so much for global Britain... the G20 barely begun at a time of war/economic crisis and global poverty on the rise and Truss rushes back to secure herself a job in the Cabinet
The funniest part was she’d only been there 6 hours when Boris admitted the game was up but had to wait until 2am U.K. time this morning to leave so the flight crew could rest after the outbound flight. “Them’s the breaks” as someone remarked.
The funniest part is she only went for a "wisdom teeth" excuse to avoid either resigning or pledging fealty to the Prime Minister after Rishi and The Saj kicked over Boris's applecart.
It's all a bit pointless, surely, since by the time she lands everyone will have gone home for the weekend, and then Monday will see a new 1922 board elected and only then will we discover the schedule for the leadership election.
The meeting was long scheduled before the Johnson downfall started to play out. You don’t get 20 Foreign Ministers to fly all the way to Bali to help provide Truss with an excuse. It was foolish to cut n’run however - she could have stayed for the meetings then left - demonstrating statesmanship rather than narrow personal interest. Now she has the worst of both worlds - a bolter who got back too late to make a difference.
so much for global Britain... the G20 barely begun at a time of war/economic crisis and global poverty on the rise and Truss rushes back to secure herself a job in the Cabinet
The funniest part was she’d only been there 6 hours when Boris admitted the game was up but had to wait until 2am U.K. time this morning to leave so the flight crew could rest after the outbound flight. “Them’s the breaks” as someone remarked.
The funniest part is she only went for a "wisdom teeth" excuse to avoid either resigning or pledging fealty to the Prime Minister after Rishi and The Saj kicked over Boris's applecart.
It's all a bit pointless, surely, since by the time she lands everyone will have gone home for the weekend, and then Monday will see a new 1922 board elected and only then will we discover the schedule for the leadership election.
wonder how much that jaunt cost the country in pounds and CO2 emissions, all for Truss's ego...
Nothing because if Truss had not gone, they'd have sent someone else in her place, and the plane had to come back anyway. Or lots, depending if you are pro- or anti-Truss.
Just to follow on from my learned colleague..I think she would have achieved far more by properly attending the biggest event in the Indo-Pacific for 4 years, the region where the UK claims to be seeking a far-reaching and meaningful role, where demographics, economic activity and confrontation among powers are going to dominate this century, we're still trying to get a proper place on the CPTTP, ASEAN and hammer out what AUKUS means to Asia and I'm not sure any progress will happen now, all because she fancies a `tilt' at the top job.
so much for global Britain... the G20 barely begun at a time of war/economic crisis and global poverty on the rise and Truss rushes back to secure herself a job in the Cabinet
The funniest part was she’d only been there 6 hours when Boris admitted the game was up but had to wait until 2am U.K. time this morning to leave so the flight crew could rest after the outbound flight. “Them’s the breaks” as someone remarked.
The funniest part is she only went for a "wisdom teeth" excuse to avoid either resigning or pledging fealty to the Prime Minister after Rishi and The Saj kicked over Boris's applecart.
It's all a bit pointless, surely, since by the time she lands everyone will have gone home for the weekend, and then Monday will see a new 1922 board elected and only then will we discover the schedule for the leadership election.
The meeting was long scheduled before the Johnson downfall started to play out. You don’t get 20 Foreign Ministers to fly all the way to Bali to help provide Truss with an excuse. It was foolish to cut n’run however - she could have stayed for the meetings then left - demonstrating statesmanship rather than narrow personal interest. Now she has the worst of both worlds - a bolter who got back too late to make a difference.
Yes, of course the G20 was long-planned but Liz Truss could have opted to stay in London and send a deputy instead (see my answer to the cost question) rather than going only for long enough to escape the resign-or-stay dilemma and then leaving early. She used the G20 like John Major used his dentist, except he at least stayed till the end of the treatment.
Items ordered by Mr Johnson and wife Carrie from upmarket interior designer Lulu Lytle include a £3,675 drinks trolley said to be like the one owned in Paris by ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev
Missing the point perhaps but why has someone typed the address at the top left when it is already printed at the top centre?
The Independent is still not 100 per cent convinced by Boris's story that he paid in the end:-
In 2021 it emerged that the cost of the refurbishment was met by the Cabinet Office and recharged to the Conservative Party. After the scandal was revealed the money was returned to Tory HQ and Mr Johnson agreed to pick up the bill, though it is not clear where he obtained the necessary £178,000 once the Cabinet Office paid its £30,000 share. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-wallpaper-gold-flat-carrie-invoice-b2118185.html
Liz Truss has cut short her attendance at a critical G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Indonesia to fly back to London to canvass support for her bid to succeed Boris Johnson as the UK’s prime minister.
