General British politics discussion thread

Seth Brundle

As we had been discussing Patel, it is noteworthy that she stepped down (rather than was sacked) on the first day of the High Court legal challenge to her (as Home Sec) Rwandan deportation policy.

However before jumping ship, she committed tens of millions more to the cause...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/09/05/priti-patel-commits-funding-rwanda-migrant-plan-three-years/

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119577714#Comment_119577714

At least Johnson had entertainment value. I could imagine an evening out in the pub with Johnson must have been fun, but that's all.

Politically the UK is finished anyway. Who would take them serious anymore? The Tories were probably a good choice in the John Major years, but not anymore.

The problem is Brexit and economic isolation, together with constantly deviating from agreements and contracts they themselves negotiated ( Northern Ireland ).

Makes one wonder what's the point of negotiating? Truss is just the female form of Johnson, without the entertainment value.

Tom Mann Centuria

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119577836#Comment_119577836

You think Johnson would waste the steam off his piss on someone not from his class? Not a chance, unless you're serving him drinks you wouldn't even register.

Brussels Sprout

It's great that Patel and Dorries are gone. They should have been nowhere near the cabinet. Dorries for being a moron and Patel for being a sadistic, corrupt bully.

Suella Braverman as Home Secretary is absolutely mind boggling. I remember seeing her on Question Time a few years ago, on some Brexit debate, and I couldn't believe the nonsense she was coming up with. She was like a Daily Express Headline come to life playing to the lowest common denominator. I was horrified when she subsequently became AG. God only knows what kind of damage she's going to do as Home Secretary. The UK seems about two more Tory governments away from bringing back hanging.

pixelburp

Well, Reese-Mogg is unfortunately still around, and now in charge of UK Energy.

And, yup, he's one of those Climate Change Deniers; the idiots who can't tell the difference between weather and climate. Lord save us from the overeducated academics pontificating on affairs beyond their century.

Rees-Mogg has claimed that “climate alarmism” is responsible for high energy prices and that it is unrealistic for scientists to project future changes to the climate because meteorologists struggle to correctly predict the weather.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/06/jacob-rees-mogg-climate-alarmism-uk-energy-brief

Brussels Sprout

A few interesting asides on the diversity of the new cabinet:

• Liz Truss becomes the third female Tory leader and PM.
• It's going to be the first time that none of the top 4 jobs have been held by a white man.
• Also it'll be 4 Chancellors in a row now who are the sons of emigrants.

The Tories are a lot of things but at least they don't seem to have an internal ceiling when it comes to these things

pixelburp

Suella Braverman as Home Secretary; welp, it was presumed to be coming so it ain't a surprise but it'll be interesting and then some.

Strazdas

Key appointments so far :

Kwasi Kwarteng Chancellor of the Exchequer

Terese Coffey Deputy PM & Health Secretary

James Cleverly FM

Suella Braverman Home Secretary

(Wasn't Kwarteng rumoured to have had a fling with Truss?)

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581118#Comment_119581118

It was on the list of secrets that got leaked.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581150#Comment_119581150

Indeed. The word "fornicate" appears once, in reference to the new PM.

L1011

Truss has admitted to another affair previously, so if there is any basis to the Kwarteng stuff its going to be interesting them living next door to each other!

pixelburp

The UK is still a deeply puritanical country, especially its conservatives; if there's any truth to the rumours, then the moment the knives come for Truss, her sexual history will be used against her. The double standards compared with Johnson will be ignored; misogynists might forgive a man playing the field, a woman can only be shameful for doing same.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581732#Comment_119581732

Not sure what country you're observing. The Brits believe in personal privacy. Affairs and children with different people is a non issue.

It's a non religious largest secular country.

The reason Johnson's various children and all that didn't interest the British public is because they weren't interested in it.

I would hope the same is the case here but not so sure.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119574506#Comment_119574506

No didn't happen.

hotmail.com

Talk about her affair and possible affairs only seems to be coming from people that seemingly support personal privacy.

I'm finding this odd.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581889#Comment_119581889

We've had a gay Prime Minister and are about to again in three months.

I honestly believe that would ruffle more feathers in Britain than Johnson's 'blended family'.

Bertie Ahern's marriage separation and later having an official consort that was not his wife, did cause some commentary among the Irish conservative catholic cohort of 1997, but really nobody gave a shyte.

