Next Prime Minister

[miami]

And now, to quote Churchill: "Oh, yes!"

If we're quoting Churchill:

There is a remedy which ... would in a few years make all Europe ... free and ... happy.
It is to re-create the European family, or as much of it as we can, and to provide it
with a structure under which it can dwell in peace, in safety and in freedom.
We must build a kind of United States of Europe

 

[yorksrob]

"Oh, yes!"

Major surely !

 

[miami]

So our new Foreign Secretary has a way with words.


http://www.theguardian.com/politics...-wins-most-offensive-erdogan-poem-competition

“There was a young fellow from Ankara, Who was a terrific wankerer.

“Till he sowed his wild oats, With the help of a goat, But he didn’t even stop to thankera.”

I despair. I really do.

 

[me123]

Hold on a minute... Boris Johnson is Foreign Secretary? Jesus Christ, I can't imagine a role in cabinet that he'd be less suited to. Given that he's got a rather important job in the next few years (not only with regards to leaving the EU, but forging new ties with the world as a whole), I think his approach will lend itself to cause more harm than good.

Perhaps he'll just confuse the Europeans with gobbledygook? Is that the strategy for leaving?

 

[AM9]

Hold on a minute... Boris Johnson is Foreign Secretary? Jesus Christ, I can't imagine a role in cabinet that he'd be less suited to. Given that he's got a rather important job in the next few years (not only with regards to leaving the EU, but forging new ties with the world as a whole), I think his approach will lend itself to cause more harm than good.

Perhaps he'll just confuse the Europeans with gobbledygook? Is that the strategy for leaving?

It's possibly a shrewd move to give Johnson the choice of toeing the line whilst at the same time, silencing the complaints from most of the leavers who think that the referendum should be treated like a general election to load the government with their sympathisers.
If of course he does, true to form, continue to make gaffes, he can then be disposed of without too many complaints at home.

 

[AlterEgo]

Do remember that Foreign Secretary will be second fiddle to the Brexit Minister, Davis, at least as far as the political agenda is likely to run for the next few years.

Shrewd by May.

 

[deltic]

May has cleverly given the job of sorting out Brexit to 3 brexiters. It will either become far easier to sell the retention of free movement of people if that is required to retain free trade with EU if it is brexit supporting politicians who have to do it or if they fail to progress better trade deals elsewhere she neutralises the right of the party by showing a gung ho go it alone policy doesn't work. Either way she possibly kills of a Boris leadership bid and stops him spending his time plotting and stirring up trouble on the back benches.

As to the next PM after May maybe Ruth Davidson will stand a good chance in say 6-7 years time.

 

[DarloRich]

Hold on a minute... Boris Johnson is Foreign Secretary? Jesus Christ, I can't imagine a role in cabinet that he'd be less suited to. Given that he's got a rather important job in the next few years (not only with regards to leaving the EU, but forging new ties with the world as a whole), I think his approach will lend itself to cause more harm than good.

Perhaps he'll just confuse the Europeans with gobbledygook? Is that the strategy for leaving?

Do we need to reprint the Boris and his greatest hits of insulting foreign people:

Picanninies? Water melon smiles? He compared H Clinton to “a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital”, Putin as "Dobbie the House elf" andsaid Barack Obama did not like Britain because of Britain’s imperial legacy due to his “part-Kenyan” ancestry. :roll:

Do remember that Foreign Secretary will be second fiddle to the Brexit Minister, Davis, at least as far as the political agenda is likely to run for the next few years.

Shrewd by May.

Because that only leaves the rest of the world to insult! I guess his department is reduced to something like a PR team for Brtian/British Industry overseas, engages his brain before speaking and is kept away from anything of substance we might be ok.

 

[lejog]

Do we need to reprint the Boris and his greatest hits of insulting foreign people:

Picanninies? Water melon smiles? He compared H Clinton to “a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital”, Putin as "Dobbie the House elf" andsaid Barack Obama did not like Britain because of Britain’s imperial legacy due to his “part-Kenyan” ancestry. :roll:

Because that only leaves the rest of the world to insult! I guess his department is reduced to something like a PR team for Brtian/British Industry overseas, engages his brain before speaking and is kept away from anything of substance we might be ok.

Having slept on the news, hopefully its a stroke of genius by May. Presumably this new Department of International Trade handles PR for overseas trade, and the prime minister takes over foreign affairs in times of crisis, so what is left for Boris? Routine diplomacy it seems and if he cocks that up by insulting someone, puff goes his political career.

I did say hopefully.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

half of those aren't in the North! Derby, Lincoln, Humberside, Crewe, Cheshire etc aren't Northern.

Putting on my Midlands hat I can assure you that Humberside, Crewe and Cheshire certainly are in the North, as probably are Derbyshire North and Dales (Derby wasn't in the list).

Only someone from the Far North would claim that the southern Pennines are in the Midlands.

 

[DarloRich]

Putting on my Midlands hat I can assure you that Humberside, Crewe and Cheshire certainly are in the North, as probably are Derbyshire North and Dales (Derby wasn't in the list).

