Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Boris looks like and has the mannerisms of compo out of last of the summer wine! His hands in pockets look is terrible! Boris sounds like a posh lout, he behaves like an oik. I will not vote Tory while he is leader...
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
is especially good - that's a really first-class article going well beyond the Cameron aspect.
On topic, the odd thing is that virtually nobody in politics is giving the consequences of Brexit serious thought. Johnson and Hunt are preoccupied with wooing the Tory fringes. Corbyn is preoccupied with fine-tuning the precise degree of Remainerism. The LibDems are agin it, but have no particular view on what to do if it happens. The Brexit Party are for it, but have literally no views on anything else. Civil servants who I talk to are all busy dealing with the immediate effects.
In short, nobody feels they have time to think about the longer term, as the short term is so complicated. Scary.
The whole British politician system (and arguably our economic one also) is geared to the short term. No-one is worrying about the future. Since the Brexit fiasco was foist upon us, the focus has been even more to the short term.
Only the Chinese, it seems, are thinking twenty years ahead.
The Chinese are communist, we are capatilist! Planning 20 years ahead is something the UK has done. Look at the UK on climate change, HS2, state pension age adjustment, for instance. You could look at long term defence capabilities or education reform. Economically we are not currently centrally planned, a capatilist economy by its very nature adjusts to change whereas a centrally planed one might waste resources on longterm plans superceeded by new technology or changes to demand that makes a plan obselete.
Forward thinking on social care for instance was not popular! I think we do plan ahead as a country but their is not always the democratic support to tackle these things. The climate emergency issued by the UK Government was ahead of the curve!
The Chinese currently are locking up Muslims and dissenters and coping with mass demonstrations in Hong Kong about proposals for extradition to mainland China
Yes, but that is not about planning 20 years ahead. I am against communism!
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
Boris benefits from the same forces as Trump and Salvini, he winds up the metropolitan elite liberal left
Correction: Boris is trying to benefit from the same forces, but he cuts an increasingly pathetic figure and clearly has no answers to the problems facing the country.
No, Boris has answers just diehard Remainers don't like them
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
Boris benefits from the same forces as Trump and Salvini, he winds up the metropolitan elite liberal left
Correction: Boris is trying to benefit from the same forces, but he cuts an increasingly pathetic figure and clearly has no answers to the problems facing the country.
No, Boris has answers just diehard Remainers don't like them
As you are an expert on both diehards and percentages, please could you confirm the percentage of diehard Remainers in the UK?
About 40%, those who voted Remain and oppose the Withdrawal Agreement and a Canada style FTA Deal and No Deal.
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
Boris benefits from the same forces as Trump and Salvini, he winds up the metropolitan elite liberal left
Correction: Boris is trying to benefit from the same forces, but he cuts an increasingly pathetic figure and clearly has no answers to the problems facing the country.
No, Boris has answers just diehard Remainers don't like them
As you are an expert on both diehards and percentages, please could you confirm the percentage of diehard Remainers in the UK?
is especially good - that's a really first-class article going well beyond the Cameron aspect.
On topic, the odd thing is that virtually nobody in politics is giving the consequences of Brexit serious thought. Johnson and Hunt are preoccupied with wooing the Tory fringes. Corbyn is preoccupied with fine-tuning the precise degree of Remainerism. The LibDems are agin it, but have no particular view on what to do if it happens. The Brexit Party are for it, but have literally no views on anything else. Civil servants who I talk to are all busy dealing with the immediate effects.
In short, nobody feels they have time to think about the longer term, as the short term is so complicated. Scary.
The whole British politician system (and arguably our economic one also) is geared to the short term. No-one is worrying about the future. Since the Brexit fiasco was foist upon us, the focus has been even more to the short term.
Only the Chinese, it seems, are thinking twenty years ahead.
The Chinese are communist, we are capatilist! Planning 20 years ahead is something the UK has done. Look at the UK on climate change, HS2, state pension age adjustment, for instance. You could look at long term defence capabilities or education reform. Economically we are not currently centrally planned, a capatilist economy by its very nature adjusts to change whereas a centrally planed one might waste resources on longterm plans superceeded by new technology or changes to demand that makes a plan obselete.
