Let's Get Political!

[RedRag]

Sorry, but I disagree. Can't stand Thatcher but she never stooped to the depths of Blair. Prior to Blair, politicians were shifty, omitted stuff they should have been up front about, ducked questions, tried to put a better spin on things etc. But Blair and Campbell didn't bother with any of that, they went out and out to deliberately lie to take the country into an illegal war and made the art of government entirely about presentation, not what was best for the people and the country. They set the tone that leads directly to now, where we have a PM who can simply disregard the question of truth and lies or the known facts as simply irrelevant.

Bit late to join in, I know.  Broadly agree about Bliar being a worse liar than the odious Thatcher.

The distinction I would make as against Johnson and Trump is that Bliar at least made quite stringent efforts to conceal his lying and persuaded, if not convinced, a proportion of reasonably neutral persons to give him the benefit of the doubt.

These days you get Littlejohn in the Daily Fail openly cheering on Bojo's lies.  Win the support of your base, with shameful populism, and a percentage will just cheer your lies to the rafters.  No one (from your base) cares.  Ugly and troubling.

[RedRag]

Our constitution, still in some ways adapting and working imo, is in other ways failing us.

As a Remainer and by dint of discomfort with both Tory and Labour, I do have a party that loosely reflects my political leanings.  

Others such as Labour Leavers and Tory remainers (and now One Nation Tories in favour of Business/not needlessly crashing out) do not have such a conduit to represent them.  

The BP lot have a private limited company.  Least said the better but I do at least get the feeling of their supporters being unrepresented.

The One Nation Tories (as Change UK showed) have nowhere to go (especially if they lack any Liberal sentiments) under FPTP.

A sensible system of Proportional Representation would allow many voices to be heard even if I fear it would take a while for political parties to get used to making coalitions work.

Glass half empty, I expect that some arm wrestle will see an eventual Labour or Conservative triumph, of sorts, and that we will just muddle on.  But following a very polarised and not especially representative Trumpian model.  If the New Tories triumph then we will also face an Americanised future with lower taxes and less European-style safety net/health care.

[4D]

I thought Corbyn wanted a general election? 

[Costanza]

I dare say that there are a lot of politicians, from all sides, in that House of Commons who are currently doing things that they don't believe in.

[Flashheart]

I thought Corbyn wanted a general election? 

That's very disingenuous of you 4D. It's quite clear why he (and others) are not going for it.

[Reg Smeeton]

I blame that bastard Pitt the Younger

My thoughts yesterday turned to Robert Walpole, as he was reckoned to be the first PM and noted for his tactical use of language.

More so today as Walpole got 6 months in the Tower, for corruption and came to be considered a political martyr.  IDS is backing Johnson for this role by breaking the law set by Parliament.  Bring it on in say, and stick IDS there too for aiding and abetting.

[pauld]

More so today as Walpole got 6 months in the Tower, for corruption and came to be considered a political martyr.  IDS is backing Johnson for this role by breaking the law set by Parliament.  Bring it on in say, and stick IDS there too for aiding and abetting.

Wouldn't hold your breath. I'm still waiting for him to lie in front of those bulldozers. Instead he flew abroad to dodge the vote on Heathrow and he has the temerity to call Corbyn a chicken. Here's a question - is Johnson a bigger coward or a liar?

[Batch]

Amber Rudd quits as minister and the Tory whip

[BambooToTheFuture]

As the fine Terry Pratchett said, ¨We live in interesting times.¨

[Ardiles]

Wouldn't hold your breath. I'm still waiting for him to lie in front of those bulldozers.

He's lied in front of just about everything else.

[jayohaitchenn]

Wouldn't hold your breath. I'm still waiting for him to lie in front of those bulldozers. Instead he flew abroad to dodge the vote on Heathrow and he has the temerity to call Corbyn a chicken. Here's a question - is Johnson a bigger coward or a liar?

Here you go

[pauld]

He's lied in front of just about everything else.

Amber Rudd's proper done his legs hasn't she? Calls him out as a liar on the sham of Brexit negotiations (Cummings' description, not mine) and describes the purge of MPs as "an assault on democracy and decency". Speaking of which I see Nigel's shock troops were busy in Parliament Square exercising their democratic right to throw metal barriers at the police who had the temerity to try to stop them democratically attacking an anti-No Deal march in the name of free speech. Anyone know where local bookshop attacker Martin Costello was yesterday afternoon, sounds right up his street?

[horlock07]

Not being a classical scholar I had kind of missed the barbed nature of Varadkar's comments.

[jayohaitchenn]

I looked it up because I didn't get the reference either. But you can tell by Boris' reaction he gets it instantly. Bet Leo creamed his pants when he thought of that one

[BambooToTheFuture]

I looked it up because I didn't get the reference either. But you can tell by Boris' reaction he gets it instantly. Bet Leo creamed his pants when he thought of that one

Best bit of schooling to be seen in modern times. Using the Greek classics to make the oik squirm. Fantastic!