If they had been organised yesterday and left on mass during cabinet or last night they would have been back at their desks this morning with Bozo gone...
It feels like it is all over for the PM now, one way or another. But it is worth pausing to consider what a dramatic fall from grace it is. In political terms, it is only 5 minutes since he won his party a large majority. It is unprecedented, certainly in modern times. https://twitter.com/tombradby/status/1544681661366943744
He won the Tories their biggest majority since Thatcher in 1987 in 2019 and they will now likely have to wait another 30 years to match it
Completely OT for a minute, I did enjoy the Undeclared War series that is being shown on Channel 4.
It was by no means perfect - the balance between hard hitting thriller and soap opera was skewed with too much of the latter which detracted from the former but never the less it was an enjoyable and novel bit of escapism.
Huge plot holes of course but those in the know seem to think it was a pretty good reflection of the current state of trade in cyber warfare and I did think the way they portrayed the protagonists working through problems in cyberspace worked very well.
Wallace and (now he's in post) Zahawi are the only cabinet ministers that need (I think) to stay given the situations with sterling and Ukraine respectively.
We could live without the other ministers for a while tbh.
At what stage does the actual business of government cease to function? There must be hundreds of cancelled meetings and postponed decisions already?
I do wonder at what point he finds he cannot fill the posts that have been vacated. There were not that many backbenchers who supported him last time around and there will be even fewer now. If he does try to hang on it will be interesting to see how many ministerial posts remain vacant.
Boris Corbyn will simply follow his twin brother Jeremy's playbook and appoint one loyalist numpty to multiple cabinet posts.
That pisstake infographic showing Nadine Dorries as Secretary of State for most departments may not be far off reality soon.
Remember that ministers of the crown do not need to be members of the Commons. He has various Lords who will back him - like Lord Lebedev - and others outside the palace completely - like Lord Lebedev's dad, and the Prime Minister's wife - who will be delighted to be ministers.
How could anyone object to - for example - Alexander Lebedev being appointed a Defence Minister?
Huw Merriman seems to have sent his letter in WHILE he was actually sitting on the liaison committee. He is now quizzing Boris. Absolutely bizarre scenes.
At what stage does the actual business of government cease to function? There must be hundreds of cancelled meetings and postponed decisions already?
I do wonder at what point he finds he cannot fill the posts that have been vacated. There were not that many backbenchers who supported him last time around and there will be even fewer now. If he does try to hang on it will be interesting to see how many ministerial posts remain vacant.
Boris Corbyn will simply follow his twin brother Jeremy's playbook and appoint one loyalist numpty to multiple cabinet posts.
That pisstake infographic showing Nadine Dorries as Secretary of State for most departments may not be far off reality soon.
Remember that ministers of the crown do not need to be members of the Commons. He has various Lords who will back him - like Lord Lebedev - and others outside the palace completely - like Lord Lebedev's dad, and the Prime Minister's wife - who will be delighted to be ministers.
How could anyone object to - for example - Alexander Lebedev being appointed a Defence Minister?
Lebbo at Defence Carrie at Environment Nadine at Everything Else.
Huw Merriman seems to have sent his letter in WHILE he was actually sitting on the liaison committee. He is now quizzing Boris. Absolutely bizarre scenes.
Mm. Probably safe to say the answers haven't been persuasive.
It’s amusing to me how many of those sticking the knife into Johnson today, have shall we say, less than impeccable records when it comes to their own sexual conduct.
Yes, because that is the only reason he has to go of course......nothing to do with constant lies and taking everyone around him for a useful idiot.
At what stage does the actual business of government cease to function? There must be hundreds of cancelled meetings and postponed decisions already?
This is the thing - are there now enough MP's in the 'loyal' pool to actually replace these junior Ministers, regardless of competency? If not, can the Government function?
The BBC quoted Johnson's press secretary earlier as saying they were confident they could be replaced, and "There will be further appointments over the coming days"
So the more junior positions are not going to be filled "in real time".
I suppose a secondary concern, if they aren't filled, is that people will realise that what we call government will continue to function even without ministers nominally in charge of it.
It’s amusing to me how many of those sticking the knife into Johnson today, have shall we say, less than impeccable records when it comes to their own sexual conduct.