Her decision raised eyebrows among some diplomats who see the G20 meeting as a key moment for the west to confront the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, for the first time over the invasion of Ukraine – an issue on which she has been a hawk.
The foreign secretary’s move is also likely to unnerve central European allies who do not want to see the British government destabilised and distracted at such a critical and difficult moment in the Ukraine war.
It'll be a webscraper which someone calls a bot, because that sounds sexier, and then some marketroid adds 'AI' on to make it sexier still. And then Leon proclaims it as another example of Turing completeness.
The story of the 200 grand spent on decorating a tiny flat reveals something that was commented on recently. BoZo needs to earn serious money to keep up with Carrie's tastes. We are talking private jet money, not BA First Class money.
so much for global Britain... the G20 barely begun at a time of war/economic crisis and global poverty on the rise and Truss rushes back to secure herself a job in the Cabinet
The funniest part was she’d only been there 6 hours when Boris admitted the game was up but had to wait until 2am U.K. time this morning to leave so the flight crew could rest after the outbound flight. “Them’s the breaks” as someone remarked.
Yep, if they’d have known they’d be going straight back, they’d have double-crewed the aricraft. Commercial pilots need proscribed amounts of rest, for the obvious reason.
"Shinzo Abe, former Japan prime minister, shot during speech – report Former PM collapses after gunshots reportedly heard while he spoke in the city of Nara"
so much for global Britain... the G20 barely begun at a time of war/economic crisis and global poverty on the rise and Truss rushes back to secure herself a job in the Cabinet
The funniest part was she’d only been there 6 hours when Boris admitted the game was up but had to wait until 2am U.K. time this morning to leave so the flight crew could rest after the outbound flight. “Them’s the breaks” as someone remarked.
Yep, if they’d have known they’d be going straight back, they’d have double-crewed the aricraft. Commercial pilots need proscribed amounts of rest, for the obvious reason.
I presume the original plan was to return this evening, Bali time, (about mid-day here) after the meetings concluded - getting back to the UK tomorrow morning. Instead she’s missed meetings and bolted to get back all of 12 hours earlier. I hope the next PM takes note of her priorities and suitability for the office.
Liz Truss has cut short her attendance at a critical G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Indonesia to fly back to London to canvass support for her bid to succeed Boris Johnson as the UK’s prime minister.
Her decision raised eyebrows among some diplomats who see the G20 meeting as a key moment for the west to confront the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, for the first time over the invasion of Ukraine – an issue on which she has been a hawk.
The foreign secretary’s move is also likely to unnerve central European allies who do not want to see the British government destabilised and distracted at such a critical and difficult moment in the Ukraine war.
We need a PM who will put the country’s interest ahead of their own narrow personal interest, unlike their predecessor….
Also a bit thick, 'I must complete the task in hand before considering any other matters' would be a prime ministerial selling point surely? Either she's spent too much time with BJ or she's cut from the same cloth.
This suggests to me that (pace Leon) he will struggle to fill venues for public appearances. His three years in office were marked by serial failings and no-one likes to listen to a failure. Nor do they want to read a liar's take on what happened during the chaos.
A disaster for Britain on every level. The only thing he did of any good was to support Ukraine. And that's it.
Gradually and inevitably we will roll back Brexit. Not the full monty, at least not yet, but closer ties with our European partners on an economic, diplomatic and security footing. And that's good news for everyone except the boneheads.
Items ordered by Mr Johnson and wife Carrie from upmarket interior designer Lulu Lytle include a £3,675 drinks trolley said to be like the one owned in Paris by ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev
Missing the point perhaps but why has someone typed the address at the top left when it is already printed at the top centre?
The Independent is still not 100 per cent convinced by Boris's story that he paid in the end:-
In 2021 it emerged that the cost of the refurbishment was met by the Cabinet Office and recharged to the Conservative Party. After the scandal was revealed the money was returned to Tory HQ and Mr Johnson agreed to pick up the bill, though it is not clear where he obtained the necessary £178,000 once the Cabinet Office paid its £30,000 share. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-wallpaper-gold-flat-carrie-invoice-b2118185.html
One thing that’s absolutely certain, is that Boris Johnson won’t have been able to write a cheque for £178k himself. He’s always been terrible with money, had just got divorced and had taken a £100k-per-year earnings cut to work in government.
