So the Final 2 - Liz and Rishi

Fortunately Johnson ended his greatest hits speech at yesterday’s PMQs with ‘hasta la vista’ and not ‘I’ll be back’

Yes MaizieD I’ve been thinking that exact same thing. Has Johnson ACTUALLY resigned? He’s been sacked as leader but he’s still an MP so could he, by some quirk / loophole / dark art, be added to the final two???? No, surely even the Tories wouldn’t go down that rabbit hole???

Petera

FarNorth

Daisymae

Apparently there's a petition of Tory members to get Johnson's name added to the vote. So maybe it's not over till it's over!

What is the matter with them?

How long have you got?

A small number of tory party members can petition all they like, but, unless to tory party has secretly and swiftly changed its rules, a leader who resigns cannot stand for re-election in the resultant leadership contest.

There is some lack of clarity as to whether or not Johnson actually has resigned.

This was David Allen Green's take on it:

Yesterday Johnson announced his resignation as party leader.

Here, yesterday’s speech from Johnson was significant.

True, he did not use the word ‘resign’.

But the R-word is not a magic word, and there was no formal reason why he had to utter it aloud for it to make all the difference.

What he did say was enough:

“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister.

“And I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.

“And I’ve today appointed a Cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.”

The only meaning these words can have is that a new leader can now be put in place.

And the only way this can happen is for him to cease to be leader.

With his statement yesterday, Johnson – at a stroke – lost control of the process.

The process of selecting a new leader is now so far advanced that I'd be surprised if any change were to be made.

But, of course, I've been surprised before

The leap from media bias to assuming those in the centre of Labour are gullible fools as you imply is wrong.

This was certainly not my intention; in fact, far from it. In response to a question posed by another poster, I was merely pointing out the power and strength of a biased media. This is my perspective; you, of course, have a right to hold a different view. In a democracy, we should all be allowed to see / hear all the relevant facts and come to our own conclusions. Holding different perspectives does not mean that those who differ from me are regarded as ‘gullible fools’. Anyway, I’m stepping away from this now as this is not actually the topic of this thread.

Truss now saying :-

She wishes she'd supported Leave as 'some of the portents of doom haven't happened'.

The UK's economic policy of the last 20 years hasn't delivered economic growth. This after 12 years of Tory rule, 8 of which have seen her in senior government roles.

She didn't want Johnson to go and that his balance sheet was 'very positive'.

FarNorth

Daisymae

Apparently there's a petition of Tory members to get Johnson's name added to the vote. So maybe it's not over till it's over!

What is the matter with them?

How long have you got?

Casdon

LizzieDrip

Casdon:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-media-bias-attacks-75-per-cent-three-quarters-fail-to-accurately-report-a7140681.html

What does that prove though LizzieDrip? It proves the media were biased, as they are against any Labour leader. The leap from media bias to assuming those in the centre of Labour are gullible fools as you imply is wrong.

It's not just about those in the centre of Labour though. At a general election it's about volume. Millions of people across the country receiving a constant drip, drip, drip of poison and lies. It would have influenced voters hugely.

I think that if Truss is the winner, Johnson will have a roll in her government

I hope it’s a role WWmk2 as that comment could suggest different connotations altogether! ?

LizzieDrip

*Casdon*:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-media-bias-attacks-75-per-cent-three-quarters-fail-to-accurately-report-a7140681.html

What does that prove though LizzieDrip? It proves the media were biased, as they are against any Labour leader. The leap from media bias to assuming those in the centre of Labour are gullible fools as you imply is wrong.

Casdon:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-media-bias-attacks-75-per-cent-three-quarters-fail-to-accurately-report-a7140681.html

Headline of The Mirror today sums up the situation.

"Out of the lying man, into the dire."

Ailidh

Politically naive but cynical here - I think it was always going to be Truss, all the rest were camouflage.

I think you are right. I few weeks ago from an excellent source, there was talk a plan afoot.. Truss for PM and BJ kept on to continue working on Ukraine only. Let's now see if that happens.

As for these polls? I know several in the Tory party, they know nothing of these polls. Everything's comes in via email

I'm a Labour voter and I don't want any kind of Tory however dilute. The non-dom, billionaire press and rich Tory donors threw everything at ruining his chances as they knew he would stop their tax avoiding/cash for honours/contracts for mates/donations for influence ways. Just like they threw their weight behind Brexit so that they and the richest of the rich could continue to avoid paying taxes.

I am so sorry the media ruined Jeremy Corbyn as I believe he would have done so much to make life better for millions in our country and improved the lives of all of us who use the NHS, libraries, social care, education, all public services. Climate change would have been a priority. He wouldn't have missed Cobra meetings.

He's a decent, thinking man of true principle who has devoted his life to social justice.

LizzieDrip

Kandinsky Jeremy Corbyn was publicly ‘assassinated’ by the right wing mainstream media. They consistently drip fed the nation a tissue of lies about him and his political views. Their propaganda worked. Many people, particularly the more ‘centrist’ Labour supporters, believed what they were being told. Corbyn was a true Socialist who believed in social justice. His vilification by the powerful media barons, for their own ends, is a shameful stain on our nation.

