Tomás Ó Flatharta

Dirty personalized politics are ugly.

A British Tory statement about their former colleague Suella Braverman (and recent government minister) stated she had mental health problems. Some trusting souls may believe party leader Kemi Badenoch and her colleagues sincerely regret that low blow. Possibly, if bad publicity becomes a serious difficulty, a very junior staffer will be blamed and sacrificed. But don’t hold your breath.

Let’s remind ourselves of a similar, and famous, Lyndon Baines Johnson dirty trick which allegedly crushed an election opponent in 1950’s Texas.

“Christ, we can’t get away with calling him a pig-fucker,” the campaign manager protested.

“Nobody’s going to believe a thing like that”. “I know,” Johnson replied. “But let’s make the son of a bitch deny it.”

LBJ let the son of a bitch deny it dirty trick hoax

LBJ went on to greater things and became President of the USA in 1963 after John F Kennedy was assassinated.

Very little political substance divides the Badenoch tories and the Nigel Farage reformites.

A correspondent notes “Suella Braverman is clearly a bloody awful figure but (it is) a low blow for the Tory leadership to comment on her mental health.” “The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella’s mental health” is all a bit “she looks tired.” Braverman is a careerist racist. That’s more than enough to criticise.”

Mainstream British politics is in deep sewers.

This sludge has dangerous implications for Ireland. As things stand now Reform is on course to win the next British general election in 2029.

Braverman Desperate for the Limelight

Link :

Braverman desperate for the limelight

An excellent article :

Not another one! Having blogged on many occasions that Nigel Farage would never be so daft to take on Suella Braverman, on Monday he unveiled Reform’s latest star defector – Suella Braverman! There she was giggling on stage as if she was doing something very naughty, she launched into a hypocritical rant about how awful her old party was, how most Tory MPs would be better off sitting as Liberal Democrats, etc. Snore, bore, we’ve heard it all before.

Braverman moaned about being politically homeless for “two years” – but obviously was comfortable enough to stand as a Conservative candidate at the last general election. In reality, what she couldn’t stand was being out of the limelight. As Kemi Badenoch took over, there was little backbencher Braverman could do to attract attention as the new leader took the party even further rightwards. And now she’s back in it. Top billing in politics news, knocking the Andy Burnham fallout off its perch, hundreds of comments on Conservative Home, and she can look forward to framing the front pages tomorrow morning with her and Nige striking the old chums pose.

Farage justified taking her on because Reform have got to fill out “the experience” the party so far lacks in government. One might wonder if recruiting a bunch of clodhoppers responsible for the disasters of the worst administration in British political history is wise, seeing that many Reform supporters turned to the party because they were fed up of the chancers Farage’s recruitment drive keeps scooping up. For Braverman, she has the licence to say many of the racist things Sarah Pochin can’t and can do this far more effectively than Farage’s other misfits and turncoat failures. A useful idiot in the truest sense, the danger to Farage comes not from offending a liberal opinion that Labour, more than anyone else, has contrived to snuff out, but in reminding the more racist-minded core support of Reform that the woman who promised and failed to deliver the abominable Rwanda scheme is now making a living off the back of their party.

The Tory response was silly and apolitical, suggesting – at least initially – that Braverman’s defection had something to do with poor mental health. When, in fact, all she’s suffering from is incurable narcissism. By blowing up her membership, Braverman can enjoy her 24/48 hours as if she’s relevant again. But Reform in the Nigel Farage show. Yes, she can say racist things, but she cannot be allowed to have more exposure than the party’s dear leader. Her trajectory is on the Lee Anderson track, once a noted gobshite the media could not get enough off, and now a strangely cowed, strangely silent presence. Like a Sleeper bloke anonymously strumming in Louise Wener’s background. Cutting through and being a face again won’t be helped by further Tory defections as they seek their moments in the sun, and the prominence existing Farage minions, such as Zia Yusuf, and Laila Cunningham feel they’ve earned ahead of the conveyor belt of carpet baggers. A dictatorship Reform might be, the toxins and petty jealousies clinging to each imported recruit is sure to give the party bilious stomach cramps sooner or later.