Sunday, October 01, 2017
Is it time for Boris to be sacked?
Boris Johnson has decided that it is time to make his move. He believes that Theresa May is too weak to sack him and too vulnerable to resist his attempted coup.
As the Conservative Conference starts in Manchester today, he has already rocked the boat a number of times, effectively set out his leadership manifesto and contradicted the official cabinet line on Brexit. He is acting as if collective responsibility does not apply to him and he is getting away with it.
It is little wonder that senior conservatives such as the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Nicky Morgan are calling on him to be sacked. She, at least is clear that Boris has “no place in a responsible government”.
And that is the real problem facing the Conservative Party. Boris Johnson has been a disaster as Foreign Secretary, an embarrassment to the country. Is he, has he ever been, a credible alternative Prime Minister when he can barely fulfil other Ministerial roles adequately?
The latest example is highlighted in yesterday's Guardian. They report that Boris has been accused of “incredible insensitivity” after it emerged he recited part of a colonial-era Rudyard Kipling poem in front of local dignitaries while on an official visit to Myanmar in January. This episode led to a fairly succinct summing up of the position by former Tony Blair aide, Alastair Campbell:
As the Conservative Conference starts in Manchester today, he has already rocked the boat a number of times, effectively set out his leadership manifesto and contradicted the official cabinet line on Brexit. He is acting as if collective responsibility does not apply to him and he is getting away with it.
It is little wonder that senior conservatives such as the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Nicky Morgan are calling on him to be sacked. She, at least is clear that Boris has “no place in a responsible government”.
And that is the real problem facing the Conservative Party. Boris Johnson has been a disaster as Foreign Secretary, an embarrassment to the country. Is he, has he ever been, a credible alternative Prime Minister when he can barely fulfil other Ministerial roles adequately?
The latest example is highlighted in yesterday's Guardian. They report that Boris has been accused of “incredible insensitivity” after it emerged he recited part of a colonial-era Rudyard Kipling poem in front of local dignitaries while on an official visit to Myanmar in January. This episode led to a fairly succinct summing up of the position by former Tony Blair aide, Alastair Campbell:
Theresa May faces a dilemma, does she sack Boris and have him undermine her from the backbenches or should she continue to allow him to undermine her from within the cabinet. Her weakness as Prime Minister is at the heart of this whole dilemma and the possibility of her being replaced by Boris is possibly one reason why her party allows her to continue in this position.
This is of course a major embarrassment for the Tory Party and the Government, who are at heart dysfunctional and don't have a clue how they are going to deliver on the impossible promises they have made around Brexit.
Our problem, as identified by Alastair Campbell, is that it is the UK which is going to suffer the most from this shambles.
