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I don’t think it’s any more complicated than going to the Queen and asking her to dissolve parliament.
Interestingly since "That time the Govt shut parliament illegally" the Queen has new powers to prevent govts doing exactly that, if she thought it would be against the public good. Wouldn't that be funny...
Online newspapers struggling to keep ahead of all the resignations, tweet and letters withdrawing support.
Or take a leaf from thatcher’s play book and deploy British troops somewhere that’ll go over well with the electorate and force the press and party to focus somewhere else.
Now if only there was a nasty little war going on somewhere with an obvious good guy bad guy set up.
It's easy to miss, but he unilaterally gave Ukraine another £100m during his phonecall with Zelensky yesterday morning.
Yes, supporting them financially is critical to keeping Ukraine afloat, however the casualness at which he's handed out the money whilst we have increasing poverty on our own doorstep is unsurprisingly callous and disingenuous.
Anyone getting any work done today? 😂
Anyone getting any work done today? 😂
Less than i should be
Interestingly since “That time the Govt shut parliament illegally” the Queen has new powers to prevent govts doing exactly that, if she thought it would be against the public good. Wouldn’t that be funny…
Not least because it would put her in a very awkward position when, immediately after saying no to him, BJ walks out of buck house, dissolves parliament and tells everyone the Queen said he could.
We also know he’s a vindictive bastard too, after all
Do we, what have I missed?
Bringing back Javid into the cabinet a while after he very publicly resigned doesn't sound particularly vindictive. Are there any examples of Johnson being a vindictive bastard or are you getting confused with Dominic Cummings?
To be vindictive he'd have to be able to remember things wouldn't he?
*He won’t quit, his ego is simply too large
Every weapon in his armoury is for deflecting responsibility - the obscure literary verbiage - disappearing acts - the hiding in a fridge. Quitting is something he doesnt have the strength or courage to do. Its weakness not strength thats keeping him in place.
Johnson can't hold a grudge against anyone as he struggles to remember what they did that would warrant one! All he cares about is whether, at that moment in time, you are useful to him furthering his career prospects or not. That's it.
They have the MP's Panel on Five Live every Wednesday before PMQ's.
They haven't been able to get a single Tory MP to come on today to comment. Hardly surprising with the pace everything is moving along at
Can't wait to watch Boris portray himself as the victim at PMQ's, something I'm sure he firmly believes
Are there any examples of Johnson being a vindictive bastard
The briefings on Sunak's financial position, his Green card and his wife's involvement with Russian money has been attributed to Johnson as a way of getting him out the way when it looked like Sunak was a candidate to take over?
But I tend to think that he's a sort that because he doesn't hold a grudge, gets very confused when his behaviour results in people feeling antipathy towards him. Others have said that Johnson tends to operate on the basis that once he's apologised for his behaviour, regardless of how egregious it may have been, that the end of the matter as far as he's concerned.
To be vindictive he’d have to be able to remember things wouldn’t he?
Only some of the time.
I didn't do it
I don't remember doing it
I did do it and I'm sorry
I did do it and I'm not sorry
I did do it but it was ages ago so it doesn't matter
I think I'm going to have to avoid the news for the rest of today and catch the highlights this evening. It's all moving along too quickly for me to keep up between jobs 🤣
Johnson is a narcissist who needs to be admired and loved, being a vindictive bastard doesn't work well for those who yearn to be loved.
The briefings on Sunak’s financial position, his Green card and his wife’s involvement with Russian money has been attributed to Johnson as a way of getting him out the way when it looked like Sunak was a candidate to take over?
That is not really an example of him being a vindictive bastard, it's a better example of him possibly undermining a potential leadership challenger.
How about getting journalists beaten up?
That strikes me as quite vindictive
Okay there was an incident over 30 years ago. I am assuming the lack of reference to anything more recent suggests that the vindictive bastard side of his personality hasn't been particularly obvious for a while?
Yeah, I struggle to see Johnson as vindictive
Anyway, the day of rolling resignations didn't work to make Corbyn resign, perhaps this one won't either.
That strikes me as quite vindictive
It was his mate who was the vindictive one and even then it was them trying to silence someone who was currently doing damage as opposed to just getting revenge.
I doubt he would really go after people in his memoirs since he is far too self obsessed and living in the present. I expect the only attacks on others will be pure blame deflection from himself rather than actual vindictiveness.
perhaps this one won’t either.
