Sorry, who are?
As much as I enjoy highlighting malfeasance within the Conservative Party, isn’t the 1922 Committee simply a representative of backbench Tory MPs? So in a sense, it’s just a representation of their wishes, and so rather democratic?
Yeah, the old ‘smoke filled rooms’ method of governance. And then the Brits lecture others on democracy…
These are the guys that have been nudging Johnson for no restrictions etc. They hold a lot of influence and strengh within the party. Worth listening to Brexit Hard man Steve Baker recently in parliament. They include the former ERG members etc.
Are they?
If so, it would mean that’s just what the rank-and-file backbench MPs are thinking. Nothing sinister about that whatsoever.
Again, they’re not some mysterious cabal, they’re literally the committee representing Conservative MPs.
They’ve basically threatened Johnson recently to not introduce further Covid restrictions. They had him over a barrel from the last party stuff.
I’d hazard a guess that they played a big part in getting Johnson into the leadership role and maybe removing May.n
As the representation of the backbenches, they are literally the source of the Prime Minister’s power if the Conservative Party is the majority party. It’s nothing surprising here. If that’s what the rank-and-file want, then it’s indirectly representing the people who elected these MPs to begin with.
By definition, yes! They are literally the only mechanism by which a Conservative Party leader can be removed apart from their resignation, death, or incapacitation. They are the only democratic mechanism of doing so, in fact.
The corresponding analogue is the Parliamentary Labour Party, just in case you’re wondering.
Yeah, aside from the smoke and daggers feeling, it’s just a body of backbench MP.
The actual problem is that they are all fucking bonkers covid sceptics, and Boris Johnson is now so weakened by his own fuckwittery he has no ability to oppose them.
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And Brexiteers which is where May struggled with them. There’s enough of them that they do influence policy and direction. As @Mascot says they’re all nut jobs and by definition not the people you want setting direction.
I’ve no doubt there is a labour equivalent, perhaps 2 if you count the unions as well.
Considering that they’re the MPs in the Conservative Party who got elected to Parliament, I would hope they have an influence on policy. The voters in their constituencies put them there. Just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean they weren’t elected. Your problem is really with the people who keep voting for such idiots.
No argument there. I find it incredible that people vote against their own interests and welfare.
It’s well and good influencing policy but when that policy endangers life is that a good thing? I bet these people were against any form of lockdown in the last 2 years but will only concede if the Tory’s are slipping in the polls. That’s why they have Johnson over a barrel, which is right but for the wrong reasons if you get my meaning.
Yes, but doesn’t that make it more democratic, rather than anti-democratic as you were arguing?
I don’t like their choices either, I think it’s quite frankly idiocy, but doesn’t change the fact that they were democratically (even if not perfectly so) elected. The beef I have would be with the 40%+ of the British voting population who decided that they were the right choice.
BBC reporting that the knives are being stuck in…
The thing is, none of them were elected on their stance regarding vaccinations, public health measures during a pandemic, restrictions on civil liberties, financial assistance for businesses through the treasury, etc.
And by the time the next election comes round, their positions during the pandemic will largely be forgotten. In a way, that will be a good thing.
No, but I was responding to the bit on the opinion polling, with regards to it being democratic. With regards to individual policies, I completely agree with your point, that none of these policies were ever put to polls. Labour didn’t get a chance to argue for what their vision would be.
How so?
Because it would mean that covid had become a distant memory.
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The beef I have is that such power can be obtained on 40% of the vote.
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I suspect that Borris is history, Shakespearean even
Would that be your stance if Labour were in power?
Yeah they were elected to help Boris ‘get Brexit done’. That’s working out wonderfully eh?
On tenterhooks here