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Johnson safe for now, but future in jeopardy over 'partygate'

11 Comments
By James PHEBY

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because he's unique in the fact that he can appeal to red-wall voters (in former Labour strongholds), and he can appeal to traditional Tories.

Recent polling in these red wall seats indicates they will go back to Labour.

I can’t believe some of my fellow northerners actually thought Johnson would, or had any intention to, deliver on improving the situation of the north. That’s not what Tories do.

To recap, these northern voters voted for Boris Johnson, a pathological liar leading the Tories, to make good on his promise deliver for the north.

Boris Johnson once said that voting Tory will cause your wife to have bigger breasts and increase your chances of owning a BMW.

Maybe they can console themselves with his ‘witty’ quotes and ruffled up hair.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Time for a Borexit...

7 ( +7 / -0 )

You gotta fight for your right

TO PARTY

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Disappointingly, enough northerners were daft enough to heed the loony tunes of the Bullingdon Bozo who cried Brexit with "Take-back-control!", Johnson's shaggy dog-whistle that sounded the alarm over the "invasion" of "Johnny Forriners" and a "wink-wink" message of "Making Britain Great Again" (for whites). When enough of those self-deluded northern punters who fell for his scam sober up after the scandalous serial partying of the Tory spivs who promised them "pie in the sky", maybe they'll chuck out all those "blue bricks" from the "Red Wall" and Humpty-Dumpty de Pfeffel will have a great fall?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Although Partygate does threaten Johnson, there is so much else going on, that it may fizzle out.

The red wall Tories voted for Brexit for the same reasons that other Brexit voters did - some prejudices cross party lines. Few will have believed the promises of 'levelling up' the North. They may get some cash in advance of local elections, and a few bits of the BBC or some government quango will be relocated there.

Electorally, there are too many variables to call it. Will Johnson's persona pull in enough votes when Brexit is done and the effects are increasingly negative (most being blamed on Covid), or should the Tories switch to Rishi Sunak? They just don't know.

Labour have been keeping their heads down through the pandemic, quietly supporting the government in most policies, whilst trying to remove any remaining Corbynite activists. Starmer's lack of charisma leverages Johnson's value to the Tories. Selling him as a responsible (ie. dull) alternative may work against Johnson but not against Sunak.

UK voters don't trust or believe politicians, so getting caught behaving badly doesn't damage their popularity as much as you might think. Plenty of the electorate were also dodging the rules. Transgressions can undermine leaders at Westminster and fuel a rebellion, but in an election, most Britons vote against the party they fear will act against their interests or cost them more cash when in power. That is usually Labour. Johnson broke the mould there and is happy to spend any money to stay popular. Sunak might not be.

The pandemic cost the UK about £400bn, all borrowing (with rates increasing), and eye-watering sums were wasted on unusable PPE and assorted fees paid to MPs' friends and neighbours. A 1% rise in National Insurance payments (=tax) will bring in £12bn pa supposedly for the NHS (the free cash from Brexit having been a lie). Amusingly, Labour now want this frozen, despite usually supporting higher taxes for public services. Johnson has stolen so many Labour manifesto pledges that the opposition are now running short of ways to differentiate themselves from him. They may get a good deal of traction out of a wealth tax, but it won't be enough to dent the pandemic debt.

Add to this mix, increasing food prices, supply chain damage and NHS shortages from the Brexit-inspired disposal of migrant workers, as well as a bizarrely high increase in energy costs (unlike Japan, the UK has fossil fuel resources in the North Sea and acres of wind farms). Climate change mediation is a difficult sell when the bill is so high.

There are so many conflicting variables that politicians don't quite know what is going to happen next, or what they should be doing to maximise their chances of getting elected. It's interesting, because almost anything could happen. British politics is usually more predictable than this.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

We should respect our leaders. Our elders. It is bullying. Look at what happened to poor Prince Andrew. They are not leaders for no reason. Educated to the highest level at the best schools. I bet none of the critics of Mr Boris can speak Latin!

the elite earned their right.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

We should respect our leaders. Our elders. It is bullying. Look at what happened to poor Prince Andrew. They are not leaders for no reason. Educated to the highest level at the best schools. I bet none of the critics of Mr Boris can speak Latin!

the elite earned their right

This is great- thanks for the laugh.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Maybe the Northerners just that Jeremy Corbyn was that bad.

Boris is destroying the posh boy party any way and it is a beautiful sight to behold. Stay tuned as tiny Dom drops more bombs from his mum's basement. Drip by drip.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

*just thought whoops

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Something tells me that the conservatives wont get back in power next time there is an election.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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