Britain: and in no surprise…
…Boris Johnson leads the race to head the Conservative Party and become Prime Minister.
This is just the first round, and it involves a secret ballot by the 313 Conservative MPs. The next step in the process is for further elimination rounds that involve the party lawmakers, winnowing the candidates down to two. Then the final decision will be decided by a vote of the 160,000 Conservative Party members.
It seems to be a bit of a hybrid between something resembling our old “smoke-filled room” party system and the more recent primary system. I believe that Johnson is virtually certain to win. There won’t be an opponent from another party, because this isn’t a general election. It’s a one-sided contest to replace Conservative Party leader May, who is leaving.
What little I’ve read lately about Johnson suggests he may not have the spine to crash out of the EU. If that’s the case, this could drag on for years.
I also read yesterday that a number of new seats in the EU parliament have been won by “nationalists” and euro-sceptics, but because they can’t agree on how to form a coalition, their power will be blunted.
They have no power to start with as the EP has no power. It’s nothing more or less than a circus show to give legitimacy to the unelected EC, who are free to ignore the EP’s decisions if they so wish.
So even if the sensible ones, the ones against massive EU overreach, were to vote against something, the EC can choose to adopt it anyway and it becomes law in all EU countries.
That’s why most European parties send their failed MPs and other failed elected officials at local levels to Brussels. It gets rid of them and they won’t even complain because they get paid handsomely (and tax free).
I think Johnson has pledged that Britain’s leaving the EU at the end of the extension May obtained, deal or no deal. Dominic Raab is the other candidate who seems adamant about Brexit. Don’t think the rest are trustworthy. Britain, Canada, the U.S. – all over the anglosphere the starboard party is usually run by people with a talent for failure theatre. Let’s hope Boris Johnson breaks the mold.
“This is just the first round, and it involves a secret ballot by the 313 Conservative MPs. ”
Is it white smoke or black smoke for Prime Ministers?