I don’t think that’s the reason. I think he proved himself to be incompetent and incapable of leading the party through his actions, he had no grip. Labour supporters who are not on the left of the party are not idiots who believe the mainstream media, most of us are intelligent, thinking people who are pragmatists.

Let's hope it's Rishi then.

I think that if Truss is the winner, Johnson will have a roll in her government.

The number of members of the Tory Party is thought to be 160,000. That would mean 2.5% have signed the petition (if my maths is right).

Definitely LizzieDrip
I’ve come to realize that many Labour voters actually prefer watered down tories as their leader.

Prentice

Ah but polls are quite often wrong after all, as we know.
I would now prefer Rishi Sunak to win and be PM as he will be competent if nothing else.Smart and articulate as well. He would do very well at PMQ’s.
Quite a wait now though until we will know.

Are polls often wrong? They all have a margin of error. If the outcome is very close they have a chance of seeming wrong but that would depend on what you mean by wrong.

Mr Campbell-Bannerman, who is also the chair of two Conservative associations, said: 'The heat on the board is intense because you are destroying an election winner. It's suicidal for the Tory party. You are guaranteeing a Labour victory.'

And there, in black and white, is what this government is all about. It's not about what is the right course to follow for the benefit of the nation as a whole, or the wellbeing of its citizens, or dealing with any of the issues facing millions of people... it's about one thing and one thing only, the survival of the Tory party. They want Johnson on the ballot simply because he has voter-appeal and might keep them in power.

If the Devil himself looked like a good bet, they'd engineer to get him on the ballot paper, too. They realise their popularity is waning, and they are going to move heaven and earth and disregard any rules in order to make sure that the electorate - even if the majority of it wanted a Labour government - give them enough seats. They intend to stay in power for perpetuity.

Kandinsky Jeremy Corbyn was publicly ‘assassinated’ by the right wing mainstream media. They consistently drip fed the nation a tissue of lies about him and his political views. Their propaganda worked. Many people, particularly the more ‘centrist’ Labour supporters, believed what they were being told. Corbyn was a true Socialist who believed in social justice. His vilification by the powerful media barons, for their own ends, is a shameful stain on our nation.

Let's hope these are the final two, as the pressure is mounting to put Johnson in with the final two, for a vote by the membership.:

"At least 4,000 Conservative Party members have demanded a vote on whether Boris Johnson remains leader.

They have signed a petition to party co-chairman Andrew Stephenson asking for the Prime Minister to be put on the run-off ballot with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.

The appeal accuses the Tory MPs who removed him of having 'vested interest reasons and grievances to settle'.

The petition to Mr Stephenson said: 'Back in 2019, Boris Johnson was elected by the membership to be our new leader.

'Now that choice has been changed without referral to the people that elected him.

'You cannot disenfranchise the membership from the whole process from the beginning as this is open to abuse by the parliamentary party who may have vested interest reasons and grievances to settle against our leader.'

It adds: 'Morale amongst the membership is low and there is anger towards the parliamentary party.

'I demand Boris Johnson be added to the ballot as an option for the members to vote upon in the forthcoming election.'

The two men leading the petition are Lord Cruddas, a self-made billionaire and major donor to the party, and David Campbell-Bannerman, a former MEP.

They claimed section 17 of the party's constitution enables the board to add Mr Johnson's name to the ballot.

It reads: 'The board shall have power to do anything which in its opinion relates to the management and administration of the party'.

However the same document also rules that 'a Leader resigning from the Leadership of the Party is not eligible for re-nomination in the consequent Leadership election'.

Mr Campbell-Bannerman, who is also the chair of two Conservative associations, said: 'The heat on the board is intense because you are destroying an election winner. It's suicidal for the Tory party. You are guaranteeing a Labour victory.'

Ballot papers are expected to be sent out in early August, meaning any intervention to change the course of the race would have to come within days.

Lord Cruddas, who was given a peerage by Mr Johnson against official advice, has threatened to withhold £500,000 of donations unless the Prime Minister is allowed to contest."?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11033915/Thousands-Tories-demand-Boris-Johnson-ballot-party-members-vote-replace-him.html (On other media, but this one is paywall free)

100% agree.
Jeremy Corbyn was Labour. A proper socialist - yet many Labour supporters couldn’t stand him, I’ll never get that?

Kandinsky

I know this is a thread in its own right ( just can’t be bothered to start one ) but why did so many Labour supporters really dislike Jeremy Corbyn? I always thought he was more grass roots Labour than popular Tony Blair. Was he too far left? ( surely that’s what the Labour Party should be? )

And where’s Volver? She used to be on here all day every day.

I never understood it. I thought he was, perhaps, idealistic but a genuine socialist. I also thought he was hounded out by a vicious smear campaign.

I know this is a thread in its own right ( just can’t be bothered to start one ) but why did so many Labour supporters really dislike Jeremy Corbyn? I always thought he was more grass roots Labour than popular Tony Blair. Was he too far left? ( surely that’s what the Labour Party should be? )

And where’s Volver? She used to be on here all day every day.