Pippa Crerar @PippaCrerar · 12m NEW: Foreign Sec Liz Truss - and would-be Tory leadership candidate - is cutting short her trip to Indonesia and will be making a statement shortly.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse ...
Sir Bob Neill on his feet in the House making the point I am making - how long can we put up with an interim PM with so many issues that need to be resolved?
I don't think we can.
There are forty plus government appointments to be made. You can't just expect everyone to pick up where they left off, having said they have zero confidence in the PM. If he stays, it could get very messy again. If (eg) May was made PM as a caretaker, the above would be comparatively uncontentious. And I think it would have to be May as the most qualified who's also most above the fray.
While that would be the most sensible arrangement, the experience of the last few weeks suggests it won't necessarily be the one arrived at.
I’d imagine a joint Sunak/Javid ticket could be in play
It would be powerful and I can see Hunt joining it too in exchange for a big post.
Sunak PM, Javid CoE, Hunt Foreign Sec works.
You really think the Tory membership are going to vote for that?
What's the issue with Sunak, he's a Thatcherite leaver & his cameo appearence in partygate was the dampest of damp squibs. He appoints Sunak and Hunt once in post.
Sunak will not get past the membership, he is seen as a tax rising shyster.
As I said, even Steve Baker would now beat Sunak once it got to the membership
Is it going to get to the membership though?
Yes, Steve Baker and Braverman etc already announced bids so there will be no coronation.
Sunak's only chance is he faces Hunt in the final 2 but that needs over 2/3 of Tory MPs to vote for Sunak or Hunt and that ain't happening.
Indeed ironically Johnson might end up bring the most centrist Tory leader of this decade as Tory members look for more small state, low tax, anti lockdown, hard Brexit, anti Woke, socially conservative successors to succeed him
No coronation but probably no final two going to the membership. As in 2016, there will be huge pressure for the less likely of the final two candidates to withdraw.
They won't as whichever of the final 2 is not Sunak or Hunt knows they would easily win the membership vote so why on earth would they withdraw?
Sunak and Hunt are Portillo and Ken Clarke or David Miliband to whoever ends up as IDS or Ed Miliband in the final 2
I expect Sunak's stock with a lot of members rose significantly once he resigned and triggered all this off.
As poor as Sunak was polling, Boris was polling far worse. So Sunak might be rewarded by people looking at him for a second time.
And as much as the myth of "they who wield the knife, don't get the crown" is claimed the only time in recent years that's true is with Thatcher's defenestration. Thatcher herself, Brown and Boris himself all wielded the knife and got the crown. Cameron wasn't knifed, he lost the vote and went accordingly.
Thatcher only stood against Heath in opposition not power. Brown never stood against Blair, Boris himself never stood against May either and resigned over a point of principle Brexit
I can’t remember where it was that Alan Clark said the Tory party always goes mad when the Indian Bean Trees around Parliament are flowering and MPs become intoxicated by their sickly sweet scent. But they are indeed in bloom right now. https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1544976768808980481/photo/1
But Alan Clark was very odd himself.
But possibly the last decent writer to be a Tory mp?
IIRC, government salaries all come with three months’ notice period. So all of those who have resigned, and the new appointees if they end up replaced, will still be getting paid over the summer
How on earth are you entitled to notice if you've resigned ?!
It’s surprisingly common in senior management. Being a minister is also quite unusual, in that you can be fired at any time, with no reason required and irrespective of your performance in the job. Part of the reasoning behind it would be that you’re expected to relocate to London, and many ministers relocate their families to London too.
Even worse for Football managers too. Clubs that sack or "resign" their Managers can end up paying out tens of millions for the privilege of doing so.
Football managers at big clubs don't resign though. They head off and agree with the board a payout before leaving by mutual agreement. That isn't remotely what's happened with Donelan. I've a mind to stick in a FOI request about any payoffs she (Shouldn't imo) be getting.
You don't need an FOI request because it has already been explained to you. Whether or not you like the system is immaterial.
Guido's come out with a splash on his page, noone's explained anything.
Under the 1991 Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act, ministers under the age of 65 are entitled to three months of their ministerial salary when they are forced out of office.
Donelan's resignation was not before Borises'. She simply put, was not forced from office.
The question has just been asked in Parliament. The Paymaster General played a straight bat and referred to the law.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Netflix will be busting a gut to do the first series on the career of Boris J, because it is guaranteed to be a big hit, due to the salience of Brexit, Covid, Ukraine plus all the "colourful characters". In one vivid persona they are able to tell the extraordinary global story of 2015-2022
They will pre-empt the memoirs for millions, I reckon
That’s a brilliant point - do the TV rights now trump the book rights for politicians?
Are there any TV rights? I don't suppose Netflix paid HMQ for The Crown.
Not a drama about Boris, but a documentary, with access to all his documents, photographs and videos. I can well imagine Netflix or Amazon putting up eight figures for that.
So, lets play out the scenario where at lunchtime he says "I am resigning as Conservative Party leader and will remain Prime Minister until a new leader is elected in the autumn".
I can see growing numbers of Tory MPs continuing to say they won't serve, that he can't stay, that its not tenable. We could well see him dragged back to make a further statement that he is going now.
The precedent? Gordon Brown. Realised he was a barrier and voluntarily resigned as party leader. But expected he would continue as PM. As that quickly became not just untenable but laughable he had to make another statement that he was going. Before it went dark.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details.
[...]
If you think reading Boris Johnson's own account is going to get you close to the truth of anything then you really have learned nothing at all over the past two years.
No one will read it except the last of the last cult members. The starstruck who still believed.
Very quickly he will be a sad footnote to history. A forgotten fool. A serial philanderer and liar who was so consumed by his own ego that he flew too close to the sun.
The rest of the country will have moved on and will be sorting out the messes he left behind. That includes Brexit which we now have to get to work.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
Oh Boris has precisely zero to worry about in his post premiership. The public speech circuit in the states beckons, the book will sell, in time he might even pop up and do a couple of TV shows again. He’ll go back to his buffoonery and weird private life, and in time I hate to say this to PB but the public (or at least those of a centre right persuasion) will forgive him everything: because he is Boris, and he tried, and he got Brexit done, and he is our loveable buffoon even if he did make a bit of a hash of some things. Just my thoughts.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No. It'll flop bigtime, trust me.
He has a cheap tacky appeal to cheap tacky people. The sort who don't read books let alone buy them.
I’d imagine a joint Sunak/Javid ticket could be in play
It would be powerful and I can see Hunt joining it too in exchange for a big post.
Sunak PM, Javid CoE, Hunt Foreign Sec works.
You really think the Tory membership are going to vote for that?
What's the issue with Sunak, he's a Thatcherite leaver & his cameo appearence in partygate was the dampest of damp squibs. He appoints Sunak and Hunt once in post.
Sunak will not get past the membership, he is seen as a tax rising shyster.
As I said, even Steve Baker would now beat Sunak once it got to the membership
Is it going to get to the membership though?
Yes, Steve Baker and Braverman etc already announced bids so there will be no coronation.
Sunak's only chance is he faces Hunt in the final 2 but that needs over 2/3 of Tory MPs to vote for Sunak or Hunt and that ain't happening.
Indeed ironically Johnson might end up bring the most centrist Tory leader of this decade as Tory members look for more small state, low tax, anti lockdown, hard Brexit, anti Woke, socially conservative successors to succeed him
No coronation but probably no final two going to the membership. As in 2016, there will be huge pressure for the less likely of the final two candidates to withdraw.
They won't as whichever of the final 2 is not Sunak or Hunt knows they would easily win the membership vote so why on earth would they withdraw?
