Boris Johnson clings on to power: a long and expensive six weeks

Boris Johnson clings on to power: a long and expensive six weeks

Jul 25, 2022 | Bylines, News

The prime minister is approaching his final six weeks in much the same way as he’s approached his entire term of office, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.

On 7July 2022, less than three years after winning a landslide election, Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister. Well, sort of. Having lost the confidence of the Conservative Party – long after losing the confidence of the country – he delivered his resignation speech outside No.10 Downing Street.

Although he didn’t actually say the words ‘I resign’, he announced his intention to do so, sparking a bitter leadership race that won’t be resolved until September. In the meantime, especially now that parliament is in summer recess, what can we expect from Johnson and his government? If the last two weeks is anything to go by, then more of the same, but with expensive knobs on!

Missing in action

One of the first plans Johnson announced after his ‘resignation’ was a wedding party at Chequers, previously postponed due to the pandemic. Following considerable outrage, it appeared that the prime minister had reconsidered, and would hold the party elsewhere, and not paid for via the public purse.

Yet within a few days, Johnson decided to host a leaving party, again at Chequers, and possibly with the exact same guest list as the wedding party. To add insult to injury, the leaving do was Johnson’s excuse for failing to attend an emergency Cobra meeting, to discuss the imminent heatwave.

Of course, Johnson has form for missing emergency Cobra meetings, having missed five such meetings during the pandemic. Not so much fiddling while Rome burns, as fiddling expenses while London burns.

PM play days

We’ve become accustomed to seeing Johnson play dress up. There can’t be many uniforms he hasn’t donned during his premiership and if the last few days are anything to go by, we can expect many more fancy dress fantasies, all at our expense.

Johnson’s latest dressing up play series started on board a Typhoon jet. While performing a dangerous – and highly skilled – refuelling exercise, Johnson was supposedly at the controls of the jet. Few believed any jet pilot would we foolish enough, or authorised, to allow this ridiculous manoeuvre by an inexperienced passenger. But then, anything is possible. After all, this particular passenger has been at the controls of the country for almost three years, and still is.

Switching from one armed service to another, Johnson’s next play date was with the army. Happily back in camouflage and playing with weapons – hopefully not loaded! – Johnson was again proving that he has never really grown up. The man-child seems determined to play with as many toys and wear as many uniforms as possible during his last few weeks as PM. No doubt he is having a ball staying as far away from his duties as possible, and of course, as we’ve come to expect, all paid for by someone else. In this case, us.

Deluded to the end

Against all the evidence, Johnson still sees himself as a winner, a success story, someone to be revered and respected. That’s despite the country and his party, turning against him for his failures, dishonesty and style.

The child that wanted to be king of the world still, against all reason, believes he can be. Not only that but that the world should be grateful for his service. A “well sourced” former aide and “freelance C/conservative pundit”, Tim Montgomerie, even claims that “Boris is telling aides he’ll be PM again” next year. Which rather puts a different spin on his final words at his final PMQs last week – “hasta la vista, baby”.

Five claims, five lies

Johnson has always claimed his leadership a great success, with frequent declarations about non-existent accomplishments. It was therefore no surprise that his closing statement, published on 21 July, was entitled “Government delivery”. The 2,500+ word statement was full of exaggeration, delusion and downright dishonesty.

Johnson started by explaining why the British public “were right to place their trust in me”. We were then treated to a list of all Johnson’s achievements.

The first, unsurprisingly, was that “we got Brexit done”. We have, apparently, taken back control of our borders and “have been seizing the opportunities that come with this new freedom”. Johnson went on to say that it was because of that new border control that we had been able to act swiftly in Afghanistan and Ukraine and develop the relationship with Rwanda on immigration. No mention of chaos at Dover, or the fact that France – a member of the EU – was successfully demonstrating its own border controls.

Second on Johnson’s list was guiding “the country through its greatest challenge since the Second World War”. He was referring, of course, to the pandemic. Apparently we had “more powerful new drugs … than any of our neighbours” and the fastest vaccine roll-out in Europe – though in reality, Brexit severely hampered that rollout beyond the initial burst.

