Surely this is all gearing up to Boris being pushed out after Christmas.

Rats fleeing a sinking ship. Feels like a convenient set up to have Boris take the fall for the utter shitshow that is the Brexit that these hardliners have a raging hard on for, so that when it comes to a new election they can be like “nope wasn’t us; we’ve cleaned up the mess. Look Dover delays are now just 36 hours, they were 96!” - meaning we need the media to be alert and hit back with “well they were f***in 0 when we started this parliamentary term” but they won’t because they’re compliant and complicit

Surely this is all gearing up to Boris being pushed out after Christmas.

 

Don't think so. Reading between the lines I think what probably happened is Boris made the decision to promote Lee Cains. This lead to a revolt from people in the Government, who probably had enough backing and influence to put together a Leadership challenge to Boris. I suspect the compromise was that Lee Cain was not given the position (even though he is already doing it). It does seem like the new Chief Spokeswoman has really stirred things up in Downing Street too.

 

What's really strange as well though is the timing. You have two ardent Brexiteers who want the cleanest and purest Brexit deal possible. You do wonder if the change from the Trump to Biden administration made certain members of the Government change the tact and push to compromise on an EU deal and neither of the advisers were willing to make those concessions.

absolutely incredible scenes to defend an action that undermined the whole Covid strategy only for them to leave a few months later. was it worth it?

absolutely incredible scenes to defend an action that undermined the whole Covid strategy only for them to leave a few months later. was it worth it?

 

Who knows, probably not. Both Cummings & Cain were seemingly in the Trump style of leadership - play to the people, create tensions against factions and a bit of us vs them mentality. Clearly something huge has gone on behind the scenes. I never thought Cummings would leave until Brexit was as Brexit as it could be.

Him leaving has made me wonder if a trade deal has been agreed that he’s not happy with?

Farage thinks a Brexit compromise is coming... I would say it is a dead certainty. The US election has sealed that particular deal!

It’s just irritating he’s left this way rather than with the sacking he should have had in the Spring.

Farage thinks a Brexit compromise is coming... I would say it is a dead certainty. The US election has sealed that particular deal!

 

I think there's a very high possibility of that as well. But what doesn't make sense is why he offered Cain the position and then withdrew it. I can only hope that some of the sane MPs and advisors realised that crashing out of the EU without a deal is idiotic at the best of times, not least in the midst of a pandemic.

 

He clearly wanted to make a point by leaving out of the front door of Number 10 too.

Farage thinks a Brexit compromise is coming... I would say it is a dead certainty. The US election has sealed that particular deal!

 

So we think Boris won't want to risk leaving without a deal at the end of the year because of the coronavirus economic fallout AND Trump no longer being president from January reducing hopes of a trade deal with the US?

Edited November 13, 20204 yr by Salty Melody

So we think Boris won't want to risk leaving without a deal at the end of the year because of the coronavirus economic fallout AND Trump no longer being president from January?

 

Well I think a trade deal was always more likely than not - too much at stake for both the UK & EU but it was a question as to who was able to hold out for more. It has been clear from the start that the EU held all the cards in negotiation, which is why the UK has capitulated at EVERY turn, the order of negotitions, and notably in late 2019 with the GB/NI frontstop that May refused outright (and replaced with the backstop) accepted gleefully by Johnson in order to get things moving. With the (pun intended) Trump card gone there was less credibility in the UK saying that they would walk away from the talks if the EU didn't meet them halfway and so ends the facade and any push from the UK.

It's like all the political demons are getting purged as a reward for the rest of 2020 :cheeseblock:

It has been suggested that Johnson's latest fiancee played a key part in this. She apparently is better able to get rid of unelected bureaucrats than the PM. No doubt the press will ignore this and hope we've forgotten what they said every time Cherie Blair was thought to have influenced her husband over what colour tie he was wearing.

