Boris Johnson has pulled out of leadership race

[feckity]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-36570120

See, I think the interesting thing about being a successful leader is that when you introduce change, you convince people of your vision and genuinely take people with you. Sure, often initially there is some resistance but if it's a good idea and people can see the value of what they are doing and the evidence of the impact of change, people will eventually buy into things. And this is how change becomes sustainable.

So, those standards, Gove's period of leadership in education was a complete shambles.

And I'm gob-smacked by people who think leaving the single-market is a good idea. Genuinely. Why? (Apart from the "GB will be great again"). How will leaving the single market actually help?

|neolara I think it's more a case of people don't want to pay the price of freedom of movement for access to the single market.
Not a problem for me.

Gove couldn't win an election - may would.

Gove's dislike of private education cannot make him too popular with story MPs, surely?

However, why did anyone actually believe that?

Oh god, there's the rub. This actually made me laugh though (at the ridiculousness of the situation, not at you), thanks!

Property- don't forget, under Cameron Tory MPs have to use state schools! Look where Gove and Cameron send their DDs

This had made me angrier than anything else that has happened in the last week. Boris used his not inconsiderable power and influence to sink the ship and is now going to hide in a bunker until he thinks we've forgotten and he can sail back in and take over.
It was all about him.

Boris may have been stabbed in the back:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36674729

Yes to a non selective (but selective really) ridiculously over subscribed girls school. Cameron wasn't even in catchment but apparently bring the daughter of the PM comes under special social considerations.

Gove, however, genuinely cannot fathom why all state schools cannot achieve similar results to Grey Coats. Imagine if he applied that logic to everything else?

claig I always look out for your posts. No idea where you get all of this from, but it is fascinating.

dragonsarebest Good

But seriously, why? You don't have to be a genius to work that one out, especially if it's blindingly obvious to someone like me, who is probably a little clueless anyway when it comes to fully understanding politics! It actually scares me that people are suggesting that they even need to back up their campaign 'lies' because anyone with half a brain could see that that's just what they were. If people voted 'leave' for other reasons then fair enough, but not on the back of those. Or is that too simplistic?

Or according to some newspapers, the PM was attending regular secret church services do may have qualified under that.

Crabbe thinks homosexuality is am illness that can be cured.

No he doesn't.

He is linked to a group who has said this in the past (he was an intern there post university).

He has never actually said anything like that himself.

He addressed being 'anti gay' yesterday and unequivocally said he is not anti gay.

I would, however, like him to state outright that he does not and has never believed in a 'cure for homosexuality' and to clear it up once & for all to nip it in the bud.

As a pro remainer, I'm delighted that Boris isn't running to be PM. I think we need a euro sceptic "remain" MP leader with cabinet experience to take us through the crap, which 17.4m have decided to put us through.
Boris is getting pelters on my Twitter feed but, the one thing I'm actually embarrassed about by the remain twitteratti is the moaning about Boris bottling it. To be fair to him, he's never actually said he'll stand. That was our delightful media. And to add balance, I know the BBC gets EU funding before, a brexiter shoots me down!

[[https://twitter.com/chrisshipitv/status/748494254188658688 Chris Ship
‏@chrisshipitv

I'm told Boris' widely criticised @Telegraph column - was SUB EDITED by Michael Gove who suggested changes - and Boris put them in]]

Gove is a top guy, he will be PM He is a weaselly little shit.

He's done it to avoid Brown-syndrome. Brown lost the confidence of the electorate and always had the "you weren't elected" sword dangling above his head.. what comes next for the new PM will be years of battling, hard cuts, massive unpopularity and all the while the press and public attack him/her for "not even being elected".. it's not a job anyone in their right mind would take!

Why on earth do you think keeping Murdoch happy ought to be our top priority, Claig?

He is a chickenshit dickweasil who stirred up a hornets nest but hasn't got the balls to see it through.
Hopefully this is the end of his political career.

As for Gove - well I have no words

Agree with Roadtoruin

Sorry but what a completely b*stard you are Boris.

Meddled with our country's future and put it in huge jeopardy - all because of your over-weaning personal ambition - and then shirked the responsibility of following it through.

How utterly cowardly.

I doubt your reputation will ever recover from this.

x post Kansasmum and ditto what you said!!

"I doubt your reputation will ever recover from this"

Yes it will. I have just told ds, who's in year 10, that Johnson will be PM when he goes to University.

'Gove is a top guy, he will be PM He is a weaselly little shit.'

derxa, can we please have a little respect for our next Prime Minister?

'Why on earth do you think keeping Murdoch happy ought to be our top priority, Claig?'

It is how the world works, we may not all agree with it, but that is how power works.

As it turns out, it is good for all of us, because Murdoch on the whole is OK, he supports our freedoms, he supports our independence, the Union will stay together, the socialists will not destroy our freedoms with biometric ID cards etc and subservience to rules made by EU bureaucrats, he is pro business which gives us all jobs etc, and we as the 6th largest economy in the world will do better off as an independent nation making our own laws. Murdoch has his bad points such as his opposition to Putin etc, but Trump iwill be more powerful than Murdoch and will overturn all of the warmongeering and make the world a better place.

What has happened is that the globalists, the warmongers, the elites, the Establishments and the Bullingdon Clubs have all lost. National sovereignty and responsible government has won and that is what Gove represents. The Bullingdon Club are now drowning their sorrows, the EU are in meltdown and once again, the British people brought the whole crap down.

I sadly agree Bertrand

He ambitions are on hold for a few years

And voters often forget .... Iraq being a good example

Just catching up but did he want to be PM as a wee boy but never could or something? does he have a painting of himself on the woolsack in his attic? I just don't get it? on Rupert Murdoch had me LOLling on public transport there.

I do fear that Theresa May might have the kind of rigid efficiency that brings us further out of Europe than even Gove imagines sensible. Or maybe she'll agree a good fudge with Angela M, who knows.