New Tory Leader

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

6 minutes ago, Herman said:

I see Meghan has been wheeled out to distract people's attention. 

She always is. Failing that, Greta Thunberg.

[sonyc 5,526]

All the coverage of Cox's other interests and 'other' income through different roles / jobs (other than the one he has been elected by a huge majority) reminds me of the furore of Tory MPs in the middle of 2020.

They were queuing up to tell footballers to stick to their own jobs and concentrate on football - not sticking their noses into politics.

Knowing about their own situations or about those of colleagues, wouldn't it be have been more intelligent for those Tories to have kept quiet?

Also those that stated they were "straining every sinew" in the pandemic? Hancock was one who criticised footballers - and yet  he was not straining the kind of sinews he was making out in his press conferences.

The pandemic has opened up quite a lot about UK political life....one narrative about the governed and another more hidden one which has been about MPs finding opportunities for themselves.

#hypocrisyorwhat

Edited November 11, 2021 by sonyc

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

11 minutes ago, sonyc said:

All the coverage of Cox's other interests and 'other' income through different roles / jobs (other than the one he has been elected by a huge majority) reminds me of the furore of Tory MPs in the middle of 2020.

They were queuing up to tell footballers to stick to their own jobs and concentrate on football - not sticking their noses into politics.

Knowing about their own situations or about those of colleagues, wouldn't it be have been more intelligent for those Tories to have kept quiet?

Also those that stated they were "straining every sinew" in the pandemic? Hancock was one who criticised footballers - and yet  he was not straining the kind of sinews he was making out in his press conferences.

The pandemic has opened up quite a lot about UK political life....one narrative about the governed and another more hidden one which has been about MPs finding opportunities for themselves.

#hypocrisyorwhat

Don't forget Cox's rant in the Chamber when quizzed about legalities regarding Johnson and what he was going to do with Parliament. Bit of quid pro quo no doubt.

[Herman 9,780]

 

[sonyc 5,526]

8 hours ago, sonyc said:

All the coverage of Cox's other interests and 'other' income through different roles / jobs (other than the one he has been elected by a huge majority) reminds me of the furore of Tory MPs in the middle of 2020.

They were queuing up to tell footballers to stick to their own jobs and concentrate on football - not sticking their noses into politics.

Knowing about their own situations or about those of colleagues, wouldn't it be have been more intelligent for those Tories to have kept quiet?

Also those that stated they were "straining every sinew" in the pandemic? Hancock was one who criticised footballers - and yet  he was not straining the kind of sinews he was making out in his press conferences.

The pandemic has opened up quite a lot about UK political life....one narrative about the governed and another more hidden one which has been about MPs finding opportunities for themselves.

#hypocrisyorwhat

I was saying just earlier...

 

[horsefly 4,303]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/revealed-17-mps-claim-1-3m-in-rent-from-taxpayer-while-letting-their-own-homes/ar-AAQBckv?ocid=msedgntp

Revealed: 17 MPs claim £1.3m in rent from taxpayer – while letting their own homes

Five ministers in Boris Johnson’s government are among a group of MPs who have claimed more than £1m from the taxpayer to cover their rent payments, while letting properties that they own in London.

[horsefly 4,303]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/fresh-sleaze-claims-as-tories-take-1-5million-from-oil-and-gas-donors-under-boris-johnson/ar-AAQBcCL?ocid=msedgntp

Fresh sleaze claims as Tories take 1.5million from oil and gas donors under Boris Johnson

Just to add to the embarrassing buttock clenching Johnsion GOP26 speech denying the UK is a politically corrupt country, it is revealed the Tories are happy to take bundles of cash from the fossil fuel industries.

[Van wink 2,994]

BJ will be gone before too long imo in an effort to demonstrate the draining of the swamp and a new Tory regime will establish itself trying the usual trick of attempting to disown the previous administration.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Van wink

[Well b back 3,217]

1 hour ago, Van wink said:

BJ will be gone before too long imo in an effort to demonstrate the draining of the swamp and a new Tory regime will establish itself trying the usual trick of attempting to disown the previous administration.

Gosh, if he goes I could well become a Tory voter again. Get ready for a discussion horsefly v we’ll be back.

[dj11 377]

15 minutes ago, Well b back said:

Gosh, if he goes I could well become a Tory voter again. Get ready for a discussion horsefly v we’ll be back.

For a bit of fun, could you put in order from the cabinet, which names as Prime Minister, would make you return to the dark side? 🙂

[horsefly 4,303]

54 minutes ago, Well b back said:

Gosh, if he goes I could well become a Tory voter again. Get ready for a discussion horsefly v we’ll be back.

Haha! Checking up on my profanisaurus as we speak. 

[Creative Midfielder 1,998]

6 hours ago, Well b back said:

Gosh, if he goes I could well become a Tory voter again. Get ready for a discussion horsefly v we’ll be back.

I'd have a good long think about who might take over before you do anything rash like that 😃

[Herman 9,780]

One for @ricardo 👀

 

[Yellow Fever 3,793]

3 minutes ago, Herman said:

One for @ricardo 👀

 

Wheels come off.

Let's hope he doesn't try to find a foreign  distraction 

[BigFish 1,988]

24 minutes ago, Yellow Fever said:

Wheels come off.

Let's hope he doesn't try to find a foreign  distraction 

I expect @ricardo will be along in a minute......

