Has our country ever been in such a state?

To answer the original question, yes the country has been in crisis several times. Remember the three day week (Jan 1974) and the winter of discontent (1978) both caused by various factors but mainly union led strikes. The three day week resulted in a general election, hung parliament, the Conservatives losing their majority in the house. After the winter of discontent, the next general election (1979) resulted in a landslide win for the Conservatives with the slogan 'Labour isn't working'. Politics is a crazy business.

When the Lights Went Out in Britain: The Story of the Three Day Working Week
historyhit.com

crooks in suits is often quoted. someone may enter politics with good intentions but get sucked up into the culture of it.
ever noticed how politicians talked in a clipped manner, never answering the questions, often not blinking.Only a certain type
personality would enter politics,It is well documentated the ammount of sociopaths etc are in the arena. we have a prime example in the usa -trump and russia- putin. We are are run by a bunch of power hungry maniacs. I have no idea how good people get into positions of power,i don't think anyone else has either!

And as an add-on our town is smart clean refuse collections amazingly efficient various projects of improvement under way and visible efforts to improve the lot of the town centre too and council tax affordable and always have been under labour. No complaints from me....

Unfortunately you get what you vote for. Why anyone would have trusted the tories Is beyond me. But they’ll still vote for them again.

Oop north in my town we have had labour councils for maybe 20 years after decades of lfip flopping between lab/Con. Last con MP sacked for corruption (shock horror) we now have a fantastic very high profile MP who's seen in and around town frequently lives in area and is sooo approachable it's bonkers! He's engaged and fights like mad for his constituents , last open meeting he attended was a full house held I a local community hall he was great! Supporting our cause to the hilt. "How does he find the time?" "Is he not in the House much?" I hear some wonder. Well he's Sir Lyndsay Hoyle, so you tell us here in Lancashire?

Oh but it's an email to BJ's PPS not to the Great Leader himself: it was obviously never drawn to his eagle-eyed attention so he could have dealt with it using his extraordinary attention to detail - an oversight while they were all saving the nation from Covid, Brexit, etc.: simples!

This treatment of MP's by the Whips office has always gone on by all accounts. Strange that it's suddenly acquiring so much prominence.

M0nica

It doesn't matter that there is no obvious replacement for him, anyone, but almost anyone, would be better than having our country represented abroad by a serial liar and cheat who looks permanently as if he has slept under a hedge and is probably on something addictive.

I know he has a proper home together and has no addictions, but that makes it worse, that he doesn't need either to look as if he does

You don't actually "know" anything about him. We know what he wants us to know. Proper home? No addiction habit? Watch this space

Fashionista1

If you watch the TV broadcasts all you hear is how bad this Government is and there has been a constructive witch hunt to bring down our Prime Minister amounting to bullying. I think people should consider whether those parties (if they were parties) were that serious in the scheme of things bearing in mind the apology. We shall see. I would say that taking this country into an illegal war resulting in many deaths by Tony Blair, and the signing out of the Treasury by Labour leaving a note saying There Is No Money Left and Gordon Brown selling off our gold assets at the bottom of the market are much more serious. I really think people should be careful what they wish for.

Just taking a coffee break from doing tax returns so haven't got the time to counter your statements in detail. Basically you've got it wrong. Hopefully someone else will take up the cudgels.

I've got James O'brien on whilst I'm working and am having difficulty not crying

I've been asking myself this question for a few months now. I cannot remember anything close to current mess, other than the TORIES AGAIN with their incompetence triggering the three day week and associated inflation unemployment blackouts etc! We never learn do we? Tories are for the Tories and that's all folks!

Duvetdiva

My Gransnet arrives in my inbox 24 hours after the first posting of each topic. This means that any comment I make fall onto the final page by which time I’m guessing hardly anyone reads as they’ll be reading the next day’s topic. I’m in the UK do other members receive their’s a day late?

Can't you just log each day - it's what I do.

