# Who will be the next Prime Minister?



## Amity Island

Who will be the next prime minister?


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## nonethewiser

Amity Island said:


> Hopefully someone who isn't a politician, has morals, integrity and honesty and is independant of any external interests.



Well that rules out rest of tory ministers.

Just watching PMQ on sky, Boris yet again lying thru his teeth but backlash in commons is huge & embarrassing for him & govn, should fall on his sword & resign.


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## trophywench

I wondered what it would take for the Queen to ring Boris and ask for his resignation.

Is there anything to stop her doing that?


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## travellor




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## Essex

After my experience of being a trainee Physics teacher for a few months before I ran back to Portugal, I vote Gove!


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## Essex

nonethewiser said:


> Well that rules out rest of tory ministers.
> 
> Just watching PMQ on sky, Boris yet again lying thru his teeth but backlash in commons is huge & embarrassing for him & govn, should fall on his sword & resign.


Pretty much rules out any modern 'career' politician


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## mikeyB

Boris Johnson has never resigned from any job he’s had, he’s been always been sacked, or as Mayor of London, voted out. Unfortunately it’s up to the the governing party to decide whether he goes or stays. According to the rules of nominating a leader in the Tories, it’s up to the serving MPs to nominate someone and then a vote or votes to decide who they think could lead. Or, indeed, would want to.


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## Burylancs

trophywench said:


> I wondered what it would take for the Queen to ring Boris and ask for his resignation.
> 
> Is there anything to stop her doing that?


Nothing to stop her. In fact the old lady should have done it when Boris was found guilty of unlawfully shutting Parliament down.


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## travellor

mikeyB said:


> Boris Johnson has never resigned from any job he’s had, he’s been always been sacked, or as Mayor of London, voted out. Unfortunately it’s up to the the governing party to decide whether he goes or stays. According to the rules of nominating a leader in the Tories, it’s up to the serving MPs to nominate someone and then a vote or votes to decide who they think could lead. Or, indeed, would want to.



Look how that turned out last time!


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## Burylancs

mikeyB said:


> Boris Johnson has never resigned from any job he’s had, he’s been always been sacked, or as Mayor of London, voted out. Unfortunately it’s up to the the governing party to decide whether he goes or stays. According to the rules of nominating a leader in the Tories, it’s up to the serving MPs to nominate someone and then a vote or votes to decide who they think could lead. Or, indeed, would want to.


He wasn't voted out as Mayor, he didn't run for a third term.


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## Inka

Amity Island said:


> Hopefully someone who isn't a politician, has morals, integrity and honesty and is independant of any external interests.



People who’d make good PMs generally don’t ant to do it. There’s a quote about that somewhere…


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## Amity Island

Inka said:


> People who’d make good PMs generally don’t ant to do it. There’s a quote about that somewhere…


Inka, what are we going to do? lol

How should we write out the personal profile for such a job, keeping it realistic. What qualities and skills should we be asking for in the vacancy ad?

What should be top of the list for recruiting a new leader for the country?


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## Inka

Integrity, a genuine interest in improving life for people and sensible ideas of how to do it, and the humility to listen and change their mind would be my first three, I think.


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## Amity Island

Inka said:


> Integrity, a genuine interest in improving life for people and sensible ideas of how to do it, and the humility to listen and change their mind would be my first three, I think.


Going from the bottom up, I'd say they mustn't be an inveterate liar/misleader/mis-truther.


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## Burylancs

Amity Island said:


> Hopefully someone who isn't a politician, has morals, integrity and honesty and is independant of any external interests.


There used to be an axiom that 'the next Tory leader is the one nobody saw coming'.  That might have changed since they started electing them. Sunak and Truss are on manoeuvres but fearful of letting the other one or a dark horse in.


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## Essex

Everyone saw Boris coming as soon as he decided to drop down onto the Brexit side of the court
Lets hope Gove's plan isnt so successful


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## Bruce Stephens

Inka said:


> Integrity, a genuine interest in improving life for people and sensible ideas of how to do it, and the humility to listen and change their mind would be my first three, I think.


