Westministenders: Conference Cult

[RedToothBrush]

Is it over yet?

The Tory Party Conference is in full swing in the Manchester Rain, and is proving to be its usual fun.

Johnson is caught up in all sorts of allegations of abuses of power - the non-declaration of his "friendship" to a busty blonde whom was getting a large tax payer grant, and then there the Odey question after his sister said he was under the control of the Hedge Funders.

And thats before we talk about the 40 hospitals, his provocative language and how many times he can say the word surrender.

There is lots of distancing from Lyton Crosby. And accusations that Johnson has gone 'rogue' only listening to the wisdom of Cummings and Symonds.

The Queen apparently has asked for advice as to under what circumstance she can dismiss a PM.

AND NO ONE IS EVEN TALKING ABOUT A DEAL.

I too don't see why anyone - apart from those who no longer intend to pursue a career in politics - would want to be PM in a caretaker GNU, which by definition would have no function other than to resolve Brexit without a no-deal.

If that's how you draw your box, then that's what has to fit into it ...

Here's some airport lounge novel thoughts ...

A few Tory MPs twig they are toast at the next GE, and someone somewhere (maybe on this thread) points out to them that while there is still a parliament they are still MPs (no amount of deselection jiggery-pokery can change that fact at the moment... ). This leads them to decide to throw their lot behind a GNU which then goes on until 2022 - either negotiating a grown-up WA and putting it to a referendum, or simply revoking A50 and daring the Brexiteers to try again now they've been well and truly rumbled.

Just the idea of how ill such a scenario would make Johnson and his cronies is warming my cockles.

As I said, patently absurd. And I say that in a country that currently has Boris Johnson as it's unelected Prime Minister

It wouldn't look good if Corbyn didn't put himself forward.

Why can't all the Opposition parties have a contest, and have people put their names forward for a caretaker PM, and the one who got the most votes among MP won?

Surely better for Corbyn not to be leader of a short term GNU asking for an extension.

Better if it was a Tory owning the shit their party has created. Any other roles could be cross party.

Otherwise it gives Tory’s and MSM another stick to beat Corbyn with.

It's a good point Basil I think. someone with no care about a backlash. ideally then not any party leader.

Otherwise it gives Tory’s and MSM another stick to beat Corbyn with.

If Corbyn makes it to PM, who cares ? What are they going to do about it ? Bleat that he's somehow an "unelected PM" ?

A choice of words would be needed to come up with why it would be someone else. Can't think what would work?

How about, "Jeremy, you are spectacularly useless, and unbelievably, even less popular than the twat who is currently PM. As you don't have enough support, there's no way you can be PM of a GNU. We don't have time to faff about, so why don't you bugger off to your allotment and leave the grown ups to it?"

Bit harsh Ellie

.....but accurate

I’m thinking more afterwards more so DG during the inevitable election campaign.

He will be both a chicken for surrendering to the EU and an opportunist grabbing power supported by ‘red Len’ and his Machiavellian chums.

They’ll have a field day.

Just offering an alternate view from someone who is not a Corbyn fan.

Bercow is surely the genuinely neutral option in that as speaker he has resigned from the tory party so doesn't currently belong to a party (and hasn't for years).

He is less neutral in the sense that his appointment as leader of a GNU would make the current tory party go nuclear in their outrage ... but there in lies most of the fun.

There are actually a lot of pros for the people who don't like Corbyn supporting him being the leader. 1) He would only have the power their continued support gave him - he would be completely constrained. 2) he would take all of the flak and ire that the right wing press would throw at a GNU meaning that 3) he would be (even) less likely to win the following election outright (what's the point in refusing to support JC for a matter of weeks to get a GE, if the result of the refusal is a crash out brexit followed by a JC win - and five years of him in power, doing as he pleases - constrained by no one?) 4) Having been PM, he might even decide that it was time to step down before the next GE because he actually can't be bothered with this whole lark.

Rebel tories facing interviews asking them how they can support JC as a PM need only shrug and say what they support is removing the threat of no deal, JC is in charge of the next largest group in parliament therefore they either had to get behind him or accept no deal. But their presence in his govt limits his powers to a very narrow scope - he can only do as they say - they have him right where they want him, which is more than could be said for their relationship with Boris.

Considering they are all politicians - and therefore masters of spin and lies - it would actually be no harder to face down the press within a GNU led by Corbyn than it would be for all the other things they get pulled up on. The only reason they are not doing it is for personal ones - and frankly that's not good enough.

If anybody actually thinks that a few weeks of Corbyn is worse than no deal then they should return to the welcoming bosom of Boris - not envy.
If they don't think that then they haven't got a fucking leg to stand on in refusing to work with him.

Having said all that I'm not wedded to the idea of Corbyn as caretaker PM. I will accept any of them. But they need to be equally open, because it's not my decision and cooperation that can potentially save the country from disaster.

JRM and Francois would expire on the spot with Bercow as PM.

......and?

Bercow would be fantastic!

Cheeky Pretty

JRM and Francois would expire on the spot with Bercow as PM.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Maybe we should all also email Corbyn to tell him to stop being as silly as JS and just go with what bloody works to get the job done?!

Of course if it were Corbyn and he really does have a deal he would be able to get through in a few weeks - he would avert No Deal.

It could work out better all around. I suspect he won't be given the chance to prove himself however, despite being the only other person seemingly attempting to actually negotiate anything.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Never.

Thanks, v useful background, engineering

I remember clearly the Herold of Free Enterprise disaster and thinking that the ferry's name totally summed up what happens when free enterprise is not subject to adequate constraints

Yes I recall that and thinking to the tragic irony of the name.

Any deal Corbyn got now would be wrong, partly just because he got it.

Leaving even with the customs union in place and 2nd ref would confirm to remainers that he was always a leaver because there's no point having a second referendum when we've left and a deal's done; not be a proper leaving for the leavers and completely incomprehensible to anyone in the middle ("you mean this applies, but not this, but we still have to do this but we don't have any say in it..."). It doesn't matter how sensible the deal is, he would be caught in the middle and be swamped by both sides.

DG Might have been me:

I've pointed out that being the PM who asks for an extension could make a politician very unpopular in the country.

but also that rebel MPs who are retiring next GE have nothing to lose - and in fact all of the rebels have probably sacrificed their political careers

So there are several rebel MPs who might fancy a last blaze of glory as PM before the next GE
and Corbyn - if he puts his pride to one side - should see the advantage of a "fall-guy

A win for both of them

Almost all rebel MPs will lose their seats at the next GE, so it is in their interests to avoid a GE as long as possible and support a GNU for a couple of years

.... unless of course they've had enough and just want to escape the stress

Incidentally (and it's bothered me for a couple of days) ...

how come Boris has (thus far) managed to avoid any comparisons with a certain Berlusconi ? At least in my news sources ?

If you want a dirty infowar, then posting in Brexiteer territory how glad we are to be leaving the corrupt EU, with it's cronyist wandering hands creeps like Berlusconi in charge of countries might be an interesting tack ...

I give you ... John Borisoni

Lewis Goodall

On a day the prime minister has spent batting off suggestions his party was becoming too aggressive, rumours fly at #cpc19 that an MP has been involved in an actual punch up.

Developing...

WTAF - part of me wants that to be true even though violence can never be condoned.