UK General Discussion: Rishecession

[YL]

Given that Boris was going to face a forced by-election, this seems like the good old "You can't fire me. I quit!" act. Not a good day for Trumpanoids, it seems.

If he had just said that it would have come across as less petulant and whiny than what he actually did write.

Note that a majority of MPs on "Harriet Harman's committee" are Conservatives; this cannot be credibly painted as an Opposition stitch-up.  Furthermore he would have been perfectly entitled to stand in any by-election caused by a Commons decision; in some ways I think it's unfortunate that he appears to have chosen not to, as a defeat by an actual electorate would help remove some of the illusion of his continued popularity.

And his sycophants, of course, continue to lap it up.  Look at the Express and Mail this morning.

[Blair]

Him quitting has helped him obscure that he was set to be found guilty of something that no Prime Minister ever had and shows that despite his allies claims the report would call for a 10 day plus suspension. Even I didn’t they would and it’s a credit to the Conservatives on the committee.

The biggest irony is that Boris was still PM when this inquiry was voted for by the commons; the whole saga could have been avoided if he just corrected his statement in the House. What an idiot.

[Pericles]

Him quitting has helped him obscure that he was set to be found guilty of something that no Prime Minister ever had and shows that despite his allies claims the report would call for a 10 day plus suspension. Even I didn’t they would and it’s a credit to the Conservatives on the committee.

The biggest irony is that Boris was still PM when this inquiry was voted for by the commons; the whole saga could have been avoided if he just corrected his statement in the House. What an idiot.

It's an interesting hypothetical if this report would still have happened the same way and ended his career if he was still PM. If he'd survived into 2023 then he still didn't stand a chance of contesting the GE, and if he had run and won after Truss then the Tories would be even more screwed than they are right now (which is what Sunak supporters said at the time).

[MABA 2020]

Seems like Boris is well and truly done, unlike with Trump in America I can't imagine the comeback happening. In retrospect what a terrible legacy he has left behind, Brexit and then being undone by your own stupidity.

[CumbrianLefty]

Given that Boris was going to face a forced by-election, this seems like the good old "You can't fire me. I quit!" act. Not a good day for Trumpanoids, it seems.

If he had just said that it would have come across as less petulant and whiny than what he actually did write.

Note that a majority of MPs on "Harriet Harman's committee" are Conservatives; this cannot be credibly painted as an Opposition stitch-up.  Furthermore he would have been perfectly entitled to stand in any by-election caused by a Commons decision; in some ways I think it's unfortunate that he appears to have chosen not to, as a defeat by an actual electorate would help remove some of the illusion of his continued popularity.

And his sycophants, of course, continue to lap it up.  Look at the Express and Mail this morning.

That poll from Ashcroft looks even stranger now than it did at the time.

[Battista Minola 1616]

And with Nigel Adams we are now at three. When was the last time this many MPs resigned at once (other than Northern Ireland 1986)?

[Torrain]

And with Nigel Adams we are now at three. When was the last time this many MPs resigned at once (other than Northern Ireland 1986)?

Two by-elections at once happens from time to time. But three at once? Very rare - especially for a coordinated reason. Best I can tell, 23rd Nov 2000 was the last time we had three at once (Betty Boothroyd resigning as Speaker, Donald Dewar’s death, Audrey Wise’s death). We did have five on the same day in the summer of 1994, but again, for unrelated reasons, mostly due to deaths in office.

The last time this many MPs resigned together in a coordinated fashion does appear to be the 1986 incident…

[Epaminondas]

Even 70-year old Corbyn outlasted him in the end.

Seems like Boris is well and truly done, unlike with Trump in America I can't imagine the comeback happening. In retrospect what a terrible legacy he has left behind, Brexit and then being undone by your own stupidity.

That so many Red Wall voters were conned into voting for him in 2019 reveals just how deep the pro-Tory tabloid rot goes.

[JimJamUK]

That so many Red Wall voters were conned into voting for him in 2019 reveals just how deep the pro-Tory tabloid rot goes.

The press have been hysterically anti-Labour for over a decade (including Corbyn’s 2017 election), the 2019 result was overwhelmingly down to circumstance and his own doing rather than the Sun printing an extra negative headline.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

That so many Red Wall voters were conned into voting for him in 2019 reveals just how deep the pro-Tory tabloid rot goes.

