Part 6 A thread for the continued enjoyment of Boris' downfall, enjoyment being important

[jgw1]

What the title says.

This will be the one where he resigns, so if please keep the whatabout to a minimum.

I'd love to know what happens if Brady gets his 54 letters, then announces that there will be a vote, but they try to withdraw. Would it be that once the announcement is made, that's it, the vote goes ahead?

Who knows what the rules are, if there are any, around withdrawing letters after the threshold has been reached.

I would assume, given the way things are heading for the PM (albeit slowly) that it's a tactic to force a vote PRIOR to the May elections and sooner rather than later so that he can win it and stick around for longer. FWIW I think it's daft, but I do feel he is running out of options and a thrashing in the May elections would surely warrant a vote which he would likely lose. (But spin hard as mid term, those in power always lose, blah blah).

No doubt some constituency cash a a few knighthoods for those who assist.

@merrymouse

“And he said in his deep voice – slow and purposeful – starting to sing a little while finishing the sentence and saying: ‘I will survive.’

“I inevitably invited him to say: ‘You’ve got all your life to live,’ and he replied: ‘I’ve got all my love to give,’ so we had a little blast from Gloria Gaynor. No one expects that, but that’s how it was.””

Is Guto Harri Uncle Bryn from Gavin and Stacey?

Shows how seriously he takes that appointment, anyway. Harri clearly regards it all as a bit of a joke because he knows he won't be in post for long.

I saw a good point raised on social media. People are responsible for their own actions - including the mob hounding Starmer.

@Tealightsandd, do you seriously believe that Johnson's words had nothing whatsoever to do with that mob shrieking about Savile and firing themselves up into that self-righteous lynch mob mentality?

It used to be dismissed as childish insults

That's the first time I've heard of an accusation of allowing paedophilia to happen being described as a childish insult, @Tealightsandd.

Whilst I hate the damage Johnson is doing to the economy and the country whilst he prioritises saving his own skin, one part of me is quite glad that Johnson is hanging on, because every new day and every blatant lie is another nail in the coffin for the Conservatives. I suspect a lot of Conservative MPs are all too aware of that, and won't be impressed with game-playing around any no confidence vote.

@CryingAtTheDiscotheque

Telegraph reporting that around 10 Johnson supporters have put in letters to the 1922 - which they will strategically withdraw to prevent any vote going ahead

I do hope that, for instance, May and/or Sunak supporters are holding back on their letters, ready to put them in the second the vote numbers reach 54 so as to nullify that move.

@Notonthestairs

I read the same thing Crying and wondered how that would work in practice. Do you think they announce the 54 has been reached and will be put to a vote and then withdraw? I can't work out what they'd gain. Unless they want to force an early vote and calculate that Johnson would win a NC vote and keep him safe for another year.

I don't understand the reasoning either. I wonder if triggering a vote is enough for the 1 year rule to kick in, even if the vote doesn't go ahead. That would make sense in a manipulative corruption of democracy kind of way.

Susie Dent
Word of the day is ‘inquination’ (15th century): the action of polluting, defiling, or corrupting.

@Notonthestairs

Mirza specifically cited Johnson ignoring her advice not to use the Savile smear as the reason she left. It wasn't a throw away comment made under pressure or done in haste. It was planned (apparently egged on by Rees-Mogg). Johnson absolutely knew what he was doing and did it anyway.

Are you sure? Her resignation letter, written two days after the Savile smear, simply says "I believe it was wrong for you to imply this week that Keir Starmer was personally responsible for allowing Jimmy Savile to escape justice". Nothing about warning Johnson in advacnce, as far as I can see.

She did, however, urge him to apologise. He refused and continues to refuse.

@Blossomtoes

She did, however, urge him to apologise. He refused and continues to refuse.

Yes indeed, but I was wondering how Munira Mirza could possibly have known in advance what Johnson was going to say in PMQs, in order to tell him not to say it. Unless I have missed something, I don't think she did.

I don’t think she did either. But apparently it was discussed at Cabinet and several ministers told him not to do it. Sunak and Javid have outed themselves as two of those voices.

I think as a minimum the team at Number 10 would have workshopped how to address the issues raised by Sue Greys report before he went in. They do so before PMQ's (I understand Gove plays Starmer!).
I've also read in more than one occasion that JRM had encouraged the Savile line of counter attack - I'll see if I can dig it up - and if he received encouragement it would have come before Parliament.

@Blossomtoes

I don’t think she did either. But apparently it was discussed at Cabinet and several ministers told him not to do it. Sunak and Javid have outed themselves as two of those voices.

I missed that. So Johnson announced in cabinet that he would make a false accusation against Keir Starmer?

Wierder and wierder.

I think that’s a bit of a perversion of what I actually said @BoodyDedalus!

I think they'd certainly discussed in advance and JRM encouraged Johnson.

www.newstatesman.com/comment/2022/02/jacob-rees-mogg-is-a-disgrace-to-the-country-he-claims-to-love

This indicates he was certainly supportive in the chamber.

He was also allegedly behind Johnson’s scurrilous accusation in the Commons last week that Keir Starmer, as director of public prosecutions, had failed to charge the paedophile Jimmy Savile with sex offences. The accusation provoked another furious cross-party backlash and prompted Munira Mirza, Johnson’s long-serving policy chief, to resign in disgust.
“The idea had originally been whispered to Johnson on the front bench by Jacob Rees-Mogg,” according to the Sunday Times. Television footage of the Johnson-Starmer exchange certainly showed Rees-Mogg saying something in the Prime Minister’s direction seconds before he stood up, then nodding vigorously and pointing at Starmer as Johnson unleashed his attack.

Lindsay Hoyle via Lewis Goodall

Speaker Hoyle on yday's abuse directed to Starmer: "Regardless of yday's incident I made it clear last week that while the PM's words were not disorderly they were inappropriate...these sorts of comments inflame opinions and generate disregard for the House and is not acceptable"

Hoyle: "Our words have consequences and we should always be mindful of that fact."

So the Speaker of Commons drawing a pretty clear line from the PM's words to what happened to Starmer yesterday. Ministers have spent the morning saying the suggestion of such a link is nonsense.

Just caught the tail end of the news, I think the speaker may have rebuked Johnson something about words have consequences.

@Blossomtoes

I think that’s a bit of a perversion of what I actually said *@BoodyDedalus*!

Apologies, but I'm now more confused than ever! Was the proposed insult discussed in Cabinet or not? If it was, it seems a strange use of Cabinet time to discuss what insults might be hurled at the leader of the opposition - but, as I said, it all seems weirder and weirder.

it seems a strange use of Cabinet time to discuss what insults might be hurled at the leader of the opposition

I’d have thought using Cabinet time to strategise for PMQs was pretty standard.

@dontcallmelen

Just caught the tail end of the news, I think the speaker may have rebuked Johnson something about words have consequences.

So what? BJ will ignore Hoyle as he has done before.

Parliamentary rules are ineffective against people like BJ and Hoyle isn't strong enough, why weren't the words "Disorderly?"

@Blossomtoes

it seems a strange use of Cabinet time to discuss what insults might be hurled at the leader of the opposition

I’d have thought using Cabinet time to strategise for PMQs was pretty standard.

How would they do that? The leader of the opposition's questions for PMQs are not known in advance.

I think on this occasion they could make a pretty fair guess, don’t you? 😂

There's going to be a mini reshuffle. Dorries out or made Chancellor?