Which would surely make a person unelectable given that the electorate is members of the Conservative party?


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## Inka

Bruce Stephens said:


> Which would surely make a person unelectable given that the electorate is members of the Conservative party?



I think it would rule out most of them from all parties quite frankly. So many are motivated by career advancement and saying what they think will work best for them.


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## Eddy Edson

If the electorate was smart enough not to vote for hollow little moral cretins stooging for special interests, then it wouldn't vote for them.  The older I get, the more it seems to me that the big problem is that people are just pretty dumb.


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## C6H12O6

Amity Island said:


> Going from the bottom up, I'd say they mustn't be an inveterate liar


Skimming through the thread I misread this as they 'mustn't be an invertebrate...' and thought you were commenting on spinelessness in relation to our noble leaders


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## Essex

You think that its bad in the UK

Here in Portugal the ex PM Socrates stole (sorry, allegedly laundered) millions and after a 6 year official 'Operation Marquês' the state's prosecution case was pretty much thrown out by the judge (who, my wife tells me, is a friend of the ex PM). There were only two judges in the judicial section that could have dealt with the case, and this Ivo Rosa was chosen by an electronic lottery. Video footage of the actual 'lottery' released (leaked?) later showed the laptop choosing one, then immediately an 'unexpected error' window popped up and then on the second attempt it chose Ivo Rosa

By the way, Portugal is in Europe, not South America  

Then we have Ricardo Salgado the Banker who was able to flee to S.A. after being convicted of multi-million fraud and his extremely expensive art collection was left by the state to be 'looked after' by his wife in his mansion. When he fled and they were pressurised to confiscate the art, it turns out that loads was missing and even more had been replaced with copies 'of such a low level that even a layman could see they were forgeries'

and then there is ...
and ...
and ...
and ...

So, although I completely agree with the sentiment that pretty much all UK politicians of all flavours are just career driven moral vacuums (how many of them have actually worked?), perhaps the above might make you feel better

The thought that a politician would fall here because of a party (no matter what the circumstances) here is laughable given what they know they can get away with

Funnliy enough the worst for old-boy networks here is the centre left party (that Socrates was from)
But there are loads of family webs that cross party boundaries and reach into the media

Its all sown up tighter than my bum would be if I had to do a ski jump


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## everydayupsanddowns

Inka said:


> People who’d make good PMs generally don’t ant to do it. There’s a quote about that somewhere…


This one?

 _“It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it... anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”_

Douglas Adams


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## mikeyB

That question doesn’t really apply in Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon’s dad was an electrician, her mum a dental nurse. She’s the First Minister in Scotland because most people in Scotland know she cares about people. And is one of them.


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## nonethewiser

Amity Island said:


> The biggest problem with "leaders" is they are not on "our side" and who wants to be lead by people who aren't on our side?



Thus it will ever be, not one person can represent whole population, that would be impossible.


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## mikeyB

Amity Island said:


> To me it looks like they thought all the restrictions were not necessary and thus continued to live their lives free of restrictions. If that is the case, then what were the reasons for all the restrictions?


The reason for all the restrictions were there was to help the suppression of the spread of Covid - there was no vaccine program at that time. The reason they thought they could ignore them is due to the feeling of entitlement, that there was no one law for the peasants but that didn’t apply  to the exalted folk in the government. 

Just to show how thick these folk are, it takes a Civil Service investigation  to tell them whether they were at a party and not a work meeting. Most people know the difference if they are told to BYOB in the invite. Boris knew that party was on, because he turned up at exactly the right time when it started.


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## Burylancs

everydayupsanddowns said:


> This one?
> 
> _“It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it... anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”_
> 
> Douglas Adams


Heh,heh …some people might substitute ‘admin’ for president !


