I've laid Truss 2022 exit to just get a 100% return on my initial stake. I'm green no matter what but now I'm looking for her to limp into the new year.
1) Imposing a three line whip on a motion that ran counter to a manifesto commitment; 2) Said voting against the whip would be tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the government; 3) Then withdrew it when she realised that voting to remove the government was an idea that was quite popular with Tory MPs; 4) Finally, didn't follow her own three line whip on what she initially said was a confidence motion?
Because that's just extraordinary. That's a Carry On level of farce.
I must say the idea of Therese Coffey and Jacob Rees-Mogg manhandling MPs into the lobby conjures up images of Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.
Ha yes but JRM’s more Charles Hawtrey, surely?
To be fair Carry on Conservatives could be a fly-on-the-wall documentary these days. Sid James in a wig for Boris. Urk urk.
If anyone wanted to predict this shambles they should have read Alan Duncan's book. He said everything Johnson touched would turn to shit and he would be a complete disaster as PM and take the party down with him
Well Duncan was wrong in that as Johnson won the biggest Tory landslide since Thatcher after May left a hung parliament, got Brexit completed and oversaw the roll out of the vaccines.
Only since Boris was removed has the party descended into the current chaos and huge Labour lead
Labour were getting leads of over 10% when Boris was PM.
Yes, it has gotten much worse because Truss has collapsed things, but the Tories were quite a way behind already, and it has gone into overdrive only in the last 2 weeks.
As good a job as Boris did in 2019, you simply cannot pretend that he was as popular in 2022 as he was in 2019. Times have moved on. He was behind.
The question was whether he could recover from that position. MPs felt the answer was no.
MPs have been wrong before, they were wrong about Truss deserving of being in the final two for a start, but let's also not forget that the Tories you like the most, such as JRM, were vocal Truss backers, and Boris wanted her to win over Rishi as well.
The last Opinium poll before Boris resigned had Labour just 5% ahead, they are now 21% ahead
Not an expert on parliamentary procedure. Surely government lose votes all the time. Are they going to have the whip removed for this?
Yes. They’ve been expressly warned as such. Three line whip and all that.
So they abstain?
It seems those who do not support the Government (and that includes abstaining) apart from those with an excuse (big meeting in Washington, hiding under a desk somewhere) will have the Whip drawn and will no longer be members of the Conservative Party.
Such MPs can and probably will serve their time in the wilderness until re-habilitated by a new leader, events or time. Losing the Whip doesn't mean expulsion from the Party unless Truss wants to throw them out as Johnson did to those who dared oppose him.
If expelled from the Party, the MP can either join another party or sit as an Independent or presumably resign and force a by-election but we're a very long way from that.
Even MPs who have lost the Whip can and will support other Government legislation so it probably makes no odds to the ability of the Government to function.
Unless. of course, this Government contrives to lose the vote tonight which would be an interesting end to the day.
True but otoh it also means Graham Brady tears up their letters.
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 12m Liz Truss ashen faced in the lobby.
Tory MPs shouted “it’s a disgrace” and “it’s a shambles” as they went into vote
Liz said nothing.
The moderates need to take their party back. And then expel the ERG/Spartans, force them to form a new party. Its the only way we get a functioning opposition AND a populist right wing option
Who are the 'moderates'?
Not a trick question, I just think the majority of MPs are of the Trussite or more extreme wing.
In this, I think HYUFD is the voice of the party.
I voted for Sunak, 57% of Tory members and a majority of MPs did not in the final ballot. I am on the moderate wing on that basis, even if Tory members have now changed their mind
I'm not saying you're extreme (though on certain issues you are), I'm saying I think your analysis of how the party feels about going full Hunt or ditching things which Hunt and co are suggesting is probably right (even if I personally think it would be sensible and the public would agree).
Truss also did have a majority (or near a majority) of declared MP supporters by the time of the result.
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 12m Liz Truss ashen faced in the lobby.
