Most of us by now will recognize an adulterated Turkish proverb doing the rounds: “When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” Well, Boris, the clown has resigned and everyone hopes the circus will leave town along with the rest of the clowns, to be replaced with saner voices. But there is a question in all this: Why is he still sitting in Parliament doing PMQs? Has he really resigned? It would appear not. What is really going on here? For more, read on…
In his resignation (?) speech – ‘resignation’ is said with reservations – Boris stated he was going to stay on as caretaker PM until a new PM is announced in September. Effectively, he is still PM until September, with a caretaker cabinet. In the meantime the good people of the UK are faced with the unenviable spectacle of the Tories choosing a leader, not that the public will have anything to do with it. Party members choose the leader of the party, the latter being unelected. The people elect the ruling party, not the chief executive (PM). That’s British (and Australian) democracy for you. Americans think they choose their president, too, but that’s another story.
Boris was actually required by Ministerial Code to have resigned long ago, if anyone in his party had called him out, or if Labour had succeeded in a no-confidence move. But they were all complicit in the UK’s political circus. By British law the basic principles involved are set out in the Ministerial Code. Paragraph 1.3 c states:
‘It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity. Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister’.
Bolding added. But wait: The code applies to ministers serving under the PM, not the PM himself. Well, there is more, referring back to the code:
“First, since it refers to transgressing ministers needing to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister, it could be read as applying to ministers other than the Prime Minister, but not the Prime Minister. However, in January this year, the Leader of the Opposition obtained clarification on this point. He put it to Johnson in the Commons that: ‘[t]he ministerial code says that: “Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation”. Does the Prime Minister believe that applies to him?’ Johnson replied ‘Of course’. On this basis Johnson seemed to accept that a Prime Minister – who cannot offer a resignation to themselves – would, if they had knowingly misled Parliament, simply be expected to resign (presumably involving, as a formality, offering their resignation to the monarch).”
And there you go, defeated by BJ’s own interpretation of the code. In case you don’t know, BoJo offended that ministerial code at every turn. It is one of the big reasons why Whitehall (British equivalent to America’s ‘Deep State’) turned against him. He is an inveterate liar. In the end it was his character that brought him down, being the type of character he is. But not even the ‘100% support’ from 100 of the richest men in England could save him this time. When all is said and done, it was the lying that got Boris in the end. The whole of the UK knows it, yet it has been going on since he ascended to the position – or rather, since he was placed there. We will get to the latter point in a bit, but the following pretty well describes the mood of the British public:
There is one thing to keep in mind about Boris. Though he plays the clown to the public, he is very focused on his own self-interest and toes the line of the billionaires. With his Gemini Sun and Libra rising he is adept at playing both sides of the fence, or both sides of many fences, at once. One might be inclined to say that all of politics is a show. But in the case of Boris Johnson that is literally the truth. BoJo has been called ‘the billionaires’ bitch’ and not without good reason. But first we’ll have a look at some astrology. Boris’ ‘resignation’ chart is below (bigger):
The necessity for his alleged resignation is shown by the directed Saturn on his Vertex and opposite his Moon, the latter ruling his 10th house – public standing and career. That direction was activated in the few days before by transiting Mars, which was on the directed Saturn and across from his Moon. That Mars/Saturn combination indicates extreme weakness and a possible death/end of a situation.
In addition, his directed Ascendant squared his natal Uranus, showing him the need to change his direction. Then the situation begins to turn murkey in terms of public perception. We find directions of Jupiter and Neptune to his natal Ascendant, Jup/Nep=Asc; “The inclination to live in an unreal world, sharing great hopes with others, speculating.” Boris has a plan. Not all is as it seems with his ‘resignation’. The latter is reinforced by the next direction and transit to consider.
At his alleged resignation Boris’ natal Jupiter/Neptune opposition was on full display and activated. The most obvious qualities of that opposition were on display at the time: “A poor speculation, seduction, a scandal which is caused through one’s own instability, losses. (Political conflicts)” A direction of Mercury completed the picture, forming the apex of a t-square at the event, Mer=Jup/Nep: “An active and intense imagination, rich powers of perception and visualization, the gift of inspiration. – The raising of hopes, the tendency to talk a lot, also to put on an act.”
