PM Boris Johnson - monster thread for a monster twat

[two sheds]

Does a bus pass count?

I ask because a bus pass was one of my life's ambitions and it does have a photograph. Only thing I've got now with photo I think since my passport expired. I wonder how many tory voters will have bus pass though.

 

[Spandex]

First up he said he would write into law his promise to protect the NHS. This appears to be something in the Queen's Speech committing to increase spending on the NHS by £33.9 bn by 2023/24. Sounds great, but... spending isn't what the election argument was about; it was selling it to the US. Is this money to pay the extra cost of medicine after the US trade deal? Does this include the money for the extra 32,000/50,000 nurses and 5/20/40/whatever new hospitals? Excuse me if I still dont feel the NHS is safe.

Update on this: it seems the £34 billion Johnson has promised to 'protect the NHS' was originally announced by PM May in June 2018 (link), so it isn't even new money.

There we go then, the NHS is safe, nothing to see here, stop looking, move along...

 

[stavros]

It'll be spun as £34b more than if we'd kept to the first plan, to nuke every care facility in the country. See also: extra nurses.

 

[ska invita]

Just wait til Johnson brings back electoral boundary reform. The only think stopping the Tories redrawing the boundaries to their advantage for the last 5 years - all in the name of making parliament more efficient, of course - is their lack of a majority...

Supposedly the boundary changes, had they already been implemented, would have given the Tories a 104 seat majority on this elections figures. I know the sum is not straight forward but that number would be up further were it not for the Brexit Party, who are now effectively folded in to the Tories. Then add in any other further advantages they can manipulate and entrench, like the compulsory voter ID and it looks all over. Endless Tory rule awaits.

 

[Pickman's model]

Supposedly the boundary changes, had they already been implemented, would have given the Tories a 104 seat majority on this elections figures. I know the sum is not straight forward but that number would be up further were it not for the Brexit Party, who are now effectively folded in to the Tories. Then add in any other further advantages they can manipulate and entrench, like the compulsory voter ID and it looks all over. Endless Tory rule awaits.

You say that. But endless brexit awaits and I am not persuaded that voters who signed up to see brexit done in 2020 will be entirely understanding when the job isn't finished in 2024

 

[Steel Icarus]

Do we still have the Fixed Term Parliament act, and does this mean our next election is in May 2024, December 2024, or May 2025?

 

[Pickman's model]

Do we still have the Fixed Term Parliament act, and does this mean our next election is in May 2024, December 2024, or May 2025?

The ftpa will be scrapped by St Swithin's day

 

[maomao]

Do we still have the Fixed Term Parliament act, and does this mean our next election is in May 2024, December 2024, or May 2025?

May 2025. First Thursday in May of the fifth year following the last election (or fourth year if election held before May). If the act stands of course

 

[ska invita]

You say that. But endless brexit awaits and I am not persuaded that voters who signed up to see brexit done in 2020 will be entirely understanding when the job isn't finished in 2024

If Brexit drags its an advantage for the Tories and no one else. They can call another Get Brexit Done election at will, once scrapping the fixed term act kicks in. The sooner they pass their Brexit and go on their rape and pillage sortie the better - thats all we have to look forward to, maximum damage that might lose them some favour and create some anger in reaction.

 

[Pickman's model]

If Brexit drags its an advantage for the Tories and no one else. They can call another Get Brexit Done election at will, once scrapping the fixed term act kicks in. The sooner they pass their Brexit and go on their rape and pillage sortie the better - thats all we have to look forward to, maximum damage that might lose them some favour and create some anger in reaction.

johnson's talking of a ten year plan, and i suspect he means to stick to that: so i think two parliaments rather than 2 and a bit or 3.

but tbh it's the difference between treading in dog shit and treading in fox shit.

 

[tommers]

You say that. But endless brexit awaits and I am not persuaded that voters who signed up to see brexit done in 2020 will be entirely understanding when the job isn't finished in 2024

They've already planned how to avoid that. Drop the word Brexit immediately after the withdrawal bill goes through and everything after that is "working out our future relationship with the EU".