Tory MPs shouted “it’s a disgrace” and “it’s a shambles” as they went into vote
Liz said nothing.
The moderates need to take their party back. And then expel the ERG/Spartans, force them to form a new party. Its the only way we get a functioning opposition AND a populist right wing option
Who are the 'moderates'?
Not a trick question, I just think the majority of MPs are of the Trussite or more extreme wing.
In this, I think HYUFD is the voice of the party.
The Cameroon, May, Hunt, Sunak, Gove, Shapps wing. The Dehenna Davisons of this world.
And how many are they?
I dont know. Truly. I'm freestyling here. Something has to give and the party cannot go on as it is, it has to split
1) Imposing a three line whip on a motion that ran counter to a manifesto commitment; 2) Said voting against the whip would be tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the government; 3) Then withdrew it when she realised that voting to remove the government was an idea that was quite popular with Tory MPs; 4) Finally, didn't follow her own three line whip on what she initially said was a confidence motion?
Because that's just extraordinary. That's a Carry On level of farce.
I must say the idea of Therese Coffey and Jacob Rees-Mogg manhandling MPs into the lobby conjures up images of Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.
If anyone wanted to predict this shambles they should have read Alan Duncan's book. He said everything Johnson touched would turn to shit and he would be a complete disaster as PM and take the party down with him
Well Duncan was wrong in that as Johnson won the biggest Tory landslide since Thatcher after May left a hung parliament, got Brexit completed and oversaw the roll out of the vaccines.
Only since Boris was removed has the party descended into the current chaos and huge Labour lead
Labour were getting leads of over 10% when Boris was PM.
Yes, it has gotten much worse because Truss has collapsed things, but the Tories were quite a way behind already, and it has gone into overdrive only in the last 2 weeks.
As good a job as Boris did in 2019, you simply cannot pretend that he was as popular in 2022 as he was in 2019. Times have moved on. He was behind.
The question was whether he could recover from that position. MPs felt the answer was no.
MPs have been wrong before, they were wrong about Truss deserving of being in the final two for a start, but let's also not forget that the Tories you like the most, such as JRM, were vocal Truss backers, and Boris wanted her to win over Rishi as well.
The last Opinium poll before Boris resigned had Labour just 5% ahead, they are now 21% ahead
Just stop this idiotic denial of toxic Johnson who has led us to today and I hope you and your fellow ERG travellers are marginalised as those of is who are one nation conservatives fight for a decent compassionate honest and responsible party
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 12m Liz Truss ashen faced in the lobby.
Tory MPs shouted “it’s a disgrace” and “it’s a shambles” as they went into vote
Liz said nothing.
The moderates need to take their party back. And then expel the ERG/Spartans, force them to form a new party. Its the only way we get a functioning opposition AND a populist right wing option
Who are the 'moderates'?
Not a trick question, I just think the majority of MPs are of the Trussite or more extreme wing.
In this, I think HYUFD is the voice of the party.
The Cameroon, May, Hunt, Sunak, Gove, Shapps wing. The Dehenna Davisons of this world.
And how many are they?
I dont know. Truly. I'm freestyling here. Something has to give and the party cannot go on as it is, it has to split
Perhaps it could dissolve itself and all of its MPs could become independents with no whipping with Starmer running a minority government.
p.s. if the election were held now there would be a lot of true blue voters who would vote against them out of sheer anger.
Yes, a lot of them would vote for Reform UK. A seat like Castle Point might even be won by them.
Nah, this catastrophic government tried to deliver Farage and Reform UK's policies and it's been a complete disaster. Faragism has been debunked as a political ideology.
Did they? It seems that everyone is characterising Liz Truss's failures in whatever way suits their preferred narrative.
Indeed and there are many like me that would vote tory despite everything if it meant keeping a lib dem out. Certainly not something I would do to keep labour out. Outs himself as an anyone but libdem voter
Visceral hatred of the LibDems is unusual. Surprised you have room for it amongst all your others.
