The Boris Johnson thread.

[Mandryka]

So it looks as though Boris Johnson had enough votes to stand against Sunak in a vote with the Conservative party paid up members - and I think it's very likely that he would have won, given the sort of person voting.


So my question is, why didn't he stand? What's his game? Or was his arm twisted?

[Todd]

So my question is, why didn't he stand? What's his game? Or was his arm twisted?

Let Sunak crash and burn and return the hero?  He can be a sort of British Bibi.  Or it could be arm twisting, I don't know the dynamics of UK politics.

[Irons]

So it looks as though Boris Johnson had enough votes to stand against Sunak in a vote with the Conservative party paid up members - and I think it's very likely that he would have won, given the sort of person voting.


So my question is, why didn't he stand? What's his game? Or was his arm twisted?

A strange one for sure. Both Todd or you may be right. Or did he look into his crystal ball and decide to play a long game. Due to the perilous state of the country's finances the Conservative party will lose the '24 election. Unless by some miracle the Tories win the next election there will be a change of leader whoever he or she is.

[Mandryka]

A strange one for sure. Both Todd or you may be right. Or did he look into his crystal ball and decide to play a long game. Due to the perilous state of the country's finances the Conservative party will lose the '24 election. Unless by some miracle the Tories win the next election there will be a change of leader whoever he or she is.

I wonder if he will form a new party.

Re the conservatives' prospects in 2024 - all the projections I've heard show inflation falling off very rapidly at the start of 2023, and being at acceptable levels at the mid point of the year. Interest rates should start to come down then, I guess. That leaves him plenty of time to cut taxes before calling a general election, presenting himself as the man who got Britain back on track.

He's also showing himself to be a more astute politician than I realised - the way he's getting Braverman to play the Albanian drug dealer card and Rwanda - playing to Tory voters' values and attitudes about race. And no doubt he'll get Hunt to be hard on benefits and minimum wage - playing to Tory voters' beliefs about the fecklessness and laziness and undeservingness of unemployed and partially employed working class people.

[Roasted Swan]

I wonder if he will form a new party.

Re the conservatives' prospects in 2024 - all the projections I've heard show inflation falling off very rapidly at the start of 2023, and being at acceptable levels at the mid point of the year. Interest rates should start to come down then, I guess. That leaves him plenty of time to cut taxes before calling a general election, presenting himself as the man who got Britain back on track.

He's also showing himself to be a more astute politician than I realised - the way he's getting Braverman to play the Albanian drug dealer card and Rwanda - playing to Tory voters' values and attitudes about race. And no doubt he'll get Hunt to be hard on benefits and minimum wage - playing to Tory voters' beliefs about the fecklessness and laziness and undeservingness of unemployed and partially employed working class people.

According to one report - vehemently denied by "sources close to...." of course - he was advised that his value on the after-dinner speaking/publicity/promotional market currently is about £10 million per annum.  If he had lost a run-off to Sunak that value would be halved.  Nobody should think for a minute that Johnson was in this because of some lofty political idealism - it was all about fame and fortune.  His absence from parliment and his hasty return without any policies in place when he had a sniff of re-election proves this.  His main motivation to run again so soon was essentially vindictive and simply to prove the doubters wrong and extract some form of revenge along the way.

[Irons]

According to one report - vehemently denied by "sources close to...." of course - he was advised that his value on the after-dinner speaking/publicity/promotional market currently is about £10 million per annum.  If he had lost a run-off to Sunak that value would be halved.  Nobody should think for a minute that Johnson was in this because of some lofty political idealism - it was all about fame and fortune.  His absence from parliment and his hasty return without any policies in place when he had a sniff of re-election proves this.  His main motivation to run again so soon was essentially vindictive and simply to prove the doubters wrong and extract some form of revenge along the way.

Power is a greater driving force then fame and fortune. History has proved that time and time again. 

[vandermolen]

According to one report - vehemently denied by "sources close to...." of course - he was advised that his value on the after-dinner speaking/publicity/promotional market currently is about £10 million per annum.  If he had lost a run-off to Sunak that value would be halved.  Nobody should think for a minute that Johnson was in this because of some lofty political idealism - it was all about fame and fortune.  His absence from parliment and his hasty return without any policies in place when he had a sniff of re-election proves this.  His main motivation to run again so soon was essentially vindictive and simply to prove the doubters wrong and extract some form of revenge along the way.

I totally agree.
Johnson said that he was returning (from the sun lounger in the Caribbean) as it was 'in the national interest'. I would argue that it is in the national interest for him to stay on the sun lounger. Even his laudable support for Ukraine was self-serving, directing attention away from the lying and partying.

[Mandryka]

https://murciatoday.com/boris-johnson-performing-well-in-the-catalan-christmas-pooper-sales-race_1236783-a.html

[vandermolen]

This story amused me - straight out of the Stalinist USSR:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/10/spot-the-difference-boris-johnson-appears-scrubbed-from-photo-posted-by-grant-shapps
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64223974

[DaveF]

A quick bump to make this one easier to find...

[Iota]

Gone, but as a compulsive attention-seeker and person hardwired to exact revenge, his absence from the public eye seems unlikely to be a lengthy one alas. Still, one must count one's blessings.

[Papy Oli]

They should force him back to publicly face the Privileges Committee conclusions and wipe out his MP pension for good measure. Last night was too easy a way out for that buffoon.

[vandermolen]

They should force him back to publicly face the Privileges Committee conclusions and wipe out his MP pension for good measure. Last night was too easy a way out for that buffoon.

Agreed. Predictably he's blamed everyone other than himself for his current predicament, reminding me (misquoting 'Hamlet') of the line 'methinks (he) doth protest too much'.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

This story amused me - straight out of the Stalinist USSR:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/10/spot-the-difference-boris-johnson-appears-scrubbed-from-photo-posted-by-grant-shapps
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64223974

I wonder who gave the order to edit the photo?

Also surprising to me:  no European satellites? 

PD

[Que]

Boris is gone... but his Brexit legacy remains.

[Irons]

Boris is gone... but his Brexit legacy remains.

Labour when they win the General Election next year will slowly and surely slide the UK back in the EU.

[Florestan]

Boris is gone... but his Brexit legacy remains.

Ahem... David Cameron is the one and only culprit for Brexit.

[Todd]

Ahem... David Cameron is the one and only culprit for Brexit.

17,410,742 people voted for Brexit.  I can't say that I blame them.

[Roasted Swan]

Ahem... David Cameron is the one and only culprit for Brexit.

Absolutely - in his arrogance he opened the door a crack in the certain belief that of course he'd win.  Boris' lies simply took advantage of the opportunity presented.