The leader has become a liability

Oh, will do, don't worry, will do.

Tweet

About the failure that is Brexit

“They’ll deny it, then they’ll tell you you’re petty for minding, that the matter is closed and it’s time to move on, that they’re too busy doing big important govt things now and that people don’t care about it anyway…

Ignore it all.

Keep minding”

Kali2

Those of us who wanted BREXIT had nowhere to turn. No one was on their side. Until Boris made his promise. To Get Brexit Done.

Regarding his popularity, I think many (how many?) of his supporters are now realising that although he got Brexit "done", he isn't necessarily on their side.

The 'just about managing' (Theresa May) are being hit in the pocket, I don't need to list the issues, and the rather rosy picture painted of a post-Brexit Britain by Johnson and his government is beginning to sour.

Maudi

The result marked an atrocious evening for the Liberal Democrats. Polling just 3% of the vote, the Party lost their £500 deposit coming fifth behind Reform UK and the Green Party.

The end of the Liberal Democrats and the Greens ?

The Reform Party Richard Tice came third with more votes than the Lib Dems and Greens combined.

Apparently the Lib Dems are concentrating on the next by election (Owen Patterson's seat) and so weren't bothering too much about Bexley.

Tweet

“I'm so pleased at this win. I grew up in #Worthing & I never thought I would see it have a Labour Council. My mum (89) has voted Tory most of her life but she voted Labour last council election. Cuts to NHS, BBC licence fees for pensioners, triple lock, & brexit swayed her”

Whitewavemark2

I agree and I think that the assumption that I said otherwise is incorrect, however the fact that a council that has been Tory since it’s inception and has now lost the majority is definitely worthy of comment.

... it'll certainly be something the Tory party will ruminate on ...

How can anyone say that discussing Johnson has nothing to do with Brexit. People have said again and again, as here

''And here’s the rub.
Those of us who wanted BREXIT had nowhere to turn. No one was on their side.
Until Boris made his promise. To Get Brexit Done.

Now many feel a great loyalty towards Boris. It will not easily be forgotten.'' (urmstongran on this thread recently. and many many more on so many threads for months).

So you can't have it both ways, say you voted for Johnson to get Brexit done, and at the same time to say Brexit should not be mentionned when discussing Johnson.

I agree and I think that the assumption that I said otherwise is incorrect, however the fact that a council that has been Tory since it’s inception and has now lost the majority is definitely worthy of comment.

lemongrove

Exactly Vis Councils are very changeable and people vote for somebody they like, often quite different from how they vote in a GE.

Our Tory MP has done more for the local community than the other MPs combined. Through his tireless and dogged determination he managed to re-instate the local hospital's A&E services which had been closed down. If it were not for him, we would be travelling nigh on 40 miles to the hospital designated to access emergency treatment. I cannot even begin to imagine the time, energy and effort he had to give to achieve this.

In a local election in my constituency I think it would be very much a case of people voting for someone they liked, but in a GE - who knows? I think people's reasons for voting (or not) are so varied that it's impossible to determine a trend that can forecast the results of a GE. So I think you are right. The results are interesting, but I don't think they are predictive.

"Johnson is someone who lies all the time. Lies are ontological, elemental, essential for him"

So ? I just subtitled into English what my friend
@MarionVanR
said about him on French TV, mentioning, among other things, the
@PeterStefanovi2
video ?

twitter.com/AlexTaylorNews/status/1466122815464169476?s=20

MaizieD

I'm sorry you've done that, Dickens. Threads wander all over the place and you really shouldn't let anyone dictate what you can, or cannot, post.

I tried to be objective and on reflection decided that what I'd written risked turning the thread into a discussion about Brexit itself which I don't think was the OP's intention.

I certainly don't make any apology for mentioning it in relation to Johnson's popularity (or otherwise) - which is why I left my other comments intact. He is popular with many purely because of it, so it's quite valid to bring the subject into the discussion .

Visgir1

Whitewavemark2

Yes they’ve lost control of a council that was forever a solid Tory council. The Tory south of England is beginning to look decidedly wobbly.