Sunak and Hunt are Portillo and Ken Clarke or David Miliband to whoever ends up as IDS or Ed Miliband in the final 2
I expect Sunak's stock with a lot of members rose significantly once he resigned and triggered all this off.
As poor as Sunak was polling, Boris was polling far worse. So Sunak might be rewarded by people looking at him for a second time.
And as much as the myth of "they who wield the knife, don't get the crown" is claimed the only time in recent years that's true is with Thatcher's defenestration. Thatcher herself, Brown and Boris himself all wielded the knife and got the crown. Cameron wasn't knifed, he lost the vote and went accordingly.
Thatcher only stood against Heath in opposition not power. Brown never stood against Blair, Boris himself never stood against May either and resigned over a point of principle Brexit
Who do you want to be next leader?
Wallace
Also, a Jock Guard has already been tried. I hope this one would be more successful. I can't see it.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
Yep
Publishers of pol biogs cover all their costs with serialisation rights to Mail or Times.
Those days have passed. Serialisation rights have substantially reduced. Publishers have to work extremely hard to earn back advances.
A self-appraising account by a serial liar isn't going to earn back an advance.
Biographies about the wicked clown might do a little better.
You're clueless. I know this world. Publishers want the memoirs of the PM because of the prestige. Boris being a twat might knock some money off the advance, but his incredibly boffo story will put some back on
Aaron Bell on his feet. Very very sad that so many ministers have quit, and its not tenable for the PM to continue as he won't be able to fill the vacancies.
How many other Tories at a very senior level have come to the same conclusion and are doing something about it?
AB = the Root and Bairstow of this series, ever since Paterson.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Netflix will be busting a gut to do the first series on the career of Boris J, because it is guaranteed to be a big hit, due to the salience of Brexit, Covid, Ukraine plus all the "colourful characters". In one vivid persona they are able to tell the extraordinary global story of 2015-2022
They will pre-empt the memoirs for millions, I reckon
That’s a brilliant point - do the TV rights now trump the book rights for politicians?
Are there any TV rights? I don't suppose Netflix paid HMQ for The Crown.
Not a drama about Boris, but a documentary, with access to all his documents, photographs and videos. I can well imagine Netflix or Amazon putting up eight figures for that.
There is one crucial flaw in this plan.....we are asumming Boris, a man who used to write his Telegraph column last minute over Sunday lunch at some randoms house, will have kept records like Bad Al or Big Dom.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged down this country.
"He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes...."
Is the perfect epitaph. What a piece of shit we've endured for the last several years. He has damaged us all.
I'll wager you @Leon that any book written by Boris Johnson substantially about his own Downing St years will sell fewer than 5,000 copies in any format of hardback, paperback (it won't make it to pb), or kindle.
The precedent? Gordon Brown. Realised he was a barrier and voluntarily resigned as party leader. But expected he would continue as PM. As that quickly became not just untenable but laughable he had to make another statement that he was going. Before it went dark.
That's not a valid precedent because when Brown left it was clear who would take over.
Do you really image the theatre of someone going to the palace to be asked to form a caretaker government?
Pippa Crerar @PippaCrerar · 12m NEW: Foreign Sec Liz Truss - and would-be Tory leadership candidate - is cutting short her trip to Indonesia and will be making a statement shortly.
'I am standing on a platform of going to war on Woke, delivering a Brexit so hard it will give members the horn, sending Putin back to Moscow with his tail between his legs and slashing the state back so small it would fit in my bath plug!'
All said whilst dressed as Britannia, astride a lion (her PPS wrapped in a hearth rug - the best that could be contrived in the time available).
He can't stay as PM, because there would be bound to be another scandal.
I think there's a 15-20% chance of an interim PM being necessary. If there is then it's 50% likely to be May as she's the one who's most capable and able to do it.
That being the case I'd be interested in backing May on the markets as Next PM at anything down to 15/1 with a few quid.
Currently 42 on Betfair. I got on in the mid 50s this morning, and have already laid. Ditto Raab, though less profitably.
Raab/Wallace may also decide to play in that space, but more likely Raab.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No you won't. Look at what Covid did to you. When you were stuck on your own it was tough. You actually want to read five hundred pages about that? Of course you don't.
Jesus F C it will be 30-50 pages, in a much bigger story. And yes I actually would like to know how it felt, to be the PM in Intensive Care, nearly dying
Boris's flaws were obvious and visible from well before he became PM. There was zero reason to believe he would change when he got the top job. So everyone who supported him for the leadership "because Brexit" is partially culpable for the mess we are in today.
Especially as he was partially responsible for the mess that is Brexit back in 2016, and for it becoming a mess when he became PM.
I’d imagine a joint Sunak/Javid ticket could be in play
It would be powerful and I can see Hunt joining it too in exchange for a big post.
Sunak PM, Javid CoE, Hunt Foreign Sec works.
You really think the Tory membership are going to vote for that?
What's the issue with Sunak, he's a Thatcherite leaver & his cameo appearence in partygate was the dampest of damp squibs. He appoints Sunak and Hunt once in post.
Sunak will not get past the membership, he is seen as a tax rising shyster.
As I said, even Steve Baker would now beat Sunak once it got to the membership
Is it going to get to the membership though?
Yes, Steve Baker and Braverman etc already announced bids so there will be no coronation.
Sunak's only chance is he faces Hunt in the final 2 but that needs over 2/3 of Tory MPs to vote for Sunak or Hunt and that ain't happening.
Indeed ironically Johnson might end up bring the most centrist Tory leader of this decade as Tory members look for more small state, low tax, anti lockdown, hard Brexit, anti Woke, socially conservative successors to succeed him
No coronation but probably no final two going to the membership. As in 2016, there will be huge pressure for the less likely of the final two candidates to withdraw.
They won't as whichever of the final 2 is not Sunak or Hunt knows they would easily win the membership vote so why on earth would they withdraw?
Sunak and Hunt are Portillo and Ken Clarke or David Miliband to whoever ends up as IDS or Ed Miliband in the final 2
I expect Sunak's stock with a lot of members rose significantly once he resigned and triggered all this off
Surely those who are still members are, like our very own @HYUFD, Boris loyalists and hence will not forgive Rishi.
Again - another reason why the next party leader will be a stitch-up with no membership vote.
It can only be a stitch up if over 2/3 of MPs back one candidate or say Sunak and Hunt.
Otherwise if say even if it was Sunak 200 MPs in the final round, Baker, Truss, Wallace or Braverman 85 odd and Hunt 80 odd then Baker, Truss, Wallace or Braverman would likely beat Sunak in the membership vote
I can’t remember where it was that Alan Clark said the Tory party always goes mad when the Indian Bean Trees around Parliament are flowering and MPs become intoxicated by their sickly sweet scent. But they are indeed in bloom right now. https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1544976768808980481/photo/1
But Alan Clark was very odd himself.
But possibly the last decent writer to be a Tory mp?
Aren't you forgetting someone?
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
I spent weeks posting leaflets and knocking doors for that b***h, and 18 months later she decided she couldn’t be bothered and was moving to the States.
I'll wager you @Leon that any book written by Boris Johnson substantially about his own Downing St years will sell fewer than 5,000 copies in any format of hardback, paperback (it won't make it to pb), or kindle.
£20. Donation to a charity.
Careful. Volume One could easily be out in time for Christmas.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
Yep good point - no one bar a very few, Chris Whitty perhaps, will want to read 400 pages about lockdowns.
But it's not gonna be 400 pages is it? Half the book will be Brexit
Covid will get 50 pages? Lockdowns 30? And many people will want to read it, because they want to know who made these brutal decisions, and why
Boris has a gift for self publicity. He will make sure there are juicy revelations throughout the book
Boris believes he saved the world or at least Great Britain (ex-NI) with his actions throughout Covid; it will be more than 50 pages or how will he tell people how masterful his actions were.
