Last Five Standing in Race to Replace Britain's BoJo

by Stephen Lendman

Think Britain is democratic?

Think again.

Like time and again — as in the US one-party state with two right wings — UK election-rigging is front and center against candidates in favor of governance of, for and by everyone equitably, who challenge ones supporting dirty business as usual.

In the race for UK prime minister, ordinary Brits are shut out of the process altogether.

MPs alone decide. On who'll succeed scandal-tainted BoJo, Tories get to choose because they hold a majority of seats in parliament.

To participate in the race for PM, aspirants must be nominated by at least 20 MPs.

At this time, the process is down to a final 5, including:

Former chancellor of the Exchequer (UK equivalent of the US Treasury secretary), Rishi Sunak.

Minister for State and Trade Policy, Penny Mordaunt.

Minister for State and Local Government, Faith and Communities, Kemi Badenoch.

Chairman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat.

Last and unquestionably worst of the worst in the race for Britain's top job, imitation foreign minister Liz Truss.

Snap poll results of who voters thought performed best after the first of 3 televised debates among the final 5 were as follows:

Tugendhat 36%

Sunak 25%

Mordaunt 12%

Badenoch 12%

Truss 6%

From July 18 - 21 in successive rounds of voting, Tories will whittle down the above 5 to a final 2 in the race to succeed BoJo as PM.

They'll spend remaining weeks of July and throughout August campaigning for Britain's top job — the winner to be announced on September 5.

According to politics professor, Mark Garnett:

"The most striking feature" of Friday's debate was lack of public trust in the above 5.

When members of a live audience were asked if they trusted UK politicians, not a single one raised a hand — for good reason.

No one in the race to succeed BoJo warrants public trust.

Politics professor Alistair Jones believes that Sunak and Mordaunt are most likely to be the final two, adding:

Imitation foreign minister Truss "performed the worst" among the final 5.

She self-inflicted "huge damage to the possibility of her becoming party leader and prime minister" during Friday's debate. 

Jones believes that Sunak "started off very weak, especially on the issue of trust, but grew into it through looking at the economy, looking at tax cuts."

At this time, he's most likely to be the next occupant of No. 10 — but things could change in the coming days.

Truss did herself no favors with her thinly veiled Margaret Thatcher imitation — mimicking how the former PM dressed by wearing a black blazer and white blouse with a so-called pussycat bow.

In her 1979 leadership debate, Thatcher dressed in similar fashion. 

Truss is no Iron Lady.

Among figures who served as UK foreign minister throughout the country's history, Truss ranks with the worst of the worst — making her the worst choice to succeed BoJo among the final 5.

Before banned from entering the Russian Federation last April, along with BoJo, war secretary Wallace and other regime officials, Truss wore a fur hat on a trip to Russia, two weeks before its SMO began — one similar to what Thatcher wore on a 1987 trip to Moscow.

And she mimicked the Iron Lady in  other ways — trying to transform herself into what she never was and isn't now.

According to one critic, she's like a little girl pretending to be grown up.

By July 21, the final two contenders to succeed BoJo will be known — the last man or woman standing to be known on September 5.

One thing already is clear.

Whoever occupies No. 10 will continue longstanding UK dirty business as usual — domestically by serving rich and powerful interests exclusively, abroad as an appendage of hegemon USA's forever wars on invented enemies by hot and/or other means.

A Final Comment

After Sergey Lavrov last met with Truss early last Feb., he said their meeting was like a conversation between mute and deaf people, adding:

Russian critics claim that Vladimir Putin is "waiting until the ground freezes like a stone so its tanks can easily cross into Ukrainian territory (sic)." 

"(T)he ground was like that today with" Truss.

Indisputable facts "we produced bounced off" her.

Dealing with her was like talking to a wall.

According to Russia's Kommersant broadsheet at the time:

During their closed-door meeting, Lavrov asked Truss if she recognized Russian sovereignty over Rostov and Voronezh in the country's south.

Britain will never recognize them as Russia, she replied — then had to be corrected by the BoJo regime's envoy to the Russian Federation.

Bilateral relations have been dismal for years, reaching rock-bottom after Russia's liberating SMO began.

As for who'll be Britain's next PM, the prospect for improved relations with Moscow is nil.

If Truss succeeds BoJo, perhaps direct confrontation between both countries will follow.