[Politics] The Johnson gambit

[Peteinblack]

An anecdote.

I'm supervising the thesis of a PhD student who has also been a Conservative councillor in a Somerset town for several years. He told me last week that he is not renewing his Party membership, not is he standing for re-election in May, because he claims that the Conservative Party has changed beyond recognition; it has abandoned 'one nation Toryism' in favour of aggressive and authoritarian English nationalism, and promoting divide-and-rule through 'culture wars' to retain the support of Brexitters in their hatred of "the liberal elite".

But he told me something else which I found really interesting. When he first stood for election and the local Party went out canvassing on doorsteps for support, they focused on shoring-up their support among residents living in the posh suburban 3-bedroom semi-detached houses, and were told not to waste time on the then Labour-supporting council estates. Now, he says, much of the Conservatives' support comes from those very same council estates - 'cos so many English working-class voters hate the EU, forriners and poncey liberals, and love cheeky-chappies like Johnson (and Farage) who they view as anti-Establishment and on the side of ordinary workers. Meanwhile, the once solidly Conservative suburbs have turned to the Lib Dems or Greens, appalled at how Right-wing and arrogant the Conservatives have become, and disgusted by its populist Mail-pleasing attacks on institutions that Conservatives used to defend and cherish; the civil service, Parliament, the BBC, the judiciary, universities, local government, etc.

Having gained the Red Wall, the Tories might be losing the Blue Wall.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

An anecdote.

I'm supervising the thesis of a PhD student who has also been a Conservative councillor in a Somerset town for several years. He told me last week that he is not renewing his Party membership, not is he standing for re-election in May, because he claims that the Conservative Party has changed beyond recognition; it has abandoned 'one nation Toryism' in favour of aggressive and authoritarian English nationalism, and promoting divide-and-rule through 'culture wars' to retain the support of Brexitters in their hatred of "the liberal elite".

But he told me something else which I found really interesting. When he first stood for election and the local Party went out canvassing on doorsteps for support, they focused on shoring-up their support among residents living in the posh suburban 3-bedroom semi-detached houses, and were told not to waste time on the then Labour-supporting council estates. Now, he says, much of the Conservatives' support comes from those very same council estates - 'cos so many English working-class voters hate the EU, forriners and poncey liberals, and love cheeky-chappies like Johnson (and Farage) who they view as anti-Establishment and on the side of ordinary workers. Meanwhile, the once solidly Conservative suburbs have turned to the Lib Dems or Greens, appalled at how Right-wing and arrogant the Conservatives have become, and disgusted by its populist Mail-pleasing attacks on institutions that Conservatives used to defend and cherish; the civil service, Parliament, the BBC, the judiciary, universities, local government, etc.

Having gained the Red Wall, the Tories might be losing the Blue Wall.

The World is Upside down. Which possibly explains why the Right of centre Tories and not Left of centre Labour are funded by Russia.

 

[Insel affe]

So will you just bend over (and not vote) or......?

Never forget, never forgive, are my mottos.

And always cast a vote.

It's that or forgo any right to complain.

I wish labour meant labour, not the watered down Tory version we got from Blair, not the anti semite ultra left wing version we saw from Corbyn. Someone like John Smith was where I lie my hat, I’m just like millions disillusioned with the political choices for quite some time.

You are indeed right.

 

[Stat Brother]

The gambit would be for Sunak to resign because 'my job has become untenable due to recent events'.

Short term loss.
Potential long term gain.
With the added bonus of sticking the boot into Boris.

 

[Peteinblack]

The World is Upside down. Which possibly explains why the Right of centre Tories and not Left of centre Labour are funded by Russia.

Indeed, the Tories used to claim, at every general election, that Labour was funded by the Russians, and would, if elected, be stooges of Moscow!

Funny old world.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

The gambit would be for Sunak to resign because 'my job has become untenable due to recent events'.

Short term loss.
Potential long term gain.
With the added bonus of sticking the boot into Boris.

Yep. Checkmate

 

[Knocky's Nose]

As I've said before, I've always been Conservative. Make your own way in the world, get up and work, do the best you can for yourself and your family, pay your taxes and try to do some good.

Now I just feel like I'm a peasant, a nothing. Looked down upon by a sneering, scheming, sneaky privileged elite who tell me to do one thing, then do the exact opposite themselves whilst laughing into my face.

All respect is lost and I want the Conservatives as far away from governing my country as possible. I can't even start telling you how I feel about them now. What they have done is unforgivable.

I feel the UK is in a tailspin already and the pilot and the crew (Conservative Leadership) are stuffing their rucksacks full of £50 notes before putting their parachutes on and jumping out.

 

[Pavilionaire]

What coaltions do is get lie-b dems to renage on promises.Pledges on EMA, tuition charges, prescription charges hospital car parking et all just for a few ministerial cars. Their policies became an irrelevance, their morals an encumbrance for pointless ambition.

This is rubbish. The Lib Dems got the Tories to accept a MASSIVE increase in the tax-free Personal Allowance, a £4K increase overnight when prior to that it had been increasing by inflation by £200 per annum. This was Lib Dem policy for which the Tories have taken full credit as they've airbrushed the Lib Dems out of it over time.

It is no coincidence that under Boris and Rishi the Allowance has only increased by £70 in the last 3 tax years; an inflationary increase would be c. £900 a year.

 

[Lever]

'They didn't have a blind support of Brexit (are we allowed to mention that word now?) - most of them were against it. But the Tories always have done - and probably always will do - what they think was needed to win elections and stay/get in power. They rightly judged that the electorate were not prepared to stand any more fannying around trying to ignore/overturn/derail the Brexit referendum by pro-remain MPs (on all sides) and realised what they needed to do to barnstorm the last GE, and so they did it.....and succeeded, like it or not!

