Boris

[Lincox]

Cummins probably has more Sh.t to dish on Boris, such as the affair with the Canadian woman, so Boris is cornered. He is on a downward spiral and lets hope he hits the bottom soon. One poor Tory Leader after another. Funny society that will vote for personality freaks like Boris and Trump

[PostmanBitesDog]

The UK Government has just announced an updated Coronavirus (COVID‑19) information and advice message on their official .gov.uk website. Here it is:

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[PostmanBitesDog]

[Murdoch]

Cummins probably has more Sh.t to dish on Boris, such as the affair with the Canadian woman, so Boris is cornered. He is on a downward spiral and lets hope he hits the bottom soon. One poor Tory Leader after another. Funny society that will vote for personality freaks like Boris and Trump

It was great today.

He just turned up to the "daily briefing", gave the country a big F**k You, and then lied through his teeth.

If anybody was in any doubt about what sort of "character" they voted into number 10. Well, I'm sure now the penny is beginning to drop.

I knew his premiership was going to unravel quickly, but he might be done by the end of the year at this rate.

[A2B]

I knew his premiership was going to unravel quickly, but he might be done by the end of the year at this rate.

End of the year! i think things are moving a lot quicker than that. When the traditional right wing papers are running the current headlines you know you're not long in the job.

[Murdoch]

I knew his premiership was going to unravel quickly, but he might be done by the end of the year at this rate.

End of the year! i think things are moving a lot quicker than that. When the traditional right wing papers are running the current headlines you know you're not long in the job.

Well, I was factoring in the fact he's just recently won a big thumping majority at the election, and ordinarily we'd be stuck with him for another 4.5 years, at least.

Rest assured though, this will all end in total disaster. It is inevitable.

[baldrick]

Screenshot 2020-05-25 at 07.20.53 - Edited.png

[Tman]

Rest assured though, this will all end in total disaster. It is inevitable.

Rather fanciful at best. You two should've realised by now that the media screaming for someone's head is a mighty long way from governmental votes of no confidence and public dissatisfaction inevitably leading to a GE.
Most people seem far more concerned with when the kids are going back to school or when they can get a pint in the pub than some bald bloke breaking the rules of lock-down.

[Woody Guthrie]

Unfortunately Tman is right, what nonsense like this does is chip away at the overall confidence people have in established government of any political persuasion leading to an even bigger lurch towards populist empty heads so any Boris replacement would just have to be more Boris than Boris.

The Tory Party knows that and that's why Boris is safe where he is, nobody wants Boris 2.0.

[Murdoch]

Rest assured though, this will all end in total disaster. It is inevitable.

Rather fanciful at best. You two should've realised by now that the media screaming for someone's head is a mighty long way from governmental votes of no confidence and public dissatisfaction inevitably leading to a GE.
Most people seem far more concerned with when the kids are going back to school or when they can get a pint in the pub than some bald bloke breaking the rules of lock-down.

That's also why I said "end of the year". He has to f**k up Brexit first. Which he will.

I don't think the Dominic Cummings situation will result in the end of Johnson, but it may result in the end of Cummings as Johnson's aide. And Johnson will be rudderless without him, he's clearly the brains of the operation. After the total shitshow of Covid-19 and its mishandling, will come Brexit. He'll either have to sign off on an extension to the transition period, or attempt to hardball the EU with the threat of no deal. Politically he's just going to be in an extremely weak position. He already looks like a man defeated.

@woody Personally, I also think that the people will start to reject the populists. And for good reason too, it's a dumb way to run things. But perhaps I'm giving people too much credit here.

[Tman]

"Murdoch"]. He has to f**k up Brexit first. Which he will.

And who will be the arbiter of that? To many people, being "out" is victory enough, while others will claim it as some sort of cataclysmic disaster whatever the final outcome is. Even your sentence above indicates that.
You put too much importance on Cummings. Johnson and the rest will carry on just as before without him, and now his "usefulness" over Brexit has waned he was always going to be disposable anyway.

@woody Personally, I also think that the people will start to reject the populists. And for good reason too, it's a dumb way to run things. But perhaps I'm giving people too much credit here.

You are. This is the time of instant communication, instant solutions and instant satisfaction, and this is the essence of so-called populism. Long-term solutions don't win votes anymore.