What, grabbing blokes todgers unwantedly? Condoning todger grabbing? What are you on about?
Parliament rises on the 21st of July. Is it vaguely possible that Johnson can hang on until then?
Yes. That’s his plan.
That may be his plan but it is not going to happen. He just might make tomorrow but it is looking increasingly unlikely.
I suggest he may just not resign. He will carry on, leaving many junior posts unfilled, as previously suggested, until parliament rises. There will be all sorts of mayhem and many decisions will not be taken but that will be the situation. I'm pretty sure it's not within the 'ordinary'MPs power to recall parliament, although it may be within the Speaker's, and so nothing will happen until the party conference season. By which time who knows what might have occurred!
Note - We don't have interim PMs, we have full fat PMs, no acting Presidents like those treasonous colonials in America.
If he flounces we already have a DPM. Someone needs to explain to me how the Private Secretary to The Queen doesn't call in Raaaaab in that circumstance and instead calls the rejected former PM?
Same reason Nick Clegg wouldn't have become PM if David Cameron fell under a bus.
The PM needs to command a majority of the Commons, I don't think Raab will get that.
And it’s just about believable for May to say “I don’t want to stay”. Same would be true for a short Cameron ministry from the Lords.
Bring back May as an interim PM while they hold the contest?
The Queen has reportedly returned to Windsor from Sandringham. On Jan 8th, 1957, Anthony Eden went to Sandringham for a chat, spent the night and then HM needed to return to London for a meeting with her dressmaker the next day. At 6pm that day Eden went to the Palace to resign https://twitter.com/patrick_kidd/status/1544665212674097152
At what stage does the actual business of government cease to function? There must be hundreds of cancelled meetings and postponed decisions already?
I do wonder at what point he finds he cannot fill the posts that have been vacated. There were not that many backbenchers who supported him last time around and there will be even fewer now. If he does try to hang on it will be interesting to see how many ministerial posts remain vacant.
Boris Corbyn will simply follow his twin brother Jeremy's playbook and appoint one loyalist numpty to multiple cabinet posts.
That pisstake infographic showing Nadine Dorries as Secretary of State for most departments may not be far off reality soon.
Remember that ministers of the crown do not need to be members of the Commons. He has various Lords who will back him - like Lord Lebedev - and others outside the palace completely - like Lord Lebedev's dad, and the Prime Minister's wife - who will be delighted to be ministers.
How could anyone object to - for example - Alexander Lebedev being appointed a Defence Minister?
Lebbo at Defence Carrie at Environment Nadine at Everything Else.
Easily done.
Or Johnson, in the vein of Churchill, as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Ukraine?
Sky at 31, don't know if Merriman has been counted.
He isn't a minister so he won't be part of the 31 – they are only government ministers.
Getting ahead of myself!
32 is symbolically indicative, but 32 resignations != 32 more votes against in a VoNC.
It'd be odds against for Boris to win another 22 vote, but perhaps he fancies his chances. Perhaps too few, but there's still a large rump of toadies that'll vote for him.
Watching the Liaison Committee, I think he knows he's toast.
Johnson is woefully poor. Merriman is hanging him at the moment.
He's just torn BlowJo a new hole about the government's pitiful engagement on ways to fill the 4% of Treasury revenues from fuel duty. Even Bernard Jenkin joined in with a kicking.
It’s amusing to me how many of those sticking the knife into Johnson today, have shall we say, less than impeccable records when it comes to their own sexual conduct.
What, grabbing blokes todgers unwantedly? Condoning todger grabbing? What are you on about?
Not all MPs conduct makes it into the public domain. But there’s enough dirt just within that Committee room to fill 4000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire
Note - We don't have interim PMs, we have full fat PMs, no acting Presidents like those treasonous colonials in America.
If he flounces we already have a DPM. Someone needs to explain to me how the Private Secretary to The Queen doesn't call in Raaaaab in that circumstance and instead calls the rejected former PM?
Same reason Nick Clegg wouldn't have become PM if David Cameron fell under a bus.
The PM needs to command a majority of the Commons, I don't think Raab will get that.
And it’s just about believable for May to say “I don’t want to stay”. Same would be true for a short Cameron ministry from the Lords.