Forward thinking on social care for instance was not popular! I think we do plan ahead as a country but their is not always the democratic support to tackle these things. The climate emergency issued by the UK Government was ahead of the curve!
Has the UK gvt issued a climate emergency? I doubt it, and if had its utter headline grabbing gibberish. A tricky case of type 2 diabetes, not an emergency.
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Boris looks like and has the mannerisms of compo out of last of the summer wine! His hands in pockets look is terrible! Boris sounds like a posh lout, he behaves like an oik. I will not vote Tory while he is leader...
Boris will lose a few upper middle class Remainers to the LDs but more than make up for it with working class Leavers he regains from the Brexit Party
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Which Churchill? The great man was in politics for over fifty years, and the elder statesman that completed that journey was not necessarily the same as the young man that started out.
I also believe that Churchill was a very interesting character; the right man at the right time, but the wrong man for most of the rest.
And if you really wanted someone walking in Churchill's shadow, you'd be a Rory Stewart supporter ...
(As an aside, that must really hurt Boris. He wants so badly to be Churchill, and another Conservative is far better at it than him.)
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
If he delivers Brexit with a Canada style FTA for GB a brilliant one, if he fails to deliver Brexit a poor one.
However Hunt will only be average at best so worth the risk
This is the tragedy that has befallen our country over the last three years:
Government isn't all about Brexit.
So leaving aside Brexit, what sort of PM do you think he'll be?
Brexit is the defining issue of the age, like May his premiership will be defined by whether he delivers it or not. Until it is resolved there is little room for other matters
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Which Churchill? The great man was in politics for over fifty years, and the elder statesman that completed that journey was not necessarily the same as the young man that started out.
I also believe that Churchill was a very interesting character; the right man at the right time, but the wrong man for most of the rest.
And if you really wanted someone walking in Churchill's shadow, you'd be a Rory Stewart supporter ...
(As an aside, that must really hurt Boris. He wants so badly to be Churchill, and another Conservative is far better at it than him.)
Churchill had a mixed record before becoming PM yet defied the establishment wanted appeasement and was proved right and won the War, Stewart is part of the political establishment
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
If he delivers Brexit with a Canada style FTA for GB a brilliant one, if he fails to deliver Brexit a poor one.
However Hunt will only be average at best so worth the risk
This is the tragedy that has befallen our country over the last three years:
Government isn't all about Brexit.
So leaving aside Brexit, what sort of PM do you think he'll be?
Brexit us the defining issue of the age, like May his premiership will be defined by whether he delivers it or not. Until it is resolved there is little room for other matters
And that is the very essence of the madness of Brexit. Three years (and probably four or five), utterly wasted.
As you are an expert on both diehards and percentages, please could you confirm the percentage of diehard Remainers in the UK?
About 40%, those who voted Remain and oppose the Withdrawal Agreement and a Canada style FTA Deal and No Deal.
How do you think Boris can win a FPTP election against 40% diehard Remainers while competing with the Brexit Party?
As most of the Brexit Party voters will vote Tory under Boris, with diehard Remainers split between Labour, the LDs and Greens and nationalists enabling a Boris FPTP majority
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Which Churchill? The great man was in politics for over fifty years, and the elder statesman that completed that journey was not necessarily the same as the young man that started out.
I also believe that Churchill was a very interesting character; the right man at the right time, but the wrong man for most of the rest.
And if you really wanted someone walking in Churchill's shadow, you'd be a Rory Stewart supporter ...
(As an aside, that must really hurt Boris. He wants so badly to be Churchill, and another Conservative is far better at it than him.)
Churchill had a mixed record before becoming PM yet defied the establishment wanted appeasement and was proved right and won the War, Stewart is part of the political establishment
Stewart is adament that Brexit must be delivered with a deal. Are you suggesting Boris is actively against a Brexit deal and favours war confrontation with the EU?
