I wrote yesterday that I suspect Johnson will be culling the ranks of Tory MPs by withdrawing the whip from opponents over the coming weeks. It looks like his opportunity to do so will come very soon.
It seems very likely that the excuse to do this will be manufactured. We now know that a Bill to breach the Northern Ireland protocol, and so international law, will be presented to the Commons in the next week or so. No doubts three line whip whip will be applied and for some Tory MPs, and most especially those with legal qualifications, this will be decidedly problematic.
It is very hard for someone mindful that they might well lose their seat in a forthcoming general election and so who wants to keep their career credentials as a lawyer intact to vote in favour of the government unilaterally breaking the law, which is what the likely proposed reform to the protocol will do.
But, on the other hand, breaking a three line whip on what Johnson will define as a key Brexit issue will be as likely to be career ending. This will be an excuse for Johnson to withdraw the whip, and so the chance to stand as a Tory MP again.
Of course, to anyone but Johnson this policy makes no sense. For a start, breaching the protocol is unlikely to reform it, and so not deliver what the DUP in Northern Ireland want to get power sharing government working again.
The EU is not going to be amused. The US will be no more so. In fact, trade relations with both are likely to be seriously harmed.
But, that's not why Johnson is introducing his new law. That's being done to keep David Frost and the lunatic fringes of the Tory party happy for another day or two, whatever the consequences, with the added bonus that some opponents might be flushed out of the party as it crashes ever more rightward. For a Johnson those are all short term headline wins, and that is all that matters to him.
How did we reach such a dire position?
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We reached this situation because Johnson is just a front for the malign money that is backing his policies. A recent article in the Guardian pointed to £15 million worth of political funding that was being investigated that has gone into our political system.
The Tories are nothing but lobbyists for big money interests who are dictating responses to everything, global warming, Europe etc., – anything that takes their fancy.
This is a capitalist system where capital determines policy – no matter what party is in charge.
Capital is in charge. That is why we are here.
Spot on PSR.
I am currently reading Oliver Bullough’s latest book “Butler to the World: How Britain became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals”. Very readable and enlightening toany who wish to see the light.
On the very day of the no-confidence vote, I reached chapter 7 “Down the Tubes” which begins: “When Boris Johnson – the journalist-turned-politician who is, at the time of writing, still prime minister – was mayor of London …” and goes on to describe the fiasco of him allowing the sale of a disused Underground station next to the London home of the Kremlin-backed Ukrainian oligarch n
Spot on PSR.
I am currently reading Oliver Bullough’s latest book “Butler to the World: How Britain became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals”. Very readable and enlightening to any who wish to see the light.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/mar/17/butler-to-the-world-by-oliver-bullough-review-britain-reliance-russian-dirty-money
On the very day of the no-confidence vote, I reached chapter 7 “Down the Tubes” which begins: “When Boris Johnson – the journalist-turned-politician who is, at the time of writing, still prime minister – was mayor of London …” and goes on to describe the fiasco of him allowing the sale of a disused Underground station next to the London home of Dmitry Firtash, the Kremlin-backed Ukrainian oligarch and owner of half of the Russian gas company exporting gas to and via Ukraine (RUE). Firtash – who is currenly under house arrest in Austria fighting extradition to the USA on criminal corruption charges – has now switched his allegiance and speaks vehemently against Putin. He was, he says, never pro-Russian but simply doing business, his job being just to make money. Much like the City of London and far too many of the current Tory party.
Apologies for submitting this by mistake before completing. The full version is below.
Well lets hope that enough Tory MPS vote against that together with the opposition it will be defeated by a significant number – and call the whole question of this appalling “Government” into account.
I think if this was not so serious it would be very entertaining watching the Tory party implode. However, it is very serious and the questions are when will it all end and what will be the state of the country when it does?
I think your penultimate sentence ‘For Johnson those are all short term headline wins, and that is all that matters to him.’ is spot on. Just get the positive headline and it doesn’t matter if it proves to be a disaster.
Craig
Johnson got the Queen to sign off the illegal proroguing of parliament, so he thinks he can get away with it. But hopefully, now 148 Conservative MPs don’t support him, this illegal legislation will not pass.
I would hope that in the event of Johnson expelling MPs who refused to support his Bill enabling (international) law breaking, he would find himself in conflict with the constituency associations whose support he crucially needs in a General Election.
