No.249- Boris Survives a Vote of No Confidence. Just!
Dear James,
Here we go again. A moment of humiliation converted into a desperate resort to bolstering his damaged image at a bravado cabinet meeting the next morning. The night before, a Vote of No Confidence in our flailing and failing Prime Minister, resulted in over 40% of your Tory bretherin telling the world that Boris was unfit to govern. The numbers – 148 rebels against 211 supporters - echoed the booing visited upon his shambling entry into St Paul’s Cathedral last week. This was far worse than similar votes against previous PMs in recent years. Certainly much worse than that against Theresa May in 2018. It was, in fact, an unmitigated disaster.
The next morning, at the hastily called cabinet meeting in No.10, expressions ranging from glum acquiescence to haemorrhoidal wincing, greeted the cameras. In the background Gitto Harry and Linton Crosby, Boris’s masters of the dark arts, sat with their note books open and poisoned pens poised. They were watching for any signs of defeatism amongst the battle weary loyalists. At their behest, their puppet, Boris Johnson, did his usual impression of bold, confident leadership. Smiling over his bruising of the day before, he thumped the table and spoke about doing what the ‘country wants us to do’. He described the vote as an ‘extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result‘. At the far end of the table, Nadine Doris did her best to gaze swanlike in the direction of her beloved leader. Steve Barclay, his new ‘anti-chaos tsar’ at No.10, hoped fervently that Boris would not put another foot in it. Next to him, Michael Gove, the ‘Minister for Levelling up and Everything Else’, sat on the edge of his chair, forever the classroom swat, eager to put up his hand to answer the many questions that he has failed to answer during his long, sycophantic career as Boris’s bag carrier. Meanwhile, ‘the man who loves to be liked’ repeated to himself Gitto and Linton’s mantras. “There will always be a few stalwarts out there who still like you when you’re at your bullish best Boris! Go for broke Boris. Be more of the old Boris, Not less! Go Boris, Go!”
Who are they kidding, James ? More Boris means more damage to the Tory Party, more injury to the rule of law, more attacks on our constitution and finally, and more immediately, more vandalisation of our nation’s economic prospects and political standing in the world. On Tuesday Boris appeared in Blackpool with a ‘bombshell’ announcement. He’s going to make it possible for people on benefits to buy their own home! Question: How does a person on a £15,000 benefit buy a home in excess of £100,000, James? Yet another fantasy promise dressed up as policy!
James, you are no doubt one of the 211 who did not censure Boris on Monday. You are therefore condoning lying, supporting the breaking of international law and encouraging the further erosion of parliamentary standards of behaviour and integrity. Boris’s response to the vote of No Confidence were the desperate actions by a desperate man for desperate times. Like his old pal across the Atlantic, Boris cannot bear losing. Like so many populist leaders he will do everything possible to hang onto power. So here’s another question James: Where are the big thinkers this nation so desperately needs? Where are those with perspective, wisdom and integrity? Not in your government James. And never, ever under Boris Johnson!
BH – Your Concerned Constituent