Liz Truss has cut short her attendance at a critical G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Indonesia to fly back to London to canvass support for her bid to succeed Boris Johnson as the UK’s prime minister.
Her decision raised eyebrows among some diplomats who see the G20 meeting as a key moment for the west to confront the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, for the first time over the invasion of Ukraine – an issue on which she has been a hawk.
The foreign secretary’s move is also likely to unnerve central European allies who do not want to see the British government destabilised and distracted at such a critical and difficult moment in the Ukraine war.
We need a PM who will put the country’s interest ahead of their own narrow personal interest, unlike their predecessor….
Also a bit thick, 'I must complete the task in hand before considering any other matters' would be a prime ministerial selling point surely? Either she's spent too much time with BJ or she's cut from the same cloth.
I suspect she ordered “we’re going back to London, cancel my meetings”. Then the Flight Crew told her “not yet, we’re not” given the substantial gap between reports of “Liz Truss rushing back to London” and her aircraft actually taking off about 15 hours later….
There are some people up here who adore Boris. And I mean love him. Not the Conservative Party. Their numbers were grossly exaggerated when he was riding high. They are in danger of being substantially under counted now he's gone. That's all I'm saying.
Yes lots love him in the red wall. These people have been betrayed and they won't forget it
BJ was seen as an anti-politician to many. He broke the rules that said you had to do x in politics.
When many talk about the need to follow the correct standards and procedures, they conveniently omit that the rules are made by the likes of Hunt and co for the benefit of....the likes of Hunt and co. Many voters realise this and liked someone who felt they didn't have to play by those rules.
D'accord. Don't know what it was like back in dear Old Blighty (or Scotty or Taffy or Micky) back in the day, but when I was taking Civics during my schooldays, the teachers, kids and just about everybody I knew had a basic faith in the American democratic system.
Those days are gone in America, many still have retained faith and even more hope, if not always much charity (left, right and center) but many have not. Increasing alienation has led to rise of populism of various stripes, but generally tending to the right, along with politicos capable of tapping this, again with varying degrees of talent and success.
Personally think that key reason 21st-century political populism is skewing rightward, is because across much of Europe and North America, and parts of other continents as well (excepting Antarctica) folks are LESS worried about getting their fair share of whatever, and MORE concerned about keeping with little (or great) they've already got.
Back in 1930s in Louisiana, Huey Long galvanized the majority of voters (mostly White but some Blacks could vote in Pelican State esp. in New Orleans) behind his populist, anti-establishment message. A message that was LEFTWING in orientation, not socially but economically. And even as he became increasingly dictatorial withing Louisiana, genuine support for his policies AND methods held firm. When he was at last cut down by the bullet of his assassin (or more likely the fusillade of his bodyguards) Huey was challenging FDR from the left, in lead-up to 1936 election.
Way back when, most Louisiana's (of whatever skin tone) were lucky to have a pot to piss in. Hence the leftward tilt of Huey, FDR and American populism in the 1930s. Though there was also a significant amount of rightwing populism as well, most notably Father Coughlin.
Can you suggest a good biography of Long?
The classic is "Huey Long: A Biography" by T. Harry Williams (1969) extensively researched, including large number of oral interviews with Huey's associates AND opponents while they were still alive and kicking. Rather long-in-tooth, and while not uncritical, it is generally sympathetic to the Kingfish's motives if not always his methods.
Dr. Williams was a long-time fixture and adornment of the History Department of Louisiana State University, most famous for his Civil War study, "Lincoln and His Generals". When I was a (sometime) student at LSU, I (unofficially) audited T. Harry's course (that's what everyone called him at LSU in Deep South fashion) on the Civil war. Magisterial and majestic.
He was an old man by then, but he held a huge auditorium classroom in the palm of his hand, for hour-and-half two days a week. Only spent the last two of the semester on the actual battles! But that was well worth waiting for.
Back in those sinful days, T. Harry concluded his final lecture, with the story of CSS Shenandoah. Confederate raider that left the yard at Liverpool (IIRC) and somehow ended up hunting the New England whaling fleet in the Bering Sea. Captain & crew were cutting a swath of destruction through US shipping when they encountered a British ship with newspaper from San Francisco, reporting Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. But instead of turning themselves into the Federals, or sailing for Hong Kong, they decided to sail for . . . England. Where they at last arrived, in September 1865, ran down the Confederate Flag, and turned the ship over to British authorities.