Bring back May as an interim PM while they hold the contest?
Yep - if you want top trolling - that would do it...
If Boris had gone in Summer 2020, he'd have been a national hero. Had he gone in Summer 2021, he'd have been at the height of his powers. He could have gone a month ago with some dignity and an ongoing ability to cast a shadow over the party and country.
Jim Pickard @PickardJE · 36m - Johnson is asked at liaison committee if he's worried that Brexit will cost 4% of GDP (official forecast) but the Australia trade deal will only add 0.08% to GDP
- the prime minister replies that Britain had a very successful vaccine programme
This is all getting terribly sad. Sad for the country. Sad for the party. Sad for the man.
As a disgruntled one time Conservative Activist I am cock-a-hoop. Hopefully the populists are finished. The Conservative Party can go back to being a Conservative Party and a serious party of government. This is all provided they choose a half decent leader. If they do I might even join again. My floating vote may not be floating much longer!
At what stage does the actual business of government cease to function? There must be hundreds of cancelled meetings and postponed decisions already?
This is the thing - are there now enough MP's in the 'loyal' pool to actually replace these junior Ministers, regardless of competency? If not, can the Government function?
If Johnson really wants to try and brazen it out he will have to create new Peers to appoint loyal non-MPs to the Minister of State positions.
Sky at 31, don't know if Merriman has been counted.
He isn't a minister so he won't be part of the 31 – they are only government ministers.
Getting ahead of myself!
32 is symbolically indicative, but 32 resignations != 32 more votes against in a VoNC.
It'd be odds against for Boris to win another 22 vote, but perhaps he fancies his chances. Perhaps too few, but there's still a large rump of toadies that'll vote for him.
If he takes it to a vote I predict he will get less than 50.
The game is up. Everyone else knows it. Except him and Nads, obvs.
After these PMQs It’s not so much that the wheels have come off the bus but that the bus itself has disintegrated and Boris Johnson is merely sitting at a steering wheel in a playground. https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1544645413571121153
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
At what stage does the actual business of government cease to function? There must be hundreds of cancelled meetings and postponed decisions already?
I do wonder at what point he finds he cannot fill the posts that have been vacated. There were not that many backbenchers who supported him last time around and there will be even fewer now. If he does try to hang on it will be interesting to see how many ministerial posts remain vacant.
Boris Corbyn will simply follow his twin brother Jeremy's playbook and appoint one loyalist numpty to multiple cabinet posts.
That pisstake infographic showing Nadine Dorries as Secretary of State for most departments may not be far off reality soon.
Remember that ministers of the crown do not need to be members of the Commons. He has various Lords who will back him - like Lord Lebedev - and others outside the palace completely - like Lord Lebedev's dad, and the Prime Minister's wife - who will be delighted to be ministers.
How could anyone object to - for example - Alexander Lebedev being appointed a Defence Minister?
Lebbo at Defence Carrie at Environment Nadine at Everything Else.
Easily done.
Or Johnson, in the vein of Churchill, as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Ukraine?
Or like that Duke of Wellington caretaker ministry, where he did all the jobs himself?
Jim Pickard @PickardJE · 36m - Johnson is asked at liaison committee if he's worried that Brexit will cost 4% of GDP (official forecast) but the Australia trade deal will only add 0.08% to GDP
- the prime minister replies that Britain had a very successful vaccine programme
Shows his lack of ability to actually think about his replies. That argument is easy to slay.
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
If Boris had gone in Summer 2020, he'd have been a national hero. Had he gone in Summer 2021, he'd have been at the height of his powers. He could have gone a month ago with some dignity and an ongoing ability to cast a shadow over the party and country.
I much prefer this sort of departure.
Very few Prime Ministers get out in time and depart on their own terms.
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
This is all getting terribly sad. Sad for the country. Sad for the party. Sad for the man.
No it's not. It's fucking brilliant. I want to see Boris crying actual tears of frustrated, impotent rage.
I guess that's a stereotypical but probably true picture of difference between men and women. I have never revelled in the crushing of a foe.
However, I was meaning on a rather different level. The whole thing is a terribly sad state of affairs to be in. Once upon a time a gentleman, or gentlewoman, knew when and how to fall on their sword. There was a thing called decency.
