Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party.

[SuspectUsual]

Boris Johnson XI managed 7, their opponents 354

Seeing at there's a test match going on, can we have it as 354/7?

 

[brad465]

Seeing at there's a test match going on, can we have it as 354/7?

Johnson's political career has been burned to Ashes.

 

[Busaholic]

Seeing at there's a test match going on, can we have it as 354/7?

Or a win by 347. Wonder how he or his lapdogs will try to spin it. The greatest travesty of Justice in Britisn history, I expect, and all the Tories who voted for his expulsion were motivated by being in hock to Rishi Sunak. So unlike Sirs Jacob Rees-Mogg, Michael Fabricant, Nigel Adams and JakeBerry who just happened to be ennobled, and that couldn't be construed as corruption, could it, no sirree. Trebles all round and let's party like there's no tomorrow, which there won't be for most people.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Johnson's political career has been burned to Ashes.

He has rather found himself in a sticky wicket, hasn't he! Totally bowled out of Parliament.

 

[yorksrob]

Could have been except that it started before the war in Ukraine and hasn't primarily been characterised by an oil price shock. It's more a combination of Brexit, idiotic management during Covid, an abject failure to manage the economy over a sustained period leaving it extremely vulnerable to shocks, and the creation of a gig economy and in-work poverty in the public sector while times were less awful, meaning that there's nothing left to lose by striking to keep food on the table now.

Inflation has thoroughly permeated all aspects of the economy, and in terms of expecting it come down we'll really just have to sit and wait it out. Interest rates are simultaneously an ineffective and brutal way of trying to address it.

But mainly overdependence on a global economy dominated by unpredictable autocratic powers and highly susceptible to price shocks.

Not to mention lax regulation of all manor of companies with inflationary terms in their price contracts.

 

[dangie]

Johnson's political career has been burned to Ashes.

But in his time he has bowled many a maiden over.........

 

[Purple Train]

But in his time he has bowled many a maiden over.........

 

[bspahh]

If you want to see how your MP voted on the partygate report, this is the list at Hansard

 

[Gloster]

Going to the elephant in the room, but at least not in the Commons. Johnson is damaged, far more so than would have appeared likely only a few weeks ago, but he may not be be out permanently. I am sure that his overwhelming self-confidence and his belief that he has a right to do whatever he wants will mean that in a few years he will make another pitch to get into No. 10. He may have to wait longer than he expected, but once the details have faded in many people’s memory and been confused with all the other political scandals, he will present himself as the heroic martyr coming to party’s rescue…and he will still have enough fans or find enough gullible fools to believe him to give him a chance. I think that the odds are, after last night, probably against him and he won’t get further than the backbenches, at most. But we can’t be sure as long as he is above ground.

Sunak is damaged. Failing to turn up and vote in support of the Committee, even if he didn’t have time to speak, makes him look weak: unwilling or unable to stand up for Parliament against elements of his own party. His other engagement gives the impression of being a ‘subsequent appointment’: late last week he was unable to say whether he would attend the vote, but if it was an important and long-fixed dinner he would have able to say that he couldn’t attend. And all those other senior Conservatives who didn’t vote (Braverman, Dowden, Gove, Hunt, etc: Braverman had apparently been in the House earlier): some might have had unavoidable clashes, but it looks as if most were avoiding putting their head above the parapet. If they cared about parliamentary democracy they would have made every possible effort to vote.

 

[nw1]

If you want to see how your MP voted on the partygate report, this is the list at Hansard

Presumably a lot of abstentions (primarily from the Tories I guess, though I can see quite a few Tories voting for) as 354 + 7 is a lot less than 650.

I notice that a lot of senior Tories, in particular, abstained. For instance: Truss, Kwarteng, Hunt, Shapps, Braverman, Anderson, Patel. (sorry just seen @Gloster said more or less the same thing). Interestingly, Mordaunt seems to be the most prominent Tory to vote for.

Most of the "noes" I haven't heard of. Cashosaurus euroscepticus is there, of course, but the others? Aside from two of them having the same surnames as music stars, no idea.

 

[dosxuk]

The Parliament website has a more friendly view of the votes - with details of party and constituency listed - https://votes.parliament.uk/Votes/Commons/Division/1566

I am sure that his overwhelming self-confidence and his belief that he has a right to do whatever he wants will mean that in a few years he will make another pitch to get into No. 10. He may have to wait longer than he expected, but once the details have faded in many people’s memory and been confused with all the other political scandals, he will present himself as the heroic martyr coming to party’s rescue…and he will still have enough fans or find enough gullible fools to believe him to give him a chance.

I don't see it - I think he will make an attempt to get back into the party, but as a grandee and thorn in their side rather than a standing MP. He was probably assuming (until this week) that he was nailed on for an appointment to the House of Lords, which would have given him the ability to talk on behalf of the Conservative party, but not be beholden to the current occupier of Number 10.

Brand Boris now has more to lose by trying to get back into the Commons, and he has achieved his aim of becoming Prime Minister so there's little more for him to gain.

