I agree with what a DS poster says, that Boris is likeable, popular and basically quite harmless whereas we've no idea what other skeletons Gove has in his closet.

He's nowhere near as popular as he used to be - or as popular as he thinks he is. A comfortable majority of people think he will be a bad PM. On this occasion - as long as "bad" also covers "catastrophically dreadful" - I agree with the majority. As for harmless, I assume you mean that in the same way that Putin is harmless.

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Edited June 9, 20196 yr by Common Sense

He's nowhere near as popular as he used to be - or as popular as he thinks he is. A comfortable majority of people think he will be a bad PM. On this occasion - as long as "bad" also covers "catastrophically dreadful" - I agree with the majority. As for harmless, I assume you mean that in the same way that Putin is harmless.

 

Yeah agreed there. I'm sure he'll pick up many votes for 'bantz' but he's nowhere near as popular as he once was a few years ago. He's certainly not this populist leader a lot of the members think he could be.

Johnson could potentially win one election against Corbyn but it would not be a large victory and will probably put him in charge of a minority government that would be forced to call another or rely on whoever he can scrape together for confidence and supply, even more unsteady than May has been.

 

Only Stewart and possibly Gove show any hope of reaching across the aisle and getting votes outside of typical Tories back. But with the likely choice of Johnson, the Tories are going to implode.

 

Yes, suspending Parliament for purely political motives would be anti-democratic and effectively one person taking power for their own ends (regardless of whether they claim it's what people voted for - there was no mention of leaving without a deal in the referendum and none of the campaigners said that is what they were aiming for at the time). For The Queen to even hypothetically get involved in anything that destroys the sovereignty of Parliament would be the first step towards the end of the Monarchy as soon as a Labour government got power. The Queen knows this. Her position is based on keeping Parliament democratic, not based on keeping some jumped-up lying power-mad Tory tosspot who's too scared to put it back the citizens (either by a referendum or a General Election) from having to do just that.

 

The Queen has to be above politics, that's her role, and she won't take kindly towards any git that tried to drag her into politics, even if she secretly agrees with their intended aim. Neither would voters take kindly to it either, except for the blind Brexit Farage Fan Club.

 

McVey, and before her, Raab, bandying this idea about is one of the most worrying things I've seen. Parliament is sovereign, we are representative, not direct, and we elected MPs to not destroy the country. If they think this course of action would be bad for the country, and it absolutely will be, then there should be no getting it through. Proroguing even coming into the debate is disgraceful.

 

Thankfully Bercow has nixed it from what I've seen but it's alarming that these people are even in contention for our top job.

 

The most worrying part of the argument about proroguing parliament is that I'm not sure how much the Speaker can do to prevent it. Normally there is a short gap between the PM asking for a prorogation and the event itself. That could be used for o vote of confidence. However, I suspect that is convention rather than a hard-and-fast rule That leaves the monarch as the only person who can stop it, thereby dragging the monarch into politics.

 

This whole mess helps to demonstrate the problems that can be caused when a country doesn't have a written constitution.

So, according to an ITV snap phone poll done by GMB, 86% of viewers think Gove's not fit to be PM due to his drug use 20 years ago.That's a lot. Hopefully his candidacy will be over soon and he withdraws as some MP's say he should.

 

Esther McVey had just admitted to trying cannabis. Seems everyone has taken that....except me. :D

Edited June 10, 20196 yr by Common Sense

So, according to an ITV snap phone poll done by GMB, 86% of viewers think Gove's not fit to be PM due to his drug use 20 years ago.That's a lot. Hopefully his candidacy will be over soon and he withdraws as some MP's say he should.

 

Esther McVey had just admitted to trying cannabis. Seems everyone has taken that....except me. :D

 

As long as cheating on your wives is also seen as a bannable offence. And wasting 50m of taxpayer cash on a bridge that never happened. And getting a British citizen jailed because you're an idiot who knows nothing about his job. And giving your mates tax-free building permissions in London while everyone else has to pay. And promising the well-off tax breaks using cash set aside to ease damage to everyone for policies you are supporting.

 

He's not doing a thing for poor people you realise?

 

I've also never done drugs. But I think Gove should be banned for being a former journalist rather than something he did in his younger days, no different from being a reformed alcoholic. In fact I'd ban any MP writing columns and abusing their position by getting paid spreading propaganda, but that's me....

PS this writer and former Madam just tweeted this interesting accusation:

 

 

 

Natalie Rowe

@RealNatalieRowe

·

16h

HOLD ON A SEC

@BorisJohnson

there is NO WAY that your ‘ encounter ‘ with Cocaine was in your University days, you were snorting the stuff up like Nobodies business at the Party in Knightsbridge where you racially abused me and that was early 90’s you absolute LIAR

280

5.8K

11.9K

 

 

So, either Boris Johnson takes her to court for libel or it's true. Presumably there were lots of other witnesses, so should be easy to sort out quickly. If he takes her to court, with witnesses to swear he never did it was never at that "party", he didn't do it. If he doesn't....it's true. Watch this space.

 

So, presumably everyone calling for Gove to resign will now switch to Boris to resign too? The only difference I see is that someone tries to sabotage Gove so he came out ahead of the accusations, and Boris didn't cos he'd rather deny and laugh it off with his jolly old buffoon persona, if they are true. Personally I dont see any difference when you did the cocaine, Uni days or journalist days, all the same to me. You don't suddenly become a moral beacon at 40 after not being one at 21 or 22. The word I'm thinking of starts with H and ends with "ite".