I hate few things, I do get angry with people here I admit because mostly they are fairly well off and talk about things like slapping 2% on income tax to pay for this and that, yes they can manage it at the same time it will push a couple of million under water. I feel I have reason to get snappy at people when they make these suggestions without considering the impact on the less well of just like I did with HYUFD earlier
Ch4 News. We are facing disaster which is now unavoidable. It is self inflicted and caused by Brexit. So says Nouriel Roubini.
Utterly ridiculous. The entire world is facing disaster and it’s fuck all to do with Brexit
Bit like this tho, innit
Literally - the world has moved on, and the problems the UK is facing are due to the world economy, Covid, and the Ukraine situation. The Brexit thing is minuscule in comparison.
I sometimes yearn for a nuclear war just to see how people manage to blame it on Brexit.
I'm sure people will still be arguing we'd have better access to nutritious rats and preferential access to the EU's tinned bean mountain if only we were still part of the common market.
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 12m Liz Truss ashen faced in the lobby.
Tory MPs shouted “it’s a disgrace” and “it’s a shambles” as they went into vote
Liz said nothing.
The moderates need to take their party back. And then expel the ERG/Spartans, force them to form a new party. Its the only way we get a functioning opposition AND a populist right wing option
Who are the 'moderates'?
Not a trick question, I just think the majority of MPs are of the Trussite or more extreme wing.
In this, I think HYUFD is the voice of the party.
The Cameroon, May, Hunt, Sunak, Gove, Shapps wing. The Dehenna Davisons of this world.
And how many are they?
I dont know. Truly. I'm freestyling here. Something has to give and the party cannot go on as it is, it has to split
Perhaps it could dissolve itself and all of its MPs could become independents with no whipping with Starmer running a minority government.
I realise our democracy is falling apart around us, a minor eddy in the greater tides of history - but there's something glorious in how shoddily chaotic it is.
If anyone wanted to predict this shambles they should have read Alan Duncan's book. He said everything Johnson touched would turn to shit and he would be a complete disaster as PM and take the party down with him
Well Duncan was wrong in that as Johnson won the biggest Tory landslide since Thatcher after May left a hung parliament, got Brexit completed and oversaw the roll out of the vaccines.
Only since Boris was removed has the party descended into the current chaos and huge Labour lead
Labour were getting leads of over 10% when Boris was PM.
Yes, it has gotten much worse because Truss has collapsed things, but the Tories were quite a way behind already, and it has gone into overdrive only in the last 2 weeks.
As good a job as Boris did in 2019, you simply cannot pretend that he was as popular in 2022 as he was in 2019. Times have moved on. He was behind.
The question was whether he could recover from that position. MPs felt the answer was no.
MPs have been wrong before, they were wrong about Truss deserving of being in the final two for a start, but let's also not forget that the Tories you like the most, such as JRM, were vocal Truss backers, and Boris wanted her to win over Rishi as well.
The last Opinium poll before Boris resigned had Labour just 5% ahead, they are now 21% ahead
Just stop this idiotic denial of toxic Johnson who has led us to today and I hope you and your fellow ERG travellers are marginalised as those of is who are one nation conservatives fight for a decent compassionate honest and responsible party
Johnson was leading a One Nation government with a huge majority he won until the likes of you demanded he had to go because he ate a birthday cake and had an afterwork drink. It was then you who handed the party over to the libertarians
The quiet tone he takes makes it that much more devastating. He seems utterly exhausted by fury and embarrassment.
I've had enough of talentless people putting their tick in the right box, not because it's in the national interest, but because it's in their own personal interest to achieve ministerial position.
But only 20 or so get that - and a lot more voted for Truss, and the members did not do it for that reason. But he is furious at his colleagues.
Ch4 News. We are facing disaster which is now unavoidable. It is self inflicted and caused by Brexit. So says Nouriel Roubini.
