Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Maybe by then you will have learned to put the country’s health and prosperity ahead of your party’s narrow and petty political obsessions?
Even from a purely partisan viewpoint, the Conservatives would be well rid of him.
He's possibly the most destructive agent to the Conservative Party they've ever had.
Truss, Patel, Wallace, Kwarteng declare loyalty. Bonkers. He'll try to hold on if it's only two.
So the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Business Secretary and the Defence Secretary and Raab as Deputy PM all now declared loyalty to Johnson. That is most of the remaining big hitters in Cabinet even if Zahawi joins Sunak and Javid and goes
From the moment he took office it was blindingly obvious to most of us that this is how his premiership would end, in a whirlpool of lies, sleaze and incompetence. Anyone who couldn't see it really wasn't paying attention.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Yes, he managed to con them temporarily. The reaction as they realise they've been conned - which most of them now have realised - won't be helpful to the future of the party.
So having said, a while he stood, expecting Thir universal shout and high applause To fill his eare, when contrary he hears On all sides, from innumerable tongues A dismal universal hiss, the sound Of public scorn; [...] [...] they all Him follow'd issuing forth to th' open Field, Where all yet left of that revolted Rout Heav'n-fall'n, in station stood or just array, Sublime with expectation when to see In Triumph issuing forth thir glorious Chief; They saw, but other sight instead, a crowd Of ugly Serpents; horror on them fell, And horrid sympathie; for what they saw, They felt themselvs now changing; down thir arms, Down fell both Spear and Shield, down they as fast, And the dire hiss renew'd, and the dire form Catcht by Contagion, like in punishment, As in thir crime. Thus was th' applause they meant, Turnd to exploding hiss, triumph to shame Cast on themselves from thir own mouths.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Johnson is not Thatcher.
He's a corrupt twat who has no compunction about burning the Conservative Party to the ground, in order to cling to office a few days longer.
He has no loyalty to the Conservative Party, and they should have none to him.
This is the real problem for the party now imho. Thatcher DID step aside and that meant John Major could go on to win, famously, in 1992 with the largest vote by any party in British history. I mention that last bit for HY's benefit.
So does Johnson drag down the party now? Or give them at least a fighting chance at the next GE?
Major also then led the Tories to their worst landslide defeat since 1832 in 1997 however and the bitterness of Thatcher's toppling helped wreck his government and keep the Tories in opposition for a decade
Large numbers of Conservatives admired Thatcher. Few people admired Major, but many liked him.
Johnson is neither admired, nor liked, by many Conservatives, now. The views of non-Conservatives can easily be guessed. No one will be bitter over his departure. He is an embarrassment to his MP's.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Yes, he managed to con them temporarily. The reaction as they realise they've been conned - which most of them now have realised - won't be helpful to the future of the party.
Earlier today I posted £223m going towards Levelling Up London.
That figure is more than the North East has got combined...
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Yes, he managed to con them temporarily. The reaction as they realise they've been conned - which most of them now have realised - won't be helpful to the future of the party.
Even now the swing in the Home Counties away from the Tories is more than in the redwall seats in the North and Midlands.
It is middle class Remainers in the South and London and Scotland who really loathe Boris, his core support remains with working class Leavers
Truss, Patel, Wallace, Kwarteng declare loyalty. Bonkers. He'll try to hold on if it's only two.
So the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Business Secretary and the Defence Secretary and Raab as Deputy PM all now declared loyalty to Johnson. That is most of the remaining big hitters in Cabinet even if Zahawi joins Sunak and Javid and goes
“It’s just a flesh wound!”
Cleverly it seems Sunak has implied he partly went because Johnson wanted to throw cash all over the shop in order to stay in power.
That will help a leadership run amongst low tax tories.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Yes, he managed to con them temporarily. The reaction as they realise they've been conned - which most of them now have realised - won't be helpful to the future of the party.
Even now the swing in the Home Counties away from the Tories is less than in the redwall seats in the North and Midlands.
It is middle class Remainers in the South and London and Scotland who really loathe Boris, his core support remains with working class Leavers
Wakefield didn't really show that that was true any more though. Sadly.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Johnson is not Thatcher.
He's a corrupt twat who has no compunction about burning the Conservative Party to the ground, in order to cling to office a few days longer.
He has no loyalty to the Conservative Party, and they should have none to him.
