Boris

Yes Theresa May was good !

Yes Maybee70 but in fairness, she did deny it.

Yes: wasn’t Cummings wife the ‘unknown woman’ in an allegation against Johnson many years ago?

I have read a few interesting articles lemon suggesting that there is some sort of history between Cummings' wife and Johnson, but there again, moral reputation has never bothered Johnson so you could well be right! I do think Cummings is demonic though, he is obsessive in his desire to strip the civil service down, and although we can all cite examples of 'jobsworth' behaviour within government departments, the expertise of the civil service is essential to temper the worst excessive ideas of some MPs. The proposals coming from Patel are hopefully being reigned in by the Home Office for example. I will try and find the link about The Spectator, if you are interested

I would be very surprised if the next leader had Cummings to advise. Didn’t Cummings say once that he would only stay to get brexit done.

I doubt if Cummings would go quietly. That 'getting brexit done' thing may have applied a year ago but hey, he's got himself into a nice position of power and patronage (juicy contracts for all his cronies) and I don't think he'll want to give that up.

I would agree that Gove wants the top job, although he is supporting the current party line fully he is not an idealist. He will want the party to be more popular and soften the policies. His main disadvantage is that he is not a charismatic personality, wether that counts when party members vote remains to be seen, he doesn’t have to win a GE immediately the way BJ did.

MaizieD

Forgive me if this is ignorance, but if Johnson resigns doesn't the next leader of the tory party (and thus PM) have to be elected by party members and MPs?

Given the well reported rumblings of back bench MPs' 'unhappiness' with the Cummings regime do people think it at all likely that they would want Gove as their next leader as it would inevitably tighten Cummings' stranglehold?

Yes, the choice once again will be by a tiny minority of people who choose the leader and Prime Minister.

Apparently Gove is not popular amongst the wider membership (all 3 of them) so with luck he won’t be chosen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Cummings somehow fiddled that!

I would be very surprised if the next leader had Cummings to advise. Didn’t Cummings say once that he would only stay to get brexit done.

Forgive me if this is ignorance, but if Johnson resigns doesn't the next leader of the tory party (and thus PM) have to be elected by party members and MPs?

Given the well reported rumblings of back bench MPs' 'unhappiness' with the Cummings regime do people think it at all likely that they would want Gove as their next leader as it would inevitably tighten Cummings' stranglehold?

I agree.

For what it’s worth I think Cummings and Gove are much closer than Cummings and Johnson.

The former have set Johnson up as the fall guy, therefore leaving the door open for Gove to be the next PM and blame Johnson for the Covid and Brexit problems...... I hope I am wrong!

I don’t agree Gill ....I think Cummings ( who is closer to Gove than Johnson) just had the reputation for being ruthless and getting the job done, which is why he was appointed.
He isn’t ‘demonic’ ( no doubt he would be flattered to hear he was thought of as supernatural) and I doubt he has any hold over Johnson at all.

Gill -I agree.
Same suspicions lingering at the back of my mind for some time.
But even so, it couldn't be much worse than the reality now.

Even if he was in full health, Johnson would still be lazy, and lacking in commitment to the job which he so desperately wanted but doesn't seem to want to commit himself to. Still what did people expect? We were all warned by his previous employers that he was idle and untrustworthy, and that is without thinking about his moral behaviour. I have said it before, but a man who is able to lie to his employer, his wife(s), his mistress (es), his children, will find lying to the electorate very easy. There is definitely some sort of hold being exerted by the demonic Cummings, probably something involving his time at The Spectator which seems to be where they all have a common history. Cummings' wife works there.

Well put Mick

I read he was getting help from a fitness coach ,apart from his running and occasional bike rides.
Maybe under par due to trying to crash diet , if he has other symptoms such as diabetes caused through heavy drinking and high sugar levels.
He is a shadow of his former self
Mick

Good question farview. The idea of an unelected special advisor breaching rules he helped draft and being given his own press conference in the garden at number ten is stunning, the arrogance of the man, keeping the press waiting half an hour before making clear he didn’t give a fig about public disapproval. The term “special” seems to have confirmed his sense of entitlement.

Wonder just what gives Cummings so much power...what does he know?

Government of National Unity, LOL, you are joking of course, the Tories are never going to loose their grip on power, although they might relax their hard line in the New Year when BJ has gone, that’s the best we can hope for.

BJ was chosen as leader because he could sway voters to back Brexit, no other reason. A puppet with Cummings pulling the strings, what a disaster.

Iam I agree with most of what you’ve posted but I don’t think Johnson’s state of health ( whatever it is) has made any difference. He would always have made a pig’s ear of Covid given the power and influence of Cummings and the woeful Cabinet ( selected when he was in full health)

Johnson’s work history before he became PM confirmed he had no staying power, wanted the glory without the hard work that goes with it. His personal life confirms his sense of entitlement and lack of commitment or integrity.

His absence in February is said (by reliable sources) to have been in an attempt to resolve issues in his personal life.

I believe he was seriously ill with covid. I suspect he is still suffering the long term effects. He needed to convalesce but given Brexit and covid, he returned to work. I suspect he’s physically, mentally exhausted. I saw the image of Carrie on her own with the baby as reminiscent of the image of Diana at the Taj. A message in other words.

I’ve no regard for Johnson, no respect for him. I wonder what Cummings holds over him. I suspect Johnson and Gove know where each other’s bodies are buried.

Government of national unity anyone. Johnson takes a step back to “recuperate” But who steps forward as temp leader.

They won’t get rid of him until after brexit as most of the rebels - that didn’t- are also brexiters and they want brexit above anything else.

But boy his ass won’t touch the water early next year and he will be gone.

What would be brilliant is if Gove as Cummings favourite doesn’t get the leadership, which means that Cummings would be gone as well, and this dreadful period will be over.

David
‘I’m probably the harshest critic of BJ but’

Not while I’m around ?

I’m probably the harshest critic of BJ but seeing the pathetic figure bumbling on the TV broadcast last night even I felt sympathy.
He has lost it, wether it is Covid or stress, he has lost whatever little command he had.

No, not Mrs May, although she does dress much better than he does!

..adulterer, attempter of trying to hide existence of one child, abortion payer ... nice.