Utterly ridiculous. The entire world is facing disaster and it’s fuck all to do with Brexit
Bit like this tho, innit
Literally - the world has moved on, and the problems the UK is facing are due to the world economy, Covid, and the Ukraine situation. The Brexit thing is minuscule in comparison.
I sometimes yearn for a nuclear war just to see how people manage to blame it on Brexit.
I'm sure people will still be arguing we'd have better access to nutritious rats and preferential access to the EU's tinned bean mountain if only we were still part of the common market.
100% wrong. The reason the UK is in the state it is in now is because of Brexit.
Politicians who should have known better pedalled a fantasy make-believe world and voters wanted to believe it so voted for it. What we have seen these past few weeks is the logical conclusion of such behaviour.
The government pedalled a fantasy vision which the voters, in this case Cons Party members, swallowed and which as we can see is unravelling before our eyes.
If anyone wanted to predict this shambles they should have read Alan Duncan's book. He said everything Johnson touched would turn to shit and he would be a complete disaster as PM and take the party down with him
Well Duncan was wrong in that as Johnson won the biggest Tory landslide since Thatcher after May left a hung parliament, got Brexit completed and oversaw the roll out of the vaccines.
Only since Boris was removed has the party descended into the current chaos and huge Labour lead
Labour were getting leads of over 10% when Boris was PM.
Yes, it has gotten much worse because Truss has collapsed things, but the Tories were quite a way behind already, and it has gone into overdrive only in the last 2 weeks.
As good a job as Boris did in 2019, you simply cannot pretend that he was as popular in 2022 as he was in 2019. Times have moved on. He was behind.
The question was whether he could recover from that position. MPs felt the answer was no.
MPs have been wrong before, they were wrong about Truss deserving of being in the final two for a start, but let's also not forget that the Tories you like the most, such as JRM, were vocal Truss backers, and Boris wanted her to win over Rishi as well.
The last Opinium poll before Boris resigned had Labour just 5% ahead, they are now 21% ahead
Just stop this idiotic denial of toxic Johnson who has led us to today and I hope you and your fellow ERG travellers are marginalised as those of is who are one nation conservatives fight for a decent compassionate honest and responsible party
Johnson was leading a One Nation government with a huge majority he won until the likes of you demanded he had to go because he ate a birthday cake and had an afterwork drink. It was then you who handed the party over to the libertarians
You do yourself a disservice for this revisionism . Johnson is a pathological liar who lied to parliament and debased the office of PM . The rot set in with him and has continued under Truss .
We thought 2020 was crazy, but now I'm just losing all sense of context. I just can't tell anymore.
We used to be the sort of country where people would tell quirky stories about laws being passed because a fat Lord was counted as ten votes for a laugh, but it wasn't noticed, and now we appear to have voting by physical force.
MPs responsible for this need to be suspended from the Commons for long enough to trigger recall petitions. And this needs to happen PDQ. The Commons has to reassert control over its own procedures and put a stop to this shambles.
If anyone wanted to predict this shambles they should have read Alan Duncan's book. He said everything Johnson touched would turn to shit and he would be a complete disaster as PM and take the party down with him
Well Duncan was wrong in that as Johnson won the biggest Tory landslide since Thatcher after May left a hung parliament, got Brexit completed and oversaw the roll out of the vaccines.
Only since Boris was removed has the party descended into the current chaos and huge Labour lead
Labour were getting leads of over 10% when Boris was PM.
Yes, it has gotten much worse because Truss has collapsed things, but the Tories were quite a way behind already, and it has gone into overdrive only in the last 2 weeks.
As good a job as Boris did in 2019, you simply cannot pretend that he was as popular in 2022 as he was in 2019. Times have moved on. He was behind.
The question was whether he could recover from that position. MPs felt the answer was no.
MPs have been wrong before, they were wrong about Truss deserving of being in the final two for a start, but let's also not forget that the Tories you like the most, such as JRM, were vocal Truss backers, and Boris wanted her to win over Rishi as well.
