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Jo Johnson got awarded a knighthood in recognition of being the prime ministers brother. Philip May was made a Lord for his stoicism in being Theresa May’s husband. Boris Johnson added 36 new peers.
What moral imperative forced the prime minister to bestow so many?
Well we had Russian newspaper magnate Evgeny Lebedev – continuing a steadfast Tory tradition of courting Russian money and an odd reluctance to investigate Russian interference in British politics (especially Brexit). Lebedev’s opulent parties (which Johnson enjoyed) probably helped as did the loyal support of Lebedev’s Evening Standard and its editor Veronica Wadley (also knighted) for the former mayor of London.
Being an ardent Brexiteer helps too – so it’s a knighthood for Ian Botham. Lobbing £5 million to the Tories really helps – so billionaire Michael Spencer is off to the House Of Lords as well.
Charles Moore threw Johnson a platform for populist racism as editor of the Daily Telegraph so his contributions to public life had to be recognised.
Ed Vaizey, Ken Clarke and Philip Hammond got peerages to heal tory wounds over Brexit.
Brexiteer Kate Hoey (yes that’s her next to Farage) gets a peerage.
Right wing Labour MP’s who worked tirelessly to prevent a Labour government are recognised also – so step up Ian Austin, John Woodcock, and Frank Field.
The vote leave chairwoman Gisela Stuart was predictably rewarded. Sir Edward Lister is a long time ally of Bojo’s and supported him as London mayor – so its a peerage for him.
Aamer Sarfraz is the Conservative Party Treasurer. Sir Henry Bellingham is a former Tory MP as are Nicholas Herbert, James Wharton, Mark Lancaster, Sir Patrick McLoughlin and Lorraine Fullbrook. Andrew Sharpe is chairman of the National Conservative Convention. What a cross section of the nation!
Nigel Dodds gets a knighthood for helping to prop up a minority Tory government via the DUP – doubtless his constituents will be delighted to get the Brexit they didn’t want.
Former Brexit Party MEP Claire Fox gets enobled – to the victors the spoils aye readers?
Did you hear the one about the abolition of Public Health England?
Tory MP John Penrose is a board member of the think tank which called for PHE to be abolished. A bizarre move in the middle of a pandemic, unless perhaps it serves to shift the blame for Tory coronavirus failings to officials? Who shall we get to run the replacement body? How about someone with no salient experience – David Cameron’s mate (to whom he also infamously bunged a peerage) Dido Harding? Dido knows all about the failings of PHE since she is John Penrose’s husband.
Followers of the Secretary of State for Education’s twitter feed were doubtless delighted to see this recent update about A-Level test results:
Less privileged children were furious though as a government algorithm ‘standardised’ (downgraded) their test results – leaving the top marks to the posh kids.
Boris Johnson declared the system ‘robust and reliable’ – but then he declared Dido Harding’s discredited Covid-19 track and trace system as ‘world beating’ and his own Covid-19 disasters as a ‘triumph’. Sure enough once the scam was uncovered the system was abruptly abandoned and officials blamed. Covid-19 is to be blamed on PHE and Gavin Williamson’s endless cock ups on any officials luckless enough to be standing near him. I strongly suspect Gavin is line for a peerage.
Oh did you hear the one about the £108 million contract for PPE awarded to a pest control company with total assets of £18,000?
How about The Cabinet Office awarding an £840,000 contract for researching public opinion about government policies to a company owned by two long-term associates of Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings?
It gets better! The employment agency (net assets £623) awarded an £18m government contract to supply face masks. The design company awarded a £25 million contract to supply PPE that has no employees, no assets and no turnover.
As Covid-19 surges for a second wave Boris Johnson has (a la Trump) shoved off for another holiday.
This hardly matters – since his only ‘job’ is to front the egregious lies that give the impression that the UK has a functioning government – meanwhile his cronies engage in a merry looting spree, a sort of upper class supermarket sweep.
But this is is just the beginning. Wait until this lot start grabbing the opportunities afforded by Brexit.
The UK government increasingly exists in name only – channelling taxpayers money to a cabal of tory cronies and sponsors. With morals and methods little better than organised crime they are concerned only with disguising their naked greed, corruption and incompetence.
We are led by a mafia and if the polls are to believed then a majority of voters think that’s just fine and dandy. What that says about the credulity and morals of contemporary British society is sobering indeed.
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Thank you in solidarity with all our readers. John Lynch, Editor.
It is very worrying that in so many countries, not just the UK, people are electing far right populists. The use of frequently repeated 3-worded slogans seem to have a brain-washing effect.
I am 25 years in the UK, I cannot take anymore. it’s truly a frightening experience watching many of the English particularly support this absolute travesty, utter and complete corruption and abuse , with barely a whimper from the rest, in the middle of a pandemic where life is already tough. Where are the people of integrity and decency, where the hell are the people who give a shit about their children’s future? It’s astonishing, the lack of fightback and lack of courage. The past 5 years has affected my health to the point where I now feel I must leave, for sanity sake.