idea which has been spread by some of the usual suspects.

[CumbrianLefty]

Patel has been very useful to Johnson in lots of ways, so I doubt she will be moved soon.

[Torrain]

Starmer has written to the House of Lords, asking for the appropriate committee to review Lord Lebedev’s peerage. Unlikely to go anywhere right now, and not getting much airtime.

But if Johnson gets sucked into a “cash/influence for honours” scandal with a Russian oligarch, I can’t see any downside for Labour to keep banging this drum.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1502720724737396736

[MillennialModerate]

https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1501991579136966660?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoo...

The SNP is really what is doing in Labour here.

In the old days 39% and +6% over the Conservatives for Labour would easily get them a healthy majority. Now it would likely get them around 300 seats because the SNP own Scotland.

Something that confuses me is how strong the SNP are in Scotland despite the fact “Yes” never seems to come close to leading in the polls for Scottish Independence

[S019]

https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1501991579136966660?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoo...

The SNP is really what is doing in Labour here.

In the old days 39% and +6% over the Conservatives for Labour would easily get them a healthy majority. Now it would likely get them around 300 seats because the SNP own Scotland.

Something that confuses me is how strong the SNP are in Scotland despite the fact “Yes” never seems to come close to leading in the polls for Scottish Independence

In terms of the SNP, perhaps the strongest factor is that the unionist vote is splintered between the Conservatives, Labour, and the Lib Dems, so the SNP can win the vast majority of Scottish seats with around 40% of the vote given the remaining 60% is split. On another note, the polling for IndyRef2 has tended to be quite close, as well. So, the nationalist vote is won overwhelmingly by the SNP, while Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Tories are splitting the unionist vote, as a result, the SNP wins a very large amount of Scottish seats.

[Blair]

The tedious expectations management for the locals has begun.

The one thing I am curious is how some of the London wards go that most likely voted Tory in 2018 but voted Labour/Lib Dem in 2019 because of Brexit/Bojo.

It is interesting how much better the Conservatives seem to be at defending their own councils- even councils like Westminster which literally spend millions on their own tomb seem to get off quite easy.

[Blair]

Ofc the locals need a huge disclaimer that it’s a weird year with a weird set of seats up (some of which are electing 1/3rds so unlikely to see councils switch) and people are more willing to play around with their vote in the local elections.

[CumbrianLefty]

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released.

Excellent news, but I hope that our PM doesn't claim credit given what happened previously.

He probably will, though.

[Silent Hunter]

I don't believe that the comment that he made actually increased her sentence; no action was ultimately taken over it. But it was still highly careless.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Has Boris Johnsons been saved by the Russian invasion of Ukraine basically sucking up all the oxygen in terms of public attention ?

[Pericles]

Has Boris Johnsons been saved by the Russian invasion of Ukraine basically sucking up all the oxygen in terms of public attention ?  

Not in the court of public opinion-a majority still want him gone. However, the moment for a leadership challenge has passed, and his short-term survival is looking good. It will be a challenge for him to make it to a general election. Labour maybe should hope he does though. I have mixed emotions, he is a bad person and unfit to be PM but policy-wise Sunak or Truss will likely be worse.

[Torrain]

The political pressure has evaporated - for now. Two of the 13 public 1922 letters (Andrew Bridgen, Douglas Ross), have even been rescinded.

But Johnson is by no means out of the woods, especially if the conflict in Ukraine enters a ceasefire or some diplomatic agreement in a month or so, and attention from the press and public turns back to Westminster.

There’s still the Met investigation, a public enquiry into the Government’s handling of COVID-19 in 2020, and the local elections in May, which, even if there’s a personal boost for Johnson, are still likely to be bruising.

The odds today, on March 17th, of Johnson fighting the election in 2024 seem miles higher than this time a month ago, but there are a number of factors that could still imperil his premiership.

[afleitch]

P&O Ferries sack staff effective immediately and have buses lined up of third party non-UK crew in buses outside the terminals but staff effectively refusing to leave the ships.

Absolute madness.

[CumbrianLefty]

P&O Ferries sack staff effective immediately and have buses lined up of third party non-UK crew in buses outside the terminals but staff effectively refusing to leave the ships.

Absolute madness.

"BuT tHe MaNaGeMeNt MuSt HaVe ThE rIgHt To MaNaGe!!!!???!!??!!1111!!!"

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I presume this is exploiting the odd area that is employment law at sea (not a subject that I know much about), because otherwise they have essentially have just sat on a hand grenade.

[afleitch]

I presume this is exploiting the odd area that is employment law at sea (not a subject that I know much about), because otherwise they have essentially have just sat on a hand grenade.

People are furiously checking, but some suggesting a part of EU employment law that wasn't carried over would have protected the workers.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

People are furiously checking, but some suggesting a part of EU employment law that wasn't carried over would have protected the workers.

It's possible, but it may also be the case that British law does as well, in which case oopsie whoopsie, P&O have fucked it and will be shelling out a lot of money: I've had a talk with someone who has worked in employment law about this and while employment law at sea wasn't their area, they point out that often what look to be grey areas often aren't as grey as they appear. They added that this looked like a plan drawn up by people who did their own research online rather than by lawyers. This general assessment is backed up by this Grauniad piece.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Coldly rational unfortunately.

Not remotely rational. Leaving aside the potential legal nightmare and compensation hell that they could have brought on themselves, this will have done them some serious reputational damage, and that matters a lot in a sector like this. Customers have been treated, suddenly and with no warning, very badly as well and a bad name often lingers.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Extract:

Redundancy notices are being issued, with the P&O apparently having recognised the unlawfulness of its actions with comments that enhanced compensation will be paid.

P&O’s offer of “enhanced” redundancy packages indicates that it may have “recognised the unlawfulness of its actions”, according to Tata.

Oh dear.

[Blair]

It was also done in such a callous way that even this Government might well be looking at various ways of making it difficult.

It does show why it would be helpful to have a ministry of Labour/employment rather than leaving it to the weird mess that is BEIS.

[Blair]

I see the PM is shamelessly lying again.

[Torrain]

Boris seems to have forgotten the “Euro” part of “Euromaidan”.

https://mobile.twitter.com/BenQuinn75/status/1505157948649230340

I knew we were going to get tone-deaf nationalist comparisons between the UK and Ukraine eventually, but I thought the first person to make one was definitely going to be from Sinn Fein or Alex Salmond, not the PM.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1505698230692200448
What could be the political advantage of doing this ?

[beesley]

On the other hand, Oliver Dowden told Tory activists to prepare for the next two years, which would still be a little early but in the year of the election. And the Fixed Term Parliaments Act is finally getting repealed.