All I can see being a revelation is how he fought tooth and nail against Whitty, Van Tam, et al against the regulations. Which would make the book even more depressing in that he didn't succeed, largely.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No. It'll flop bigtime, trust me.
He has a cheap tacky appeal to cheap tacky people. The sort who don't read books let alone buy them.
I get the psychology here. People who hate Boris REALLY hate him, and they can't bear to think of him making nice money out of his "awful" story, and they literally can't believe others will want to read it. I'd probably feel the same about Michael Heseltine's "My Struggle for Europe"
But it is a delusion. Boris' memoirs will sell, and it will be read
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
Oh Boris has precisely zero to worry about in his post premiership. The public speech circuit in the states beckons, the book will sell, in time he might even pop up and do a couple of TV shows again. He’ll go back to his buffoonery and weird private life, and in time I hate to say this to PB but the public (or at least those of a centre right persuasion) will forgive him everything: because he is Boris, and he tried, and he got Brexit done, and he is our loveable buffoon even if he did make a bit of a hash of some things. Just my thoughts.
I'm struggling to think of who would want to hire Boris as a speaker. Surely the type of people who attend such events would regard it as a kind of veiled insult.
I recall HFUYD on here telling us BoJo was going nowhere and he was massively popular with the membership
Now here we are, with him having resigned and a majority of the membership saying he should go as well. Hmmm
When did I say that in the last few months? Don't distort my personal views that Johnson should be judged at the next general election with what I said about the public or membership's views more broadly
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Netflix will be busting a gut to do the first series on the career of Boris J, because it is guaranteed to be a big hit, due to the salience of Brexit, Covid, Ukraine plus all the "colourful characters". In one vivid persona they are able to tell the extraordinary global story of 2015-2022
They will pre-empt the memoirs for millions, I reckon
That’s a brilliant point - do the TV rights now trump the book rights for politicians?
Are there any TV rights? I don't suppose Netflix paid HMQ for The Crown.
Not a drama about Boris, but a documentary, with access to all his documents, photographs and videos. I can well imagine Netflix or Amazon putting up eight figures for that.
There is one crucial flaw in this plan.....we are asumming Boris, a man who used to write his Telegraph column last minute over Sunday lunch at some randoms house, will have kept records like Bad Al or Big Dom.
Ha, maybe they’ll have to give half the cheque to Cummings.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
The Wallace bandwagon seems to be building steam.
Let’s say it goes to Truss v Wallace as the final two. Wallace wins the MPs convincingly. Truss stands aside having been promised her dream job of being first female CoE, also positioning herself well for leading the party if Wallace loses the next election.
IIRC, government salaries all come with three months’ notice period. So all of those who have resigned, and the new appointees if they end up replaced, will still be getting paid over the summer
How on earth are you entitled to notice if you've resigned ?!
It’s surprisingly common in senior management. Being a minister is also quite unusual, in that you can be fired at any time, with no reason required and irrespective of your performance in the job. Part of the reasoning behind it would be that you’re expected to relocate to London, and many ministers relocate their families to London too.
Even worse for Football managers too. Clubs that sack or "resign" their Managers can end up paying out tens of millions for the privilege of doing so.
Football managers at big clubs don't resign though. They head off and agree with the board a payout before leaving by mutual agreement. That isn't remotely what's happened with Donelan. I've a mind to stick in a FOI request about any payoffs she (Shouldn't imo) be getting.
You don't need an FOI request because it has already been explained to you. Whether or not you like the system is immaterial.
Guido's come out with a splash on his page, noone's explained anything.
Under the 1991 Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act, ministers under the age of 65 are entitled to three months of their ministerial salary when they are forced out of office.
Donelan's resignation was not before Borises'. She simply put, was not forced from office.
The question has just been asked in Parliament. The Paymaster General played a straight bat and referred to the law.
Well why not simply refer to his answer instead of going off in such a condescending manner. I'm not watching parliament tv 24/7.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No. It'll flop bigtime, trust me.
He has a cheap tacky appeal to cheap tacky people. The sort who don't read books let alone buy them.
Elitist but spot on
Now that his corruptibility has ceased to be an asset and the cheeky chappy HIGNFY persona is unresurrectable there is a faint hope that he crashes out into a C list twilight of I'm a Celebrity and Rector of Stiffkey stunts.
I'll wager you @Leon that any book written by Boris Johnson substantially about his own Downing St years will sell fewer than 5,000 copies in any format of hardback, paperback (it won't make it to pb), or kindle.
£20. Donation to a charity.
Hodder & Stoughton are sitting in a very nice place here. They can say to Boris: "You signed a contract to say you'd deliver us a Shakespeare book by 2016. You haven't delivered. We could take you to the cleaners for breach of contract, but we'll accept your memoirs in lieu instead. Sign here by next Tuesday."
I'll wager you @Leon that any book written by Boris Johnson substantially about his own Downing St years will sell fewer than 5,000 copies in any format of hardback, paperback (it won't make it to pb), or kindle.
£20. Donation to a charity.
lol. What a ridiculously stupid bet. Sure. Donation to charity. Shall we say: a year from the publication of the paperback, or hardback if there isn't a pb?
I'll wager you @Leon that any book written by Boris Johnson substantially about his own Downing St years will sell fewer than 5,000 copies in any format of hardback, paperback (it won't make it to pb), or kindle.
£20. Donation to a charity.
I'll take that bet if Leon won't. But how long do we leave it until we say 'it hasn't made 5,000' - 18 months?
IIRC, government salaries all come with three months’ notice period. So all of those who have resigned, and the new appointees if they end up replaced, will still be getting paid over the summer
How on earth are you entitled to notice if you've resigned ?!
It’s surprisingly common in senior management. Being a minister is also quite unusual, in that you can be fired at any time, with no reason required and irrespective of your performance in the job. Part of the reasoning behind it would be that you’re expected to relocate to London, and many ministers relocate their families to London too.
Even worse for Football managers too. Clubs that sack or "resign" their Managers can end up paying out tens of millions for the privilege of doing so.
Football managers at big clubs don't resign though. They head off and agree with the board a payout before leaving by mutual agreement. That isn't remotely what's happened with Donelan. I've a mind to stick in a FOI request about any payoffs she (Shouldn't imo) be getting.
You don't need an FOI request because it has already been explained to you. Whether or not you like the system is immaterial.
Guido's come out with a splash on his page, noone's explained anything.
Under the 1991 Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act, ministers under the age of 65 are entitled to three months of their ministerial salary when they are forced out of office.
Donelan's resignation was not before Borises'. She simply put, was not forced from office.
The question has just been asked in Parliament. The Paymaster General played a straight bat and referred to the law.
Well why not simply refer to his answer instead of going off in such a condescending manner. I'm not watching parliament tv 24/7.
Completely OT but since there is other news in the world apart from the Clown's antics today.
The French Government have announced they are going to completely renationalise EDF. They always owned 84% of it but now they are pulling the rest back. On paper this runs counter to EU law but I suspect they will find some sort of way around that.
The interesting bit is they are currently 70 billion euros in debt. Which is a hell of a hit even for a national government to take.
At that ownership level I think we’d have that on the balance sheet already anyway. Surely they are the same?
I do wonder if part of the advantage to the French Government of the system to date is that they can hide such debt away in the company and keep it off the official books.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
I will laugh hysterically if having pushed so hard to get rid of Boris left liberal PBers now end up with Steve Baker, Priti Patel, Liz Truss or Suella Braverman as PM once it gets to the Tory membership.