His third claim was on levelling up. In order to distribute opportunity equally across the country, Johnson said, this meant “bringing down crime, strengthening our health system, sorting out social care and improving our schools”.  The government, he claimed, has “acted on every front”:

  • “Our streets are safer” thanks to more police officers (unless you discount those relieved of duty before the counting started, and of course you also have to ignore the fact that recorded crime has been increasing, particularly sexual offences, violence and fraud).
  • “Our NHS is on a surer footing” thanks again to more recruitment, and again ignoring the earlier loss of jobs. Not to mention the chronic underfunding, the steady privatisation going on behind the scenes, the record-breaking waiting lists.
  • “Our broken social care system is finally being fixed” though unsurprisingly, this section was light on achievements and long on future “opportunities”.
  • “Our schools are better” – more funding apparently, and more promises of future improvements.

 

Johnson´s fourth claim was on how well he had, presumably single-handedly, “secured the fastest economic growth in the G7 last year”. No mention of being 19th out of the G20 countries, with only Russia’s economy performing worse than the UK. This was followed by his regularly touted lie of the “lowest unemployment rate in almost 50 years”.

The fifth and final claim was regarding the UK’s standing on the global stage. This included “embracing the freedom we now have to chart our own course”, (whatever that means), and ”driving action on climate change”

A long and expensive six weeks

Unsurprisingly, Johnson rounded off his statement with his war stories on Ukraine. Having “brought the G7 and NATO together” he also boasted of his visa scheme for Ukrainian refugees, while obviously failing to mention that other European countries had removed any visa requirements.

In his final paragraph, Johnson said he was “proud of our record in office since 2019”. He added that he remained “determined that we continue to deliver in our final weeks”.

It’s quite possible he actually believes his own hype. After all, he’s spent his life doing what he wants, when he wants, and regardless of the consequences.

Johnson believes he is better than the rest of us. He’s not. He’s the worst, most devious, most mendacious prime minister this country has ever known, and he’s not done yet. Plenty of time left for dressing-up, wasting our money and destroying our reputation.

It’s going to be a very long and very expensive six weeks!

 

The race to be prime minister

The race to be prime minister

Jul 12, 2022 | Bylines, News

Each leadership candidate has been part of a governing party that has presided over – and in most cases caused – the problems we now face, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.

Despite what you might have read or heard, for the foreseeable future Boris Johnson is our prime minister. He hasn’t as yet resigned, though he has said that he will. Bizarrely, despite his record, most people seem to believe him for once.

His potential replacements are falling over each other trying to present themselves as a fresh start for the party and the country. So far, they have each failed spectacularly to convince anyone that they, or the Conservative Party, have given pause for thought or considered a change of direction.

The runners and riders in the race to be prime minister

The ever-growing list of contenders includes two former and one current chancellor – Rishi Sunak, Savid Javid and Nadhim Zahawi. Each should, in theory, understand how to manage the country’s finances but if the state of the UK economy is anything to go by, they clearly don’t.

Other candidates holding cabinet positions are Attorney General Suella Braverman, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt. So far, so law-breaking, yawn-making. That list is expected to soon include Home Secretary Priti Patel, who will presumably outdo the lot of them on the far-right swing-o-meter.

They are joined by former cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt (isn’t fox hunting marvellous!) and back-benchers Tom ‘I fought for my country’ Tugendhat, and Rehman Chishti (have you heard of him?).

A recent Times poll asked both Conservative Party members and the general public “who would be the best replacement?” for Johnson. The clear favourite was Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who has ruled himself out from standing – proving he certainly was the better candidate.

The British public were quite clear who they would choose from the above list – 30% of them voted for ‘none of the above’ with ‘don’t know’ coming in a close second. Clearly the country is spoiled for choice.

More of the same, but worse

Those on the increasingly long list of runners and riders have a great deal in common. Firstly, they have all been part of a governing party that has presided over – and in most cases directly caused – all the problems the country is now facing.

The government’s appalling performance on Brexit, Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, inflation, the NHS etc., has happened on their watch. Not only have the candidates enabled the damage, they’ve accepted no responsibility for it.

Strangely, I can’t recall any one of them speaking out against government plans, or even against Johnson’s behaviour. Until the last minute, of course, when they all jumped on the ‘get Johnson done’ bandwagon when they smelt blood in the water.

Secondly, their proposals for the future direction of the country are practically indistinguishable. What we need, apparently, is more of the same, but on steroids, and with massive tax cuts! They’ll throw in a dollop of added trust and integrity, just to prove they aren’t Johnson.

Yet, despite all of that, they all now claim to possess a magic wand that will mysteriously solve all the country’s problems. Except they really do have nothing up their sleeves. Or in their heads.

As Peter Stefanovic commented on Twitter, after listening to all the hype “it’s impossible to conclude anything other than the whole lot are completely insane”.

 

Crisis? What crisis?

The party faithful might be swayed by the uber self-promotion, but there are serious issues that the candidates are avoiding like the plague. Not only are they all unable, it seems, to fully explain how their tax-cutting, inflation-boosting plans will be paid for, but they are not mentioning the most crucial issues of the day.

It should be no surprise that Brexit has hardly earned a mention, but what of the cost-of-living crisis? Or the serious problems facing the NHS? As for informing us of how they might deal with the Ukraine war or Putin, it seems it’s all hush-hush, on a need-to-know basis.

Not a single candidate has spoken out against the appalling, and likely illegal Rwanda deportation plan, or dared to speak on the subject of immigration or human rights. As for the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, it seems our next PM aims to continue with Johnson’s plan to break international law. So much for ‘global’ Britain.

We can only assume that the omission of comment on the important matters of the day is deliberate. After all, a U-turn on a policy that they voted for and vocally supported might need more explanation than any of them can muster.

The gloves are off

The Conservative Party has long had a reputation as the ‘nasty party’. Theresa May acknowledged this in 2010 when she said:

“There’s a lot we need to do in this party of ours. Our base is too narrow and so, occasionally, are our sympathies. You know what some people call us — the Nasty Party”.

 

With so many candidates fighting for the keys to Number 10, perhaps it was inevitable that the fight for the top job was going to get dirty. Or perhaps, I should say, dirtier.

Where the policies are largely interchangeable, the private lives of the candidates are not. Cue allegations of tax avoidance, financial irregularities, sex scandals or whatever dirt they can unearth about each other. We might have expected the media to be doing the digging into the candidates’ background, but it seems the candidates themselves are the ones with the biggest spades and the strongest motivation.

Beggars can’t be choosers

The next prime minister, like the last two, will be decided first by Tory MPs, then when we are down to the final two, the party membership. The candidates may demonstrate some diversity – their policies excepted – but the membership does not. So, once again, the view of a group of largely older, white men will choose the next leader of the country. Those suffering the worst thanks to Tory party policies, will have no say in the future PM or the direction he/she takes the country in.

We never expected prospective candidates to come out in favour of a softer Brexit, an increase in taxes, or an improvement in public spending. Heaven forbid! Wrong party, wrong membership. However, what would be refreshing would be a willingness to speak out against right-wing extremism, international law-breaking, and a complete lack of compassion for the less fortunate. But they won’t. They will continue with Johnson’s toxic, damaging legacy, and damn the consequences. The new leader, whoever it may be, will continue down the same nationalistic path that has already cost the party three leaders.

The next prime minister is not looking to clear up the mess Johnson leaves behind. They are, just like Johnson before them, only interested in furthering their own careers, no matter the cost. By caring only about the votes of a small, unrepresentative audience, they are distancing themselves from the wider voting public. It will cost them the next election.

Meanwhile, as the talentless, egocentric candidates squabble like kids in a playground, another very important question remains unanswered. Who, if anyone, is actually governing the country right now? Please don’t tell me it’s Boris Johnson!

Johnson’s ‘resignation’ exposes a wider lack of integrity in his party

Johnson’s ‘resignation’ exposes a wider lack of integrity in his party

Jul 8, 2022 | Bylines, News

Those attempting to distance themselves from Johnson’s lack of integrity should take a closer look in the mirror and examine their own, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.

When Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned from Cabinet on Tuesday evening, shortly followed by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, it started a chain reaction. Cue everyone, or at least a significant number of Conservative ministers, talking openly about trust issues, lack of confidence in their leader, and integrity. For many, it was Boris Johnson’s integrity that was finally being challenged. For others, it was their own.

Cabinet cowardice

Just 36 hours, and over 50 resignations later, Johnson was forced to agree to stand down. In their resignation letters, the majority of Tory ministers expressed their gratitude to Johnson for his ‘accomplishments’ while condemning him for the very personality traits that they had previously tolerated, if not lauded.

In his own resignation letter, Brandon Lewis had said that, “a decent Government relies on honesty, integrity and mutual respect”. He added that it was a matter of profound personal regret that he no longer believed those values are being upheld. A view that was commonly shared by others but which rather begs the question, when were those values ever upheld under Johnson’s watch?

When the newly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi joined the ranks of Cabinet ministers telling Johnson to resign, the PM finally accepted defeat.

None so blind

The 50+ resignations letters submitted in the 36 hours prior to Johnson’s resignation were full of references to the PM’s supposed achievements and his lack of integrity. The resignations had been triggered by the latest sleaze scandal involving Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher. Although many possible final straws had presented themselves over the last few months – not least the damaging partygate scandal – number 10’s preposterous handling of the Pincher scandal was the straw that finally broke the camel’s back.

Seemingly without a hint of irony, MPs such as Robert Halfon complained about a “loss of integrity” in their resignation letters. MP Stuart Andrew wrote, “there comes a time when you have to look at your own personal integrity and that time is now”. Really? Surely that time is every day, when you are a public servant. Jo Gideon said, “I believe we must demonstrate integrity in our actions and send a message that standards in public life matters”. Well quite, but that was as true today as it was any time over the last three years.

It’s not as if Johnson’s character had previously been a closely guarded secret or that he’d suddenly changed his style or approach. The party was perfectly happy to turn a blind eye to his shocking behaviour when it was good for their own careers. They knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of, but they supported him anyway. As long as he was popular.

Now they are scurrying around desperately trying to distance themselves from the Johnson brand and trying not to be tarred with the same, dirty, toxic brush. Too late for that, I’m afraid.

Setting the scene for Johnson’s demise

At prime minister’s questions (PMQs) on Wednesday – just a day before Johnson’s resignation – Keir Starmer was on the attack. He challenged Johnson on his own behaviour and on the actions of his ministers, whom he described as “sinking ships fleeing the rat”. He pointed out that any Tory minister quitting now hadn’t “a shred of integrity”. The Conservative Party had known all along who this prime minister was, he said, and had therefore been complicit every step of the way.

Later the same day, a few final nails were hammered into Johnson’s coffin when he appeared before the House of Commons Liaison Committee. An hour of the meeting was dedicated to the subject of ‘integrity in politics’. Normally these meetings are a polite, sometimes almost deferential affair, but not this time.

When Johnson suggested that the public wanted him to concentrate on getting on with the job, Chris Bryant, chair of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, dismissed this suggestion. The public, Bryant insisted, also wanted the government “to focus on honesty, and decency, and propriety, and standards in public life”

Johnson’s legacy

It seems like just yesterday that Johnson was bragging about wanting to stay in power until 2030. We assumed he meant the year, but perhaps he was referring to the time of day. Instead, it looks as though he’ll be out of office without even outlasting Theresa May’s short tenure.

Johnson’s formerly loyal supporters have been keen to praise Johnson for “getting Brexit done”, except it is far from done. They happily cheered when he lied about the economy, about police numbers, about the NHS and all the hospitals he supposedly built. They rallied behind every attempt to blame the country’s ills on anyone other than the himself or his party. If they now believe the public will forget and forgive every time they backed his lies and broken promises, or the toxic policies, they have made a serious error in judgement.

 

The country will be counting the cost of Johnson’s government for a very long time. His legacy will include the highest inflation for 40 years, high levels of taxation, lower wages, reduced worker rights, the lowest performing economy in the G20 (apart from Russia) and the most appalling record on Covid. Not to mention the increasingly obvious damage of Brexit or the ruined reputation of the UK abroad.

Johnson is largely responsible, but he didn’t damage the country all on his own. He had the full support of his party. Until he didn’t. Much as ministers and MPs might try to distance themselves, the stain of association will be hard to scrub off.

Integrity as a fleeting concept: claiming ignorance won’t wash

Whether due to loyalty, self-interest, or cowardice, Tory ministers ignored for too long what was blatantly obvious to the rest of us. Johnson was the wrong person for the job. With their failure to criticise and their willingness to enjoy the Johnson ride, the party enabled his wrongdoing. Try as they might, they cannot now distance themselves from the havoc he wrought and claim blissful ignorance.

Johnson may have been the best candidate to win an election. But he was never the right person to run the country. What’s worse, his party has always known that. Yet they backed him anyway for the sake of their own careers and keeping the party in power. Only when those careers were threatened by his toxic brand of conservatism, were they willing to act.

Those attempting to distance themselves may have complained, quite rightly, about Johnson’s character and his lack of integrity. Maybe it’s high time they took a closer look in the mirror and examined their own.

A Cabinet Devoid of Skills

A Cabinet Devoid of Skills

Jul 6, 2022 | Bylines, News

It should surprise no-one that Brexit is not going according to plan. Assuming there ever was a plan to begin with. That’s despite the fact that the Cabinet is packed full with Brexit supporters who repeatedly assure us Brexit is “done”. This is a Cabinet devoid of skills as well as ideas, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for West England Bylines.

The deal Boris Johnson and Lord Frost negotiated which they lauded at the time, has now been rubbished by both of them. The Cabinet, whose only qualifications are their blind faith in Brexit, are getting testy and running out of answers. If they ever had any in the first place.

Suella the Braverman

We’ve grown accustomed to the government’s rewriting of history and its failure to accept any responsibility when things go badly. Their first response is always to apportion blame elsewhere. The latest recipients of the finger pointing are ‘Remainer civil servants’. This time, the accusation comes from the Attorney General, Suella Braverman.

Like many a cabinet minister, the Attorney General owes her position, not to her intellect or skills, but to her wholehearted love affair with Brexit, and to her support for the PM that ‘delivered’ it. Or as Alistair Campbell put it, she owes her good fortune to “the only PM in history who would consider her to be ministerial material”.

In an article for The Telegraph – required reading for right-wing Brextremists everywhere – Braverman accused civil servants of “thwarting reforms” as they cannot imagine “life outside the EU”.

It was thanks to those civil servants that the UK was struggling, she said. Braverman’s claim was backed up in a tweet by fellow Brexit enthusiast Tory MP, Lucy Allan, who described the Attorney General as “brave” and said civil servants were “obstructing” the government.

Braverman may well possess legal qualifications, and presumably has a reasonable knowledge of British law. However, her knowledge of international law, and her endorsement of the illegal Protocol Bill, leaves a great deal to be desired.

 

You mess with Boris you get Dorries

When you examine the Cabinet it’s difficult to find any relevant skills in relevant places and Nadine Dorries’ role as Culture Secretary, is right up there. A regular recipient of social media scorn, Dorries’ official title is Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Often blaming her dyslexia for her inappropriate, ranty and inaccurate tweets, Dorries has shown no evidence of any skills in or understanding of any of those topics. Though, if I had to single one out, she probably makes more gaffs about sport than she does about culture. Just.

Apart from her evident lack of talent, Dorries is probably best known for her adulation and fierce defence of Johnson. As she told the Sunday Times recently, “I owe Boris Johnson my absolute undying loyalty”. For sure, she certainly owes Johnson her job. It hard to imagine another PM placing her in a cabinet role, but with this bunch of sycophants, you can never rule anything out.

 

All Trussed up with nowhere to go

Foreign Secretary and Minister for Equalities, Liz Truss, was already overburdened with responsibility before Johnson added Brexit negotiations to her portfolio. When Lord Frost resigned that particular role, he thankfully removed himself from Cabinet, though that hasn’t stopped him from commenting, especially on the (poor) handling of Brexit.

For now, we are stuck with ‘Dizzy Lizzy’, whose focus is firmly fixed on the top job, heaven help us. Formerly a staunch Remainer, Truss is now little more than a failed Thatcher impersonator with ambition. That we could put up with, if, and it’s a big if, she had anything of interest or import to say.

Richy Sunak

Perhaps appointing the wealthiest MP to the role of Chancellor might seem like wisdom. After all, shouldn’t someone with that kind of financial security understand how to spend and save the nations money wisely? It would seem not.

As a staunch Brexiteer, Rishi Sunak refuses to accept that any of the UK’s budgetary problems are a result of Brexit. Surprisingly, even the Telegraph – or at least a Telegraph journalist – now recognises Brexit “as a key contributor to the UK’s economic woes”. Not that the impact of Brexit will be felt in any one of the homes of the billionaire Sunaks.

A Cabinet of incompetents

So many misplaced ministers in Cabinet, so much blandness to choose from. The idea that Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps is responsible for keeping the trains running and planes flying, or that Environment Minister, George Eustice will protect farming and food standards would be laughable if it wasn’t so scary.

Then there’s Sajid Javid as Health Secretary, Therese Coffey in Work and Pensions and Nadim Zahawi for Education – another talentless bunch with zero skills and even less charisma.

Jacob Rees-Mogg – no fan of civil servants either – holds the most ironic cabinet title as Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency. Having failed spectacularly at finding any Brexit opportunities, even with the help of Brexit-loving Sun readers, he doesn’t seem to be doing too well re government efficiency either. No doubt he’ll be putting out a further call for public help on that front any day now.

I’ve saved the best, or rather the worst, contenders for last. The words Dominic Raab and Justice Secretary should never appear in the same sentence, and as for his being the Deputy PM, Johnson must be really desperate. Raab’s determination to rid us of any remaining post-Brexit human rights tells us all we need to know about his credentials and his character. And why does he always look like a rabbit caught in the headlights, or as if he’s about to burst a blood vessel?

As for the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, there are no words strong enough that would be printable. I will leave you to provide your own adjectives. Having previously thought Theresa May was evil incarnate as Home Secretary, next to Patel, May looks positively angelic.

For too long, we’ve been forced to deal with this toxic, right-winged, talentless government. So long, in fact, that we’ve forgotten what good governance, democracy and political intelligence looks like.

Perhaps Brexit would have stood a better chance of success if those placed in high-ranking positions had possessed the necessary skills to do the job. Or, if the goals and expectations of Brexit had been realistic and honest to begin with.

The Leave campaign chose to dominate the narrative with rose-tinted fiction, and successfully captivated the country with their lies. Had they not done so, we might not be here at all.

Our Brexit legacy is damaging enough. To also be saddled with the worst PM and Cabinet in living memory is just adding insult to injury.

Hypocrisy, desperation and excuses: Conservative Party clutch at straws over by-election losses

Hypocrisy, desperation and excuses: Conservative Party clutch at straws over by-election losses

Jun 27, 2022 | Bylines, News

The public has had enough and the Conservative Party’s days in government are numbered. They seem to be the only ones not to know it, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.

Following the loss of two Conservative seats in last week’s by-elections, it was perhaps inevitable that government ministers would be looking for excuses, and someone else to blame, for their losses. The prime minister, rather than hiding in a fridge, was this time hiding in Rwanda. So, the misplaced justifications and recriminations were left largely to others. Minus Oliver Dowden, of course, who resigned as chair of the Conservative Party as a direct result of the by-election outcome.

Deputy PM, Dominic Raab, blamed the “distraction” of partygate, but also pointed the finger at their own supporters. Of Tiverton and Honiton – a formerly (very) safe Tory seat – Raab said, “the most striking thing is how many of our supporters didn’t come out to vote”. Clearly, it did not occur to Raab that those ‘supporters’ may not be considered ‘theirs’ any longer.

Former Brexit Negotiator and Cabinet minister David Frost admitted the results were “terrible” for the Tories, but claimed these were not ‘normal’ mid-term by-elections. Like Raab, he blamed those that voted Tory in 2019 for “refusing to come out and do so again”. Tory voters, he said, did not switch to other parties, they “mostly stayed at home”. Just as they might at the next general election.

Conservative Party: not our fault

Failure to take any responsibility, and to apportion blame elsewhere, is nothing new to this government. Whether it’s Brexit, Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, strike action, NHS waiting lists or any number of other issues this government has failed to deal with, the fault always lies elsewhere.

The targets for blame have included people who voted remain, leftie lawyers, the EU, the British public, and of course, the opposition. Despite the Labour Party not having been in power since 2010, they are frequently blamed – not least by the PM himself – for current government failures. Over 12 years in power is, it seems, not long enough to make any necessary changes

Attorney General Suella Braverman blamed the “disappointing” by-election results on a “dishonest electoral pact between the LibDems and Labour”. That’s despite the fact that both parties stood candidates in both seats.

One rule for Conservatives, another for everyone else

But the main criticism levelled at the attorney general over her by-election results comments was one of hypocrisy. The partygate scandal was seen by the British public as clear evidence of the government’s disdain for following their own rules. The many references to the scandal, raised on the doorsteps of Wakefield and Tiverton, showed that the public have neither forgotten nor forgiven.

That hypocrisy was emphasised by Braverman’s reaction, and that fact that she regarded the supposed Labour/LibDem pact as “more worrying”. Yet the Conservative Party have form themselves when it comes to electoral pacts. And on a much greater scale than anything the opposition parties have ever done, or even seriously considered.

 

In 2017, the government was in discussions with UKIP ahead of the general election. Not to mention the expensive deal Theresa May did with the DUP. By the 2019 election, those discussions went even further, this time with the Brexit Party, who agreed to stand down candidates in 317 seats, in order to prevent the right-wing Brexit-supporting vote from being split between the two parties. As a result, Boris Johnson secured a huge 80-seat majority.

Not only were successive Tory governments seemingly in favour of electoral pacts, but the Daily Mail was actively promoting the idea of tactical voting. But of course, as with everything else, it’s only ok when the government does it, not when anyone else does.

Tarred by the Johnson brush

The by-election losses may prove to be the final nail in Johnson’s coffin. As the 1922 Committee debates changing the rules to allow another no-confidence vote in the prime minister, Tory ministers have some serious thinking to do. The Cabinet have consistently supported government policies, and Johnson himself, at every turn. Many are so tarred by Johnson’s brush that when he sinks, so will they.

Dowden’s resignation was apparently an unpleasant surprise to Johnson. Dowden was certainly, until last week, one of the most Johnson’s most loyal defenders. Other ministers, especially those with an eye on Number 10, will presumably follow suit if they wish to salvage any credibility. But they may have left it too late.

Despite ministers’ claims to be listening to the public, government policies and actions say otherwise. The people of Wakefield and Tiverton have spoken; the public have had enough. They are fed up with dishonesty. They are fed up with spin. They are fed up with hypocrisy.

The Conservative Party’s days in government are numbered. They seem to be the only ones not to know it.

Woke and proud: Compassion must never be allowed to go out of fashion

Woke and proud: Compassion must never be allowed to go out of fashion

Jun 21, 2022 | Bylines, News

The weaponisation of right-wing insults has been going on for some time as part of a push to create a divisive and distracting culture war writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines. 

Let me be clear from the start – I am ‘woke’ and I am proud of it. But what does it really mean and why it is now used as an insult?

Having come into common usage, ‘woke’ entered the Oxford English dictionary in 2017. The original meaning was listed as “well informed, up-to-date”, but is now defined as “alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice”. Merriam-Webster has a similar definition – “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)”.

‘Woke’ is older than you think

Long before the word was used in relation to inequality, it was first recorded in the 19th century. Its original meaning was as a version of woken, or awake, (i.e. no longer asleep). In 1920’s America, in Harlem, an event entitled the ‘Stay Woke Ball’ ran from 5.00pm to 5.00am the following day, obviously requiring participants to stay woke/awake for many hours. According to Wikipedia, by the 1930s, wokehad begun to encompass “an awareness of the social and political issues affecting African Americans”, and the phrase ‘stay woke’ was heard in an early recording by Lead Belly.

