This November morning was looking to hint at the first signs of spring for UK politics. It all came to naught. That might sound counter-intuitive to anyone reading the chaos of UK news, but here’s the logic…
Conservative MP Owen Paterson broke some clear rules. The House of Commons Standards committee – which polices these things and includes most parties as well as outside expertise – found him guilty and recommended his wrist be firmly slapped. That can lead to him being fired. There are mitigations to his case, and he argued the punishment process is unfair because it has no chance of appeal. This is rubbish, but he’s well liked among the Tory hardline (as a virulent Brexicideer).
Lo and behold our Dear Leader Honest Boris decreed any system punishing such a golden boy must be broken. Lets chuck it out and get a new one; in fact a system with a Tory majority and no pesky outsiders. And let’s do it now instead of punishing the Golden Boy.
This is corruption par excellence. Putin would have approved: the rules don’t suit me, get new rules.
It’s the sort of thing eleven-year governments incline to; they get arrogant, feel like they own the job. It’s unsurprising from a character like Johnson, a man with no thought of country, democracy or anything beyond his own curtains. But the degree of it was a bit shocking.
Unsurprisingly (and mercifully) there was an uproar. Media, political parties (his and the quiet ones) kicked up a fuss. The Corruptative Party backed down with a screeching U-turn.
But here’s the issue: Johnson’s a lying charlaten surrounded by a bunch of toadies. A gullible electorate picked him and hasn’t been cured of its delusion in two years. Yesterday’s outrageous arrogance looked so far beyond the pale that it finally let the media and Conservatives teach what the opposition has failed to do.
But a twelve-hour U-turn might let the country forget it.
It will be interesting to see which happens: public outrage or public amnesia.