And this is the malaise within politics. People with ambition, but without a shred of wisdom, nor still a philosophy or a sense of public duty to direct it, now populate many of our political parties, and all of those on the right. But pure self-interest and political aspiration are poor bedfellows. They never combine to create either good policy or sound government because they are compromised from the start by the inherent conflict within them.
Both statements from the same bloke. Amazing what you can believe if you set your mind to it, eh?
And this
“Williamson, with his charmless, naive arrogance that was based on wholly misplaced confidence in his own competence, and so invincibility, might typify this, but that is the point: the trait is shared across the cabinet”
A good description of Ritchie!
But richard says he was ambitious and sure richard is an honourable man.
But pure self-interest and political aspiration are poor bedfellows.
Whereas political aspiration for the “greater good” gives you Stalin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, Chavez, etc., etc., etc.
Funny how the press are usually all over threats to journalists and sources, nasty authorities trying to curtail freedom etc. , but in the case of Williamson there’s a deafening silence over his sacking. Makes me more inclined to think he didn’t do it, it’s just cabinet politics and another example of how bad May is as PM
Should say ‘criticism of his sacking’
@ BniC
Yes, if he did it they would try to protect their sources – so silence suggests that protecting their sources involves letting everyone believe that he is guilty.
OTOH May has been given “evidence” pointing at Williamson and she would be a worse PM if she failed to sack him when all the “evidence” that she has says that he is guilty.
Don’t knock Pol Pot, Dennis. He had an attitude towards intellectuals we could learn a lot from.
Usually when someone in a sensitive position says they are going to leave you have to be careful or even push them out the door straightaway as they now have less
Incentive not to act rashly or abuse their power and fuck things up for the next person.
May has now promised to not lead the next GE and then to leave once her WA is approved so she can burn bridges to her hearts content and seems to be merrily doing so. You have to wonder what’s in it for her as it seems to have gone way beyond the point any rational person would keep pushing and putting up with all the crap
Politicians should have much more power?
Certainley bettter than EU-loving civil servants having power
The toppling of Theresa: Day 28
“…Yesterday Mrs May accused her Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, of failing to co-operate fully with a Whitehall investigation launched by Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, and ordered him out of his department. The inquiry related to the leaking of information from a meeting of the National Security Council about the Government’s deal with the global Chinese company Huawei. It was an investigation that seemed designed to eclipse the real issue, the real security threat that a government contract with Huawei to allow it to help build its 5G network would constitute.
May, a veritable modern-day Goneril, told Williamson that ‘the probe’ had found ‘compelling evidence’ suggesting his ‘responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure’ and that ‘no other, credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified’.
Williamson strenuously denied that he was in ‘any way involved in this leak‘ and questioned the quality of the investigation. This raises a crucial question: where is the evidence?…”
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/the-toppling-of-theresa-day-28/
.
Related
“…The Prime Minister of this country delegated the future of a Secretary of State to a civil servant, accepted the civil servant’s accusation before consulting her minister, and offered the minister only two choices, resign or be dismissed. After their meeting, she wrote a formal letter: ‘No other credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified.’ That’s not a citation of proof – at best, that’s a diagnosis by exclusion.
May is so weak that she delegates responsibility for cabinet appointments, then accepts a civil servant’s word over her minister’s..”
May has aided “Britain’s EU-loving civil servants matching the EU’s unelected executives: make policies and treaties in secret, avoid accountability, tell elected politicians what to endorse, demand secrecy, and take the scalps of elected politicians who don’t toe the line.”
conservativewoman.co.uk/britain-is-now-ruled-by-civil-servants/
My mother asked today “When will someone shoot May?”
I daily expect to hear that the PM has decided that this month will have a 32nd day, a 33rd day, a 34th day etc, thus ensuring that we shall never be allowed to see the end of May.
The government doesn’t build 5g networks
Pcar: “I daily expect to hear that the PM has decided that this month will have a 32nd day, a 33rd day, a 34th day etc, thus ensuring that we shall never be allowed to see the end of May.”
/applause
Pcar: “shoot May”? It’ll take a silver bullet then a wooden stake and burial at some crossroads to ensure she stays stepped down .
Plus the lemon between the teeth.
Or, just nick one of her socks.
Calling him the intellectual equal of a cabbage is insulting to vegetables