Boris Johnson is out. But his ugly brand of politics will go on | The next Tory leader will almost certainly pursue the same policies as Johnson
Boris Johnson is out. But his ugly brand of politics will go on | The next Tory leader will almost certainly pursue the same policies as Johnson
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Renegade ex-Telegraph, ex-Mail, ex-Spectator journalist Peter Oborne sees little hope of the political change the UK so desperately needs.
From the next Tory PM we should expect:
> The same English nationalism and cheap, ugly, vicious populism.
Why? Johnson’s exit was the consequence of his own “greed, venality, abuse of power and habitual deceit” while his policies
> were popular among Tory members, many of whom thought he did not go far enough.
Those Tory members who’ll have the final say on the next leader?
> tend to be elderly, white, insular – and hostile to the European Union. Many are former members of UKIP . . . Unsurprisingly, surveys prove that large numbers of them are bigots . . .
Big picture?
> Johnson sustained himself in power thanks to the support of two powerful and allied groups.
> First, the billionaire Tory donors who – in an ugly and deeply troubling mutation of democratic politics – today control the party.
> Second, the big newspaper proprietors – Rupert Murdoch, Lord Rothermere and the Barclay family. They all backed him to be Tory leader three years ago, then threw their support behind him in the 2019 general election . . .
As Hugh Grant [recently put it](https://twitter.com/HackedOffHugh/status/1545079343097036800):
> Dear World, You may be wondering what happens next in terms of the British constitution. The answer is that 3 newspaper owners – all of whom are non domiciled in the UK for tax purposes – get together and choose our next Prime Minister or “Poodle”. The Queen then anoints them.
Since Cameron left it’s been the same shit. People think “this one will be different” and then get pissed when they realise they’re not, and so people decide they need to go. The cycle restarts.
MPs are just lining up to take their turn to put their hand in the public purse. To take from the poor and give to the rich.
Johnsons’ resignation is just further evidence of unstable politics, and of the public’s political naivety. Boris resigning won’t be of any benefit to anybody. I’m not saying he was good, just that nothing good will come of his resignation.