Is it true? It’s widely reported that there’s a plot afoot to rescue Boris from the mess he’s got himself  into, and to save his premiership from what threatens to be its rapid, ignominious and well-deserved end, to which the code-name ‘Operation Save Big Dog’ has been given: the title suggested, apparently, by Boris himself. From what can be gathered the plot consists of waiting for it all to ‘blow over’; putting all the blame on his underlings, and sacking some of them; polishing up and presenting what can be seen as some of his recent achievements (‘getting’ Brexit and the vaccine roll-out ‘done’); and putting forward some new ‘populist’ measures – cutting lockdown so that people can party, stationing troops on the south coast to deter immigrants, perhaps a bit of money for covid-sufferers, and some juicy ‘culture’ bones for his extreme right-wingers – to lure the ‘red wall’ back into the Big Dog’s embrace. If these don’t work, then of course there’s the ‘dead cat’ strategy (see last post). Or does he have something else up his sleeve?

Of course the most likely thing to ‘Save Big Dog’, at least in the short-medium term, is the fact that he has no obvious successor in the government – or even in his party – who has any ability or dignitas at all. Truss? Gove? Sunak (perhaps)? He sacked all the most experienced and competent of them before the last election, in order to over-promote the callow young (or youngish) Brexiters whose loyalty he thought he could rely on to see him through. Most of the most able Tory MPs were pro-Europeans. That leaves no-one for the Party to turn to, to do a good job of leadership, while at the same time keeping the Brexit flag flying still.

Well, we’ll see. In the meantime, I’m left wondering who really thought up that ‘Save Big Dog’ slogan. It seems awfully arrogant for the man himself. It sounds like something Carrie calls him in bed. ‘Come and snuggle up, you lovely big dog, you!’ Maybe, to win the voters back for hubby, she’s got another baby up her sleeve. (Or somewhere.) No, that wouldn’t do it.

Labour must be secretly hoping that he does survive. Just at present he’s an electoral liability for the Tories, who are ten points in the rear. And the next scheduled election isn’t for two years.