I expect a similar result though. Johnson whatever you think of him was the most charismatic Tory leader and biggest election winner since Thatcher. Whatever the outcome over the next few years the Tory Party is now likely heading for years in opposition
No one could deny that you’ve all worked very hard for the opportunity.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Johnson is not Thatcher.
He's a corrupt twat who has no compunction about burning the Conservative Party to the ground, in order to cling to office a few days longer.
He has no loyalty to the Conservative Party, and they should have none to him.
This is the real problem for the party now imho. Thatcher DID step aside and that meant John Major could go on to win, famously, in 1992 with the largest vote by any party in British history. I mention that last bit for HY's benefit.
So does Johnson drag down the party now? Or give them at least a fighting chance at the next GE?
Major also then led the Tories to their worst landslide defeat since 1832 in 1997 however and the bitterness of Thatcher's toppling helped wreck his government and keep the Tories in opposition for a decade
Large numbers of Conservatives admired Thatcher. Few people admired Major, but many liked him.
Johnson is neither admired, nor liked, by many Conservatives, now. The views of non-Conservatives can easily be guessed. No one will be bitter over his departure. He is an embarrassment to his MP's.
Some of the redwallers still voting Tory are only doing so because Johnson is leader however.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Yes, he managed to con them temporarily. The reaction as they realise they've been conned - which most of them now have realised - won't be helpful to the future of the party.
Earlier today I posted £223m going towards Levelling Up London.
That figure is more than the North East has got combined...
This is a betting site. You are supposed to see things coming.
Well, that's the theory -- but personally I skimmed the last thread and thought "nah, this is 'Things Usually Don't Happen" again and put the tablet down to have a quick nap, only to find 45 minutes later that everything had kicked off politically :-)
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Yes, he managed to con them temporarily. The reaction as they realise they've been conned - which most of them now have realised - won't be helpful to the future of the party.
Earlier today I posted £223m going towards Levelling Up London.
That figure is more than the North East has got combined...
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Apart from everything else, Boris is a clear and present danger to the Union. He is total anti-catnip to Scots, and the SNP use him as a recruiting tool, and they mentioned him by name when announcing "Sindyref" 2. One person who will be really praying he survives is Sturgeon
Surely you can see this? You're a unionist
Boris can just refuse an indyref2 still and nothing the SNP can do to change Scotland's status in the union without UK government consent. Legally and constitutionally therefore it does not matter how unpopular the PM is in Scotland if they have a majority at Westminster to refuse indyref2.
Only if they grant an indyref2 does the UK PM's popularity matter in Scotland
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Johnson is not Thatcher.
He's a corrupt twat who has no compunction about burning the Conservative Party to the ground, in order to cling to office a few days longer.
He has no loyalty to the Conservative Party, and they should have none to him.
This is the real problem for the party now imho. Thatcher DID step aside and that meant John Major could go on to win, famously, in 1992 with the largest vote by any party in British history. I mention that last bit for HY's benefit.
So does Johnson drag down the party now? Or give them at least a fighting chance at the next GE?
Major also then led the Tories to their worst landslide defeat since 1832 in 1997 however and the bitterness of Thatcher's toppling helped wreck his government and keep the Tories in opposition for a decade
Large numbers of Conservatives admired Thatcher. Few people admired Major, but many liked him.
Johnson is neither admired, nor liked, by many Conservatives, now. The views of non-Conservatives can easily be guessed. No one will be bitter over his departure. He is an embarrassment to his MP's.
Some of the redwallers still voting Tory are only doing so because Johnson is leader however.
The problem is, every one else is sick of him. How many more scandals is the Conservative Party supposed to endure at the hands of this fuckwit between now and the next election?
Johnson undone on the Chancellor question. Who can he appoint? Who'll take it? Nadine? He can't reshuffle in any confidence. No idea who'll resign next. He's trapped. Markets watching. Game over. https://twitter.com/iainmartin1/status/1544376698820595715
The £ would freefall into oblivion if he puts Nad in at CoE.
As the Ragin Cajun once said: "I want to come back in the next life as the bond markets".
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Johnson is not Thatcher.
He's a corrupt twat who has no compunction about burning the Conservative Party to the ground, in order to cling to office a few days longer.
He has no loyalty to the Conservative Party, and they should have none to him.
This is the real problem for the party now imho. Thatcher DID step aside and that meant John Major could go on to win, famously, in 1992 with the largest vote by any party in British history. I mention that last bit for HY's benefit.
