Thursday 7th July 2022

Post by **refitman** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 6:39 am

Morning all.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:25 am

Morning.

Post by **refitman** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:45 am

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 8:18 am

Good morning.

And lest we forget that Brown was "still holed up in Downing Street" because negotiations between Tories Lb Dems were still going on...not that facts have ever bothered this charlatan.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 8:53 am

LOL.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 8:57 am

In just a couple of generations* we've managed to take civilisation to the point of implosion.

*various defnitions thereof being available

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 9:13 am

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 9:24 am

From the G liveblog:

There is now likely to be a intense debate in the Conservative party about whether it would be appropriate for Boris Johnson to remain in office until the autumn. Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, has already said that he does not believe that is sustainable

Lord Frost talking sense, I hope his view prevails. The last 24hrs have shown Johnson is incapable of making rational judgements at this time, he needs to go immediately. Is Dominic Raab still deputy PM? That will make it easier as installing him as an interim PM shouldn't be too much of a worry to the main leadership contenders as he is unlikely to be a serious contender himself.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 9:46 am

The admission that he met Lebedev while Foreign Secretary with no officials present should have led to the police leading him out of the building and having his passes removed as a security risk.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 10:17 am

Willow904 wrote: ↑Thu 07 Jul, 2022 9:24 am From the G liveblog:

There is now likely to be a intense debate in the Conservative party about whether it would be appropriate for Boris Johnson to remain in office until the autumn. Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, has already said that he does not believe that is sustainable
Lord Frost talking sense, I hope his view prevails. The last 24hrs have shown Johnson is incapable of making rational judgements at this time, he needs to go immediately. Is Dominic Raab still deputy PM? That will make it easier as installing him as an interim PM shouldn't be too much of a worry to the main leadership contenders as he is unlikely to be a serious contender himself.

Raab looks like a rabbit in the headlights at the best of times, thank God we still have a civil service.

As for Lord Frost, he might be right on this occasion but he's turning into the Farage de nos jours, being widely reported despite talking a load of b*******.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 10:48 am

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 11:17 am

18 janv. 2022On January 18, 2022 the Official GBP to USD Exchange Rate: Close: 1 GBP = 1.3599 USD. Best: 1 GBP = 1.3661 USD. Worst: 1 GBP = 1.3574 USD. Today's Live British Pound to US Dollar Spot Rate:

Of course the $ has gone up as still a 'refuge currency' but believe GBP has done quite a tumble all by itself due to Brexiteer activities. Off to check .

Man found unfit to be PM decides to be interim PM , for three months... or so . From Woman's Hour just now on Radio4 there are people who would vote for him again ...
Britain Trump indeed !
Another coincidence is that both US and UK have nukes
which is really so reassuring .

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 11:32 am

Thing is, Johnson is entitled to stay on as PM until a replacement is decided on previous precedent - both of his predecessors did.

(and how is he actually going to be removed?)

And the idea he can do lots of destructive stuff in that time is likely overblown too - as the past 48 hours have demonstrated he doesn't have the support anymore, and parliament is going into recess in a few weeks anyway.

There is always the possibility of some major crisis happening where a lame duck incumbent would not be ideal, yes.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 12:23 pm

Previous resigning PM's haven't been found to have broken the law in office, disregarded advice of their ethics advisor, been found to have met Russian oligarchs alone while foreign secretary or been subject to an investigation by the ethics committee for misleading Parliament, so I don't think those precedents apply. The current situation is, literally, unprecedented and a new precedent needs to be set that these are things that won't be tolerated and require immediate removal on loss of confidence of the party and Parliament.

Imho

Post by **refitman** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:31 pm

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:33 pm

Did Johnson ever say he was resigning during his 'resignation speech'? If he did I must have missed it.

What I heard were the deluded ramblings of a narcissistic fantasist blaming his party (not the Christmas ones) for his downfall. His only regret seemed to be their perfidy. There wasn't the slightest hint that he's brought this humiliation entirely upon himself. It was a 'resignation speech' which perfectly illustrated why he should never have been in the job in the first place. I'm absolutely certain that if there was some wheeze or constitutional wangle he could have abused he'd still be ensconced in his bunker and if the tories had any sense they'd have insisted he went immediately. The man's a danger to this country, he still has many thousands of deranged supporters and the sooner he's gone the better.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:37 pm

"Infamy, infamy, they've all got in in for me"

And, no, he didn't say "I resign". This is as close to getting sacked as PM as you can get.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:45 pm

He is still ensconced in his bunker, as far as I can see.