When T. Harry reached the climax of the story of CSS Shenandoah, the frat boys (a sizable contingent) jumped up and gave their best Rebel Yell. And must admit that I, great-great grandson of Union soldiers who fought at Gettysburg turning back the high tide of the Confederacy, well, I got up and hollered too.
Thankyou! I'll appropriate a copy and take a bite out of the monthly book budget.
Also -- as recommended before by myself and @NickPalmer -- the 1949 film 'All the King's Men' is superb.
It shows the rise & fall of a Southern politician based on Huey Long.
Oh dear, what a shame. Looks like they don’t have the logistics capability, to get the ammo dumps out of range of enemy fire. A range that’s been somewhat upgraded in the past couple of weeks.
Liz Truss has cut short her attendance at a critical G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Indonesia to fly back to London to canvass support for her bid to succeed Boris Johnson as the UK’s prime minister.
Her decision raised eyebrows among some diplomats who see the G20 meeting as a key moment for the west to confront the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, for the first time over the invasion of Ukraine – an issue on which she has been a hawk.
The foreign secretary’s move is also likely to unnerve central European allies who do not want to see the British government destabilised and distracted at such a critical and difficult moment in the Ukraine war.
We need a PM who will put the country’s interest ahead of their own narrow personal interest, unlike their predecessor….
Also a bit thick, 'I must complete the task in hand before considering any other matters' would be a prime ministerial selling point surely? Either she's spent too much time with BJ or she's cut from the same cloth.
I suspect she ordered “we’re going back to London, cancel my meetings”. Then the Flight Crew told her “not yet, we’re not” given the substantial gap between reports of “Liz Truss rushing back to London” and her aircraft actually taking off about 15 hours later….
It really is a typically tawdry response by her, isn't it? If she had any ounce of gravitas she would have been statesmanlike on the world stage, really showing her leadership credentials. It's not as if we're living in the 1950's either. In an internet age, even on flights, she could have done her initial drumming up of support.
I didn't rate her at all but she has sunk even lower in my estimation.
By the way, if the Mail and Express continue this 'betrayal' meme then the rancour over Boris' departure is going to continue to harm the Conservatives' chances.
He was a wicked clown and deserved to go. They, or rather their proprietors, need to get over it and move on.
There are Russian Telegram feeds suggesting these attacks are forcing the Russians to conserve supplies. Add a few more systems in plus other long range artillery and Russia is going to have a big issue in the next few months.
Oh dear, what a shame. Looks like they don’t have the logistics capability, to get the ammo dumps out of range of enemy fire. A range that’s been somewhat upgraded in the past couple of weeks.
so much for global Britain... the G20 barely begun at a time of war/economic crisis and global poverty on the rise and Truss rushes back to secure herself a job in the Cabinet
The funniest part was she’d only been there 6 hours when Boris admitted the game was up but had to wait until 2am U.K. time this morning to leave so the flight crew could rest after the outbound flight. “Them’s the breaks” as someone remarked.
Yep, if they’d have known they’d be going straight back, they’d have double-crewed the aricraft. Commercial pilots need proscribed amounts of rest, for the obvious reason.
I presume the original plan was to return this evening, Bali time, (about mid-day here) after the meetings concluded - getting back to the UK tomorrow morning. Instead she’s missed meetings and bolted to get back all of 12 hours earlier. I hope the next PM takes note of her priorities and suitability for the office.
She is definitely running then (no surprise).
Poor decision to abandon the G20, but typical of her poor judgement.
@SeaShantyIrish2 cheers for the post on Huey Long last night and sorry I didn't reply. A fascinating character. A total crook of course but arguably he did a fair bit for the poor in Louisiana in the Great Depression.
so much for global Britain... the G20 barely begun at a time of war/economic crisis and global poverty on the rise and Truss rushes back to secure herself a job in the Cabinet
The funniest part was she’d only been there 6 hours when Boris admitted the game was up but had to wait until 2am U.K. time this morning to leave so the flight crew could rest after the outbound flight. “Them’s the breaks” as someone remarked.
Yep, if they’d have known they’d be going straight back, they’d have double-crewed the aricraft. Commercial pilots need proscribed amounts of rest, for the obvious reason.
