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Boris Johnson tests positive for Covid-19

TBH Churchill's legacy and reputation are defined more or less entirely in comparison to his enemies. Without a Hitler-calibre evil villain against him he'd have gone down in history as a murderous scumbag.

Not sure a virus is going to do the same job for Johnson.

unless the virus has Winston Wolf levels of sanitisation and clean up skills Johnson’s legacy should be down the shitter
 
Heseltine saying that the PM's designated survivor is the de-facto Pm and Gove's "no it's the cabinet" doesn't hold constitutional water.
Reckon this behind-the-scenes tussle is the reason for Raab's nervous TV performance yesterday. Nothing to do with worry for the PM.
 
Reckon this behind-the-scenes tussle is the reason for Raab's nervous TV performance yesterday. Nothing to do with worry for the PM.
I reckon he's just bricking it cos he is now the one who has to make the decisions. He is a deeply unimpressive person, even by comparison with the rest of the cabinet. Deep down, he probably knows that as well.
 
That's an intersting reply Ska. How in your opinion is this penchant for eugenics informing the Tory governments corona virus strategy?
To recap it was the basis of their initial reaction though they shat their pants on that one once the scale of deaths became inescapable, but that initial reaction betrayed their instincts. They've basically fallen in line since: the remaining failures of keeping building sites open, not letting out enough prisoners etc etc, is less eugenics and more other core aspects of Tory ideology.

That said the virus is killing the poorest more than it is the richest. A socialist government would look to where the need is greatest and concentrate its support there. A capitalist government supports capital first. <Eugenics underpins that outlook too. It is displayed in that quote above from the Telegraph about how Johnson thinks illness is for the weak. Its displayed in pushing people off benefits and into the grave. It runs through everything they do like lettering in a stick of rock.
 
From a rejoin the EU group I follow on FB...

Boris Johnson.

A man who has lived his entire life recklessly, selfishly, irresponsibly; without any regard for the consequences. Because he's never needed to. His enormous privilege has protected him from any repercussions.

He is a proven pathological liar, swaggering through the years with no empathy or concern for anyone but himself. Indeed, recently bragging about shaking hands with Corona virus patients. As if it was just another laugh; a jape; just another moment in a life less honourable.

There is a grim irony to him finally, in this manner, being confronted by the consequences of his behaviour. Even he can't lie & bluster his way out of this mess.

One can only hope that the Prime Minister, as he languishes in intensive care, courtesy of the NHS that he and his party have done so much to destroy, deeply regrets the cheering & jeering doled out to nurses by he and his colleagues; when they voted down a payrise for those heroes. If he's lucky he'll now be finding out exactly how valuable these people are.

My brother, sadly, wasn't lucky.
Jas, 54, died of Covid-19 in Nottingham's Queens Medical Centre a week last Saturday night. Unlike the Prime Minister there was no ventilator for Jas.
'Operation: Last Gasp', right, Prime Minister?

I then stood on an empty street, shouting to be heard over the wind, no privacy, no dignity, to tell an old man on a doorstep his child had died. The most indescribably awful duty I've ever had to carry out.

There will, of course, be those idiots, those hypocrites, those bootlickers, who will condemn me for 'politicising' both my own loss & Boris Johnson's condition. They can't grasp that politicians making political decisions and political choices impact people's lives. And sometimes end them. As Jas found out.

Do I wish Johnson dead? No. Do I wish dead the selfish, the greedy and the stupid who voted for him and still, even now, support him? Those who were perfectly happy to ignore the systematic destruction of the NHS while they were all right Jack? Again, no.

My sympathy, however, remains with the terrified & heartbroken victims of this crisis. The appalling & callous mishandling of which is unavoidably the responsibility of Boris Johnson.

It would be nice to think that lessons will be learned; that, individually and collectively, we will discover our self-respect and understand that governments only ever treat us the way we allow; that, when this is over, an enormous reorganisation of the nation’s priorities will be undertaken, by both the politicians and the electorate; that, at last, people will concern themselves with the value of others and much less with the cost of things.

If Boris Johnson, in any way, might be that catalyst then he will have done at least one noble thing in his life.

My breath, however, remains unheld.
 
That said the virus is killing the poorest more than it is the richest. A socialist government would look to where the need is greatest and concentrate its support there. A capitalist government supports capital first. <Eugenics underpins that outlook too. It is displayed in that quote above from the Telegraph about how Johnson thinks illness is for the weak. Its displayed in pushing people off benefits and into the grave. It runs through everything they do like lettering in a stick of rock.
As horrible as this stuff is (and it certainly is class war) to call it eugenics is a bit of a stretch. I mean your effectively calling all capitalist governments supporters of eugenics
 
I'm not sure that Hesletine is correct about the position of PM and 'deputising' - the PM is who the largest number of MP's says it is, it's not something that's in the gift of one person to transfer to another.

There are two principles here that both sit next to each other and slightly grind against each other - the PM can delegate authority, while cabinet and the HoC agree to it (whether explicitly or implicitly), but IMV this becomes less and less tenable the longer it goes on, as it starts to bump up against that first principle.
 
I'm not sure that Hesletine is correct about the position of PM and 'deputising' - the PM is who the largest number of MP's says it is, it's not something that's in the gift of one person to transfer to another.

There are two principles here that both sit next to each other and slightly grind against each other - the PM can delegate authority, while cabinet and the HoC agree to it (whether explicitly or implicitly), but IMV this becomes less and less tenable the longer it goes on, as it starts to bump up against that first principle.
There's also a long-standing convention that the First Secretary of State depuitises when the PM is unavailable, for whatever reason. If he resigns or dies, I don't think Raab steps up. But for now, BJ is just a bit busy.
 
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I'm not sure that Hesletine is correct about the position of PM and 'deputising' - the PM is who the largest number of MP's says it is, it's not something that's in the gift of one person to transfer to another.

There are two principles here that both sit next to each other and slightly grind against each other - the PM can delegate authority, while cabinet and the HoC agree to it (whether explicitly or implicitly), but IMV this becomes less and less tenable the longer it goes on, as it starts to bump up against that first principle.

Yes. If Johnson is back up and on the mend in a few days it'll be business as usual but if he needs a long recovery and convalescing than that does throw up all sorts of interesting questions.
 
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