Mailwatch(ed) Forum

It strikes me that the Tories have a track record of picking truly shite leaders, but somehow getting away with it and still winning elections. With a couple of exceptions (May, Hague), just look at the roll-call of shite : Duncan-Smith, Howard, Cameron, Johnson, Truss, Sunak, Badenoch.

kreuzberger wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 7:37 pm The thing that she lacks most is any hint of authenticity.

It strikes me the hardest that she is merely parroting phrases which emanate from a book that she impulsively grabbed at an airport Smith's along with a Meal Deal.

I wonder if "bend the knee" came from an internet meme. Puts me in mind of a photoshop of Rachel Reeves kneeling before Xi. Perhaps Kemi thought it was real?

She also had a genius policy today on citizenship. She's going to promote integration by making people wait 15 years for it instead of 6. I don't know if she understands that citizenship isn't the same thing as right to remain. Also something on denying citizenship to migrants who claim benefits. Again, what's the point? Either she thinks no citizenship means they can be kicked out, or she's assuming her voters do. Otherwise, there's no point.

Bend the knee comes from Game of Thrones, and signifies submission. When Starmer and Rayner were photographed kneeling in support of BLM, this was seized upon by the Tories as proof Labour were in thrall to all the minorities and not to normal people.

kreuzberger wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 7:37 pm The thing that she lacks most is any hint of authenticity.

It strikes me the hardest that she is merely parroting phrases which emanate from a book that she impulsively grabbed at an airport Smith's along with a Meal Deal.

You can get steak in meal deals now?

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 8:29 pm She also had a genius policy today on citizenship. She's going to promote integration by making people wait 15 years for it instead of 6. I don't know if she understands that citizenship isn't the same thing as right to remain. Also something on denying citizenship to migrants who claim benefits. Again, what's the point? Either she thinks no citizenship means they can be kicked out, or she's assuming her voters do. Otherwise, there's no point.

It goes to the heart of everything their core voters hold dear - Them come over here and get given everything. Stop them getting anything at all and they won't come.

The most gobsmacking thing about this is Badenoch’s mother made use of citizenship birthright by coming here, having Kemi and then fucking off back to Nigeria for years. And apparently they did this entirely by chance

I just can’t get around this desperation by almost everyone in the Tory party who isn’t a white middle aged man to make it harder for people like them to emulate their successes. They may be fucking awful people, but Sunak, Badenoch, Patel, Braverman and Javid have all been the first non-white, non-Christian heritage and in some cases non-male holders of various offices and roles. But if some of them have their way, they’ll be the only ones for decades.

Crabcakes wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:35 am I just can’t get around this desperation by almost everyone in the Tory party who isn’t a white middle aged man to make it harder for people like them to emulate their successes. They may be fucking awful people, but Sunak, Badenoch, Patel, Braverman and Javid have all been the first non-white, non-Christian heritage and in some cases non-male holders of various offices and roles. But if some of them have their way, they’ll be the only ones for decades.

They've (or maybe they just think they have) got an audience to appease.

How much of the poor Tory polling is down to Kemi's poor performance or is it people who held their nose for a brown man as leader because he's rich and posh, aren't going to for an African woman?

Crabcakes wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:35 am The most gobsmacking thing about this is Badenoch’s mother made use of citizenship birthright by coming here, having Kemi and then fucking off back to Nigeria for years. And apparently they did this entirely by chance

I just can’t get around this desperation by almost everyone in the Tory party who isn’t a white middle aged man to make it harder for people like them to emulate their successes. They may be fucking awful people, but Sunak, Badenoch, Patel, Braverman and Javid have all been the first non-white, non-Christian heritage and in some cases non-male holders of various offices and roles. But if some of them have their way, they’ll be the only ones for decades.

DEI for me, not for thee.

Poor people migrate, rich people relocate. They have a pied a terre here, so useful for the shopping. They are the globetrotting jet set. You are citizens of nowhere.

Youngian wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:00 am How much of the poor Tory polling is down to Kemi's poor performance or is it people who held their nose for a brown man as leader because he's rich and posh, aren't going to for an African woman?

