The leader has become a liability

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.

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.

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.

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 ...

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”

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.

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.

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”

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

Kali2

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

?

Richard Murphy

If the NHS really needed the £11 billion of extra funding that the national insurance increase from next April will provide how come Sunak can now be planning to cut income tax by at least £11bn, with most benefit going to the rich? Will the sick be paying for Sunak's tax cuts?

Urmstongran

mokryna

But I wasn’t allowed to vote like many others in Europe. We didn’t count. I am British.

Same for my stepfather in the Indy1 referendum in Scotland mokryna. He is in his 90th year. Born in the West Highlands. Speaks Gaelic fluently. However, he has lived here in Manchester for many years. Because he wasn’t resident in Scotland (even though he still owned the family house up there that his sister - who voted - lived in) he wasn’t allowed a vote either. Choices have consequences. That’s life.

But my exFrench husband who lived 20 years in China could still vote in France and I expect that although he has moved to Canada, he continues to do so.

Came across this in a book of quotations published in the mid 1980's.

"A conservative is someone who demands a square deal for the rich. "
David Frost TVam 1983

Also, opinions don't seem to change much it seems :-

The Conservative Party is an organised hypocrisy.
Benjamin Disraeli, speech in the House of Commons, 1845

Becoming a bigger liability by the day.

In normal times, deliberate lying to parliament has always - without exception - been a resignation matter.

No argument, the whole cabinet seem to be tainted by this.

So many liars.

youtu.be/XEx_kjKj6MU

It astounds me that anyone could have looked at boris the buffoon and thought “oh he will be an excellent PM”. That he is modelling himself on trump the deranged is even more staggering.

The current government are so deep in their daily lie telling that they wouldn’t know the truth if it bit them on the bum.

The conservatives have and always will be, in my opinion, the party of self interest. The “devil take the hindmost” brigade.

I have until the release of this video thought that Mr.Johnson was pretty much teflon coated .

If the Conservative backbenchers have any integrity they will start sending in their letters …

Wouldn't it be interesting if the standard Tory voter upset at the lack of integrity chose to vote differently? Perhaps that's what Starmer is hoping, that just as the Red Wall turned blue he can turn blue seats red. Because I'm fairly certain the Red wall seats will see things like this party as Boris just being one of the lads and admire him for doing it. Especially as many of them were probably doing similar things.

Dickens

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

Yes, but Nina Hagen is a fellow former East German and the song had a hidden message about how East Germany was.

Sorry, that's off-topic.

Galaxy

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

She's a conservative politician and a Christian. I didn't agree with her on many domestic issues, but on the world stage, she was statesmanlike and a true professional.

trisher

Wouldn't it be interesting if the standard Tory voter upset at the lack of integrity chose to vote differently? Perhaps that's what Starmer is hoping, that just as the Red Wall turned blue he can turn blue seats red. Because I'm fairly certain the Red wall seats will see things like this party as Boris just being one of the lads and admire him for doing it. Especially as many of them were probably doing similar things.

It’s a really difficult one for me trisher as our constituency MP is very effective at a local level.

I shall wait and see who the new leader of the Conservative Party is, along with the new (hopefully) Cabinet members and the manifesto.

The Conservatives will have to clean up their act enormously to secure my vote, at the moment I am politically homeless…

Kali2

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.

Was it Maggie Throup?

It was Maggie Throup, growstuff. Floundering...

MaizieD

It was Maggie Throup, growstuff. Floundering...

I didn't see it, but I wondered.

Throup has been in charge of vaccines since Zahawi moved to Education. She doesn't seem on top of her brief, which is why the civil servant, Emily Lawson, was moved back to run the vaccine booster programme.