British Politics Guide

[alice]

With the world on fire, the Labour leadership election finally finished yesterday, according to highly unreliable rumours.
Today the Scottish deputy leadership election result was announced, with Jackie "Bomber" Ballie defeating Matt Kerr 58-42 in what is seen as a victory for the right over the left. The UK results will be announced at 10:45 tomorrow.

Seems like Kier Starmer won. I have to admit I can't summon much enthusiasm. Let's see where Labour goes from here.

One of two things will happen: Labour will lurch to the right in a brazen attempt to get more votes, rather than staying true to its socialist principles; or it will recognise that the experminet with Jezza was a failure and return to something resembling the real world.

[Raphael]

Boris Johnson, who's been a confirmed case of Covid-19 for a while, is now in a hospital, officially for "tests". This does get me a bit curious - what happens next if he dies?

[Frislander]

Looks like Kier Starmer is appointing his defeated opponents and people around them to senior positions - Angela Raynor (close friend of Rebecca Long-Bailey) to deputy leader and Lisa Nandy to foreign secretary. Make of that what you will but I see it as a good sign on Starmer's part.

[Linguoboy]

Boris Johnson, who's been a confirmed case of Covid-19 for a while, is now in a hospital, officially for "tests". This does get me a bit curious - what happens next if he dies?

Apparently, the First Secretary of State is de facto Deputy Prime Minister. So the UK would get Dominic Raab.

[Richard W]

The most endearing member of the Bullingdon club has just died of Covids-19.

[Frislander]

The most endearing member of the Bullingdon club has just died of Covids-19.

I mean he was 89, though it's still sad all the same. I grew up watching Animal Park on the TV so I became aware of him through that, and found him to be rather charming, though reading his obituary on the BBC was still somewhat surprising.

I think this also means he's the most high-profile coronavirus death (I don't think enough people care to remember Little and Large).

More: show

For those not in the know, the most endearing member of the Bullingdon club is the late Marquess of Bath; read his obituary here

[Raphael]

Apparently, the First Secretary of State is de facto Deputy Prime Minister. So the UK would get Dominic Raab.

Ah, thank you, interesting to know. Not sure how the Tories would run a leadership contest right now, though. Sure, Labour just completed theirs, but they've got different rules for leadership contests than the Tories. IIRC Tory leadership rules, unlike Labour leadership rules, require a group of people to physically assemble in one place at various stages of the process.

[Owain]

Apparently, the First Secretary of State is de facto Deputy Prime Minister. So the UK would get Dominic Raab.

Ah, thank you, interesting to know. Not sure how the Tories would run a leadership contest right now, though. Sure, Labour just completed theirs, but they've got different rules for leadership contests than the Tories. IIRC Tory leadership rules, unlike Labour leadership rules, require a group of people to physically assemble in one place at various stages of the process.

Tbh I don't think we could have started one either.
Different situation and different sort of rules back then but this gives some details on plans when Churchill was incapacitated.
https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1 ... 1176761350

[Kuchigakatai]

Tbh I don't think we could have started one either.
Different situation and different sort of rules back then but this gives some details on plans when Churchill was incapacitated.
https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1 ... 1176761350

And the acting PM was literally called "Rab"... History truly doth progress in circles.

15 minutes ago, Laura Kuenssberg from the BBC said on Twitter: "The Prime Minister has been taken to intensive care"
https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/12 ... 5791134720

[chris_notts]

This put me in the odd position of desperately wishing for BoJo to continue serving as PM. I hate the guy, but if he's incapacitated then that puts Raab the fanatic in charge. In a funny way, Boris is less dangerous that most of the rest of his cabinet precisely because he's a psychopath with no strong convictions who just wants to be in power. Boris will happily abandon anything screwing up the country enough to risk his long term position... whereas the band of swivel eyed loons behind him wouldn't be put off by trivial things like reality or political calculations.

[Kuchigakatai]

I see that apparently nothing has happened in Britain in a month. No news is good news, I guess.



Meanwhile, from Wikipedia, on the Eurovision contest:

The United Kingdom is one of the "Big 5", along with France, Germany, Italy and Spain who are automatically allowed to participate in the final as they are the five biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

[...]

In the 21st century, the United Kingdom has a considerably poorer record in the competition, only reaching the top ten twice, with Jessica Garlick third (2002) and Jade Ewen fifth (2009).

Tinfoil hat theory: Brexit happened due to poor performance in the Eurovision contest.

There's clearly a correlation.

[chris_notts]

I'm pretty sure you're right. If only people had given us a few more points...

[alice]

It's definitely known to have happened in at least one case.

[Kuchigakatai]

It's definitely known to have happened in at least one case.

What are you referring to in this joke?

[chris_notts]

Anyone enthusiastic about Boris' murky message? I have to say, we're not really interested in when wild oats Johnson of all people thinks it's time for our son to go back to school. Especially because my wife has chest problems anyway and had a bad case of pneumonia a year or two ago, and our son needs a healthy mother a lot more than he needs one month of school before the summer holidays. He can go back to transmission central when we decide the time is right.

[alice]

It's definitely known to have happened in at least one case.

What are you referring to in this joke?

There was definitely one instance where someone had voted Leave in protest at something Eurovision-related. but I forget what.

[Frislander]

Anyone enthusiastic about Boris' murky message? I have to say, we're not really interested in when wild oats Johnson of all people thinks it's time for our son to go back to school. Especially because my wife has chest problems anyway and had a bad case of pneumonia a year or two ago, and our son needs a healthy mother a lot more than he needs one month of school before the summer holidays. He can go back to transmission central when we decide the time is right.

Indeed, the particular emphases of the announcement (like the particular weird obsession with construction workers) very much scream "paups should work to death, well-off get to play golf",seems almost too bald-faced callous Tory to be believable really.

[chris_notts]

Indeed, the particular emphases of the announcement (like the particular weird obsession with construction workers) very much scream "paups should work to death, well-off get to play golf",seems almost too bald-faced callous Tory to be believable really.

I have to admit I never understood the obsession of the idle class with golf of all things. It's like going for a nice walk, except ruined by the need to obsess over a small white ball and drag a load of clubs around.

[Linguoboy]

Indeed, the particular emphases of the announcement (like the particular weird obsession with construction workers) very much scream "paups should work to death, well-off get to play golf",seems almost too bald-faced callous Tory to be believable really.

I have to admit I never understood the obsession of the idle class with golf of all things. It's like going for a nice walk, except ruined by the need to obsess over a small white ball and drag a load of clubs around.

Only poors and Reds drag their own clubs.

[chris_notts]

In other news, it seems the pivot from sacrificing the NHS (now politically difficult) to sacrificing farmers for a US trade deal is under way:

https://www.farminguk.com/news/farmer-c ... 55652.html

And as expected, it's causing major splits in the cabinet. Moving towards the US model is an old dream for the Thatcherites, but will they sacrifice their own core voters to get it done?