Cleaning House
Excellent First Speech
In contrast to his victory speech, Johnson made an Excellent First Speech as Prime Minister today.
War on Pessimists: At speech beginning “And so I am standing before you today to tell you, the British people, that those critics are wrong – the doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters – they are going to get it wrong again. The people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts because we are going to restore trust in our democracy.” …. At end of speech: “No one in the last few centuries has succeeded in betting against the pluck and nerve and ambition of this country. They will not succeed today.”
Pledge to Unite the Country: “And I will tell you something else about my job. It is to be prime minister of the whole United Kingdom. And that means uniting our country, answering at last the plea of the forgotten people and the left behind towns by physically and literally renewing the ties that bind us together, so that with safer streets and better education and fantastic new road and rail infrastructure and full fibre broadband we level up across Britain.”
Delivering Brexit: “We will come out of the EU on October 31. And it is of course vital at the same time that we prepare for the remote possibility that Brussels refuses any further to negotiate and we are forced to come out with no deal – not because we want that outcome – of course not – but because it is only common sense to prepare.”
Delivering Growth, allowing GMOs: He called for tax cuts to promote investment in capital and research. He reaffirmed his commitment to free ports. “Let’s start now to liberate the UK’s extraordinary bioscience sector from anti genetic modification rules and let’s develop the blight-resistant crops that will feed the world. “
Early Elections: Guardian Analysis – He implied that an early election was likely. At one point Johnson seemed to by toying with his audience, as if he was about to announce an election. He didn’t, but everything he said about his domestic agenda suggested he will soon want to get a decent majority, because without one his ambitions cannot be achieved.
Speech Lifted from Bill Clinton?
Bill Clinton said almost the same thing in his speech to the 2012 Democratic convention (one of the best political speeches of modern times). In his peroration Clinton said:
Look, I love our country so much. And I know we’re coming back. For more than 200 years, through every crisis, we’ve always come back. (Cheers.) People have predicted our demise ever since George Washington was criticised for being a mediocre surveyor with a bad set of wooden false teeth. (Laughter.) And so far, every single person that’s bet against America has lost money because we always come back. (Cheers, applause.) We come through ever fire a little stronger and a little better.
New Chancellor
Lis Truss who wanted a cabinet spot.
Cabinet from Hell Donald Trump Would Be Proud Of
Scottish MP Pete Wishart offered this assessment:
Boris Johnson’s nightmare Tory government is shaping up to be the worst since Thatcher – packed full of extreme Brexiteers and rabid rightwingers who want to drag us back to a bygone era.
Senior Tory cabinet ministers have threatened to cut Scotland’s budget, roll back devolution, and impose a devastating Brexit – that would inflict serious harm on Scottish jobs, living standards, public services and the economy.
This is a Tory cabinet from hell, which Donald Trump or Nigel Farage would be proud of – with members who want to scrap the Barnett formula, privatise the NHS, roll back workers’ rights, undo the welfare state, cut taxes for the rich, and even bring back the death penalty.
Hunt Decides to Become a Good Dad
Hunt Supporters Sacked
- Greg Clark, the business secretary, has also been sacked. Clark voted remain in 2016 and is strongly opposed to a no-deal Brexit, and as a result was never expected to be offered a post in a Boris Johnson cabinet. But unlike his fellow cabinet no-deal opponents Philip Hammond, David Gauke and David Lidington, Clark chose not to resign pre-emptively. He wanted to force Johnson to sack him.
- It is starting to look like a cull of Jeremy Hunt supporters. Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, and another Brexiter, has been sacked. He had made it clear that he wanted to stay in his post. But he probably did not help his chances in recent weeks by publicly contradicting some of the claims Boris Johnson was making about a no-deal Brexit.
- Penny Mordaunt, the defence secretary, has left the government. Although Mordaunt backed Jeremy Hunt for the leadership, she voted leave in 2016 and is well-regarded as a cabinet minister. With Boris Johnson keen to increase the number of women in his cabinet, many people assumed her job was secure.
Nigel Farage Comments on Dominic Raab, the New Foreign Secretary
I heard Jeremy Hunt talking just two days ago about shipping in the Gulf, and the need to build a European protection force, a European navy. I would much rather see someone like Dominic Raab [as foreign secretary], who believes in Brexit and doesn’t want us being part of a European army.
Congratulations Boris Johnson
What an excellent first day as Prime Minister.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Reconciliation, in most of the world, is impossible. Groups are all in, their way or the highway, refuse to submit to the other. We live in fat times and people really don’t know anything else in the 1st world. I do not see conditions getting better.
This is an excellent start towards an actual Brexit in October. So far as I can tell today, Labour doesn’t have the votes for no-confidence to force early elections early.
“whatever your view on Brexit, the new cabinet is a horror film”
A Remainer View?
I think this is an amazingly good cabinet that will deliver its main goal.
“free-enterprise conservatives” who want to cut taxes, de-regulate the economy and curb the handouts? Sounds like an absolute nightmare to me… I mean how will the UK be able to compete with all the other nanny states?
Actually I voted leave, but having the likes of Priti “hang ’em high” Patel (who is an ardent Bibi Netanyahu fan to boot) as an example, is a disaster for a country trying o deal with complex issues
I’d agree that Priti Patel is a poor choice for a time when the public’s distrust of politicians is at an all time high. She was fired as Development Secretary in 2017 for ‘a breach of diplomatic protocol’: yet another little flower who thinks the rules apply to everybody else but her.
whatever your view on Brexit, the new cabinet is a horror film. It’s filled with the incompetent, the perverse and the extreme. This will be a disaster for the UK regardless of what happens to Brexit
That is the most ridiculous summary I have read and typical of the doom mongers that have pervaded the UK since we decided to leave. Looks pretty good and forward thinking to me.
An early election is highly likely. I made that post a few days ago. The only question is “how early”.
Without perusing the list, I would guess the new cabinet members are beholden to a tiny little, trouble making, perpetual victim country.
That would be a safe bet, especially in light of the recent UK seizure of an Iranian vessel. They may want to leave the EU, but if they can cite EU law to antagonize Iran unnecessarily, they’re more than happy to oblige.
Finally, a cabinet fit for purpose, talented and brave enough to defy EU Gleichschaltung and pursue its own vision of democracy.
Guardian Analysis – He implied that an early election was likely, because without one his ambitions cannot be achieved.
Am I the only one who can see this? No, all he has to do is not ask for an extension and exit on 31 October is achieved automatically. The EU cannot grant an extension if one is not requested.