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Europe IV: The Final Hour

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    I feel like it's practically a slam dunk for Boris this time out, I'm pretty resigned to him being PM for a while as the rest of the field is so bad. We're going to end up in a terrible set up because they overreact like hell to the Brexit Party.

    If there's another GE I'd expect the likeliest outcome to be none of the parties get a majority and as the Tories couldn't stomach teaming with the Brexit Party and the well would be poisoned in Ireland by a No Deal position it'd be on Labour to do a coalition. Corbyn needs to be kicked out of the leader role badly but on the plus side absolutely anyone they could combine with to form a government would strong arm them into having to hold a Second Ref as a condition. Lib Dems would be fine with that, the SNP would have to drop their no coalition standpoint though.

    Comment


      Here's Johnson's Telegraph column in 2007, where he bemoans the appointment of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, despite not being voted in by the public, as undemocratic. You'd never do something like that, would you, Boris?

      Seeing as I'm nice, I've got the column from the site, so you don't have to go there, but here's a quote:
      "The British public sucked its teeth, squinted at him closely, sighed and, with extreme reluctance, decided to elect him Prime Minister for another five years. Let me repeat that. They voted for Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to serve as their leader. They were at no stage invited to vote on whether Gordon Brown should be PM."

      Here's the full thing, but there's enough bluster to float a hot air balloon:

      Johnson continues: "They voted for Tony, and yet they now get Gordon, and a transition about as democratically proper as the transition from Claudius to Nero. It is a scandal.


      "Why are we all conniving in this stitch-up? This is nothing less than a palace coup, effected by the Brownites, and it is possible only because Tony had run out of road."

      "It's the arrogance. It's the contempt. That's what gets me. It's Gordon Brown's apparent belief that he can just trample on the democratic will of the British people. It's at moments like this that I think the political world has gone mad, and I am alone in detecting the gigantic fraud.

      Everybody seems to have forgotten that the last general election was only two years ago, in 2005. A man called Tony Blair presented himself for re-election, and his face was to be seen - even if less prominently than in the past - on manifestos, leaflets, television screens and billboards. We rather gathered from the Labour prospectus that said Blair was going to be Prime Minister. Indeed, Tony sought a new mandate from the British electorate with the explicit promise that he would serve a full term.

      The British public sucked its teeth, squinted at him closely, sighed and, with extreme reluctance, decided to elect him Prime Minister for another five years. Let me repeat that. They voted for Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to serve as their leader. They were at no stage invited to vote on whether Gordon Brown should be PM.

      I must have knocked on hundreds of doors during that campaign, and heard all sorts of opinions of Mr Blair, not all of them favourable. But I do not recall a single member of the public saying that he or she was yearning for Gordon Brown to take over. Perhaps I missed it, but I don't remember any Labour spokesman revealing that they planned to do a big switcheroo after only two years.

      It is a sad but undeniable truth that there are huge numbers of voters (including many Tory types) who have rather liked the cut of Tony's jib. They have tended to admire his easy manner, and his air of sincerity, and his glistering-toothed rhetoric. They may have had a sneaking feeling - in spite of Iraq - that he has not wholly disgraced Britain on the international stage; and though you or I may think they were wrong, they unquestionably existed.

      In 2005, there was a large number who voted Labour on the strength of a dwindling but still significant respect for the Prime Minister. They voted for Tony, and yet they now get Gordon, and a transition about as democratically proper as the transition from Claudius to Nero. It is a scandal.

      Why are we all conniving in this stitch-up? This is nothing less than a palace coup, effected by the Brownites, and it is possible only because Tony had run out of road. He knew that the Brownites would eventually assassinate him, and so he decided to go "at a time of his own choosing" and, with North Korean servility, the Labour Party has handed power over to the brooding Scottish power-maniac.

      The extraordinary thing is that it looks as though he will now be in 10 Downing Street for three years, and without a mandate from the British people. No one elected Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, which is bad enough; but what makes things worse is that he now proposes to share power with a group of people even less elected than himself - the Liberal Democrats.

      Yes, that's right: in revelations that yesterday rocked Westminster, it emerged that Sir Menzies Campbell has been engaged in talks with Gordon, about a "government of all the talents", which must be faintly mystifying to all those Labour candidates, activists and voters who have been engaged in fighting the Liberal Democrats. They thought they were campaigning for Tony Blair - and it now turns out there was a secret plan to bring in Gordon Brown and assorted Liberal Democrats, including good old Paddy Pantsdown.

      Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't remember the electorate being asked their views of a Gord-Ming Lib-Lab coalition. It is fraud and double-fraud.

      Why is Gordon Brown doing it? Because he is worried, of course, about his own democratic credentials to lead the United Kingdom. Last week, the exuberant Scottish executive, led by the Nationalists, decided that they would scrap any kind of co-financing for Scottish universities. Scottish students would go Scot-free, and so would Finns, Latvians, Germans, French, Portuguese, Luxembourgers and everyone except, of course, the English, who will continue to pay.