That is assuming enough ordinary Conservative members have consciences. But even if they don’t, they will know where ordinary voters draw the line, and might rebel to save their own skins.
If nothing else, the next Conservative Party Conference would become extremely interesting.
Fro CSW (Civil Service World) today:
“The government insists that this would not break international law. Suella Braverman, the attorney general, approved the plan having concluded that it was legal, The Times reported last month. When unveiling the plan to parliament, foreign secretary Liz Truss said “we are very clear that this is legal in international law and we will be setting out our legal position in due course”.
But in the leaked correspondence, a senior figure advising the government on legal matters says they hold the view that it cannot be “credibly” argued on legal grounds that there is currently no alternative to unilaterally disapplying the treaty, and that it is “very difficult” for the ministers to make that case.
They add that they find that position “more convincing” than the view put forward by Braverman and others that the government was on solid legal footing in pursuing unilateral steps.
Oops. So if the rebel tory MPs are serious about opposing Johnson, the government is going to be in trouble getting this nonsense through.
And they did not even consult their own senior counsel, knowing he disagreed
I’d like to return if I may to my theme above about capital dominating our political system.
Along with reading about the development of Chinese economic thinking in ‘How China Escaped Shock Therapy ‘ (Weber, 2021) I recently dipped into a documentary called ‘The Coming War with China’ by John Pilger.
I believe that Richard is not too keen on Pilger whereas I for one have read some of his books and other films over the years and have appreciated his input ( he did a really hard hitting film about the destruction of NHS too which was quite good). I suspect Pilger is a left-winger in the traditional mould but I know nothing about his political outlook (is he a Marxist – I’ve no idea?).
I think that this is a superb film. Pilger is very balanced in it, as are his Chinese respondents who acknowledge that modern China is not without problems. It is not an attempt to whitewash China and its approach to political dissent and Pilger spares them no blushes. Pilger is even-handed.
What strikes me is how two of his principle Chinese interviewees contrast themselves with the West. There are discrete references to the ‘Gaunzi’ – the collected works of old Chinese rulers on statecraft and maintaining peace through economic fairness – something that Weber notes was a guiding light for even the communist Mao.
I can tell you now that most of the Americans interviewed in this film come off very badly with their frothy mouthed war mongering language.
Professor Znang Weiwei is one of the interviewees and worked with the communist architect of modern China called Deng Xiaopeng.
Xiaopeng famously said that ‘Socialism was not about the sharing of poverty’.
Weiwei goes on to to give a Chinese explanation of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 which he calls ‘a tragedy’. It was about two conflicting views about how to reform China (it’s markets). Those who lost were the big bang theorists who wanted political reform before economic reform. Those who won were the economic reformists who are gradualists and want to leave political reform to last. Xiaopeng is quoted by Weiwei as thinking that Gorbachev was ‘an idiot’ for going along with Western suggestions about economic reforms. The Chinese looked at the big bang reforms and decided it wasn’t for them. But they came close.
The other interviewee is a chap called Eric Li who is an american educated entrepreneur living in Shanghai.
What he has to say is to me at least is incisive:
“The Chinese one party state has proven to have an extraordinary capacity to change.
In America, you can change the political parties but you cannot change the policies.
In China, you cannot change the party but you can change the policies.
The Single Party system changes made over 66 years of rule have been wider and broader than any other country.
China is NOT a capitalist country: it is a vibrant market economy.
There is no way that a group of billionaires could control the party bureau as billionaires do in American policy making.
So in China you have a vibrant market economy but capital does not rise above political authority.
Capital in China does not have enshrined rights.
In America the interest of capital and capital itself has risen ABOVE the American nation.
The political authority in America cannot check the power of capital.
That is why America is a capitalist country and China is not a capitalist country”.
So, there you have it – an explanation from a Chinaman as to how we got were are in this country (the UK) who is obviously aping American political economy and has been for far too long. Look at the millions that has been pouring into our political system reported once again by the Guardian today.
Our malaise though in the UK was already there in the form of the feudal Establishment going back centuries. However, I now think that we have entered a new and more brazen Americanised phase where there are no pretensions about absolute power and using Fascist techniques to keep us divided and compliant .
The rich are now blatantly buying your Government for their own ends. And so ends democracy.
So much for being ‘intensely relaxed’ about people becoming rich.
You cannot argue with greed ever. . You cannot trust or turn your back on greed EVER.
And that ‘s just what we’ve done and in doing so, undone ourselves.