I expect everyone can remember our posts during the Tory leadership elections and the extinctive knowledge that Johnson would be a disaster as leader.
How right we were.
Johnson is treating this great office of state as an entitlement rather than a huge responsibility. His reputation for laziness and ill preparedness means that his mentor Cummings can take total control and rule with an iron fist.
On Tuesday his performance was an absolute car crash. His incoherent argument was bumbled out resulting in his first voting lose, and his assurance that his majority of 1 dropped to -24 (I think, tbh I’ve lost count)
On Wednesday at PMQs- his backbencher must have sat more in hope than expectation and they weren’t disappointed. Within minutes of his standing it was clear that they were heading for another disaster. Instead of measured thoughtful replies, what we got was a show of excruciating narcissistic ego.
What he achieved was what many thought in the Tory party was impossible.
He made Corbyn look like a statesman.
However he totally lost the house once Dhesi stood up and asked him to apologise for his racist Islamophobic comments.
Johnson arrogance means however, that he is incapable of saying sorry - ever. So all the house got was a bumbling load of piffle
He couldn’t wait to scurry off back to his leave campaigners in number 10. He is safe there playing his fantasy war games with Cummings.
He came back later for even further humiliation. He lost the commons timetable and couldn’t even persuade them to decide to boot him out to run an election.
3 votes carried out 3 lost. 100% failure.
Ladies our instincts were so right.
Guaranteed that the evidence is being shredded by Cummings
Why the hell doesn't Johnson have the decency to be in Parliament tonight [well, he's there but hiding somewhere]. Snollygoster...
Jonathan Lis
@jonlis1
·
Big result just there. By 9 votes MPs just compelled a load of Tory advisers to present their phone evidence to explain why they just shut down parliament. Watch this one. It could prove one of the most explosive acts in years. Bringing down the gov could be the least of it.
growstuff, MaizieD, Whitewavemark2, Labaik, and Varian are right on the mark, I'm afraid. We can see nationalistic tendencies rearing up in many democratic nations as well as a "normalization" of authoritarian governments and dictatorships like those in Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria and North Korea.
The chipping away of democratic ideals happen very, very gradually and we often don't notice until it's too late to do anything. Increasingly, we see an assailing of legitimate press, the punishment/removal of political opponents and reward of wealthy/supporters, a tilting of the courts, the politicization of militaries and domestic security agencies, an undercutting of election integrity, the turning of a blind eye to financial corruption and a general violation of norms.
It takes only a cursory search to find a great many articles as well as considerable analysis about this creeping scourge. Have read many this year and found these two in under 60 seconds.
From Freedom House, an NGO that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights:
freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2019/democracy-in-retreat
From Just Security:
www.justsecurity.org/62231/2019-global-march-authoritarianism-turn-stampede-slog/
WWM2; struggled to understand what was happening about the phone business although it was obvious Cummings featured largely in it.
Thanks for that gmarie
The constant criticisms and ridicule thrown at Corbyn would continue if someone with the same values and policies succeeded him. It is really his criticisms of what Heath called the "unacceptable face of capitalism" - the ruthlessness exhibited towards the less well off, the poor regulation of banks and other institutions, the determination to privatise public services at whatever social and financial cost, the prioritisation of the wealthy over the rest of the population - that the right of the Conservative Party and their wealthy donors hate and fear. As with all Labour prime ministers (but more particularly with Corbyn because, at least in the last few decades he is a person identified more strongly with socialist values, there has been every effort expended to ridicule, criticise and blacken the names of Labour leaders - eg Wilson, Foot, Brown, Miliband.
The only leader who will be acceptable to the wealthy and their cheerleaders in the mostly right wing media is someone who is willing to bend over backwards to accommodate the powerful and wealthy. Blair did some good things when he became prime minister but his acquiescence in the face of the powerful - allowing "light touch" financial regulation, initiating private finance initiatives, extending licensing hours, and changing the gambling laws - have had very negative economic and social effects further down the line.
As others have pointed out, this cosying up to the powerful, such as Murdoch, left him "out of the firing line" and enabled him to get elected. This is the dilemma for the Labour Party but, for me, despite this major difficulty, Corbyn is the best option.
The history of the last three and a half years could have been so different if the Labour Party had elected any other leader.
Perhaps things would be very different if the Tories had elected a different leader?
Perhaps if Mrs May had included all the parties in putting together a negotiating position, things would be different.
Perhaps it would have been different if they had all voted for different leaders but they didn't and it isn't. Whatever you feel about the LP and Corbyn, Varian, you have plenty of arguments that back your point of view. That, in my opinion isn't one of them.
Can’t say it too strongly
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