This is quite fascinating. Interesting to see the detail behind what most people have suspected. It is not hard to come to the concusion that our politicians have made a rod for their own back regarding Russia and Putin. I was shocked at Johnson playing the Churchill role over the weekend. I would have to admit that I am not an admirer of Churchill who I think was as flawed as much as he was an inspirational leader in war time. it did make me wonder what Churchill would have made of Johnson's behaviour and I don;t doubt that, for all the manner elements of him that I find distasteful, Winston would have sussed out Putin much sooner. I could not envidage Churchill entertaining Russian oligarchs. The one thing that did cross my mind this week was how the government would respond in future when pushed on the shocking incidents at Ballymurphy in 1971. I think that we Engilish like to imagine that we are above the barbarism of what the Russians have inflicted on Ukraine but it is quite salutary to think that, for all the cries in the country regarding taking Russian to a war crimes tribunal, after 51 years the families of the victims of Ballymurphy have still been denied justice. I would concur that the Russian crimes are on another scale but I think we are hopelessly naive if we believe that our own soldiers are incapable of such behaviour. Militarism is no good for anyone.
Falklands War: 'The UK is still usurping our land' - BBC News It is unbelievable that forty years have passed since this conflict, one in which both the UK and Argentina suffered losses, in Argentina's case both economically as well as in human terms. Having watched the film footage on the link, the Argentine leader would like to go down the diplomatic route to secure a solution. He obviously doesn't realise that Johnson is not a diplomat. My own view is that the Falklands/Malvinas should not be sovereign to any country but should be under the protection of the United Nations to ensure that the islands are preserved as a natural habitat and special location for scientific research, with numbers of tourists strictly controlled to ensure the protection of flora and fauna, but at the same time enabling the islanders to make a living.
I honestly think Boris will get away with it (minus a few quid of course) mainly due to the Ukraine crisis. Sunak, on the other hand, is probably gone.
My brother-in-law went to the same school and the same university college as Sunak (in the same year). He doesn't remember him at all. Not sure what that says, but it says something.
That he doesn’t have the gravitas to be a leader ? Not that it stops the conservatives but it will mean he will need to either appeal to the fringes ideologically or be lucky enough to be the best of a bad bunch. Or a combo of both. As Theresa May and IDS showed this isn’t how strong governing majorities are formed
As damning as this is, indeed Johnson is the first serving PM to be sanctioned for breaking the law, I just don't think now is the time for the UK to be changing PM. We're in the middle of a huge international crisis which has to take precedence over the PM breaking Covid rules. There has to be a time where he has to face the consequences for his actions, but it's not now.
We changed PM’s during the Second World War, an even bigger international crisis, so no reason not to do so now. A precedent has been set.
Different era. You really think we should be wasting time with a Tory leadership contest and the disruption of a change of cabinet with Russia about to all out attack eastern Ukraine?
The problem being there isn't one of the current incumbents fit to lead. Second rate corrupt incompetents all.