I presume the original plan was to return this evening, Bali time, (about mid-day here) after the meetings concluded - getting back to the UK tomorrow morning. Instead she’s missed meetings and bolted to get back all of 12 hours earlier. I hope the next PM takes note of her priorities and suitability for the office.
She is definitely running then (no surprise).
Poor decision to abandon the G20, but typical of her poor judgement.
By the way, if the Mail and Express continue this 'betrayal' meme then the rancour over Boris' departure is going to continue to harm the Conservatives' chances.
He was a wicked clown and deserved to go. They, or rather their proprietors, need to get over it and move on.
perhaps there's the chance of a peerage for a friendly editor from the outgoing PM, its not been unknown
By the way, if the Mail and Express continue this 'betrayal' meme then the rancour over Boris' departure is going to continue to harm the Conservatives' chances.
He was a wicked clown and deserved to go. They, or rather their proprietors, need to get over it and move on.
perhaps there's the chance of a peerage for a friendly editor from the outgoing PM, its not been unknown
The story of the 200 grand spent on decorating a tiny flat reveals something that was commented on recently. BoZo needs to earn serious money to keep up with Carrie's tastes. We are talking private jet money, not BA First Class money.
Yep and he won't get it through sales of his personal memoir. He may get a mildly decent advance but the actual books won't sell. No one wants to read a liar's spin and self-justification these days. Biographies about this turbulent time might do better but non-fiction generally struggles these days. The internet is such a great, and terrible, resource for finding out information, as are endless tv shows, that there are very few surprises left for a non-fiction author.
As I mentioned, I doubt he will fill halls for talks either. No one wants to listen to a failure and he's a poor speaker. As chaotic as in everything else.
@Leon got very personal with us all over this but, of course, the reason he's so irate is his own fear. Boris Johnson was a serial philanderer, a man approaching sixty whose attitude to sexual predation belonged to an era from which most of society has moved on. Boris Johnson got the top job for one reason and one reason only: to deliver Brexit. And that was on the back of the Remainer Parliament and an unelectable anti-Semitic Trotskyite Labour leader. As a person he was manifestly unsuited to the top job and the page on the chapter has already been turned. The flowers fade and the grass withers. It happens to all of us and some deserve it more than others.
The country is leaving Boris and his type of politics behind. Whether that's under a complete reboot of the Conservative brand, or a completely new broom under Labour-LibDems, we will wait to see. But move on it is.
Anyway, Hamilton at 11 and Russell each way at 17 may be value for the race. Perez at 11 perhaps even more so. Nobody else, save Verstappen, has as many top 2 finishes this year, and he's well ahead of both Ferrari drivers.
The British Grand Prix was slightly odd when it comes to trying to assess race pace given how things ended, but I think Mercedes has narrowed the gap far more than I anticipated beforehand. But, Red Bull still seems top dog to me (albeit with more reliability problems than the Silver Arrows).
There are 12 races left including Austria, so could Hamilton or Russell take the title? They're a long way off Verstappen (88 and 70 points respectively). it's highly improbable but not quite impossible given reliability and Ferrari deciding to shoot itself in the foot constantly.
However, Hamilton at 21 is too short (29 Betfair). Russell at 51, is better value, especially as the market doesn't appear to have noticed he's done a better job than Hamilton this year (so far).
I won't be dabbling in this as I already did around the false dawn of Miami and are flat if they fail and ahead if they succeed, but a free bet on Russell for the title may be worth considering.
It was set in it's time. Far better than anodyne westerns where the cowboys were clean-shaven, always had a clean shirt, 1950s hair styles, and in the gunfights they seemed to die of sudden and bloodless cardiac arrests when shot a close range by 45 calibre bullets.
Modern hygiene and styles.
God forbid that historical accuracy should come into it. Where were the fully woke westerns? Geronmo fighting against transphobic braves, and backing the rights of squaws to own the tepee?
Edit I forgot Blazing Saddles, fifty years ahead of its time. Although that was meant to be a comedy.
Oh dear, what a shame. Looks like they don’t have the logistics capability, to get the ammo dumps out of range of enemy fire. A range that’s been somewhat upgraded in the past couple of weeks.
Russian logistics are very much based on the railways, and their extensive use of unguided shells and rockets involves a lot of tonnage that needs to be loaded and unloaded by hand as they don't have a pallet and forklift system for loading. There is an interesting thread on it here:
It was set in it's time. Far better than anodyne westerns where the cowboys were clean-shaven, always had a clean shirt, 1950s hair styles, and in the gunfights they seemed to die of sudden and bloodless cardiac arrests when shot a close range by 45 calibre bullets.