As you are an expert on both diehards and percentages, please could you confirm the percentage of diehard Remainers in the UK?
About 40%, those who voted Remain and oppose the Withdrawal Agreement and a Canada style FTA Deal and No Deal.
How do you think Boris can win a FPTP election against 40% diehard Remainers while competing with the Brexit Party?
As most of the Brexit Party voters will vote Tory under Boris, with diehard Remainers split between Labour, the LDs and Greens and nationalists enabling a Boris FPTP majority
You clearly haven't been listening to what Farage has been saying about Boris, nor reading the comments of Brexit Party supporters. It's pure fantasy to think they are ready to believe in Boris Johnson's empty promises.
Does he mean Randolph Churchill? To be fair, one has to admire Mr HYUFD. He keeps going with his Central Office line, no matter how often the impossibility of his beliefs are demonstrated.
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Which Churchill? The great man was in politics for over fifty years, and the elder statesman that completed that journey was not necessarily the same as the young man that started out.
I also believe that Churchill was a very interesting character; the right man at the right time, but the wrong man for most of the rest.
And if you really wanted someone walking in Churchill's shadow, you'd be a Rory Stewart supporter ...
(As an aside, that must really hurt Boris. He wants so badly to be Churchill, and another Conservative is far better at it than him.)
Churchill had a mixed record before becoming PM yet defied the establishment wanted appeasement and was proved right and won the War, Stewart is part of the political establishment
LOL. Boris isn't part of the establishment? Really?
Churchill was very much one of the establishment. The noteworthy (and IMO commendable) thing about him is that he tried to go outside his entitled world, particularly in his early life. Boris has never done so.
And if Stewart was really one of the 'political establishment', he'd have had the cabinet job that fits his skills much earlier. He is, to his credit, somewhat of an outsider in that world.
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
Except it wasn't remainers. It was the ERG voting against the WA which "made this happen"
In the time we've been talking about HS2, a 140 mile line, the Chinese have planned and built 18 thousand miles worth, and are adding something like 2000 more miles each year.
In the time we've been talking about HS2, a 140 mile line, the Chinese have planned and built 18 thousand miles worth, and are adding something like 2000 more miles each year.
It's easier when you dont have to ask anyone's permission and have a peasant workforce who will do what you tell them
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Which Churchill? The great man was in politics for over fifty years, and the elder statesman that completed that journey was not necessarily the same as the young man that started out.
I also believe that Churchill was a very interesting character; the right man at the right time, but the wrong man for most of the rest.
And if you really wanted someone walking in Churchill's shadow, you'd be a Rory Stewart supporter ...
(As an aside, that must really hurt Boris. He wants so badly to be Churchill, and another Conservative is far better at it than him.)
Churchill had a mixed record before becoming PM yet defied the establishment wanted appeasement and was proved right and won the War, Stewart is part of the political establishment
You are on very thin ice implying that Winston Churchill was not part of the "political" establishment.
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
A very poor one. He will be divisive, unable to strategically plan ahead, at the mercy of events, have difficulty keeping on top of his boxes, making decisions in the national interest that maybe unpopular not related to Brexit. On top of all this he has a poor character and is difficult to take seriously. He is dire, he does not look, sound or behave like a PM either!
If I had a vote I would support Jeremy Hunt.
He looks and sounds like Churchill, Hunt looks and sounds like Eden
Which Churchill? The great man was in politics for over fifty years, and the elder statesman that completed that journey was not necessarily the same as the young man that started out.
I also believe that Churchill was a very interesting character; the right man at the right time, but the wrong man for most of the rest.
And if you really wanted someone walking in Churchill's shadow, you'd be a Rory Stewart supporter ...
(As an aside, that must really hurt Boris. He wants so badly to be Churchill, and another Conservative is far better at it than him.)
Churchill had a mixed record before becoming PM yet defied the establishment wanted appeasement and was proved right and won the War, Stewart is part of the political establishment
You are on very thin ice implying that Winston Churchill was not part of the "political" establishment.