They've shown that if you repeat "Get Brexit Done" or that the Labour Party was responsible for the global financial crisis enough times then people will fall for it. It'll be exactly the same with this.

 

[Pickman's model]

They've already planned how to avoid that. Drop the word Brexit immediately after the withdrawal bill goes through and everything after that is "working out our future relationship with the EU".

They've shown that if you repeat "Get Brexit Done" or that the Labour Party was responsible for the global financial crisis enough times then people will fall for it. It'll be exactly the same with this.

the government may drop it. i am not so sure everyone else will.

 

[tommers]

the government may drop it. i am not so sure everyone else will.

Remainers will still use it and they will be ridiculed as sad losers who can't accept that things have moved on - by the press, the government and every other fucker who voted for the cunts.

"Why are you always looking backwards? It's done now, we need to work together to get the country moving. Stop going on about it, I'm sick of talking about it."


Etc.

 

[Pickman's model]

Remainers will still use it and they will be ridiculed as sad losers who can't accept that things have moved on - by the press, the government and every other fucker who voted for the cunts.

"Why are you always looking backwards? It's done now, we need to work together to get the country moving. Stop going on about it, I'm sick of talking about it."


Etc.

i think it's become such common currency that both leavers and remainers will continue using it. i may be wrong. time will tell.

 

[ska invita]

johnson's talking of a ten year plan, and i suspect he means to stick to that: so i think two parliaments rather than 2 and a bit or 3.

Right now I cant see anything but Tory party majority wins for the forseeable. 2,3,4,5 terms, whatever. It will take a huge amount of work and culture change to alter that. Regards Labour, the idea you can put a new leader in and give it another shot seems way short off the mark.

I appreciate the new Northern seats are on slim majorities but even Labs 40% popular vote of 2017 would've returned a working majority for the Tories with the boundary changes.

I'm not being fatalistic but I think this next five years is a paradigm shift of sorts.

 

[Pickman's model]

Right now I cant see anything but Tory party majority wins for the forseeable. 2,3,4,5 terms, whatever. It will take a huge amount of work and culture change to alter that. Regards Labour, the idea you can put a new leader in and give it another shot seems way short off the mark.

I appreciate the new Northern seats are on slim majorities but even Labs 40% popular vote of 2017 would've returned a working majority for the Tories with the boundary changes.

I'm not being fatalistic but I think this next five years is a paradigm shift of sorts.

a new labour leader by him- or herself will be just shit on a cake. the culture of the party has to change, from continuing the notion of the left reclaiming the party to going out to the people. not focus groups or anything like that, but respectful participation in local causes alongside the local community rather than substituting themselves for communities. not 'vote labour to get rid of the poll tax'. if they want power new relationships have to be forged to compensate for the weakening or destruction of old ones. but the lp is on a very sticky wicket tho and i don't know whether any of the potential leaders has the imagination to reinvent the party sufficiently to recapture voters' imagination.

 

[ska invita]

a new labour leader by him- or herself will be just shit on a cake. the culture of the party has to change, from continuing the notion of the left reclaiming the party to going out to the people. not focus groups or anything like that, but respectful participation in local causes alongside the local community rather than substituting themselves for communities. not 'vote labour to get rid of the poll tax'. if they want power new relationships have to be forged to compensate for the weakening or destruction of old ones. but the lp is on a very sticky wicket tho and i don't know whether any of the potential leaders has the imagination to reinvent the party sufficiently to recapture voters' imagination.

Yes. Totally agree.

I was thinking Labour MPs should basically not bother going to Westminster much, leave the Tories on their own in the chamber, Labour votes are insignificant anyway, and spend as much time in the constituencies doing meaningful local politics.... Which includes kicking CLPs into useful shape etc etc. The window is still open for Labour to be the veichle.

I don't get the impression this current crop at the top has the imagination but they might yet be pushed towards it from below.

