Boris Johnson's brutal contempt poisons Commons debate

[Soph0571]

The prime minister was himself responsible for poisoning the atmosphere with the brutal contempt he showed for opposition MPs, particularly women who criticised his provocative language.

Johnson’s statement was billed as a response to the supreme court’s ruling that he acted unlawfully in seeking to suspend parliament for five weeks. But he dismissed the judgment in a couple of sentences, showing no repentance before devoting the rest of his speech to goading the opposition about their failure to vote for an election.
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Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff urged the prime minister to avoid inflammatory language, describing how she had been unable return home on police advice following death threats.

“With many of us in this place subject to death threats and abuse every single day, let me tell the prime minister – they often quote his words. Surrender act. Betrayal. Traitor. And I for one am sick of it. We must moderate our language - and it has to come from the prime minister first. He should be absolutely ashamed of himself,” she said.

Sherriff was close to tears when she was speaking but Johnson was unimpressed.

“I have to say Mr Speaker, I’ve never heard so much humbug in my life,” he said.

[link:https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/boris-johnson-s-brutal-contempt-poisons-commons-debate-1.4030475|]

We had Parliament on all day and I have to say it was shocking. BoJo behaved disgracefully, but that is no surprise. I was surprised by the Attorney General though. The violence of language and the contempt they showed for Parliament is unforgivable. Even though they lost 11-0 in the SC they are still acting like their shit don't stink. They take us all for fools.

And using Jo Cox... contemptible.

Boris Johnson knows exactly what he’s doing when he talks about Jo Cox and Surrender Bills

But the killing of one of their colleagues – and the conviction of a group of far-right extremists for plotting to murder another of their number, the West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper – has changed, understandably, how MPs respond to death threats. That is particularly acute on the Labour side, for obvious reasons, but the fear and unease is widespread.


Boris Johnson knows this, of course. He spent the summer cultivating Conservative MPs and hearing their concerns, and while those worries are held most strongly by Labour MPs and pro-Remain MPs, the fear that the increasingly virulent tone of British politics will lead to them becoming the target of violence is widespread in all political parties.

[link:https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2019/09/boris-johnson-knows-exactly-what-hes-doing-when-he-talks-about-jo-cox-and|]

Uuuurrrrggghhhhhh

[Denzil_DC]

1. Johnson's provocativeness may have started out as a calculated tactic

to bully his way through the humiliation in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgment (among many other things a normal person would be humiliated about that have happened to him or been revealed about him in just the last couple of days).

It may have been intended as another "dead cat" thrown on the table to get everyone talking about how rude and callous he is as a distraction from other issues.

It was no doubt initially calculated to appeal to his and Cummings' idea of what the Leave base is and what it will cheer, while provoking the Opposition into an unguarded and ill-timed vote of no confidence so the election can be held at a time that suits the Tory Leavers while 31 October slips by and whoops, we're out of the EU with no deal.

But - unlike Attorney General Cox's ridiculous and calculatedly, shamelessly provocative sub-Gilbert & Sullivan performance earlier which set the ugly tone for the day's proceedings - Johnson lost control and seriously overstepped the mark.

Ian Dunt - who works hard liveblogging events in Parliament most days at https://twitter.com/IanDunt - reports that the House showed signs of bipartisan shock after Johnson flounced out of the chamber at the end of his three hours' questions session without even waiting to hear a point of order about his ravings despite Bercow saying that it would show "courtesy". Here's what he tweeted after Bercow intervened to appeal for less inflammatory rhetoric as many on the opposition side reeled at his dismissal of the murder of Jo Cox and the dangers he's whipping up for Remain-supporting MPs (actually, Remainers as a whole), and especially female ones, by all accounts (the first tweet is the end of Bercow's emotional comment about Jo Cox's murder):

Link to tweet

Ian Dunt ✔
@IanDunt

"She was murdered for what she believed, the values she held and for her effectiveness in campaigning for them. We do not in any circumstances to witness a repeat of that."

Ian Dunt ✔
@IanDunt

Something potentially important happening here. A sense among MPs that the prime minister went over the line. That's mercurial. It's not a law that you can hold him to account on. But there is a clear sense of shock and outrage at the manner in which he conducted himself.

