Next Tory Leader.

suziewoozie I think whoever gets "the poison chalice" of leader of the Conservatives and consequently PM, will not be in a position to deliver anything, whether it be Brexit or new policy ideas.

In my opinion there is not one MP on either side of the house showing any "Statesman/woman" qualities. I have absolutely no idea what will happen in the near future, and honestly do not think any of the current MPs do either.

Boris (The Buffon) Johnson is now saying that if he becomes Prime Minister, Britain will refuse to pay the already agreed thirty-nine billion "divorce bill" settlement until the EU gives the UK a better deal.

He apparently does not realise that the vast majority of the above figure is money already owed to the European Union, and should Britain refuse to pay the EU will simply take the United Kingdon through the International courts.

That would ruin the British government's financial credibility worldwide, just at a time when we were looking to do trade deals with so many countries across the globe.

Thank goodness I missed the McVey interview [was watching Killing Eve on catchup…]. Why is there no public outcry about what is happening at the moment, especially as the politicians still keep banging on about 'democracy'...

I muted Esther McVey which meant that I got distracted and missed Barry Gardiner.
Did he say anything of interest?

Mind you, if you know people who work in finance in the City- cocaine taking is just 'normal'. jura I remember a friend's DD telling me, when she worked in London at the HQ of a national company, she was considered 'odd' because she would not use cocaine (or any drugs).

So Gove admits 'committing a crime' regarding his past drug taking.

How does our law work? Could he, theoretically, be prosecuted now off the back of this?

I'm not saying that he should be, but I certainly wonder if that possibility exists.

Yes, but Grandad1943. Johnson knows this, so he is lying AGAIN. The bulk of this amount of money is to finance commitments signed up to and agreed by UK when a member of the EU, as we still are, and future cost commitments such as pensions for EU staff, MEPs etc. Johnson is completely unfit for public office; he either knows he is lying and does not care, or he thinks he is telling the truth in which case he has a serious problem. I just cannot believe anyone would think this liar, adulterer, cheat, incompetent fool is suitable for the position. I am prepared to believe that a small majority of those who elected thought that Brexit was a good idea, but I am seriously concerned that anyone would ever think Johnson is a good idea for the position of PM. I shall contact my Brexit supporting MP and ask who he thinks is the best candidate.

Well, he said it wouldn't cause a problem for him going to America if he becomes PM....[and didn't Trump say he didn't know Gove even though their are pictures of them meeting up a while back; do they think we have short memories ?]...

cocaine taking is just normal
I have been thinking about all the people I have known who have taken cocaine.
A Solicitor
A senior manager in the health service.
A chef
A Dental Nurse.
Lots of builders
Lots of people in the car trade.
A PA to someone in Linklaters.
A musician.
All ordinary people. It's everywhere.

I can’t say that I don’t know anyone who takes cocaine but no one in my close friendship circle has ever told me that they do. Of my wider acquaintances, we’ve never discussed it at all. But I suppose none of us live in all possible worlds. I’ve never smoked but I do drink - gin and wine ( not together) I’ve never been in a social situation where I’ve been offered cocaine.

Gove apparently took cocaine on several occasions, according to today's tv programme and since it is a Class A drug, it was a crime - one which he got away with.
What got up my nose was the constant repetition of his sincere and profound regret and how he cares for every single person. He didn't properly respond to the question/comment about the article he wrote in the Times in 1999 in which he criticised middle class professionals who take cocaine. Written around the time he was taking the drug. He also dodged the question about completing an ESTA form on which there is a question asking if the traveller has taken any Class A drugs. If the answer was yes, then you are not allowed into the States.

I have no problem with people taking drugs. As a young adult I smoked dope for a number of years, acid on several occasions and coke once. What I do not like is the hypocrisy of the Tory MPs. Does anyone remember Cecil Parkinson and Sarah Keays debacle? He resigned from the government after the pregnancy came to light and used all the means that he could to prevent the identity of his daughter becoming known, whilst at the same time talking about the sanctity of marriage.

As far as I am concerned it's not the fact that he took cocaine - he probably moved in the type of circles that did at that particular time and he admits it was a 'mistake'.

It's the fact that he had just written a journalistic piece opposing the liberalisation of the drugs laws and saying that they were there for a purpose.
Only if you got caught apparently.

Re: Sun 09-Jun-19 12:54:48

I couldn't agree more Labaik if we have to have this circus surely all they should be allowed to do is say they will take us through on the same manifesto they stood on in the election. The government hasn't changed and we do not have presidential elections. We are being far too polite about people thinking our democracy belongs to them; it belongs to us all.

The problem is that times have changed. Behaviour that was once considered totally unacceptable in a politician is now not just tolerated, but ignored - adultery, habitual lying, taking class A drugs, law-breaking, cheating, hypocracy of the first order - all shrugged off like water off a duck's back.

