Crosswords0 min ago
Is This The End
The people have spoken, Boris and his party have lost two important by elections. Boris's own MPs were too frightened to get rid of him so the public have taken over and are going to do it for them.
Also the resignation of Oliver Dowden sent the Tories a message.
No Tory seat is safe anymore. These By election results will seep like poison through the Tory parties blood stream The exuses will start to be heard . But statistics are hard to ignore. This could be the beginning of the end of power for the Tories for decades. I hope.
Also the resignation of Oliver Dowden sent the Tories a message.
No Tory seat is safe anymore. These By election results will seep like poison through the Tory parties blood stream The exuses will start to be heard . But statistics are hard to ignore. This could be the beginning of the end of power for the Tories for decades. I hope.
Answers
In British politics there are now two blocs, the Tories and the anti-Tories. Take Tiverton. In the last two elections, Labour came second there. But in this by-election, they lost their deposit as their vote share dropped by 16 per cent. This isn’t because voters in rural Devon are particularly unpersuaded by Keir Starmer but because anti-Tory voters...
12:44 Fri 24th Jun 2022
Never been a fan of Alastair Campbell but here he sums up the whole situation.
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He’s saying more than Johnson’s cabinet colleagues. This from the BBC.
Cabinet ministers haven't exactly been bounding out of bed to defend the prime minister this morning.
The one person who was supposed to be on the airwaves defending the government this morning was former party chairman Oliver Dowden, whose resignation shocked the prime minister.
Usually, in times of crisis, loyal ministers rally around their leader on social media to prove that, at least publicly, their support is still intact.
Now, admittedly, these posts are normally pretty performative and often coordinated so that journalists like us don't swoop on them to speculate why they haven't shown their support.
However, the absence of even generic messages of support this morning is quite striking.
Five hours later, the chancellor Rishi Sunak posted on Twitter he was sad his colleague Oliver Dowden had resigned and "we all take responsibility for the results".
It hardly exuded confidence.
Of course, politics is more than just what people put on Twitter - but in times like these silence can often speak volumes.
They’re all definitely considering their positions, will do over the weekend and while for the next 8 days the cat’s away, well, let’s see if these mice will play?
Cabinet ministers haven't exactly been bounding out of bed to defend the prime minister this morning.
The one person who was supposed to be on the airwaves defending the government this morning was former party chairman Oliver Dowden, whose resignation shocked the prime minister.
Usually, in times of crisis, loyal ministers rally around their leader on social media to prove that, at least publicly, their support is still intact.
Now, admittedly, these posts are normally pretty performative and often coordinated so that journalists like us don't swoop on them to speculate why they haven't shown their support.
However, the absence of even generic messages of support this morning is quite striking.
Five hours later, the chancellor Rishi Sunak posted on Twitter he was sad his colleague Oliver Dowden had resigned and "we all take responsibility for the results".
It hardly exuded confidence.
Of course, politics is more than just what people put on Twitter - but in times like these silence can often speak volumes.
They’re all definitely considering their positions, will do over the weekend and while for the next 8 days the cat’s away, well, let’s see if these mice will play?
Zacs-Master
//'He’s saying more than Johnson’s cabinet colleagues.'
Yes, the 'former Labour spin doctor' would do.//
Lol, whatever!
Take a look instead then at what Tories are saying instead then.
https:/
//'He’s saying more than Johnson’s cabinet colleagues.'
Yes, the 'former Labour spin doctor' would do.//
Lol, whatever!
Take a look instead then at what Tories are saying instead then.
https:/
From The Guardian, a bit more in-depth from Howard.
Howard said he was now calling for Johnson’s resignation because the PM was no longer an election winner. Howard said.
I’m afraid I’d very reluctantly come to the conclusion that he shouldn’t [stay on]. His biggest asset has always been his ability to win votes. But I’m afraid yesterday’s results make it clear that he no longer has that ability.
And the best person in the Conservative Party to judge the mood, both of the party and of the electorate, is its chairman. I have enormous respect for Oliver Dowden and the implications of his resignation letter are, I think, very clear ...
I think the party, and even more importantly the country, would now be better off under new leadership.
Howard said that he thought Johnson was personally responsible for the “unacceptable” culture at No 10 exposed during Partygate. He said the byelections showed that that view is now shared by “very large numbers of people”.
Howard urged cabinet ministers to oust Johnson. When it was put to him that Johnson was not likely to resign of his own volition, he agree. But he went on:
But there are others who can take action who could make that course come about ... I think that action needs to be taken.
Who needs Campbell when you’ve got former Government ministers using these words.
Mind you, they’ve got history.
Johnson has lied to his former boss Howard before and got sacked for it, so I daresay Howard has certainly got the measure of him!
Howard said he was now calling for Johnson’s resignation because the PM was no longer an election winner. Howard said.
I’m afraid I’d very reluctantly come to the conclusion that he shouldn’t [stay on]. His biggest asset has always been his ability to win votes. But I’m afraid yesterday’s results make it clear that he no longer has that ability.
And the best person in the Conservative Party to judge the mood, both of the party and of the electorate, is its chairman. I have enormous respect for Oliver Dowden and the implications of his resignation letter are, I think, very clear ...
I think the party, and even more importantly the country, would now be better off under new leadership.
Howard said that he thought Johnson was personally responsible for the “unacceptable” culture at No 10 exposed during Partygate. He said the byelections showed that that view is now shared by “very large numbers of people”.