 

[dangie]

If you want to see how your MP voted on the partygate report, this is the list at Hansard

My MP abstained from voting. Not really surprising as she's recently been made 'Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire' in Boris Johnson's farewell list.

 

[nw1]

The Parliament website has a more friendly view of the votes - with details of party and constituency listed - https://votes.parliament.uk/Votes/Commons/Division/1566


I don't see it - I think he will make an attempt to get back into the party, but as a grandee and thorn in their side rather than a standing MP. He was probably assuming (until this week) that he was nailed on for an appointment to the House of Lords, which would have given him the ability to talk on behalf of the Conservative party, but not be beholden to the current occupier of Number 10.

Brand Boris now has more to lose by trying to get back into the Commons, and he has achieved his aim of becoming Prime Minister so there's little more for him to gain.

Other than for him to salvage his reputation and come back. One might think he wants to be remembered as a "good" prime minister and, on the whole, he won't be right now.

I think even 2029 is too soon for this though, but maybe he'll give it a go in 2034, who knows.

Maybe, as a US-born individual, he can regain his US citizenship (presumably in exchange for losing that of the UK) and stand as the Republican candidate in 2028?

 

[birchesgreen]

His age will be against him, he is 60 next year. We don't tend to go for the more senior leader in this country compared to the US.

 

[najaB]

Maybe, as a US-born individual, he can regain his US citizenship (presumably in exchange for losing that of the UK) and stand as the Republican candidate in 2028?

That would come with sizeable tax implications, so methinks not.

 

[JamesT]

Maybe, as a US-born individual, he can regain his US citizenship (presumably in exchange for losing that of the UK) and stand as the Republican candidate in 2028?

Regaining citizenship renounced might be tricky, according to https://thekaplanlawfirm.com/challenging-loss-of-citizenship/

It may be possible to regain citizenship showing by demonstrating in one of these two forums that the renunciation of citizenship was done under duress or was the result of a psychological condition that inhibited decision-making.

Even if he could regain his citizenship, to become President you need to have been resident for 14 years. Boris 2040 maybe?

 

[birchesgreen]

He won't want to become POTUS, it might require him having to do some work.

 

[ainsworth74]

He won't want to become POTUS, it might require him having to do some work.

That didn't appear to be a requirement when Trump held office!

 

[birchesgreen]

That didn't appear to be a requirement when Trump held office!

That must be why he did so well at it and is now facing serious legal challenges.

 

[ainsworth74]

That must be why he did so well at it and is now facing serious legal challenges.

I didn't say he did a good job...

 

[dosxuk]

Other than for him to salvage his reputation and come back. One might think he wants to be remembered as a "good" prime minister and, on the whole, he won't be right now.

I think even 2029 is too soon for this though, but maybe he'll give it a go in 2034, who knows.

But it's going to be far easier for him to keep the "hounded out of parliament by a biased investigation", and "I single handedly fixed Brexit, Covid and Ukraine" claims going if they're not exposed to Parliamentary (or political) scrutiny. By playing the martyr card continuously and not engaging with those who question his claims, he can rewrite recent history - just like he has in the past with his previous mistakes.

 

[MikeWM]

Rees-Mogg is referenced in almost all of the prominent Google entries on the subject, reflecting the lazy journalism of so much of the media in soaking up his biased and opinionated 'knowledge' on the subject and his willingness to spew it out night and day to these hacks. Anyone following this sorry saga can hardly be unaware of this fact.

I don't use google in the first instance, but yes I see that now. I vaguely remember this being reported on at the time now I rack my brains on the subject, but rather a lot has happened since. Nevertheless *I* wasn't referring to him or his opinions, I have my own!

Dorries resigned as an MP 'with immediate effect' and hasn't appeared at Westminster since. She has utter contempt for her constituents, or indeed anyone not a Johnson groupie. Even died-in-the-wool Tories might consider she should be sanctioned for her behaviour.

I'd agree she is behaving very poorly at this point. I'm not sure how best to deal with an MP that effectively refuses to do their job though - after all, in some cases that is the reason they've been explicitly elected in the first place (see Sinn Fein), so how could you distinguish?

 

[dosxuk]

I'd agree she is behaving very poorly at this point. I'm not sure how best to deal with an MP that effectively refuses to do their job though - after all, in some cases that is the reason they've been explicitly elected in the first place (see Sinn Fein), so how could you distinguish?

It was the same with the useless Jared O'Mara - there's currently nothing to stop MP's deciding to just shut up shop and refuse to represent their constituents, and it needs to be stopped. Maybe the ability to begin a recall petition if an MP misses 20 consecutive sitting days would be one route - it needs to be down to the constituents whether the MP is removed (which bypasses the Sinn Fein issue), but it needs to be long enough that it doesn't unfairly punish those MP's who have a legitimate reason to be absent. Another option could be to add the ability for Parliament to summon an MP to the chambers - if they don't then appear they can be found in contempt, which repeated examples of would result in a suspension long enough to cause a recall petition.

