Boris - The Prime Minister

[LeoRoverman]

You didnt know at the age of 13 that smoking is bad for you?

it's also illegal, but that's neither here or there. See what the Cnuts don't get is if you you don't smoke or take drugs you can't get addicted. I have an addiction to chocolate, but that's only frowned upon.

 

[Emcon Ecomcon]

Where does this leave Sir KS, does BoJo push him further to the left and thus become un-electable or does Sir KS try and outbid BoJo to the right and cause revolt with the Comrades? But as you say the right is a wide open space and someone will appear to fill it at sometime.

Its a good question.... I do not think KS is going to go anywhere, but sit in the centre ground and argue that he can manage things better than the Tories and the tories have made enough mistakes and likely will make many more over the next three years and to some extent already look gun-shy, despite its majority.

The argument of staying in the centre ground is a proven strategy, but I don't think it will serve the Tories as they're are forever associated to Brexit and the progressive media will never forgive or forget. All its going to do is destroy morale and hand victory to KS by simply keeping his head down as much as possible.

 

[amazing__lobster]

What that got to do with people ignoring public health experts for 50 years?
Im going to take a wild guess here and suggest more people will die from smoking than people dying from covid.

1. They are clearly not ignoring the public health experts as the rates have dropped and continue to do so; as I explained the likely explanation is that it takes a long time to change behaviour and social norms.

2. Not sure I see the relationship between COVID and smoking apart from there is some literature that smoking may offer some protection.

 

[amazing__lobster]

Take away people rights? Dear o dear that will never catch on.

Seat belts? Illegal drugs? Age restrictions on films? Having to wear clothes in public? Laws for sexual age of consent?

Not caught on you say?

 

[stacker1]

Seat belts? Illegal drugs? Age restrictions on films? Having to wear clothes in public? Laws for sexual age of consent?

Not caught on you say?

Does everyone obey those rules?

 

[Graculus]

Weak troll trolls weakly.

Indeed, you're getting weaker. You can't get any less unoriginal.

 

[stacker1]

1. They are clearly not ignoring the public health experts as the rates have dropped and continue to do so; as I explained the likely explanation is that it takes a long time to change behaviour and social norms.

2. Not sure I see the relationship between COVID and smoking apart from there is some literature that smoking may offer some protection.

Clearly not ignoring the experts after 50 years? Have a round of applause the British public

Social norms aren't to wear a mask, keep social distance or avoid shaking hands.

Good to see that Boris didn't change any social norms.

The relationship is that people don't give a **** after 50 years of advice but Boris is somehow wrong for not wanting to ignore those social norms after a few weeks of a new virus.

 

[stacker1]

it's also illegal, but that's neither here or there. See what the Cnuts don't get is if you you don't smoke or take drugs you can't get addicted. I have an addiction to chocolate, but that's only frowned upon.

I don't believe that it is illegal to smoke at 13, it it illegal to sell or give it to the little ******* though.

 

[amazing__lobster]

Clearly not ignoring the experts after 50 years? Have a round of applause the British public

Social norms aren't to wear a mask, keep social distance or avoid shaking hands.

Good to see that Boris didn't change any social norms.

The relationship is that people don't give a **** after 50 years of advice but Boris is somehow wrong for not wanting to ignore those social norms after a few weeks of a new virus.

I’m not sure who has told you the public health campaign on smoking has not worked - the graphs I posted show it has been, and continues to be, an enormous success.

 

[amazing__lobster]

Does everyone obey those rules?

The majority yes.

 

[stacker1]

The majority yes.

But a sizeable minority dont. And that with the threat of jail time for some of them.

 

[stacker1]

I’m not sure who has told you the public health campaign on smoking has not worked - the graphs I posted show it has been, and continues to be, an enormous success.

If you think 50 years of health campaigning with high taxes, restrictions on where to smoke, raising the age to buy fags by 2 years, plain packaging, no adverts etc etc and still have 14% of the population smoking an enormous success, you have a very different view of success than me.

But social norms eh? Like shaking hands for example.

 

[amazing__lobster]

But a sizeable minority dont. And that with the threat of jail time for some of them.

Yes exactly - only a minority do not obey those rules.

 

[stacker1]

Yes exactly - only a minority do not obey those rules.

A sizable minority you would agree? With Jail time as a threat.

 

[amazing__lobster]

If you think 50 years of health campaigning with high taxes, restrictions on where to smoke, raising the age to buy fags by 2 years, plain packaging, no adverts etc etc and still have 14% of the population smoking an enormous success, you have a very different view of success than me.

But social norms eh? Like shaking hands for example.

Well yes I do. Knowing about human behaviour is also how I make my living.

 

[stacker1]

Well yes I do. Knowing about human behaviour is also how I make my living.

So you know that in the early stages of covid shaking hands wasn't such a big thing?
Social norms and all.

 

[amazing__lobster]

A sizable minority you would agree? With Jail time as a threat.

So where are going here? The logic isn’t so clear neither is the conversation or reasoning linear.

 

[stacker1]

So where are going here? The logic isn’t so clear neither is the conversation or reasoning linear.

The point is Boris can hardly be held at fault for shaking hands at the start of covid when A, its a social norms, and B, few people thought it wasn't serious, C, a lot of people don't give a **** about their health/law.

 

[amazing__lobster]

The point is Boris can hardly be held at fault for shaking hands at the start of covid when A, its a social norms, and B, few people thought it wasn't serious, C, a lot of people don't give a **** about their health/law.

Oh ok. Sure, why not

 

[Mediaeval]

Finally were onto something and this largely explains my journey. Two weeks ago, I saw in the Cain/Cummings sackings a decision has been made by Boris about which side he is on and is quite clearly moving decisively back to the centre and that always means doing what the media want and offering second/third lockdowns, or the head of Cummings garner sympathetic press and why the remainer tory establishment in particular, appear to be shifting back to Boris (I wouldn't be surprised if Brotherton started offering some tacit support in the coming weeks).

His majority he has squandered and continues to squander, as, he is now as woke as labour.
Time is an interesting one. Because the longer he runs from the centre, the more space he creates for the Farage, or Laurence Fox vehicles to re-establish themselves and any smell of betrayal on brexit and his goose is well and truly cooked.

Basically, all roads next year lead to the economy, and IMHO Boris will need to do all that it takes to open up post-BREXIT Britain for business. If he fails to do this, nothing else will matter come the next election.

That will mean that everything else will have to be secondary. COVID will no longer be able to stay centre stage for Central Government. I suspect that the scene is already being set by shifting responsibility for it to regions and individuals.

One thing that may assist in this respect is the post-COVID environment itself. All national economies will be desperate to do business over the next couple of years. This will lead, I suspect, to widespread discarding of political artificialities unless there is no way round them.

Boris may yet end up being a lucky general - but that will depend first and foremost on the economy and his handling of it. By 2024, COVID will almost certainly be water under the bridge, the economy certainly won't....