Tory Corruption thread

[Snake Plissken]

Peston absolutely showing where his sympathies lie with a supportive tweet for Stratton.

How the hell one person can get where he is despite being one of the most stupid individuals to walk the earth is beyond me.

[Discordant Resonance]

There are parallels between what is presently happening to the Tory party and the metamorphosis of Fianna Fáil, though in the latter case, it proved to be a two-stage process over a number of decades, separated by a brief interlude. In the Irish instance, once Dev was kicked up the Áras, Haughey initiated a golden circle members club called Taca "Support", where mohair-suited businessmen would donate to the party fund in exchange for patronage, and this power nexus saw the progressive irrelevance of core principles, and the consequent atrophying of party grassroots, though this only became terminal for FF once Ahern's Celtic Tiger antics directly led to the bank guarantee. By contrast, Johnson's Tories are making the reverse trajectory in social mobility, but in attempting to replace Labour as a catch-all party, they have ditched their reputation as the advocates of entrepreneurship, small government, law and order and "traditional values" for little to nothing in return, so when events take their course, their support could prove a mile wide and an inch deep.

[Discordant Resonance]

Johnson press conference at 6 - a load of hot air, presumably.

[Sporting]

There are parallels between what is presently happening to the Tory party and the metamorphosis of Fianna Fáil, though in the latter case, it proved to be a two-stage process over a number of decades, separated by a brief interlude. In the Irish instance, once Dev was kicked up the Áras, Haughey initiated a golden circle members club called Taca "Support", where mohair-suited businessmen would donate to the party fund in exchange for patronage, and this power nexus saw the progressive irrelevance of core principles, and the consequent atrophying of party grassroots, though this only became terminal for FF once Ahern's Celtic Tiger antics directly led to the bank guarantee. By contrast, Johnson's Tories are making the reverse trajectory in social mobility, but in attempting to replace Labour as a catch-all party, they have ditched their reputation as the advocates of entrepreneurship, small government, law and order and "traditional values" for little to nothing in return, so when events take their course, their support could prove a mile wide and an inch deep.

If you don't already write for a living, you maybe should. Great post.

[Eggchaser]

Strattoff - resigned.

When's the leaving party?

[Benjm]

Peston absolutely showing where his sympathies lie with a supportive tweet for Stratton.

Even before this blew up, I had wondered whether when she left the Government payroll she would find a comfortable berth with one of her previous employers and decided almost certainly yes. The current disgrace might delay it slightly but no more.

[E10 Rifle]

they have ditched their reputation as the advocates of entrepreneurship, small government, law and order and "traditional values"

They haven't, though. They still espouse and enact all of those things. Austerity, deregulation, de facto privatisation, brutally authoritarian 'law and order' policies - these are things the Conservative government of Britain still believes in and, crucially, still does.

[wishis]

When Ant and Dec are doing contemptuous skits of the PM, I think it has gotten traction. Almost despite the media, especially Laura and Robert (oh god how I wish they were in attendance) who pretty much ignored it while Sky was pushing the story. Times and Sun both being shy about the whole thing also.

I don't disagree that there are those who would like a Tory coup to put up the Fish Cunt as PM, but I think this scandal is genuinely resonating (esp as half the Tory core vote was cocooning last Christmas while Johnson was doing sniff with his mates) in ways that the "who paid for the No. 11 redecorating?" just don't.

Private Eye reporting that on the same day the Sun had a Christmas party and suggesting make its difficult for them to report.

[wishis]

Peston absolutely showing where his sympathies lie with a supportive tweet for Stratton.

How the hell one person can get where he is despite being one of the most stupid individuals to walk the earth is beyond me.

Possibly helpful if you are married to the editor of the Spectator.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Private Eye reporting that on the same day the Sun had a Christmas party and suggesting make its difficult for them to report.

Popbitch has been reporting all year, and again this week, a lack of social distancing at that particular event on the part of a senior person at the newspaper that makes Matt Hancock's breach look very tame by comparison.