So does Johnson drag down the party now? Or give them at least a fighting chance at the next GE?
Major also then led the Tories to their worst landslide defeat since 1832 in 1997 however and the bitterness of Thatcher's toppling helped wreck his government and keep the Tories in opposition for a decade
Large numbers of Conservatives admired Thatcher. Few people admired Major, but many liked him.
Johnson is neither admired, nor liked, by many Conservatives, now. The views of non-Conservatives can easily be guessed. No one will be bitter over his departure. He is an embarrassment to his MP's.
He only won because he was admired and liked by the public. And that's because they didn't know him.
Reading the letters again, they are interestingly different.
Javid opens by reminding Boris he was asked back into Cabinet, then spends 3 paragraphs on self congratulatory NHS wank. Then there is one long paragraph summed up by the idea they should be competent even if not popular. Followed by thanking Boris for seeing of Corbyn, and laughable claim to have been a friend to Boris. He doesn't actually talk directly about resigning until the 4th paragraph.
Sunak by contast opens with his resignation. He then plays the martyr a bit about it being a difficult time to stand down, probably to jsutify why he did nothing before now. One paragraph about lack of competence with more martyr talk about it being his last job perhaps, then overwrought protestation that he had been loyal boss. Interestingly he admits to disagreeing privately on things he defended publicly, probably a signal of his intention to go in a new direction, which he builds on in the next paragraph.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Johnson is not Thatcher.
He's a corrupt twat who has no compunction about burning the Conservative Party to the ground, in order to cling to office a few days longer.
He has no loyalty to the Conservative Party, and they should have none to him.
This is the real problem for the party now imho. Thatcher DID step aside and that meant John Major could go on to win, famously, in 1992 with the largest vote by any party in British history. I mention that last bit for HY's benefit.
So does Johnson drag down the party now? Or give them at least a fighting chance at the next GE?
Major also then led the Tories to their worst landslide defeat since 1832 in 1997 however and the bitterness of Thatcher's toppling helped wreck his government and keep the Tories in opposition for a decade
Large numbers of Conservatives admired Thatcher. Few people admired Major, but many liked him.
Johnson is neither admired, nor liked, by many Conservatives, now. The views of non-Conservatives can easily be guessed. No one will be bitter over his departure. He is an embarrassment to his MP's.
Some of the redwallers still voting Tory are only doing so because Johnson is leader however.
All that shows is sadly, large swathes of the British electorate need educating on current affairs
Yes he is now clearly shifting to rally the right and the ERG behind him, he will say this is a coup by Remainers and those on the left of the party who want to raise taxes and only he can stop them!
You sure she hasn't gone in there to give him a blowjob?
Can I just check, if these things are ok to say about Boris and Dorries, we can make jokes about all female politicians handing out blow jobs to advance right?
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
Apart from everything else, Boris is a clear and present danger to the Union. He is total anti-catnip to Scots, and the SNP use him as a recruiting tool, and they mentioned him by name when announcing "Sindyref" 2. One person who will be really praying he survives is Sturgeon
Surely you can see this? You're a unionist
Come on HY, when even Leon can see things coming, surely you realise this is truly the end of times?
Truss, Patel, Wallace, Kwarteng declare loyalty. Bonkers. He'll try to hold on if it's only two.
So the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Business Secretary and the Defence Secretary and Raab as Deputy PM all now declared loyalty to Johnson. That is most of the remaining big hitters in Cabinet even if Zahawi joins Sunak and Javid and goes
That was option 2 on my "what depths with HY scrape" list. Congratulations.
The next Chancellor of the Exchequer. A man appointed to be Chief Secretary (supposedly) solely because his beanpole height annoys Sunak. Clarke gets wheeled out to do media interviews where his understanding of economics and politics and the media is so dense that black holes bend around him.
Looks like the end. What the hell took them so long? It's not as though we've learnt anything about Boris this week that we didn't know last month, or last year, or in 2019 when he was chosen as leader.
Still, it's progress. Getting rid of him is the necessary first stage - but only the first stage - of putting things right.
Yes, back to opposition, probably for at least a decade if not more.