To put the capper on the preceding, transiting Sun had just crossed over Boris’ MC and was trine his Neptune and sextile his Jupiter, giving him an inspiration. What that is will become clear in the months ahead, and it is shown by another direction, of Jupiter to the MC. We should note as well Jupiter was squaring his natal Ascendant on the day, rendering him overly optimistic, which was shown in the almost cavalier presentation of his so-called resignation. Why do I keep saying ‘so-called’? Have a listen to the following, which will give some clarity to what is taking place in the UK:
Mention was made in the video that BoJo will attempt to shape the party as a part of his legacy. He is already actively pursuing that, which we will see when we look at the chart of the UK in a bit. Many people may not want to hear it, but Boris is coming in for a soft landing. It is shown clearly in the direction of Jupiter to his MC. Starting in about nine months. That is followed by a direction of Venus to his Ascendant in mid-2023, and quickly thereafter by Neptune to the IC in August of ’23. It will be game-on for Boris at that point, probably with the aim of making some kind of political comeback. Brace yourselves and be aware. In the meantime, we have the search for a sacrificial lamb, which fits into the plans the very rich and powerful have for the UK.
So far in the UK we have the following Tories stumping for the approval of their party leadership, otherwise known as ‘the Hateful Eight’, a play on Tarantino’s 2015 revisionist Western. The plot to that film sounds similar to Tory politics these days. The BBC lists the candidates still standing, along with the polling on the top five contenders. We’ll list them below in order of their BBC polling:
- Rishi Sunak, a.k.a ‘Dishy Rishi’. Speaking of Vice, “Posh white women adore him, making the rest of the world realise they can too!” (Bucket, please) It is not the sort of realization most UK citizens want in today’s British politics, but the billionaires do. He leads the field at present with 88 votes and is looking increasingly to be the next British PM — maybe. Things can change at the flip of a pence, however.
‘Dishy’ is a billionaire’s dream candidate: ex-Goldman Sachs, married to a billionaire’s daughter, net worth close to a ¾ billion pounds himself, educated in private boarding schools (a must for Conservative pollies) and eventually Oxford, hedge fund manager…a picture forms. Politically he wants “deregulation, low tax and low public spending – it’s where his heart is.” And he ‘came out of nowhere’. Sure. There is big money behind this boy. Be careful, UK. He does not have the heart of Britain close to his heart.
- Penny Mordaunt, whose jingoistic campaign video is an insult to Gustav Holst. I can think of another piece that would have been more appropriate (turn up the volume). She should pay more attention to her optics, too – the flag in the background of her campaign poster is turned the wrong way. Maybe assistants or producers being cheeky? At least she has an interest in astronomy. She can maybe land a spot on the next British version of Dancing With the Stars. Most British would probably like to send her to the moon, given her record.
- Liz Truss. A lack of Truss in UK politics would probably be desirable, and looks increasingly to be the case, at least as PM. If she gets ousted in the voting rounds, then we can say ‘tanks’ for the memories. If she makes it to PM (perish the thought) she would be the ideal sacrificial lamb, maybe with a nice spread of cheese afterward. Perhaps a nice, ripe Stilton would be the go.
The rest of the field in the BBC poll didn’t make the grade in the first round of voting, and who will now be scrambling for enough votes to stay in the race. They are, in order of votes:
- Kemi Badenoch Like, who outside the UK has heard of her? Yet the conservative press is calling her ‘Labour’s worst nightmare’. Perhaps in their own nightmares. Her husband works for Deutsche Bank, that pillar of ethical banking practice. Kemi – Can we call her Kemi? – ticks some liberal, multicultural boxes, as in ‘intelligent, straight-talking, young, black, female, a first-generation immigrant’. The first two qualities make her out of place in the Conservative Party. She probably won’t get far, as ‘multicultural is not what the billionaires are looking for.