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## Burylancs

mikeyB said:


> That question doesn’t really apply in Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon’s dad was an electrician, her mum a dental nurse. She’s the First Minister in Scotland because most people in Scotland know she cares about people. And is one of them.


She’s First Minister in Scotland because most Scots have chip on the shoulder about England ;-)


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## mikeyB

Burylancs said:


> She’s First Minister in Scotland because most Scots have chip on the shoulder about England ;-)


No they don’t have a chip on the shoulder about England, but they have suffered 60 years of enduring the policies of governments in London that they haven’t voted for. Remember, Thatcher thought she’d try out the poll tax in Scotland for a year before it was introduced in England. Mind, I don’t think many folk paid it. 

It’s not the English that the Scots don’t like, it’s the numpties you vote into power.


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## Burylancs

mikeyB said:


> No they don’t have a chip on the shoulder about England, but they have suffered 60 years of enduring the policies of governments in London that they haven’t voted for.


That's just untrue. Scotland voted heavily for Labour Govts - 1964-70, 1974-79, 1997-2010. UK couldn't have a Labour Govt without Scottish support. In the 1997 election Labour Govt took 46% of vote and 56 of 72 seats. Labour's Scottish fiefdom was a huge pillar of support for Labour govts - Blair, Brown. MacMillan, Douglas Home - four Scottish PMs in the last 60 years !
 You get the impression today that most English don't give two hoots about Scotland and are baffled by all the whining and insults coming from north of the border. Perhaps we should have Referendum here about Scotland. There might be a majority for booting Scotland out of the UK, saw it off the end and let drift away into the North Atlantic. Might save the English taxpayer a lot.


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## mikeyB

Rubbish. If Scotland becoming independent saved the English taxpayer a lot, why are the government (and Labour) so against the idea? Because that notion is untrue. And because the electric power used in Scotland often reaches 100% renewable ( and with new offshore wind farms just announced, that will be 200%) the UK can claim all sorts of great figures about how much renewables are produced in the UK only by including the Scottish figures. 

And if Scotland is to become independent, England will have to find somewhere to store its illegal nuclear weapons and submarines other than in Faslane. That will cost the English taxpayer a fortune, to say nothing about easing the fear of those unfortunate people in the Clyde estuary that they were on the target list of Cold War enemies.


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## Burylancs

mikeyB said:


> Rubbish. If Scotland becoming independent saved the English taxpayer a lot, why are the government (and Labour) so against the idea? Because that notion is untrue. And because the electric power used in Scotland often reaches 100% renewable ( and with new offshore wind farms just announced, that will be 200%) the UK can claim all sorts of great figures about how much renewables are produced in the UK only by including the Scottish figures.
> 
> And if Scotland is to become independent, England will have to find somewhere to store its illegal nuclear weapons and submarines other than in Faslane. That will cost the English taxpayer a fortune, to say nothing about easing the fear of those unfortunate people in the Clyde estuary that they were on the target list of Cold War enemies.


In 2019 Scotland raised 66billion in tax. The UK Govt gave Scotland 81 billion. The 15 billion gap didn't come from fresh air, it came from the long suffering English taxpayer. Some people would argue that Scotland is a 'Failed State', spending £15 billion more than it's income with 40% of its people employed by the state and 40% living in social housing.


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## mikeyB

Burylancs said:


> In 2019 Scotland raised 66billion in tax. The UK Govt gave Scotland 81 billion. The 15 billion gap didn't come from fresh air, it came from the long suffering English taxpayer. Some people would argue that Scotland is a 'Failed State', spending £15 billion more than it's income with 40% of its people employed by the state and 40% living in social housing.


I simply don’t know where you get those statistics from. I’ve lived in Scotland and for sure I don’t recognise the 40% living in social housing or the 40% employed by the state. And that £15bn gap is not fresh air, as you say. It’s all the fuel tax, National Insurance, tax on booze. There is no gap, just double accounting.

