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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Boris vacillated on Darroch because he’s weak, not because of
politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Boris vacillated on Darroch because he’s weak, not because of Trump
Boris Johnson has always had a facility for a briefly memorable turn of phrase. Whether referring to table tennis as, archaically, ‘whiff-whaff’ or describing Brexit talks extending into further rounds beyond October 31 as the ‘hamster wheel of doom’, Johnson’s words have the capacity to amuse and distract. For a politician, that’s a useful skill up to a point.
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Had I my time again, to answer your question directly, yes - I probably should have been more emphatic that Kim personally had my full support.
But I was surprised that his tenure as ambassador in Washington should be raised by the foreign secretary as a fitting subject for debate in a Conservative Party leadership campaign.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/jul/12/andrew-neil-boris-johnson-tory-leadership-boris-johnson-uses-andrew-neil-interview-to-deny-failing-to-support-ambassador-live-news
‘I was surprised a prospective PM should be expected to talk about the front page issue of the week’.
Blustering buffoon.
I do think he is in a sense in Trump’s pocket, though, as he lacks the moral judgment to feel any imperative to stand up to Trump, and as a weak character will tend to acquiesce to the wishes of a powerful bully.
His preferred strategy is to tapdance around and avoid taking any firm positions in the first place. We have seen this time and again during the campaign - except on the single issue of 31 October where even the Bozo knows he has to appear firm in order to keep his groupies excited and on board.
That is what he tried with the ambassador. When the question arose, the Bozo was thinking “if I say he should stay perhaps he’ll actually go and I’ll look wrong, or if I say he should go maybe he’ll stay and I will look weak. Engage bluster and duck the question....”
As David says, this is much more likely than some Trump/Farage conspiracy to create a vacancy (which is now so sensitive such a strategy would have backfired in any case).
The one thing we can guarantee is that PMQs is going to be truly and utterly dire.
I think Johnson saw personal advantage in the leak to support a narrative of clearing away elite Remoaners standing in the way of the new Brexit order. It turned out a miscalculation, hence the reverse ferret.
As to the most recent hustings and Neil interview:
"answer the bloody question!"
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-heckler-savages-boris-johnson-18147232
And so say all most of us!
As David suggests in his concluding paragraphs, Bozo is too lazy to bone up on the detail of every cabinet brief, and will happily leave the tiresome business of being held accountable for them to his colleagues, in a way that a succession of control freaks since Major (the tight control of the coalition Quad substituting for Cammo’s personal lack of freakery...at least as far as control is concerned) would never have allowed.
Any advantage is however likely to be undermined by the individuals he will appoint to said portfolios. When you consider the dire lack of talent on the Tory benches (or indeed in Parliament more widely), take out those who won’t serve under the Bozo, take out those Bozo won’t appoint because they are too sensible or too ‘unsound’ on Brexit for his groupies to endure, we are likely to see some eyebrow (and probably hair) raising appointments; people crying out for a bit of control freakery to be imposed upon them.
Ha. What a world, where the debate over the prospective PM's hesitancy is over whether he's craven or pathetic.
Mr. B2, that's possible, Boris as a figurehead whilst people with brains actually do the governing. Worth noting even a figurehead has to be able to appear vaguely competent, though, and not come out with rambling bullshit that isn't in the nation's interest (his comments on the British-Iranian still held in Iran spring to mind).
F1: Bottas edged Hamilton in second practice yesterday. Wonder how the Finn will do today.
In the New Labour years the shouting and screaming and throwing of heavy objects happened between Blair and Brown. When Ken Clarke moved in next to the Majors he was alarmed at the noises coming through the partition wall, only to discover years later that it had been Edwina Currie. So Johnson probably needs someone who never listens and would struggle with something as technical as a tape recorder, although I suspect Theresa May wouldn’t take the job.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/johnson-won-t-want-someone-in-no-11-bright-enough-to-use-a-tape-recorder-xbj9hfwr8
I tend to the view that Boris is much more lazy than lacking in confidence, although the latter may be a factor in his bluster. Another important factor is the inbred sense of entitlement, that notwithstanding his actions there will always be a way out with someone clearing up the mess and Boris merrily sailing on.
As Prime Minister there is nowhere to hide. The buck stops with you and the leadership, personal qualities and capabilities that you bring to the table will be scrutinized to the n'th degree. All Boris's weaknesses are about to be laid bare, day in day out.
He goes to Brussels and gets some meaningless change of terminology. He offers the DUP £20bn and no gay marriage ever in Northern Ireland. He persuades a few Labour Leavers and the ERG that his changes make it good. And he gets it over the line.
Boris then ambles along, allowing his ministers to get on with running the country, which Brexit now behind us. The centre and left of the country is split, and Boris manages to be a popular PM who coasts to reelection in 2022.
***or***
The next world economic slowdown hits at exactly the same time as No Deal Brexit. Unemployment soars. A number of Tory MPs quit (or perhaps someone dies or goes to prison) and we see a VoNC pass. There's a General Election and Boris goes into history as reviled figure who lead the Tories to sub fifty seats *and* let Corbyn in.
A talented cabinet depends on the availability of talent. And therein lies another Tory problem - especially if Johnson is only going to appointvavowed No Dealers.
There is emptiness there. No substance. A void.
It is all 'persona' rather than person. Bluff. Deflecting. Superficial.
One has no clue what he believes in other than keeping his show on the road. One suspects very little.
