Social Items

TPQ
Anthony McIntyre looks at a politician and his promises. 

It wasn't a moment of I told you so - that holds good for any politician and their promises - when Jacob Rees-Mogg prepared for a major retreat from altars he was prepared to sacrifice others on. It was more a philosophical shrug in response to the reaffirmation of a long standing rule of thumb that what political snake oil merchants tell you is possibly true, probably not true, but if true is not why they tell you it. Truth is incidental to the more important matter of political careers and when the politicians break promises it is for their good, not yours, that they do so.

Those thoughts crossed my mind when observing the man sometimes referred to as the honourable member for the 18th century in the Westminster parliament shamelessly telling his followers that "we'll have to find out in a day or two whether I'll have to eat my words or not - time will tell." 

There is a predictability to the outcome of the relationship between politicians and promises that is rarely upended. It's the stock-in-trade of political opportunists. Scam and spin, deception and distortion - no sleight of hand is beneath or beyond them when it comes to furthering their political careers. 

Eating his words might not have been so bad had he not earlier expected the electorate to eat his turds, which he had been filling it with by the skip load. Sensing a volte face by his party leader on Brexit matters that he was determined to be on the right side of and fuck the DUP,  the Misleader of the House slammed on the brakes in anticipation of going into reverse gear, able to shoo away the reminder that he:

was chairman of the European Research Group of eurosceptic MPs before becoming a member of Boris Johnson's government - and came to be seen as a standard bearer for the Brexiteer cause.

He had dismissed Theresa May’s attempts to reach a similar arrangement to the one being worked on by Johnson as "completely cretinous." But JRM now wants people to trust BoJo at a time when he has shown just how untrustworthy he really is.

I trust Boris Johnson to ensure the relationship the United Kingdom has with the European Union is one where we are not a vassal state ... somebody who even the arch euro-sceptics, even a member of the Brexit Party can trust and have confidence in.

Even a member of the DUP? Big ask. Trusting a Tory is hard enough but a Tory called Boris. JRM no more trusts Boris J than he does Jeremy C but pretending otherwise is good for business.

This is what the transfixion with the 4 Ps does: pomp, perks, privilege and power. Cometh the power cometh the man: we saw it in Ireland where the 4P headlights caught a startled Rabbitte, too well fed to nimbly jump out of the way, leaving him trying to explain why it is fine to make false promises just to stay within touching distance of the plutocratic pension, in his own case two million euro. Prosperous business those pensions. Ask the Kinnocks, they have six state pensions between them. Making promises that you have no intention of keeping, sure "Isn't that what you tend to do during an election?" Sure, to be sure, and whatever you're having yourself. 

The most cringing rationalisation of all came with the supercilious JRM's justification for his word-eating.

There's a line from Churchill saying that he often had to eat his words and he found it to be a very nourishing diet - and that is something that happens in politics.

More nourishment than those queuing at the food banks are getting. 

 Is there any point in complaining?
Rees-Mogg acts as if all his political positions are the result of nothing but quiet contemplation of the facts, with no visible emotions to betray the idea that they may be anything other than totally objective. You cannot hurt his feelings. He admits to none. You may as well stand in an aquarium hurling insults at an eel or swear at a chutney.


 Or ask for an assault on sleaze and venality from the DUP.

Words From Turds

Anthony McIntyre looks at a politician and his promises. 

It wasn't a moment of I told you so - that holds good for any politician and their promises - when Jacob Rees-Mogg prepared for a major retreat from altars he was prepared to sacrifice others on. It was more a philosophical shrug in response to the reaffirmation of a long standing rule of thumb that what political snake oil merchants tell you is possibly true, probably not true, but if true is not why they tell you it. Truth is incidental to the more important matter of political careers and when the politicians break promises it is for their good, not yours, that they do so.

Those thoughts crossed my mind when observing the man sometimes referred to as the honourable member for the 18th century in the Westminster parliament shamelessly telling his followers that "we'll have to find out in a day or two whether I'll have to eat my words or not - time will tell." 

There is a predictability to the outcome of the relationship between politicians and promises that is rarely upended. It's the stock-in-trade of political opportunists. Scam and spin, deception and distortion - no sleight of hand is beneath or beyond them when it comes to furthering their political careers. 

Eating his words might not have been so bad had he not earlier expected the electorate to eat his turds, which he had been filling it with by the skip load. Sensing a volte face by his party leader on Brexit matters that he was determined to be on the right side of and fuck the DUP,  the Misleader of the House slammed on the brakes in anticipation of going into reverse gear, able to shoo away the reminder that he:

was chairman of the European Research Group of eurosceptic MPs before becoming a member of Boris Johnson's government - and came to be seen as a standard bearer for the Brexiteer cause.

He had dismissed Theresa May’s attempts to reach a similar arrangement to the one being worked on by Johnson as "completely cretinous." But JRM now wants people to trust BoJo at a time when he has shown just how untrustworthy he really is.

I trust Boris Johnson to ensure the relationship the United Kingdom has with the European Union is one where we are not a vassal state ... somebody who even the arch euro-sceptics, even a member of the Brexit Party can trust and have confidence in.

Even a member of the DUP? Big ask. Trusting a Tory is hard enough but a Tory called Boris. JRM no more trusts Boris J than he does Jeremy C but pretending otherwise is good for business.

This is what the transfixion with the 4 Ps does: pomp, perks, privilege and power. Cometh the power cometh the man: we saw it in Ireland where the 4P headlights caught a startled Rabbitte, too well fed to nimbly jump out of the way, leaving him trying to explain why it is fine to make false promises just to stay within touching distance of the plutocratic pension, in his own case two million euro. Prosperous business those pensions. Ask the Kinnocks, they have six state pensions between them. Making promises that you have no intention of keeping, sure "Isn't that what you tend to do during an election?" Sure, to be sure, and whatever you're having yourself. 

The most cringing rationalisation of all came with the supercilious JRM's justification for his word-eating.

There's a line from Churchill saying that he often had to eat his words and he found it to be a very nourishing diet - and that is something that happens in politics.

More nourishment than those queuing at the food banks are getting. 

 Is there any point in complaining?
Rees-Mogg acts as if all his political positions are the result of nothing but quiet contemplation of the facts, with no visible emotions to betray the idea that they may be anything other than totally objective. You cannot hurt his feelings. He admits to none. You may as well stand in an aquarium hurling insults at an eel or swear at a chutney.


 Or ask for an assault on sleaze and venality from the DUP.
Anthony McIntyre Jacob Rees Mogg

No comments

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)