Well I think a trade deal was always more likely than not - too much at stake for both the UK & EU but it was a question as to who was able to hold out for more. It has been clear from the start that the EU held all the cards in negotiation, which is why the UK has capitulated at EVERY turn, the order of negotitions, and notably in late 2019 with the GB/NI frontstop that May refused outright (and replaced with the backstop) accepted gleefully by Johnson in order to get things moving. With the (pun intended) Trump card gone there was less credibility in the UK saying that they would walk away from the talks if the EU didn't meet them halfway and so ends the facade and any push from the UK.

 

If Cummings was blocking any sort of Deal then I can only hope karma comes his way for being an absolute kunt. Sky are running with the news that he sacked both Cummings and Cain (I suspect Compromise Agreement will be the official term).

 

Apparently Cummings has threatened a tell all blog :D :lol:

It has been suggested that Johnson's latest fiancee played a key part in this. She apparently is better able to get rid of unelected bureaucrats than the PM. No doubt the press will ignore this and hope we've forgotten what they said every time Cherie Blair was thought to have influenced her husband over what colour tie he was wearing.

 

 

Yes it's thought Carrie never liked Cummings and felt that as an unelected bureaucrat he was having far too much influence on the PM and Government policy. Guess a little pillow-talk did the trick. :P

Think I'm coming down on the idea that this is more to do with the US election and there not being much friendliness towards the course Cummings would have pushed the government towards. Certainly not some nonsense about Carrie's influence, at least I hope not or this is more of a dysfunctional oligarchy than we thought.

 

Oddly, this doesn't feel like a victory though, Cummings gets to leave what seems like on his own schedule, and he may take a lot of the ill will towards the government with him, undeservedly. He probably even has a cushy position to head onto/hide out in for a couple of months.

Yes it's thought Carrie never liked Cummings and felt that as an unelected bureaucrat he was having far too much influence on the PM and Government policy. Guess a little pillow-talk did the trick. :P

This isn't just some silly joke, though. These numpties are running the country.

 

Cummings potentially broke lockdown rules when he went to Durham. He almost certainly broke those rules when he went to Barnard Castle "to test his eyesight". He broke planning law by building a cottage without planning permission. He avoided paying Council Tax on that cottage for years. He was one of those most responsible for the illegal use of data in the referendum campaign. He was found to be in contempt of parliament by refusing to appear before a select committee.

 

All of that, apparently, is no reason for him to be sacked - or not appointed in the first place. A tiff with the woman who will probably one day be Johnson's third ex-wife, OTOH, is good cause for instant dismissal.

Farage thinks a Brexit compromise is coming... I would say it is a dead certainty. The US election has sealed that particular deal!

 

I have a feeling there're going to be large concessions regarding the fishing industry given it's such a small % of GDP (~0.1%). With Cummings gone as well, it's likely there will be concessions regarding state subsidies as I believe that was one area Cummings most wanted in order to try and create large UK tech companies with the aid of the state.

 

Trump losing the election has weakened the positions of Cummings & co, which likely lead to him being ousted by the Tory party - particularly as a large number of tory MPs didn't want the current version of brexit to happen which'll cause a lot of disruption come January.

the Music Industry having access to Europe is far more important financially, than fishing, and they are urging musicians have agreement to access the EU.

 

When I think of Cummings, though...

 

https://twitter.com/bobmcduck/status/1264598918324719618

@1328999061882626048

 

Posting the Tories' Green Industrial Plan here because grand statements aside, this is the sort of climate action I want to see from a government no matter their colour (though something even more radical would be nice). Obviously I'm suspicious of a press release, but it seems at least... not terrible, assuming they can keep to such things as ending the sale of new petrol/diesel cars by 2030 and not quietly discard it later on.

 

Went looking for analysis to see how it compares to previous Tory big statements on climate, found this interesting thread, includes critiques like a big challenge for getting wind infrastructure built and, as ever with the Conservatives, the fact that not all of the announced money is new money:

@1328827777462702081