The same people who might boast about how they believed in religious principles, democracy, family values, truth, decency - now chose to turn a blind eye to appalling behaviour for the good of the Conservative Party or to"deliver brexit".

Donald Trump once said something that was actually true - that he could stand in the middle of New York and shoot somebody and his followers would still vote for him. Have we now sunk to the same depths???

Listening to something yesterday a guy was saying that all over the world groups of people are going through a mass psychosis. I actually think he may be right.

The thing that is amazing me is that buffoon Trump and buffoon Johnson are deluding people while breaking the very social mores that these people hold dear. They now shake them off as if they don't matter.

Psychosis is a mental health problem that causes people to perceive or interpret things differently from those around them. This might involve hallucinations or delusions.

Have we now sunk to the same depths???
varian - or is it that society has become more debased and these things are more the norm?

I don't know how old you are but things that we may have considered quite shocking are now considered normal, do our television programmes cause some of this or are they a product of what society has become?

I don't think it is just the Conservative Party - I think these truths have come to the fore now because of the leadership contest but, were the spotlight to be on others we could hear some equally uncomfortable truths.
Many of them are products of the 70s and 80s which I think were far more liberal than the 60s - at least the early 60s. I only knew one person who 'did drugs' in those days.

At this rate the PM will have to be the candidate who 'isn't' one that should be in jail but isn't...[if there is one, that is...]#i'mconfusingmyselfhere

Sadly , people mistake load mouthed strident animated speakers who talk passionately about the topics that are of huge importance to the electorate as a sign of strength & substance, believing they will be delivered , sadly & belatedly they do or will come to realise that nothing could be further from the truth.!

I think you are probably right Callistemon. When I was a student in the early 60's. not only did I not take drugs, I was not aware of anyone else around me taking drugs, in fact I don't think I had ever even heard of drug taking.

It may be that my ancient Scottish university in the early sixties was, in some ways, still stuck in the 1950s, but looking back now, it does seem like an age of innocence. The most shocking thing as I remember was some girl "having to get married" because she was ever so slghtly pregnant. How times have changed in our lifetimes!

It seems that the choice now is between a proven liar (who is probably still lying), someone with a criminal past and two who want to shut down parliament. Really!!!! If it was in a book or TV series you'd say it was too far fetched!

Someone said to me before the referendum that the problem with a lot of politicians in the Conservative Party was that were just journalists. And this was someone on a Conservative stall at a local market.

I don't know how many of these Tory leadership candidates took drugs at one time or another but Matthew d'Ancona may have a point when he writes "Hard Brexit is the drug the Tories need to wean themselves off"

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/09/hard-brexit-drugs-tories-eu

With several leadership contenders admitting that they’ve taken illegal substances, the Conservative Party has decided to bite the bullet and choose the next Prime Minister on their ability to take copious amounts of drugs.
The Ulster Fry understands that Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are currently holed up in bedsit in Camden, where they’ll smoke immense quantities of dope before undergoing a series of drug fuelled challenges to see who’s the biggest stoner.
“They have to show that they can still roll a joint one-handed after numerous hits on the Tory Party’s official bong,” explains Elis Dee, the MP for Little Snorting. “They’re both struggling a bit, but the local branch of the Conservative Women’s Association are keeping them supplied with munchies so we hope to have a result soon.”
Elsewhere, Andrea Leadsom and Dominic Raab are also trying to prove their leadership credentials.
“They’re appearing before the Party Committee in Ketamine-on-Sea,” says Dee. “We believe they’re both taking multiple doses of Calpol in an attempt to show that they’re real contenders.”
Senior Conservatives have denied that having a druggy past should be a barrier to becoming the next Prime Minister.
“We don’t really have much option,” says Party Vice-Chairman Ebeneezer Goode.”It seems most of the leading candidates were off their tits during the 80s and 90, and to be fair, you’d have to be off your tits on something to want this job.”

So, now we have Boris (The Buffoon) Johnson stating if he becomes Prime Minister, there will be tax cuts for the more wealthy in Britain.

No thought of solving the housing crisis, or the problems of the cash-starved NHS, or of the Police Service, or many other of the problems facing Britain.

Just more once again for the few, and nothing for struggling working families or anyone else, and then the Tories wonder why they have no appeal to younger people.

This should not be an election of a new Tory party leader and Prime Minister; it should be a General Election so that all may have a say in the future of Britain.

While he was Education Secretary, Michael Gove brought in changes that disqualify for life, any teacher caught using Class A drugs such as cocaine.

Why does this not apply to MPs, who surely are in an even greater position of responsibility?

‘Do as I say not as I do’ comes to mind. I think he’s toast now.