Good, that will hopefully begin to draw a line under this story
Who do you think is more at fault here, Boris or Allegra?
Allegra given she was the one laughing not Boris and there is no evidence Boris was at this party yet either
The sight of you defending the honesty and integrity of our PM is providing splendid amusement this afternoon.
The woman on R5 who phoned in to say she'd joined the party because of Boris, and had just resigned her membership as it was obvious he was "lying through his teeth", is probably a shade more representative of the public mood.
Today's Opinium snap poll suggesting that 35% of 2019 Tory voters think Johnson should resign and only 49% think he shouldn't resign seems.... quite bad? I'm not sure how to contextualise this and don't think it's part of a regular sequence, but fewer than half of your voters at the last election being enthusiastic supporters of you carrying on in the job doesn't sound great. Can anyone put it into better (more informed) context?
So 65% of 2019 Tory voters do not want Boris to resign, that is key, he retains the support of most of his voters.
Unless Labour start to build a big poll lead and an alternative leader polls better v Starmer than Boris does or Boris is proved to have attended this party, Boris stays
I can't find the source now, but the full detail was 35% should resign, 49% shouldn't, balance don't know. It's not really accurate to say that 65% don't want him to resign - or at least not more accurate than saying 51% don't want him not to resign. But in any case I wasn't thinking of it in terms of whether he should resign (expecting Johnson to follow a course of action as a result of any kind of principle would obviously be a waste of energy) but rather in terms of its likely effect on party vote share. If party share tends towards leader approval, isn't there a risk that this scrubs off a third of the Tory share if he remains as leader?
Unless Labour gets a 10%+ lead in the polls in the next few polls no, all that will show is a few 2019 Tory voters are temporarily disgruntled with Boris but still prefer Boris to Starmer, which is the key thing
It'll be interesting to see what happens to opinions on Brexit. Is Boris so bound up with the idea and execution of Brexit that he drags opinion on the whole thing down with him, or is opinion on Brexit completely independent of views on Boris and he was simply a convenient mouthpiece for it?
Recent polling might tend to support the former - that he is tarring the image of Brexit in the public eye - but that may just be to do with general perceptions of how it's going (border admin, fishing tussles with France, all the article 16 noise). We'd be able to tell one way or the other if the Yougov tracker poll suddenly ticks up if Boris is replaced as leader.
Logically his troubles shouldn't tarnish Brexit because he never believed in Brexit. But the sort of people who voted for Brexit mainly because Boris Johnson told them to wouldn't realize this. So, yes, I can see that him being exposed to them as a clueless clown might give them cause for doubt about it.
First thing leaping out at me - wow! Angela Rayners got her Party Hair on, that looked so tbh I don’t know how to describe it but it certainly proper stand up stand out moment. I have to be fair about this because I only have a few face on blown up pictures of it, but no, I don’t like it. I’ve deleted the line where I scream Mars Attacks! It’s almost two ideas in one, something for the office in the front, something of the night rising up behind. And still that fringe! I love bangs I do, but she had to try something different with that new look, maybe curtains. Or just rethink what she was doing and go for a plan B. Love to have her round my flat and give her a lob like mine.
Probably lots of insight and wisdom in there (not that I understood a word of it) but I suspect, sadly, a rather ignorant audience on PB, which is probably largely outside the traditional demographic for styling tips.
Wayward hair being the least of many PB’ers worries.
I have spent another 2 days in North Shropshire. There are some changes from the last time I was there. There are now road diversions al over the constituency and they seem to be the major subject of local chat. There are now some signs of the election - but I reckon that 80% of the poster sites are Lib Dem. with 20% Conservative - nothing for the rest. Many of the Lib Dem sites are in field edges - signs that the farmers are not happy. I was told that Boris Johnson had to be escorted away by his security detail when he was booed during a visit earlier. Given the weather there are going to be major problems with turnout. Victory will go the those who have the best GOTV.
This quote from the nightclubs body just now is exactly why he's got to go. Quite simply, it's going to be open season now for everyone to challenge every governmental information on covid, at every step.
"You do, therefore, have to question the timing and rationale for this announcement. Is this sound evidence-based public policy making or is this an attempt to move the news agenda on from a damaging story about the Downing St Christmas party?
Comments
The woman on R5 who phoned in to say she'd joined the party because of Boris, and had just resigned her membership as it was obvious he was "lying through his teeth", is probably a shade more representative of the public mood.
4% higher than a week ago
Had fallen/stayed the same for 33 previous days
NE & Yorks still falling. NW + East steady. Four other regions up (6-10%)
https://twitter.com/HSJEditor/status/1468613357381070854?s=20
1) Cases up. Case growth up to the 50s group now.
2) Admissions up.
3) Deaths down
Elsewhere, hell no!
"You do, therefore, have to question the timing and rationale for this announcement. Is this sound evidence-based public policy making or is this an attempt to move the news agenda on from a damaging story about the Downing St Christmas party?