The press have been hysterically anti-Labour for over a decade (including Corbyn’s 2017 election), the 2019 result was overwhelmingly down to circumstance and his own doing rather than the Sun printing an extra negative headline.

The media was especially anti Corbyn.

[Pericles]

That so many Red Wall voters were conned into voting for him in 2019 reveals just how deep the pro-Tory tabloid rot goes.

The press have been hysterically anti-Labour for over a decade (including Corbyn’s 2017 election), the 2019 result was overwhelmingly down to circumstance and his own doing rather than the Sun printing an extra negative headline.

The media was especially anti Corbyn.

Maybe so, but the point you ignored is that was true for both the 2017 and 2019 elections when Corbyn was leader. Since his popularity fell so much in those two elections, it was mainly not the media but his own failures as party leader that caused it.

[Blair]

Yes the thing is that the bottom really fell out between 2017-2019, and that was when his faction had the most control over the party- the result in 2019 was particularly bad because of a series of errors inflicted by the party- the reaction to Salisbury, the failure to reshuffle his shadow cabinet which led to a weaker manifesto in 2019, the handling of the IHRA definition & the spending of party funds on things like Labour Live.

It is imv a rather common problem for Labour & a lot of political parties; they make stupid & rash decisions when there is no internal counterweight.

Besides it was quite clearly a problem beyond the Red wall as the party fell back in the marginals it won in 2017 that are not 'red wall'- Stroud, High Peak etc.

[CumbrianLefty]

And with Nigel Adams we are now at three. When was the last time this many MPs resigned at once (other than Northern Ireland 1986)?

Two by-elections at once happens from time to time. But three at once? Very rare - especially for a coordinated reason. Best I can tell, 23rd Nov 2000 was the last time we had three at once (Betty Boothroyd resigning as Speaker, Donald Dewar’s death, Audrey Wise’s death). We did have five on the same day in the summer of 1994, but again, for unrelated reasons, mostly due to deaths in office.

The last time this many MPs resigned together in a coordinated fashion does appear to be the 1986 incident…

There was also the byelection for Dewar's seat in Holyrood in 2000.

The 1994 polls were timed to coincide with that year's European elections.

[Conservatopia]

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested.

Absolutely fantastic.

[TheTide]

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested.

Absolutely fantastic.

I'll refrain from using a line of a late and great football commentator ("This is getting better and better and better"...or perhaps - "They think it's all over...it is now").

[Silent Hunter]

This has been a weird few days.

[Logical]

Reactionary London Regime arrests prominent independence leader on trumped up corruption charges.

[MaxQue]

Reactionary London Regime arrests prominent independence leader on trumped up corruption charges.

Police has been devolved.

[Torrain]

100% of former SNP First Ministers have been arrested by Police Scotland.

[Torrain]

Wild that in the last 72 hours, we've seen key, totemic figures in the Greens, Conservatives and SNP all either announce the end of their political careers, or have them effectively neutralised.

Starting to assume there's a monkey's paw hidden away in Starmer's desk drawer. Either that - or being a party leader in the 2019 election is actively hazardous to your fate. In which case, someone should warn Siân Berry.

[MABA 2020]

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested.

Absolutely fantastic.

Feels like there's some kind of higher power working on behalf of Starmer

[TheTide]

Wild that in the last 72 hours, we've seen key, totemic figures in the Greens, Conservatives and SNP all either announce the end of their political careers, or have them effectively neutralised.

Starting to assume there's a monkey's paw hidden away in Starmer's desk drawer. Either that - or being a party leader in the 2019 election is actively hazardous to your fate. In which case, someone should warn Siân Berry.

Swinson's fate was short and merciful, in that it took place on the night itself.

[Sestak]

Patriots in control.

[Lord Halifax]

Reactionary London Regime arrests prominent independence leader on trumped up corruption charges.

Police has been devolved.

the upper ranks are probably still firmly unionist

[Torrain]

Longtime Sturgeon critic, Angus MacNeil MP, has called for the former First Minister to be suspended from the party for the duration of the investigation.

He's clearly enjoying this a *bit* too much, but it is consistent with Sturgeon's approach, when she was leader - she endorsed Derek MacKay, Natalie McGarry, Michelle Thomson, and Alex Salmond suspending their membership when they came under police investigation.