He reminds me very much of Jimmy Savile.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-aspect-of-jeffrey-epsteins-plea-bargain-has-been-largely-overlooked/2019/07/12/26e89698-a4b9-11e9-bd56-eac6bb02d01d_story.html
As for Epstein’s pals — the politicians and movie stars, the plutocrats and professors who traveled or partied with him and his seemingly endless company of young companions — no doubt some of them are sweating, too. Trying to recall whether the cameras were ever pointed at them. Wondering whether their secrets were inside that safe.
*however I think some people have been hasty in assuming that Darroch’s position was untenable. One only has to listen to what people (including Trump!) have been saying in America since the resignation, to see that Trump, in his usual way, tweeted his first reaction to the leaks, without actually considering whether what he was tweeting was true, probably without having bothered to personally acquaint himself with the contents (relying on second or third hand reports) and without consulting with others in the administration when he declared that the ambassador was “not liked over here” (which was obviously not true). I’m quite sure that given the passage of a week or two and a few well placed conversations and a bit of flattery, Trump would have done a complete 180 on the issue. It’s what he does, repeatedly.
When his money is eventually counted, it will turn out that he is no billionaire. Indeed, it may turn out to be all a chimera. He may be more Madoff than Soros.
Not least because they have obvious multiple recent examples of polling changing rapidly. Pointing at Boris' apparent popularity this moment, before he's done a day as PM, as if it's set in stone as a positive, when May blew a 20 point lead and the Lib Dems have come roaring back, and BP has come out of nowhere, is just weird.
How often do they need to be told?
Also, Boris' odds on exceeding 80% have fallen from about 13, when Mr. Eagles tipped it, to 7 (Ladbrokes).
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/business/boeing-737-max-faa-test.html
The Max could be grounded for a long time.
Jeffrey Epstein’s Fortune May Be More Illusion Than Fact
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/jeffrey-epstein-net-worth.html
And when you think either his or Deutsche Bank's week couldn't get any worse.....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7236423/Deutcshe-Bank-cut-ties-Jeffrey-Epstein-2-MONTHS-AGO.html
Am I right in remembering that during Mrs May’s brief honeymoon there were commentators suggesting she might take us back to genuine cabinet government?
Those are not rats leaving the sinking ship, they are able-bodied seamen.
The problem that some PB posters have - and I think Mr HY is high up on this list - is that they assume that if a person has voted for a Conservative candidate once, they will vote Conservative for evermore. That may have been the case once upon a time, but it certainly isn`t now.
Having said that, it might well be that there isn't an easy fix - they'll be hoping they don't need to alter the plane's hardware, which might require new certification. The processors used (AIUI 80286) are getting rather long in the tooth, though.
Of more importance for Boeing IMO, is the fact that the 737NG might be being dragged into the issue. Not because of MCAS, but because it might be impossible to manually trim the plane under certain flight conditions. Fixing that might be a horrendous issue.
https://twitter.com/GeorgeWParker/status/1149805290004635648
This is why Mrs Thatcher had all those rows with the Chancellor, Foreign Secretary and other ministers. She was running her own economic policy, her own foreign policy, an entire shadow government from Number 10.
https://twitter.com/ianbirrell/status/1149914242490880000
A ) His in-depth analysis of our current economic situation has identified the need for significant economic stimulus and he has a suite of projects that have passed rigorous cost-benefit analysis ready to go? Or:
B ) He likes being photographed opening stuff?
HT: her reputation is as unsalvageable as Heaths.
Who is Councillor Green and why is his opinion relevant? Where else has he been correct to show that his judgement is sound?
Who spends their days trawling Twitter for opinions supporting their own other than bedroom dwellers whose wank socks are over crunchy?i
Edit - you’re not wrong although bribes and threats are sometimes disguised.
A quick Google threw up this page which appears to be an academic template for marking essay questions about the decline in cabinet government:
http://politicalboffinsatweymouthcollege.blogspot.com/2014/05/to-what-extent-has-cabinet-government.html
The Tories' problems are a bit wider than their desire to choose a manifest inadequate for their leader and pursue a stupid policy.
The attached is quite an interesting analysis - https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n13/tom-crewe/short-cuts
For some reason I cannot copy the link. But go to the PoliticsHome homepage and search for an article dated 11 July by Sebastian Whale about Ken Clarke.
This is what a real Tory politician looks like.
Do you think Boris will serve longer than May as PM?
Neil: "Article (sic) 5b…"
Johnson: "Paragraph 5b. Get the details right Andrew..."
…
Neil: "Do you know what paragraph 5c says?"
Johnson: "No"
Neil: "And you lecture me about 'details'?"
Johnson: "Quite right. You didn't even know the difference between a paragraph and an article!"
So basically we're electing a pedant as PM.
Boris is totally unsuitable to be PM and it does make you wonder how many conservative mps who put him the last 2 are now having serious regret
Still we are where we are and we can only hope, as others have said, that his cabinet effectively run their own departments and Boris, for however long he lasts, lets them get on with it
The only thing we are being asked to place our confidence in is Boris Johnson. Last weekend, a poll found that 59 per cent of voters wouldn’t trust him to sell them a used car. But what do they know?
How out of touch is he (and others) if he thinks the public do not support this investigation 100%
Truss 'getting on' with running the Treasury? IDS back "running" Universal credit? Priti Patel running anything? And he must surely find a place for Fayling.
What's the rationale?