Today polling showed that there was a majority in Scotland who support Independence. The 'Boris Bounce' really isn't universal. And this is a firm sign all is not well.
There is talk tonight that Johnson is planning to stay on as PM even if he loses a vote of no confidence in order to force No Deal through and prevent a government of national unity. Instead he would call a 'people v politicians' general election to be held shortly after we'd left the EU.
Johnson's willingness to defy parliament should not be discounted and should be taken seriously. Its highly likely in one way or another. No deal is technically illegal, but its also the default. This does not seem to be fully recognised by remainers. But this is a man who lied and continued to lie. And there is every sign that he would be willing to cause some sort of constitutional crisis. Especially if he really is like Trump. This is what authoritarians do - defy convention and rip up the rule book - because the powers that are suppose to hold them to account are too weak to hold them to account. Something that Johnson has already proved time and again. He has no respect for others.
All the signs are Johnson is in fully into campaigning for a GE already. He's touring the country and ignoring Europe. He's offering money for the NHS - its open to debate whether this is new money - the optics on this are all down to what you want to believe. Those who want Johnson will believe the promise; those who don't won't.
The penny hasn't fully dropped in parliament. There is talk of a vote of no confidence being called by Labour 'at the earliest opportunity' in September. The reality is its too little too late and is unlikely to work to have the desired effect and inside will play right into Johnson's plan. The failure of the Opposition to spot what he was likely to do, has been the story of the last 3 years, where Remainers have been reactionary and unable to anticipate what would happen next. Their lack of imagination and inability to look beyond their own rhetoric has been their undoing and may cost us all in the long run.
Meanwhile in Brussels, the EU unlike our Parliament have recognised the inevitability of no deal and if Johnson wants no deal there is no way to stop it. And that he has no inclination whatsoever to negotiate.
The expectation is still that the EU will have the backstop and the Brexit Bill of £39 billion as the requirement for the opening of trade talks if we no deal.
Which leaves up shit creek.
At the same time the new trade minister Liz Truss is full on libertarian and talking to the US with this in mind.
That would mean a bonfire of rights and standards which will horrify many. That means goodbye to workers rights, food standards and data protection.
The tech giants have the ears of Washington so British ideas of a tax on them are being seen as a block on a US trade deal.
It comes as the UK has joined a US coalition to protect ships in the Gulf - something we were originally given a snub against, and led to Jeremy Hunt saying we would join a European led force. Its not clear what, who or how the US uturn has come about...
Meanwhile our summer holidays are all getting more expensive... and this is just the start of it.
This is real. This isn't a bluff.
Brexit
Westminstenders: Promises, promises
RedToothBrush · 05/08/2019 23:26
I've had arguments discussions with dh about Cummings. In my view he is the archetypal anarchist, in that he wants to destroy government/the establishment because he doesn't like or believe in them or holds a grudge against them 
. Or probably more to the point, he is supremely confident thinks that he is superior to them because they refused to acknowledge his superiority .
I agree about Trump and his declining cognitive function. Listen to his vocabulary now compared to even 10 years ago 
And his dislike of slopes (remember the May hand holding incident?) is another indicator. I see so many parallels with his body posture/walking to the way my mum's posture changed as her head injury deteriorated into a specific form of dementia 
BigChocFrenzy - Unfortunately, part of me agrees with you: the aging process only happens to those that actually work and probably won't affect someone who sees it all as a big game 
...I'd actually feel better if there were a picture tucked away a la Dorian Gray heatedrollers 
- at least that would imply that the added responsibility was having an effect somewhere 
It might be mean but I'm looking forward to watching BlowJob visibly age and get greyer (both skin and hair) the longer he is prime minister as they all do 
He was the soldier in that Dove TV ad, shortly before becoming an MP
He looked fine then, but in the pics I've seen since - like many MPs -
he seems to have been taking too much advantage of the subsidised restaurants & bars
All those billions in promises
..... and Tories only up one point compared to the corresponding poll on the day BJ became leader
Just for fun, I put the Opinium poll figures in the seat calculator
and it gave a hung Paliament - where the DUP MPs were NOT sufficient to give a majority
Quite apart from the predictor, I suspect we will get a hung Parliament, maybe a succession of them
Qn:
if the Tories+DUP in a new Parliament only needed a few more MPs for a majority, would the Lexiter MPs give Confidence & Support to a Tory post-Brexit govt ?
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