The Moving Finger Writes - The Magic Threshold of 54

 

There are several ways in which a sitting Tory PM can be removed from office:

- illness/death

- resignation

- 15% of Tory MPs (in this case 54) write to the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee saying they no longer have confidence in the PM

- the public, via a general election

- the Tories lose a motion of no confidence in the House.

Thanks to a combination of hysteria whipped up by certain sections of the hypocritical media and the drip feed of tittle tattle from an embittered ex employee, it looks as though the magic threshold of 54 letters might be reached.

There are potentially many reasons (eg energy costs, migrants, housing, the economy etc) why, at some stage in the coming year, Boris might need to step aside to allow someone else to lead the party into the next election. 

However, at this stage, #BYOBGate pushed front and centre by the media at the behest of Cummings is not the right reason nor the right time.

Cummings is an embittered ex employee consumed by anger, obsession and vindictiveness which is feeding his drive to unseat Boris. In the event he succeeds, he will increase the risk of a future Labour government aligning the country with the EU (something that would be an anathema to Cummings). All that he will then have left is is own self loathing. 

How on earth will that have benefited Cummings?

Therefore those MPs who have been quick to pen a letter should take note, they may well regret this later at their leisure.

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

Boris's Darkest Hour, or High Noon?

We shall see!

#BYOBGate

 

The media is fulminating with faux anger and doing its best to whip people up into a frezy over #BYOBGate, when the PM allegedly attended drinks (with crisps and sausage rolls) in the Number 10 garden on 20 May 2020.

Whilst Twitter is going apeshit over this, it is worth remembering that Downing Street is an office to hundreds of advisers and civil servants, and a home to the PM, chancellor and their families. Those who live in No. 10 or No. 11 had a right to use their own garden during lockdown. Work and meetings often took place in the garden throughout the day and well into the evening.

This is not the same as a group of people turning up at someone else's house/garden for a piss up. 

That being said, there are a number of points that people need to consider:

1 The optics of this are terrible, anyone with half a political brain could see that this was a bad idea invite people (socially distanced or not) by email (ie provide a written trail of pre planning). Whoever authorised/organised this needs a sound kicking.

2 The fact that the email was sent to 100 people pretty well guarantees that this would leak. Whoever authorised/organised this should have known that.

3 Why has the media.leaker(s) sat on this for 20 months? This is clearly a coordinated attempt by certain people to undermine the government and get rid of Boris.

4 The ITV journalist, Paul Brand, to whom this email (and other partygate type stories) was leaked is married to Joe Cuddeford who (by happenstance) is the Deputy Director at The Cabinet Office. 

5 Oddly, ITV have redacted the date on the email. Why?

6 Bournemouth on the day of #BYOBGate