If Churchill had not been part of the Establishment he’d have been out on his ear after WWI
In the time we've been talking about HS2, a 140 mile line, the Chinese have planned and built 18 thousand miles worth, and are adding something like 2000 more miles each year.
The UK is a developed economy, China is trying to catch up! The UK has good infrastructure, it may not be optimal but I question the need for building too much new rail networks as it was not too long ago the UK was reducing lines because there was not the demand. No point building rail tracks that are not needed...
They seem to be coping with the news by ignoring it, in contrast to all those anecdotal claims of a swing to Hunt that attracted such eager coverage over the past week.
Nor should the news that Johnson is maintaining an overwhelming lead be any surprise to those of us who could see through such guff. I predicted this based upon the favourability ratings given by 2017 Conservative voters in the most recent YouGov polling dating from 1st July.
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
If he delivers Brexit with a Canada style FTA for GB a brilliant one, if he fails to deliver Brexit a poor one.
However Hunt will only be average at best so worth the risk
This is the tragedy that has befallen our country over the last three years:
Government isn't all about Brexit.
So leaving aside Brexit, what sort of PM do you think he'll be?
Brexit us the defining issue of the age, like May his premiership will be defined by whether he delivers it or not. Until it is resolved there is little room for other matters
And that is the very essence of the madness of Brexit. Three years (and probably four or five), utterly wasted.
A decade more likely than four or five! Neither leaving nor revoking will stop our relationship with the EU being both the defining matter and one that politicians cannot approach logically for fear of their ground being taken over by those with more "belief".
In the time we've been talking about HS2, a 140 mile line, the Chinese have planned and built 18 thousand miles worth, and are adding something like 2000 more miles each year.
It's easier when you dont have to ask anyone's permission and have a peasant workforce who will do what you tell them
In my experience they get the trains to run on time too.
If he’d gone into the City - the usual place where entitled twillocks like him often end up - I am 100% certain that he would have ended up under investigation and being interviewed by the likes of me.
May I ask what you do for a living?
I used to be a litigator then investigator into fraud and other City misbehaviour and, latterly, set up and ran an investigations team at a well-known bank. Now I advise on investigations and teach bankers not to be fuckwits, having retired from working 18 hours out of every 24 every bloody day. (See more here - www.barry-walsh.co.uk).
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
If he delivers Brexit with a Canada style FTA for GB a brilliant one, if he fails to deliver Brexit a poor one.
However Hunt will only be average at best so worth the risk
A "Canada style FTA" is more than a slogan. Implementing it would be economically disruptive, take a long time, and promote the break up of the UK.
Wrong on both counts, a FTA for GB would deliver Brexit and regained sovereignty and border control and enable us to do our own FTAs with the rest of the world as Leavers wanted, is preferred by Scots to No Deal with Yougov and if a technical solution is found to the Irish border it avoids a hard border in Ireland boosting reunification support too
You do realise an "FTA for GB" will take years - maybe a decade - has to be signed off severally and separately by 30 or so EU counterparties each of whom will demand their pound of flesh, is uncertain to get approval, but will in any case be a major downgrade on what we had as members?
What are we going to be doing in the meantime?
No Deal and FTA are displacement activities for those in denial that Brexit means satellite status for the UK.
The bbc write up of the boris intelligence access story reflects far worse on may than boris.
I have to agree with you there.
I am curious as to why this story has come out now and from whom?
It does not reflect well on Mrs May and it sounds as if Boris was not denied intelligence so what is the point of it?
How would Boris know if he was denied intelligence?
The report on the news suggested that the intelligence services had rebelled against May’s request. If Boris was not fit to receive intelligence, given what the FS is responsible for, he was not fit to be FS.
Mind you, May gave Amber Rudd responsibility for co-ordinating the response to the Skripal poisonings so even there Boris was to some extent sidelined.
The bbc write up of the boris intelligence access story reflects far worse on may than boris.
I have to agree with you there.
I am curious as to why this story has come out now and from whom?
It does not reflect well on Mrs May and it sounds as if Boris was not denied intelligence so what is the point of it?
How would Boris know if he was denied intelligence?