[Murdoch]

"Murdoch"]. He has to f**k up Brexit first. Which he will.

And who will be the arbiter of that? To many people, being "out" is victory enough, while others will claim it as some sort of cataclysmic disaster whatever the final outcome is. Even your sentence above indicates that.
You put too much importance on Cummings. Johnson and the rest will carry on just as before without him, and now his "usefulness" over Brexit has waned he was always going to be disposable anyway.

@woody Personally, I also think that the people will start to reject the populists. And for good reason too, it's a dumb way to run things. But perhaps I'm giving people too much credit here.

You are. This is the time of instant communication, instant solutions and instant satisfaction, and this is the essence of so-called populism. Long-term solutions don't win votes anymore.

Firstly, I'm not placing too much importance on Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister did. He just staked his entire reputation on keeping him, no PM in the history of PMs has ever taken a hit like that to keep an adviser.

Secondly, I don't see leaving the EU as inherently catastrophic, I see trying to negotiate a future trading arrangement by the end of the year, in the current climate as impossible. So an extension to the transition period is inevitable and the only common sense solution, but Johnson has cornered himself by ruling that out.

Much of Johnson's wider popularity stems from "getting Brexit done". Many of the northern voters that "lent him their vote" as he put it, did so, to get Brexit done. An extension for those people, will be seen as a betrayal, same goes for all the other hardcore Brexiteers. Furthermore, his reputation as the incumbent during a time where millions of people are going to be made unemployed, and the economy tanks, is hardly going to boost him in the polls. So if you fail in your primary purpose as PM, and you've failed during a crisis. The the knives will be sharpened from within the Tory Party, Johnson will increasingly be thought of as a person who's not fit to lead at a time of crisis. Labour have also managed to find themselves a competent leader, so the pressure on Johnson is going to be ramped up to excruciating levels. Labour's new tactic is to methodically and "forensically" hold the Government to account, and expose the failures. They've got a former QC, who is by all accounts a highly intelligent "details" man, who does his due diligence and research. And notably Johnson is a broad strokes kinda of guy that doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and just blags most of what he's doing.

I think Covid-19 has exposed the "Populists" for what they are. But I don't see Johnson in the same sort of category as the likes of Trump. Johnson and Cummings tapped into a populist feeling on the campaign trail, they have not continued a sort of batshit crazy gaslighting leadership style, with continual untruths. That was at least until yesterday evening's daily briefing, and well the British people don't accept being treating like mugs. So he's going to pay for that.

[PostmanBitesDog]

Oh dear. When the Church of England (to which Boris was confirmed into) criticizes the PM, then we know things aren't looking well for the pompous prick.

The Guardian (May 25, 2020) - Bishops Turn on Boris Johnson for Defending Dominic Cummings

Church of England bishops have fired a volley of unprecedented criticism at Boris Johnson over his defence of actions taken by his chief aide, Dominic Cummings. One suggested the church could decline to work with the government during the coronavirus crisis “unless we see clear repentance, including the sacking of Cummings”.

Tweets from two bishops:

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[Woody Guthrie]

@woody Personally, I also think that the people will start to reject the populists. And for good reason too, it's a dumb way to run things. But perhaps I'm giving people too much credit here.

I used to think/hope that people would tire of reality TV shows and throwing inane abuse on Twitter, tire of casual and overt racism, sexism and xenophobia. Tire of violence, envy, greed and malice.

The only one tired is me.

People will ultimately do what they think is best for them, most of the time they don't know what's best for them so they look for someone to tell them. That's what a populist does. Populism didn't begin with Trump and Boris and it won't end with them either.

[Murdoch]

That's what a populist does. Populism didn't begin with Trump and Boris and it won't end with them either.

This is a valid point.

Often, I look at what is happening in the UK and US and the current populist leaders, by thinking of them as the catalysts stirring up a populist mood as if they are the ones creating it. But I've also frequently said, that a nation gets the leaders they deserve (in a democratically elected country of course).

The undercurrent of feeling in the west, and the dysfunctional society that has caused the current trend towards electing populists remains unchanged. So unless we do start to reject it (I remain hopeful on this), and public discourse starts to improve. We could quite as easily continue blaming the Chinese, and immigrants or the EU or whoever is misdirected as being the root of the problem, and double down on the populism.