PM Boris Johnson - monster thread for a monster twat

[Pickman's model]

Genuine famine for some centuries has been a political choice, an act of people rather than an act of God

 

[ruffneck23]

anyone get the feeling the knives are out for BJ

 

[pesh]

do they need any more?

 

[ruffneck23]

what with the Times turning on him this morning, the news reports of raab taking over if he gets infected...

 

[stavros]

the news reports of raab taking over if he gets infected...

Whilst understanding the quality of the field, which cabinet minister would be least bad in such an eventuality? I've just looked down the list of current front benchers, and some I'm not familiar enough with to know they're an arsehole. Otherwise, I don't know, Hancock?

 

[equationgirl]

If he gets affected? The way he's carrying on with shaking hands and visiting hospitals I think it's more a case of when...

 

[ruffneck23]

If he gets affected? The way he's carrying on with shaking hands and visiting hospitals I think it's more a case of when...

it had crossed my mind , he might already have it hence all the chat about Raab

 

[Pickman's model]

anyone get the feeling the knives are out for BJ

I do hope so

 

[MrSki]

This is still so true. How to run a fucked up country.

 

[redsquirrel]

anyone get the feeling the knives are out for BJ

With who? 50+% approval in last poll.

 

[Artaxerxes]

With who? 50+% approval in last poll.

We'll see how those ratings hold up if the bodies do start piling up.

 

[redsquirrel]

I've no doubt it is a temporary we're all in it together boost and it will drop, but frankly a lot of the stuff on here about Johnson is liberal fantasy land. There are certainly not any knives out for him at present.

 

[ruffneck23]

With who? 50+% approval in last poll.

raab , gove you know the usual suspects , hateful fuckers

 

[ruffneck23]

.
cant be arsed

 

[redsquirrel]

you do realise i was asking a question ?

Well be fair you posted it as a statement not a question.

raab , gove you know the usual suspects , hateful fuckers

Raab certainly is not going to make a move, but neither are Hunt or Javid. Johnson just delivered the Tory party its biggest majority for some time, his approval ratings are good and while he is an undoubted cunt his handling of the situation is neither significantly different from other European leaders nor (presently) coming under significant criticism.

 

[brogdale]

If we’re trying to discern Johnson’s assassins, probably best to look for the ones saying least atm.

 

[ruffneck23]

Well be fair you posted it as a statement not a question.
Raab certainly is not going to make a move, but neither are Hunt or Javid. Johnson just delivered the Tory party its biggest majority for some time, his approval ratings are good and while he is an undoubted cunt his handling of the situation is neither significantly different from other European leaders nor (presently) coming under significant criticism.

as i said cant be arsed , its too early

 

[stavros]

With who? 50+% approval in last poll.

How are the PM's approval ratings affected by the fact that there's essentially no leader of the opposition at the moment?

 

[ska invita]

How are the PM's approval ratings affected by the fact that there's essentially no leader of the opposition at the moment?

i think a lot of people like being told they can carry on as normal wink wink

 

[Proper Tidy]

The house paper of capital (well ok its an opinion piece but by their chief political correspondent) forecasting johnson at best neutered if not already a lame duck

Subscribe to read

www.ft.com

 

[Nine Bob Note]

Have heard plenty of praise for the Liar Johnson today from staff and customers, but WAAAAAY more for Matt Hancock.

 

[redsquirrel]

How are the PM's approval ratings affected by the fact that there's essentially no leader of the opposition at the moment?

IMO seeing as though Labour (and in fact all parties/governments) has been in essential agreement with the government very little indeed.

The house paper of capital (well ok its an opinion piece but by their chief political correspondent) forecasting johnson at best neutered if not already a lame duck

Subscribe to read

www.ft.com

Can you c&p PT behind a firewall

 

[fishfinger]

IMO seeing as though Labour (and in fact all parties/governments) has been in essential agreement with the government very little indeed.

Can you c&p PT behind a firewall

Here you go:

Boris Johnson’s agenda is over — a new politics will emerge

Voters will not tolerate another NHS winter flu crisis with too few medical staff

Robert Shrimsley March 23, 2020



One thing is clear. However the coronavirus crisis plays out in Britain, the Boris Johnson government we thought we knew is over. The rest of his premiership will be spent on this crisis and its aftermath. There will be little space for anything else. And that is assuming that he is still in place to oversee the aftermath.

Some of his government’s innate Gaullism may still fit with what comes next, but other aspects of the Johnson revolution, the assault on the civil service or the BBC, the drive for lower taxation and some of the regional policy are vanishing before our eyes.

Even Brexit must have a question mark over its completion, if not yet on whether it happens, most definitely on when.

There is obviously no certainty that Mr Johnson comes through this as prime minister at all, though those dreaming of his downfall should remember that the worse things get for him the worse they must first have got for the nation. While he has the parliamentary numbers to stay in power, there could conceivably come a point when early mistakes cost him the support of his own party and the country. If he gets through the crisis he may be broken by it and the recriminations which follow. There is no avoiding the grisly global scorecard against which he will be judged. But even if he endures, the landscape will be changed entirely.

