[Politics] Lib Dems Win North Shropshire By-Election

[Hugo Rune]

The 1st stage is 15% of Tory MPs have to write to the 1922 committee wanting him out.

Then there is a vote and 50% of Tory MPs need to vote to ditch him ( if Johnson wins he is immune from being deposed for a year ).

Then there is a leadership contest.

On my reckoning, 15% is about 54 MPs. Would Johnson be as ruthless as he was to anti-Brexit Tories and just remove the whip from them? That would still give him a good majority of 24 but he’d have complete control of the Parliamentary Party. They’d think twice about sticking their heads above the parapet again.

Despite the highly orchestrated ‘bumbling’ character, Johnson takes his career extremely seriously and would throw anyone under the bus to achieve his aim of staying in number 10, even relatives from one of his own families.

Johnson WAS an absolute weapon in elections but too many people see him for what he is now, he is the worst of politicians, undeniably self serving to his core.

 

[essbee1]

Goodbye Johnson, you waste of space.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Have the Lib Dems and Labour finally realised they need to work together?!?

I think the voters worked it out for themselves despite Labour campaigning heavily.

 

[nicko31]

I think the voters worked it out for themselves despite Labour campaigning heavily.

They didn't campaign much

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I think the voters worked it out for themselves despite Labour campaigning heavily.

The reports saying they didn’t really campaign much and when they did it wasn’t really Labour campaigning, more vote against the Tories.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

On my reckoning, 15% is about 54 MPs. Would Johnson be as ruthless as he was to anti-Brexit Tories and just remove the whip from them? That would still give him a good majority of 24 but he’d have complete control of the Parliamentary Party. They’d think twice about sticking their heads above the parapet again.

Despite the highly orchestrated ‘bumbling’ character, Johnson takes his career extremely seriously and would throw anyone under the bus to achieve his aim of staying in number 10, even relatives from one of his own families.

Johnson WAS an absolute weapon in elections but too many people see him for what he is now, he is the worst of politicians, undeniably self serving to his core.

I’m pretty sure he would survive a VOC first time round, many would say he should see it as a warning to change.

 

[Machiavelli]

On my reckoning, 15% is about 54 MPs. Would Johnson be as ruthless as he was to anti-Brexit Tories and just remove the whip from them? That would still give him a good majority of 24 but he’d have complete control of the Parliamentary Party. They’d think twice about sticking their heads above the parapet again.

Despite the highly orchestrated ‘bumbling’ character, Johnson takes his career extremely seriously and would throw anyone under the bus to achieve his aim of staying in number 10, even relatives from one of his own families.

Johnson WAS an absolute weapon in elections but too many people see him for what he is now, he is the worst of politicians, undeniably self serving to his core.

It's secret. MPs submit letters to the chair of the 1922, who "takes this to his [for it is usually -- maybe always -- a he] grave".
But even if it wasn't, this zero chance that Johnson will get the opportunity to go down the route you indicate, as much as that might be his 'instinct'. Johnson is no longer the king ruling over all he surveys.

 

[Hugo Rune]

maybe. falling from second to third one wonders if Labour should give up on range of seats, as utterly unwinnable for them.

Labour can not get a majority in the UK whilst the SNP control much of Scotland. That is just a fact. They would

If they were smart, they’d concentrate on seats they can actually win.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

They didn't campaign much

You’re right, I think. Yesterday I read somewhere or heard that they did campaign, and today after I posted that I read they didn’t.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

The reports saying they didn’t really campaign much and when they did it wasn’t really Labour campaigning, more vote against the Tories.

I read or heard differently yesterday, but read the didn’t campaign bit this morning……..

Why doesn’t multiquote always work?

 

[highflyer]

They didn't campaign much

In this specific case there was nothing in it for Labour

Labour have a larger core vote in that constituency than the Lib Dems, but when you are trying to persuade 23,000 rural Tories to vote for someone else as a protest then the Lib Dems are going to be a far more palatable prospect.

Lib Dems are far closer to the Tories than they are to Labour, in terms of economic policy and the interests they represent. They aren't a real threat to the Tories long term.

In my view, this was bad result for Johnson, but not so much for the Tory party. The current incarnation of the Tory party is not Boris. Or the MPs. Or even the constituency parties. It is the City of London, the super wealthy and the global corporations. That is the interests that the party serves and that is who is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

They will be pretty comfortable that the whole poltical focus has been turned on one indidividual, who has served their purpose and who they will dump when the time is right (probably quite soon).

They will also be comfortable that they've got someone in as leader of the opposition that is not going to be threatening their interests
Despite rhetoric about leveling up - the Conservatives have been quietly shifting wealth from the poor to the rich throughout the pandemic and there's been very little effective opposition to them doing so

But hey... look...'Christmas Parties' Booo...!!!

 

[Randy McNob]

Amazing news!

This by-election is profoundly historic. And this quote rings true:

"Boris Johnson, the party is over," says Morgan after victory.

