"we'll change the things that need changing and that's all we'll change": the paSUKification of post-brexit politics 2021

i mean in the old days it meant seeking to unite the turkic peoples in one state stretching from the balkans to central asia

Talking of Turkic peoples, I'm sure Boris is familiar with this meaning.

semiotic drift:

Tory civil war currently exploding…

Ministers have been quoted calling backbench no-confidencers as “fucking nobodies” and “arrogant twats”.

And a “Red Wall” Johnson loyalist has labelled the Tory MPs submitting letters of no confidence “woke”.

— WILL LLOYD (@willgeorgelloyd) January 18, 2022

Woke Andrew Bridgen, that's something to contemplate.

Strong, unstable government

when they start using culture war slurs on each other in the heat of blue on blue intra-party leadership squabbles then maybe they really are in trouble. Apparently Penny Mordaunt is slightly woke, well y'know by Grey Wolves' standards and isn't a transphobe. If they were to do a Brit remake of Yellowjackets she'd be perfect to fill the Melanie Lynskey slot!

The Turkic Grey Wolves have an impressive column of every nationality/race that they are against, they make Western neo-nazis look quite pathetic.

Until these grey wolves release a collaborative tape with Macronympha and Sudden Infant I for one am not taking them seriously.

https://i.discogs.com/9JnEiJK6sxaRSHst4OoqVHmpRH74gwBNWUf95Uu7Ob0/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:365/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWltYWdlcy9SLTY5/MTA5OC0xMjMzODYw/MTg0LmpwZWc.jpeg

no longer venturing a bet on his survival or his fall -- once bitten twice shy! tom D was right and i was wrong! -- but the speed and intensity of the turnabout is making me feel a bit better abt my inaccurate instincts tbh, they weren't all that inaccurate

The reason the press have effortlessly destroyed Johnson overnight is that he had absolutely nothing - no skills, no ideas, not even proper friends - except the overwhelming backing of the British press. When they withdrew that he was immediately naked, cupping his ballsack.

— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) January 19, 2022

an image for the ages there

Bad sign for Boris Johnson: Tory MPs say Chief Whip Mark Spencer seems “checked out”, “pretty relaxed” and is joking with colleagues about not being in the job much longer. “He knows the writing’s on the wall” says one.

— Ben Kentish (@BenKentish) January 19, 2022

Hello. Please enjoy something that is objectively very funny. pic.twitter.com/jAJ8XKZGaQ

— sophia (@pylonfan) January 19, 2022

IN MY VEINS

assuming that's true - and always fuck Hodges - the big spoiled twat is taking this harder than i expected

which perhaps shd've been expected from a freewheeling bundle of stimulants and id, idk

Tory Party members wanted Boris, most of their MPs couldn't stand the cunt. Tory Party members want Sunak, most of their MPs can't stand the cunt.

sure he'll buck up once it's done and he's coining it on the after diner des cons circuit

They won't book him unless custard pies are involved.

There's been a lot of back-covering performative Holding To Account through gritted teeth from most newspapers.

Meanwhile the Guardian gushes over Starmer's ability to...dress himself.

He is wearing blue trousers and a pristine white shirt, sleeves rolled up. It is a metaphor as much as a sartorial statement.

i like the bit about Kieth being "shorter than you'd think"

nope, shorter than you cunts would think

shocked he was wearing blue trousers

i feel like one-time guardian glam correspondent simon hattenstone cd have brought more to bear on the sartorial point

He is wearing platform boots and a top hat with mirrors. It is a metaphor as much as a etc

Back in the day, we were discussing at work during the last days of Thatch..

There was a lot of maybe, prevarication, and vague shrugging, until I said "Nah. It's over, and she'll be gone within 2 days!"
Colleague: "That was very definite! Where did that come from?"
Me: "I dunno. Just, a sense of it I guess!"

So, obviously, that's what happened.

Put it this way, when she went, there was a famous photo of her looking upset in the back of the limo or whatever.

I'm guessing Boris' farewell taxi is going to be a bit different. Will he lie down? Will he be in the boot? Or

say^^^ yr on the 1922 committee without saying yr on the 1922 committee :D

shocked he was wearing blue trousers

There's a kind of a stink about blue velvet trousers.

Kieth would never wear something as unutilitarian as velvet

But in his paisley shirt..

at least Kieth and Sunak won't need any perspective trickery when they go head to head

Diddymen vs Potty Time, you decide

🚨 SCOOP: Christian Wakeford, the Tory MP for Bury South is defecting to the Labour party.

Formal announcement coming in five minuteshttps://t.co/GIIB7XlCJ2

— Sebastian Payne (@SebastianEPayne) January 19, 2022

always a great sign when a Tory joins Labour

Ignoring the context and sadlols, when did this last happen?

i remember at least one under Blair? hence the sadness

i may have imagine that, the last 40-odd years have been a political mare

i guess the worst bit is when they don't feel the need to make the token step thru the Lib Dems first

Shaun Woodward?

As Boaby would say, once a Tory always a Tory, tell 'im tae get tae fuck.

Most direct way to win back them rote mauer seats i guess lol

lol this kind of slippery 'my constituents feel minorities have more rights then they do' without quite being willing to say whether this is what you yourself also think is so despicable

our new labour mp on the PCSC bill… https://t.co/JGuGpZfiKS pic.twitter.com/Toz4YGZ1o9

— Michael Millar (@mikemiIIar) January 19, 2022

xp exactly the thought in Wakeford's head i'm sure

cos of his name i keep thinking he's an MP for 1980s theme park Wakefield

new Labour mp looks BNP to me and has the voting record and statements to match. thank god the Labour Party under new management has returned Labour to its long traditions of antiracism 🙏 pic.twitter.com/7qtMh0tNOv

— michael (@Sisyphusa) January 19, 2022

quick skim of wikipedia says the last con-lab defection in 2007: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Davies

(shaun woodward was 1999)

LOL David Davies pulling the old "In the name of God go" chestnut out of the fire.

i was never that big a Kinks fan anyway

The Wakeford person is presumably terrible, and that he can join Labour presumably shows that Labour is bad.

But I just wish to revive a procedural point from the CHUK / TIG days:

If you have been elected for one party, you should not then join a different party without standing for re-election.

Everyone on the Left said this about Umuna and that appalling new party. It must be true for this individual also.

Even as someone who hates the Conservative Party, hates KS's Labour, would hate this MP, and would never vote for any of them, I think -- it is basically unfair to the people who voted for this MP, that he is now going to be in a different party from what they voted for.

I wonder if Wakeford was inspired to cross the aisle after hearing that awesome Gary Neville interview by Nick Robinson.

a lot of Labour melts were saying this until 3 hours ago

People who can switch parties like that are probably fascists, based on my sample size of one (Moseley). There's something really odd about it.

this is the complete list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elected_British_politicians_who_have_changed_party_affiliation

this guy is my favourite:

1828: Charles Williams-Wynn, Tory to Whig (bcz not offered a position in Government)
1834: Charles Williams-Wynn, Whig to Tory (offfered position in Government)

Does Wakeford have far-right associations (like Dehenna Davison)? I’ve not seen much that places him much further to the right than a bunch of existing Labour MPs.