Boris Johnson - Time Running out?

[jobotic]

They laugh off calls to resign. There'd be none of them left otherwise.

It's ten o'clock, the polls have now closed, which means we can now see the result of the exit poll...

...and there it is - an increased Conservative majority, projecting an increase of a further 10 seats for the Conservatives.

On the other hand Rosie Duffield has lost her seat.

[Blinder Data]

It does feel like the beginning of the end. The end could come in 2024 though, so let's not get too excited.

Johnson lies shamelessly all the time so I'm not sure any investigation into parties or wallpaper will force his resignation. He only cares about being PM in terms of the status and historical importance it gives him - I bet he is desperate to cling on, win another election and beat Cameron's record of six years. If COVID gets worse, the enthusiasm to remove him will dissipate too. Tory MPs deciding he's more of a liability than an asset or a general election defeat are the only two ways to get him out, I think, and we're not at the former yet.

In terms of replacements, I really hope it's someone the Tories love but everyone else hates like Truss or Gove because they would likely lose a general election. If it's Sunak, he would need to start fronting up and announce unpopular things, so the sheen would come off him quickly. Everyone thinks he's a shoo-in but very few Chancellors actually make the move to No 10 (and even fewer make a success of it).

Another black mark against Sunak is that he's only 5 ft 5. Could a male leader that short really win a general election? Apologies to the shortarses out there but sadly these things often matter in politics.

[Jittlebags]

I think Boris has got about 180 days to get to Gordon Brown Day. He won't voluntarily leave before then. He's got Spencer Perceval in his sights before that, lucky for Boris that the poor cunt got shot, so he's within reach.

[Jittlebags]

Fuck me. Perceval had 12 children. Maybe Boris is going for that record as well.

[Blumf]

Pretty sure the establishment feels safe to roll the dice now, seeing as the worst case scenario is Starmer's Raving Mad Centrist Party winning, i.e. no change at all.

[Kankurette]

Who's going to replace him when he does resign? Gove? Patel? Sunak? The Antichrist?

[Fambo Number Mive]

I think Boris has got about 180 days to get to Gordon Brown Day. He won't voluntarily leave before then. He's got Spencer Perceval in his sights before that, lucky for Boris that the poor cunt got shot, so he's within reach.

I reckon he'll want to be in power at least as long as May, possibly even Cameron as BD says.

[Jasha]

The other day when Starter/Lammy/Rayner were calling for an apology rather than a resignation it struck me that Johnson is labours best asset

[chveik]

i guess you're closer to it than when the last similar thread was made six months ago. if he leaves it'll be the result of an internal tory power stuggle, it's not going to change anything for the people in the UK.

[Pink Gregory]

Starting to wonder if Johnson himself is the least dangerous one in the cabinet.  Assuming that he's basically a spokesperson and probably avoids any policy work if he can.

Though he's a figurehead to hide behind while they write legislation for stripping people of citizenship and criminalising protest so...

[ElTwopo]

I thought Boris was skint, so why is he having more kids? Don't Tories usually hate poor people doing that? Meanwhile he's pumping out sprogs like a Gremlin that's into water-sports.

[pigamus]

Anyone seen Michael Gove recently?

Be afraid, people. Be very afraid.

[Alberon]

The Telegraph are saying the ethics advisor Lord Geidt is on the verge of quitting over lies Johnson told about the flat refurb. And if anyone should know what's going on in the Conservatives it's the Torygraph.

[vanilla.coffee]

Penny Mordaunt
I'd like her to get the top job.
Look at Penny Mordaunt.

[idunnosomename]

The daughter of a former paratrooper, one of twins, she was named after the Arethusa-class cruiser HMS Penelope.

she's been rather sidelined in the Boris ball-lick cabinet but she might make a comeback soon

[mothman]

Doesn't she have, um, history? Bit of a reputation, know what I mean, nudge nudge wink wink? Allegedly

ALLEGEDLY

Sort of a Sarah Greene scenario.

[close]

[Cold Meat Platter]

Married to Mike Smith, eh? Well that rings alarm bells.

[mothman]

No, that's NOT what I meant and you know it!

[Shit Good Nose]

Surprised at the level of confidence in this thread about Blow Job going.  Staunch tories will continue to support him and see all the party stuff as sticking it to those cunt liberal lefties, whilst everyone else will still think it's amazing we have a comedy wizard in number 10.  The only people that want him gone now are the ones that never wanted him in in the first place.

In the very unlikely event he does go, it won't be Rees-Mogg replacing him - he's got far more control and influence over all the parties where he is now, and he's pretty much bullet proof in that role for as long as the tories are in power.

[sevendaughters]

they'll keep shoving people who can take some flak while they can and hope a different scandal can come along to save him. Xmas helps quieten angry minds.

they're throwing Jack Doyle into the firing line now Stratton has gone. He was my editor on the Manc Uni student paper and was apolitical in the wormish sense ie. would do anything to stay in the media. Quite amusing to see him pop up getting pelters, even though I always thought he was fine. Had a night at Belle Vue greyhounds with him once.

[Milo]

The new child gives him a bit of a pretext for resigning, he can claim it's to spend more time with this fraction of his family so it doesn't look so much like he's resigned in disgrace.

[jobotic]

No, he's not going anywhere.

[bgmnts]

At this point it literally doesn't matter does it? Whether it's Johnson or some other weird psychopath, whether it's red or blue tories, it really doesn't matter at all. This is what the people want and deserve.

[pigamus]

Politico says the big problem is that there's no obvious candidate to replace him. But surely Sunak is the obvious candidate? Gove and Truss are both desperate for it but they're both too fucking weird.

[Alberon]

The problem with not replacing Johnson is the government carries on as before - blundering blindfold around a garden littered with rakes, bleeding support and eventually making Keir Starmer look credible.

No one better is going to turn up for years anyway so eventually they will have to bite the bullet.

[dissolute ocelot]

John Major was a laughing stock for at least 5 years before finally giving in to Our Tony. The thing about the Tory party choosing a replacement is it's almost never the obvious choice, it's closer to choosing their leader by lottery, and it would be a foolish Tory who pulled the lever. Besides, the Queen is about to die.

[pigamus]

They're also made the mistake of running the civil service for years, so they don't have the backup they used to have. Look at this prick at the Foreign Office who didn't even come off his holidays over Afghanistan. Sir Humphrey is now not much better than the likes of Dominic Raab. Add that to low talent in the Tory party generally and you end up with rank incompetence all across the board.

[Jittlebags]

At this point it literally doesn't matter does it? Whether it's Johnson or some other weird psychopath, whether it's red or blue tories, it really doesn't matter at all. This is what the people want and deserve.

Yep. Sort of political entropy. A greyish soup of cack handed politicians.

[olliebean]

Politico says the big problem is that there's no obvious candidate to replace him. But surely Sunak is the obvious candidate? Gove and Truss are both desperate for it but they're both too fucking weird.

Maybe it's time for Corbyn to throw his hat into the ring.

[H-O-W-L]

Doesn't look good for Cribbins.