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
Yep good point - no one bar a very few, Chris Whitty perhaps, will want to read 400 pages about lockdowns.
But it's not gonna be 400 pages is it? Half the book will be Brexit
Covid will get 50 pages? Lockdowns 30? And many people will want to read it, because they want to know who made these brutal decisions, and why
Boris has a gift for self publicity. He will make sure there are juicy revelations throughout the book
Boris believes he saved the world or at least Great Britain (ex-NI) with his actions throughout Covid; it will be more than 50 pages or how will he tell people how masterful his actions were.
All I can see being a revelation is how he fought tooth and nail against Whitty, Van Tam, et al against the regulations. Which would make the book even more depressing in that he didn't succeed, largely.
Surely Johnson will want to do a multi-volume epic?
Volume 1 to take us up to the end of his time as Mayor of London. Volume 2 to cover the Brexit referendum, time as Foreign Secretary, and the "wilderness months" on the backbenches. Volume 3 to cover his tenure as PM: Brexit, GE, Covid, Ukraine, disgraceful lack of loyalty from his MPs.
I think it’s highly dangerous leaving him as PM. A full leadership contest could and will take months.
Who is going to serve in the cabinet? Half the positions are vacant.
Fraser Nelson R4 recons short list of 2 by end of next week - out to party members on possibly an accelerated timetable so it’s done well before Autumn.
The party members should have no say in the leadership.
We are a Parliamentary democracy. It is the MPs who choose and who give confidence to a leader - and they need to choose the best person to lead the country. They need have a regard for all their voters not the limited few who are party members.
A tiny group of unrepresentative voters inflicted this twit on us before. They inflicted Corbyn on us. They should never again be allowed to do so.
100%. If the members hadn't been involved we would certainly have avoided Corbyn and quite probably Johnson as well.
Having selected those 2 the members should forfeit any role in choosing future leaders.
We have an electoral system that effectively gives a choice of two PMs. The reality is that our PM is pretty much selected by small numbers Tory & Labour members, many of whom inhabit the extreme edges of the political spectrum.
99.9% of us now have to sit back while a bunch of aged blukips choose the next PM and we are stuck with their choice for the next couple of years.
You are accusing TSE and I of being "blukips"?
Bang goes your credibility!
Sure. Buy on the wider point, the two of you and HYUFD by virtue of paying 30 quid have about 500 times s much influence per head over who gets to be next PM, as the rest of us have at a GE
200, 000 con memb, 48m voters, ratio 240:1, scaled up because every vote counts in a con leadership contest.
Same now applies to Labour members and supporters if a Labour PM resigns or is forced out in office and there is a contested leadership election eg if McConnell or David Miliband had stood v Brown after Blair went in 2007
Both systems stink. Look no further than Corbyn and Johnson for the evidence
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
Oh Boris has precisely zero to worry about in his post premiership. The public speech circuit in the states beckons, the book will sell, in time he might even pop up and do a couple of TV shows again. He’ll go back to his buffoonery and weird private life, and in time I hate to say this to PB but the public (or at least those of a centre right persuasion) will forgive him everything: because he is Boris, and he tried, and he got Brexit done, and he is our loveable buffoon even if he did make a bit of a hash of some things. Just my thoughts.
I'm struggling to think of who would want to hire Boris as a speaker. Surely the type of people who attend such events would regard it as a kind of veiled insult.
Well for starters, all the companies that benefited from his largesse whilst in power, that should keep him in nice shoes for a while.
And as far as actual entertainment goes, I think most people planning a boozy dinner would choose Boris over someone like May.
He's resigned. That's enough. Just rejoice at that fact.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No. It'll flop bigtime, trust me.
He has a cheap tacky appeal to cheap tacky people. The sort who don't read books let alone buy them.
I get the psychology here. People who hate Boris REALLY hate him, and they can't bear to think of him making nice money out of his "awful" story, and they literally can't believe others will want to read it. I'd probably feel the same about Michael Heseltine's "My Struggle for Europe"
But it is a delusion. Boris' memoirs will sell, and it will be read
Boris's book will sell very well, be dished out as Christmas presents, and will fill charity shops and car boot sales by the end of January.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
The Wallace bandwagon seems to be building steam.
Let’s say it goes to Truss v Wallace as the final two. Wallace wins the MPs convincingly. Truss stands aside having been promised her dream job of being first female CoE, also positioning herself well for leading the party if Wallace loses the next election.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Boris's short premiership will be the stuff of innumerable films, dramadocs and the last two series of The Crown. He needs to bang out his memoirs in time to cop some royalties
"Boris Johnson - My Part in his Downfall" would be an apt title for the autobiography.
“So Long and thanks for all the Drinks”.
I think "Party What Party?" would be a good title.
As for @Leon's suggestion that Johnson is a good writer, please try reading his Churchill book, one of the worst historical biographies I have ever read. Johnson writes a good newspaper polemic, but if that book is an example of his writing style I would stay well clear of any further books of his.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Boris's short premiership will be the stuff of innumerable films, dramadocs and the last two series of The Crown. He needs to bang out his memoirs in time to cop some royalties
"Boris Johnson - My Part in his Downfall" would be an apt title for the autobiography.
“So Long and thanks for all the Drinks”.
I think "Party What Party?" would be a good title.
As for @Leon's suggestion that Johnson is a good writer, please try reading his Churchill book, one of the worst historical biographies I have ever read. Johnson writes a good newspaper polemic, but if that book is an example of his writing style I would stay well clear of any further books of his.
Yeah he's a dreadful writer. He writes as he speaks as he lives as he loves. All over the place.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
I will laugh hysterically if having pushed so hard to get rid of Boris left liberal PBers now end up with Steve Baker, Priti Patel, Liz Truss or Suella Braverman as PM once it gets to the Tory membership.
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
This is an entirely plausible outcome, although I suspect the PB commentariat doesn’t have *that* much influence on the inner workings of the parliamentary Tory party.
He can't stay as PM, because there would be bound to be another scandal.
I think there's a 15-20% chance of an interim PM being necessary. If there is then it's 50% likely to be May as she's the one who's most capable and able to do it.
That being the case I'd be interested in backing May on the markets as Next PM at anything down to 15/1 with a few quid.
If we have a long, hot summer, with prices and inflation rising, and political chaos, I can see riots happening for the first time in eleven years.
I hope I'm wrong.
Am surprised how little unrest there has been. Perhaps because everyone has been expecting a government change? Also. You omitted strikes. Still no official pay offers and loads of walkouts balloted already.
I'll wager you @Leon that any book written by Boris Johnson substantially about his own Downing St years will sell fewer than 5,000 copies in any format of hardback, paperback (it won't make it to pb), or kindle.
£20. Donation to a charity.
lol. What a ridiculously stupid bet. Sure. Donation to charity. Shall we say: a year from the publication of the paperback, or hardback if there isn't a pb?
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No you won't. Look at what Covid did to you. When you were stuck on your own it was tough. You actually want to read five hundred pages about that? Of course you don't.
Jesus F C it will be 30-50 pages, in a much bigger story. And yes I actually would like to know how it felt, to be the PM in Intensive Care, nearly dying
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
Yep good point - no one bar a very few, Chris Whitty perhaps, will want to read 400 pages about lockdowns.
But it's not gonna be 400 pages is it? Half the book will be Brexit
Covid will get 50 pages? Lockdowns 30? And many people will want to read it, because they want to know who made these brutal decisions, and why
Boris has a gift for self publicity. He will make sure there are juicy revelations throughout the book
Boris believes he saved the world or at least Great Britain (ex-NI) with his actions throughout Covid; it will be more than 50 pages or how will he tell people how masterful his actions were.