[Discordant Resonance]

Even the Telegraph and the Mail sticking the knives in tonight.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

There are parallels between what is presently happening to the Tory party and the metamorphosis of Fianna Fáil, though in the latter case, it proved to be a two-stage process over a number of decades, separated by a brief interlude. In the Irish instance, once Dev was kicked up the Áras, Haughey initiated a golden circle members club called Taca "Support", where mohair-suited businessmen would donate to the party fund in exchange for patronage, and this power nexus saw the progressive irrelevance of core principles, and the consequent atrophying of party grassroots, though this only became terminal for FF once Ahern's Celtic Tiger antics directly led to the bank guarantee. By contrast, Johnson's Tories are making the reverse trajectory in social mobility, but in attempting to replace Labour as a catch-all party, they have ditched their reputation as the advocates of entrepreneurship, small government, law and order and "traditional values" for little to nothing in return, so when events take their course, their support could prove a mile wide and an inch deep.

Hmm, it goes back a bit further than that. The way the De Valera era as taoiseach ended, was on tuesday Noel Browne brought up the ownership trust of the Irish press, and how dev Managed to emerge from the war of independence with the sole ownership of a profitable newspaper, which was paid for by american contributions to the free state govt, and by Friday Dev announced he was stepping down to run for president.

Lemass also used to have a regular card game, where businessmen would become extremely bad at playing cards. I believe Mayor Royce had a similar regular card game in the wire if memory serves me correctly. Off the top of my head, Lemass was involved in a scandal involving granting gold mining licences to one of the briscoes, and some other lad, and they made a fortune leasing them on to british mining companies. There was a couple of other things. as well, because Lemass was an extremely shady fucker, but it wasn't as naked and open as it was in the Taca fail days and all the lads in groomes hotel. That was on an entirely different level.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

The f-ing brass balls (the quote in the second tweet I mean, though the first quote is just recklessly appeasing the Tory backbenches, with more important long term consequences of course):

https://twitter.com/robpowellnews/status/1468840861437988866?t=idUnIVX9IoGDktqgeyBjrQ&s=19

[Jimski]

It angers me that this receives so much press attention (yes, it's important in showing us what those in power are like, but we knew that already, and if they're replaced, they'll be replaced by people of the same ilk) when things such as the Borders Bill and Police Bill are given so little. Those will actually matter when these parties are long forgotten. To me *this* story is the dead cat, intentional or not.

[Janik]

Acting like the law doesn’t apply to you matters. It did when Cummings did it, it still does now.

And many people did not know that, or weren’t willing to accept it was true about the current mob. They mostly do now - so that is a big change.

[Jimski]

I don't disagree that it matters, but I think there are other things that matter more. Stuff is happening behind the scenes while this pantomime plays out.

[DCI Harry Batt]

But those other things weren't getting attention anyway.

[Snake Plissken]

And some very vehement and very loud anti-racism campaigners who rose to prominence over the last four years have been very quiet about those Bills.

[Eggchaser]

Also the Free Speech mob seem curiously quiet on the restrictions on the right to politely question the Government's actions.

[Discordant Resonance]

Hard to see how the Nationalities Bill will be practically enforceable - would a Pole who lives and works in Donegal be expected to carry their passport/papers every time they go shopping in Derry?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Hard to see how the Nationalities Bill will be practically enforceable - would a Pole who lives and works in Donegal be expected to carry their passport/papers every time they go shopping in Derry?

Yes apparently. They will need to be pre cleared. I can't see this lasting very long tbh

[Patrick Thistle]

Carrie Johnson has had a baby. Useful deflection technique. Wonder if this will be like the baby they had last time that was widely rumoured to be fake news. You know, baby baby baby.... whatever massive scandal is happening blows over... nobody ever sees that baby again.

[Patrick Thistle]

Some shade in the Mirror's online reporting "...which means that Mr Johnson has at least seven children..."

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

It does strike me that this tory inspired heave against Johnson does make it essentially impossible for the govt to introduce any lockdown in response to the spike in cases.

A lot of the anger I'm seeing on twitter is of the "I couldn't see my parents, yet they partied' rather than I abided by the rules to protect my parents, but they didn't give a fuck. Which are two extremely different things

[elguapo4]

Sounds like the same thing to me Berba.