Modern hygiene and styles.
God forbid that histroical accuracy should come into it. Where were the fully woke westerns? Geronmo fighting against transphobic braves, and backing the rights of squaws to own the tepee?
I used to occasionally drive from Leek to Ashbourne with my dad across the southwestern fringes of the Peak District, and he told me that in the late 1940s or early 1950s scenes for a western film were filmed on the crags near the road. He saw cowboys and indians resting between takes.
The story of the 200 grand spent on decorating a tiny flat reveals something that was commented on recently. BoZo needs to earn serious money to keep up with Carrie's tastes. We are talking private jet money, not BA First Class money.
Yep and he won't get it through sales of his personal memoir. He may get a mildly decent advance but the actual books won't sell. No one wants to read a liar's spin and self-justification these days. Biographies about this turbulent time might do better but non-fiction generally struggles these days. The internet is such a great, and terrible, resource for finding out information, as are endless tv shows, that there are very few surprises left for a non-fiction author.
As I mentioned, I doubt he will fill halls for talks either. No one wants to listen to a failure and he's a poor speaker. As chaotic as in everything else.
@Leon got very personal with us all over this but, of course, the reason he's so irate is his own fear. Boris Johnson was a serial philanderer, a man approaching sixty whose attitude to sexual predation belonged to an era from which most of society has moved on. Boris Johnson got the top job for one reason and one reason only: to deliver Brexit. And that was on the back of the Remainer Parliament and an unelectable anti-Semitic Trotskyite Labour leader. As a person he was manifestly unsuited to the top job and the page on the chapter has already been turned. The flowers fade and the grass withers. It happens to all of us and some deserve it more than others.
The country is leaving Boris and his type of politics behind. Whether that's under a complete reboot of the Conservative brand, or a completely new broom under Labour-LibDems, we will wait to see. But move on it is.
Firstly, another early-morning post from you where you attack another poster, accusing them of 'getting personal'. Remove the plank from your eye.
Secondly, are you really accusing Johnson of "sexual predation" ?
Anyway, Hamilton at 11 and Russell each way at 17 may be value for the race. Perez at 11 perhaps even more so. Nobody else, save Verstappen, has as many top 2 finishes this year, and he's well ahead of both Ferrari drivers.
The British Grand Prix was slightly odd when it comes to trying to assess race pace given how things ended, but I think Mercedes has narrowed the gap far more than I anticipated beforehand. But, Red Bull still seems top dog to me (albeit with more reliability problems than the Silver Arrows).
There are 12 races left including Austria, so could Hamilton or Russell take the title? They're a long way off Verstappen (88 and 70 points respectively). it's highly improbable but not quite impossible given reliability and Ferrari deciding to shoot itself in the foot constantly.
However, Hamilton at 21 is too short (29 Betfair). Russell at 51, is better value, especially as the market doesn't appear to have noticed he's done a better job than Hamilton this year (so far).
I won't be dabbling in this as I already did around the false dawn of Miami and are flat if they fail and ahead if they succeed, but a free bet on Russell for the title may be worth considering.
Watching some vox pops earlier, I was struck by the way Boris seemed to be held in genuine affection by voters in the Red Wall seats. A possible nightmare for the Tories: these people actually start resenting to Tories for doing the dirty on 'their' Boris and holding their preferences in contempt; they then vote to punish the Tories accordingly. The Tories might have just killed the golden goose.
The MP for Hyndburn just said her inbox is full of anger about a "coup". He has a substantial constituency who absolutely love him. Not convinced anyone does better. The polling agrees with me for now.
It was a gamble which might not pay off. But doing nothing was not a recipe for success.
Comments
The Independent is still not 100 per cent convinced by Boris's story that he paid in the end:-
In 2021 it emerged that the cost of the refurbishment was met by the Cabinet Office and recharged to the Conservative Party. After the scandal was revealed the money was returned to Tory HQ and Mr Johnson agreed to pick up the bill, though it is not clear where he obtained the necessary £178,000 once the Cabinet Office paid its £30,000 share.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-wallpaper-gold-flat-carrie-invoice-b2118185.html
Her decision raised eyebrows among some diplomats who see the G20 meeting as a key moment for the west to confront the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, for the first time over the invasion of Ukraine – an issue on which she has been a hawk.