The last Opinium poll before Boris resigned had Labour just 5% ahead, they are now 21% ahead
Just stop this idiotic denial of toxic Johnson who has led us to today and I hope you and your fellow ERG travellers are marginalised as those of is who are one nation conservatives fight for a decent compassionate honest and responsible party
Johnson was leading a One Nation government with a huge majority he won until the likes of you demanded he had to go because he ate a birthday cake and had an afterwork drink. It was then you who handed the party over to the libertarians
I did not have a vote, am not a member of the conservative party, nor am likely to be as long as the ERG and the like are involved
Johnson did not go because he ate cake, he went because of pattersongate, wallpapergate , partygate, Pincher and lies which the vast majority of voters condemned him for
Ch4 News. We are facing disaster which is now unavoidable. It is self inflicted and caused by Brexit. So says Nouriel Roubini.
Utterly ridiculous. The entire world is facing disaster and it’s fuck all to do with Brexit
Bit like this tho, innit
Literally - the world has moved on, and the problems the UK is facing are due to the world economy, Covid, and the Ukraine situation. The Brexit thing is minuscule in comparison.
I sometimes yearn for a nuclear war just to see how people manage to blame it on Brexit.
I'm sure people will still be arguing we'd have better access to nutritious rats and preferential access to the EU's tinned bean mountain if only we were still part of the common market.
100% wrong. The reason the UK is in the state it is in now is because of Brexit.
Politicians who should have known better pedalled a fantasy make-believe world and voters wanted to believe it so voted for it. What we have seen these past few weeks is the logical conclusion of such behaviour.
The government pedalled a fantasy vision which the voters, in this case Cons Party members, swallowed and which as we can see is unravelling before our eyes.
17 million people voted for Brexit in 2016, more than have voted for any UK political party ever. They did so to regain sovereignty and reduce immigration.
The idea Brexit was all down to a few hundred thousand Tory members is laughable
Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, David Davis, Greg Clark, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Kwasi Kwarteng, Theresa May, Wendy Morton, Alok Sharma, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace, all to lose the Tory whip for not voting against the fracking ban motion.
If anyone wanted to predict this shambles they should have read Alan Duncan's book. He said everything Johnson touched would turn to shit and he would be a complete disaster as PM and take the party down with him
Well Duncan was wrong in that as Johnson won the biggest Tory landslide since Thatcher after May left a hung parliament, got Brexit completed and oversaw the roll out of the vaccines.
Only since Boris was removed has the party descended into the current chaos and huge Labour lead
Labour were getting leads of over 10% when Boris was PM.
Yes, it has gotten much worse because Truss has collapsed things, but the Tories were quite a way behind already, and it has gone into overdrive only in the last 2 weeks.
As good a job as Boris did in 2019, you simply cannot pretend that he was as popular in 2022 as he was in 2019. Times have moved on. He was behind.
The question was whether he could recover from that position. MPs felt the answer was no.
MPs have been wrong before, they were wrong about Truss deserving of being in the final two for a start, but let's also not forget that the Tories you like the most, such as JRM, were vocal Truss backers, and Boris wanted her to win over Rishi as well.
The last Opinium poll before Boris resigned had Labour just 5% ahead, they are now 21% ahead
Just stop this idiotic denial of toxic Johnson who has led us to today and I hope you and your fellow ERG travellers are marginalised as those of is who are one nation conservatives fight for a decent compassionate honest and responsible party
Johnson was leading a One Nation government with a huge majority he won until the likes of you demanded he had to go because he ate a birthday cake and had an afterwork drink. It was then you who handed the party over to the libertarians
Johnson was, by the end, a ruinously unpopular liability - not to mention a complete moral and ethical vacuum - and it was right that he went. The fact that a collaboration between thick as mince and/or criminally insane Conservative MPs, and the senile Home Counties golf club bores of the mass membership, conspired to inflict Liz Truss upon the nation does not mean that getting rid of Johnson was a bad idea. It means that the Conservative Party, collectively, is wholly lacking in judgment and completely off its rocker.