All I can see being a revelation is how he fought tooth and nail against Whitty, Van Tam, et al against the regulations. Which would make the book even more depressing in that he didn't succeed, largely.
Surely Johnson will want to do a multi-volume epic?
Volume 1 to take us up to the end of his time as Mayor of London. Volume 2 to cover the Brexit referendum, time as Foreign Secretary, and the "wilderness months" on the backbenches. Volume 3 to cover his tenure as PM: Brexit, GE, Covid, Ukraine, disgraceful lack of loyalty from his MPs.
Yes but volume 3 needs to be published first because that is the commercially attractive one for publishers, the public and film makers alike.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
I will laugh hysterically if having pushed so hard to get rid of Boris left liberal PBers now end up with Steve Baker, Priti Patel, Liz Truss or Suella Braverman as PM once it gets to the Tory membership.
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
Moderation was never the issue. Incompetence, laziness and comprehensive dishonesty was. Frankly I don't see anyone amongst the possible successors who could even begin to approach the depths of unsuitability for high office displayed by Johnson.
And frankly if your party can't do better than that then they don't deserve to exist, let alone be in power.
Yet another Tory MP on his feet saying leaving Johnson in place is absurd. Paymaster General says "the government will continue to function" to laughter.
This *surely* is untenable.
Of course hes hasn't and can't do a watertight deal with the 22 because the 22 rises from the ashes on Monday evening. And the new chairman AB announces rule change and vonc vote on Tuesday evening.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No you won't. Look at what Covid did to you. When you were stuck on your own it was tough. You actually want to read five hundred pages about that? Of course you don't.
Jesus F C it will be 30-50 pages, in a much bigger story. And yes I actually would like to know how it felt, to be the PM in Intensive Care, nearly dying
What will be in the other 450 pages. A review of his triumph over the NI protocol.
As @Heathener so acutely notes, he has been a failure. Vaccines? 2 pages. Brexit? 100 pages god help us.
What else? Everything else and arguably those two issues he has bogged up. Every avenue he took was a dead end and he was done for going the wrong way down a one way street.
And you'll buy it? LOL no you won't.
How many other political memoirs have you bought and read.
Tony Blair's memoir sold 220,000 copies in its first seven weeks
People CLEARLY wanted to read it, and they went out and bought it. I bet quite a few of those were Blair haters who wanted to see how he justified Iraq
To my mind Boris has easily a good a story to tell as Blair, so he could do as well, or better. But let's say his story is less interesting (how?). Let's try Gordon Brown, one of the dullest men in history. His memoirs sold just 22,000. Pitiful. But he's boring, so there you go, and Blair got there first with the juicy stuff (as did Al Campbell)
@Heathener is literally predicting that Boris Johnson will sell a quarter of the copies that Gordon Brown sold. Like I said, a delusion born of blind hatred
I'd still prefer Sunak, Hunt isn't credible being a remainer and most of the other runners and riders (Truss, Wallace, Braverman) would be way out of their depth. Baker would be nice for bank though.
I’d imagine a joint Sunak/Javid ticket could be in play
It would be powerful and I can see Hunt joining it too in exchange for a big post.
Sunak PM, Javid CoE, Hunt Foreign Sec works.
You really think the Tory membership are going to vote for that?
What's the issue with Sunak, he's a Thatcherite leaver & his cameo appearence in partygate was the dampest of damp squibs. He appoints Sunak and Hunt once in post.
Sunak will not get past the membership, he is seen as a tax rising shyster.
As I said, even Steve Baker would now beat Sunak once it got to the membership
Is it going to get to the membership though?
Yes, Steve Baker and Braverman etc already announced bids so there will be no coronation.
Sunak's only chance is he faces Hunt in the final 2 but that needs over 2/3 of Tory MPs to vote for Sunak or Hunt and that ain't happening.
Indeed ironically Johnson might end up bring the most centrist Tory leader of this decade as Tory members look for more small state, low tax, anti lockdown, hard Brexit, anti Woke, socially conservative successors to succeed him
No coronation but probably no final two going to the membership. As in 2016, there will be huge pressure for the less likely of the final two candidates to withdraw.
They won't as whichever of the final 2 is not Sunak or Hunt knows they would easily win the membership vote so why on earth would they withdraw?
Sunak and Hunt are Portillo and Ken Clarke or David Miliband to whoever ends up as IDS or Ed Miliband in the final 2
I expect Sunak's stock with a lot of members rose significantly once he resigned and triggered all this off.
As poor as Sunak was polling, Boris was polling far worse. So Sunak might be rewarded by people looking at him for a second time.
And as much as the myth of "they who wield the knife, don't get the crown" is claimed the only time in recent years that's true is with Thatcher's defenestration. Thatcher herself, Brown and Boris himself all wielded the knife and got the crown. Cameron wasn't knifed, he lost the vote and went accordingly.
Thatcher only stood against Heath in opposition not power. Brown never stood against Blair, Boris himself never stood against May either and resigned over a point of principle Brexit
Who do you want to be next leader?
Wallace
Wallace is a bit of a blank sheet onto which people can project their hopes at the moment. He is dull, steady and responsible and these are all quite attractive aspects after the Lord Mayor's show, a little bit of seriousness is what is needed. But what does he actually want? What is his vision for the UK in the 21st century? I don't think any of us knows.
This leadership campaign really needs to be a discussion about what a Tory government is for. Boris had "get Brexit done" but clearly had no idea what to do next. To some extent that was hidden by the pandemic and then by Ukraine, both of which I think he did well with. But what kind of Britain did he want? I don't think even he knew. I would like the next PM to be clearer about this. But it is going to be hard to do when there is so much pressure to get on with the management of crises right now.
My agenda would include:
A lot more collaborative and constructive relationship with the EU.
Abandoning this shameful Rwanda nonsense and getting Patel out of the Home Office so that we can start to rebuild our reputation as a compassionate and caring country.
Focusing such economic relief as we can afford on those genuinely in need rather than spreading what we have to the population as a whole. Specifically restoring the cuts in benefits.
Reversing the NI increases and making sure that there is much greater equality between the taxation of earned and unearned income.
Rebuilding our armed forces in light of the Russia threat.
Refocusing tertiary education to filling in skills shortages. Encouraging training with additional tax reliefs. Doing what we can afford (and it won't be much) to improve our infrastructure.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
I will laugh hysterically if having pushed so hard to get rid of Boris left liberal PBers now end up with Steve Baker, Priti Patel, Liz Truss or Suella Braverman as PM once it gets to the Tory membership.
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
You sound like the 5 Live caller. It's Tories who pushed him out. No bugger else.
Tony Blair's memoir sold 220,000 copies in its first seven weeks
People CLEARLY wanted to read it, and they went out and bought it. I bet quite a few of those were Blair haters who wanted to see how he justified Iraq
To my mind Boris has easily a good a story to tell as Blair, so he could do as well, or better. But let's say his story is less interesting (how?). Let's try Gordon Brown, one of the dullest men in history. His memoirs sold just 22,000. Pitiful. But he's boring, so there you go, and Blair got there first with the juicy stuff (as did Al Campbell)
@Heathener is literally predicting that Boris Johnson will sell a quarter of the copies that Gordon Brown sold. Like I said, a delusion born of blind hatred
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
I will laugh hysterically if having pushed so hard to get rid of Boris left liberal PBers now end up with Steve Baker, Priti Patel, Liz Truss or Suella Braverman as PM once it gets to the Tory membership.
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
Yes. Never mind the social and political consequences, you will have SCORED A POINT, huzzah.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
Oh Boris has precisely zero to worry about in his post premiership. The public speech circuit in the states beckons, the book will sell, in time he might even pop up and do a couple of TV shows again. He’ll go back to his buffoonery and weird private life, and in time I hate to say this to PB but the public (or at least those of a centre right persuasion) will forgive him everything: because he is Boris, and he tried, and he got Brexit done, and he is our loveable buffoon even if he did make a bit of a hash of some things. Just my thoughts.