My great grandmother was on the local council where she took up issues for the local people, whether it was housing or the drains or whatever was happening. (and in those days no money for expenses) All our family tried to do a bit to help in whatever way we could. When my father was a councillor he was asked why he wouldnt stand for the elections that were coming up and I may be paraphrasing it a bit but his reply was that as an individual he was guided by his conscience and not by party rules and that he agreed with I think it was Groucho Marx who said " I wouldnt want to belong to any club that would have me!"

bore should be vote!

Do we want him to go now or do we want a complete change of Government in the next election. My bore would be for the First Minister of Wales! I feel that I could trust him! And his Pandemic measures have been exemplary.

knspol

What I don't understand is why the majority of Tories don't realise that to get rid of Boris now gives someone else (goodness knows who) a chance to settle in, maybe do some good etc etc before the next election otherwise they are likely to lose so many seats and let labour into power.
I say this not as a previous Tory voter but as imo a reality.

I agree, but I wonder if removing Boris will see the imploding of the conservative government as it seems to be being run on you get a job if you keep a secret, there must be an awful lot of secrets being kept all ready to jump into the headlines and bring the downfall of many.

Fashionista1

I totally agree with you, we will be straight back in the EU withmopen borders if Labour get in.

That's extremely doubtful. The EU wouldn't have us straight back in.

well what did you expect from Boorish (sorry Boris ) Johnson. The only apology he made was for being found out not for what he had done. No humility or shame so didnt even have the guts to leave. Good for Sue Gray, to present her findings without fear or favour. Sounds as though she could be a good replacement for Boris. An honourable person who does her job properly , and wont be swayed by threats and snide comments.

knspol

What I don't understand is why the majority of Tories don't realise that to get rid of Boris now gives someone else (goodness knows who) a chance to settle in, maybe do some good etc etc before the next election otherwise they are likely to lose so many seats and let labour into power.
I say this not as a previous Tory voter but as imo a reality.

They are trying to get rid of him. But they only have one shot at doing it. If the confidence vote loses they can’t have another one for a year so they’re having to pick their moment very carefully.

What I don't understand is why the majority of Tories don't realise that to get rid of Boris now gives someone else (goodness knows who) a chance to settle in, maybe do some good etc etc before the next election otherwise they are likely to lose so many seats and let labour into power.
I say this not as a previous Tory voter but as imo a reality.

Agree.. but the govt laid down rules that stopped people being with their dying loved ones and arrested and fined people for having coffee together on a walk and destroyed hospitality and many other businesses whilst allowing fraudulent covidgrant loans to be written off bythe tax people so tax payershave been shafted dreadfully..and allowedtotalitariansfree reign..Drakeford and Sturgeon..

Brownowl564

Quite a ridiculous statement considering we are still in the grip of a pandemic not seen in any of our lifetimes, Russia and China causing problems, not the first time, world energy prices going up, inflation, which is worse on most of Europe and the USA but media won’t mention that, hardly the fault of any political party and too many seem to believe all the media crap , a party in May 2020, is not exactly earth shattering news when other things are happening, hardly compares to selling all our gold at a loss and taking us into an illegal war

Johnson was the figurehead of a leave the EU campaign that said it would cut VAT on energy if we left the EU. And yet he is now in power in the middle of a huge hike in energy prices but is refusing to reduce VAT on energy. One of his MP’s even lost the whip when she dared to oppose her own party on this matter.

Yes Duvetdiva I note that the initial post was made mid-Thursday morning. My Gransnet email arrived at 11.01 on Friday morning. I often feel that I've 'missed the boat' as well.

I totally agree with you, we will be straight back in the EU withmopen borders if Labour get in.

DUVETDIVA

I don’t receive mine until the day after too!

What strikes me is that it's all about "Loyalty to the Party" - it's about doing what you're told, a facade of solidarity - all to stay in Power no matter what. Never mind loyalty to the UK, or even What's Morally Right.