To see the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom dragged through the sewer like this is terribly, terribly, sad.
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
A word about all the numpties writing letters today that voted Confidence last month. If it weren’t for them the country would have been deprived of all this fun.
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
Jim Pickard @PickardJE · 36m - Johnson is asked at liaison committee if he's worried that Brexit will cost 4% of GDP (official forecast) but the Australia trade deal will only add 0.08% to GDP
- the prime minister replies that Britain had a very successful vaccine programme
Shows his lack of ability to actually think about his replies. That argument is easy to slay.
Not really because it is a fact. You can argue that the "benefits of Brexit" are having a black passport and...having a black passport (we could have done that anyway btw), but it is difficult even for the Liar in Chief to lie about stats in front of a select committee
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
It would be rather remarkable if a lot of MPs were writing letters, considering the rules don't allow another vote, wouldn't it?
They are also asking for a rule change. So no.
And also - the rules are not designed to be insane. If Mrs Brady receives a veritable mountain of letters, it would be insane NOT to simply get the exec to call a vote. They have the absolute power to change the rules. They meet this evening do they not...?
Boris saying "I hear you loud and clear" on the problem of fuel duty.
I do wonder in a parallel universe where he had followed @Sandpit 's advice of suspending fuel duty while the war in Ukraine was going on if that would have moved politics on from all the scandals, seen the Tories return to the lead, and he'd be safe now in Downing Street instead of in his final hours.
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
Boris's epitaph will be that he got all the big calls right.
But treated every other call with utter contempt.
OPatz was a big call. And he fucked it up.
Pincher was a big call. And it ended him.
I'll give Johnson appointing Kate Bingham as a call he got right...
The Kate Bingham who said we wouldn't want to vaccinate the whole adult population because the risk of side effects was too great?
If that was one of his good calls, I'd hate to consider the bad ones!
Did she specifically say that? And when? Often population effects only become clear after much wider use (as in the AZ clotting problem) as 1 in 10,000 odds don't show up in trial data that well.
Yes, of course she said that.
And why one wouldn't want to vaccinate against a disease with around 1% infection fatality rate, because of side effects that didn't show up in a trial of 30-40,000 people is still a complete mystery to me. God knows what a mess we'd still be in now if her advice then had been followed.
Covid was the leading cause of death in Americans aged 45-54 and the second top cause of death in Americans aged 35-44 in 2021.
In any case, the way people focus on the death rate (which is admittedly important) and skip past the severe illness/hospitalisation/long term consequences rates does frustrate me.
Rates of death from cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases is a lot higher in post-covid sufferers of all ages. Neurological damage is far more common. We're going to be sweeping up the debris from this for decades.
And thanks to the massive and relentless hospitalisations we've seen, ambulance delays and other hospital appointment delays have been huge and will remain huge going forwards. Unless or until we give big increases in resources to hospitals and sort out filtration in shared areas nationwide (we're missing the window on this for a third summer in succession).
Meanwhile, the decision to only give spring boosters to 75+ is now coming back to bite us on the arse:
(To bring it around to the need to have vax rollout to younger ages)
Boris saying "I hear you loud and clear" on the problem of fuel duty.
I do wonder in a parallel universe where he had followed @Sandpit 's advice of suspending fuel duty while the war in Ukraine was going on if that would have moved politics on from all the scandals, seen the Tories return to the lead, and he'd be safe now in Downing Street instead of in his final hours.
Would have been a lot better use of £16bn than a cut in Corporation Tax...
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
It would be rather remarkable if a lot of MPs were writing letters, considering the rules don't allow another vote, wouldn't it?
It was probably surprising to them when Boris said he wasn't going to change in response, and has proved it repeatedly over the course of the few weeks since the vote.
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
It would be rather remarkable if a lot of MPs were writing letters, considering the rules don't allow another vote, wouldn't it?
They are also asking for a rule change. So no.
I don't know. They are MPs, and ideally would have some inkling how to go about things. I don't think it would be at all remarkable if they were writing to ask for a change in the rules. But until such time as the rules are changed, it makes no sense to put in letters that will have no effect. Unless just for use on social media.
This is all getting terribly sad. Sad for the country. Sad for the party. Sad for the man.