I’m sure that’s true of some, if not many. However Sunak was smart and aware enough to keep his arrogance and irritable nature enough in check for it not to become what he was known for. Badenoch clearly has nothing but contempt for her staff, probably most of her MPs, certainly for the electorate and Christ knows how she comes over to Tory members.

She’s clearly furious most of the time that she is not as important or revered as she feels appropriate. And in that sense is a lot closer to Truss than Johnson, even if she also makes up policy on the spot and can’t be arsed with research. I suspect on her - likely sooner rather than later - dethronement, we can enjoy yet another round of endless blaming of incredibly powerful yet always nameless types scheming against her.

Crabcakes wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:35 am The most gobsmacking thing about this is Badenoch’s mother made use of citizenship birthright by coming here, having Kemi and then fucking off back to Nigeria for years. And apparently they did this entirely by chance

I just can’t get around this desperation by almost everyone in the Tory party who isn’t a white middle aged man to make it harder for people like them to emulate their successes. They may be fucking awful people, but Sunak, Badenoch, Patel, Braverman and Javid have all been the first non-white, non-Christian heritage and in some cases non-male holders of various offices and roles. But if some of them have their way, they’ll be the only ones for decades.

You can be a woman/colonial chum/poofdah in the Tory party provided you don't act like one.

She’s clearly furious most of the time that she is not as important or revered as she feels appropriate. And in that sense is a lot closer to Truss than Johnson, even if she also makes up policy on the spot and can’t be arsed with research. I suspect on her - likely sooner rather than later - dethronement, we can enjoy yet another round of endless blaming of incredibly powerful yet always nameless types scheming against her.

Personally I think we will have to wait a bit for a dethronement, there’s a lot of turbulence at the moment so the party will leave her in place amidst all the stupidity. Once things are a bit calmer they will hope to have a more measured approach as to what the political landscape looks like. Well that’s what I would do if I was a political strategist, but I’m not! So Carry On Kemi

Crabcakes wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:35 am The most gobsmacking thing about this is Badenoch’s mother made use of citizenship birthright by coming here, having Kemi and then fucking off back to Nigeria for years. And apparently they did this entirely by chance

I just can’t get around this desperation by almost everyone in the Tory party who isn’t a white middle aged man to make it harder for people like them to emulate their successes. They may be fucking awful people, but Sunak, Badenoch, Patel, Braverman and Javid have all been the first non-white, non-Christian heritage and in some cases non-male holders of various offices and roles. But if some of them have their way, they’ll be the only ones for decades.

Javid was very right wing, but he certainly got that racism was a thing. I notice he and Sadiq Khan have some respect for each other over their similar backgrounds. Sunak got it too, before he felt he had to pretend he was Lee Anderson's mate, and even then he still thought Anderson and Braverman were out of order.

Patel, Braverman and Badenoch don't seem to give any credence at all, unless they can use personal experience to further their own unpleasantness. Immigrants can be as bad as anyone on this stuff.

It's difficult politically for Labour because you can't really bring up

Sunak struck me as "our mate Rish, handy to have around as he don't drink so he's our designated driver".

Patel and Badenoch both strike me as people who believe that as women of colour, they have to work harder than anyone else to get to the same space. Which is sadly not wrong. But they define working harder as being louder and nastier, and claiming sexism or racism when challenged.

Braverman for me is more like Truss - no real intelligence, no real ideas, just whatever they think people want to hear. And increasingly consumed by hatred for everyone else.

Braverman, Patel and Badenoch - and by a country mile Braverman the most - have approaches to policy that are akin to dosing themselves in leopard pheromones, smearing their faces in raw wildebeest and then standing upwind of the biggest leap* they can find.

*name for a group of leopards**
**yes I looked it up - I’m not Attenborough!

I thought it was a pounce, but I looked it up and apparently it's a pounce of kittens.


Aaah.

Andy McDandy wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 5:03 pm Sunak struck me as "our mate Rish, handy to have around as he don't drink so he's our designated driver".

Stand by for one of my bang up to date culture references, but Sunak as Amit Shah's character in Stag?

I don't know if Bozo called Sunak "the Mexican", mind.

1 in 10 voters supports Kemi’s citizenship proposal.