I'm struggling to think of who would want to hire Boris as a speaker. Surely the type of people who attend such events would regard it as a kind of veiled insult.
The existence of a market for May speeches suggests otherwise.
I don't think the kunlageta's desire to remain on the ice until autumn is going to last the day.
[]
Ruth Davidson, the former leader of the Conservatives in the Scotland, said: "There's no way he can stay on until October. It's arrant nonsense to think he can. Someone needs to grip this."
An interim PM from the Lords? Now that’d cheer up the poor Scottish Tories.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No. It'll flop bigtime, trust me.
He has a cheap tacky appeal to cheap tacky people. The sort who don't read books let alone buy them.
I get the psychology here. People who hate Boris REALLY hate him, and they can't bear to think of him making nice money out of his "awful" story, and they literally can't believe others will want to read it. I'd probably feel the same about Michael Heseltine's "My Struggle for Europe"
But it is a delusion. Boris' memoirs will sell, and it will be read
See what happens here? People disagree with Leon about the marketability of a book by Boris Johnson on Boris Johnson.
And what does Leon do? He turns it into an argument that our reasoning is tainted by hatred of Boris. Not just hatred but REAL hatred: notice the way Leon introduces Caps Lock when he's starting to get irascible with a counter viewpoint.
It's possible to dislike Boris Johnson and most of what he stood for but also be objective in an appraisal of whether his books might sell.
Leon is not the only person on this forum with experience of publishing. Nor is he the only bestselling author ...
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Boris's short premiership will be the stuff of innumerable films, dramadocs and the last two series of The Crown. He needs to bang out his memoirs in time to cop some royalties
"Boris Johnson - My Part in his Downfall" would be an apt title for the autobiography.
“So Long and thanks for all the Drinks”.
I think "Party What Party?" would be a good title.
As for @Leon's suggestion that Johnson is a good writer, please try reading his Churchill book, one of the worst historical biographies I have ever read. Johnson writes a good newspaper polemic, but if that book is an example of his writing style I would stay well clear of any further books of his.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
The Wallace bandwagon seems to be building steam.
Let’s say it goes to Truss v Wallace as the final two. Wallace wins the MPs convincingly. Truss stands aside having been promised her dream job of being first female CoE, also positioning herself well for leading the party if Wallace loses the next election.
I can see this being highly plausible.
I agree that Wallace seems popular. Personally I find him totally useless. He hasn't even successfully defended his department from cuts. He got pranked by Russian DJ's pretending to be Zelensky on the phone to him. He uses words like 'bollocks' as part of his comms - inarticulate. And he's bald as a coot and looks like a sack of spuds. He's got 'long grinding spell in opposition' written all over him. But there is momentum behind him.
MPs will want Johnson out asap and the contest over quickly. There's only one person who can broadly satisfy most MPs, and he's also the one who trounces everyone else in the YouGov head to heads.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
I will laugh hysterically if having pushed so hard to get rid of Boris left liberal PBers now end up with Steve Baker, Priti Patel, Liz Truss or Suella Braverman as PM once it gets to the Tory membership.
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
Moderation was never the issue. Incompetence, laziness and comprehensive dishonesty was. Frankly I don't see anyone amongst the possible successors who could even begin to approach the depths of unsuitability for high office displayed by Johnson.
And frankly if your party can't do better than that then they don't deserve to exist, let alone be in power.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
Oh Boris has precisely zero to worry about in his post premiership. The public speech circuit in the states beckons, the book will sell, in time he might even pop up and do a couple of TV shows again. He’ll go back to his buffoonery and weird private life, and in time I hate to say this to PB but the public (or at least those of a centre right persuasion) will forgive him everything: because he is Boris, and he tried, and he got Brexit done, and he is our loveable buffoon even if he did make a bit of a hash of some things. Just my thoughts.
I'm struggling to think of who would want to hire Boris as a speaker. Surely the type of people who attend such events would regard it as a kind of veiled insult.
The existence of a market for May speeches suggests otherwise.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
You're wrong. I rarely read memoirs but I will certainly read Boris' - not because of the man but because of everything he witnessed, and often personally decided. He's not James Joyce, but he can write well, which is a significant advantage
eg Covid. I really do want to know who decided what and when. I want the gory details. We were locked down for months. Who was pro, who was anti. And what was it like for him nearly dying? That's a chapter right there
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it will sell very nicely. It is an incredible story. Those who hate Boris will never buy it. They will secretly steal it from friends and guiltily read it at 2am, while scowling with anger
No. It'll flop bigtime, trust me.
He has a cheap tacky appeal to cheap tacky people. The sort who don't read books let alone buy them.
I get the psychology here. People who hate Boris REALLY hate him, and they can't bear to think of him making nice money out of his "awful" story, and they literally can't believe others will want to read it. I'd probably feel the same about Michael Heseltine's "My Struggle for Europe"
But it is a delusion. Boris' memoirs will sell, and it will be read
See what happens here? People disagree with Leon about the marketability of a book by Boris Johnson on Boris Johnson.
And what does Leon do? He turns it into an argument that our reasoning is tainted by hatred of Boris. Not just hatred but REAL hatred: notice the way Leon introduces Caps Lock when he's starting to get irascible with a counter viewpoint.
It's possible to dislike Boris Johnson and most of what he stood for but also be objective in an appraisal of whether his books might sell.
Leon is not the only person on this forum with experience of publishing. Nor is he the only bestselling author ...
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Boris's short premiership will be the stuff of innumerable films, dramadocs and the last two series of The Crown. He needs to bang out his memoirs in time to cop some royalties
"Boris Johnson - My Part in his Downfall" would be an apt title for the autobiography.
“So Long and thanks for all the Drinks”.
I think "Party What Party?" would be a good title.
As for @Leon's suggestion that Johnson is a good writer, please try reading his Churchill book, one of the worst historical biographies I have ever read. Johnson writes a good newspaper polemic, but if that book is an example of his writing style I would stay well clear of any further books of his.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
The Wallace bandwagon seems to be building steam.
Let’s say it goes to Truss v Wallace as the final two. Wallace wins the MPs convincingly. Truss stands aside having been promised her dream job of being first female CoE, also positioning herself well for leading the party if Wallace loses the next election.
I can see this being highly plausible.
I agree that Wallace seems popular. Personally I find him totally useless. He hasn't even successfully defended his department from cuts. He got pranked by Russian DJ's pretending to be Zelensky on the phone to him. He uses words like 'bollocks' as part of his comms - inarticulate. And he's bald as a coot and looks like a sack of spuds. He's got 'long grinding spell in opposition' written all over him. But there is momentum behind him.
He'll lead the Conservatives to a respectable loss at the next GE, which currently would sound quite good to a lot of MPs.
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
The Wallace bandwagon seems to be building steam.
Let’s say it goes to Truss v Wallace as the final two. Wallace wins the MPs convincingly. Truss stands aside having been promised her dream job of being first female CoE, also positioning herself well for leading the party if Wallace loses the next election.
I can see this being highly plausible.
I agree that Wallace seems popular. Personally I find him totally useless. He hasn't even successfully defended his department from cuts. He got pranked by Russian DJ's pretending to be Zelensky on the phone to him. He uses words like 'bollocks' as part of his comms - inarticulate. And he's bald as a coot and looks like a sack of spuds. He's got 'long grinding spell in opposition' written all over him. But there is momentum behind him.
