What seems like a billion years ago (but in fact it was only a few months), there used to be this crazy notion that Ruth Davidson might be the next Prime Minister. Bookies used to list her as a serious contender. When her fans began to come to terms with the fact that wasn't going to happen, we started to hear about how she was instead going to be the "kingmaker". Well, today has exploded that myth in rather comical fashion. Having failed to persuade her own Scottish Tory MPs to follow her directions, her preferred candidate Savid Javid was easily eliminated at lunchtime. She then immediately transferred her support to Michael Gove, with sources briefing that this was an opportunity for the Scottish Tory leadership to exercise some influence. Well, if there was any influence, it somehow managed to drop Michael Gove down a place from second to third, meaning he was eliminated as well.
Having two endorsements blow up in her face in the space of one day is really quite an achievement for Ruth, and I suspect up-and-coming Tory hopefuls will be asking her to keep her distance from now on. Let's hear no more nonsense from the media about how she has influence or leverage in the corridors of power - she clearly has none whatsoever. Scottish voters should be under no illusions that if they vote Tory in a general election, they're voting for the Westminster Tory party in all its ugliness, and not for Ruth Davidson.
Conservative party leadership election (final ballot of MPs):
Boris Johnson 160
Jeremy Hunt 77
Michael Gove 75
Michael Gove eliminated, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt proceed to members' ballot.
What does this mean for us? Well, in one sense it might be just as well to see the back of Gove. Even in a contest in which all the candidates were frantically outbidding each other on who was going to crack down the hardest on Scottish democracy, Gove stood out as the most obsessed with "our precious, precious Union", which may well be why Davidson belatedly backed him. Apparently he had been floating some madcap plan to get a "Union Guarantee" written into international law, whatever that might mean. It's also possible that having a Tory leader with a Scottish accent might have been of some marginal help to the party in defending their north-east seats against the SNP, so at least that danger has been averted.
However, I do believe that having Boris in Number 10 is going to be a double-edged sword for the SNP. He'd probably make it easier for Yes to win an independence referendum, but in the short term, I suspect he'll win back votes from the Brexit Party in Scotland as much as anywhere else, which will make it less challenging for the Scottish Tories to retain at least some of their seats.
Johnson v Gove in the members' ballot would have sent a powerful message to the EU, with the only question being which of the two leading members of the Leave campaign was going to be in charge during the Brexit endgame. As it is, we have a Leaver versus a Remainer - but that may not make a whole lot of difference, because if Hunt's words can be taken at face value, he's more open to the possibility of No Deal than Theresa May was.
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Gove doesn't sound like he comes from Aberdeen.
ReplyDeleteI'm from the Spey valley and even though I've been in Edinburgh area since I was 9, Scots can spot the teuchter twang in an instant.
Gove sounds like he's spent years practicing BBC English. Battered the jock accent out of himself. Probably gave himself the belt when he slipped in an 'aye' or a 'wee' accidentally.
As Boris says, you can't be Scots and senior cabinet. North British isn't even acceptable it seems; ask Broon.
Anyway, Hunt (spelled with a 'C') must be praying Ruth doesn't back him.
Since the oil industry was set up every conceivable accent on the planet arrived in Aberdeen. And yet you stoop to a new level of anti English hatred because of an accent. I thought you were Paddy with a Frog wife!
DeleteThe GWC one man PC brigade strikes again.
DeleteYou've seriously no sense of humour. If brexit Britain is going to be this PC, I want out.
Nice cheese and brandy in Normandy. Since the exit of the Scottish fitbae wummin which was daylight robbery we need to get behind the English wummin!
DeleteFrance is the obvious next choice for me.
DeleteThen Nigeria. I lived there for 5 years but I've never lived in England.
Purse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Recent polling shows that English brexiters don't really want brit jocks supporting their team. Results were clear enough that they'd dump the brit jock fans in a second to secure brexit.
DeleteYou write rubbish like a silly Billy Jumblepot. British is British and it is Great British in the ayes of the world. We are respected again and can lead the world to victory again.