We don't need Johnson back. We need your lot to be sent into a very lengthy spell in Opposition.
Could be a difficult day tomorrow for Conservatives in Broadlands, Guildford, and Monmouthshire. They are defending local council seats in by-elections, The Lib Dem candidate in the last named was a Conservative MS until last year. Also a Lab defence in St Helens and a Lib Dem defence in Fareham.
Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, David Davis, Greg Clark, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Kwasi Kwarteng, Theresa May, Wendy Morton, Alok Sharma, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace, all to lose the Tory whip for not voting against the fracking ban motion.
Them's the rules.
Can la Truss be PM if she loses the whip?
It would be an elegant- if Gilbertesque- solution to many problems.
We thought 2020 was crazy, but now I'm just losing all sense of context. I just can't tell anymore.
We used to be the sort of country where people would tell quirky stories about laws being passed because a fat Lord was counted as ten votes for a laugh, but it wasn't noticed, and now we appear to have voting by physical force.
MPs responsible for this need to be suspended from the Commons for long enough to trigger recall petitions. And this needs to happen PDQ. The Commons has to reassert control over its own procedures and put a stop to this shambles.
To be fair, even before 2020 there was the idea in 2019 that the government could close down parliament lawfully.
I've been told by a very reliable source that Liz Truss missed the vote because she was dealing with Wendy Morton's resignation.
Does "dealing with her resignation" mean that Wendy Morton said "I resign" and Liz Truss paused for 60 seconds, and then said "The British people rightly want stability, which is why we are addressing the serious challenges we face in worsening economic conditions"?
Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, David Davis, Greg Clark, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Kwasi Kwarteng, Theresa May, Wendy Morton, Alok Sharma, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace, all to lose the Tory whip for not voting against the fracking ban motion.
Them's the rules.
I thought Boris was sunning himself in the Caribbean?
Ch4 News. We are facing disaster which is now unavoidable. It is self inflicted and caused by Brexit. So says Nouriel Roubini.
Utterly ridiculous. The entire world is facing disaster and it’s fuck all to do with Brexit
Bit like this tho, innit
Literally - the world has moved on, and the problems the UK is facing are due to the world economy, Covid, and the Ukraine situation. The Brexit thing is minuscule in comparison.
I sometimes yearn for a nuclear war just to see how people manage to blame it on Brexit.
I'm sure people will still be arguing we'd have better access to nutritious rats and preferential access to the EU's tinned bean mountain if only we were still part of the common market.
100% wrong. The reason the UK is in the state it is in now is because of Brexit.
Politicians who should have known better pedalled a fantasy make-believe world and voters wanted to believe it so voted for it. What we have seen these past few weeks is the logical conclusion of such behaviour.
The government pedalled a fantasy vision which the voters, in this case Cons Party members, swallowed and which as we can see is unravelling before our eyes.
17 million people voted for Brexit in 2016, more than have voted for any UK political party ever. They did so to regain sovereignty and reduce immigration.
The idea Brexit was all down to a few hundred thousand Tory members is laughable
You are missing the point. Brexit introduced the idea of fantasy politics.
But if something is laughable it is your political views. You are fantastic on opinion polls but have supported two diametrically opposite political views from the same party in as many weeks in the name of party loyalty. Your credibility is shot.
Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, David Davis, Greg Clark, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Kwasi Kwarteng, Theresa May, Wendy Morton, Alok Sharma, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace, all to lose the Tory whip for not voting against the fracking ban motion.
Them's the rules.
Can la Truss be PM if she loses the whip?
It would be an elegant- if Gilbertesque- solution to many problems.
I am starting to think the only way out that doesn't make things worse is if she does a Chamberlain, resigning as PM but staying on as party leader under Sunak until it's inevitable he wins a leadership election.
Ch4 News. We are facing disaster which is now unavoidable. It is self inflicted and caused by Brexit. So says Nouriel Roubini.