Councils are really different beasts. My local city in the South of England has x2 MP's x1 Labour x1 Tory and a Liberal council leader.

Exactly Vis Councils are very changeable and people vote for somebody they like, often quite different from how they vote in a GE.

MayBee70

Seems to me that scientists, doctors or lawyers are the best people to have in government. Maybe the days of second rate journalists are over. I hope so.

Mind you, who was the poor Tory woman, a scientist apparently, who was on Question Time last night. Wow, I almost felt sorry for her- trying to deny what we all know is the truth (Christmas party) and support Johnson and policies. She had NO chance, and she was pretty hopeless at responding anyway. Lamb to slaughter. And I don't think there was a single person supporting her or Johnson in the audience- considering it was Weston-super-Mare, that was just incredible.

Whitewavemark2

Yes they’ve lost control of a council that was forever a solid Tory council. The Tory south of England is beginning to look decidedly wobbly.

Councils are really different beasts. My local city in the South of England has x2 MP's x1 Labour x1 Tory and a Liberal council leader.

Yes they’ve lost control of a council that was forever a solid Tory council. The Tory south of England is beginning to look decidedly wobbly.

Whitewavemark2

Tories lose control of Worthing.

First time ever!!

Labour and Conservatives have 17 seat’s apiece, Liberal Democrats have 2 and an Independent has 1

Seems to me that scientists, doctors or lawyers are the best people to have in government. Maybe the days of second rate journalists are over. I hope so.

Tories lose control of Worthing.

First time ever!!

She seems competent, I dont agree with her on a number of social issues such as same sex marriage.

She's a physicist.

I like her.

Sadly, the Torygraph don't like that kind of thing.

I used to admire Angela Merkel. I thought her compassionate, intelligent and a safe pair of hands during her tenure as Chancellor for 16 years.

However many reports coming out of Germany seem to indicate the wheels are coming off the bus, sadly.

This from the Telegraph is just one example:

“.... broadcast live to the German nation, marks the end of the Merkel era. This Grosser Zapfenstreich dates back three centuries to Frederick the Great, who imported ceremonies by torchlight from Tsarist Russia. Mrs Merkel might not seem to have much in common with Prussia’s most martial monarch, but she was brought up in Bandenburg, the heartland of “Old Fritz”, and there is something profoundly Prussian about her legacy.

It isn’t just her frugality and formality, her sentimentality and ruthlessness, her love of rules and regulations that mark her out as a proper Prussian. In her long reign Mrs Merkel has recast Germany in her own image: happy to carry on pretending that everything is fine, when in reality every major problem is postponed, evaded or brushed under the carpet. As so often in its chequered history, Merkel’s Germany is a nation in denial.”

Perhaps you should make voting compulsory as it is here . Can’t see it happening though, so the low turn out rates will no doubt continue and Boris will reign supreme once again.

Whitewavemark2

Did anyone see Angela Merkel’s retirement speech?

My goodness it was impressive.

She is everything that Johnson is not.

Intelligent, a woman of integrity, capable and competent.

A clear thinker who is able to convey every message with sense and clarity.

... interesting choice of music she made - 70s Punk rock

Did anyone see Angela Merkel’s retirement speech?

My goodness it was impressive.

She is everything that Johnson is not.

Intelligent, a woman of integrity, capable and competent.

A clear thinker who is able to convey every message with sense and clarity.

Visgir1

How many under 30's Vote?
I work with quite a few, they never Vote.... Even in the General elections.

I've spoken to too many in that age group - and a tad older - who say that they "don't get involved in politics", and the odd one or two that admit they don't really "understand much about it".

A few weeks ago I was talking to a nurse (30-something) and she told me that she didn't know who stood for what - she actually asked me if Boris Johnson was Conservative or Labour. Hard to believe, but I promise it's true.

When I was at school, we had mock elections - everyone got involved, and it was great fun... other GN'ers did the same, I'm sure my school was not unique.

Why are some young people so apathetic - it's their futures at stake. Which I've pointed out, but they just shrug and say things like, "yeah, I know, but what can you do?".

Not good.