It’s all a myth, created to support the union. The population of Scotland is bigger than Ireland, Norway, Finland and many other independent countries, all moving along quite happily. 

And you are seeing a failed state being created in England, which will be worsened when the feed of money is cut from Scotland. As I said, England can’t afford to let Scotland go, it has too many resources that profit England. And provide a “remote” place to park its nuclear weapons and submarines that’s far from London.


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## travellor

Apart from the sites in Wales, and England, nearest one 50 miles away from London you mean?
And moving the fleet out of Scotland may be on the cards, to bring the spend and the jobs back into England, before independence is brought into the mix, making it likely it has to move anyway?


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## trophywench

Whatever .... I don't suppose for a single moment that some motley crew of PWD will be making the decisions, anyway.


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## rebrascora

Maybe we should take a leaf out of Ukraine's book. Zelenski seems to be playing a blinder and he came into the job through comedy, film making and their version of Strictly. Don't envy him his job and certainly would (*Edited to add...that should read wouldn't..... no idea where the n't disappeared to) *wish those circumstances on anyone, but you have to admit he has the world's admiration.
Following that sort of thinking, I would vote for Bill Bailey as Prime Minister any day of the week.


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## Pumper_Sue

Amity Island said:


> Next PM - It's looking that it's more unlikely to be Kier Starmer if he get's a fine.
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> Starmer vows to quit as Labour leader if police fine him over Beergate
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> Keir Starmer gave a statement after spending hours hunkered down with aides trying to decide how to handle the mounting crisis over the boozy curry event in April last year.
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> www.dailymail.co.uk


Fingers crossed he does get a fine, he's one pompous ass.


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## Burylancs

Amity Island said:


> Next PM - It's looking that it's more unlikely to be Kier Starmer if he get's a fine.
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> Starmer vows to quit as Labour leader if police fine him over Beergate
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> Keir Starmer gave a statement after spending hours hunkered down with aides trying to decide how to handle the mounting crisis over the boozy curry event in April last year.
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> www.dailymail.co.uk


Bad news for Boris, if Keir resigns because of a fine, Boris will have to resign as well. Keir would probably get re-elected Boris might not.


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## nonethewiser

Amity Island said:


> Sue Gray report: More Tory MPs join calls for PM to quit over Partygate
> 
> 
> But ministers rally round Boris Johnson following Sue Gray's report on Covid rule breaking at No 10.
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> www.bbc.com



Gonna bet he is still pm at next general election, man is thick skinned & shameless.


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## Burylancs

There are 3 or 4 candidates circling warily but the assassin doesn't usually win the crown in the Tory Party. Hunt has come out against Boris but he has nothing to lose. Boris stabbed Rishi in the back with the tax revelations and put him out of it. We don't know what negotiations between Truss, Wallace, Gove, Sunak and Hunt are going on all today. Is Britain, the Tory Backwoods, ready for an Asian Heritage PM such as Sunak, Zahawi or Sajid ?


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## nonethewiser

Amity Island said:


> Anyone got any guesses (or preferences) on next PM? (if it is a vote of no confidence AND pm does accept it)



Couple of by-election coming up where torys are in power, one is MP who was watching porn on phone in commons, sure to lose both but wether that gets rid of greasy Johnston is another matter.

Think dishy Rishi is damaged goods also so not likely to stand or get elected.


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## mikeyB

The only two sentient beings in the Tory Party are Jeremy Hunt and Tom Tugendhat. Hunt is suspect because he once co-authored a book showing how NHS England could be privatised. He may have grown out of that idea because it is political poison. Tom Tugendhat has a military background, as does Rory Stewart, both sensible old fashioned one nation Conservatives. Both would have been natural figures In MacMillan’s cabinet. That’s what conservative governments used to be like. The current government (or Boris, I should say) is a hop and spit from fascism.


