Pulling a Richard….

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Guthlac

It is tempting call foul on the voting of the Tory MPs this evening that gave Boris Johnson his ideal candidate – you could say it was almost Nixonesque in its execution – if it wasn’t for the fact that this was one of the  of the most treacherous electorate going.   Let us not shed too many crocodile tears for the losers as a contestant in another vipers pit contest put it…” when you play the game of throne you win or die…”

So we have four weeks of listening to Jeremy “Interesting” Hunt tells us why even though he thought Brexit was a bad idea he has now seen the error of his ways.  At the same time all Boris has to do is ruffle his hair and say ‘Cripes‘ a lot or perhaps misquote some Roman orator.   Well I guess this is what happens when a Charterhouse boy goes up against an Eton boy – one is somewhat series the other is a scoundrel – you decide which one is which.

One final thought – once Boris is elected what of Gove and Stewart?   Who knows but there is every chance they will both be unpersons  under the new regime.  Pity that.

Posted in Conservative Leadership Battle, Conservative Party, Graphic Art, ink drawing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

With apologies to Jeremy & Sajid….

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Guthlac

Then there were two (I know there are still four but do you really see Jeremy Hunt or Sajid Javid stopping the Boris Bus?) . Rory Stewart is now a Tory unperson – far too much personality  and hubris for his own good – jealousy is a powerful force in politics.  It is unlikely that Michael Gove will stop the Boris bus either (although he has taken many a ride on board the big red bus in the past.) He will at  least he will make the next few weeks interesting because he may well force Boris to be interesting and then who knows what will happen?  However, even if Boris is very interesting I doubt it will make a jot of a difference.  Send in the clown.

Is it time to be afraid?   No not really as we are currently living through a period where someone even less qualified is in charge of the world’s most powerful military force and could kill us all with one command…perhaps it is time to be afraid. Very AFRAID!

Posted in Art, Conservative Leadership Battle, ink drawing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

So what was the point of that?….

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Guthlac

I started to watch last night’s Tory Party leader debate and immediately lost interest.   What was the point of the whole charade?  These men don’t have to engage with the public at large but rather 318 MPs and then 160 (very ish) thousand people to get elected.  Boris Johnson is so far ahead that he is unstoppable.  He knows it;  His opponents know it and those that get to vote know it.   The interesting side show distraction of Rory Stewart has been just that a sideshow.

Once all the dust has settled Boris will notice that nothing has changed only now he is the one that has to carry the can.  If he screws up then he is going to have to explain to the British people as they come to terms with the problems of  leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement why this was such a good idea.   Equally, if we don’t leave on the 31st October  he is going to have to explain to the raging fury of the Brexit Party/Tory membership why this  is such a good idea.  Finally if his government collapses he is going to have to explain to the British public at large why all those previous dog whistle comments he made , plus any he may have made  during his tenure as Prime Minister,  doesn’t disqualify him from being the Prime Minister .

If that does make you wonder what the hell is going on and your Blood Pressure is rising to dangerous levels then here is a photograph of a wheat at dawn…can you hear the larks calling, the warm breeze on your face?  Yes?  Well good luck to you.

Posted in Graphic Art, Photography, Summer | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Finally a Ray of Sunshine…..

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Guthlac

Getting up at just after 3am in the morning to capture the sunrise has always been a minority sport – I get that and in many ways I’m glad.   There is something wonderfully magical at this time of year  standing in the middle of a field as dawn breaks around 04:30 – especially after the dreadful weather we’ve endured over the previous seven or so days. (I know that on the scale of bad weather it wasn’t anything too bad and yes I know we’ve really needed the rain but nonetheless it is nice to have seen the back of that – even for a few hours!)

One thing that proved next to useless as an indicator of when dawn was about to break is the Solar watch face on my Apple Watch.   Now this may well be user or I was just expecting too much but dawn had broken by upto an hour before the watch indicated it had.  (Another extreme first world problem my thinks!)

A really uplifting start to the day which I felt as I climbed back into my bed a few hours later!  (I never said I was a hero – I need my sleep.)

Posted in Photography, Summer | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strange Bedfellows…

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Guthlac

 

Like most sane people last night I didn’t watch the somewhat bizarre Tory leader TV debate – preferring the much much more interesting goings on in 19th century Halifax  – the frocks were much more frilly!.  Instead I got my fill from the following 10 o’clock news where two things were abundantly clear: Firstly,  Boris Johnson may have made a tactical error not turning up as Channel 4 was plus  the other candidates were only too happy  to empty chair him and secondly Michael Gove and Rory Stewart were in their element with the other three looking at best wooden.  Whether any of this matters is clearly something only historians will be able to answer.

 

So if TV performances make a different then there are only three candidates left.   Whether the next rounds of MPs voting agrees is less certain.   I wonder if in nearly 200 years time when whoever is left is watching their version of Sunday night TV will they be treated to a dramatised life of Grayson Perry or Eddie Izzard and whilst doing so ask what Brexit was and why is Boris Johnson wearing a clown outfit?