Like many, I can't keep up. What happened to Michele Donelan?

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:50 pm

gilsey wrote: ↑Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:45 pm He is still ensconced in his bunker, as far as I can see.

Like many, I can't keep up. What happened to Michele Donelan?

She resigned after 24hrs in post (and pocketed the hefty severance pay, presumably)

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:58 pm

gilsey wrote: ↑Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:45 pm He is still ensconced in his bunker, as far as I can see.

True. I meant ensconced as in refusing to come out while ranting and eating his own shit.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 2:02 pm

Looks like he is staying on as PM until a successor is found.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 2:05 pm

An early start this evening.

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 2:24 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote: ↑Thu 07 Jul, 2022 2:02 pm Looks like he is staying on as PM until a successor is found.

Let us hope that that is not the case !
As Willow said upstream his crimes like talking to Lebedev père alone while Foreign Secretary are unprecedented .
And Sky pointing out the complete lack of contrition along with that incomprehension of why his Party turned on him . The emphasis on Betrayal made his speech both one on his legacy (cough!) and what seemed to me like the beginning of a campaign? Anyway it was a farrago of lies from "getting Brexit done " (it is not done) to the bullshit about levelling up where increasing numbers of the population are , at the very least, becoming hungry .
He should be dethroned . Full stop. Is there a cross-party possibility there?

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 2:44 pm

frog222 wrote: ↑Thu 07 Jul, 2022 2:24 pm Is there a cross-party possibility there?

Labour could call a vote of no confidence, which if they won it (obviously unlikely) would trigger a General Election, but other than that no, it's up to the tories to get rid of him.

Of course Rees-Mogg, Dorries, et al were claiming we'd have to have a GE if Johnson was ousted but I'm 100% confident they've all had a sudden change of heart.

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 3:51 pm

@Sky --that's the current situation, but attention seems to be moving to another , unprecedented, angle ?

Reply to an Yvette Cooper UQ today , on that Alexander Lebedev meeting
"

Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Vicky Ford initially claimed Mr Johnson reported it to officials "as required".
However, 10 minutes later, she had to correct herself, claiming the PM "says that he thinks he mentioned this meeting to officials". "

He didn't.

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 4:02 pm

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 4:15 pm

Unlikely to achieve anything tangible, but probably a good move in this situation nonetheless.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 4:27 pm

General Election 2010: Get Gordon Brown out of the bathroom and deal with the real problems - Boris Johnson

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/0/ ... -problems/

The whole thing is unbelievable. As I write these words, Gordon Brown is still holed up in Downing Street. He is like some illegal settler in the Sinai desert, lashing himself to the radiator, or like David Brent haunting The Office in that excruciating episode when he refuses to acknowledge that he has been sacked. Isn't there someone – the Queen's Private Secretary, the nice policeman on the door of No 10 – whose job it is to tell him that the game is up?

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 4:31 pm

To put this into some context, he stayed in office for - what was it? - five days after the election.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 5:43 pm

They weren't even bothered by the lockdown events!

They were parties actually...

I was ambushed by a cake!

But there was a suitcase of wine...

Have you ever tried working with Nadine Dorries? She's not all there!

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 6:18 pm

Well I've been called many things in my time but never a po faced puritan.

Boris’s departure will be seen as a victory for the puritans - Toby Young

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/bor ... e-puritans

One of the regrettable things about Boris’s resignation is that it will be hailed as a victory by the puritans. Boris is a Cavalier rather than a Roundhead – a Rabelaisian, freedom-loving character rather than a purse-lipped finger-wagger. More Oliver Hardy than Oliver Cromwell.

But in the end that proved his undoing. He’s so firmly on one side of this Cavalier-Roundhead spectrum he wasn’t able to summon his inner puritan when it came to scrupulously avoiding any Downing Street social gathering during lockdown that could conceivably be described as a ‘party’, or not giving a job to a sex pest. He's a live-and-let-live kind of guy, the opposite of sanctimonious, and that put him at odds with the political class and its outriders in the media, which has a strong puritanical streak. And those celebrating the most today are among the most po faced.

Does this mean his successor will be at the other end of that spectrum? I hope not, but I fear it does.