Wartime parallels offer some pointers on how the political consensus will be changed post-crisis. These things can be overstated — for one thing, the world wars brought people into contact with those from other sections of society; this crisis is reducing proximity. But wartime mobilisation and central planning smoothed the path to nationalisation and the welfare state, a fact not lost on some on today’s left who see the scope to recharge some of their policy positions. Narratives will be built around this crisis and few will be about overfunded services or an overactive state.

Much will depend on the duration and depth of the crisis, the speed of any economic rebound and the recriminations which follow. Even so, the alternate paths of Johnsonian Gaullism (strong-state nationalist conservative) or democratic socialism have enough overlap to make some educated guesses about a post-crisis consensus.

The easiest shifts to predict are around resilience. There will be an absolute demand to fund spare capacity in the National Health Service. The Tories already face a reckoning on underfunding. Voters will not tolerate another NHS winter flu crisis, with too few medical staff and too little equipment.

Likewise we will see a new emphasis on self-sufficiency. The case for reducing agricultural subsidies will seem prelapsarian. There will be a political need to protect sectors such as manufacturing, technology and pharmaceuticals that allow a nation to cope with such crises and a return to the notion of essential protected national champions. This is not far from some of Mr Johnson’s agenda but also appeals to Labour.

The return of government as stakeholder more generally is also likely, partly as a consequence of crisis actions to save the economy and what is likely to be a long and painful aftermath.

In addition, the arguments against it have been weakened in some sectors. This is most immediately obvious in privatised utilities, especially rail. Conservatives see the risk and are wary of maintaining the crisis structures of a dirigiste state. This is why the structure of some measures, including the suspension of railway franchises, is designed to be temporary. It remains open whether that stance can hold.

What will not be easily shifted will be the sense of the state as a force for good. Free-market liberals seeking to cut government and bureaucracy will face a fight to hold the gains of recent decades.

More complex will be the response on welfare and inequality. While the pandemic is not a crisis of capitalism, it highlights the system’s weak spots, most notably around unprotected workers and those on precarious incomes. Many lost jobs will not come back as companies see means and need for leaner operations. For some this will strengthen the case for a universal basic income or a more generous safety net. At the very least we are likely to see demands for more protections for gig workers. The crisis strengthens those who want policy to think of the less fortunate.

More broadly, after sharing a searing national experience, the public may be newly attracted to the notion of collective effort. Might this make easier the demands that must come to tackle climate change; or might everyone be too focused on getting their lives and the economy back on their feet?

It is possible that this is overstated; that politicians and voters will see this crisis as unique and rush to return to how things were before. But a new consensus for big, active, more expensive government looks the better bet.

 

[redsquirrel]

Here you go:

Ta FF
Not a bad piece. And I think it there is something in that there will be "a new consensus for big, active, more expensive government", but I think that consensus was building even before the COVID-19 crisis, hence Tory spending promises in the election campaign, the first budget. And I don't think that Johnson is opposed to a "big, active, more expensive government" as other members of the Conservative party. He was willing to spend as London Mayor (spending on moronic things yes but spending nethertheless).

EDIT: Latest YouGov polling

With focus moving to tackling the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the first half of March, Johnson’s numbers modestly improved but were still negative at -3 (43% viewing him favourably, 46% unfavourably) in the middle of last week.

However, our latest figures show there has been a shift in public approval, with over half (55%) now having a favourable opinion of the Prime Minister and just over third (35%) having an unfavourable opinion. This leaves him with a net score of +20, his highest rating by some distance since becoming leader.

 

[Proper Tidy]

Polling doesn't surprise, I'm seeing praise for johnson and especially for sunak from strange quarters at moment. Expect that to change though, that praise is coming from a position of govt taking action for greater good. Without sounding grim, a lot more people are going to die, the NHS will be overwhelmed and probably close to collapse, same with social care. The legacy view for johnson won't be as generous as today's.

I also think capital generally is turning towards 'a new consensus for big, active, more expensive govt' but I think (hope) a positive of this crisis will be the lack of control they have over future direction and the increased sense of, and therefore actual, agency ordinary people have

 

[ruffneck23]

Fears that Boris Johnson will escape scrutiny as parliament is shut down for four weeks over coronavirus

‘I am very uncomfortable that we’re going into recess before the support package for self-employment is announced’

www.independent.co.uk

grr

 

[stavros]

My mum told me that on their road - in a Home Counties village, where they'd vote for C19 if it wore a blue rosette - they were holding a "Clap for Boris" event this evening. I struggled to contain myself, just about remembering not to call "Boris" a cunt to my mother.

 

[Supine]

If he gets affected? The way he's carrying on with shaking hands and visiting hospitals I think it's more a case of when...

Yep!

 

[JimW]

...where they'd vote for C19 if it wore a blue rosette...

And you know, Timmy, in a way, they did.

 

[teuchter]

My mum told me that on their road - in a Home Counties village, where they'd vote for C19 if it wore a blue rosette - they were holding a "Clap for Boris" event this evening. I struggled to contain myself, just about remembering not to call "Boris" a cunt to my mother.

Suggest they rename it "operation last gasp"