Doesn't really surprise me they've all tried drugs with the circles they hang about in. Not something I do myself(I don't even drink) but I wouldn't pass judgement although it's not great they damage the drug trafficking does for people.

 

Raabs leadership campaign started there on BBC - prob the most charasmatic ive ever seen him, not that that says much though.

Gove’s use of cocaine stems from his late 20s / early 30s, so it’s not really a youthful indiscretion. One of the incidents was in December 1999, less than 20 years ago. Therefore, his claim that it was all over 20 years ago is a lie.

 

How do you think this all plays with anyone who was sent to jail for possessing a small amount of cocaine? They will have had their life chances seriously damaged. Gove, OTOH, might get to be PM or hold a senior ministerial post.

 

Still, nice to see one Tory say that people should be allowed a private life before entering politics. I look forward to the first person charged with cocaine using “I deserve a private life” as their defence.

I agree with what a DS poster says, that Boris is likeable, popular and basically quite harmless whereas we've no idea what other skeletons Gove has in his closet.

 

I feel so sorry for you if this a genuine post.

I feel so sorry for you if this a genuine post.

 

 

 

Well the way some people on other forums are talking, the UK is doomed and life won't be worth living if Boris becomes the PM in July. What nonsense. If he gets in let's give the guy a chance. :)

Johnson was given a chance as Foreign Secretary. He proved to be an unmitigated disaster, partly because of his unwillingness to bother reading his briefs. That makes me pretty certain that he would be a catastrophically bad PM. If I'm wrong and he only proves to be diabolical, I will admit my mistake.

Johnson could potentially win one election against Corbyn but it would not be a large victory and will probably put him in charge of a minority government that would be forced to call another or rely on whoever he can scrape together for confidence and supply, even more unsteady than May has been.

 

Only Stewart and possibly Gove show any hope of reaching across the aisle and getting votes outside of typical Tories back. But with the likely choice of Johnson, the Tories are going to implode.

 

Not sure about this tbh, I have a bad feeling that Boris could attract back a lot of the voters who are currently defecting from the Tories for the Brexit Party in the opinion polls and potentially do very well in a general election due to having most of the Leave voters while the Remainers are more split.

I feel so sorry for you if this a genuine post.

It isn't - he's a troll! Don't feed him!

It will be interesting to see how much support Gyimah gets. If his vote is derisory then he could see that as a sign that he has no future in the party. His supporters could reach the same conclusion. OTOH, if he gets a decent vote that could encourage Remainers in the party to step up the fight.

Gyimah's support has proved to be so minimal that he has withdrawn from the contest. He really ought to be asking himself what that says about today's Conservative party.

Gove’s use of cocaine stems from his late 20s / early 30s, so it’s not really a youthful indiscretion. One of the incidents was in December 1999, less than 20 years ago. Therefore, his claim that it was all over 20 years ago is a lie.

 

How do you think this all plays with anyone who was sent to jail for possessing a small amount of cocaine? They will have had their life chances seriously damaged. Gove, OTOH, might get to be PM or hold a senior ministerial post.

 

Still, nice to see one Tory say that people should be allowed a private life before entering politics. I look forward to the first person charged with cocaine using “I deserve a private life” as their defence.

This all really reinforces the view that certain drugs are effectively legal as long as you’re white or white and wealthy.

 

The same really as Cynitha Nixon pointed out in her NY Governor campaign - Weed is basically legal for white people. When you examine the crime stats for the state of NY you see huge variations in the rates that whites are charged with drug possession in comparison to people of colour.

 

It would be nice if out of this came either some prosecutions for drugs offences for half the Tory party or, and more preferably, we actually have a proper grown up conversation as a country about drug offences and de-criminalisation of possession (as well as properly classifying addiction as a medical condition and the home office allowing clean rooms)

This all really reinforces the view that certain drugs are effectively legal as long as you’re white or white and wealthy.

 

The same really has Cynitha Nixon pointed out in her NY Governor campaign - Weed is basically legal for white people. When you examine the crime stats for the state of NY you see huge variations in the rates that whites are charged with drug possession in comparison to people of colour.

 

It would be nice if out of this came either some prosecutions for drugs offences for half the Tory party or, and more preferably, we actually have a proper grown up conversation as a country about drug offences and de-criminalisation of possession (as well as properly classifying addiction as a medical condition and the home office allowing clean rooms)

 

Hear hear.

Always good to have a "thought for the day":

 

 

 

James O'Brien

@mrjamesob

If only these leadership contenders had been able to do something to stop Brexit becoming the mess they describe. If only they’d had votes at various stages of the process or been in the Cabinet or been Foreign Secretary or Secretary of State for Brexit. I really feel for them.

I’m somewhat alarmed that Johnson (I refuse to refer to him by first name), is a runaway favourite. I’m still not convinced. My only conclusion that he gets the backing is because he basically won’t do his job, will spend most of his time swanning about doing PR and any other self-serving narcissistic activities. Meanwhile, the leg work will be done without him by all other MPs will continue to play tug of war thus carving a road to a second ref.

 

On a side note, is Johnson really a Brexiter?

Edited June 11, 20196 yr by ScottyEm