Alternatively, maybe MP's should have a designated and named deputy who sits in their place if the MP is absent - certainly something like that should be an option when an MP is expected to be absent or unable to participate for an extended period - e.g. illness, pregnancy or even if they are the speaker.

 

[WelshBluebird]

I'd agree she is behaving very poorly at this point. I'm not sure how best to deal with an MP that effectively refuses to do their job though - after all, in some cases that is the reason they've been explicitly elected in the first place (see Sinn Fein), so how could you distinguish?

Surely there is a pretty clear difference between MP's who get elected on an abstentionist policy compared to MP's who get elected on a more normal mandate but decide they don't want to do their job (or in Dorries' case, because they want to throw a tantrum about not getting a peerage). I'd also say there is a difference between an MP who decided they don't want to properly do their job (e.g. Jared O'Mara as mentioned above) compared to an MP who has stated publicly that they are standing down with immediate affect but who then doesn't actually do that.

 

[MikeWM]

Surely there is a pretty clear difference between MP's who get elected on an abstentionist policy compared to MP's who get elected on a more normal mandate but decide they don't want to do their job (or in Dorries' case, because they want to throw a tantrum about not getting a peerage). I'd also say there is a difference between an MP who decided they don't want to properly do their job (e.g. Jared O'Mara as mentioned above) compared to an MP who has stated publicly that they are standing down with immediate affect but who then doesn't actually do that.

Of course. My point is how you would reliably distinguish between the two in order to throw it back to the constituents to 'try again' - obviously there wouldn't be much point in the Sinn Fein cases.

 

[WatcherZero]

SNP MP John Nicholson has been cleared on appeal after Nadine Dorries made a bullying complaint that he had liked and retweeted posts calling her a 'Vacuous Goon'. The Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards had originally upheld the complaint despite its own investigating officer recommending it be rejected but the independent appeal panel agreed that her own language made her complaint hypocritical and that mitigating fact should have been looked at when considering the original judgement, and it was within opposite MP's right to provide 'vigorous' criticism of the government.

Besides her being called a vacuous goon was factually correct.

 

[SuspectUsual]

SNP MP John Nicholson has been cleared on appeal after Nadine Dorries made a bullying complaint that he had liked and retweeted posts calling her a 'Vacuous Goon'. The Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards had originally upheld the complaint despite its own investigating officer recommending it be rejected but the independent appeal panel agreed that her own language made her complaint hypocritical and that mitigating fact should have been looked at when considering the original judgement, and it was within opposite MP's right to provide 'vigorous' criticism of the government.

Besides her being called a vacuous goon was factually correct.

That's the shrinking snowflake Nadine Dorries who called James O'Brien from LBC “ a public school posh boy f***wit”, right?

I think "vacuous goon" is positively mild compared to that.

But yes, I know MPs are held to different standards when talking about one another, but its instructive as to the kind of person Dorries is.

Oh, and O'Brien went to the same school as her daughters, so we can add ill-informed and/or hypocritical to the arsenal of adjectives suitable for her

 

[nw1]

That's the shrinking snowflake Nadine Dorries who called James O'Brien from LBC “ a public school posh boy f***wit”, right?

I think "vacuous goon" is positively mild compared to that.

But yes, I know MPs are held to different standards when talking about one another, but its instructive as to the kind of person Dorries is.

Oh, and O'Brien went to the same school as her daughters, so we can add ill-informed and/or hypocritical to the arsenal of adjectives suitable for her

But for the likes of Dorries (and Braverman with her 'tofu-eating wokes' or whatever it was) it's perfectly OK to use language of this sort, of course. She's a right-wing Brexiter, and everyone knows that in 2020s Britain, right-wing Brexiters are free to say whatever they please.

What's particularly silly is how the faux-populist wing of the Tory party keep going on about the "elite" as if it does not include themselves. Dorries isn't going to have problems with fuel bills or paying the mortgage, is she? So she needs to quit this ridiculous pretence of calling others "posh" when she is extremely privileged herself.

 

[nlogax]

What's particularly silly is how the faux-populist wing of the Tory party keep going on about the "elite" as if it does not include themselves.

What's even sillier is the sizeable percentage of voters who nod along with this garbage and continue to elect the clowns that spout it.

 

[Purple Train]

That's the shrinking snowflake Nadine Dorries who called James O'Brien from LBC “ a public school posh boy f***wit”, right?

I think "vacuous goon" is positively mild compared to that.

But yes, I know MPs are held to different standards when talking about one another, but its instructive as to the kind of person Dorries is.

Oh, and O'Brien went to the same school as her daughters, so we can add ill-informed and/or hypocritical to the arsenal of adjectives suitable for her

She also suggested to a journalist (can't remember who: possibly even the same one!) that she would nail some of his more delicate possessions to the floor with his own front teeth, which is rather more aggressive than "vacuous goon".
What a charming lady.