Whilst it’s incredibly difficult to understand why even 12,032 voted for this scum government, more than double of that voted for other parties. The Blue Wall has been bulldozed.

interesting just listening to a local from the area saying there are local issues and that the Tories have negelcted the area. Yet if it weren't for the Patterson scandal it would have remained a blue stronghold. Just further proof our electoral system is undemocratic, general perceptions count more than real issues, so many areas where Tories just have to parachute one of their goons in and the seat is theirs.

A failed democracy

 

[Thunder Bolt]

interesting just listening to a local from the area saying there are local issues and that the Tories have negelcted the area. Yet if it weren't for the Patterson scandal it would have remained a blue stronghold. Just further proof our electoral system is undemocratic, general perceptions count more than real issues, so many areas where Tories just have to parachute one of their goons in and the seat is theirs.

A failed democracy

The Tory candidate lived in Birmingham, had Shrewsbury as a backdrop in his election leaflet (not in North Shropshire) and had publicly proclaimed wanting to privatise the NHS.

 

[Hugo Rune]

interesting just listening to a local from the area saying there are local issues and that the Tories have negelcted the area. Yet if it weren't for the Patterson scandal it would have remained a blue stronghold. Just further proof our electoral system is undemocratic, general perceptions count more than real issues, so many areas where Tories just have to parachute one of their goons in and the seat is theirs.

A failed democracy

There needs to be so much democratic reform.

Only 2 levels of our 3 top tiers of Governance are elected by the people. Voters HAVE to have an effect on who they don’t want. FPTP allows absolute scum like Johnson to take office. The problem is, I don’t think enough people in this Country would understand any other electoral system. It’s just us and Belarus left with this archaic voting system in Europe.

I thought the Cameron/Lib Dem government was infinitely better than this mob, Cameron just wanted to unite the Tory party and kick all the EU sceptics out so plunged a knife into the Country and cut it in half for his own means but apart from that, Coalition governments work. Let’s get PR.

 

[HH Brighton]

The social experiment of putting a complete idiot in charge will surely come to an end just like it did in the US. The extreme right have had their fun, at the next opportunity lets get some decent, normal people in to fight for their constituents.

 

[Hugo Rune]

In this specific case there was nothing in it for Labour

Labour have a larger core vote in that constituency than the Lib Dems, but when you are trying to persuade 23,000 rural Tories to vote for someone else as a protest then the Lib Dems are going to be a far more palatable prospect.

Lib Dems are far closer to the Tories than they are to Labour, in terms of economic policy and the interests they represent. They aren't a real threat to the Tories long term.

In my view, this was bad result for Johnson, but not so much for the Tory party. The current incarnation of the Tory party is not Boris. Or the MPs. Or even the constituency parties. It is the City of London, the super wealthy and the global corporations. That is the interests that the party serves and that is who is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

They will be pretty comfortable that the whole poltical focus has been turned on one indidividual, who has served their purpose and who they will dump when the time is right (probably quite soon).

They will also be comfortable that they've got someone in as leader of the opposition that is not going to be threatening their interests
Despite rhetoric about leveling up - the Conservatives have been quietly shifting wealth from the poor to the rich throughout the pandemic and there's been very little effective opposition to them doing so

But hey... look...'Christmas Parties' Booo...!!!

They won’t get rid of Boris (if they do) until after Covid because they’ll want him to ‘own’ all the mistakes and not have Rishi tarnished in any way.

 

[highflyer]

The social experiment of putting a complete idiot in charge will surely come to an end just like it did in the US. The extreme right have had their fun, at the next opportunity lets get some decent, normal people in to fight for their constituents.

'in charge'? I'd say 'useful idiot'. As per Trump.

 

[highflyer]

They won’t get rid of Boris (if they do) until after Covid because they’ll want him to ‘own’ all the mistakes and not have Rishi tarnished in any way.

Agree that he's been useful to soak up all the shite.
But they may soon decide that, if his unpopularity starts to permanently shift wider politcal opinion and voting intention, he's doing them more harm than good. And he'll be gone.
Rishi is their man, but they may see hm as more useful where he is for a while and look for another useful idiot to carry on taking the flak.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The social experiment of putting a complete idiot in charge will surely come to an end just like it did in the US. The extreme right have had their fun, at the next opportunity lets get some decent, normal people in to fight for their constituents.

Do you think it’s over in the USA?

I can see Trump running and winning next time out due to Biden/Harris.

 

[Brovion]

Amazing news!

This by-election is profoundly historic. And this quote rings true:

"Boris Johnson, the party is over," says Morgan after victory.

Whilst it’s incredibly difficult to understand why even 12,032 voted for this scum government, more than double of that voted for other parties. The Blue Wall has been bulldozed.

Hmmm. You might be a bit premature there, governments do lose safe seats in by-elections. My True-Blue father-in-law still talks about the time he voted for Eric Lubbock in 1962 when the Liberals won the safe Tory seat of Orpington.

Still, yes it is good news. If the Tories had held on in spite of everything then I really would have despaired.