- Tom Tugendhat, favoring himself as a warmonger, one without a clue. Ronald Reagan is his political hero, if that tells you anything. Just think “Reaganomics” and the clues to Tom’s economic policies may begin to trickle down. Going to war with Russia and China is not exactly what the billionaires have in mind for the UK. That again, is another story.
- Suella Braverman, that warrior against cultural Marxism, who, “wants to get rid of all this woke rubbish”, with claims she is on the right wing of the Conservatives, if that is even possible. She toes the party line. Perhaps she might have some promise, as in being a candidate that pulls enough votes away from either of the two top contenders to cause a ‘shock’ upset in the leadership choice. Just remember, this is all scripted.
There are two who were eliminated in the first round
- Nadhim Zahawi, Chancellor of the Exchequer (for the moment). Everyone should have heated stables. We can’t have the horses freezing while there is an energy crisis, can we? Trump banned him and his wife from travelling to the US under Trump’s Muslim travel ban. It was one thing Trump did right. Need we say more? Goodbye. You better hope Trump doesn’t make a 2nd term.
- Jeremy Hunt, a Remainer, like Truss (and one reason she would not make the grade) and metropol liberal, who at one time was said to be ‘a replacement for Boris Johnson on the world stage’. With all his ‘empathy and compassion’ he went on to destroy the NHS. Good riddance.
There are two who had bowed out of the race before the first round of voting, but who bear a mention, if we can bear it, because they will likely wind up in cabinet posts. They are:
- Grant Shapps wanted to transport the Tories to their next big election win, or to oblivion as the case may be. At least he was smart enough to drop out of the race, but maybe not that smart, as he endorses ‘Dishy Rishi’ for PM. Shapps would like to increase ‘defense’ spending and prepare the nation for “high-intensity warfare”, which the Conservative Party will likely see in its ranks for some time into the future.
- Sajid Javid, your typical neoconservative and Thatcherite. What’s to like? A regular attendee of US neocon think tanks, like the American Enterprise Institute. Anyone who identifies Ayn Rand as an inspiration should be avoided like the plague, likewise if they rub shoulders with the likes of Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and John Bolton, ‘Mr. McCoup’. Talk about the ‘special relationship’…‘nuff said.
Runoff votes will continue over the coming days. We’ll all wait with bated breath – or horror – to see who makes the cut on September 5th. It will make little difference who it is, however, as all the candidates essentially stand for the same policies that were being pushed under Johnson’s time in office – except for one candidate in particular. But before looking at that we must turn to the chart of the UK. The astrology for the UK on the date of BJ’s ‘resignation’ is below (bigger):
There are two main features; The first is the direction of Pluto, though finished aspecting the angles (which signalled the whole Brexit drama in Parliament when Boris was put in place) It is now applying to its square with the Sun, signifying leadership challenges and the vitality of the nation. Currently the direction has just passed over the Sun/MC midpoint, which was exact on Jun 6th: Plu=Sun/MC: “A violent attainment of one’s aims, the desire to attain leadership by the use of force. – The realization of extraordinary and unusual plans, a tragic destiny.” That ‘tragic destiny’ applies to the British people instead of Boris.
The next factor that stands out is the transit of Saturn opposite its natal position, which is a most difficult transit, bringing the realities of one’s path going forward firmly into light. In other words, any mistakes one has made are highlighted. It can be seen as a corrective transit. It is also square the UK Ceres, showing a turning point in thr nation’s destiny.
Then there is the direction of Pluto to the UK Sun. There are a couple of manifestations worth noting: “The striving for power, the craving for rulership, the power of attainment” and “persons accustomed to rule others (martyrs of their own ideas).” The italicized point is rather hopeful, though the period ahead for the UK is going to be fraught with challenges. That brings us to Penny Mordaunt.
If you want to see who the Big Money wants in office you look to the financial and conservative newspapers. In th UK they are starting to talk about Mordaunt, who says, “I’m the candidate Labour fear the most” – music to the ears of the likes of Rupert Murdoch, whose papers were first and foremost in the smear campaign against Corbyn.