Last time the Tories toppled an election winning PM, Thatcher in 1990, they lost 3 out of 4 of the following general elections and it took them until Boris in 2019 to win a big majority again
Oh, I think it's very likely that the Conservatives will be very, very unpopular for a long time. But you're putting the blame in the wrong place. It's Boris who has wrecked the party, and it's going to take a very long time for it to be forgotten. As I wrote on the day he became leader:
The party is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, business-friendly, economically-sound, reality-based party of government which I have supported for decades. It will justifiably get the electoral blame for the consequences of the disastrous course it has chosen, and will probably never be forgiven by younger voters.
The Tory Party is not just the political wing of the CBI and the City of London. It also has to reach working class and lower middle class voters to win, Thatcher managed to do so as did Boris
But whereas, whatever else you think of her and whether you think that project was bad, Thatcher did so with a coherent political project that offered something to both business and the aspirational sections of the working and middle classes, Boris has based his appeal on force of personality and a tissue of lies that were what people wanted to hear but has no clue how to deliver. That's not and never was sustainable in the same way, as lies eventually come back to haunt you, promises are broken, and you're no longer popular because some of your supporters feel betrayed and failed, while those who you previously abandoned out of expediency as unneeded (e.g. liberal conservatives, the more business-minded and those in the centre) despise you doubly as your strategy has largely been based on insulting you.
Comments
Anyone can err, but only the fool persists in his fault
Noa Hoffman
@hoffman_noa
·
11m
Zahawi gone under ground it would seem - everyone struggling to get hold of his team
Thir universal shout and high applause
To fill his eare, when contrary he hears
On all sides, from innumerable tongues
A dismal universal hiss, the sound
Of public scorn; [...]
[...] they all
Him follow'd issuing forth to th' open Field,
Where all yet left of that revolted Rout
Heav'n-fall'n, in station stood or just array,
Sublime with expectation when to see
In Triumph issuing forth thir glorious Chief;
They saw, but other sight instead, a crowd
Of ugly Serpents; horror on them fell,
And horrid sympathie; for what they saw,
They felt themselvs now changing; down thir arms,
Down fell both Spear and Shield, down they as fast,
And the dire hiss renew'd, and the dire form
Catcht by Contagion, like in punishment,
As in thir crime. Thus was th' applause they meant,
Turnd to exploding hiss, triumph to shame
Cast on themselves from thir own mouths.
Johnson is neither admired, nor liked, by many Conservatives, now. The views of non-Conservatives can easily be guessed. No one will be bitter over his departure. He is an embarrassment to his MP's.
That figure is more than the North East has got combined...
It is middle class Remainers in the South and London and Scotland who really loathe Boris, his core support remains with working class Leavers
That will help a leadership run amongst low tax tories.
Every few days/hours someone in his team would resign and then someone else utterly unfit for office was appointed.
His closest advisor been sent in with a pistol and a bottle of Scotch.
Boris expected to drink the Whiskey and shoot the advisor!!
Lord Brownlow must be pleased he hasn't forked out for that treehouse.
https://twitter.com/IsabelWebster_/status/1544378157595246594
NEW THREAD
"I know you’re all avidly in favour of tax cuts and tonight’s events might make that a bit easier to deliver"
https://twitter.com/christiancalgie/status/1544378339758116865
Only if they grant an indyref2 does the UK PM's popularity matter in Scotland
As the Ragin Cajun once said: "I want to come back in the next life as the bond markets".
They do now.
Javid opens by reminding Boris he was asked back into Cabinet, then spends 3 paragraphs on self congratulatory NHS wank. Then there is one long paragraph summed up by the idea they should be competent even if not popular. Followed by thanking Boris for seeing of Corbyn, and laughable claim to have been a friend to Boris. He doesn't actually talk directly about resigning until the 4th paragraph.
Sunak by contast opens with his resignation. He then plays the martyr a bit about it being a difficult time to stand down, probably to jsutify why he did nothing before now. One paragraph about lack of competence with more martyr talk about it being his last job perhaps, then overwrought protestation that he had been loyal boss. Interestingly he admits to disagreeing privately on things he defended publicly, probably a signal of his intention to go in a new direction, which he builds on in the next paragraph.
Sunak's looks more of a leadership pitch to me.
Brain cells discovered.
This could actually be curtains for the clown.
So he is perfect.
Also Health Secretary, Chancellor, Party Chair and Ethics advisor
But publishing a letter saying “I don’t support the PM, but duty means I can’t resign” would be interesting
https://twitter.com/davidghfrost/status/1544379667133734917?s=21&t=nbbsy8sQfY2XNM0IzO2M1w
And good job Javid, too.