And he ferreted over doggielift when bojo threatened to sack him
If members think Liz Truss is the answer.. god Help us all
I will laugh hysterically if having pushed so hard to get rid of Boris left liberal PBers now end up with Steve Baker, Priti Patel, Liz Truss or Suella Braverman as PM once it gets to the Tory membership.
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
You are 100% right.
Boris is stunningly incompetent, slapdash and mercenary all at the same time. But insofar as he believes in anything, he is ultimately, a one-nation, liberal Conservative. He became leader despite this, partly because of force of his personality, partly because right-wing Tory MPs saw him as a way to get Brexit done.
No other candidate of similar views would have got elected. They certainly won't now. It is inevitable, I fear, that the next Tory leader will be significantly to the right of Johnson.
Tony Blair's memoir sold 220,000 copies in its first seven weeks
People CLEARLY wanted to read it, and they went out and bought it. I bet quite a few of those were Blair haters who wanted to see how he justified Iraq
To my mind Boris has easily a good a story to tell as Blair, so he could do as well, or better. But let's say his story is less interesting (how?). Let's try Gordon Brown, one of the dullest men in history. His memoirs sold just 22,000. Pitiful. But he's boring, so there you go, and Blair got there first with the juicy stuff (as did Al Campbell)
@Heathener is literally predicting that Boris Johnson will sell a quarter of the copies that Gordon Brown sold. Like I said, a delusion born of blind hatred
I can’t remember where it was that Alan Clark said the Tory party always goes mad when the Indian Bean Trees around Parliament are flowering and MPs become intoxicated by their sickly sweet scent. But they are indeed in bloom right now. https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1544976768808980481/photo/1
But Alan Clark was very odd himself.
But possibly the last decent writer to be a Tory mp?
Sebastian Payne @SebastianEPayne I've had 15 WhatsApp messages from Conservative MPs in the last 30 mins. Not a single one thinks Boris Johnson can remain prime minister until the autumn. Conversations are taking place with Sir Graham Brady about whether the contest will be sped up.
That giant barrage you can hear? That's Labour and LibDem and SNP foxes being shot!
No it's the Tory party circular firing squad.
Indeed. There’s a lot of Tory glee today. What the poor wee souls don’t understand is that their Wilderness Years haven’t even started yet.
I honestly don't think they will care. The general expectation in life for conservatives is that people are honest, work hard and play by the rules to get ahead. Brexit allowed Boris to become leader when as Gove told us years ago he was unfit. Not following the rules and sending out ministers to lie repeatedly seems to have been the last straw moreso than partygate. Whilst Boris set the culture the Civil Servants and police should have stopped it all too. It is the financial impropriety (treehouse, wallpaper) moral standards (rumours of sexual activity in HoC, Pinchergate) and general truth telling that have really hurt. The writing was on the wall for me when instead of taking the huge vote against him as a reproach, he came out and said that he couldn't change, and for me the final nail was his criticism of those who had been sent out to lie for him saying they misunderstood and got it wrong.
I think we will see a weight lifted off as politicians are able to return to doing what they normally do
Tories being Tories? That’s certainly going to keep them in the teens in Scotland. What the Tories really need is to stop acting like Tories.
I was in Scotland a couple of weeks ago and was surprised at the vitriol against the Tories. I was with what I can only presume were two not overly political civil servants. They knew every affair every financial transgression of Boris for the last 30 years. They wouldn't believe me when I said that the people who loved Boris were the working class - barbers bricklayers and pub landlords. They honestly thought it was the middle classes that loved Boris.
It is not their class politics which puts Scots off the Tories. To be frank, they are widely considered to be the scum of the earth.
He's untrustworthy and will seek to remain, buggering up the country to try and buy himself a favourable legacy in the meantime.
Get rid of him, PCP, or be shown to be utter fools once again.
On Leon's point about history being kinder to him than PB, that is possible, in relation to some big policy matters (others will disagree), but his personal standards will not be treated kindly, and in any case in the moment of being forced out few will be thinking about reflecting on positives
First up, no one these days reads political memoirs. Nor do they any longer have an interest in reading books by sad old white male sexual predators. Appetites have changed. He may get a decent advance but the publishers won't earn out the advance in sales.
Second, history will not be kinder to him on the bigger issues. Leon says this because of his obsession with Brexit, after a Damascene conversion on the way to the ballot box and with all the tedious zealotry that brings. For most of the rest of us it's obvious Brexit is a massive cock-up that is going to take years to sort out properly. The NI protocol is one example of Boris bodging Brexit in a disastrous fashion. He never thought it through properly because he didn't care about it. He was never a Brexiteer. He chose Brexit to become King of the World. Nothing more.
Other big issues? The initial vaccine rollout was a success but on most other counts our handling of covid has been another cock-up, from the ridiculously lax opening (Cheltenham and Bath Half ffs) to the over-reaction the other way with ludicrously over-tight lockdowns and pernicious policing. That Big Brother state then extended into horrendous legislature further restricting our freedoms. Except for himself, obvs.
He is a shit. The vilest prime minister of any of our lifetimes. He deserves a category of worst prime ministers all to himself. The others, however poor, don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this wicked clown.
He dragged down his party. He dragged downthis country.
His memoirs will sell heavily internationally, Brexit is now bedded in as a fact of life, and whether you agree or not the public think the vaccine rollout out went very well. The short hand history of Boris will read “did what he said he’d do on Brexit, and managed Covid well, but was undone by his personal weaknesses”..
Any memoirs may get large advances from the publishers, but will be in the remainder boxes within months. No one wants to read over Covid either, except a few public health people trying to formulate lessons, and they will want facts not Johnsonion bluster.
Yep
Publishers of pol biogs cover all their costs with serialisation rights to Mail or Times.
Those days have passed. Serialisation rights have substantially reduced. Publishers have to work extremely hard to earn back advances.
A self-appraising account by a serial liar isn't going to earn back an advance.
Biographies about the wicked clown might do a little better.
You're clueless. I know this world. Publishers want the memoirs of the PM because of the prestige. Boris being a twat might knock some money off the advance, but his incredibly boffo story will put some back on
He will be minted
Theresa May has earnt millions despite the fact as an MP she still has to declare payments etc and despite the fact that she is Theresa May.
Boris will be as minted as Blair. He's world renowned and interesting, and he'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second he's out of Downing Street.
I have spent the last day off this website, outside and regrouping. So many kind people have said they would like me to stay, so I will - but I will try my very best to reduce my posting activity as it is best for my mental health at this time.
ain Martin @iainmartin1 · 14m The contest will be sped up. Not least because Boris is always looking for a way out, like a desperate character in a disaster movie. Let him be interim PM and he'll look for a lucky break to stay on permanently. Has to go quickly.
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Get rid today, or he will find a way to remain even if involves burning the entire country to the ground and destroying the constitution.
Comments
There are forty plus government appointments to be made. You can't just expect everyone to pick up where they left off, having said they have zero confidence in the PM.
If he stays, it could get very messy again. If (eg) May was made PM as a caretaker, the above would be comparatively uncontentious. And I think it would have to be May as the most qualified who's also most above the fray.
While that would be the most sensible arrangement, the experience of the last few weeks suggests it won't necessarily be the one arrived at.
I can see growing numbers of Tory MPs continuing to say they won't serve, that he can't stay, that its not tenable. We could well see him dragged back to make a further statement that he is going now.
The precedent? Gordon Brown. Realised he was a barrier and voluntarily resigned as party leader. But expected he would continue as PM. As that quickly became not just untenable but laughable he had to make another statement that he was going. Before it went dark.
No one will read it except the last of the last cult members. The starstruck who still believed.
Very quickly he will be a sad footnote to history. A forgotten fool. A serial philanderer and liar who was so consumed by his own ego that he flew too close to the sun.