 

[Spandex]

I was thinking Labour MPs should basically not bother going to Westminster much, leave the Tories on their own in the chamber, Labour votes are insignificant anyway, and spend as much time in the constituencies doing meaningful local politics.... Which includes kicking CLPs into useful shape etc etc. The window is still open for Labour to be the veichle.

That's a nice sentiment, but I don't know about it in practice.

I used to know Claudia Webbe and I think keeping her locked up in Westminster far from the people of Leicester is probably best for the Labour party. I'm sure she's not the only MP that would do more harm than good if they actually engaged with the communities they represent.

 

[Dawn Crescendo]

a new labour leader by him- or herself will be just shit on a cake. the culture of the party has to change, from continuing the notion of the left reclaiming the party to going out to the people. not focus groups or anything like that, but respectful participation in local causes alongside the local community rather than substituting themselves for communities. not 'vote labour to get rid of the poll tax'. if they want power new relationships have to be forged to compensate for the weakening or destruction of old ones. but the lp is on a very sticky wicket tho and i don't know whether any of the potential leaders has the imagination to reinvent the party sufficiently to recapture voters' imagination.

A harsh truth about many of the party activists is that they are for more interested in protesting and demonstrating and have no interest in the party getting back in power. My underlying beliefs are somewhere left of Dennis Skinner and Tony Benn but in practical terms you could not win an election with hard left policies, you need to offer policies that people will vote for. Regardless of whether New Labour was just being better at Tory policies than the Tories are I do know that I personally was much better off under New Labour than I have been under the Tories.

 

[equationgirl]

A harsh truth about many of the party activists is that they are for more interested in protesting and demonstrating and have no interest in the party getting back in power. My underlying beliefs are somewhere left of Dennis Skinner and Tony Benn but in practical terms you could not win an election with hard left policies, you need to offer policies that people will vote for. Regardless of whether New Labour was just being better at Tory policies than the Tories are I do know that I personally was much better off under New Labour than I have been under the Tories.

And your evidence for party activists not wanting the party to win is what, exactly?

 

[Pickman's model]

A harsh truth about many of the party activists is that they are for more interested in protesting and demonstrating and have no interest in the party getting back in power. My underlying beliefs are somewhere left of Dennis Skinner and Tony Benn but in practical terms you could not win an election with hard left policies, you need to offer policies that people will vote for. Regardless of whether New Labour was just being better at Tory policies than the Tories are I do know that I personally was much better off under New Labour than I have been under the Tories.

active labour party members of my acquaintance seem quite keen on seeing labour forming a government.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

'Policies people will vote for' appears to be 'Get Brexit Done' at the moment doesn't it. Maybe they should have just gone for that.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

May 2025. First Thursday in May of the fifth year following the last election (or fourth year if election held before May). If the act stands of course

Fuck. So it's not five years. It's five and a half years.

 

[maomao]

Was speaking to my old Tory friend in the sauna this morning. He's not happy about the size of his majority. Voted for the cunt but would have preferred him a little more restrained.

 

[planetgeli]

May 2025. First Thursday in May of the fifth year following the last election (or fourth year if election held before May). If the act stands of course

Fuck. So it's not five years. It's five and a half years.

This makes it May 2024. You fuckers can’t count.

 

[maomao]

This makes it May 2024. You fuckers can’t count.

I keep thinking it's 2020 already. So I can count but I don't know what fucking year it is.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I just can't count.

On the upside, it's four and a half years.

 

[redsquirrel]

Amazing all these people with "underlying" socialist beliefs that cross picket lines, support privatisations, support cuts to public services. Maybe it's not your views in your bedroom or the ballot office that count but rather your actions.

 

[rekil]

I didn't know about Billy Bragg's role in building Johnson's brand back in 2000. New Labour hubris writ large.

Spoiler

 

[MrSki]

Not being a German speaker I am not exactly sure what is being said in this cartoon. (Translations welcome from thoses that are) but this from German media does seem to imply that Johnson is following in Nazi footsteps (or have I read it wrong?)