[Andy McDandy]

Talking of rumours, there are some flying around that he feels trapped by her, that she has quite a say in deciding policy, and that she basically cornered him (some going as far to suggest that Marina Wheeler walking out was not expected by either of them, and that while she was happy to be his mistress while he was still married, after he became newly single, it was wife or nothing).

All rumours, and I dare say a good dollop of misogyny about them. But if true, and given her meteoric rise through the Tory party and interesting friends, it does make one wonder who's playing who*.

*Aside from us, for fools.

[Watchman]

Meanwhile, Michael Fabricunt has been doing some halping. On Twitter saying it's all trivial, he tried to get her a job she's (apparently) qualified for, she didn't get it, what's the big deal?

Lots of people pointing out that she wasn't his wife at the time, it'd still be a conflict of interest if she was, and thanks for confirming the story is true.

Qualified you say Michael, she has a BA(Hons) in Art History and Theatre Studies, and was "sacked" as Conservative party's head of communications, hardly a ringing endorsement.

[davidjay]

Talking of rumours, there are some flying around that he feels trapped by her, that she has quite a say in deciding policy, and that she basically cornered him (some going as far to suggest that Marina Wheeler walking out was not expected by either of them, and that while she was happy to be his mistress while he was still married, after he became newly single, it was wife or nothing).

All rumours, and I dare say a good dollop of misogyny about them. But if true, and given her meteoric rise through the Tory party and interesting friends, it does make one wonder who's playing who*.

*Aside from us, for fools.

Was it on here that someone said that at the time he really was primus inter pares where she was concerned?

[Tubby Isaacs]

[Bones McCoy]

[Abernathy]

Rather obvious joke, but I suppose somebody had to do it.

[Boiler]

Made oi larf...

[mattomac]

It’s dire when that’s all you can offer

[Tubby Isaacs]

Everyone who comes into contact with the Bozos gets tainted.

[davidjay]

I do now seriously wonder whether one or two of his supporters sent in letters to get the matter out of the way before any proper opposition was organised. If the VONC was held this Monday there'd be more than 142 votes against.

[Bones McCoy]

I do now seriously wonder whether one or two of his supporters sent in letters to get the matter out of the way before any proper opposition was organised. If the VONC was held this Monday there'd be more than 142 votes against.

These are all minor steps along the road to the inevitable.

[Youngian]

Is this deeply sinister or just another day of ramblings from a broken idiot?

[Boiler]

Britain Trump.

[Youngian]

Britain Trump.

At least Trump still had a power base when he came out with this sort of crap. What’s Johnson got left? The cabinet, a Praetorian guard of otherwise unemployable deadbeats

[kreuzberger]

I am not posting on here very much these days, what with other preoccupations annat, but I have been keeping close to the news. Especially this morning.

I felt that Mishal Husain on R4 was actually quite sympathetic yet rigorous in pre pre-recorded(!) interview. That technique helped to unmask him. Indeed, the were the "ramblings from (of) a broken idiot ", and it is clear that he has run out of road.

Whilst his platitudinous promises had little substance more that the voodoo which won shedloads of votes, that is vanishing before his eyes. I am not sure though that the Cult-of-Cabinet quite get it just yet, even the few which would remain in post under the successor.

He's shit, his heavy hitters are shit. That is a Good Thing if you can afford to sweat it out.

[mattomac]

He’s been going at that for years, his aim was to out see Thatcher then it was Blair and then it went to the next election, then 6 months and now it’s back to this, even Francis Urqhart in his police state fantasy doesn’t last that long.

4/10 of his MPs already have no confidence in him, that might be ok if it wasn’t for the fact he got rid of some of his biggest rivals over Brexit.

I’d question if he even lived that long, elections aside he won’t last, and with elections he has no chance.

Thatcher looked unassaible in 1987, she was gone by 1990.