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## novonord

nonethewiser said:


> Well that rules out rest of tory ministers.
> 
> Just watching PMQ on sky, Boris yet again lying thru his teeth but backlash in commons is huge & embarrassing for him & govn, should fall on his sword & resign.


don't think this is the place for comment such as this- you obviously don't care for the Tories but they are the democratically elected government, comment also libellous...


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## mikeyB

novonord said:


> don't think this is the place for comment such as this- you obviously don't care for the Tories but they are the democratically elected government, comment also libellous...


There will be no democratically government in England because of its persistence with the “first past the post” voting system, abandoned by Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure that every vote counts. That is how  Sinn Fein won the recent election there.

In England half the votes, presumably representing the view of the voters, are wasted.

And Boris can’t help lying through his teeth. If you think this comment is libellous, there are multiple journalists making the same comment who seem to have escaped libel actions.


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## novonord

mikeyB said:


> There will be no democratically government in England because of its persistence with the “first past the post” voting system, abandoned by Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure that every vote counts. That is how  Sinn Fein won the recent election there.
> 
> In England half the votes, presumably representing the view of the voters, are wasted.
> 
> And Boris can’t help lying through his teeth. If you think this comment is libellous, there are multiple journalists making the same comment who seem to have escaped libel actions.


think Sinn Fein emerged as the largest party - whether that amounts to an overall win is doubtful as they, as far as one recalls, did not have a majority of the seats, really think you should confine your posts to diabetes that we are all suffering from, politics is altogether too divisive....Boris is my MP and I was pleased to campaign for him, as it happens, in the last election but I'm not willing to get involved in politics here.

think you should bear in mind, any MP who accuses another of lying in parliament is sanctioned by the Speaker and requested to leave the Chamber.


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## nonethewiser

novonord said:


> don't think this is the place for comment such as this- you obviously don't care for the Tories but they are the democratically elected government, comment also libellous...



Nothing to do with political party's one belongs to, man is blatant liar end of & can't be trusted.


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## mikeyB

Well, maybe nobody has ever lied, but nobody in the UK government has ever lied so persistently and frequently as Boris and his acolytes.


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## Docb

mikeyB said:


> Well, maybe nobody has ever lied, but nobody in the UK government has ever lied so persistently and frequently as Boris and his acolytes.



The outright lies I can cope with, but what is more worrying is the tendency to scrat around the information until you can come up with a vague half truth and then shout it very loud, totally ignoring the big pile of evidence countering the assertion being made.  If you want to see what I mean, look at the way an obscure and convoluted employment figure is being used to prove that the economy is doing well.  It seems that ever increasing interest rates, massive inflation, falling pound, smaller GDP, increasing poverty can be dismissed if you can show, by carefully picking your time periods, that the number of people on payrolls has increased by a tiny amount.  

The argument is mad but no lies are told and provided you control the media you can get away with it.  It is how fascists gain power.


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## Rob Oldfield

I can thoroughly recommend this book.  It's a clinical breakdown of the PMs behaviour, with shedloads of footnotes referencing evidence to back up what it says.









						The Assault on Truth
					

* THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER * 'A clinical and merciless account of Johnson's mendacity... gripping' Guardian When Peter Oborne wrote The ...




					www.simonandschuster.co.uk


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## Rob Oldfield

Amity Island said:


> A rule of thumb for someone lying is it's because they don't want or feel they can tell the truth. The obvious question would be what do they _not_ want you to know _and_ why? Also, in a supposed free and transparent democracy, why is it the norm to lie, mislead and tell untruths? What sort of example/model is this for a society. What sort of society does this create?


The book does include comments on Tony Blair, comparing reasons behind their behaviour.  I think one of the key things we'll hopefully get from Johnson's premiership is an appreciation of just how important truth actually is.


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## nonethewiser

PM wouldn't know truth if it smacked him in the face.

Man is totally arrogant, his own party, admittedly not all want shot of him but he just carrys on regardless believing he is popular & doing a good job at running country, he is getting more & more like Trump as weeks pass.


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## Rob Oldfield

Best gag on Twitter....


