The Churchill Legacy

Boris Johnson claims to have the mantle of Churchill, but his threats to deselect MPs have led to Winston Churchill's grandson to having the whip removed, and potentially deselected for standing as an MP.

Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames says being deselected is the "fortunes of war".

He said he had voted against the party just three times in 37 years, but joined 21 Tory MPs, including a number of ex-cabinet ministers and opposition parties to defeat the government.

Opposition MPs and some Conservative rebels want to delay the UK's departure from the European Union, due at the end of October, if agreement isn't reached with Brussels

Ironically when Winston Churchhill encouraged 30 MPs to break ranks from Neville Chamberlain's government plans, he was also subjected to a threat of deselection. Churchill was only able to avoid a vote to deselect him as MP for Epping by making it known he would trigger a by-election and run as an independent if such a motion were passed.

Chamberlain bitterly attacked him for ‘undermining his negotiating position’ at Munich and there was a deselection attempt.”. And Lady Willingdon went further: “Those traitors — Winston Churchill … and his like should be shot”

Chamberlain wanted a deal approved with Germany, while Johnson wants the UK to crash out of Europe without a deal, but what both have in common is the ruthless lack of respect for different points of view which still adhere to the last Conservative manifesto.

Leslie Hore-Belisha, remarked that the “Conservative party machine is even stronger than the Nazi party machine. It may have a different aim, but it is similarly callous and ruthless.”

It certainly is under Boris Johnson, who is determined to "take back control" - from Parliament and to his own government. Perhaps he better emulates Oliver Cromwell, who also had a similar disrespect and disdain for Parliament.

Cromwell harangued MPs on the floor of the House of Commons for being self-serving and then his troops forcibly shut down Parliament. He was a a revolutionary who toppled a king, only to become a despot himself.

And who opposed Theresa May and helped topple her?

"Governments which have a regard to the common interest are constituted in accordance with strict principles of justice, and are therefore true forms; but those which regard only the interest of the rulers are all defective and perverted forms, for they are despotic ." (Aristotle)