Utterly ridiculous. The entire world is facing disaster and it’s fuck all to do with Brexit
Bit like this tho, innit
Literally - the world has moved on, and the problems the UK is facing are due to the world economy, Covid, and the Ukraine situation. The Brexit thing is minuscule in comparison.
I sometimes yearn for a nuclear war just to see how people manage to blame it on Brexit.
I'm sure people will still be arguing we'd have better access to nutritious rats and preferential access to the EU's tinned bean mountain if only we were still part of the common market.
100% wrong. The reason the UK is in the state it is in now is because of Brexit.
Politicians who should have known better pedalled a fantasy make-believe world and voters wanted to believe it so voted for it. What we have seen these past few weeks is the logical conclusion of such behaviour.
The government pedalled a fantasy vision which the voters, in this case Cons Party members, swallowed and which as we can see is unravelling before our eyes.
100% wrong. It's really really not.
Take a look at benchmark figures from the US and the EU, inflation, markets etc.
This is a global crisis caused by Covid and Russia. You can argue that the UK's position might be marginally better if we were part of the EU (though, with Covid, I'd argue absolutely not - as was the case with the UK's fast rollout of vaccines). But to say the UK is in a uniquely poor position due to Brexit is simply ignoring all the available data, which shows the US and EU doing as badly or even worse than we are on many key indicators.
Stop trying to blame everything on your hobby horse.
Dies anyone know at is the greatest number of different people to hold one of the great offices of state in a single year? (Excluding general election year obviously) I think we might have a new record in 2022
Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, David Davis, Greg Clark, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Kwasi Kwarteng, Theresa May, Wendy Morton, Alok Sharma, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace, all to lose the Tory whip for not voting against the fracking ban motion.
Them's the rules.
Except the government announced at the last minute that it wasn't going to count as a confidence vote.
1) Imposing a three line whip on a motion that ran counter to a manifesto commitment; 2) Said voting against the whip would be tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the government; 3) Then withdrew it when she realised that voting to remove the government was an idea that was quite popular with Tory MPs; 4) Finally, didn't follow her own three line whip on what she initially said was a confidence motion?
Because that's just extraordinary. That's a Carry On level of farce.
I must say the idea of Therese Coffey and Jacob Rees-Mogg manhandling MPs into the lobby conjures up images of Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.
Ha yes but JRM’s more Charles Hawtrey, surely?
To be fair Carry on Conservatives could be a fly-on-the-wall documentary these days. Sid James in a wig for Boris. Urk urk.
After a robust interview with Steve Baker MP I used a very offensive word in an unguarded moment off air. While it was not broadcast that word in any context is beneath the standards I set myself and I apologise unreservedly. I have reached out to Steve Baker to say sorry https://twitter.com/krishgm/status/1582814264590405632
Dies anyone know at is the greatest number of different people to hold one of the great offices of state in a single year? (Excluding general election year obviously) I think we might have a new record in 2022
Four Chancellors in 2022 already holds the record.
Comments
JRM also says it's not entirely clear whether the Chief Whip is in post or not. Everything is fine.
https://twitter.com/christiancalgie/status/1582806714428321792
Sid James in a wig for Boris. Urk urk.
How did he perform?
Is he a great wanker, or a useless wanker?
Sajid Javid as chief whip!
Truss also did have a majority (or near a majority) of declared MP supporters by the time of the result.
I've been told by a very reliable source that Liz Truss missed the vote because she was dealing with Wendy Morton's resignation.
We've got a right lot in Staffs. Her, Williamson, Fabricant, Pincher, Cash, formerly Andrew Griffiths...
I sometimes yearn for a nuclear war just to see how people manage to blame it on Brexit.
I'm sure people will still be arguing we'd have better access to nutritious rats and preferential access to the EU's tinned bean mountain if only we were still part of the common market.
ETA: that pic of Michael Fabricant didn't work.
But the Invisible Man would be an improvement.
https://twitter.com/danjohnsonnews/status/1582808074875973633?s=61&t=M8nP5HQTDq95U7kBlnHAmA
Edit - I see Scott beat me to it.