DeleteEnglish twats, say 'Spey Valley'.
DeleteI've heard some Englush people talking about Either Valley. Does that help?
DeleteSo Jonah is a whale?
ReplyDeleteAt least he doesn't go to concerts by Michael Buble. Or Mikey Bubbles as David Coburn exMEP calls him.
DeleteMeanwhile I see one of those sad perverts (the one going by the name of Juan mac) ranting about the SNP supporting Section 28 in return for money from B Souter. Which is odd as they supported repeal as a party despite the wishes of one of their largest donors. Truth is indeed a stranger to these cretins.
ReplyDeleteThe Tartan Tories taking money from a Tory who made money from the privatisation of public assets is not unexpected. The cretins are the Scottish Nationalists who pretend to be something they are not.
DeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
You write that too often and it's when any other person writes clever things. You are a twist.
DeleteIt's Boris Johnson's party now, and ever since she strongly criticised him in the run-up to the Euro referendum it's been clear that they won't be able to properly work together. I suspect this expected result pushes Ruth further closer to the end of her political career, planned for 2021 in any case. What's interesting is how Johnson will approach Scotland, whether he keeps Mundell as Scottish Secretary and to what extent he is prepared to temper his no-deal plans as an explicit attempt to prevent the break-up of the Union.
ReplyDeleteOne other possibility could be to resurrect Murdo Fraser's old idea of the Scots Tories breaking away to become the Unionist Party: but i suspect there is relatively little appetite for that with there being a lot of new parties around at the minute
One of the interesting things about Michael Gove's trip back to Aberdeen some years ago to tell us about how the EU ruined his family's fishing business was to hear just how much his accent differed from that of his father, who sounded just like you would expect an Aberdeen fisherman to sound like.
ReplyDeleteApparently Robert Gordon's College can in part be blamed. It is always psychologically interesting to delve into the reasons why individuals change these things about themselves.
Michael Gove is adopted (originally from Edinburgh I believe) and it's also part of the reason - along with Robert Gordon's and Oxford - why he doesn't sound like his adoptive father.
DeleteHe was adopted at 4 months. I suspect he hadn't developed an Edinburgh accent by that stage.
DeleteYour accent comes from your family and friends. It develops from a very early age and you need to consciously work very hard to change it from what 'naturally' develops subconsciously, which it's likely Gove has done, probably starting at Robert Gordon's. You only have to hear him speak to note how very practiced his this sounds in his case. He doesn't have an accent, or at least no accent that occurs naturally anywhere in the UK. He sounds like someone that maybe came from the NE of Scotland but has spent years trying to sound like he came from the SE of England. 'An accent of nowhere' May would call it.
He wanted to be an English Tory MP (so he could get a cabinet position), and if you sound like a Doric fisherman, you've no chance of achieving that goal.
Skier is an expert on accents. Is there anything you are not an expert on and is there anywhere else you have lived in besides darkest Africa. You remind me of Lonnie Donegan.
DeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Many adopted kids have issues defining their own personal identity and that, as well as snobbery and so on, may be at the heart of this for Gove.
DeleteThe horror!, the horror!, Mr. Kurtz he dead.
DeleteSwoosie Kurtz is female. Silky sausage!
DeleteI see the SNP are extending voting rights (for #iref2) to all permanently resident in Scotland, be they an English or Ecuadorian migrant.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff.
Agree skier, People who come here from anywhere have a high regard for Scotland and deserve a say in the country's future.
DeleteDinnae think this will go down well wi some of the BritNat Tories who as we speak will be doing their calculations.
One man/woman one vote.
That's fair.
I think it’s a big step towards being able to demonstrate absolute people’s authority when we eventually vote, given that reportedly 57% of non-Scots who voted, voted no in 2014
DeleteBritish nationalist Johnson will give Scottish independence another boost.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what job Colonel Flipflop will try now that her career in politics is over.
ReplyDeleteBoris isn't British, he's English.
DeleteCameron was British. May was kinda neutral. Boris is English.
That's why he thinks GWC is scum that should be 'exterminated'. He's an ethnic English nationalist.
DeleteWatch out Ruth and mundell...
Boris is a Yank with a bit of English, Frog and Turk. A true internationalist to lead Britain and leave the corrupt EU.
ReplyDeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Spoken like a true socialist there GWC!
DeleteOK Robin.
DeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Still giving Marion the favourite Robin?
DeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Friar Tuck likes young Robin.
DeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Has the redoubtable JK heard of Stephen Timms? Stabbed by a tiny smiling young woman in his constituency office. Mark Field didn't assault anybody. Just because he is an evil politician doesn't give anybody the right to treat him any differently than members of their favourite parties.
ReplyDeleteHow many of the screeching harridans demanding his sacking and imprisonment shared that video of the Nazi being punched? 99% or above one would assume.
Do you mean the guy from Jamiroquai?
DeleteDon't mind our resident incel. We shouldn't make fun, his life's unbearable enough
DeleteI don't know who JK is.
DeleteJohn Fracking Kennedy. You do know him.
DeleteNo. But I know of an elderly English actress called Peggy Mount. She once had tea at my mother's neighbour's house called Joan. The neighbour was called Joan, not the house, and she did the butter in fancy shapes so Peggy Mount could spread it on her scones with ear and elegance.
DeleteOh pooey! I meant "ease" not "ear". Golly what a goose!
DeleteWise up arsehole. You people are scum. Shitbag flakes. C*nt sniffing fud dodging poofs.
DeleteI see beloved internet nutjob J Mackenzie has a massive rant thread exposing the conspiracy by J Cherry,J MacAlpine, and assorted Twansphobes to bring A Salmond back as leader of the SNP.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile the same people frotting themselves blind over M Field are sharing pictures of lovely friendly men threatening to kill women without a single glimmer of self-awareness, just because they're also poofs, queers, or self-declared laydees.
I liked the bit about how Joan McAlpine "used to ride in the helicopter with Alex". Subtle
DeleteI have never been in a helicopter even though I lived near an airport. I know people who have been in helicopters but not all of them.
DeleteIt would have needed to have been a Chinook for those two including their wallets.
DeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Paddy EU bum boy Varadkar admits he will set up a hard border for his EU bum boys. What has Skier to say now. The British will ignore his hard thingy.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you tell us your Name you Gutless Yoon Freak!
DeleteErm, an Irish controlled border would not break the GFA. The Island belongs to the Irish; the can put check points where the fuck they like in their land.
DeleteBrits in N. Ireland desperately want a border. That's what the partitioning is about. They want a hard border with towers and guards. So for them, any hard border is great news. If the Irish set up border posts, the brits will be really happy.
For Irish N. Irish, they just don't want a border manned by the English gestapo. If it's manned by their kith and kin who just wave them through with a smile (while stopping the Brits, as the brits want), they won't mind at all.
So, long and short of it is:
British created hard border = serious problem with GFA breached
Irish manned border on their own island = no troubles at all. GFA not breached.
So, the Irish can control their border, but the Brits can't or they breach the GFA.
Anyone with two brain cells understands this situation.
Christ, you desperately want a border with the EU. How the fuck could you complain if that happens! Its only the Irish that can complain about any reinforcement of partitioning.
Unknown IRISH THICKO with the protruding forehead due to animalsexualintermarriagebehavior, bleet oot yer name.
DeleteThe landmass belongs to the British and the EU. The ROI Catholics have given their bit over to the EU. The Irish Republic is now in the dustbin of history and by their own doing.
DeleteThat's Brexit sorted then, no need for a backstop, Ireland can simply build a border, everyone's happy. I'm amazed that they have not suggested this before...Brexit would be done and dusted by now if they had.
DeleteThere is a border between ROI and the UK.
DeleteThere's no way out of the backstop. Get over it.
DeleteAnd why don't the English ask the N. Irish what they want? Scared of the answer?
There is a border, you have said thats ok as long as Ireland build it. But yea in reality your right, to get a deal need the backstop and even if Boris could convince the Conservatives to accept that the DUP never will and would just bring down the Government. Of course no deal will result in the Goverment falling as well so in reality the only way that either a deal with backstop or no deal happens is if a party wins an election on either of those mandates. I would put that at about 40% with a second ref at 60-70%
DeleteYes I'm right. N. ireland will be staying in the single market and full free movement zone no matter what.
DeleteIf there was a made crash out brexit, we might see a temporary period where some form of border control might be need; controls that the entire world would hold England/Britain responsible for, no matter who was manning them.
However, unable to get trade deals with anyone, and facing crippling economic sanctions, England would very quickly dump N. Ireland in such a situation, so the province would return to the single market quickly.
There is no way out of this for the UK. The best hope for brexiters is a referendum in which the N. Irish agreed to fully exit the single market and accept a hard border. However, polls say they'd reject this, just like they rejected brexit, so it won't happen. This then justify serious sanctions against the UK unless N. Ireland stays in the single market.
Serious desperation on your part Skier. All the UK are leaving the Mafia EU. However you can dream about maybe being one of those money grabbing former Labour now Nat si EU money grabbers!
DeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
My Word the Yoon Cap Doffer's and Crawling Freaks are out in force! Ca you do Scotland a favour and go and piss off to Tory England!
ReplyDeleteScottish Skier duty Catholic Nat si watchdog from any country that she fancies and the EU controls.
ReplyDeletePurse.
DeleteCordelia and purses.
Unionist dying a death in NI. 40% In 1998, now only 26%. Levels of nationalism haven't changed at all.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-48702235
Neutrality on the union dominates now. Of course the neutrals are big Remainers too!
If only 26% see themselves as 'unionists', what exactly is the justification for the province being in the UK?
DeleteSurely it should enter some sort of half way house now, particularly given the 'neutrals' hold sway?
Like the 'backstop' for example...
61% wanting to remain part of the UK seems a good enough justification
DeleteThere's been a referendum?
DeleteWhy not hold one if you think 61% will vote for being in a brexited UK with a hard border? It would solve the current border problem.
I'm going by the same poll you went quoted. If there is a Brexited UK with a harder border I think there may well be a poll. But think no brexit or a soft brexit (no hard border) is the most more probable outcome.
DeleteI agree with you. It's just not possible to envisage a situation where N. Ireland leaves the single market / free movement zone. It might happen temporarily if the UK loses the plot and crashes out, but with a collapsing economy + unable to get a single trade deal with anyone in the world, very quickly it would agree to the backstop being implemented and so a border in the Irish sea.
DeleteAnd if Scotland votes for indy (as polls suggest will happen if Bozo makes PM), then N. Ireland is unlikely to remain as a province of a greater England. There wouldn't be any UK to be unionist for really.
According to twitter the Sunday Times has Yes ahead by 6% in their latest Panelbase poll.
ReplyDeleteIf Boris is PM
DeleteScottish independence voting intention (ft. scenario prompting Boris Johnson being UK Prime Minister):
Yes: 53%
No: 47%
via @Panelbase, last week
Currently:
Scottish independence voting intention:
Yes: 49% (+1)
No: 51% (-1)
via @Panelbase, last week
Chgs. w/ May
Yes continues to rise at a solid, steady pace. Much better than sudden swings as gains are much less likely to reverse.
49% Yes tomorrow from the least Yes friendly pollster is quite something.
This is why 'now is not the time'. There isn't the support to hold the UK together democratically any more it appears.
Ruth needs to back Boris asap!
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, the UK's fecked.
Colonel Jobby should back herself and that would be the last we'd have to see of her sincere guffaws of hearty laughter on the back of a leopard or top of a tank.
ReplyDeleteAverage Yes of all recent polls now 49% 'tomorrow', i.e. with no clear plan / white paper etc.
ReplyDeleteJust imagine what it would be post Oct 31st with the EU/EEA openly offering membership etc.