Difference being Corbyn had the support of the party as a whole whilst the latest polls indicate Johnson doesnt.
Anyone getting any work done today? 😂
Absoultely! (Zero 🤔😂)
Another one gone, with another fairly unambiguous resignation letter
https://twitter.com/johnglenuk/status/1544623825307959300?s=21&t=X5DYB1Sdue-rgmRULysV1w
Anyone getting any work done today?
Between this and what looks like a cracker of a tour stage later my productivity today is gone
Reading the news and watching Boris squirm is great! Unfortunately my mind then turns to who/what next and I remember how few quality politicians of any party exist at the moment. The sad fact is I can't see anyone able to steer the country out of the mess we are in. 😞
Still, a Tory party implosion and clown performance is always fun watching!
How many’s that now?
The sad fact is I can’t see anyone able to steer the country out of the mess we are in. 😞
Still, a Tory party implosion and clown performance is always fun watching!
Yep, we might as well enjoy the show before the conflagration swallows us.
The sad fact is Johnson isn't the worst option here, not by a long way and even if they pluck some miracle worker out of obscurity the transfer is going to hurt at a time when there's no room for it.
The sad fact is Johnson isn’t the worst option here, not by a long way and even if they pluck some miracle worker out of obscurity the transfer is going to hurt at a time when there’s no room for it.
The logical and inescapable culmination of Brexit - the country is literally on it's knees now. Asset stripped, soaring inflation, worsening standards of living, zero political leadership from anywhere.
Tories are mired in sleaze, squalor and corruption. Labour are blinkered to anything that goes against The Sacred Referendum That Must Be Obeyed. Who knows what policies the Lib Dems have? And up in Scotland, SNP are tearing themselves to bits over whatever IndyRef number they're on now plus the minor loss of £billions.
And now we're faced with a complete overhaul in Government, new ministers (most of whom are only in post cos they're rabid Brexiteers or Johnson loyalists and therefore thick as shit) and a PM who's only policy is to lurch from one scandal to another and who's days are probably numbered anyway.
PMQ's are going to be awesome. Never have I tuned in so much in the last few months after each now scandal.
He's still not going to resign though.
He's going to get a visit from the men in grey suits telling him it's time to go. The Tories don't half make regicide entertaining!
He'll threaten a general election and they'll back off. He's quoted in the Times: 'F*** that.'
Shall we have a charity sweep stake on which incompetent we get next then?
No one should forget that, once the panto at the top of the Conservative Party is over (at least this episode), the UK's stupid nationalist/populist posturing is going to be exposed for what it is over the NI protocol.
The UK is about to find out what a political red line truly is - unless we change course.
It doesn't matter what Zahawi or anyone else does if we embark on another step-change to prices as a result of a futile trade war with the EU. Sooner or later we're going to have to co-operate with the EU in a spirit of actual co-operation. Then the question will be "why did we leave in the first place?"
It is a good question and, like all good and pointed questions, it cannot be answered truthfully by those who campaigned for it.
EDIT: I guess my point is that only a small part of this current circus is Johnson himself. It is symptomatic of the fix the UK put itself in back in 2016 - the impossible task of squaring Leave Lies with international reality. UK politics will be unstable and ineffective until we go cap in hand back to the EU. That is just the way it is. Anything else is delaying (or hastening) that moment of 'surrender'.
He’ll threaten a general election and they’ll back off.
As I understand it he'd need a majority vote for that, can't see him getting more than a few cabinet loyalists to vote in favour given the significant risk they'll be out on their arses if it goes to a GE. So despite the fact that the entire of the rest of the house would, the tory rebellion would see it fail.
It is a good question and, like all good and pointed questions, it cannot be answered truthfully by those who campaigned for it.
And if Brexit taught you one thing I would hope its that they don't need to.
I'm afraid if you think it will make a difference you're on the wrong side of history.
And if Brexit taught you one thing I would hope its that they don’t need to.
I’m afraid if you think it will make a difference you’re on the wrong side of history.
Sooner or later the damage caused will have to be addressed. You can't throw away 3-4% of your GDP, permanently, and expect not to have to do something about it. The only route (if it remains open) is to go back to where we started.
easy job, but Starmers first question neatly filleted blohard
This is wonderful viewing. So much for the hallowed Oxford Union training 😃
The sad fact is Johnson isn’t the worst option here, not by a long way
The problem with threads like this one is that the constant focus on demonising Johnson loses sight of this very fact.