Howard urged cabinet ministers to oust Johnson. When it was put to him that Johnson was not likely to resign of his own volition, he agree. But he went on:
But there are others who can take action who could make that course come about ... I think that action needs to be taken.
Who needs Campbell when you’ve got former Government ministers using these words.
Mind you, they’ve got history.
Johnson has lied to his former boss Howard before and got sacked for it, so I daresay Howard has certainly got the measure of him!
Zacs-Master
//Yes, all well and good but it's just more words. I admit the cumulative effect of those words adds pressure but there's no actual, legal way I can see to oust Boris if he wants to be his usual belligerent self.//
Lol, who needs ‘legal’?
Certainly not Johnson! He’s already broken the law, is trying to change the legalities of Brexit and manipulating the ministerial code so that neither he nor his cabinet can be held legally responsible for future indiscretions.
Nothing to do with legal, it’s rules of party politics(Johnson has an aversion to rules though), just needs one cabinet minister to throw their hand in, the party hierarchy do the rest.
I’ll reiterate, he’s out of the country for a week, he won’t have the sycophants and crawly bum-licks around to defend the indefensible as per, they’ll be busy wrestling either with their consciences or constituents over the next week, that’s why there’s almost radio silence from all of them today, they’re heeding Howard’s words.
//Yes, all well and good but it's just more words. I admit the cumulative effect of those words adds pressure but there's no actual, legal way I can see to oust Boris if he wants to be his usual belligerent self.//
Lol, who needs ‘legal’?
Certainly not Johnson! He’s already broken the law, is trying to change the legalities of Brexit and manipulating the ministerial code so that neither he nor his cabinet can be held legally responsible for future indiscretions.
Nothing to do with legal, it’s rules of party politics(Johnson has an aversion to rules though), just needs one cabinet minister to throw their hand in, the party hierarchy do the rest.
I’ll reiterate, he’s out of the country for a week, he won’t have the sycophants and crawly bum-licks around to defend the indefensible as per, they’ll be busy wrestling either with their consciences or constituents over the next week, that’s why there’s almost radio silence from all of them today, they’re heeding Howard’s words.
Fatti: "Lol, in contrast to the steely-eyed, forward-thinking and thoroughly honest paragon of virtue with honed leadership skills and a degree in crisis management that Johnson is you mean? Pmsl." - yes, if you could look beyond foaming at the mouth over trivia you may see that Boris has in fact handled multiple crises very deftly.
ToraToraTora
//Fatti: "Lol, in contrast to the steely-eyed, forward-thinking and thoroughly honest paragon of virtue with honed leadership skills and a degree in crisis management that Johnson is you mean? Pmsl." - yes, if you could look beyond foaming at the mouth over trivia you may see that Boris has in fact handled multiple crises very deftly.//
Rofpmsl! Has he?
List them, then ask yourself why 148(and counting) of his own MP’s have no confidence in him? Why 2 Ethics advisers have resigned? Why his closest confidante of over 10 years resigned over the Starmer slur?
Why the Chairman of the Tory party has resigned? Why his Anti Corruption tsar resigned?
Ask Nazaneen Zhagari-Ratcliffe how he handled her case?
Ask Sue Gray why she had to investigate him and his governance of those in Downing St?
How’s he currently faring in the cost of living, fuel and travel chaos crises?
Sadly I can’t post for an hour or two, I’m off to the pictures.
Ironically the film opens today, I’m going to see the story and demise of a fat bloater who had a penchant for females far younger than himself, who suffered an undignified end.
He at least had some talent though, so there the comparison ends.
Knock out that list for me whilst I’m enjoying Elvis, there’s a good chap.
//Fatti: "Lol, in contrast to the steely-eyed, forward-thinking and thoroughly honest paragon of virtue with honed leadership skills and a degree in crisis management that Johnson is you mean? Pmsl." - yes, if you could look beyond foaming at the mouth over trivia you may see that Boris has in fact handled multiple crises very deftly.//
Rofpmsl! Has he?
List them, then ask yourself why 148(and counting) of his own MP’s have no confidence in him? Why 2 Ethics advisers have resigned? Why his closest confidante of over 10 years resigned over the Starmer slur?
Why the Chairman of the Tory party has resigned? Why his Anti Corruption tsar resigned?
Ask Nazaneen Zhagari-Ratcliffe how he handled her case?
Ask Sue Gray why she had to investigate him and his governance of those in Downing St?
How’s he currently faring in the cost of living, fuel and travel chaos crises?
Sadly I can’t post for an hour or two, I’m off to the pictures.
Ironically the film opens today, I’m going to see the story and demise of a fat bloater who had a penchant for females far younger than himself, who suffered an undignified end.
He at least had some talent though, so there the comparison ends.
Knock out that list for me whilst I’m enjoying Elvis, there’s a good chap.
Having survived through the second world war and lived under various governments and prime ministers I feel for the young people of today who are experiencing the goings on of the present government, and how this could cloud their judgement of politics, but I am more concerned with what they could be facing with the alternative of having the current Labour party running the country. They have seen their support for the industrial action that is being inflicted on the general public and how they will suffer if other unions carry out their threat to also come out on strike. The young people, like all of us have suffered over the last 2 years with unprecedented restrictions and just when they are trying to get their lives back to some normality they are dealing with a country that is faced with outright industrial action and the Labour Party, with their support for the strikers, are giving them no hope that if they were in Government they would be any different from what we have today.