The report on the news suggested that the intelligence services had rebelled against May’s request. If Boris was not fit to receive intelligence, given what the FS is responsible for, he was not fit to be FS.
Mind you, May gave Amber Rudd responsibility for co-ordinating the response to the Skripal poisonings so even there Boris was to some extent sidelined.
In the time we've been talking about HS2, a 140 mile line, the Chinese have planned and built 18 thousand miles worth, and are adding something like 2000 more miles each year.
The UK is a developed economy, China is trying to catch up! The UK has good infrastructure, it may not be optimal but I question the need for building too much new rail networks as it was not too long ago the UK was reducing lines because there was not the demand. No point building rail tracks that are not needed...
Beeching was fifty years ago. If you take the Woodhead and the March-Spalding route closures (the last two major closures), then it's nearly forty. That is quite a long time ago, and the world has changed substantially since then. The Serpell report was quietly buried in 1982.
In the last 25 years, both passenger numbers and passenger miles have massively increased. This was surprising (most of all to railwaymen), and billions of investment are being spent on enhancements of the current network. However, there are diminishing returns on that sort of investment, as the WCML upgrade and the GW electrification have shown.
HS2 is required, and is infrastructure for the next 50, 100 or more years.
He is unrecognisable in that photo from a few months ago. I presume he must have been suffering from some terrible illness.
I was sad to hear of his death. The bookmaker-as-showman has fallen out of favour as an artform as betting has become normalised post-1960, but he was a good (the best?) exponent of the art. Turning your personality into a character can cause problems - fame is a mask that eats the face - but he seemed comfortable with it and made him happy. His devotion to his wife spoke well of him.
Did McCririck strike up an unlikely friendship with Germaine Greer in the Big Brother house? Despite disagreeing on almost everything (he was a traditionalist right-winger) I recall that he took to her as he respected her intelligence (unlike the other guests on the show!).
Interesting guy, who brought a lot of colour to our screens.
The bbc write up of the boris intelligence access story reflects far worse on may than boris.
I have to agree with you there.
I am curious as to why this story has come out now and from whom?
It does not reflect well on Mrs May and it sounds as if Boris was not denied intelligence so what is the point of it?
How would Boris know if he was denied intelligence?
The report on the news suggested that the intelligence services had rebelled against May’s request. If Boris was not fit to receive intelligence, given what the FS is responsible for, he was not fit to be FS.
Mind you, May gave Amber Rudd responsibility for co-ordinating the response to the Skripal poisonings so even there Boris was to some extent sidelined.
He ran the FO's very successful response.
There was some fact-checking of his claims on this by the WATO which suggested that his role was not quite as extensive as he now likes to claim. Also didn’t he get into difficulties about a statement he made in the Commons about the intelligence the government had?
To be honest, given what happened it would have been hard not to mess this up. It’s hardly conclusive evidence of his genius as administrator, leader or politician.
They should buy just a normal yacht not a great big fuck-off cruise ship. Foreign dignataries would be just as happy with if it was a cosy thing with The Queen pouring everybody a gin and they had to move out on deck at 10pm because Meghan wanted to go to bed and that involved folding the table away and putting the cushions down to use as a mattress.
Worth watching last night’s Newsnight for a report on what such a trade deal might mean for NICE and the cost of drugs for the NHS.
I did, and thought a mention might have made it into the header. While the figures bandied about were misleading - the chances of our paying US prices for pharmaceuticals are pretty slim - there is no doubt whatsoever that this would be an item on the US agenda.
We have a significant trade surplus with the US. The purpose of any deal they agreed with us would be to reverse that. (And it is notable that those UK businesses who already trade with the US have no urgent desire for any deal.)
Or to put it in terms Brexiteers understand, they hold all the cards.
I am slightly confused what these charges are for working in the US? I've sold my services (which is myself) many times both working for US clients over there or sometimes working for them in the UK. I send them my invoice and pay UK tax. They pay no more or less than any British or EU client would. Should I be applying an extra charge?