 

[horsefly 4,303]

7 hours ago, Herman said:

One for @ricardo 👀

 

Haha! I'm sure he's getting very desperate in his search for any kind of poll that shows the Tories in the lead. Perhaps someone should conduct one on the question "Which party is the most corrupt in post-war UK history?" They would blow away every other party on that one.

[horsefly 4,303]

Boris spots a fly taking off with the final scintilla of his political credibility:

 

[Herman 9,780]

This seems about right. Instead of letting him take his punishment, which nobody barring a minority of politicos would have really noticed, Johnson has made Paterson's corruption into a national scandal which could cost him his job,hopefully.

 

[horsefly 4,303]

1 hour ago, Herman said:

This seems about right. Instead of letting him take his punishment, which nobody barring a minority of politicos would have really noticed, Johnson has made Paterson's corruption into a national scandal which could cost him his job,hopefully.

 

It's even more bizarre really, because it's not at all a secret that such corruption contaminates our parliament. For a long time I don't think many of us have thought anything other than this sort of corruption is par for the course for many MPs (mostly Tories it has to be said, although not exclusively so). Sadly, however, we have become so desensitized to it that we have ended up collectively shrugging our shoulders, thinking nothing can be done.

Johnson's blatantly corrupt attempt to save his chum's neck, and fix the system to save his own neck in the future, has achieved something quite remarkable; it's woken people from their apathetic slumber and reignited the same sort of rage which surfaced during the MP's expenses scandal. Had Johnson and Paterson done nothing, the latter would have simply stepped back onto the gravy train having served a pathetic 30 day suspension/holiday from the Commons. However, such is the astonishing arrogance of a government lead by a serial offender against parliamentary standards, that they decided to protest against the "impertinence" of those who had the audacity to challenge their "right" to exploit their privilleged position for personal gain. People might have resigned themselves to the expectation that certain types of politician are not remotely interested in anything other than feathering their own nests, what they have not resigned themselves to is for those self same politicians to explicitly rub our noses in that fact. At last the corrupt arrogance of Johnson has served a public good.

BTW Martin Williams' book "Parliament Ltd" is an astonshingly well researched analysis of financial corruption rife in our political system. https://martinrhyswilliams.com/parliament-ltd/

Edited November 13, 2021 by horsefly

[Well b back 3,217]

Latest poll results

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10196665/Now-Boris-Johnson-pays-price-polls-Labour-race-ahead-Tories-SIX-points.html

[horsefly 4,303]

Johnson's excruciatingly embarrassing speech denying the UK is politically corrupt brought this instantly to mind for some reason:

 

[horsefly 4,303]

Yet another one to add to the list. It will soon be quicker to list the Tory MPs not being paid by companies seeking government contracts:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/jonathan-djanogly-mp-paid-nearly-1-000-an-hour-by-firm/ar-AAQDXLf?ocid=msedgntp

Jonathan Djanogly MP 'paid nearly £1,000 an hour by firm'

 

A Tory MP is being paid £30,000 for just 32 hours’ work a year by a firm that has benefited from NHS Covid contracts, the Daily Mail can reveal today.

Jonathan Djanogly receives the payments of nearly £1,000 an hour to act as chairman of Pembroke Venture Capital Trust.

It has a stake in Thriva which picked up Government contracts worth £186million, according to data analysts Tunstall.

Thriva’s published accounts show it was worth just £922,000 at the end of 2019, but according to the Pembroke website, this had soared to around £30million this summer.

Thriva’s first £61million Covid testing contract was awarded without competition in August 2020, three months after its directors met former health minister Lord Bethell.

[horsefly 4,303]

One very simple rule change could end a lot of the corrupt lobbying by MPs in an instant. Make it illegal for a company to tender for a government contract if it employs a politician or has made a political party donation.

I think we would soon find that the "expertise" of MPs (such as IDS' knowledge of hand sanitiser, and Paterson's knowledge of milk science) would no longer be in very much demand by companies. 

[Herman 9,780]

18 minutes ago, horsefly said:

One very simple rule change could end a lot of the corrupt lobbying by MPs in an instant. Make it illegal for a company to tender for a government contract if it employs a politician or has made a political party donation.

I think we would soon find that the "expertise" of MPs (such as IDS' knowledge of hand sanitiser, and Paterson's knowledge of milk science) would no longer be in very much demand by companies. 

Now that is a brilliant and quite simple rule.👍

[horsefly 4,303]

 

[horsefly 4,303]

 

[RobJames 881]

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by RobJames

[horsefly 4,303]

14 minutes ago, RobJames said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7cfPFaGxkA

Excellent!

[1902 1,167]

14 hours ago, Well b back said:

Latest poll results

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10196665/Now-Boris-Johnson-pays-price-polls-Labour-race-ahead-Tories-SIX-points.html

This was clearly an outlier, and though I'm always the first to say that outliers can still be correct, I'd have thought a six point labour lead is unlikely as it stands.

Despite this, I really think the Tories are in a dog fight now, once these things gain momentum it's very hard to stop. 

The inflationary pressure through the winter is going to bite, picking fights with the EU hasn't got the kind of political utility that it once had (honestly, outside of those who already know how they are going to vote, who really cares about the NI protocol outside NI) and there are probably plenty more stories to come out about dodgy practices by the government because our system has allowed it for so long that any party in power for this length of time will amass a fair few.

If Johnson's sheen comes off, then they are in deep trouble unless they can get rid of him and reset, though politically I'm not sure the party could handle another policy revolution and a new face may just give the impression of chaos. 

Now that doesn't mean I think Labour are going to win the next election, but I'm far from sure the Tories will be the largest party now.

[Herman 9,780]