Comments by "gerhard7" (@gerhard7323) on "Boris, Trump and the revenge of the technocrats | The spiked podcast" video.

We're all tempted by or guilty of overusing the word 'populism', but it's basically an insult thrown at anyone whom we disagree with nowadays. Like the words 'Nazi', 'Fascist' or 'racist' it's been overused and abused to the point where it's fast becoming meaningless.
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Bojo was seen in some Conservative circles, not least by the man himself, as an election winner after the 2019 result and the collapse of the Red Wall seats. This was always delusional. 2019 was treated as a de facto second referendum by many, particularly in the Brexit voting north and including me who would never vote Tory in a million years normally. The Libdems promised to reverse the 2016 referendum result and Labour effectively did the same with a sprinkling of sophistry designed to confuse and Bojo's Tories pledged,very simply and catchily, to 'Get Brexit Done'. The Tories won an 80 seat majority not because of Boris, but because they were the ONLY party pledging to honour that 2016 result. It's NOT complicated and it WASN'T because of Boris.
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It's not just Bojo's neck which should be on the block here. It's that whole sh*tshower, many of whom are still in Parliament and the devolved parliaments, who constantly postured and politicked for their own selfish ends and pushed for ever stronger, longer, sooner more Draconian measures during COVID. Bojo is a crowd pleasing useful idiot, but it's obvious that he's being scapegoated here by a bunch of spineless, self-serving bigger idiots hiding in the shadows who are desperate that this all goes away and someone, anyone other than them is held responsible for this entirely avoidable debacle we're still paying for and will paying for for years to come.
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It's easier. Partygate can apparently easily be pinned on the actions of one man whereas the imposition of lockdowns were the responsibility of almost our entire political, media and medical establishment. Arguably with the complicity of a majority of the population. Though no fan of Boris it's called scapegoating and he, poor shmuck, has drawn the short straw. Wrong person, wrong place, wrong time. Our nominated sin eater to atone for ALL our largely self inflicted sins.
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@christinerussell113 100% agree. In terms of those still intent on overturning the 2016 result I no longer see them as undemocratic but as anti-democratic. Given the technocratic, centralized nature of the political project they're championing it's not exactly difficult to see why they're so enamoured with it. It effectively took over 20 hard fought often bitter years to get to that referendum via legal democratic means and some people still think they can somehow just ignore its result. Worst thing is they invariably think they're 'good' or 'better' people for thinking it.
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