Even if the Tories hadn’t managed to mess up the last 3 years, they are heading for civil war, parties of 12 years in government always do. Maybe we’ve missed the obvious example in all the 97 talk, it does feel a bit like 2008/09, there was a question of how low could it go but Brown did enough to prevent that overall majority that being said Brown is willing to put the effort in, they are seriously going have to find some luck on the cost of living. All the stuff Johnson promises on energy isn’t going to be fully operational until he sees himself standing down.

He might survive with World war 3 but then very few of us will survive that, and caring where the next £10 is coming from to feed yourself won’t be much of an issue. How many leaders often say this and then they are gone within 6 months, I hope he gets to the next election and is routinely humiliated, a final confirmation on his premiership and him as a person.

He was never a vote winner he just faced a tired Livingstone and even worse version four years later, Jeremy Corbyn (who even IDS may have had a chance with) and when someone good comes along where he has to do work he quits.

He’d lost bad to Khan and the campaign though racist would have been off the charts with Johnson, another masterpiece of Lynton Crosby if I remember, a man handed his arse on a plate by the Aussies several weeks ago.

If the Tories get rid of him he has a power base and enough people who like him, it will be all out civil war in the Tory party, good times.

[Cyclist]

Doesn't even understand the word 'neutral'.

(He didn't get his way anyway )

Boris Johnson’s attempt to unseat a Labour peer from the role of the Commonwealth secretary general has failed, in another blow to his credibility.

No 10 had been working behind the scenes for nearly two years to remove Patricia Scotland, claiming that she had failed to modernise the institution after nearly six years in the job.

A meeting deciding whether to replace Lady Scotland with Jamaica’s foreign minister, Kamina Johnson Smith, who was supported by the UK government, ran over by several hours as leaders struggled to reach a verdict.

But after several hours, it was confirmed that Johnson Smith had lost and Scotland was reappointed for two more years. The next election will be in 2024.

Speaking afterwards, Scotland said: “It is deeply humbling to have been reappointed as secretary general of this great Commonwealth. To continue to serve our family of nations is a true honour and a privilege and I will do so to the best of my ability. We will face the world’s challenge with unity and purpose.”

In May, the prime minister publicly stated that he was supporting her rival to the role. Johnson said “the UK” supported the candidacy of the Jamaican minister of foreign affairs for her “vast experience and support to unite our unique family of nations and seize opportunities ahead”.

Supporters of Scotland claimed that Johnson’s backing of one candidate, at a time when the UK is supposed to be the neutral scrutiniser of the election process, was an abuse of his position and that he had compromised the UK’s role...

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... ealth-role

I wonder, was Johnson's interference a deciding factor in Lady Scotland's reappointment? Do the Commonwealth leaders have the same opinion of him as we do?

[kreuzberger]

I mused last evening that he is now just saying the first shit that comes in to his tatty head. I held back, thinking that might be too simplistic.

That was a mistake.

[Boiler]

I noticed some left-wing bloggers are once again screaming "Nazi tactics!" about Johnson and how the UK is slipping into a fascist regime under him, with inevitable comparisons to Hitler and Trump.

I do wish they'd cut the histrionics.

[Bones McCoy]

I noticed some left-wing bloggers are once again screaming "Nazi tactics!" about Johnson and how the UK is slipping into a fascist regime under him, with inevitable comparisons to Hitler and Trump.

I do wish they'd cut the histrionics.

I agree that calls of "Fascism!" are greatly exaggerated.
But I think we need a better way to highlight the warning signs.

Two writers: Eco (1995) and Britt (2003) published slightly differing lists comprising 14 defining characteristics of Fascism.

Eco was particularly interested in the development of fascism through a phase he termed ur-Fascism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitio ... mberto_Eco

Brit provided more detailed examples for his 14 points, and related them to contemporary American politics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitio ... e_W._Britt


I'd propose that we replace hyperbole like "Johnson is leading his administration toward Fascism".
With "Johnson's administration has accumulated seven Eco points".