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I haven't kept up with British politics, because- as a Canadian- it's hard enough to keep up with my own and the American's. What's the appeal of this guy? He

I haven't kept up with British politics, because- as a Canadian- it's hard enough to keep up with my own and the American's. What's the appeal of this guy? He seems like a buffoon. Is he the British Donald Trump?

anonu 7y ago
He backed brexit and now he's going to deliver.
- navigatesol 7y ago
  So the sentiment is that May "didn't try hard enough"? There are advantages to having a sociopathic buffoon in power willing to push through tough legislation, like Trump and immigration reform...provided they don't tear the society apart.
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    There's an equal chance his own party will help bring down the government, and force an election, to help prevent that catastrophic outcome (no-deal exit).
ablation 7y ago
There is no appeal, really. He wasn't elected by the general public, he was elected by 0.35% of the population in the form of the Conservative party members. This is worth a read if you're trying to understand Boris Johnson: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/08/15/boris-johnson-ham-of-fate/ https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/08/15/boris-johnson-ha...
- navigatesol 7y ago
  >This is worth a read Perfect, thanks.
NeedMoreTea 7y ago
He comes across as an affable buffoon, and total failure dealing with everyone on the international stage, including the EU, during his stint as Foreign Secretary. He's a racist liar with a track record of causing problems every time he opens his mouth. Appeal? Bear in mind neither MPs or electorate got to choose him to lead the Tory party, and hence become PM. Just paid up members of the Tory party, who are well to the extreme right even compared to the parliamentary party.
- bengillies 7y ago
  > Bear in mind neither MPs or electorate got to choose him to lead the Tory party It's worth pointing out that Tory MPs absolutely voted for him before Tory party members got the chance to, and that if MPs in general don't like him then they can vote to bring down the government whenever they like. Quite why non-Tory MPs should get to pick who leads the Tory party I have no idea.
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    They got to shortlist him, by eliminating candidates until just 2 remain. Then the choice is with the party membership. Which is not the same as voting for him.
    - yjftsjthsd-h 7y ago
      Isn't it? They had to pick which two they preferred.
      - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
        That's for the shortlist. It's perfectly possible, albeit vanishingly unlikely that everyone preferred Hunt and the buffoon as second choice. Going on the party's difficulties the last three years it's perfectly likely he was second choice for a clear majority. The disjoint between MPs and membership seems to be becoming a chasm.
- deleted 7y ago
dynamite-ready 7y ago
He's seen as a populist, and a buffoon, yes, but he occasionally exhibits flashes of an intelligence rarely found in a politician. Unfortunately though, he does appear to hold some rather elitist views, has more than once, made racist comments in public, and has been found to lie on numerous occasions, about a countless range of topics. Even a number of his own supporters acknowledge these issues. So it's very hard to believe his appointment will be a good thing for the UK.

anonu 7y ago

He backed brexit and now he's going to deliver.

navigatesol 7y ago
So the sentiment is that May "didn't try hard enough"? There are advantages to having a sociopathic buffoon in power willing to push through tough legislation, like Trump and immigration reform...provided they don't tear the society apart.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  There's an equal chance his own party will help bring down the government, and force an election, to help prevent that catastrophic outcome (no-deal exit).

ablation 7y ago

There is no appeal, really. He wasn't elected by the general public, he was elected by 0.35% of the population in the form of the Conservative party members. This is worth a read if you're trying to understand Boris Johnson: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/08/15/boris-johnson-ham-of-fate/ https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/08/15/boris-johnson-ha...

navigatesol 7y ago
>This is worth a read Perfect, thanks.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago

He comes across as an affable buffoon, and total failure dealing with everyone on the international stage, including the EU, during his stint as Foreign Secretary. He's a racist liar with a track record of causing problems every time he opens his mouth. Appeal? Bear in mind neither MPs or electorate got to choose him to lead the Tory party, and hence become PM. Just paid up members of the Tory party, who are well to the extreme right even compared to the parliamentary party.

bengillies 7y ago
> Bear in mind neither MPs or electorate got to choose him to lead the Tory party It's worth pointing out that Tory MPs absolutely voted for him before Tory party members got the chance to, and that if MPs in general don't like him then they can vote to bring down the government whenever they like. Quite why non-Tory MPs should get to pick who leads the Tory party I have no idea.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  They got to shortlist him, by eliminating candidates until just 2 remain. Then the choice is with the party membership. Which is not the same as voting for him.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 7y ago
    Isn't it? They had to pick which two they preferred.
    - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
      That's for the shortlist. It's perfectly possible, albeit vanishingly unlikely that everyone preferred Hunt and the buffoon as second choice. Going on the party's difficulties the last three years it's perfectly likely he was second choice for a clear majority. The disjoint between MPs and membership seems to be becoming a chasm.
deleted 7y ago

dynamite-ready 7y ago

He's seen as a populist, and a buffoon, yes, but he occasionally exhibits flashes of an intelligence rarely found in a politician. Unfortunately though, he does appear to hold some rather elitist views, has more than once, made racist comments in public, and has been found to lie on numerous occasions, about a countless range of topics. Even a number of his own supporters acknowledge these issues. So it's very hard to believe his appointment will be a good thing for the UK.