I know….I can’t always be arsed to read all the way and then go back xyz pages to find the post I thought about replying to. Lazy, I know. I’ve resisted the temptation to answer the Hot Chocolate question….
That’s very funny. I can’t see Johnson serving under anyone, let alone Sunak. The only possible deal is Sunak serves Johnson on a promise for the leadership, but he would be mad to trust a man he dethroned for lying.
I didn't say they would unify around De Pfeffel 'liking' him. Let's be clear they all knew exactly what he was during his first attempt at an ascent for power (until Gove done for him) and his 2nd 'successful' ascent. This is just kicking to civil war can further down the road.
I’m rubbish at playing Mystic Meg but I’m increasingly sure Johnson’s not going to run. Some big allies outside of the HoC of his have come out for Sunak (‘Lord’ Frost, Charles Moore) and it’s clearly a mess of a job to take on right now. His whole psyche requires him to play the saviour and frankly at the moment he’d be saving the Tories largely from… his own failings/decisions. That doesn’t computer. Plus even the point about him having a mandate based on the 2019 manifesto runs only skin deep. There’s no way anything substantial from that can be delivered now given the economic outlook. His policy platform - such as any exists with such Johnson - will have to be entirely different. Having posted this he’ll probably declare his candidacy within the hour.
Please get Mordaunt in, at least I can have a tommy tank while I am being lied to until the next general election. It will keep me warm during the winter too.
Last time the Tories got divided, they shat out Brexit. What are they gonna top that with this time? Nuclear war with Russia?
I think he will run, but you are right to identify that there is plenty of opposition. Should he and Sunak be put before the hairy-eared old bats in the membership, it seems certain Boris will win. But he would inherit a Parliamentary party deeply sceptical of him. This first challenge to get to 100 is the most crucial for Johnson. Sunak has the opposite problem of course, that the membership is lukewarm on him and the voters more so. Only certain outcome is civil war at some point down the line.
They’ve been trying to manufacture enemies. Trade Unions, the ‘antigrowthcoalition’, cancel culture (ironically pushed by people with almost unlimited access to announce their views to the media), the Woke etc. My guess is that the most reliable enemy is still the EU. We may to rejoin it so we can leave again.
It seems like a terribly sequel plot twist. To have finally got rid of Boris, about a year too late, only for him to return within weeks, with plenty of people on social media (Russian Bots?) Seemingly gleeful that this narcissistic buffoon could come back. It's like the reverse of Ghostbusters, they literally saved the city of New York from a giant marshmallow, devil dogs and an inter dimensional demon, but a few months later, everyone forgot and they had to destroy Vigo the Carpathian in order to regain their freedom.
It seems inevitable to me now. If he's in the last two then he will be PM. It really is incredible that people still can't see through him. He was literally on holiday while the HoC was sitting last week. He couldn't give a flying fig about his constituents or the country. It's just about him and his ego yet people still support him. It's a cult.
Just so grim. I'm not convinced he has 100. Boris needs people to feel confident he can get to 100, as then he will win with the members. If Boris gets 100, the only thing that could stop him is a very convincing lead for Rishi, once it becomes very obvious that Mordaunt can't get the 100 votes. It would be very bad for the party if it is again led by someone with so few of the MPs on board (as we've already seen), and there would be a lot of internal pressure to stop him from progressing. But even then, Boris seems the type to shrug off pressure from his own party and take it to the members anyway. Because he puts himself before party and always will do.
If the Sunak camp think Johnson has scraped to 100, watch his supporters pile in behind Mordaunt. However, the margins to win in a 3 way fight where they all get >100 will be very fine.
David Davis has gone for Sunak, which isn’t that surprising. But it’s another party heavyweight not in the Johnson camp. Also lots of suggestions that Boris isn’t at 100 yet even though his side are briefing they are.
As bluffs go it's an effective one, if not ethical. Tell people you have 100 even though you don't, sway the weak minded sitting on the fence who don't want to be on the losing side. Plenty of weak minded self-preserving cowards in the Tory party after Johnson's last purge, unfortunately.
Kemi Badenoch has declared she and @Lloyd are on Team Sunak. The agony from the Telegraph’s comment section is palpable.
The mental gymnastics by the pro bojo lobby is similar to the brexit mentalness. Claiming they have democracy on their side, for a man who has perverted democracy and undermined all the institutions of this nation's government. Boris, more than anyone has played a key role in transforming this ancient democracy jnto a kleptocratic banana republic.
FWIW this was 'pulled' by the 'PM4PM' (geddddddddddddittttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) campaign:
What on earth is going on, this surely is some kind of attack on our democracy? Are we at war without realising it and the enemy was here all along?
It’s broken and desperate, you can’t blame people for flailing around like drowning sailors at the minute though. That’s all the Conservative party can prey on now.
Given the amount of influence Tory members get and given you don’t even need to have the ability to vote or even have any British nationality whatsoever to become a member, our enemies would have to be pretty stupid to not take advantage.
I meant within the government itself, this situation is far past it all being accidental. Why make it all so obvious?
Same thing happened a few years ago with Jess Phillips when the press decided she was exactly what Labour needed and earmarked her as a future leader. Totally baffling - just an attention seeking loudmouth. Badenoch is a bit more polished and in tune with the views of the party membership (well, up until she backed Sunak this time) but having watched her speech when she ran for leader last time, is deeply unimpressive. There was nothing beyond the culture war stuff and she's a terrible, stilted communicator.
It is similar, though Badenoch is popular with Tory members, whereas Phillips was always disliked by Labour ones. Phillips has a much larger media profile than party profile. To be fair, she has been marginally more tolerable of late, meaning she is now simply annoying as opposed to ‘very’ or ‘extremely’.
