[Politics] Tory meltdown finally arrived [was: incoming]...

[Withdean11]

They knew their rules were bullshI*t but imposed them anyway. How can they expect anyone to comply with anymore of these Covid rules?

Enjoy your Christmas folks.

 

[mikeyjh]

Distract Deny Deflect, Distract Deny Deflect, Waffle, Defaffle, Destract, Deny, Deflect… The bloke’s Teflon, and with a 50 seat, broken red wall majority - he’ll survive. Laughing? He’s ****ing pissing himself.

The deflections have begun, I do wonder how often people offering these up are plants? Clearly sometimes. I've just listened to a bloke on R5 saying we should be focussing on the lenient sentences for 'Arthurs' killers and illegal immigration! I was just left shaking my head. You'll see plenty on here telling us all politicians are the same and there'll be those trying to deride Starmer, the pattern is always the same.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

I suspect BJ will try his usual denials, evasion, bullshit and bluster at PMQs later... not sure he is capable of owning up or showing true gravitas & honesty, let alone the right calibre of leadership.

Not that anyone really believes what he says. He is so deeply immersed in his own swamp of lies, u-turns and cock-ups that his perception of reality and the truth is off the compass. It is contemptible and will surely hang himself eventually, if not today but very soon.

I really hope that for once Starmer really skewers BJ today - and/or the Speaker doesn't allow BJ to run the clock down.

Not that BJ cares. He will swan off to the shires and laugh at us all.

Meanwhile the collateral damage he is causing to the country is tragic. He is a national disgrace.

 

[sparkie]

Absolute scum, all of them. Are there any decent politicians?

Yes there are.

We must guard against "False Equivalence". It is a "get out of jail free" card for the very worst of the politicians.

 

[Peteinblack]

The most insidious thing about all this, is whilst the public are appalled at the sneering, lying and laughter, the law & order bill is sneaking through Parliament where one protestor can be put in prison for up to a year, for demonstrating.
There would be no protests like we did for the Albion, or seafront marches etc. It will all become illegal.
Some of them want to dismantle the Human Rights Act.

Slowly, a coup is taking place.

It’s all a masquerade. Johnson travels to Liverpool, dresses up as a policeman (what’s that all about?) in a dawn ‘raid’ shouting getting tough on drugs.
Despite the ‘raid’, Merseyside police confirmed nobody got arrested.
In the meantime, cocaine traces were found in 12 different locations in the Commons.

A law being passed by a government which screams about anti-democratic 'cancel culture', and also insists that free-speech must be protected (by law if necessary) on university campuses. Perhaps all future demos shoud take place on these campuses, and those demonstrating can then claim that they are exercising their right to freedom-of-speech!

 

[beorhthelm]

PMQs should be entertaining today, anyway.

it really wont be. Starmer will repeatedly ask the same question and Johnson will deflect and not give a straight answer, and refer to him as captain hindsight. SNP chap will do the same, refered as the leader of the Scottish nationalist party. there will be lots of cheering and jeering. all soundbites and saying things for the record.

 

[Audax]

I'm talking about recent polls - the only one we've had since the party story broke was Savanta's - which showed a 1% increase in the Tory vote. The last Survation poll did show a 3% lead for Labour - but it's polling that was carried out 30 Nov/1 Dec, before the party story broke

1% shift will be well within the margin of error for polling. I wouldn't be hanging my hat on that as evidence that Johnson / Tory support is unwavering. Even that Savanta's poll will have been too early for making any call on how much damage this might do. There's still a lot to play for, and last night's events could provide the impetus that was lacking previously. PMQs later today will be watched very closely - if Starmer can find his shooting boots (and he's been doing better the last few weeks), we could very well be seeing a terminal event for his time as PM today. Possibly not immediate, but I expect those famous letters to the 1922 might start flowing. If not this week, then in the aftermath of the by-election if this scandal cuts through and voters choose to punish Boris. Lib Dems were already polling well, if enough Labour voters are willing to vote tactically, and enough right wing Tory voters shift their vote to Reform UK as a protest vote, we could see a massive upset win for the Lib Dems. Even if the Lib Dems don't win it, another massive drop in the winning margin (Tory backbenchers won't have been happy at the result in Old Bexley and Sidcup - massive swing away that if replicated at a GE would see an awful lot of Tories lose their seats).

We could be on the cusp of seeing another change in the UK political landscape. If the right wing voters split (those on the right going to Reform, those on the left going Lib Dem) instead of voting Tory en masse then it wouldn't actually take much for that massive Tory majority to evaporate at a GE. No doubt IMO a by-election loss will see Boris facing a strong backbench challenge / rebellion. Does the Tory party have an alternative leader who can hold both super-pro-Brexit (ex-UKIP/Brexit party) voters *and* centre-right voters (potential Lib Dem voters) onboard? I'm not sure they do.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Ah, sorry - just remembered who the leader of the opposition is. Best leave it on ITV for This Morning.

I really hope Yvette Cooper is let loose on him. Starmer is a typical QC, forensic and calm, but lacks the real bite that Cooper or Philips has.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I read today that there is a statute in common law that makes crown lands exempt (a pretty big hole there).

