Here be the best horsetrading fair …

 

 

And then there were six … PM candidates, that is. More on that result below. There are no other ‘news’ as far as our Westminster MSM are concerned, there’s only the Tory leadership contest. You can, if you feel thus inclined, check out the dead-tree front pages at the usual place (link).

However, since we’re Brits, let’s talk about the weather, i.e. the heatwave. The DT has a shock-horror item, about ‘weather in Europe’, with wildfires and temperatures soaring above 40ºC (paywalled link). How ghastly! However, here’s a weather map for Europe for the next week according to which such temperatures occur in the capital cities – not precisely places where one expects wildfires to break out … but let’s be afraid anyway, very afraid! Being  kept in a permanent state of fear about things we can have no control over, be it the weather, be it covid, is what our ‘elites’ desire. Fearful people are more easily led.

And so to the wannabe PM race. To survive yesterday’s cull, candidates needed 30 votes from their colleagues. Two fell at that hurdle (number of votes in brackets):  Hunt (18) and Zahawi (25). The remainers running again today are: Sunak (88), Mordaunt (67), Truss (50), Badenoch (40), Tugendhat (37) and Braverman (32). In the rounds starting today, the list will be whittled down by dropping the two with the fewest votes. Thus the vote tradings en coulisse, thus the rumours.

The papers are ‘celebrating’ Ms Mordaunt whose photo is splashed across the front pages, as if she were the winner already. Sunak is being smeared by way of smearing one of his campaign staff (link). It’s like a backhanded way of supporting Ms Mordaunt who has become the overnight dahlink of the MSM. Why should that be? After all, she’s been practically non-existent on the back benches. 

One reason is that she looks to be the handiest instrument for all who want to stop Ready Rishy. The other is that the MSM editors have been lowering themselves into the depths of ‘blogland’ and checked out ConHome where popularity polls of party members are being run. One of them showed that Ms Mordaunt and Ms Badenoch were the clear front runners.

Clearly, the Westminster editors think it’ll be advantageous to have a track record of ‘support’ for someone who might become the next PM. Furthermore, after the MPs have whittled down the number of candidates to two, the Party members will vote, so who knows what those Tories out in the sticks will do! A little nudge from the Westminster swamp dwellers might be useful …

But of course, there’s more to this. The ousted runners Hunt and Zahawi will tell their supporters whom to vote for today – Sunak, in case you’re doubtful. If you want to see how a proper Tory Big Beast does a proper nudge, read yesterday’s Diary entry by Sir John Redwood (link). That’s how it’s done. Meanwhile, the ‘business’ of the traders, string-pullers and negotiators is thriving. Here’s some such trade breathlessly being gossiped about:

“Christopher Hope, the Associate Political Editor of the Daily Telegraph has reported that Ms Truss, Ms Braverman and Ms Badenoch could merge their campaigns. Writing on Twitter following the results of Wednesday’s vote, Mr Hope said: “Wow! I am picking up pressure tonight from ERG sources for Suella Braverman, Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch to merge campaigns and blow Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt out of the water.” (link)

We can all guess who might come out as ‘winner’ in these ‘three-ladies-negotiations’: La Truss. After all, the Tory grandee Iain Duncan Smith has come out for her, writing in the DT:

“I sat in Cabinet with Liz Truss – here’s why she should be our next prime minister. She’s right on the economy, and has the unshakable resolve to get the necessary but difficult reforms through Whitehall” (paywalled link)

Oh my giddy aunt! Since when is warmongering ‘being right on the economy’? And taking on Whitehall? Really? I’m sure the mandarins will be delighted! After all, hasn’t she shown in her long career that she’s one of their best puppets? Ms Mordaunt also said that she’ll ‘fix broken Whitehall’. Haven’t they learned from Cummings’ ‘experience’, of what happens to those who ‘take on mandarins’ without the silent consent and support of said mandarins?

Meanwhile, we can expect a lovely mudbath where wimmin are prepared to tear out each other’s hair. Ms M – who certainly has the most captivating PR slogan possible: “PM4PM”, has labelled La Truss as ‘Faragist’ (link, paywalled). I think Nigel F ought to sue …! In the DM, Ms Vine wades right in, explaining why she would never vote for Ms M because of her support for transgenderism (link).

The editors at the Times are hedging their bets though, by writing a rather good piece on Kemi Badenoch. She came, after all, a very close 2nd in the ConHom popularity contest, after Ms M., so one never knows … We’re told that:

“The former equalities minister, who resigned from the government last week, has electrified the leadership race. In less than seven days she has gone from a fringe candidate, dismissed by the big cabinet beasts, to a rival with a serious shot at the top job. Polling shows she is closing in on the frontrunner Penny Mordaunt among grassroots members and there is now a realistic pathway to the leadership.” (link, paywalled)

Aaahhh …! we do love an underdog, don’t we! And isn’t this just a perfect ‘rags-to-riches’ story, so un-racist and un-misogynist! However – don’t forget that today’s and the following rounds are not about who can be a good PM but about who can get a place at the cabinet table, who can keep climbing up that greasy pole. Unsurprisingly we read a bit further down:

“There is one thing MPs on all sides of the party agree on — her performance and ideas have earned her a big job in the cabinet regardless of who wins.”(link, paywalled)

Yes, my dear friends, this is how a new leader is being created: horsetrading, string-pulling, promises of patronage (read: a nice little extra income as PPS) and forget about competence. I’m afraid Ms Badenoch will have to be content with some cabinet post. The same Big Beasts who ‘gave’ us Johnson will see to it that we’ll end up with a new PM who will either be the British version of yon wannabe Napoleon or a ‘conservative’ edition of New Zealand’s Saint Jacinda, with or without added warmongering. God help us.

What about our country, what about the economy, what about competence, you ask? Don’t be silly! Vote for whom they decide you ought to vote for and shut up!



Print Friendly, PDF & Email