He models himself on the gluttony.

Or at least a few million at a private company doing a feasibility study (into the obviously unfeasible)?

They’re all too busy being paid hundreds of millions doing something similar re running a country with a £85bn a year hole in its revenue whilst intentionally alienating its closest partners – and needing to give £350m a week more to the NHS.

There’s lots to do before they can declare it unfeasible, obviously.

🇬🇧🍆💦🇬🇧

as his responsibility for decisions which led to the completely unnecessary Bengal Famine of 1943, in which over 3 million people died

He shares some of the responsibility alongside many Indian politicians who arguably did more to ensure that Bengal starved. Such as a caste driven “relief” system which more or less ensured that poor Bengalis would see little food coming their way.  A system of tariffs to control to internal movement of rice and grain, (which essentially meant that internal relief efforts stopped) and insisting that exports still go ahead. Then there’s the no small matter of the Japanese Invasion of Burma, and a Typhoon. Churchill’s undoubted view was that India should remain in the Empire and had a patronising view of the ability of Indians to govern themselves, and could’ve done more more quickly to ease the famine, as could the Indian Govt. You could argue that he took his eye off the ball, he did have a war on after all, but he’s certainly not “responsible [ ] for over 3 million deaths”

He shares some of the responsibility

Seems to be the current concensus, but it’s not such an eye catching headline.

You can argue who and what circumstances were responsible for the Bengal Famine both ways. As it was in the middle of a world war it is a grey area. Sending troops in to ‘deal’ with strikers in 1926 and sending the majority of the free Polish army ‘home’ to Stalin at the end of the WWII are more squarely Churchill’s responsibility.

Seems to be the current concensus, but it’s not such an eye catching headline.

Just wave a Union Jack and overlay a soundtrack of Spitfires and “we will fight them on the beaches” and all the not so good stuff disappears. 👍

The point I was hoping to make  was that statements like

“He single-handedly saved that nation” and “He was responsible for the death of 3 million Bengalis”

Are both empty and come from the same place and their intent is equally simplistic and dangerous (i.e. to stop the audience from thinking and exploring for themselves). Both are worthy of criticism and rejection . History is complex and rarely lends it’s self to snappy one liners.

Under Priti Patel, Johnson thinks we’re the Saudi Arabia of penal policy, where y’know, they behead people and it’s illegal to be gay.

Under Priti Patel it’s sink or swim.

What’s fatso trying to hide this time? Could it be the kicking of the can down the road again on border checks – the ones that are going to cripple UK exports (even more)?

His ability to make completely crass and inappropriate remarks never ceases to amaze me. It really is a gift.

Rumours of a re-shuffle apparently

That PMQs was simultaneously a car crash for the PM, and a reminder about how and why has has the job.

– minimum wage full time workers will need to work 9 extra hours to keep same income
– nurses will be on a lower income even taking into account their “pay rise”

All the PM has is… SHOUT ABOUT IMMIGRATION… and perhaps that’s all he needs.

Making the working poor poorer. Reducing the incomes of front line workers. But, hey, no more migrants lowering your wages (that’s the government’s job).

So a reshuffle this afternoon…..

Bets on Mr Hancock finding a new role opening up for him?

Hancock won’t be back for a long time. If Gove gets a proper job, a no mark (in the public eye) will take his place and concentrate on party and election gerrymandering preparation stuff, such as moving constituency boundaries and pushing through VoterID.

I’d love to see Patel go but apparently she’s well respected by the Party. God help us if Gavin Williams keeps he job, and Raab is in question.

I think he needs one of the top jobs to go, and Williamson is probably it.

I think Raab and Williamson are goners. Patel will stay (I think Johnson is probably too scared of her to do anything else)

Shame he can’t reshuffle himself out 🙁

I agree with NickC’s predictions.

NEW. Source tells me Gavin Williamson has given a leaving speech in his office.

— Sophia Sleigh (@SophiaSleigh) September 15, 2021

NEW. Source tells me Gavin Williamson has given a leaving speech in his office.

