Plan B Forum

Time was that a disaster of morality such as BoJo could never have been in the running to be PM. Even now, sanity may prevail and the illegitimate-baby-producing, wife-abandoning-for-a-fancy-piece-young-blonde, traffic-ticket-non-paying, cadging, co-habiting-while-married piece of shit will be rejected.

Remember, this is England, not America.  There may still be a sense of decorum, a sense of ethics, and a sense of shame.
But I wouldn't bet on it.

-"BB"-

Bicycle Bill wrote:Remember, this is England, not America.  There may still be a sense of decorum, a sense of ethics, and a sense of shame.
But I wouldn't bet on it.

-"BB"-

Don't bet on it, BB. There is a Trumpian analogy, FWIW. I never watched The Apprentice, so I can't comment on the persona it revealed, but certainly there were those who said that some of his popularity was due to his appearance on that show. BoJo was an occasional guest on a long-running BBC weekly program Have I Got News For You which discusses the week's news and is generally amusing. Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me on NPR is an approximate equivalent in the US. Plenty of episodes on Youtube (here's a good one from 20 or so years ago) - just go to the search bar and type in 'HIGNFY Boris' and you'll find a few examples. I'm personally guilty of watching these over the years and laughing at him and with him - he's genuinely intelligent (you don't spend five years at Eton without picking something up) and can be funny.

But I still could never vote for him to be PM.

The comparisons between Johnson and Trump have long seemed to me to only succeed on a very superficial level...

They both have "unusual" hair styles...(Though Johnson's is more on the order of an absent-minded college philosophy professor look, while Trump's appears to have been designed by aliens....)

Johnson has enjoyed playing the clown on occasion (whereas Trump genuinely is a clown; he has no choice in the matter...)

But that's pretty much where the comparison ends...

Having seen several extensive interviews with Johnson, and from reading some of what he has written, it is readily apparent that Boris is highly intelligent, very articulate, well read, and capable of thoughtful, intellectual reflection...

Of course our Donald possesses none of these qualities...

In terms of qualifications they bring to their jobs, there is also no comparison...

A failed businessman and reality TV host versus a twice elected mayor of a city of 10 million and a stint as Foreign Minister...

All of that having been said, at this point I personally have mixed feelings about Johnson...

I liked him initially but as I posted earlier, I was disappointed with the way he failed to step up after Brexit had been passed...

But he's stepping up now, and I think given where things are currently, as the chief drummer for Brexit he should be permitted his shot. (I don't think this latest domestic embarrassment amounts to a fart in a fish bowl, and presumably all the other stuff Meade mentions was already "baked into the cake" as far as public knowledge of him is concerned.)

If he should prove to not be up to the task of leading the UK during this very difficult time, the British system (unlike ours) provides for ways to replace him fairly swiftly...

A good piece about from an erstwhile boss.

Just to give you a flavour from the third paragraph:

I have known Johnson since the 1980s, when I edited the Daily Telegraph and he was our flamboyant Brussels correspondent. I have argued for a decade that, while he is a brilliant entertainer who made a popular maître d’ for London as its mayor, he is unfit for national office, because it seems he cares for no interest save his own fame and gratification.

As Gob will undoubtedly point out, one doesn't usually look to the Guardian for friends of Boris. Max Hastings, who wrote this piece. was editor of the Daily Telegraph which is famous for its support of the Tories through thick and thin.

Ah, so he’s far more intelligent than Trump, but still a raging narcissist.

Arguably that makes him more dangerous than Trump, not less...

Agreed.

BoJo looks like he combs his hair with a rock.

But he has sucked ass to Brexiteers and we have already seen that Brexiteers are demographically identical to Trump supporters.

And the vote is not even slightly democratic. Only 160,000 people will have any say at all.

I'm hoping for the best but expecting something else.


yrs,
rubato

It's official:

Boris Johnson wins race to be Tory leader and PM

oris Johnson has been elected new Conservative leader in a ballot of party members and will become the next UK prime minister.