A senior cabinet minister going on television and not knowing if the Chief Whip Wendy Morton is still in post.
They're the words just now of the Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.
A vote on fracking which a weak government attempted to turn into a test of strength by saying it was a confidence vote.
And then changing its mind at the last moment.
Chaotic scenes in Parliament.
A home secretary resigns.
A senior adviser to the prime minister suspended.
The blunt question tonight is whether this is part of a death spiral that will sweep Liz Truss from power.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-63309400
Fun and games eh?
So "if I'd been any good I might have lasted longer but I'm really shite" gets scrubbed.
I've had enough of talentless people putting their tick in the right box, not because it's in the national interest, but because it's in their own personal interest to achieve ministerial position.
But only 20 or so get that - and a lot more voted for Truss, and the members did not do it for that reason. But he is furious at his colleagues.
It's possible the MPs then largely (e.g. 75%+) back one candidate and put supreme pressure on the runner up to withdraw to skip the members round.
Think Theresa May/Andrea Leadsom in 2016.
Politicians who should have known better pedalled a fantasy make-believe world and voters wanted to believe it so voted for it. What we have seen these past few weeks is the logical conclusion of such behaviour.
The government pedalled a fantasy vision which the voters, in this case Cons Party members, swallowed and which as we can see is unravelling before our eyes.
This just cannot continue.
40 Tory MPs did **not** vote to block Labour’s fracking debate.
Despite being told all day by the whips they **must** vote against.
Kwasi Kwarteng, Nadine Dorries, Theresa May among abstentions. https://twitter.com/benrileysmith/status/1582803748551766016/photo/1
https://twitter.com/Number10cat/status/1582760640447275009
https://twitter.com/Number10cat/status/1582800504647606272
Lol.
We used to be the sort of country where people would tell quirky stories about laws being passed because a fat Lord was counted as ten votes for a laugh, but it wasn't noticed, and now we appear to have voting by physical force.
MPs responsible for this need to be suspended from the Commons for long enough to trigger recall petitions. And this needs to happen PDQ. The Commons has to reassert control over its own procedures and put a stop to this shambles.
Johnson did not go because he ate cake, he went because of pattersongate, wallpapergate , partygate, Pincher and lies which the vast majority of voters condemned him for
The idea Brexit was all down to a few hundred thousand Tory members is laughable
Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, David Davis, Greg Clark, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Kwasi Kwarteng, Theresa May, Wendy Morton, Alok Sharma, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace, all to lose the Tory whip for not voting against the fracking ban motion.
Them's the rules.
We don't need Johnson back. We need your lot to be sent into a very lengthy spell in Opposition.
That was four hours ago.
https://twitter.com/DPJHodges/status/1582811977637801984
It would be an elegant- if Gilbertesque- solution to many problems.
https://twitter.com/desmondswayne/status/1582806966975356933?s=61&t=M8nP5HQTDq95U7kBlnHAmA
But if something is laughable it is your political views. You are fantastic on opinion polls but have supported two diametrically opposite political views from the same party in as many weeks in the name of party loyalty. Your credibility is shot.
It won't happen though.
Take a look at benchmark figures from the US and the EU, inflation, markets etc.
This is a global crisis caused by Covid and Russia. You can argue that the UK's position might be marginally better if we were part of the EU (though, with Covid, I'd argue absolutely not - as was the case with the UK's fast rollout of vaccines). But to say the UK is in a uniquely poor position due to Brexit is simply ignoring all the available data, which shows the US and EU doing as badly or even worse than we are on many key indicators.
Stop trying to blame everything on your hobby horse.
He's four months old."
https://twitter.com/Alan_McGuinness
I think we might have a new record in 2022
The only pity is that @SouthamObserver wins because he tipped she would go tomorrow. Was hoping it would drag on longer.
https://twitter.com/krishgm/status/1582814264590405632