Sniggering at the Back

After an all-too-brief purdah of sullen silence, the National Johnson has taken up the modern equivalent of the elder statesman's mantle, namely the privilege of undermining his successor from the sidelines. Fortunately for the National Johnson's work ethic, both of his potential successors are long-term accomplices in his administration and have thereby made a fair British fist of undermining themselves. In the face of further increases to energy bills, Fishy Rishi's plans to help the public have been derisory and his rival's nonexistent; so the National Johnson has deployed his pea-shooter to express his absolute confidence that the winner will have a change of mind in a month or two. He did qualify the statement by proclaiming that the Conservatives would "continue to look after people as we’ve done throughout," viz. not at all; but it was still rather mean of him to imply that either of the contestants might favour handouts to the plebs instead of to their chums in the energy cartel.