The foreign secretary’s move is also likely to unnerve central European allies who do not want to see the British government destabilised and distracted at such a critical and difficult moment in the Ukraine war.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/07/liz-truss-makes-early-g20-exit-to-drum-up-tory-leadership-support
We need a PM who will put the country’s interest ahead of their own narrow personal interest, unlike their predecessor….
(Maybe I’ll go to DWC this afternoon, to wave at her).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/07/07/goodbye-amoral-serial-adulterer-how-world-reacted-boris-johnsons/
This suggests to me that (pace Leon) he will struggle to fill venues for public appearances. His three years in office were marked by serial failings and no-one likes to listen to a failure. Nor do they want to read a liar's take on what happened during the chaos.
A disaster for Britain on every level. The only thing he did of any good was to support Ukraine. And that's it.
Gradually and inevitably we will roll back Brexit. Not the full monty, at least not yet, but closer ties with our European partners on an economic, diplomatic and security footing. And that's good news for everyone except the boneheads.
I hope Shinzo Abe is alright.
It shows the rise & fall of a Southern politician based on Huey Long.
I didn't rate her at all but she has sunk even lower in my estimation.
He was a wicked clown and deserved to go. They, or rather their proprietors, need to get over it and move on.
There are Russian Telegram feeds suggesting these attacks are forcing the Russians to conserve supplies. Add a few more systems in plus other long range artillery and Russia is going to have a big issue in the next few months.
Poor decision to abandon the G20, but typical of her poor judgement.
It’s time for renewal.
https://twitter.com/tomtugendhat/status/1545286580302237696
As I mentioned, I doubt he will fill halls for talks either. No one wants to listen to a failure and he's a poor speaker. As chaotic as in everything else.
@Leon got very personal with us all over this but, of course, the reason he's so irate is his own fear. Boris Johnson was a serial philanderer, a man approaching sixty whose attitude to sexual predation belonged to an era from which most of society has moved on. Boris Johnson got the top job for one reason and one reason only: to deliver Brexit. And that was on the back of the Remainer Parliament and an unelectable anti-Semitic Trotskyite Labour leader. As a person he was manifestly unsuited to the top job and the page on the chapter has already been turned. The flowers fade and the grass withers. It happens to all of us and some deserve it more than others.
The country is leaving Boris and his type of politics behind. Whether that's under a complete reboot of the Conservative brand, or a completely new broom under Labour-LibDems, we will wait to see. But move on it is.
Anyway, Hamilton at 11 and Russell each way at 17 may be value for the race. Perez at 11 perhaps even more so. Nobody else, save Verstappen, has as many top 2 finishes this year, and he's well ahead of both Ferrari drivers.
The British Grand Prix was slightly odd when it comes to trying to assess race pace given how things ended, but I think Mercedes has narrowed the gap far more than I anticipated beforehand. But, Red Bull still seems top dog to me (albeit with more reliability problems than the Silver Arrows).
There are 12 races left including Austria, so could Hamilton or Russell take the title? They're a long way off Verstappen (88 and 70 points respectively). it's highly improbable but not quite impossible given reliability and Ferrari deciding to shoot itself in the foot constantly.
However, Hamilton at 21 is too short (29 Betfair). Russell at 51, is better value, especially as the market doesn't appear to have noticed he's done a better job than Hamilton this year (so far).
I won't be dabbling in this as I already did around the false dawn of Miami and are flat if they fail and ahead if they succeed, but a free bet on Russell for the title may be worth considering.
It was set in it's time. Far better than anodyne westerns where the cowboys were clean-shaven, always had a clean shirt, 1950s hair styles, and in the gunfights they seemed to die of sudden and bloodless cardiac arrests when shot a close range by 45 calibre bullets.
Modern hygiene and styles.
God forbid that historical accuracy should come into it. Where were the fully woke westerns? Geronmo fighting against transphobic braves, and backing the rights of squaws to own the tepee?
Edit I forgot Blazing Saddles, fifty years ahead of its time. Although that was meant to be a comedy.
https://twitter.com/noclador/status/1544495879884886017?t=5JDMvt9C0BAkbO9NuNRwYQ&s=19
And as an aside; there was nearly an on-road racetrack in the Peak District, which would have been truly spectacular (and lethal):
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/total-911/20191127/281595242370934
Secondly, are you really accusing Johnson of "sexual predation" ?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62089486