The North Shropshire Byelection *edited by GNHQ*

I am not hard hearted enough not to feel sorry that the joy of a new baby daughter must be being overshadowed by the paternal shambles. Still, as we all know, we must live with the decisions we have made.

Boris Johnson has accepted responsibility for the North Shropshire election result but, at the same time, blamed the media for concentrating on "politics and politicians"... "what people have been hearing is a litany of stuff about politics and politicians and stuff that isn’t about them and things we can do to make life better.”

Although I am not a fan of Jeremy Corbyn, Johnson should reflect on the fact that the media did the same to him - concentrated on his politics, and the politicians surrounding him, and they didn't acknowledge any of the "stuff" that he thought might make life better, either.

Yes, the media have played politics - that's what they do - have always done... and Johnson, having been a journalist and part of the media circus himself, should know that better than anyone.

He manipulated the media to get where he is but now it seems that even the ultra right wing press is falling out of love with him.

So, varian ......was the result in Shropshire that of inbred voters there?Because that’s what you called them the day before the election! ??

An interviewee on the news today said what has happened is that people that wanted brexit were happy for Johnson to lie to get brexit done ( ie proroguing parliament) but then weren’t happy to find that he then lied to get things that they didn’t want.

Perhaps you will learn a lesson from that.Diss politicians all that you like but don’t insult anyone else because they don’t vote for the same political party that you do.
There isn’t a swing nationwide to the Lib Dems ( fat chance!) but only the usual....giving a kicking to warn their favoured party that they’re not happy with current behaviour.

lemongrove

So, varian ......was the result in Shropshire that of inbred voters there?Because that’s what you called them the day before the election! ??

Two heads = twice as many brains lemongrove

?? Like this

OMG. inbred. I originate from Oswestry and am not inbred. Father def wasn’t from Shropshire ?

As seen on Twitter Who knew the revolution would start in North Shropshire.

Dickens The media concentrated on politics and politicians because the politicians were showing themselves to be ammoral, greedy, ignoring rules, whether COVID or financial, deceitful and consummate liars.

Of course this matters to us. We expert our poiticians to be, if not 'sea green incorruptables' but at least to be trustworthy.

There must be few people in this country, seeing Boris Johnson shambling around international meetings, looking as if he has just got out of bed, among the alert well presented leaders of other countries and not feel shame, especially when these leaders see the way he has protected his cronies, and at a time of great crisis in the country refused to obey the rules he has set for others.

The Guardian reported today that many of the electorate in North Shropshire expressed a real personal distaste for Boris Johnson and the very low turnout, only 46% probably reflects the number of Conservative voters, who would vote for no other party, but would rather not vote than vote for a party led by Boris Johnson.

Farzanah

OMG. inbred. I originate from Oswestry and am not inbred. Father def wasn’t from Shropshire ?

We were discussing Oswestry yesterday - the best orthopaedic hospital!

They might be inbred, *Farzanah, but they are decent!

Market Drayton origins here

M0nica

Dickens The media concentrated on politics and politicians because the politicians were showing themselves to be ammoral, greedy, ignoring rules, whether COVID or financial, deceitful and consummate liars.

Of course this matters to us. We expert our poiticians to be, if not 'sea green incorruptables' but at least to be trustworthy.

There must be few people in this country, seeing Boris Johnson shambling around international meetings, looking as if he has just got out of bed, among the alert well presented leaders of other countries and not feel shame, especially when these leaders see the way he has protected his cronies, and at a time of great crisis in the country refused to obey the rules he has set for others.

The Guardian reported today that many of the electorate in North Shropshire expressed a real personal distaste for Boris Johnson and the very low turnout, only 46% probably reflects the number of Conservative voters, who would vote for no other party, but would rather not vote than vote for a party led by Boris Johnson.

... all true.

But I was commenting on Johnson's 'apology' and his acceptance of responsibility for the result - and then basically blaming the media, in the same breath...

Well, lunch time's interview was a car crash, as you say he took responsibility, but blamed the media.

But the media will not publish things that people are not interested in and to the lumpen proletariat, (people like you and me) the probity of our poiticians does matter, whether Boris thinks we should not be interested in it or not.

This is something Corbyn didn't get either. If we are to trust and believe in the the promises politicians make, we must first be sure that those politicians are trustworthy and there was good reason from the start to doubt Corbyn's probity and with Boris is exactly the same. - except that Boris is actually the Prime Minister and when we see the Patterson affair, the Christmas Partys, and all those other events of nods and winks and agreements with cronies, that makes them well off at our expense, it makes too clear what an amoral fraud he is.

That’s why he doesn’t do interviews. From what I can make out he’ll do one interview a day and all the news channels have to use it. He’s a complete lightweight and a coward if he doesn’t have his baying mob behind him. And now half the baying mob have got knives pointing at his back. He’s in a very lonely place right now and people like May, who he completely shafted, are loving it.

MayBee70

That’s why he doesn’t do interviews. From what I can make out he’ll do one interview a day and all the news channels have to use it. He’s a complete lightweight and a coward if he doesn’t have his baying mob behind him. And now half the baying mob have got knives pointing at his back. He’s in a very lonely place right now and people like May, who he completely shafted, are loving it.

I thought about Theresa May, as well.

When you turn to stab someone in the back - you turn your back on the next someone, who may well do the same to you.

I'm not sure he has the intellect to grasp the reasons why he's now in the dog house - it takes more than education and intelligence to examine your failures, he lacks that self-awareness.

But he is cunning and determined, and I'm pretty sure he'll come up with something that will win some of his supporters (though not all) back into the fold again.

I don't believe he's 'finished' yet...

Cunning and determined to further his own interests, not those of the UK.

To me he seemed to emphasise that just North Shropshire is where the problem is. As though no one else in England is unhappy with what has gone on .

I believe Mrs May has been named as 'Back bencher of the year' . Proving that she is actually more competent than Boris and proving also to be a thorn in his side.

She must be enjoying BJ's comeuppance.

Someone not having their best Christmas, it seems….

Boris Johnson is losing his grip on power. Only a third of those who voted Conservative in North Shropshire at the last election turned up to support his party in yesterday’s by-election. The supporters he could once rely on are leaving.

A combination of apathy, disgust, tactical voting and protest votes saw an historic 34% swing to the Liberal Democrats – the seventh-largest swing in any by-election since World War Two.

Yet this should have been solidly Conservative territory: a Leave-voting, rural shire seat of small, picture-postcard market towns, which has elected Tory MPs since 1904.

In fact, this was the 76th-safest Conservative seat in the country – meaning that another 288 seats won by the party in 2019 are now vulnerable to similar swings.

www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/after-north-shropshire-boris-johnson-and-keir-starmer-should-be-worried/

Maybe not ‘leaving’ just couldn’t be arsed going to vote. A lot of people don’t bother unless it’s a GE. By elections have a notoriously low turnout usually.

Oh I get it now. I thought the win was because all the ex Tory voters had voted Lib-Dem. Not turning out to bite makes much more sense. Thanks varian.

The turnout was 46.28%

In fact, as you so often point out, varian when telling us what a low % of the total electorate voted for Brexit, this result, following your logic, is undemocratic.