He beat Jeremy Hunt comfortably, winning 92,153 votes to his rival's 46,656.

The former London mayor takes over from Theresa May on Wednesday.

In his victory speech, Mr Johnson promised he would "deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn".

Speaking at the Queen Elizabeth II centre in London, he said: "We are going to energise the country.

"We are going to get Brexit done on 31 October and take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring with a new spirit of can do.

"We are once again going to believe in ourselves, and like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self doubt and negativity."

Mr Johnson thanked his predecessor, saying it had been "a privilege to serve in her cabinet". He was Mrs May's foreign secretary until resigning over Brexit.

The outgoing PM in turn congratulated her successor, promising him her "full support from the backbenches".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49084605

Any predictions for what will happen Oct 31? My prediction is another extension because neither side really wants to proceed or give up.

It is progress from when Trump walked into the White House, however, even though the progress isn't all that great.

Big RR wrote:Any predictions for what will happen Oct 31? My prediction is another extension because neither side really wants to proceed or give up.

The EU has been very clear. They will not back down again and do not need to. In fact it will only help them as even more businesses shift to the continent and even more UK factories close. Financial services in particular can move very easily.

yrs,
rubato

Great news. Let's hope that BoJo tells the EU to stick their demands, and walks.

My fear is that an enforced border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will bring a return of the time of troubles.

snailgate.

rubato wrote:

Big RR wrote:Any predictions for what will happen Oct 31? My prediction is another extension because neither side really wants to proceed or give up.

The EU has been very clear. They will not back down again and do not need to. In fact it will only help them as even more businesses shift to the continent and even more UK factories close. Financial services in particular can move very easily.

yrs,
rubato

Time will tell, and lines which are drawn on one day are often shifted later. We'll see, but I'll bet there will be another extension at the end of October.

Big RR wrote:
Time will tell, and lines which are drawn on one day are often shifted later. We'll see, but I'll bet there will be another extension at the end of October.

Until now, with Theresa the Appeaser lying back and spreading them every time she's had to "negotiate" with the EU, its no wonder they haven't budged an inch on their usury.

With Boris stating we will tell them to stuff their deal, and telling them to go whistle for their money demands, we may see a more flexible EU.

Especially with the German economy tanking.

https://www.ft.com/content/08010baa-aeb ... 0adfa879c2

The Ifo Institute’s manufacturing business climate index slumped to minus 4.3 in July from positive 1.3 the previous month. The reading was the lowest in more than nine years and echoes a separate survey released on Wednesday that pointed to mounting troubles in Europe’s powerhouse economy.

The broader Ifo sentiment gauge, which also covers Germany’s services sector, declined as well, hitting the lowest level since 2013.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German business morale plunged in July to its lowest level in more than six years, a survey showed on Thursday, in a further sign that a manufacturing crisis is pulling Europe’s largest economy towards recession.

The data bodes ill for Germany’s export-reliant economy which has been hit hard by weaker foreign demand, trade disputes and Brexit uncertainty.

The Ifo institute said its business climate index fell to 95.7 from an upwardly revised 97.5 in June. The July reading undershot a consensus forecast for 97.1. It was the fourth monthly decline in a row and the lowest level since April 2013.

“The most important German economic indicator suggests that the German economy is heading towards a recession,” VP Bank analyst Thomas Gitzel said.

Germans? flexible?! What the hell are you smoking?

MajGenl.Meade wrote:Time was that a disaster of morality such as BoJo could never have been in the running to be PM. Even now, sanity may prevail and the illegitimate-baby-producing, wife-abandoning-for-a-fancy-piece-young-blonde, traffic-ticket-non-paying, cadging, co-habiting-while-married piece of shit will be rejected.

I think I remember back when Bill Clinton was facing impeachment or maybe a little before that time. The view expressed by liberals was that having multiple mistresses while being married was a sign of European sophistication. Or did a living breathing history rewrite itself. (Don’t be stupid you know what I am referring to in the last sentence.)