The rest of the country will have moved on and will be sorting out the messes he left behind. That includes Brexit which we now have to get to work.
He has a cheap tacky appeal to cheap tacky people. The sort who don't read books let alone buy them.
Apart from the FS flying back from the G20 to campaign, obviously.
He will be minted
Is the perfect epitaph. What a piece of shit we've endured for the last several years. He has damaged us all.
£20. Donation to a charity.
Do you really image the theatre of someone going to the palace to be asked to form a caretaker government?
Help us all
Boris's flaws were obvious and visible from well before he became PM. There was zero reason to believe he would change when he got the top job. So everyone who supported him for the leadership "because Brexit" is partially culpable for the mess we are in today.
Especially as he was partially responsible for the mess that is Brexit back in 2016, and for it becoming a mess when he became PM.
Otherwise if say even if it was Sunak 200 MPs in the final round, Baker, Truss, Wallace or Braverman 85 odd and Hunt 80 odd then Baker, Truss, Wallace or Braverman would likely beat Sunak in the membership vote
I spent weeks posting leaflets and knocking doors for that b***h, and 18 months later she decided she couldn’t be bothered and was moving to the States.
But it is a delusion. Boris' memoirs will sell, and it will be read
Let’s say it goes to Truss v Wallace as the final two. Wallace wins the MPs convincingly. Truss stands aside having been promised her dream job of being first female CoE, also positioning herself well for leading the party if Wallace loses the next election.
I can see this being highly plausible.
Now that his corruptibility has ceased to be an asset and the cheeky chappy HIGNFY persona is unresurrectable there is a faint hope that he crashes out into a C list twilight of I'm a Celebrity and Rector of Stiffkey stunts.
If we have a long, hot summer, with prices and inflation rising, and political chaos, I can see riots happening for the first time in eleven years.
I hope I'm wrong.
But how long do we leave it until we say 'it hasn't made 5,000' - 18 months?
Boris might end up the moderate PM of this Tory government!!
Volume 1 to take us up to the end of his time as Mayor of London.
Volume 2 to cover the Brexit referendum, time as Foreign Secretary, and the "wilderness months" on the backbenches.
Volume 3 to cover his tenure as PM: Brexit, GE, Covid, Ukraine, disgraceful lack of loyalty from his MPs.
And as far as actual entertainment goes, I think most people planning a boozy dinner would choose Boris over someone like May.
He's resigned. That's enough. Just rejoice at that fact.
As for @Leon's suggestion that Johnson is a good writer, please try reading his Churchill book, one of the worst historical biographies I have ever read. Johnson writes a good newspaper polemic, but if that book is an example of his writing style I would stay well clear of any further books of his.
Also. You omitted strikes.
Still no official pay offers and loads of walkouts balloted already.
Being told Greg Clarke is about to be announced as the new levelling up secretary (!!!!)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-johnson-news-latest-resign-tory-mps-politics-live-d79vb67k5
There, saved you the bother of 50 pages.
And frankly if your party can't do better than that then they don't deserve to exist, let alone be in power.
Right now he’s a pauper, and no-one wants to divorce a pauper.
As @Heathener so acutely notes, he has been a failure. Vaccines? 2 pages. Brexit? 100 pages god help us.
What else? Everything else and arguably those two issues he has bogged up. Every avenue he took was a dead end and he was done for going the wrong way down a one way street.
And you'll buy it? LOL no you won't.
How many other political memoirs have you bought and read.
Tony Blair's memoir sold 220,000 copies in its first seven weeks
People CLEARLY wanted to read it, and they went out and bought it. I bet quite a few of those were Blair haters who wanted to see how he justified Iraq
To my mind Boris has easily a good a story to tell as Blair, so he could do as well, or better. But let's say his story is less interesting (how?). Let's try Gordon Brown, one of the dullest men in history. His memoirs sold just 22,000. Pitiful. But he's boring, so there you go, and Blair got there first with the juicy stuff (as did Al Campbell)
@Heathener is literally predicting that Boris Johnson will sell a quarter of the copies that Gordon Brown sold. Like I said, a delusion born of blind hatred
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/book-sales-leave-gordon-brown-in-tony-blairs-shadow-again-xf0hp060k
Baker would be nice for bank though.
This leadership campaign really needs to be a discussion about what a Tory government is for. Boris had "get Brexit done" but clearly had no idea what to do next. To some extent that was hidden by the pandemic and then by Ukraine, both of which I think he did well with. But what kind of Britain did he want? I don't think even he knew. I would like the next PM to be clearer about this. But it is going to be hard to do when there is so much pressure to get on with the management of crises right now.
My agenda would include:
A lot more collaborative and constructive relationship with the EU.
Abandoning this shameful Rwanda nonsense and getting Patel out of the Home Office so that we can start to rebuild our reputation as a compassionate and caring country.
Focusing such economic relief as we can afford on those genuinely in need rather than spreading what we have to the population as a whole. Specifically restoring the cuts in benefits.
Reversing the NI increases and making sure that there is much greater equality between the taxation of earned and unearned income.
Rebuilding our armed forces in light of the Russia threat.
Refocusing tertiary education to filling in skills shortages. Encouraging training with additional tax reliefs. Doing what we can afford (and it won't be much) to improve our infrastructure.
It's Tories who pushed him out. No bugger else.
Now that’d cheer up the poor Scottish Tories.
And what does Leon do? He turns it into an argument that our reasoning is tainted by hatred of Boris. Not just hatred but REAL hatred: notice the way Leon introduces Caps Lock when he's starting to get irascible with a counter viewpoint.
It's possible to dislike Boris Johnson and most of what he stood for but also be objective in an appraisal of whether his books might sell.
Leon is not the only person on this forum with experience of publishing. Nor is he the only bestselling author ...
Can't see past Wallace, if he wants the job.
It's the only way you'll actually win the bet.
£125k a dinner.
SPOILER: I will
Gyles Brandreth
@GylesB1
·
. We saw the end of Heath, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron & May. Is Harold Wilson the only PM of my lifetime who has gone on his own terms?
Not 100% sure about that - I think Major knew that he was going to lose the election and he did pick the date of it.
Boris is stunningly incompetent, slapdash and mercenary all at the same time. But insofar as he believes in anything, he is ultimately, a one-nation, liberal Conservative. He became leader despite this, partly because of force of his personality, partly because right-wing Tory MPs saw him as a way to get Brexit done.
No other candidate of similar views would have got elected. They certainly won't now. It is inevitable, I fear, that the next Tory leader will be significantly to the right of Johnson.
The appetite for books of this nature, as well as huge advances, died a death a decade ago.
Trust me on this. Political memoirs no longer sell.
I'll leave it there. I have a son to run to a party. Long school holidays. A penalty of both private education and champagne socialism.
Sebastian Payne
@SebastianEPayne
I've had 15 WhatsApp messages from Conservative MPs in the last 30 mins. Not a single one thinks Boris Johnson can remain prime minister until the autumn. Conversations are taking place with Sir Graham Brady about whether the contest will be sped up.
To be frank, they are widely considered to be the scum of the earth.
Can you imagine a Wallace V Starmer election?
@Heathener will be begging Boris to come back and cheer us up, with a decent joke
Boris will be as minted as Blair. He's world renowned and interesting, and he'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second he's out of Downing Street.
Thank you for your support.
@iainmartin1
·
14m
The contest will be sped up. Not least because Boris is always looking for a way out, like a desperate character in a disaster movie. Let him be interim PM and he'll look for a lucky break to stay on permanently. Has to go quickly.
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Get rid today, or he will find a way to remain even if involves burning the entire country to the ground and destroying the constitution.