Friday, July 27, 2007

Boris is Replaced

Boris Johnson's replacement as Shadow Higher Education Minister is being formally announced today. It is Reading East MP, Rob Wilson, who has specialised in education matters since his election in 2005.

25 comments:

dan said...

your post headline made me spit my tea, i thought his mayor campaign was over.

..


dont.

Newmania said...

Same here ....iain it is more than ever vital that the Mayoral campaihgnn is used to reignite the COnservative Flame .Boris is closely associated with DC and a really good showing could really turn things around

Jim said...

Yawwwwn..

Prediction: Spring election; Boris will have to resign his seat; he will then go on to lose the Mayoral contest; back at the Spectator full time, and out of front line politics for good.

aardvark said...

JIM 2.15 PM

Boris doesn't need to resign as an MP before standing for Mayor.

Jim said...

If the General Election and Mayoral election is on the same day....he will have to give up his MP seat

The Hitch said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Hitch said...

It seems somebody has beat me to it and set up a website flogging Boris boxer shorts and T shirts.

Boris is said to be "perplexed"

Newmania said...

And thongs Hitch which I featured in my boring blog last week.
Boris will be a magnificent Mayor and a magnificent anagram of biros .

There is no end to his talents

Jonathan Sheppard said...

Funny - no one has bought any of the thongs I put online....

http://www.cafepress.com/toryradio

The Hitch said...

Mr mania as your blog is as you say borng i didnt read about it (+;

Mr Sheppard , I dont think there is much of a market for thongs pre worn by comfortably upholstered middle aged gents , If there was i would have an empty underwear drawer

Jim said...

10 posts so far and not a single one praising or endorsing the appointment of Rob Wilson....says it all really.

Unsworth said...

I thought Boris was irreplaceable....

Newmania said...

OFF TOPIC

Iain I see you were effusive in your condemnation of people who felt the Rwanda trip .Now the Conservative Party is 9 % behind and there is talk in the Telegraph of Conservatism ceasing to be a force forever do you feel that the perception that this was a photo op to far perhaps had something to it . I was surprised to see your tone on Bel is Thinking

Excerts.

"God this makes me angry. If any of you people were actually here instead of pontificating about things you can know nothing about you would see that a lot of good is coming out of this trip.....
......It is to Cameron;s credit that he has come here. it’s a pity more politicians don’t do the same.

...... To call this trip a jolly is an insult to the 44 people who have paid close on £900 of their own money to come here to work on very worthy projects.

Even the hard-bitten lobby hacks have been impressed and had their initial cynicism destroyed. One of them has written in the papers tomorrow: “These people are the true face of the Conservative Party”. And he’s right. Those who carp front the sidelines and revel in finding fault are the ugly face of the Conservative Party and I want nothing to do with them.



This is a bit over the top isn’t it ? Any Conservative is bound to instinctively feel that the first duty of us all is to our own. I support David Cameron and always write in his support but this was a symbol and it was ill -timed and unlikely to play well at any time .This country comes first . Always.


Do you stand by those comments ?

Anonymous said...

That thong idea of Mr Sheppard's in uncannily similar (read: the same) as Boriswatch's thong:

http://www.printshop.co.uk/product.asp?siteid=92&prodcatid=167

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, of course...

Old BE said...

If the General Election and Mayoral election is on the same day....he will have to give up his MP seat

Is that a fact?

Unknown said...

jim 4:01pm says

"10 posts so far and not a single one praising or endorsing the appointment of Rob Wilson....says it all really."

Well let me be the first to endorse the decision. Rob has worked hard on the Education Select Committee and I am sure will bring a lot of energy to the role which will be scrutinised by thousands of students looking where to place their vote for the first time.

Sea Shanty Irish said...

I'm with Dan (halfway) in that my first thought upon seeing Iain's post headline was that the Tories were finally getting a clue.

Should have known better!

NOW am asking meself the question millions of Britons (well, several dozens at any rate)are asking themselves today: who the heck is Rob Johnson?

THAT said, even if Mr. Johnson is a functional illiterate who flunked out of barber college, he's STILL an improvement as shadow Ed Sec over Borish . . . whose own credentials for the post appear to consist of mastery of the Wall Game . . . and ability to hire competent ghost writers a la the last mass media hoor picked to challenge Red Ken, the (ig)noble Lord Archer.

Actually, methinks I can see PART of the logic at Tory HQ for selecting a noted buffoon to fly the True Blue colors. OF COURSE any Tory candidate is going to lose an all-London election. BUT yer BJ does have a keen appeal to the British funny bone. SO he may well pull sizeable - but not significant - support away from KL but most especially from the LIB DEMS - from voters seeking comic relief rather than competence or even coherence.

BTW, haven't seen the schedule: what section of London is Borish insulting TODAY???

Sea Shanty Irish said...

Am guessing that BJ MP will NOT have to give up his Henley-Now-Floating-on-Thames seat in order to run for London mayor, even if the elections are held the same day.

NOW if Borish was re-elected as MP AND elected as Mayor, he'd have to fish & cut bait. BUT he's got as much chance of beating Livingstone as Dick Whittington's dead cat.

Chris Paul said...

I'm not sure he would be stopped from being both by Tory rules? But if he didn't resign Henley it would be looked on as weakness in the fight for London so, though destined to lose, he would probably either need to resign or convince both electorates that he fully intended to do both jobs (and his media work) and how he would manage ...

And Mr Wilson ... Reading "East" a fantasy novel ... should be just right for the Tory shadowlands.

aardvark said...

Rob Wilson is likely to be around only until the next election. His majority in 2005 was only 475.

There was considerable disenchantment amongst previous Labour voters because the sitting Labour MP had been deselected.

Some years earlier he had stood as an SDP candidate in the local council elections.

His best chance of keeping the seat is if he stands for Labour next time.

Newmania said...

what section of London is Borish insulting TODAY???

When they finally decide comedy gives you cancer this is what we will be left with

Newmania said...

BUT he's got as much chance of beating Livingstone as Dick Whittington's dead cat.



Should scrape home then.I wonder if Labour would endorse a dead cat if they thought he was going to win. The stench could be little worse than it is with Mr. IRA as their new friend

Sea Shanty Irish said...

Thanks for underlining me best lines, Newmania!

RE: the IRA, are you preparing to mount an equally heartfelt protest against that arch-appeaser . . . wait fer it . . . the Rev. Dr. Ian Paisley??? Including organizing the Mayfair Branch of the REAL DUP???

RE: BJ, I note that you did NOT challenge my assertion that he's got an ace squad of ghosters just like JA.

RE: yer previous comment about the Rwanda trip, while I think ye have a point about the OPTICS while Middle England is floating away, don't you think that YOU are a bit "over the top" yourself? The Rwandans may live in a strange land far away, but nonetheless they are our brothers and sisters . . . a fact that is becoming ever clearer the further we all go into the 3rd millenium.

Anyway, thanks again for critiquing me own rantings & ravings!

dr spyn said...

There two Grammar Schools in Reading! Wonder if he has been in contact with them recently.

janestheone said...

I'd be surprised if he hadn't been in touch with the two grammar schools, they are both in his constituency and it would be crazy not to - he also, along with John Redwood, represents Reading University

Marginal Reading East might be, but he has incumbency, which does a candidate big favours so long as they have put the work in, as I found out. Good luck to him. He got elected because of the deselection of the Labour MP (me) but he'll keep the seat on his own merits, and there are those in Reading Labour Party that this suits just fine