Rachel Sylvester in The Times today writes about mutinous Tories. If only, if only. The “One Nation” Tories of yore were purged prior to the 2019 General Election and any other MPs who exhibit one nation tendencies risk finding a horse’s head in their beds. Suggest that Brexit may be other than strategic genius and you’d be well advised keep well away from the boating lake.
The only actions that put Johnson under pressure come from the libertarian Hard Right. He has responded positively to this mob frequently over COVID – for example at Christmas when the irresponsible and deadly relaxation of rules – “Boris Saves Christmas” – has clearly killed people who would otherwise still be with us.
The people who took us out of the EU, who want to emasculate the BBC who want to remove regulations are the antithesis of the Old Conservative Party. All of them indulge in Thatcher worship even though some of the nationalist and faux-patriotic claptrap they spout even the great she-Elephant would not have countenanced.
With the fall of Trump (Dea Gratia) Johnson is the most significant world politician flying the flag of the provocative Right pushed all the time by the ERG/CRG in his own party. He does, eventually, what they want. In Turkey and Poland there are others on this track and Ms Le Pen is threatening in France. Dangerous times ahead.
Johnson is no more a traditional Conservative leader than Trump was a traditional Republican one. In America virtually all of the Republican Party stood by Trump to the bitter end. Same here. Johnson is manifestly inadequate at anything but the “Ra Ra” self promotion bits of his job. “Make Britain Great Again”. Populism in Power. But he’s safe.
In his inaugural speech Joe Biden asked for the return of truth to politics. Trump’s lies had brought divided America close to failed nation status. Here the core of our Government’s inadequacy is their unbelievability. Combine this with their manifest incompetence and you have a country so far down the slope towards failure it looks irreversible.
Paddy’s Blogs in a crazy world 
Agree Paddy. Englands a grim place these days.
That photograph reminds me of Dame Edna and the wonderful Barry Humphries caricature of Les the drunken Aussie diplomat. As always art and good comedy mirror life.
What’s to be done is the real question we should all address? America finally awoke their political conscious but not before 70 million voted for the great arse incumbent.
It is the middle ground the left needs to appeal to. Not the entire country who are, like the Trump’s supporters irredeemable. Can Starmer do it? Is his appeal enough? I like him but he needs more than competence. He needs, like Joe Biden, somehow to become a political star.
Four more years of Johnson and England will be a much sorrier place and probably in need of life support.
The Scots and North of Ireland will be chopping on the referendum bit until Westminster gives way.
Brexit and internal conflict with the EU will wear down the energy of a nation. It’s only just begun. Such are the political consequences of folly.
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It is just so utterly sad to watch, even from a distance!
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