Here's Dunt's write-up of Johnson in the House:

No remorse, no contrition: Only the culture war
...
He was the culture war personified. Nearly every sentence sought to exacerbate division in the country and foster a mentality of us-vs-them, in which parliament was trying to subvert the 'people's will' over Brexit. He repeatedly called the rebel legislation forcing him to avoid no-deal "the surrender Act". He insisted several times that parliament was trying to "sabotage" Brexit negotiations.
...
Even the Speaker, who at several moments struggled to maintain control over the Commons, tried to intervene. "I am keenly conscious of the fact that there are members on both sides of the House and both sides of the Brexit argument who have been personally threatened and whose families have been threatened."

From the Tory benches - although now acting as an independent after Johnson's purge of his party - Rory Stewart urged him to adopt a more conciliatory tone. "He's pitting Brexit against Remain, young against old, Scotland against England and people against parliament," he said. Politicians should "speak with respect, with moderation, with compassion for our opponents, in order to provide a foundation which does not just appeal to a simple narrow faction but to every citizen and party in this great country".

Johnson replied that only his side represented the "will of the people". There was no getting through. If ever he'd had a sense of responsibility for the things he said, it was long gone now. He was impervious to decency.

https://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2019/09/25/no-remorse-no-contrition-only-the-culture-war

Too many (including one DUer who's popped up in a few threads on this group from time to time) have sought in the past to excuse and treat Johnson as the harmless "Boris" who happily self-caricatured himself on Have I Got News for You? etc., saying it's all an act and in reality he's smart and he once called out Trump for Islamophobia etc. etc.

It's an act alright. The reality is that he's always been the "nasty piece of work" that Eddie Mair called him out as being on-air back in 2013 (see the clip here: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2013/mar/24/boris-johnson-accused-nasty-video ).

Those who've dealt with him report that he also seems to share the same character flaw as Trump, in that he wants to be able to act how the hell he wants to get whatever the hell he wants and treat people like expendable dirt while having a desperate, perverse need to be loved.

And - like Trump - when people don't reward him with those expressions of love, the mask slips and the nastiness erupts. Hell mend any woman who's involved with him, and heaven help her.

Heck, it sounds like Johnson's even freaked out Laura Kuenssberg, who I've criticized in the past for being such an apologist and being far too cosy with him:

Link to tweet

Laura Kuenssberg ✔
@bbclaurak

There are legitimate passions on all sides - but not even many Tory MPs mightl comfortable defending this- Johnson accused one of Jo Cox's friends and Parliamentary neighbours, one of many who's faced serious threats, of 'humbug' when she asked him to be careful with his words
BBC Politics ✔

@BBCPolitics

Labour's Paula Sherriff raises the murder of MP Jo Cox in the Commons, asking Boris Johnson to stop using "dangerous" language like "Surrender Act"

The PM replies: "I never heard such humbug in all my life"

Link to tweet

Laura Kuenssberg ✔
@bbclaurak

Cabinet minister warning to PM 👇🏼

Nicky Morgan MP ✔
@NickyMorgan01

I know the PM is aware of & sympathetic about the threats far too many of us have received because I shared with him recently the threats I am getting. But at a time of strong feelings we all need to remind ourselves of the effect of everything we say on those watching us.

Add this Buzzfeed article to the pile as well - it's a pretty comprehensive account of those disgusting hours in Parliament this afternoon: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahalothman/boris-johnson-jo-cox-brexit-brexit-debate

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Johnson is importing Trump's tactics - never apologise, always attack, have no shame

because he thinks there are enough rabid Brexiters who like that kind of thing. The more they push this lying "people v parliament" crap, the more they hope they will whip up hatred to their own advantage.

If they get everything they want, the UK will leave without a deal, without any hope of rebuilding a government that has respect, and without the former reputation abroad of British pragmatism and reasonableness. Instead, we'd be the country that can throw tantrums and wreck things, but can't make anything - economic or political. But Boris will be king of the dungheap, so he'll be happy.

[Soph0571]

3. What he is forgetting is that we are middle of the road and dull generally speaking

People watching will be very uncomfortable with this... he is taking a massive risk and I don't think it is going to pay off