Only someone from the Far North would claim that the southern Pennines are in the Midlands.

They arent. Honestly. There are also no Midlands either. Just Northern and cockney. Northern areas are Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Cumbria, County Durham, Cleveland, North, South and West Yorkshire.

Hull ( and therefore East Yorkshire) is the home of my psychotic ex therefore off limits, Manchester has sold out and is too London facing, Liverpool is either almost Welsh or almost Irish, Cheshire is posh and full of Tories while Derby and Crewe are almost in London!

 

[backontrack]

Major surely !

The Grey Man of British politics.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
DarloRich actually thinks that Lancaster and Preston are in the south. I don't know how to feel about this.

 

[Groningen]

Lancaster and Preston

In the past i had a train that drove from London to Preston in 2 hours. If Preston was in the south than it was a stopping service.

 

[DarloRich]

The Grey Man of British politics.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
DarloRich actually thinks that Lancaster and Preston are in the south. I don't know how to feel about this.

You don't really do humour do you?

If I were being generous i would draw a line along the bottom of Lanchasire, West Riding and along the north bank of the Humber and define the area between there and the Scottish border as the north

If not generous I would say the north east!

Anyway - OT so i will start a new thread!

 

[backontrack]

You don't really do humour do you

I do good humour

 

[miami]

The Grey Man of British politics.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
DarloRich actually thinks that Lancaster and Preston are in the south. I don't know how to feel about this.

The "no True Northerner fallacy"

What's the "North" anyway? Go to Inverness and there's a sign pointing to "The North" up the A9 towards Wick. For the whole of Britain, including Islands The OS reckon it's Dunsop Bridge in Lancashire, putting Lancaster in the North and Preston in the South. Ignore the Islands and it's Cliterhoe. The centre of population comes out at Ashby de la Zouch.

However most people refer to "The North" as being the North of England, and OS reckon that position is just north of Nuneaton. Add in Wales and it's Sutton Coldfield.

Map Men has an episode on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENeCYwms-Cc, which stated
"Londoners drew the line immediately north of Watford, Geordies drew the line immediately south of Sunderland". They also more seriously pointed to a study by a professor that compared more than just geographical locations and population, but cultural views, and produces a line running from Gloucester to Coventry to Scunthope to Grimsby, and it's heavily influenced by the distance to London.

 

[lejog]

You don't really do humour do you?

The Boris Johnson defence.

 

[DarloRich]

The Boris Johnson defence.

i thought that could only be used after racially abusing someone

 

[backontrack]

But I'd divide England into 3 - the south, the North and the midlands.

 

[Gutfright]

Gove sacked. Is that justice (secretary)?

 

[lejog]

i thought that could only be used after racially abusing someone

Attacking Johnson for his buffoonery, then indulging in your own just seemed a tad hypocritical to me.

 

[miami]

Whittingdale gone.

Johnson would have been good as culture secretary, still entertaining, but a lesser chance of starting a nuclear war.

 

[me123]

Apparently Jeremy Hunt has been fired.

That single act alone could be one of the best decisions any PM had made for at least the last decade.

His successor (we'll find out who later today) has a huge amount of damage to clean up.

 

[EM2]

Gove. Morris. Hunt. Whittingdale.
All gone

 

[backontrack]

Nicky Morgan, Michael Gove, Oliver Letwin, John Whittingdale all gone so far this morning. BBC are reporting Jeremy Hunt as having gone too. Sajid Javid has been rumoured as next to go after him.

This is brilliant.


Justine Greening and Liz Truss have just walked into No. 10. Theresa May has followed them.

EDIT: Unfortunately, it appears that Jeremy Hunt will be getting another post.

 

[ainsworth74]

Just to let everyone know that there is a new thread here for discussing where exactly the North is. So lets focus on the interesting political events on this thread and continue the discussion about the North on the linked thread.

Many thanks!

 

[Dave1987]

Hopefully McGloughlin and Perry will be gone after the shambles of the Southern dispute and the delay with the GEML franchise announcement.

 

[EM2]

Liz Truss is the new Justice Secretary and Justine Greening goes to Education.

 

[backontrack]

Just to let everyone know that there is a new thread here for discussing where exactly the North is. So lets focus on the interesting political events on this thread and continue the discussion about the North on the linked thread.

Many thanks!

North was a rubbish PM, but Cameron was even worse...

#relevant

 

[miami]

Liz Truss is the new Justice Secretary

But who will open up new pork markets?!

EDIT: Unfortunately, it appears that Jeremy Hunt will be getting another post.

However:

Contrary to some earlier rumours, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg thinks Jeremy Hunt is now expected to stay in his post at the Department of Health.

 

[me123]

Just heard that Hunt is now likely to be staying... well that's ruined my day. Why anyone would keep that odious excuse of a man in that job is beyond me.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
No idea what's happening with that useless Hunt. BBC now think he's moving on again. Here's hoping that he leaves Health. And stays away from Transport for that matter too.