David Cameron: "i Love Boris Johnson, And I Want Him To Stand As An Mp At The Next General Election"

[sp1814]

Okay...I'm paraphrasing, but the gist is that David Cameron has a big old man crush on Boris Johnson, and wants to bask in his reflected glory:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/10713216/David-Cameron-wants-Boris-Johnson-back-as-MP-for-next-election.html

How do you feel about this?

Personally, as a lifelong Labour voter (leftie liberal Islington coffee shop dweller), I feel conflicted. I genuinely like Old Boris and his sub-Debbie Harry blonde locks...but would his re-entry into national politics spell trouble for Dave? As a possible successor?

[237SJ]

He won`t be saying that if he eventually takes his job! Personally, I think Boris Johnson has a suitably flamboyant personality for the Mayor`s job but not for politics (at least not front line politics anyway)

[jno]

not sure what else he could say, really. If Cameron somehow wins the next election, though, he will be in a much stronger position than he is now - and Boris as a backbencher would be correspondingly weaker.

[Farriercm]

Well looking at the picture of Cambo in the telegraph , I instantly thought of Laurel and Hardy.

[naomi24]

If you aim to succeed, getting popular people on board can only be an asset. Dave knows the pitfalls.

[jno]

"keep your friends close and your enemies closer"

[naomi24]

Something like that.

[ludwig]

Why would someone wanting to be a successor to Cameron be a problem for Cameron? He's had his stint at PM, he'll retire off happy into the sunset.

I like Boris Johnson, but I don't think he's Prime Minister material, or even cabinet material. He hasn't got the gravitas - I think that's the word.
Mayor of London suits him perfectly. When he's finished doing that he should go back into journalism, or find a job on TV.

[naomi24]

Ludwig, //Why would someone wanting to be a successor to Cameron be a problem for Cameron? He's had his stint at PM, he'll retire off happy into the sunset. //

Exactly.

[Canary42]

Of course Cam wants him - he went to Eton, and what's more was a member of the Bullying Club.

Sorry, that should read Bullingdon.

[Gromit]

Osborne made a similar announcement earlier this month, which was interpreted as a plot...

// Some supporters of the mayor claimed the chancellor's camp had embarked on a deliberate attempt to thwart any future bid by Johnson to become Tory leader, according to the Mail on Sunday. It quotes an ally accusing Osborne of trying to "destabilise Boris".

"This is nothing to do with party loyalty and everything to do with Osborne and Cameron trying to destabilise Boris. He saw it coming a mile off. They want to make sure that if the Tories lose, Boris gets as much flak as they do and can't stand as leader as a 'break with the failed Cameron-Osborne regime'," the source was reported as saying. //

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/02/boris-johnson-george-osborne-rift-claims-grant-shapps

It is clear they want Johnson back in Westminster, probably so they can control him. He is far too popular for Dave and Gideon's liking. They are anticipating losing the next election so they want Boris to be part of that losing team. As it is, Boris can watch them fail and afterwards say "it had nothing to do with me, we lost the election because of Cameron and Osborne's policies.". By trying to get Boris fighting the next election on that manifesto, it will be harder for him to trash it when he vies for Party leader.

I posted a question three weeks ago on Osborne's call to Boris to stand at the 2015 election. That thread is here...

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1318988.html

[mikey4444]

dave is making sure that there will be a popular Tory leader in place, in time for the 2020 General Election. Of course it could also be a case that dave wants Boris inside the tent, p*ssing out, rather than outside the tent, p*ssing in !

[Zacs-Master]

Is UK politics heading toward the US model of a few years ago where it didn't really matter about the stature or the politician, just whether they were popular figures e.g. Reagan, Schwartzenegger, Eastwood?

[Svejk]

bit of an aside. but someone put £25,000 on the conservatives to win the next election, this week. i thought it might interest some of you.

[mikey4444]

Not sure who this person is Svejk. What odds did he get ?

I found thiese on the 'net this morning ::

http://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2014/01/04/youve-got-to-drop-to-number-89-on-labs-target-list-before-finding-a-seat-that-tories-are-betting-favourites-to-retain/

http://www.paddypower.com/bet/politics/other-politics/uk-politics?ev_oc_grp_ids=1195292

[Svejk]

i think it was 6/4. i suppose its only loose change to some people.

[mikey4444]

Well, £25k is a bl**dy fortune to me Svejk !

[grumpy01]

If Milliband wins next election the headline will be"will the last person leaving Britain please turn the lights out".Although the Conservatives may not be everyone's cup of tea surely anything is better than letting Ed Balls into "No. 11".

[Svejk]

does anybody like ed balls???

[mikey4444]

Are you quoting from the well known intellectuals newspaper, The Sun grumpy ?

Here is another Sun front page :::

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_The_Sun_Wot_Won_It

This appears just 5 years before the Labour victory of 1997, the biggest lanslide since 1945, by which time even The Sun had given up supporting Mr Mer Mer Major.

[mikey4444]

Svejk...not many I would think. I am not all that keen myself. Which makes it even more difficult to understand why Labour have been consistently ahead of the Tories since early 2011, just a few months after the 2010 election.