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## picitup

I might apply.  My qualifications? 0 parties during lockdown....


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## MikeyBikey

nonethewiser said:


> PM wouldn't know truth if it smacked him in the face.
> 
> Man is totally arrogant, his own party, admittedly not all want shot of him but he just carrys on regardless believing he is popular & doing a good job at running country, he is getting more & more like Trump as weeks pass.



I  believe both are mentally ill as they both want to cling to power. Disappointingly both UK and US elected clowns!


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## trophywench

The rot set in when the Conservatives got back in at a time when the previous Gov had brought in some measures to update the NHS - staff concurred that though they'd all been very doubtful indeed about the changes, actually they were working and staff morale generally was the highest in living memory.  Before then, I'd never really bothered to think very much at all, about Government of the country in any detail.  Since then, I've paid more attention and can't say I've enjoyed doing so.  I have always had difficulty understanding why people in general could possibly be so persuaded by all the tomfool fabrications of fact that have bounded about out of politicians' mouths, in the meeja and on antiSocial platforms.   At that - the majority of people in England since things they voted for were carried.

And that nasty woman (?) Nadine - trying to REDUCE the time for people to terminate pregnancies legally.  She is an absolute insult to the female population of this country.  Not that I could ever claim to have ever rivalled the Pankhursts on 'what I've done for wimmin' - but I really hoped  we'd come a long way in the right direction since I was regarded as being a chattel rather than a person in my own right so I could enter a HP agreement in my own name.  Equal pay for equal jobs and full rights over our own bodies - I personally ticked those boxes decades ago thanks both when on the negotiating body of a trade union and as a normal UK Voter.  I can well do without the likes of her slapping me and all MY mates in the face for voting those things in, thankyou.


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## trophywench

I've not seen that either when I have been a hospital inpatient or when Pete has but what I have noticed is a severe lack of overmanning!  Mainly staffed by HCA's rather than nurses.


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## MikeyBikey

I dislike Sunak for his money grab by removing the triple lock temporarily at a time of high inflation when my energy bills have gone up 50%, and for not resigning sooner showing a lack of backbone. However, I dislike Truss more as she like Trump and BoJo is as nutty as a fruitcake and could cause major issues is our relationships with other countries!


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## Drummer

Pity that Lynda Snell in The Archers is only a fictional character - the way she turned down Oliver's offer to fund the village fete after he closed down Grey Gables was both classic and classy. Her ability to get people involved and even enjoying joining in with the success of all her endeavours, just about, would help a lot.
If she'd been in charge here when we joined the EU the whole of Europe would have been driving on the left and morris dancing in no time.


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## Bruce Stephens

An obituary:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1549809196912152576


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## nonethewiser

Amity Island said:


> PMs outgoing speech. Hasta la vista, baby!



So smug, ypical of man. What's bet he will be back in some ministerial role, hopefully not as PM.


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## picitup

Hasta la vista.....  What else does Arnie say?  Oh yes:

I'll be back!

I wonder........


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## MikeyBikey

I prefer "Go on punk - make my day" where BoJo is da punk! . 44 Magum emoji (not the double chocolate one)!


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## nonethewiser

Amity Island said:


> And the new PM is....
> 
> Liz Truss
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> Truss beats Sunak in leadership race and is set to replace Boris
> 
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> LIZ Truss has been unveiled as the new Conservative Party leader after beating Rishi Sunak in a run-off with a majority of more than 20,000.
> 
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> 
> 
> www.express.co.uk



Vote closer than first thought, wouldn't envy her doing job in current circumstances.


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## nonethewiser

Amity Island said:


> And certainly not for the money a pm is paid. Not sure why anyone would willingly want to do what is probably the most stressful job in the country and the previous one was Type 1 diabetic.



Poisoned chalice is job, mind might not get paid much now but afterwards rewards are huge, look at how much Blair Cameron have made on public appearances giving talks, bungling Boris could make 150k at each one according to some sources.


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