No it's not. It's fucking brilliant. I want to see Boris crying actual tears of frustrated, impotent rage.
I guess that's a stereotypical but probably true picture of difference between men and women. I have never revelled in the crushing of a foe.
However, I was meaning on a rather different level. The whole thing is a terribly sad state of affairs to be in. Once upon a time a gentleman, or gentlewoman, knew when and how to fall on their sword. There was a thing called decency.
To see the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom dragged through the sewer like this is terribly, terribly, sad.
I understand you. But my reaction isn't sadness. I've watched this government gut the standards out of public life and the corpse passengers of the Conservative Party supine on the job until it affected them. I'm angry at them, all of them. So should you be.
Watching the bad people come to a sticky end is excellent.
NEW: No confidence letters sent to Graham Brady have reached “big numbers”, I understand, making a fresh no confidence vote more likely within hours (even though the rules state a year, Brady may have no choice but to act)
A word about all the numpties writing letters today that voted Confidence last month. If it weren’t for them the country would have been deprived of all this fun.
Their judgement really is appalling. The only thing that has changed since early June is a Whip got pissed and gropy. Boris lying about what he knew when shouldn't be of any surprise.
It’s amusing to me how many of those sticking the knife into Johnson today, have shall we say, less than impeccable records when it comes to their own sexual conduct.
What, grabbing blokes todgers unwantedly? Condoning todger grabbing? What are you on about?
Not all MPs conduct makes it into the public domain. But there’s enough dirt just within that Committee room to fill 4000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire
So you say. They aren't having a go at him over anything sexual tho, Yet.
Boris saying "I hear you loud and clear" on the problem of fuel duty.
I do wonder in a parallel universe where he had followed @Sandpit 's advice of suspending fuel duty while the war in Ukraine was going on if that would have moved politics on from all the scandals, seen the Tories return to the lead, and he'd be safe now in Downing Street instead of in his final hours.
Nah. Because he'd still be the kind of guy who appoints his mate the sex pest, then blatantly lies about it. He does this because he is Boris Johnson.
Jim Pickard @PickardJE · 36m - Johnson is asked at liaison committee if he's worried that Brexit will cost 4% of GDP (official forecast) but the Australia trade deal will only add 0.08% to GDP
- the prime minister replies that Britain had a very successful vaccine programme
Shows his lack of ability to actually think about his replies. That argument is easy to slay.
Not really because it is a fact. You can argue that the "benefits of Brexit" are having a black passport and...having a black passport (we could have done that anyway btw), but it is difficult even for the Liar in Chief to lie about stats in front of a select committee
Nah it’s easy. On his specific question you say “those two things aren’t at comparable”. If he follows up on just the EU point you say “we wanted an agreement with full equivalence provisions but sadly the EU wouldn’t go for it. On the broader question of EU membership, that is of course about far more than single percentage points of GDP over a large number of years, judged against a doubtful counter-factual”.
Depending on your political views you can even go further and note that a large part of the GDP boost from being a member is gains due to immigration, and say not having those is a feature and not a bug (a point I disagree with but concede is valid).
Comments
https://twitter.com/TSEofPB/status/1544694863924543488
It was by no means perfect - the balance between hard hitting thriller and soap opera was skewed with too much of the latter which detracted from the former but never the less it was an enjoyable and novel bit of escapism.
Huge plot holes of course but those in the know seem to think it was a pretty good reflection of the current state of trade in cyber warfare and I did think the way they portrayed the protagonists working through problems in cyberspace worked very well.
I would recommend it with those caveats.
We could live without the other ministers for a while tbh.
Huw Merriman MP
@HuwMerriman
My statement on the Prime Minister:
https://twitter.com/HuwMerriman/status/1544693144645734402
Remember that ministers of the crown do not need to be members of the Commons. He has various Lords who will back him - like Lord Lebedev - and others outside the palace completely - like Lord Lebedev's dad, and the Prime Minister's wife - who will be delighted to be ministers.
How could anyone object to - for example - Alexander Lebedev being appointed a Defence Minister?
32 is symbolically indicative, but 32 resignations != 32 more votes against in a VoNC.
Lab 42%
Con 32%
LD 11%
Carrie at Environment
Nadine at Everything Else.
