[Petrochemicals (OP)]

Call me a cynic, but it seems to me that Boris Johnson has been used by the Conservative party to gain a majority and ousted from the job. What are Mr Johnson grave flaws? I know he had a fine for corona breaches, but he did not drive to Barnard Castle etc. It seems to me the Conservatives have fabricated dissatisfaction, have  siezed upon any reason to harangue Mr Johnson. I remember the 90s and 80s conservatives with the sleeze of cash for questions, bribery in arms deals, prostitutes with ministers etc etc. I remember the Labour government of the 2000s, bombing Iraq and making up evidence, hindu a honours for cash etc.

[alancalverd]

Lying to Parliament. Allowing his Health Secretary to murder 60,000 residents and staff of care homes. Committing to spend £1,000,000 per meter on a railway that we don't need. Appointing a Transport Minister who didn't know that Dover was a port, and was happy to give our money to a ferry company with no ships. Not sacking Dominic Cummings. Negotiating a trade deal that prevents trade in pies and sausages within the United Kingdom. I could go on, but I can't think of a single day in which BJ did anything useful or honorable. Corruption and incompetence at every level, with not a word of apology.

Tony Blair got away with it because the opposition rather fancied a war and wanted to lick the nether regions  of the Idiot Bush. Margaret Thatcher had the integrity to invite Galtieri to invade  the Falklands, thus giving her a legitimate casus belli.

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

Lying to Parliament. Allowing his Health Secretary to murder 60,000 residents and staff of care homes. Committing to spend £1,000,000 per meter on a railway that we don't need. Appointing a Transport Minister who didn't know that Dover was a port, and was happy to give our money to a ferry company with no ships. Not sacking Dominic Cummings. Negotiating a trade deal that prevents trade in pies and sausages within the United Kingdom. I could go on, but I can't think of a single day in which BJ did anything useful or honorable. Corruption and incompetence at every level, with not a word of apology.

Tony Blair got away with it because the opposition rather fancied a war and wanted to lick the nether regions  of the Idiot Bush. Margaret Thatcher had the integrity to invite Galtieri to invade  the Falklands, thus giving her a legitimate casus belli.

Lying to parliament about parties is a matter of opinion. The care home thing can be put down to circumstance, it does tarnish the government, but as everyone has told me for 3 years it is a very unique time. Hs2 is still supported and is going to be a great sucess. He was doing something about the NI customs.

Cameron was exposed as a tax cheat, along with many of his government, yet continued past nearly loosing Scotland to an indy vote, he could barely hold his majority. Theresa may lost it. Yet Boris who was brought in for popularity, once he gained a large seat number in the house of commons the knives came out.

My point is that Boris Johnson is not the mad iraqi bomber, not the milk snatcher or tax cheat. His umpopularity amongst his own party seems to have been present from before his appointment as Conservative leader and seems to be what got him ousted, you can't say the public has not held its nose whilst the MPs blessed it. Majority achieved that could not be achieved for the last 30 years, now to wheel in the true agenda.

[evan_au]

Now Trump's "mini-me" in the UK has also exited the stage.

Will he stage a come-back?

[paul cotter]

Complete lack of moral fibre+narcissism , I would say(as a citizen of the roi, it's not really my place to comment). Alancalverd, does any politician, past or present, meet your lofty requirements or is it simply a case of power corrupting? I would make an excellent benign dictator, i'm positive you all realise this.

[alancalverd]

Lying to parliament about parties is a matter of opinion.

, no, a matter of fact. My grandmother used to say you can trust a thief but not a liar. If he won't tell the truth about something as trivial as whether he attended his own birthday party, what is the point of parliamentary debate and questions? This country is ruled by Parliament, not an unelected president.

The care home thing can be put down to circumstance, it does tarnish the government, but as everyone has told me for 3 years it is a very unique time.

No more unique than the Battle of Britain. The response: appointing a Tory donor with no medical or IT qualifications to head up a gigabuck scam called "track and trace", handing out contracts for defective PPE to friends who had no actual manufacturing capacity, and discharging infective patients into the care of the unprotected and vulnerable (a crime under the Geneva Convention), and "saving Christmas" by encouraging people to crowd into shops and pubs.   

Hs2 is still supported and is going to be a great sucess.

Supported by those who have sold land to the taxpayer at inflated prices, or contracted to build a wholly unnecessary railway at a cost of £1,000,000 per meter - several times the cost of flying to the moon and 1000 times the average quote per meter for the proposed East-West (essentially, Oxford - Cambridge via Bedford) line. Incompetence or corruption? You choose. And why is the taxpayer subsidising what will become a private company?

He was doing something about the NI customs.

Having agreed in his "oven-ready" settlement to do exactly what he promised would not happen.

[alancalverd]

Alancalverd, does any politician, past or present, meet your lofty requirements

Tony Benn and AFAIK Harold Wilson met the requirements of integrity. Margaret Thatcher was forthright if utterly wrong. Churchill was a complete scoundrel but utterly right.

I won't comment much on Irish politics - it's just the visible ninth of an organised crime iceberg - but Mary Robinson always struck me as the honest face on the dungheap.     

Looking  further west I could name Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and George Bush senior as principled presidents, and the Trudeaux  seem to have run a fair ship to the north.