Why should anyone be concerned about Mordaunt, given no one was talking about her as a serious candidate a few weeks ago? The clues are there – she appeared in the running without much ado, and now is second-place in the 1st round. The Sun trumpets that ‘Mordaunt crushes Sunak’ in a poll of 800 Conservative members. Maybe, but 800 is not a large sample, though suggestive. The Times did a piece on a little-known book she wrote, saying, “Not only was it a manifesto for the future of the country but it attracted extraordinary acclaim from the great and the good.” (Emphasis added) Just who the ‘great and the good’ are we can leave to the imagination. But rest assured, it is not the British public. The lede picture of the Times article shows her sitting in the pilot seat of a fighter jet, with the ejection seat warning clearly noted. The British public should learn more about Ms Penelope and eject her from consideration as PM, for reasons to follow. The Times and The Sun are both Murdoch newspapers.
Then, there is her astrology. This is one ambitious woman, showing she knows what she wants, knows how to go about getting it and has the energy to outlast more feeble souls. She is a double-Piscean (Sun and Moon), with Sun square Saturn (in Gemini) and Sun sextile Mars (in ambitious Capricorn). These are ‘presidential’ aspects. Mars and Saturn are quincunx. And if she was born later in the day (no time of birth for her. Maybe British astrologers can help there.) she was born at the new moon, which adds to her powers of concentration. I wouldn’t be placing any bets on Sunak being the future PM. The Times article linked above calls her “A candidate with a radical syle” – as in a radical libertarian. This is shown in her Sun/Uranus midpoints to Pluto and Jupiter. The billionaires want Mordaunt.
There is a big, flashing warning light with Mordaunt. She ticks all the boxes with the policies of the present herd of Conservatives (CINOs – Conservative in name only), which we need not reiterate. Her voting record speaks for itself. But on the whole, she is an extreme Thatcherite, hobnobs with the neoliberal set in the US, is an advocate of “…freeports’, aka charter cities, aka Special Economic Zones (SEZs).” This is Brexit material, as in the real reason behind Brexit. It is also WEF material, also known as the ‘new feudalism’. Implementation of freeports and special economic zones would be the end of the UK as a unified entity and render it kind of like the old kingdoms from the Middle Ages, with modern chracteristics, presided over by an oligarch or group of them. If this sounds farcical, do some reading. Penny Mordaunt puts another spin on the US/UK ‘special relationship’.
The UK is presently experiencing some very serious difficulties, which could become much worse if a hard-line Tory like Mordaunt makes it to the PM’s seat. The concern with such a turn of events is very similar to what the US faces with its leadership – that economic difficulties and public unrest will attract a smart and ambitious far-right leader who would lead the country to fascism.
With the UK here is the looming Brexit Freedoms Bill due later this year, which would ‘cut red tape’ (code for cutting remaining EU regulations and leaving the UK open to a more forceful libertarian program of austerity). There is the looming recession, already in progress, with supply chain shocks from both COVID and Brexit. There are rising cases of COVID once again, from a new variant. There is the continuing support for the Ukrainian failed state, further draining government coffers and distracting the public. We could go on, but the picture is clear enough. The UK needs a leader to pull the public out of this morass instead of more of the same, the latter of which all the candidates above would bring, and probably more stridently.
So, we’ll see what September brings in terms of a new PM, if not before. Or, if the public has had enough – regardless of who fronts for PMQs in the future – and continues to rise in protests and with strikes, then the UK in the near future could be something completely different. If not, the circus will continue, this time with scary clowns:
Anyway, coming back to the main character of this piece, Boris is bowing out of the ‘best job in the world’, as he described it. Will he try to return? Who knows? But by that time, starting probably early next year, the British public will have more urgent matters on their minds, like the economy and making ends meet. If it seems bad now, wait until winter. The whole of the West will be in similar straits, especially if we try to keep the anti-Russia fiasco going. And it has turned out to be a true fiasco, hurting Europe far more than the US or Russia. But Boris goes out with his head held high, he says. Most British would like to see it hoisted on a pike. The job didn’t exactly work out as he planned, but in the rough-and-tumble of politics, them’s the breaks, Boris.
Featured pic from Politico