Brexit is the defining issue of the age, like May his premiership will be defined by whether he delivers it or not. Until it is resolved there is little room for other matters
It's certainly the defining issue of the next four months. The problem becomes IF you trust Boris to deliver Brexit given his, shall we say, "inconsistencies" in the past and in other areas.
Politically, I'm sure you'd agree failing to deliver Brexit and especially agreeing to a further extension would finish both Boris and the Conservative Party in its current form.
His only option, as we both know, is to try to change the parliamentary arithmetic and that is predicated on the view TBP voters will return to the Conservatives - if they don't, there is no Conservative majority as I'm sure you would accept.
So the central question is whether TBP voters in particular will believe Boris's guarantees he will take Britain out of the EU on 31/10 - Farage will obviously and vociferously challenge him and that's to be expected. The slightest wavering will of course be jumped on by TBP.
The bbc write up of the boris intelligence access story reflects far worse on may than boris.
I have to agree with you there.
I am curious as to why this story has come out now and from whom?
It does not reflect well on Mrs May and it sounds as if Boris was not denied intelligence so what is the point of it?
How would Boris know if he was denied intelligence?
The report on the news suggested that the intelligence services had rebelled against May’s request. If Boris was not fit to receive intelligence, given what the FS is responsible for, he was not fit to be FS.
Mind you, May gave Amber Rudd responsibility for co-ordinating the response to the Skripal poisonings so even there Boris was to some extent sidelined.
He ran the FO's very successful response.
There was some fact-checking of his claims on this by the WATO which suggested that his role was not quite as extensive as he now likes to claim. Also didn’t he get into difficulties about a statement he made in the Commons about the intelligence the government had?
To be honest, given what happened it would have been hard not to mess this up. It’s hardly conclusive evidence of his genius as administrator, leader or politician.
Well he didn't mess up so he did something that you say would have been hard to do. Give the man some credit. Or learn to be careful with double negatives.
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
This is a large part of Trump's appeal for many.
"I love him because he really winds up liberals."
Which rather sums up the scratchy interior of these people.
Not that the exterior is a great deal better in most cases, to be fair.
Do you think Boris will make a poor PM, an average one, a good one, or a brilliant PM?
If so, why?
If he delivers Brexit with a Canada style FTA for GB a brilliant one, if he fails to deliver Brexit a poor one.
However Hunt will only be average at best so worth the risk
A "Canada style FTA" is more than a slogan. Implementing it would be economically disruptive, take a long time, and promote the break up of the UK.
Wrong on both counts, a FTA for GB would deliver Brexit and regained sovereignty and border control and enable us to do our own FTAs with the rest of the world as Leavers wanted, is preferred by Scots to No Deal with Yougov and if a technical solution is found to the Irish border it avoids a hard border in Ireland boosting reunification support too
How long is he going to be PM? And what will be the status of our relationship with the EU while the FTA (more detailed and deeper than the Canada FTA, obviously - our economy is nearly twice their size and far more intricately embedded in the EU) is being negotiated and agreed?
It's taken Canada and the EU over a decade so far and it's not yet fully in force. Will we be in an extended transition period for 10 years? Twelve? Fifteen?
Will Boris be PM for the entire time?
Or are you just chanting "Canada style FTA" as a mantra for something that will magically take effect immediately and make all the problems go away?
Has the UK gvt issued a climate emergency? I doubt it, and if had its utter headline grabbing gibberish. A tricky case of type 2 diabetes, not an emergency.
Sort of. IIRC Labour proposed a motion declaring it, the Government at first said nah, not an emergency, then said oh well, on second thoughts, and it passed without dissent.The idea of actually doing something about it hasn't really come up in Parliament recently - they've been busy with...with you...
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
This is a large part of Trump's appeal for many.
"I love him because he really winds up liberals."
Which rather sums up the scratchy interior of these people.
Not that the exterior is a great deal better in most cases, to be fair.
It's an inevitable result of the culture of "taking offence" that we're living through at the moment.
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
This is a large part of Trump's appeal for many.
"I love him because he really winds up liberals."
