scot47

Johnson should be in The Psych Ward.

BritInParis

I see ‘Operation Stop Boris’ morphed into ‘Stop Raab’. The only committed Brexiteer quietly neutered.

scrubbedexpat141

No problems at all, you or I can disagree with whatever we like, although I can't comment on yours or his psychopathic and narcissistic tendencies...

nottmbantam

Watched the debate last night. Can't for the life of me see why Johnson is so popular. First question re Brexit, and what are your plans. Spoke for two mins about everything that had gone wrong ( to which he had contributed significantly). No mention of what he would do.

Gove, Hunt, Javid all very bland , predictable and uninspiring. Stewart sounds like he should be leading the Labour Party. Spend more money on public services rather than tax cuts.

Jingsamichty

Johnson is popular because of the traditional British enjoyment of a naughty schoolboy. In itself, that's fair enough... that's why he should be on HIGNFY and writing a jolly-wheeze column. It's a truly dreadful reason to elect him as Prime Minister, but that's apparently what the blue-rinsers and retired Majors who make up the bulk Conservative Party membership want. Terrifying.

BritInParis

The party membership want the same thing as the majority of the country - to leave the EU. They believe that Boris is the only person who can deliver. That may be debatable but what is not is that all other considerations are moot because if the Tory party goes into another general election without us having left then they will be annihilated.

scot47

"The majority of the country" ie England. We in Scotland voted to stay. Old Etonian Johnson is anathema to most of my fellow-Scots. Time to bid the Union "adieu"

So long it was good to know you.

NorthernLad

It was a democratic decision to stay. Suck it up.

nottmbantam

Exactly. The very time I ever heard his name was on HIGNFY, and thought he was some sort of comedian. Couldn't believe my ears when I heard he was elected as Mayor of London. Now he wants to be PM and people actually think this is a good idea. Speechless.

This is what puzzles me, I can't see what qualities he brings to the table as a serious negotiator or why people think he's a good candidate. He voted against May's W/A twice, and then voted in favour of it the third time.

Contract here in KSA ends next year, and it would potentially be a return back to Blighty next year. Already dreading the thought of it.

scot47

The majority in Scotland did not vote to leave. Such THAT up as you watch the Union of 1707 dissolve. You might miss all those oil revenues. And access to the fish ! Suck that up as you wallow in post-Brexit, post imperial poverty !

scrubbedexpat141

But they did vote to remain as part of the UK.
The UK voted to leave the EU.
Scotland is part of the UK.

scot47

Not for much longer, Monsieur Scamp ! Come up here and smell the coffee !

Novocastrian

Your analysis is normally more refined than that. Not a single person in the Tory party believes that Boris can deliver brexit without calling a General Election first. They believe that he has a slightly better chance of improving the Tories' numbers in the next parliament compared to the other candidates. They might be right since he is the most mendacious and unprincipled of the lot He has no moral compass at all.

Eeyore

Let's get the terms of reference right.

If you define "the country" as "the total population", 25% voted to leave the EU.
If you define "the country" as "the electorate", 37% voted to leave the EU.

The best you can say in respect of Brexit is "the majority of those who voted", which is *very* different to "the majority of the country" (which implies more than 50% of either the population or electorate).

The idea that Brexit is actively desired by literally more than half the population of the UK is a pernicious one, but it wasn't close to being true in 2016 and if anything it's even less close to being true today.

Ah yes, now what was the official Tory Party line for that referendum? "Voting No is the only way Scotland can guarantee to stay in the EU"...

Which is why it's hilarious that the wizened old golf club bigots who'll crown Johnson think that they can trust him to deliver Brexit.

As he has demonstrated time and again, he is utterly untrustworthy, will say whatever he thinks the person in front of him needs to hear, and will pivot 180º on any of his stated positions at any moment. He's managed to persuade the One Nation Tories that he's the buffoonish but moderate Mayor of London, he's managed to persuade the hard-right Brexiters and Ukippers that he's a Muslim-bashing nationalist.

Both can't be true, so... who does he betray first?

Millhouse