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A surreal moment in British politics

How do we explain the shortest term of a prime minister in Britain’s history?


Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign office, in London, on Oct. 23. Associated Press/Photo by Alberto Pezzali

A surreal moment in British politics

Proverbs 29:2 tells us: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

What a blooming mess we find ourselves in here among the British. In the past decade in the U.K., we’ve had seven chancellors of the exchequer, six foreign secretaries, four prime ministers, three General Elections, two monarchs, a referendum and a partridge in a pear tree!

Democracy appears broken. The British voting public voted for the Conservative Party, with Boris Johnson as leader, to become our prime minister with a great whopping majority of 80 seats. Impressive for any party that had been in government for nearly a decade.

Unfortunately for him, the mainstream media hates Boris Johnson. They’ll never forgive him for delivering Brexit. A sustained media campaign from the metropolitan liberal elite: the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the BBC, Sky News, and Channel 4 enabled an establishment coup d’etat.

Prime Minister Johnson wasn’t deposed over a cake. Partygate was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it was one tool in an arsenal of attacks from the blob. Once he was out of the way, a logistical problem arose. Conservative Party Members get to select their party leader according to the party’s constitution. Without a change by the 1922 committee, the Party would have to give members a say.

Kemi Badenoch consistently topped the polls amongst members, according to party sources. She was, therefore, left out of the selection put to members. The Parliamentary party whittled down the choice to two candidates, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. The blob wanted Rishi Sunak. He had been the favorite for months and was, of course, one of the MPs who had stabbed Boris Johnson in the back, beginning this whole mess of a coup.

It could be assumed that the Parliamentary Party thought Liz Truss would be a winnable fight for Rishi Sunak, but they were wrong. Many members went with the “NeverRishi” option, held their noses, and voted for Liz Truss. Many party members were also impressed by her free-market economics.

Last night, Boris Johnson suddenly announced his departure from the leadership contest. The chaos continues to unfold.

Unhappy that Liz Truss won the selection process, the campaign against her began almost immediately. MPs within her own party showed a lack of faith in her economic policies and the markets responded in kind. Funnily enough, the markets didn’t want to be free after all. It was only a matter of days before Liz Truss—the lady who apparently was not for turning was forced to make a swift 180 degree turn and fire her chancellor, close ally, and friend Kwasi Kwarteng. This was her biggest mistake since she and he were entirely aligned in policy. It would be ridiculous to assume Truss could fire Kwarteng for policies they had both spent years designing and she remain in office.

The blob forced Jeremy Hunt on her as a replacement chancellor under the guise of party unity. One of the most detested politicians in the party — by both members and voters – Hunt quickly halted Truss/Kwarteng’s mini-budget tax cuts and went on to increase taxes, thus thrusting Truss’s government in the opposition direction of her plan. With rumors of Hunt performing a reshuffle, he was Prime Minister in all but name, and Truss’s position became untenable.

The problem now is that since Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister, it looks like the coup is back and well underway. The candidate they wanted as prime minister all along, Rishi Sunak, is back as the front runner. This time, the voting process will be expedited, and members will get less of a selection. The party’s key 1922 committee is requiring 100 nomination pledges for MPs to be listed on the leadership ballot.

However, the plot thickened as the Tories continue to slump in the polls and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson threw his hat in the ring to make his triumphant return. The problem that appeared to be facing the Conservative Party Establishment as of yesterday was this: Do they select the globalist they wanted in power all along (Rishi Sunak) and risk losing a general election resulting in the wiping out of the party, or do they go with the man they stabbed in the back, but gain a leader with a good shot at turning things around, Boris Johnson?

Johnson, we should note, is the only Tory to have gained a strong electoral majority in two decades. But then, last night, Johnson suddenly announced his departure from the leadership contest. The chaos continues to unfold.

Boris Johnson implemented lockdowns, violating the civil liberties of British subjects. He —along with Rishi Sunak—splashed billions of pounds on unusable COVID apps that didn’t work, and furlough schemes susceptible to heavy fraud. He’s no savior to the British public, but he might just have offered the Tories one last shot at government. Now, that prospect looks unlikely.

Sooner or later, the British voter is going to say enough is enough. We’re tired of playing this game. Whether we vote Conservative or Labour, we end up in the same mess. Perhaps it’s time to steer our attention away from the two-party duopoly and vote for a smaller, more representative party with fewer career politicians. The only way to put an end to the plotting and scheming is to vote to rid us of political snakes and select some good old-fashioned public servants instead.


Calvin Robinson

The Rev. Calvin Robinson is a British broadcaster, political adviser, and commentator.


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