Which rather sums up the scratchy interior of these people.
Not that the exterior is a great deal better in most cases, to be fair.
It's an inevitable result of the culture of "taking offence" that we're living through at the moment.
The real snowflakes are those who want to be racist, sexist or generally unpleasant, but are permanently offended when it is pointed out to them that they are being racist, sexist or generally unpleasant.
There are miles better candidates for the IMF job than Mark Carney among ex central bankers. For a start Ian Macfarlane (Australia), Stanley Fischer (Israel) and our own Mervin King. George Osborne should be a non-starter. However a kind of buggin's turn rule has tended to apply with Europe and the US splitting the top jobs in the World Bank and the IMF.
It's quite noticable how many people are supporting Boris Johnson just because they think he offends people they don't like. I even saw someone posting their ballot paper on Twitter with a tick next to Boris's name alongside the comment: "You made this happen, Remainers!"
This is a large part of Trump's appeal for many.
"I love him because he really winds up liberals."
Which rather sums up the scratchy interior of these people.
Not that the exterior is a great deal better in most cases, to be fair.
It's an inevitable result of the culture of "taking offence" that we're living through at the moment.
Wait to these gammons find out that Boris is an internationalist liberal.
is especially good - that's a really first-class article going well beyond the Cameron aspect.
On topic, the odd thing is that virtually nobody in politics is giving the consequences of Brexit serious thought. Johnson and Hunt are preoccupied with wooing the Tory fringes. Corbyn is preoccupied with fine-tuning the precise degree of Remainerism. The LibDems are agin it, but have no particular view on what to do if it happens. The Brexit Party are for it, but have literally no views on anything else. Civil servants who I talk to are all busy dealing with the immediate effects.
In short, nobody feels they have time to think about the longer term, as the short term is so complicated. Scary.
The whole British politician system (and arguably our economic one also) is geared to the short term. No-one is worrying about the future. Since the Brexit fiasco was foist upon us, the focus has been even more to the short term.
Only the Chinese, it seems, are thinking twenty years ahead.
The Chinese are communist, we are capatilist! Planning 20 years ahead is something the UK has done. Look at the UK on climate change, HS2, state pension age adjustment, for instance. You could look at long term defence capabilities or education reform. Economically we are not currently centrally planned, a capatilist economy by its very nature adjusts to change whereas a centrally planed one might waste resources on longterm plans superceeded by new technology or changes to demand that makes a plan obselete.
Forward thinking on social care for instance was not popular! I think we do plan ahead as a country but their is not always the democratic support to tackle these things. The climate emergency issued by the UK Government was ahead of the curve!
Has the UK gvt issued a climate emergency? I doubt it, and if had its utter headline grabbing gibberish. A tricky case of type 2 diabetes, not an emergency.
On the subject of misleading people, let's just remember that this is the man who became Conservative leader by posing as a relatively Eurosceptic candidate and who as a result of this gained the endorsement of Margaret Thatcher.
On the subject of misleading people, let's just remember that this is the man who became Conservative leader by posing as a relatively Eurosceptic candidate and who as a result of this gained the endorsement of Margaret Thatcher.
Now it's time for a new chapter to open and I wish John Major all the luck in the world. He'll be splendidly served and he has the makings of a great Prime Minister, which I'm sure he'll be in very short time.
In the time we've been talking about HS2, a 140 mile line, the Chinese have planned and built 18 thousand miles worth, and are adding something like 2000 more miles each year.
The UK is a developed economy, China is trying to catch up! The UK has good infrastructure, it may not be optimal but I question the need for building too much new rail networks as it was not too long ago the UK was reducing lines because there was not the demand. No point building rail tracks that are not needed...
If HS2 goes through to Edinburgh or Glasgow then it will be a useful investment. If it stops at Manchester then much less so.
Mr. D, I was once sent photographic evidence (I didn't ask for it, mind) that an online friend had voted for me in the ballot to be governor of California.
Comments
Government isn't all about Brexit.
So leaving aside Brexit, what sort of PM do you think he'll be?