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

Looking  further west I could name Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and George Bush senior as principled presidents, and the Trudeaux  seem to have run a fair ship to the north.

https://theintercept.com/2018/12/07/george-h-w-bush-iran-contra/

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

Lying to parliament about parties is a matter of opinion.

, no, a matter of fact. My grandmother used to say you can trust a thief but not a liar. If he won't tell the truth about something as trivial as whether he attended his own birthday party, what is the point of parliamentary debate and questions? This country is ruled by Parliament, not an unelected president.

lying constitutes a conscious belief which boris maintains he did not have

The care home thing can be put down to circumstance, it does tarnish the government, but as everyone has told me for 3 years it is a very unique time.

No more unique than the Battle of Britain. The response: appointing a Tory donor with no medical or IT qualifications to head up a gigabuck scam called "track and trace", handing out contracts for defective PPE to friends who had no actual manufacturing capacity, and discharging infective patients into the care of the unprotected and vulnerable (a crime under the Geneva Convention), and "saving Christmas" by encouraging people to crowd into shops and pubs. 

[/quote]and you could blame Churchill for the bombing of Cove try similarly

Hs2 is still supported and is going to be a great sucess.

Supported by those who have sold land to the taxpayer at inflated prices, or contracted to build a wholly unnecessary railway at a cost of £1,000,000 per meter - several times the cost of flying to the moon and 1000 times the average quote per meter for the proposed East-West (essentially, Oxford - Cambridge via Bedford) line. Incompetence or corruption? You choose. And why is the taxpayer subsidising what will become a private company?

It is still supported in parliament.

He was doing something about the NI customs.

Having agreed in his "oven-ready" settlement to do exactly what he promised would not happen.

They are altering the situation.

[alancalverd]

ying constitutes a conscious belief which boris maintains he did not have

And you believe that he really believed he did not attend his own birthday party? So if he's not a liar, he's demented. You choose. Either way, he's unfit to hold office.

[alancalverd]

]and you could blame Churchill for the bombing of Cove try similarly

I said in my next post that Churchill was a scoundrel. Problem with BJ is he tries to behave like Churchill but doesn't have the latter's competence.

[alancalverd]

It is still supported in parliament.

By the sort of scum that spend your money to enrich their friends or win votes. Not many votes in HS2.

[alancalverd]

https://theintercept.com/2018/12/07/george-h-w-bush-iran-contra/

GHWB made one outstanding statement that puts him on a higher shelf than  his wastrel son or Tony B Liar:

"No president should commit ground forces unless he can tell them who they are fighting, what they are fighting for, how they will know they have won, and what will happen when they go home."

And he didn't.

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

https://theintercept.com/2018/12/07/george-h-w-bush-iran-contra/

GHWB made one outstanding statement that puts him on a higher shelf than  his wastrel son or Tony B Liar:

"No president should commit ground forces unless he can tell them who they are fighting, what they are fighting for, how they will know they have won, and what will happen when they go home."

And he didn't.

Yep, got his son out of the war. (Vietnam)

[Bored chemist]

Lying to parliament about parties is a matter of opinion.

Not really.
He said there were no parties at number ten and that the rules were not broken.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/11/seven-occasions-when-boris-johnson-denied-no-10-broke-covid-rules

In reality here were parties at number 10 at which he was present. The rules were broken.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1078404/2022-05-25_FINAL_FINDINGS_OF_SECOND_PERMANENT_SECRETARY_INTO_ALLEGED_GATHERINGS.pdf

It's not plausible that he didn't realise that the beer and cakes were a party (or that the rules were being followed).

[Bored chemist]

lying constitutes a conscious belief which boris maintains he did not have

That's just Johnson lying about lying.
(The police had more sense than to believe him).

[Bored chemist]

Call me a cynic, but it seems to me that Boris Johnson has been used by the Conservative party to gain a majority and ousted from the job

You have that the wrong way round. Boris used the Tory party to get power for himself, essentially by saying he would share it with them.

They now want to get rid of him, but he is still in number 10.

He knows that he has the figurative "nuclear button" of calling a general election which would lose most of them their jobs. (he also has his finger on the real nuclear button, which is worrying). (He knows that his job is toast anyway).
He can get the party to do as he tells them.

[Bored chemist]

What are Mr Johnson grave flaws?

The racism.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/jan/23/london.race
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45083275

The sexism.
https://www.libdems.org.uk/boris-johnson-sexist
The dishonesty
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/10/lies-accusations-boris-johnson-full-list-dishonesty-christmas-party

I'd turn the question round: what do you think he got right?

[alancalverd]

Yep, got his son out of the war. (Vietnam)

And who wouldn't, given the chance?

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

Now Trump's "mini-me" in the UK has also exited the stage.

Will he stage a come-back?

But he has not exited the stage, his majority lives on, but now it will be wielded by someone else. Talk of massive tax cuts is abounding, yet the uk economy has been stagnant since 2008, the conservatives are hellbent on having a balanced budget and the increace in costs and spending due to world events can only mean one thing, a further reduction in public spending, even though for 12 years of Conservative rule there has only been a stranglehold on spending to the point that strikes, lack of services and worker loss are a serious problem. Maybe they will try some sort of  tax where services are paid according to each person rather than the value of property.