      One of the consequences of this decision to return to taxpayer-funded universality (except for the English) is that the financial and competitive position of Scottish universities will continue to deteriorate. English universities, on the other hand, have received a cash injection of £1.35 billion in fees, and are thereby able to lure away Scottish lecturers; and many English university vice-chancellors hope to get more cash if it ever proves possible to lift the cap on fees.

      In those circumstances - with a potential conflict of interest between English and Scottish universities - it is unthinkable that Gordon Brown and the other 58 Scottish MPs should be able to sit and vote on higher education finance in England, when English MPs have no say over the matter in Scotland.

      How can Gordon Brown decide on the rights and wrongs of English top-up fees when they could put Scottish universities at a further financial disadvantage? Of course, he might decide he wants English students to pay more for tuition in England, whatever the consequences for Scotland. But how can he really assess the impact of fees that will never be paid by his own constituents?

      He must know in his heart that the position is increasingly morally repugnant, and I would guess that is one reason why he would like to bring in Ming Campbell, his neighbour in Fife. He can see trouble brewing, and would like to forge an alliance with another Scottish party leader against the logical and obvious Tory solution - English votes for English laws.

      We cannot allow this Belgian-style coalition to be foisted on us. We know that there is not a cat's chance in hell of a referendum on the new EU treaty, in spite of the further transfers of sovereignty involved. Gordon Brown could appease public indignation over that, and secure the democratic mandate he needs, by asking the public to vote at once on him, on the new EU treaty, and on the implications of the devolutionary settlement. Let's have an election without delay."

      Comment


        Let us not forget that we didn’t vote for Theresa either. Actually we didn’t vote for Cameron either; we voted in our own constituencies for an mp to represent us.

        If I showed such a lack of understanding of the industry I’m in and my job I’d be rightly fired with extreme prejudice. Or something.

        Comment


          With the full knowledge that the leader of the party at the time would become the Prime Minister. Different leader, different result. The resignation of a PM should automatically trigger a GE in my view, because there's no way you can say they have a mandate otherwise.

          News just in: The government defeats the cross-party bid to allow MPs to legislate to rule out no-deal - won by 309 votes to 298 - a majority of 11
          Last edited by MartyG; 12-06-2019, 15:51.

          Comment


            Originally posted by Brad View Post
            Yep I’m about to pay 12 grand in stamp duty. Ffs.

            Stupid to raise the tax bracket though, as mentioned people on those salaries have enough money as it is. They should be helping those less fortunate.
            Congrats on the half a mil property! Nice Humble brag!

            Comment


              Originally posted by cutmymilk View Post
              Congrats on the half a mil property! Nice Humble brag!
              Brad just has a massive stamp collection. He doesn't stop talking about it!

              Comment


                Originally posted by cutmymilk View Post
                Congrats on the half a mil property! Nice Humble brag!
                Lol. I’m old. Me and girlfriend selling our 3 bed affordable terraced houses and moving into a single bigger house. So we’ve enabled 2 young families to buy affordable housing. Government; 12 grand please.

                Logic is flawed imo. If we bought 2 separate houses again we’d pay waaaaay less stamp duty. So what is it there for?

                Comment


                  It should be proportional, I agree. Thing is, around here a 4 bed house is £350-£400k, and not a massive one. It has gone insane. As a first time buyer just over a year ago at the age of 35, I was disappointed at what a QUARTER OF A MILLION POUNDS GOT. A 3 bed (with box room) semi detached in a semi rural area. Granted I should have just bought something years ago but I was waiting for the promised CRASH (which never happened as Gove et al had many houses)!

                  Comment


                    Should have bought two houses side by side then. Could have knocked a wall in and saved a few quid in the process. And if you ever fancy some alone time in the future, just wall it up again. Actually, I don’t know why every couple doesn’t do this...

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                      That sounds like a dream.

                      Comment


                        Boris Johnson - 114
                        Jeremy Hunt - 43
                        Michael Gove - 37
                        Dominic Raab - 27
                        Sajid Javid - 23
                        Matt Hancock - 20
                        Rory Stewart - 19

                        Out

                        Andrea Leadsom - 11
                        Mark Harper - 10
                        Esther McVey - 9

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                          And most of those who voted for the losers will migrate to Boris, they might as well hand him the post this week to save Brexit time

                          Comment


                            Harper's votes will probably go to Hunt, but McVey's and Leadsom's will probably go to Johnson or Raab.

                            Next round they need 33 votes minimum and there are 30 votes to float.

                            Dominic Raab - needs another 6
                            Sajid Javid - needs another needs 10
                            Matt Hancock - needs another 13
                            Rory Stewart - needs another 14

                            Comment




                              Speculation that Matt Hancock is about to withdraw from the leadership contest after talks with Sajid.

                              Hunt calls out Boris for being a coward in hiding as everyone else signs up for public debates.



                              Slimy career politician Chuka has abandoned his own ship at the first sign of trouble and dropped Change UK for the Lib Dems. Lucky them.

                              Comment




                                Now official for Hancock

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