Regulations would only have applied to Number 10 if there was a s.73(2) agreement between the owner of Number 10 (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) and Westminster City Council to apply the regulations.

So, it might be that all of their stupid 'no rules were broken' is technically and legally correct. Imagine the absolute front of the twats if that is what it turns out to be.

This, I read someone similar.

The governments response has been there were no rule breaches, which as above could be strictly true however they equally don’t want to address the narrative that they can follow different rules from everyone else.

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

Ah, sorry - just remembered who the leader of the opposition is. Best leave it on ITV for This Morning.

Don't panic...Ian Blackfoot off a long run up will slaughter him

 

[lawros left foot]

This, I read someone similar.

The governments response has been there were no rule breaches, which as above could be strictly true however they equally don’t want to address the narrative that they can follow different rules from everyone else.

Didn’t they use the same sort of thing to protect Cummings little holiday at Barnard Castle, and they got away with that.

 

[stewart12]

1% shift will be well within the margin of error for polling. I wouldn't be hanging my hat on that as evidence that Johnson / Tory support is unwavering. Even that Savanta's poll will have been too early for making any call on how much damage this might do. There's still a lot to play for, and last night's events could provide the impetus that was lacking previously. PMQs later today will be watched very closely - if Starmer can find his shooting boots (and he's been doing better the last few weeks), we could very well be seeing a terminal event for his time as PM today. Possibly not immediate, but I expect those famous letters to the 1922 might start flowing. If not this week, then in the aftermath of the by-election if this scandal cuts through and voters choose to punish Boris. Lib Dems were already polling well, if enough Labour voters are willing to vote tactically, and enough right wing Tory voters shift their vote to Reform UK as a protest vote, we could see a massive upset win for the Lib Dems. Even if the Lib Dems don't win it, another massive drop in the winning margin (Tory backbenchers won't have been happy at the result in Old Bexley and Sidcup - massive swing away that if replicated at a GE would see an awful lot of Tories lose their seats).

We could be on the cusp of seeing another change in the UK political landscape. If the right wing voters split (those on the right going to Reform, those on the left going Lib Dem) instead of voting Tory en masse then it wouldn't actually take much for that massive Tory majority to evaporate at a GE. No doubt IMO a by-election loss will see Boris facing a strong backbench challenge / rebellion. Does the Tory party have an alternative leader who can hold both super-pro-Brexit (ex-UKIP/Brexit party) voters *and* centre-right voters (potential Lib Dem voters) onboard? I'm not sure they do.

I think the last GE was a bit of a freak result heavily affected by Brexit- not necessarily in the sense that the Tories won, but more about the margin. A lot of those Tory seats were won by small-ish margins and helped by a fractured centre/left with the Tories being the only right wing option. IF, and it's a big 'if' the centre/left parties can be a bit tactical about it (as they were, for example, in Brighton Kemp Town in 2017 where Greens and Lib Dems stepped aside for a Labour win) they can pick up a lot of marginal seats. We all know the left like to shoot themselves in the foot but surely now is the time to work together a bit. Working in the charity sector I just can't imagine the damage another 5 years of Tory government would cause.

I can't see a Labour outright win at the next GE (Scotland makes that very tough) but I can see a Labour led coalition for sure. The ideological differences between Labour, Green, Lib Dem, SNP and PC aren't that big

 

[beorhthelm]

I can't see a Labour outright win at the next GE (Scotland makes that very tough) but I can see a Labour led coalition for sure. The ideological differences between Labour, Green, Lib Dem, SNP and PC aren't that big

if they arent different why have they failed to ever work together? in Scotland, collaboration is an existential risk to either party, and same applies in rest of country to some degree. Lib Dems should be cleaning up as the moderate alternative to nasty Tories and union backed statist Labour, but consistently fail to make the case.

 

[sparkie]

PMQs should be entertaining today, anyway.

I thought Johnson had turned PMQ into Leader of the Opposition Questions

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Didn’t they use the same sort of thing to protect Cummings little holiday at Barnard Castle, and they got away with that.

Yes, you are right.

Although this time will not resonate with the public based on the thousands who could not say good by to loved ones properly with dignity.

I only hope those in the backbenches know this, and actively do something to get him out. I actually see him as a danger to the well being of this one great country

 

[Silverhatch]

Starmer should just stand up - straighten his tie - look at the benches and the speaker and then fix Johnson and utter LIAR and then sit down

 

[A1X]

Interesting tonal shift on the TV news this morning. Previously news channels unable to get a minister for interview would put in a filler story (skateboarding kittens or something), but both Breakfast and GMB made a point of empty-chairing the Government today

[tweet]1468489917210587143[/tweet]

[tweet]1468476279385210881[/tweet]

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Wonder what they will announce today to deflect.

My monies on vaccine passports

 

[The Clamp]

Even of he faces some awkward questions today, we have seen they rehearse their deflection and then laugh about it. Johnson will be in the bar by late afternoon, quaffing brandy and laughing at us plebs.

 

[mikeyjh]

Starmer should just stand up - straighten his tie - look at the benches and the speaker and then fix Johnson and utter LIAR and then sit down

Unfortunately, while in public we can call Johnson a liar with great confidence in the fact, the speaker would be on it like a bonnet. Makes no sense of course, given that he is a liar.