It is easy to understand how being awake became being awake to inequalities, and evolved into being woke to them. In 1962, a New York Times magazine glossary “of phrases you might hear in Harlem today” defined woke in its current politically conscious state.

When did woke become an insult?

By 2020, parts of the political centre and right wing in several Western countries “were using the term woke, often in an ironic way, as an insult”, according to Wikipedia. This insult was being aimed at “progressive or leftist movements and ideologies perceived as overzealous, performative, or insincere”. By 2021, woke had become used “almost exclusively as a pejorative, with most prominent usages of the word taking place in a disparaging context”.

In the UK, the anti-woke brigade using woke as an insult, has even included our government. Keen to stir up a culture war, they have turned an awareness of social injustice from a positive attribute into a negative one.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, spoke back in March about his legislative plans to replace the Human Rights Act with a US-style bill of rights. Raab stated, “I feel very strongly that the parameters of free speech and democratic debate are being whittled away, whether by the privacy issue or whether it’s wokery and political correctness”.

Jolyon Maugham – whom Raab would no doubt describe as an interfering lefty lawyer – described Raab’s attack on wokery as akin to Putin’s attack on ‘cancel culture’. Maugham went on to say, in his Twitter thread (26 March), that Russia had just quit the Council of Europe following their invasion of Ukraine. The Council of Europe is the body that administers the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Raab’s plans to undo the Human Rights Act are, said Maugham, “inconsistent with the UK’s continued membership of the Council of Europe”.

The government’s recent attack on the ECHR, for what it regards as meddling in its cruel Rwanda deportation plans, serves as yet another example of the government’s desire to remove any or all scrutiny and interference. The fact that the court is European – even though it has nothing to do with the EU and predates it by decades – matters little. Anything European is bad, and facts are seemingly irrelevant.

The weaponisation of right-wing insults

Right-wing insults on liberal targets did not start with woke. Since 2010, an earlier preferred insult was that of ‘snowflake’. It was used to as a derogatory term for someone considered to be “too easily upset and offended” (Cambridge Dictionary). Identity politics, especially since the Brexit referendum, has seen anyone left of centre regularly derided, first for their political correctness and now for their wokeness.

Right-wing commentators, such as Toby Young and Laurence Fox, are no strangers to causing deliberate offence. Earlier this year, Fox wrote an article for the Sunday Times entitled, “why I won’t date woke women”. Liberal-minded women all over the UK breathed a huge sigh of relief. But Fox didn’t stop there. Even the English football team were targeted, for kneeling ahead of a match in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. He urged them to “get off their knees”, suggesting that “woke virtue signalling has ruined football”.

In a recent article for The Critic, Toby Young criticised the government’s online safety bill as “an online invitation to woke activists to fire off a barrage of vexatious complaints”. In addition, his Twitter feed is full of criticism of “woke cancel culture” and for good measure, he’s happy to throw in the odd “snowflake” insult too. Young describes woke culture as a “free speech crisis” and “censorious”. In his case, a certain amount of censorship would not be unwelcome!

 

Fox, Young and others like them, defend their use of the insult, claiming that being woke signifies being pretentious and elite. Clearly, they are using a different dictionary from those of us proud of our wokeness.

Whether accurate or not, critics of ‘woke culture’ who claim the status of victims, seem to have successfully co-opted the language for their own ends. Hardly surprising, when the resident of Number 10, and his devotees – in and out of government – are constantly redefining our language. Just as they are redefining what it means to be patriotic and British.

For many people of a left-leaning persuasion, and even for many centrists, it’s increasingly difficult to feel any pride in our nation. In fact, our government’s willingness to break the law, and to pursue extreme right-wing policies is leaving us feeling shame, sadness and fear. Even more important, then, to hang on to any remaining pride in our own strengths and positive attributes, and those of the majority of the British public.

I’m proud to have empathy for my fellow beings. I’m proud to care about social injustice. I’m proud to care about human rights and standards of decency. Our government has taken our country on a terrifying journey in the wrong direction. We cannot let them succeed. Compassion must never be allowed to go out of fashion.