Liz Truss is out already. Who the heck can be Prime Minister? It seems like a dumpy job right now that no one wants or can do.
As mad as it sounds, I think the Tories have sufficiently lost their marbles that the return of Boris is probably the best bet.
Generally all the people who wanted it before want it now. Even if it is only for two years.
Here are the possibilities:
The first rule of being a good leader is to surround yourself with people who are more intelligent than you. Then, all you have to do is carry the water for them. IOW, pick someone smart enough to get the best people, and hopefully, things will improve.
I really enjoyed this rant by a Tory back-bencher named Charles Walker. The best parts are near the end. I’d be interested in reactions by Brits or folks who understand how the British parliamentary system is structured (e.g. the benefits to MPs to being a Minister, and what is the “ministerial red box”).
It’s also fun to me how the interviewer says “you seem absolutely … serious about this” as if that was the strongest thing she could think of to say.
Pretty sure she says “furious.”
Subtitles agree.
Ministers get a ‘Red Box’ to carry Government documents in. They are expected to take it home and do some work there.
A Ministerial position means you have a position of responsibility for some aspect of Government (e.g. Health or Transport.)
I expect there’s a pay increase and you can use it as a chance for further promotion. *
*In these crazy times, it seems any minister can go for Prime Minister! 
They’re going to pick Boris Johnson again, aren’t they?
Like I said above, I think that’s probably the smart bet.
The reason is pretty simple, too. All this stuff that’s been happening, in terms of the economic flailing about? Truss’s radically reprioritized mini-budget, Sunak’s financial pitch during his campaign before that, Hunt now promising a realigned approach to taxes and services? Nearly all of it is the Brexit bill coming due. The Tories will tell you it’s the Covid hangover and the Russia-Ukraine war and that every country in the world is having to make the same hard choices, but there’s hardly anyone else who’s so badly off, and their excuses are just camouflage, because God forbid they admit out loud that Brexit has been a catastrophic mistake (and worse that it was predictable and the Remainers were right).
So they all have to weasel around the reality, coming up with other stories and justifications for why the country’s financial situation is so dire and why things have to be radically rethought, without ever conceding that not only is there a gigantic elephant in the room, they’re the ones who dragged it inside in the first place. The problem is, they’re all really bad at it. Their storytelling is vacuous, their attempts at accounting don’t add up, they’re thrashing helplessly and haplessly at invented narratives without ever landing on anything that resonates.
Except that this is exactly what Boris did really, really well. He’s such a facile, cheerful liar, with a very precise instinct for what to offer the public, and the attitude with which to offer it. His “Get Brexit Done” slogan was farcically glib nonsense, but it also worked as a clear rallying cry for a public exhausted of the debate and desperate for someone who would slash a path, any path, out of the dilemma. Of course, Johnson didn’t have a path beyond simply repeating the slogan and hoping the apparatchiks in the background would actually deliver something, but that was still better than anything else his rivals were offering.
So given the choice between incompetent cranks who want to use the situation to peddle pet causes and accelerate the disaster, and Boris, who will put a happy face on the failure and perhaps delay party accountability for another few months, I think their preference has to be obvious. Plus, he becomes an obvious scapegoat when the wheels do finally come off.
I was going to type out a response agreeing with you but I was pretty much just going to say what you’ve said in your last more expansive post.
It’s a variation of the old adage - when you have someone on the committee who is continually causing trouble, make them chair. Suddenly they go from being the disruptive influence on the committee, to being the person with responsibility for the committee’s effectiveness. The electorate effectively did that to Boris, last election, and there’s every chance his fellow MP’s will do it again now.
I agree with you regarding Brexit, and Boris’ unique “skill” to blather around and not make any claims, promises or admissions.
I would still dispute he would be the best candidate though.
The Tories need to avoid a general election at all costs. They would lose handily. Heck, they are almost certain to lose in 2025, but at least they can hold out hope of significant shifts between now and then.
Putting a former disgraced PM back in so soon will lead to utter chaos: in parliament, in the country, in the devolved governments, in the markets. Foreign leaders may be reluctant to deal with a undead PM. A general election would be almost impossible to avoid in these circumstances.
I’m purely speaking strategically here though. In terms of what I want to happen, sure, put Boris back in charge and hasten the implosion of the Tory party. Fuck em. Hopefully what replaces the current crop of Tories will be more mature, considered and compassionate. We can but hope.
Indeed. It means you get to do some executive governing, rather than the usual backbench role of just opinionating, voting the party line and maybe (if you’re lucky) getting to influence some detail of legislation.
And yes, there’s more money, official cars, and lots of attention from those who want the government to do (or not do) this or that.
Salaries of members of the United Kingdom Parliament - Wikipedia.
His line about ‘talentless’ personnel is great; and his disgust at the PM et al putting Personal Interest over National is refreshing, and touching. I do think he undermines this though, when he implies the ‘ordinary’ people he’s most concerned about are fellow backbench Tory MPs losing their jobs at an election. Not traditionally the nearest folk to the bread-line.
Borrowed from our “More Jokes” thread:
King Charles has a realistic chance of breaking one of Queen Elizabeth’s most famous records:
The record number of 15 prime ministers during her reign.
If it goes to the members it’s hard to see anyone other than Boris winning. And it’s also hard to see Boris not getting the 100 nominations that he needs though desperate Tory moderates are no doubt making an effort
Wow, the PM makes less than a third of what I make in California. Maybe they should raise salaries so the seekers aren’t a bunch of rich arseholes and attract a professional class?
What’s the difference between “Entitled Salary” and “Claimed Salary” in that table?
Boris has withdrawn himself from consideration, according to Sky News.
