Politics Thread 5

[captain red dog]

Boris Johnson is a malicious idiot who thinks himself a deserving mastermind pretending to be a harmless idiot.

As much as I hate him, it's dangerous to think of him as a malicious idiot. He is very calculating with everything he says. Almost every controversial thing he says I believe he has planned, just to target certain audiences.

I even think his actions immediately after the referendum, dropping out of public view and then aborting his leadership challenge were calculated to avoid any of the repercussions and to be able to ride in later as a saviour when the Brexit discussions failed.

The guy is absolutely devious, he isn't stupid.

[Moggy]

I used to think Johnson was a clever man pretending to be a stupid man.

But I was wrong. He’s a stupid man pretending to be a clever man that’s pretending to be a stupid man.

[Mini E]

I used to think Johnson was a clever man pretending to be a stupid man.

But I was wrong. He’s a stupid man pretending to be a clever man that’s pretending to be a stupid man.

This is pretty much my view also.

[OrangeRKN]

The guy is absolutely devious, he isn't stupid.

I think he's devious when it comes to trying to appeal to voters, but I think his actual political ability (in terms of assessing policy and being an MP) is where he is stupid. Although quite likely he just doesn't care.

[Hexx]

twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1139201894658793472

I think that's more names than MPs now

[Rex Kramer]

Here's hoping someone is holding a smoking gun that'll hit the press this weekend and torpedo Boris.

[Hexx]

Here's hoping someone is holding a smoking gun that'll hit the press this weekend and torpedo Boris.

His supporters don't care. He could kill a hooker in a coke filed binge and then phone up an African leader and "Hey Gollywog? How's it going?". It wouldn't dissuade them.

Our one hope is he's seen driving over Larry the Downing Street cat. That might cause some outrage.

[Wedgie]

Bet that is a huge blow to Gove (no pun intended!)

[KK]

Some programming notes:

Dispatches: Britain’s Toxic Air Scandal - All4

One in three children in the UK is growing up inhaling unsafe levels of air pollution. Dispatches runs a world-first experiment to reduce hundreds of primary school children's exposure to toxic air. Reporter Morland Sanders reveals that it's not just exhausts that produce dangerous emissions, with previously unidentified toxins coming off every vehicle, even electric ones. Dispatches asks: is the government doing enough to protect our children's health? Is the motor industry to blame? And what can we do to prevent dangerous exposure to children now?

Tonight: Divided Britain Beyond Repair? - ITV1, 7:30pm; ITV Hub

Nearly three years after Jo Cox MP was brutally murdered, her sister Kim Leadbeater explores whether Britain is now an angrier and more divided country.

Who Should Get To Stay In The UK - BBC2, 9pm; iPlayer

People from abroad who want to live in the UK are so often talked about but so rarely heard. This series ought to remedy that somewhat, while also updating us on how draconian, labyrinthine or otherwise the legalities of immigration have become. Among the 700,000 people every year who apply to stay in Britain having come from outside the EU – so Brexit’s not impacting their cases, at least not directly – are Valeriya, a 27-year-old Russian who came here 12 years ago and can’t get any more student visas, so now she’s trying for an expensive “entrepreneur” pass.

The other applicants featured are tougher, sadder stories, including a gay asylum seeker who is afraid to return to Trinidad and Tobago, and a Bangladeshi who has Crohn’s disease and will die if he’s sent home. This doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be.

New series. With the UK's immigration system under scrutiny, this series follows the stories of those desperate to stay in the country and the lawyers tasked with helping them. While some immigrants bring with them the prospect of investment and job creation, others come for asylum and sanctuary. All are determined to make Britain their home - but it will be up to their lawyers to convince the Home Office to let them stay. Among those hoping to live here is 27-year-old Russian student Valeriya, who moved to the UK when she was 15-years-old. Valeriya is on her fifth student visa and is now applying for an entrepreneur visa.

And on Question Time:

Theresa Villiers (Conservatives)
Stephen Kinnock (Labour)
Adam Price (Plaid Cyymru)
chess Martinez (comedy)
Mark Reckless (Brexit Party)

[KK]

Here's hoping someone is holding a smoking gun that'll hit the press this weekend and torpedo Boris.

Not sure what is left to run on him unless there’s actually video evidence or a tape of him saying/doing something he shouldn’t (like taking drugs). There was that whole incident a number of years ago with beating up a journalist that he brushed aside.

The Sun is currently very negative on him (particularly plans for a tax cut to high earners), the Daily Mail has softened because they hate Corbyn more, but was previously also extremely negative. Outside of the Telegraph for obvious reasons, he doesn’t have much backing from any of the media outlets currently.

Like Trump, he’s got that Teflon coating...for now.

[KK]

Currently watching 999 What’s Your Emergency on All 4. Infuriating viewing for so many reasons. Everyone should give it a watch: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/999 ... -emergency

There really are as close to literally no police in certain parts of England as you’d ever wish to have. In one instance a neighbour called 999 to report a burglary that had just taken place minutes earlier and the police didn’t turn up to the now completely ransacked house more than 12 hours later.

In another case, a woman who is 105 had fallen in her house and an ambulance classified it low priority, so the police had to attend instead.

It’s this type of stuff politicians, more concerned with their own infighting and Brexit, are completely ignoring/oblivious to.

[OrangeRKN]

The conservatives aren't ignoring it, they're causing it. It's a direct result of austerity and cuts to those services.

[Knoyleo]

Who Should Get To Stay In The UK

Literally anyone who wants to.

[Moggy]

The conservatives aren't ignoring it, they're causing it. It's a direct result of austerity and cuts to those services.

This.

[coldspice]

Mark Reckless (Brexit Party)

Nominative determinism at its finest.

[KK]

Newspaper circulation figures for May 2019:

Metro: 1,425,996 (down -3% Year-on-year)
The Sun: 1,302,951 (-12%)
Daily Mail: 1,181,023 (-8%)
The Sun on Sunday: 1,074,046 (-16%)
The Mail on Sunday: 984,582 (-11% dropping below a million for the first time)
London Evening Standard: 857,070 (-4%)
The Sunday Times: 704,064 (-9%)
Daily Mirror: 494,836 (-12%)
Sunday Mirror: 406,326 (-17%)
The Times: 401,361 (-7%)
The Daily Telegraph: 330,254 (-12%)
Daily Star: 313,743 (-15%)
Daily Express: 308,581 (-9%)
Sunday Express: 266,702 (-15%)
The Sunday Telegraph: 260,661 (-14%)
i: 229,791 (-9%)
Daily Star Sunday: 184,299 (-18%)
Financial Times: 169,119 (-7%)
The Observer: 158,426 (-7%)
Sunday People: 154,524 (-19%)
The Guardian: 132,793 (-6%)

[KK]

Cuka Umunna Has tonight joined the Liberal Democrats.

[Moggy]

Cuka Umunna Has tonight joined the Liberal Democrats.

Until September when he’ll leave to join the Greens.

[Tineash]

One man's principled and lonely quest to not get voted out. A hero for our times.

[KK]

And if your Sunday evening is going badly and you fancy making it worse...

Live: Britain's Next PM - The Channel 4 Debate: 6:30pm-8pm

Krishnan Guru-Murthy chairs a debate between contenders for leadership of the Conservative Party, featuring a studio audience drawn from across the country. But not Boris.