Boris Johnson

Yes, they think they're so funny don't they Jane?

Well, I like Boris, too, and I'm delighted he's joined the Brexit brigade. Yes, of course he's plotting for the leadership, he's a career politician, so why wouldn't he? I read his life story not long ago and, yes, he is not exactly good husband material either but that doesn't mean he would not make a good PM, does it? I don't think his private life should come into it and neither should his dress sense. Go, Boris!

It is a relatively high risk strategy though but I guess he is going for broke. Most of the grass roots Tories are probably in his pocket though, so he probably only had to convince a few more back benches as there are at least 100 in the leave camp. What is interesting is if the decision to give the Westminster clique the official title who will be the leader. Now that is of some interest.

He is crouching tiger. He is certainly not a bufoon. He is playing the game

I was taught to call people they when in their company is as rude as calling a person he or she whilst in their company, people have names

Trying to cope with a none sleeping grandchild -buffoon !

From A Diary of The Lady by Rachel Johnson:

'Give up, Debo. As soon as a Johnson wants to win, it's all over ' said by a friend to the Duchess of Devonshire about a bookshop competition won by Stanley Johnson.

Ann Leslie said 'they (the Johnsons) are like Hungarians - they enter a revolving door behind you but always come out in front'

I like that last quote Ethrel.

Prime Minister Johnson and President Trump. We could be heading for interesting times!

Which leave camp will get the official title? I guess the grass roots group should get it as they probably represent a wider variety of people, but the Westminster Tories are probably pulling out all the stops.

David Cameron calling leaving the EU a leap in the dark is a bit perturbing to me. He needs to get himself better informed. He could be leader on June 24th with there being a leave vote. I think he needs a lot more idea of what leaving probably means, and what it entails, than he does at present to be able to lead the country. The Out campaign seems to know so he should too. Else Boris really will get his job.

Boris's dad is being unnecessarily pessimistic. I think if he has chosen the losing team, the government will come back together after the referendum. Norty daddy. Very unsupportive.

I've got a feeling that whichever way it goes, it'll make sod-all difference to most of us.

Hmm! Both of the big political parties are totally divided. Labour under the new leadership but reasonably firm over the EU, and the Tories over the perennial problem of the EU. Not at all clear that if the vote is to remain -as the polls suggest it will be at the moment- that this will stop the leavers. But Boris will definitely be finished as a leader contender. If the vote is leave then Cameron is finished and possibly the fallout from the debate over the next 3 months will preclude other of those who chose remain. Boris, Gove, and Patel, are looking to the future with hope.

Cameron has the advantage of being relatively popular as PM, and so has the advantage within the country as a whole, Boris is popular with perhaps 2/3rds of the grass roots Tories and a large block of backbenchers.

Boris Johnson,Domald Trump. Can you tell them apart? I can't.

Same hair, same bombast, both prone to daft ideas and outrageous statements. Imagine Trump in the White pouse and Boris in Downng Street. It will be Bush and Blair all over again, only more so!

Listening to Five Live Radio early this morning and reading comments posted on Gransnet and Disqus. I wonder if there is a conspiracy in the making. BoJo and Dave (both of whom I like, by the way) have been the best of friends since early youth. The super deal for UK within the EU recently agreed by 26 other countries is, in my opinion, pathetic. We still don't have sovereignty. We still have extremely limited trade with EU partners; eg, Sweden, Denmark, et al. Smirking Merkel and Jolly Holly-ande still have the veto card. What if the In/Out campaign is to force Brussels back to the table to get them to give UK back what it once had.

Just one more discussion I heard on RT earlier. Polish people are migrating to UK because they, in turn, have been invaded by migrating Lithuanians who, in turn, fear invasion by Russia. Both populations of these countries apparently also fear German invasion. Don't we all. Ask France.

I think initially the momentum will be with the leavers, as it is a bubble waiting to burst for the past 40 years. However once the dust settles the numbers for and against will become clearer. Cameron has both the majority of the cabinet with him as well as the commons. Interesting to hear from the Lords as they may well get overexcited with an unaccustomed vote

Why are the avenues and roads in France lined with trees? So that the Germans can march in the shade of course.

I thought the Lords is made up of cronies these days and have been so since King Tony was in charge. I call him King because he used Royal Prerogative in the Sovereign's name to by-pass Parliament and to take us into the Iraq war. I hope both Houses have since made a law preventing any PM to have this power.

Blair did not use the Royal prerogative, the vote went to parliament

Celtic Rose - love your joke!

It would be interesting to hold a referendum for IN or OUT on Gransnet. Reading some of the above posts I'm not sure which would win.

We did for the last election and I think it re-elected the final result.

You like a racist joke, do you?

" But even if you still somehow believe that he will have a massive impact on the referendum result, it seems difficult to believe that impact will be wholly positive.

For a start, it is already abundantly clear that Boris's decision was taken almost exclusively for his own political benefit. Unlike his aspiring successor Zac Goldsmith, whose endorsement for Leave was obviously a principled one which will make it harder for him to win power, Boris's decision is a nakedly obvious attempt to increase his chances of becoming Conservative leader and prime minister.

This fact is so clear it hardly even needs stating. In neither the eight years that Boris has been mayor nor in any of the years preceding it, has he ever publicly declared a desire to leave the EU. Many of those who know him personally say he has always been broadly in favour of remaining in the union. He only told the prime minister of his change of heart within minutes of announcing it on television."

So Boris changed his mind at the last minute.

Integrity personified