Easily done.
Probably safe to say the answers haven't been persuasive.
So the more junior positions are not going to be filled "in real time".
I suppose a secondary concern, if they aren't filled, is that people will realise that what we call government will continue to function even without ministers nominally in charge of it.
https://twitter.com/patrick_kidd/status/1544665212674097152
https://twitter.com/THTorguk/status/1541662684143267842
It's certainly not felt that way today. It's clear many MPs hold Boris Johnson in utter contempt.
https://twitter.com/REWearmouth/status/1544696809133596672
domain. But there’s enough dirt just within that Committee room to fill 4000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire
If Boris had gone in Summer 2020, he'd have been a national hero. Had he gone in Summer 2021, he'd have been at the height of his powers. He could have gone a month ago with some dignity and an ongoing ability to cast a shadow over the party and country.
I much prefer this sort of departure.
Jim Pickard
@PickardJE
·
36m
- Johnson is asked at liaison committee if he's worried that Brexit will cost 4% of GDP (official forecast) but the Australia trade deal will only add 0.08% to GDP
- the prime minister replies that Britain had a very successful vaccine programme
https://www.ft.com/content/fd449ff6-9d33-42fe-b2e8-861c94382230
https://davidallengreen.com/2022/07/what-if-boris-johnson-refuses-to-resign/
Bloody hell. People have spent 5 extra years in Iranian jails as a result of select committee hearings. This is nothing.
The game is up. Everyone else knows it. Except him and Nads, obvs.
https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1544645413571121153
https://twitter.com/janemerrick23/status/1544698852036558849
However, I was meaning on a rather different level. The whole thing is a terribly sad state of affairs to be in. Once upon a time a gentleman, or gentlewoman, knew when and how to fall on their sword. There was a thing called decency.
To see the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom dragged through the sewer like this is terribly, terribly, sad.
But he will face stiff (fnarr, fnarr) opposition from Penny Mordauners and Her Double Entendres.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvLcYUXBBuc
I do wonder in a parallel universe where he had followed @Sandpit 's advice of suspending fuel duty while the war in Ukraine was going on if that would have moved politics on from all the scandals, seen the Tories return to the lead, and he'd be safe now in Downing Street instead of in his final hours.
Though perhaps not particularly edifying, the entertainment is considerable.
New balls please.......
Looking at a country where vaccine hesitancy was considerably greater than here: https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/07/covid-was-the-leading-cause-of-death-in-americans-aged-45-54-in-2021/
Covid was the leading cause of death in Americans aged 45-54 and the second top cause of death in Americans aged 35-44 in 2021.
In any case, the way people focus on the death rate (which is admittedly important) and skip past the severe illness/hospitalisation/long term consequences rates does frustrate me.
Rates of death from cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases is a lot higher in post-covid sufferers of all ages. Neurological damage is far more common. We're going to be sweeping up the debris from this for decades.
And thanks to the massive and relentless hospitalisations we've seen, ambulance delays and other hospital appointment delays have been huge and will remain huge going forwards. Unless or until we give big increases in resources to hospitals and sort out filtration in shared areas nationwide (we're missing the window on this for a third summer in succession).
Meanwhile, the decision to only give spring boosters to 75+ is now coming back to bite us on the arse:
(To bring it around to the need to have vax rollout to younger ages)
Interesting and serious follow-up question- who would be the second worst? Off the cuff I'd suggest Eden, but I'd need to think about it.
Watching the bad people come to a sticky end is excellent.
But things have only got worse, with No 10 continuing to try to lie their way out of difficult situations.
I have written again to Sir Graham Brady.
https://twitter.com/AaronBell4NUL/status/1544672584893079553
This section from Robert Neill sounds like it will be detailed and eviscerating.
Because he'd still be the kind of guy who appoints his mate the sex pest, then blatantly lies about it.
He does this because he is Boris Johnson.
You are morons
EDIT: sorry didn't see moonshine's earlier post saying the same
Depending on your political views you can even go further and note that a large part of the GDP boost from being a member is gains due to immigration, and say not having those is a feature and not a bug (a point I disagree with but concede is valid).
"Very important."
Smoke issues from posterior.
Oratorical dung continues to gush.