No doubt to incredulous colleagues asking “who are you again?”

I can’t see anyone suspected of innate competence being given an important cabinet job – Raab has elevated the Peter Principle to the level of performance art, those will be difficult (and no doubt oversized and filled with custard) shoes to fill.

Patel is fostering a nascent Nasty Party, sating the desires of Tory troglodytes who like to see pain inflicted upon folk who aren’t in a position to answer back.

I can’t see anyone suspected of innate competence being given an important cabinet job

Inexplicably, the shining star with the Tory membership is Liz Truss. A woman so dense that light bends around her

She’s supposedly up for a promotion. No doubt for her much lauded trade deals with Antigua and the Gallapogas Islands

Though apparently Carrie doesn’t like her, and we all know who it is who’s really running the country

Williamson has left big shoes to fill – they’re a size twenty-six and contain traces of custard.

— Thomas Jerome Newton (@1974PJM) September 15, 2021

I’m sure Gav will have the Northern Ireland Protocol sorted in no time and resolve all this sectarian nonsense while he’s at it

New fireplace incoming at the NIO.

Williamson has left big shoes to fill – they’re a size twenty-six and contain traces of custard.

^^ We really shouldn’t laugh.

😢

Am I being cynical thinking that yesterday we had the PM telling us Covid will be fine, this morning we had SAGE suggesting it might not be, lunchtime apparently the shafting of lower paid/key workers was revealed and suddenly

LOOK! OVER HERE! A CABINET RESTRUCTURE!

LOOK! OVER HERE! A SQUIRREL!

Well someone had to.

“Ah ha, the province of Northern Ireland, its safe with me…”

Williamson has turned down Northern Ireland apparently. Buckland is out too, after torching his own reputation to save Johnson’s hide. He’s also apparently cold on the Northern Ireland job.

This could be a rare moment when someone who isn’t a colossal liability is called upon.

If those two have the sense to avoid the NI job while Boris Johnson breaks Britain, who’d be stupid enough to take it? None of the key decisions will be made by them, yet they have to run around kicking cans ’till the next reshuffle, in the hope of an unlikely promotion out of the job… who’d go for that? You’d have to be desperate, or have an inflated sense of your own ability, or too stupid to see you’re just a… oh, hold on, there are lots of ex-ERG candidates, aren’t there.

who’d be stupid enough to take it?

Indeed, the bar is very low!

The brighter sparks amongst the ERG know not to touch responsibility with a bargepole and to agitate from afar.

Fair point.

Who’ll take it then?

They put Kate Hoey in the House of Lords… perhaps she’ll have time when she’s not busy being a trade ambassador for us.

Jenrik gone, with no cabinet job at all.

Apparently Raab is ranting in Boris’ office as I type (sauce, sky news & twitter).

Ah Jenrick, the man who is alleged to have helped a prominent Tory donor avoid £30m in tax.

And Raab – the Foreign Sec and pre-Brexit go to trade expert who hadn’t quite understood the importance of the Dover – Calais crossing.

The grail of competence and good governance clearly runneth over.

If I lived in the NoI I’d feel bloody insulted by Johnson giving that lemon a stipend.

There is that, rumour is there’s another to go and Patel has been summoned – Promotion or a demotion? Boris has the knife out, and has some balls for one, but are they big enough to demote Priti Patel? God help us if she takes Raabs position.

Just looking on Twitter about Priti Pratel and this gem came up 🤣

priti patel is like if blofeld was fired out of a cannon through dorothy perkins

— three steaks pam (@alexandrakuri) September 15, 2021

Looks like she’s staying put as she single-handedly personifies everything thats worst about the Tory party, so they absolutely love her.

I expect she’ll celebrate by announcing that Royal Navy subs will be starting to torpedo migrant boats in the channel

Jesus H Corbett!!! 😳

Breaking:

Liz Truss is CONFIRMED as foreign secretary

Priti Patel stays on as home secretary

Means that half of the great offices of state are now held by women

— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) September 15, 2021