One example of this is the accusations that Johnson is a racist, well he's a Tory what would you expect?
There isn't however any evidence that Johnson is particularly racist, in fact the complete opposite.
It all seems to be based on his use of the words pickaninny and watermelon smiles (none of which is particularly racist) some 20 odd years ago when he had to write entertaining waffle for spectator readers who enjoyed his pompous eccentric style.
Contrast that with David Cameron who made outrageous racist comments whilst he was actually Prime Minister. Examples include
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33945402
The idea that migrants are "breaking in" suggests that they thieves, criminals, that probably deserve to be locked up.
Another example of inflammatory language from Cameron as Prime Minister
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33716501
Describing migrants as a "swarm" is comparing them as insects, pests, which need to be dealt with.
Another example of Prime Minister Cameron.
Dismissing refugees "a bunch of migrants" is designed to dismiss them as worthless.
And yet despite all that, and the fact that Johnson has had a remarkable amount of black and asians in his Cabinet, more than any other UK PM ever, and the fact that he has never as PM used inflammatory language even approaching that of Cameron, Johnson is vilified in a way that other more deserving Tory politicians haven't been.
Gove & Truss both to busy to attemd PMQs
Gove & Truss both [s] to busy [/s] to attemd PMQs
Too clever. And that's not something I say lightly about Truss.
Edit, actually no Gove particularly is quite possibly too busy preparing his bid for the leadership to risk getting covered in the poo which will undoubtedly be flying about there today.
Gove & Truss both to busy to attemd PMQs
Watching the front bench, Zahawi and Dorries are precisely the nodding dogs that Starmer said. But Raab to the right of BoJo looks completely nauseated.
Gove & Truss both to busy to attemd PMQs
Got knives to sharpen.
Had to turn off pmq's after 5mins - Boris is doing my nut in...
But Raab to the right of BoJo looks completely nauseated
Dead man walking - no way he keeps his seat at the next GE now
How noisy are the govt benches?
‘A Z list of nodding dogs’ was a good line from Starmer
Johnson’s rejection of reality is now total. The only question is how long he can carry on in his little fantasy world
Johnson’s rejection of reality is now total. The only question is how long he can carry on in his little fantasy world
You could easily have said this at any time in the last 2 and a bit years, yet here we are.
A [not so] great man once called him Britain Trump and its turning out to be quite prophetic, even once he's pushed it'll be
I want to provide an update on our ongoing efforts to expose the tremendous voter fraud and irregularities which took place during the ... Conservative leadership election in July
The other problem is there are plenty who will believe its some sort of remoaner coup unless we get someone a bit more brexity than Boris. Maybe one of the ones who actually believes in the project rather than just believing its their ticket to greater things.
The only question is how long he can carry on in his little fantasy world
There are levels of fantasy world at play.
There's the one where Johnson in his own head thinks he can turn this around and be a latter day Churchill.
Ranging through to...
The one where Britain still has an empire, can sail a gunboat up a river to gain concessions and is seen as a heavyweight on the global stage.
All need to be addressed before we can get out of this rut.
Saj sticking the knife in and giving it a twist
Is May doing a passable impression of Gru by the way?
Yes, quite a damning statement from Javid
Javid putting shit on the Cabinet too!! 🥊
I've seen some bad PMQs but I've never seen anything like that. Conservative benches looking on in disbelief. He'll be doing well if he makes it until the end of the day.
Saj sticking the knife in and giving it a twist
That was Javid setting out his stall for his leadership campaign. "We need to come together as a nation", bring unity from both sides of the house etc, start again. He didn't do too badly IMHO, but it was pretty obvious and cynical.
I wonder why he wanted / was permitted a speech when Sunak said nothing.
Javid putting shit on the Cabinet too!! 🥊
That was good though.
Saj sticking the knife in and giving it a twist
That was Javid setting out his stall for his leadership campaign. “We need to come together as a nation”, bring unity from both sides of the house etc, start again. He didn’t do too badly IMHO, but it was pretty obvious and cynical.
Only reading the highlights on the BBC but I can't disagree that wasn't a resignation speech, it was a stall setting,
Javid putting shit on the Cabinet too!! 🥊
That was good though.
"a team is only as good as its captain captain is only as good as his team"
Sounds to me more like "trust in me and be saved, I will rehabilitate you" or "you can all keep your jobs if you ditch him and support me" rather than sticking the knife in.