 

Posted in Art, Conservative Leadership Battle, Conservative Party, ink drawing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Alexander a Clown?….

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Guthlac

 

At one level of course he is…at some level we all are.   The difference is that most of us will never have control of the nuclear launch codes.   Is this a problem?   Well I don’t seem to have too much problem sleeping at night with the thought of the world’s largest arsenal and military in control of an even bigger clown so I guess the question is subjective.   Will Alexander Johnson become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?  As every day passes it is becoming more likely.

 

What does this say about the Conservative Party members who probably have the final say as to whether Alexander becomes their party leader.  I’ll leave others to pass comment on that.

But don’t let my glad expression
Give you the wrong impression

Quite so Smokey.

Posted in Art, Conservative Leadership Battle, Conservative Party, ink drawing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Well at least we’ll have the rain…

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Guthlac

Well this is a wonderful start to summer…rain stopped play!   In between the bouts I have been able to get out into the garden.  One of the great things about this weather of course is that it is almost perfect for capturing flowers.

Posted in Gardens, Photography, Summer | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

If we must have an old Etonian as the next PM….

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Guthlac

I suspect my support would be the kiss of death – not that I am a member of the Conservative Party (way too young and far too liberal!) . Anyway if we must have an old Etonian and Oxford graduate then let it be Rory Stewart.   Of course he wouldn’t be selected because he is ….well I’m sure many Tory member can fill that in for themself!

One final thing…he is now the most popular Rory on both Google and Wiki.   Not a bad result for a campaign which was really aimed at raising his profile.   Forget Boris – so last year…this year it has to be Rory.   It is surprising what actually talking to people can do…perhaps some of our political classes should try it sometime.

Posted in Art, Conservative Leadership Battle, Conservative Party, ink drawing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

So it is starting to like Al has got it….

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Guthlac

So are we there yet?   Is Alexander Johnson the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?   No and No but I feel we might be getting very close after his significant win in the first ballot of the Tory MPs today.  The only thing that the other candidates are fighting over is second place and there is a reasonable chance that by the time they have come back from talking to their constituency party members over the weekend that some form of a stitch up may well take place  and all the other contestants will withdraw.   Probably but more likely probably not.  However, should Johnson pull off a commanding lead after the next ballot on the 18th June Johnson then all bets are off and we may well find the remaining contestants start to manoeuvre for a favourable slot in the new Johnson government rather than prolong the contest.   So there is more than an outside chance that Alexander Johnson will be next Prime Minister (providing he can demonstrate to the Crown he can command a majority in the House of Commons and thereby form a government.)

But then what?   Beyond the unicorn fantasy of these elections nothing will have changed.  We have a House of Commons that doesn’t want a no deal Brexit;  He doesn’t have a majority for anything in the House of Commons no matter how much he might like to pretend he does; The Europeans have made it very clear that they will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement;  The British electorate is polarised by the whole Brexit process and appear to be unable or unwilling to support a compromise and Alexander Boris Johnson is no longer a person who can charm a crowd.  He might be able to see off Nigel Farage  but he is at best unloved by far more people than those who voted for the Brexit party and will act as a recruiting officer for the anti Brexit voters.

In short Alexander Johnson’s honeymoon period as Prime Minister may have to be measured by the best atomic clocks.  The next few months would test the most cunning political operator who is in command of their brief whilst at the same time able to drive forward with gusto and slight of hand.   Alexander Johnson is not known for any of these skills.  Should we leave without a deal he will be tested like never before.  There is no evidence to date that he has the first clue how to deal with such a Pyrrhic victory.

Posted in Brexit, Conservative Leadership Battle | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Up Alexander….

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Guthlac

I’m really not sure I’ve cracked the likeness just yet but I have yet to see a less qualified candidate for the office of Prime Minister than Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson in a very long time.  A case can be made for Jeremy Corbyn  but as at the time of writing he is unlikely to be the Prime Minister by the end of July.  Alexander, on the other hand, has got a very very good chance of being elevated to the highest political office in Britain.

His main claim to be considered for the job is that he is better than Nigel Farage at being Nigel Farage or something like that.   The last time he held high office, last year, he was considered by most to be possibly the worst Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary  in a very long time.  If you want to see the level of incompetence this man can bring to the job then you only have to see what he managed to achieve for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.  In fact his Wikipedia entry for Foreign Secretary is just a list of the cock ups and down right disasters that he managed in just over 2 years.  Yet this is the man that is thought to be the best person the Conservative Party can elect to be their leader.  Oh and by the way should he become prime Minister then he will have the power to launch the nuclear missiles.

Britain’s Donald…and that is supposed to make things ok?!?

Posted in Conservative Leadership Battle, ink drawing, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment