Comparison to the Republicans in the U.S. made in yesterday's 'i'. They too protected Trump by lying to protect him, even the two who were a bit critical and realised what damage was being done to the Republican party then swallowed their criticism, and one even flew to Mar-a-Lago 'to pay homage' to the orange one, pathetic. "In reality, the Republican party surrendered its principles to Trumpism long before that final shocking moment, averting its gaze from first small and then larger outrages - because he was winning and because they feared his base. The huge crisis did not come out of the blue. It was the culmination of many events that normalised a culture of rule-breaking."" The U.K. Prime Monster has not fomented insurrection or attempted to rig an election, though he did unlawfully suspend Parliament over Brexit. His misdeed are mostly offences of self- gratification. But there is a warning to the Conservative Party in the path trodden by their political soulmates across the Atlantic. Once you surrender your commitment to core values, it is hard to hold on to your party.So, as Tories prevaricate over how to respond to The Prime Minster's fine for attending a Downing Street party in a pandemic lockdown - the question they must ask is how many blind eyes they can turn before their party, too, is lost?"The final paragraph is the killer. "Johnson's contempt for the rules is dragging down his party and more important, faith in the system. Only opposition weakness keeps the Tories afloat. His Chancellor and his staff are already tainted. Eventually his party will be too. There may be a cost for bringing Johnson down, but ultimately there will be a higher one for failing to do so."
Vanessa Smith ● 1621d