...in other words were prepared to allow/impose lasting National harm to retain/increase their power; but that's for another thread........

 

[darkwolf666]

As I've said before, I've always been Conservative. Make your own way in the world, get up and work, do the best you can for yourself and your family, pay your taxes and try to do some good.

Now I just feel like I'm a peasant, a nothing. Looked down upon by a sneering, scheming, sneaky privileged elite who tell me to do one thing, then do the exact opposite themselves whilst laughing into my face.

All respect is lost and I want the Conservatives as far away from governing my country as possible. I can't even start telling you how I feel about them now. What they have done is unforgivable.

I feel the UK is in a tailspin already and the pilot and the crew (Conservative Leadership) are stuffing their rucksacks full of £50 notes before putting their parachutes on and jumping out.

Lovely analogy at the end there. Hopefully they get their £50 stuffed rucksacks confused with their parachutes...

 

[Thunder Bolt]

An anecdote.

I'm supervising the thesis of a PhD student who has also been a Conservative councillor in a Somerset town for several years. He told me last week that he is not renewing his Party membership, not is he standing for re-election in May, because he claims that the Conservative Party has changed beyond recognition; it has abandoned 'one nation Toryism' in favour of aggressive and authoritarian English nationalism, and promoting divide-and-rule through 'culture wars' to retain the support of Brexitters in their hatred of "the liberal elite".

But he told me something else which I found really interesting. When he first stood for election and the local Party went out canvassing on doorsteps for support, they focused on shoring-up their support among residents living in the posh suburban 3-bedroom semi-detached houses, and were told not to waste time on the then Labour-supporting council estates. Now, he says, much of the Conservatives' support comes from those very same council estates - 'cos so many English working-class voters hate the EU, forriners and poncey liberals, and love cheeky-chappies like Johnson (and Farage) who they view as anti-Establishment and on the side of ordinary workers. Meanwhile, the once solidly Conservative suburbs have turned to the Lib Dems or Greens, appalled at how Right-wing and arrogant the Conservatives have become, and disgusted by its populist Mail-pleasing attacks on institutions that Conservatives used to defend and cherish; the civil service, Parliament, the BBC, the judiciary, universities, local government, etc.

Having gained the Red Wall, the Tories might be losing the Blue Wall.

The chair of Enfield Conservatives has been suspended.

[tweet]1513922239074385924[/tweet]

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

With under a month until the May elections we are at a crucial point.

The Tories need to put Country before Johnson - although I expect they want him to carry the can for any bad May election results.

Gone within a month ?

 

[Barnet Seagull]

What coaltions do is get lie-b dems to renage on promises.Pledges on EMA, tuition charges, prescription charges hospital car parking et all just for a few ministerial cars. Their policies became an irrelevance, their morals an encumbrance for pointless ambition.

People working together have to make compromise.

Probably worth asking how many policies on their manifesto any government have actually delivered on?

There was a website tracking it somewhere...

 

[BBassic]

As I've said before, I've always been Conservative. Make your own way in the world, get up and work, do the best you can for yourself and your family, pay your taxes and try to do some good.

See, this is interesting because I've always been Labour and this right here is exactly how I try and live as well.

 

[beorhthelm]

The World is Upside down. Which possibly explains why the Right of centre Tories and not Left of centre Labour are funded by Russia.

better explaination is Russia != Russians. individual Russians acting in own interests is different to Russia interests. it would be no contradiction for both to happen, though Russia funding Labour is a 80's throwback shirley. more likely funding fringe groups causing distruption these days.

its not that surprising there is support for conseratives on the council estates, they are the swing vote especially in the south. as just noted in posts above, the general man in the street, "make your way, work hard and do what you can for family", lives in the political centre ground. so comes done to personality or catching policy or mood of the time.

 

[rippleman]

The chair of Enfield Conservatives has been suspended.

[tweet]1513922239074385924[/tweet]

Not just any old nazi uniform either. It's a Obergruppenfuhrer of the SS (see death head on the cap and the collar flashes) the most senior commissioned rank in the SS. I can't quite read the cuff badge denoting the SS regiment but it could be Allgemeine; the regiment responsible for the administration of the concentration camps.

Nice fella. Not a swivel-eyed loon at all.

(I'm sure ppf or dougie will correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[zefarelly]

See, this is interesting because I've always been Labour and this right here is exactly how I try and live as well.

Me too. And I think the average working man thinks the same. an honest working centre ground kind of person

I always considered the higher end tories as the ones who wouldn't, safe in the knowledge they can get away with it.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Clueless...The Prime Minister, with the Prosecco in the Cabinet Room.

 

[wuntbedruv]

This is rubbish. The Lib Dems got the Tories to accept a MASSIVE increase in the tax-free Personal Allowance, a £4K increase overnight when prior to that it had been increasing by inflation by £200 per annum. This was Lib Dem policy for which the Tories have taken full credit as they've airbrushed the Lib Dems out of it over time.

It is no coincidence that under Boris and Rishi the Allowance has only increased by £70 in the last 3 tax years; an inflationary increase would be c. £900 a year.

Big deal, the biggest attack on working class kids in history, doing away with the EMA-worth £ 35 a week to kids staying on at College or training sacrificed for a minor cabinet roll.
Still available in NI Scotland and Wales though.Same as free uni education, prescriptions and hospital parking.

 

[Baldseagull]

The chair of Enfield Conservatives has been suspended.

[tweet]1513922239074385924[/tweet]

Right to suspend him, but will likely be found to be an innocent fancy dress get up, rather than a form of hero worship, I suspect and hope that is all it was.