A little like with Trump, I see Johnson's current situation as a consequence as much as he is the cause. He is a failed human being. A deeply unpleasant person. A proven liar with a poor work ethic and a wonky moral compass. But he still hangs on. And he can do that because there are enough sycophants, career politicians looking out for themselves and plain nasty or stupid individuals who can still stomach standing by him. He is just the fluffer; they are the true scum that the tory party is built upon. If this was happening on a battlefield, they would be the ones you'd run through, leaving Johnson as a toothless inept fool staggering around without consequence.
Gawd help us, but we are lumbered with tory governance for the next...forever.....whilst we have who we have doing the voting. The best we can possibly hope for is a tory with some vestige of a conscience getting the job; and whoever they are having a little black book right now with all the Johnson hangers on written in ready to ensure they never get a sniff of a government job ever again. If it's someone who is yet to resign - well, we are truly ****ed.
Nice drive-by shooting by Saj.
This is going to get really interesting now. Apart from the thicko’s in the cabinet, who as Jess Phillips pointed out ‘have dipped their hands in his blood’, it looks like everyone wants him gone. 18 resignations so far?
But I don’t doubt he meant it when he says he is determined to carry on. He’ll be digging in, for sure
So, what now?
That NI minister, Conor Burns, on BBC politics program is a bit sociopathic. Gone from "calm down" to jaw clenching finger pointer in fractions of a second. But glad to know he's guilty of loyalty to his friend. Put his name on the list for an office in the basement.
1922 committee will give him a choice, resign now or wait until we change the rules and boot you out.
Will be interesting to see which he would choose but I think he might hold on, not that there is much he will be able to do until he gets booted.
So, what now?
Biscuits, now we eat biscuits and wait.
TINAS, don't forget putting the kettle on. If I am going to watch this shitshow unraveling with biscuits, I want a cuppa as well as biscuits.
Johnson has had a remarkable amount of black and asians in his Cabinet
I had noticed that there several women and brown people being talked about for the top job and their gender or race haven't been mentioned, that I can see. Also that whilst we are queueing up to excoriate them, it's for actual personality traits and the thing's they've done, rather than -ist stereotyping. At least, not that I've seen.
"The job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances, when he's been handed a colossal mandate, is to keep going - and that's what I'm going to do."
I don't give resignation very high odds.
A gangplank and a lot of pushing, now that I can bet on.
How long til he dissolves parliament and declares Martial Law?
I'm going for 4 o clock
World class simpleton Greg Hands has just been on Radio 4 defending Boris. I do find it quaintly charming that these idiots think that this loyalty would be a two-way street and he wouldn't cast them aside like a mistress with a positive pregnancy test
Careful what we all wish for. Let the words "Acting Prime Minister Raab" sink in.
I do find it quaintly charming that these idiots think that this loyalty would be a two-way street and he wouldn’t cast them aside like a mistress with a positive pregnancy test
They don't especially, they're just not stupid enough to think the next folks will even want their blind loyalty. If he goes, they're done for, if he stays there a slim chance (getting less slim as he runs out of folks who want his favor mind) they might be rewarded.
Careful what we all wish for. Let the words “Acting Prime Minister Raab” sink in.
Is fine, it's nearly summer recess and we're all well aware Rabb isn't cancelling his holiday to go to work.
A pretty good assessment of the state of things by Martin Kettle in the Guardian
This mutiny should be the end of Johnson. But never underestimate his sheer lust for power
His former lieutenant turned would-be assassin, Dominic Cummings, retailed a devastating Johnson remark this week which, if true, sums the whole thing up. Suggesting that he should appoint himself as his own Downing Street chief of staff and spokesman in November 2020, Johnson reportedly told Cummings: “Yes I’ll **** up all sorts, but so what? If I can’t do what I want, what’s the point of being prime minister?”
I once took an 80 seat majority, and pissed it up the wall in less than 3 years.
(stolen from twitter, but for some reason the link would work)
Scary thought: the honourable member for the 18th century has been keeping his nose out of the media recently.
Clear enough to mount a leadership bid or just trying to stay out of the fallout?
Mogg is just staying clear. No way he is a candidate for leader unless they're trying to lose.
He was on the BBC yesterday saying he supported the pm. Did a big piece on sky news too.
Boris holed up in number 10 right now
Do you think someone will supply the handgun as well