It seems to me that Toby has confused convivial joie de vivre with being an amoral, lying piece of shit. It's easily done if you have a brain the size of a hamster testicle.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 6:52 pm

Young is one of the few people alive who fits that description even better than our outgoing PM, of course.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:11 pm

(ye po-faced puritan)

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:16 pm

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:23 pm

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:46 pm

Crap. There's no way I can do QT at 8 o'clock. I haven't even had my tea yet.

Post by **refitman** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:59 pm

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:59 pm

You can do it.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 8:00 pm

You're the QT whisperer.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 10:43 pm

refitman wrote: ↑Thu 07 Jul, 2022 7:59 pm

Is he ever actually going to sue anybody? His detractors claim the fact he hasn't "proves" that the slurs are true after all.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 11:09 pm

Question Time review SPOILER ALERT if you've not seen it yet.

Tonight we were in brexity Barnsley. I like Barnsley, had a couple of good nights out there and the accent is endlessly entertaining. I might sneer at the faceless brexit hoard but what was clear tonight was that even in a heavily brexity audience there were a lot of good people. Compared to some of the appalling audiences we've had recently (I'm looking at you Newcastle) I thought Barnsley did itself proud.

For the Tories we had Dehenna Davison. I'd never heard of Dehenna before and it turns out she's a bright eyed and bushy tailed brexit believer. Also she's quite the fan of Liz Truss. Both of these things are obviously ripe for mockery but given the lamentably low bar the Conservatives have set for themselves the fact that she managed to speak in coherent sentences and not appear to be insane or soiling herself as she spoke means she had a decent, if entirely forgetable, outing.

For Labour we had Bridget Phillipson. Bridget is a robot as far as I can tell. Her expression, her tone, it never changes. Everything she says appears to have been laboriously programmed into her using punch cards. There's no spontaneous thought or deviation from instructions. I doubt even Shatner's Captain Kirk could have found her human side and snogged her by the end of the show. She's utterly devoid of personality, at least whenever she appears on QT, which could be for a number of reasons. Maybe she's really nervous appearing on TV, maybe she's over coached, who knows, but it's a mystery why they keep putting her out there.

For the lingering stink of New Labour and all we remainers we had, for better or for worse, Alastair Campbell. Now I fucking despised Alastair when he was Blair's PR henchman, but as someone who suffers from depression and being a remainer (

) I appreciate a lot of what he's been doing since. But that arrogance and lack of awareness of his own egotistical faults, which are still wholly apparent, made his criticism of Johnson almost laughable. His opponents go on about the dodgy dossier but they miss the fact that Alastair is every bit as bad as Johnson or any other blinkered narcissist. He'll never admit his mistakes and indeed tonight he relied on the Chilcot enquiry in his defense. To this day he thinks he did nothing wrong.

For the Telegraph we had the luxuriously coiffured Tim Stanley. Tim tried to start off by claiming Johnson's only crime was eating a bit of cake but the good women of Barnsley weren't having it and smacked him down. From that point forward he adopted the pose of a disinterested observer, like we all would trying to play it cool after being made to look like a a twat while trying to save our dignity (at least in our own head). He had a brief spat with Campbell which amounted to nothing before eventually fizzling out with a pathetic attempt to ingratiate himself with the audience which resulted in tumbleweed.

For god know's fucking what reason we had an ex member of Mumford and Sons. Now I know who this guy is, at least vaguely, and I know why he was kicked out of the band. But surely his biggest crime was being in the band in the first place and who the hell thought anyone would be remotely interested in his tedious opinions? He offered nothing of interest besides how fucking ill informed he was. Even when talking about Brexit's effect on the music industry he was all over the place and contradicting himself. I'd make some kind of Mumford and Son joke about him using their lyrics but that would require listening to the shite he's produced and I'm just not prepared to do that.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 11:21 pm

See. I rest my case.
Excellent to hear the world has - against all odds - found a use for ex members of Mumford and Sons.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 07 Jul, 2022 11:44 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote: ↑Thu 07 Jul, 2022 11:21 pm See. I rest my case.

I can't remember when me doing this shit became a thing. Though tonight should be interesting because it's on BBC1 right now so comparisons can be made.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 08 Jul, 2022 12:03 am

Nice to see this today.

GetYou · Post by **GetYou** » Fri 08 Jul, 2022 12:22 am

Great QT review as ever Sky.

This made me chuckle:

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Fri 08 Jul, 2022 3:02 am