I'm trying to imagine what this "much worse" lockdown behaviour could possibly be. A mass orgy involving staff from all departments in Whitehall ? Using Downing Street as a brothel ?
What a strange statement. are they currently flying by owl or something to Graham Brady?
I think there are 25 letters already submitted and maybe 40 to go in the moment anything new/bad emerges, plus maybe few dozen more if the Gray report is bad.
GRAY
GIRL REMOVES AILING YOB
G
R
A
Y
Speaking of which, I'm disappointed only you and @Stuartinromford worked out the awesomeness of that pun on whips, 54 and Grey/Gray. I was quite pleased with that one, but obviously I was far too subtle.
Nah, I made the first Fifty Shades of Grey political pun back in 2017.
Supposedly it was today - if the Sun article a linked to earlier is correct.
It is hard to see that Boris can resign without telling Cabinet first, so we can probably rule that out then.
Is it - I can see Boris doing just that. Heck I could imagine Boris randomly announcing it half way through PMQs almost without realising he is doing it.
And he might have told them today. Or I am sure there's a cabinet whatsapp.
I can't believe this Cabinet wouldn't already have leaked such a revelation.
Vaguely on topic, the Conservatives won 75% of the LEAVE vote at the time in December 2019 (at that stage, the split was 52-48 for REMAIN). In addition and this is what won them the 80-seat majority, they won just shy of 20% of the REMAIN vote.
Who were these Johnson-voting Remainers? Many were, like @HYUFD, loyalist Conservatives who followed David Cameron in 2016 but had opted after the result to switch sides and there were also those who voted REMAIN but for whom the prospect of Corbyn was anathema.
That extra 10% of so of the electorate gave Johnson his majority - he has succeeded in frittering that away in the past few months so we now see Labour polling above 40% and into majority or near-majority territory.
David Gauke @DavidGauke This means that the Prime Minister - the man who made these decisions - should have an in-depth understanding of the restrictions he had decided to impose. He shouldn't need someone else to tell him that a drinks party in his garden was against the rules. /END
I'm trying to imagine what this "much worse" lockdown behaviour could possibly be. A mass orgy involving staff from all departments in Whitehall ? Using Downing Street as a brothel ?
Blood orgy to summon Satan?
Well, that seems unnecessary. If Cummings is to be believed, he was invited by email instead.
David Gauke @DavidGauke This means that the Prime Minister - the man who made these decisions - should have an in-depth understanding of the restrictions he had decided to impose. He shouldn't need someone else to tell him that a drinks party in his garden was against the rules. /END
What a strange statement. are they currently flying by owl or something to Graham Brady?
I think there are 25 letters already submitted and maybe 40 to go in the moment anything new/bad emerges, plus maybe few dozen more if the Gray report is bad.
GRAY
GIRL REMOVES AILING YOB
G
R
A
Y
Girl? Distinguished 65 year old married woman?
Patronise the fuck out of the fluffy haired little darlings, just spell their names right.
Iain Martin @iainmartin1 · 16m But we're all missing something, a Tory MP told me today: "Boris thought the rules were ridiculous." So bending/breaking rules came naturally to him. Problem - he imposed those rules on the rest of us. If they were ridiculous rules, well, he was PM with power to change them.
Is New Zealand officially completely screwed? Have they had so few deaths, and so unaccepting therefore of attributable deaths (even at prior flu levels) from Covid that they now have no way to open up their country ever again? 92% double vaccinated. Little or no evidence of Omicron causing serious illness for the double vaccinated (not even boosted) to any material historical level.
And... borders almost completely sealed to New Zealanders and foreigners alike.
Iain Martin @iainmartin1 · 16m But we're all missing something, a Tory MP told me today: "Boris thought the rules were ridiculous." So bending/breaking rules came naturally to him. Problem - he imposed those rules on the rest of us. If they were ridiculous rules, well, he was PM with power to change them.
To be fair, not everyone has missed this. Julia HB has been banging on about it.
Well, lots of government rules are ridiculous. Face masks in schools spring to mind without any effort at all.
But that only makes it more important that those making them should not break them. Otherwise, it goes from ridiculous to unfair, unfair to unenforceable and from there it's a short step to discrediting laws entirely.
David Gauke @DavidGauke This means that the Prime Minister - the man who made these decisions - should have an in-depth understanding of the restrictions he had decided to impose. He shouldn't need someone else to tell him that a drinks party in his garden was against the rules. /END
One ally of Boris Johnson attacked the “grey wolf” intake from 2019 saying they are “called the grey wolves because they were not socialised in parliament during the pandemic”
This came after 20 2019 MPs met at 1pm to discuss what should happen to the PM
…. Some of these MPs wanted to move against the PM before the Sue Gray report, but several did not. Some want the cover of moving in a group, others determined to act come what may.