I also believe that Churchill was a very interesting character; the right man at the right time, but the wrong man for most of the rest.
And if you really wanted someone walking in Churchill's shadow, you'd be a Rory Stewart supporter ...
(As an aside, that must really hurt Boris. He wants so badly to be Churchill, and another Conservative is far better at it than him.)
To be fair, one has to admire Mr HYUFD. He keeps going with his Central Office line, no matter how often the impossibility of his beliefs are demonstrated.
Churchill was very much one of the establishment. The noteworthy (and IMO commendable) thing about him is that he tried to go outside his entitled world, particularly in his early life. Boris has never done so.
And if Stewart was really one of the 'political establishment', he'd have had the cabinet job that fits his skills much earlier. He is, to his credit, somewhat of an outsider in that world.
Nor should the news that Johnson is maintaining an overwhelming lead be any surprise to those of us who could see through such guff. I predicted this based upon the favourability ratings given by 2017 Conservative voters in the most recent YouGov polling dating from 1st July.
https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/w2via7fx5g/Internal_190701_FavourabilityTrackers_w.pdf
What are we going to be doing in the meantime?
No Deal and FTA are displacement activities for those in denial that Brexit means satellite status for the UK.
There will be a number of candidates (*cough* Beto...) who will see it as a do or die opportunity:
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/05/beto-orourke-2020-1398970
And Uncle Joe will be on the warpath, I think.
It could all disappoint, but the potential for some serious fireworks is there.
Mind you, May gave Amber Rudd responsibility for co-ordinating the response to the Skripal poisonings so even there Boris was to some extent sidelined.
In the last 25 years, both passenger numbers and passenger miles have massively increased. This was surprising (most of all to railwaymen), and billions of investment are being spent on enhancements of the current network. However, there are diminishing returns on that sort of investment, as the WCML upgrade and the GW electrification have shown.
HS2 is required, and is infrastructure for the next 50, 100 or more years.
Interesting guy, who brought a lot of colour to our screens.
RIP
To be honest, given what happened it would have been hard not to mess this up. It’s hardly conclusive evidence of his genius as administrator, leader or politician.
https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2019/07/conservative-leadership-election-candidates-polices-full-list-4.html
Politically, I'm sure you'd agree failing to deliver Brexit and especially agreeing to a further extension would finish both Boris and the Conservative Party in its current form.
His only option, as we both know, is to try to change the parliamentary arithmetic and that is predicated on the view TBP voters will return to the Conservatives - if they don't, there is no Conservative majority as I'm sure you would accept.
So the central question is whether TBP voters in particular will believe Boris's guarantees he will take Britain out of the EU on 31/10 - Farage will obviously and vociferously challenge him and that's to be expected. The slightest wavering will of course be jumped on by TBP.
Give the man some credit. Or learn to be careful with double negatives.
"I love him because he really winds up liberals."
Which rather sums up the scratchy interior of these people.
Not that the exterior is a great deal better in most cases, to be fair.
And what will be the status of our relationship with the EU while the FTA (more detailed and deeper than the Canada FTA, obviously - our economy is nearly twice their size and far more intricately embedded in the EU) is being negotiated and agreed?
It's taken Canada and the EU over a decade so far and it's not yet fully in force. Will we be in an extended transition period for 10 years? Twelve? Fifteen?
Will Boris be PM for the entire time?
Or are you just chanting "Canada style FTA" as a mantra for something that will magically take effect immediately and make all the problems go away?
George Osborne should be a non-starter. However a kind of buggin's turn rule has tended to apply with Europe and the US splitting the top jobs in the World Bank and the IMF.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48126677
https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/108258
Now it's time for a new chapter to open and I wish John Major all the luck in the world. He'll be splendidly served and he has the makings of a great Prime Minister, which I'm sure he'll be in very short time.
She didn't say what kind of luck.
https://twitter.com/tseofpb/status/1147151027411570688?s=21
Is an epic Sunday for sport.
Wimbledon Men’s Final, the British Grand Prix, The Open, and the cricket World Cup final.
I should stress, I didn't win.