Liz Truss's marriage issues and affairs certainly don't matter to enough Brits to be of any consequence either.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581949#Comment_119581949

Again, not sure what country you're viewing. Britain is light years ahead with the gay stuff compared to us.

These are just non issues in Britain.

And Edward Heath was a bachelor. It did cause some chatter at the time and Labour's Harold Wilson tried to draw attention to the fact that he was a married family man when Heath wasn't.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581977#Comment_119581977

I'm not sure that passing the first popular vote for marriage equality puts us light years behind anybody, but in any case, I would not argue with your position at all, if for the fact that Britain is visibly regressing in a socially conservative direction on many fronts and so I don't think gay rights are any more protected in the long term in Britain than they have proven to be in certain of the 50 United States.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582046#Comment_119582046

Well Britain made the correct judgement not to put it to referendum and instead introduced marriage equality through a vote in Parliament in 2013, supported by a Tory PM and government.

Here, this country put it to a public vote. Thankfully it passed.

Comparisons with America misses a key point - America is a very religious country with very high church attendance. Every US president speaks about God and praying.

Not one word about religion comes out of UK politicians mouths. Britain is not a religious country and hasn't been for decades. Well probably since the emergence of big cities. Ireland of course is only making that transition in the last 25 years.

Larbre34

I thought it was comical earlier when folk were floating Iain Duncan-Smith's name for Northern Ireland Secretary.

But its actually going to be Chris Heaton-Harris, who makes IDS look like a mild dose of IBS.

I'm not exaggerating one bit when I say, between CHH and James Cleverly at the Foreign Office, that Simon Coveney should be polishing up his brass knuckles.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582084#Comment_119582084

Ian Duncan Smith turned down a cabinet position.

Indications that Coveney will either be moved from Foreign Affairs or get dropped from the cabinet altogether in December as he has been a cabinet for almost 12 years which is far too long.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582081#Comment_119582081

A proud day for the forward-looking Conservatives, not sullied at all by the fact that it was a Liberal Party initiative and a majority of Tory MPs voted against it so it only passed because of the support of the other parties.

As always no mention of which party decriminalised homosexuality (surely the most important social step) or which party was in government when the age of consent was equalised, or who got rid of the vile section 28 banning funding of LGBT groups etc. But yeah, Dave happened to be in No 10 when SSM was legalised, well done him.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582216#Comment_119582216

Well it was implemented by a Tory government and by a Tory PM.

Yeah I forgot the decriminalisation part. It took 30 years for Ireland to do the same.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582196#Comment_119582196

You think one of the most experienced and capable Cabinet members in the current coalition, a man who basically holds the fate of the Party leader in his hands, is going to be dropped when that Party leader becomes Taoiseach again?

In the midst of multiple crisis fronts?

Ok.....

Working class heroes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582196#Comment_119582196

I thought only serious posts were allowed here?

Hermy

While Britain may not be particularly religious nevertheless today both Johnson and Truss were required to pay a visit to the head of the Church of England before they each went about their business.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119581889#Comment_119581889

Then why did the Tory whip have a list of stuff to shame MPs with ?

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582288#Comment_119582288

The Church of England is still the established church in England so there are still archaic traditions and so on that spring from that.

I didn't know they paid a visit to the Archbishop of Canterbury today. I'll have to take your word on that.

A prayer is said at the beginning of every Dail sitting or the Angelus on RTE radio and TV. These traditions seem to linger on.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582289#Comment_119582289

Cos he's the Tory whip.

If people don't hear about it, or barely do, they don't care.

If the full weight of Conservative Party HQ pushes it to the primary pages of the Mail, Telegraph, Express and Spectator, that same audience are 'whipped' into a frenzy.

Blackmail, pure and simple.

dogbert27

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582326#Comment_119582326

While you are trying to flippant in your response to Hermy believing you are correct you are in fact wrong.

The ruling monarch is always the head of the church of England since Henry VIII.

You are correct in that UK politics doesn't play the "God" card that the Americans do but instead they play the "For Queen and Country" card.

America has "for God and Country", UK has "for Queen and Country". They use the same tactic to stir nationalistic emotion to the base voters.

It's how "Brexit got done" 🙄