Most think confidence vote still after Gray reports (timing: 60% likely to be next week)
Tonight Boris Johnson is seeing at least one 2019 MP who was at lunchtime meeting (whips took names)
Many MPs tell me the whipping operation to support Boris Johnson has been half hearted and “meh”
Several MPs told me today it was the settled will of the Tory party to remove Boris Johnson
But with no agreement on how, when (one suggested next year) and most importantly who (expect a huge field inc Sunak Truss Zahawi Mordaunt & others) the future path not 100% set
The Tories won most seats in 2019 as they did in 2017 because of Corbyn yes.
The Tories only won a majority of 80 in 2019 however because of redwall voters voting to get Brexit done and for Boris.
Even the chart shows plenty of voters in 2019 did not vote Labour because of its stance on Brexit, whether Leavers in the redwall voting Tory or Remainers in London voting LD.
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
If some of the SPADs are mad we have ourselves a Dr. Seuss book.
The Spads are mad The whips have flipped The Wallers are head banging The polls have dipped The cabinets plotting The Parties are done The Squirrels a consoling The Big Doggies Bone
David Gauke @DavidGauke This means that the Prime Minister - the man who made these decisions - should have an in-depth understanding of the restrictions he had decided to impose. He shouldn't need someone else to tell him that a drinks party in his garden was against the rules. /END
What a strange statement. are they currently flying by owl or something to Graham Brady?
I think there are 25 letters already submitted and maybe 40 to go in the moment anything new/bad emerges, plus maybe few dozen more if the Gray report is bad.
GRAY
GIRL REMOVES AILING YOB
G
R
A
Y
Girl? Distinguished 65 year old married woman?
Patronise the fuck out of the fluffy haired little darlings, just spell their names right.
It does look like Boris is finished, with even virtually all PB Tories calling for his scalp. However, I think getting rid of him is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a revival in Tory fortunes.
I reckon that the presumption that the Tories will recover under a new leader, probably Sunak, is, well, presumptuous. Boris has not just tarnished himself; he has tarnished the brand, including all the sycophants who worshipped him despite knowing that he was nothing more than a lovable (sic) rogue - until they didn't worship him any more.
Similarly, the presumption that Starmer would quietly prefer Boris to hang on, is I think, wrong. Boris going would be a significant scalp for Starmer, despite the fact that he will have played very little part in his downfall - it's still a victory for the opposition to remove a sitting PM, whatever the reasons.
Corbyn didn't get any credit for outlasting Cameron and May, though.
Starmer isn't Corbyn, though. Not sure that's a worthwhile comparison.
Iain Martin @iainmartin1 · 16m But we're all missing something, a Tory MP told me today: "Boris thought the rules were ridiculous." So bending/breaking rules came naturally to him. Problem - he imposed those rules on the rest of us. If they were ridiculous rules, well, he was PM with power to change them.
To be fair, not everyone has missed this. Julia HB has been banging on about it.
Well, lots of government rules are ridiculous. Face masks in schools spring to mind without any effort at all.
But that only makes it more important that those making them should not break them. Otherwise, it goes from ridiculous to unfair, unfair to unenforceable and from there it's a short step to discrediting laws entirely.
Yes.
It's not merely about enforcing the rules to the same rigour as the rest of us but actually going even further, even more scrupulously observing the rules to the letter (a) to ultimately set the example that the country is expected to follow and (b) precisely BECAUSE every single instance of you taking the piss out of the rules you set for everyone else is going to be jumped on like a bunch of man-eating piranhas.
If Boris can't see that he deserves everything that's coming to him.
What a strange statement. are they currently flying by owl or something to Graham Brady?
I think there are 25 letters already submitted and maybe 40 to go in the moment anything new/bad emerges, plus maybe few dozen more if the Gray report is bad.
GRAY
GIRL REMOVES AILING YOB
G
R
A
Y
Girl? Distinguished 65 year old married woman?
Patronise the fuck out of the fluffy haired little darlings, just spell their names right.
Back in the middle of the year, I waited for a time when the Covid map at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map/cases allowed me to take an imaginary walk from Land's End to the Scottish border only passing through contiguous white areas (*).
Now the map's got the first blue authorities on for some time, anyone like to guess when that'll next be possible?
I'm going for mid-March; say March 15th. Last year, the problem areas were either Land's End (obviously blocking the walk), or the Liverpool to Hull axis.
(*) From memory, representing 0-3 cases in that area.
One ally of Boris Johnson attacked the “grey wolf” intake from 2019 saying they are “called the grey wolves because they were not socialised in parliament during the pandemic”
This came after 20 2019 MPs met at 1pm to discuss what should happen to the PM
…. Some of these MPs wanted to move against the PM before the Sue Gray report, but several did not. Some want the cover of moving in a group, others determined to act come what may.
Most think confidence vote still after Gray reports (timing: 60% likely to be next week)
Tonight Boris Johnson is seeing at least one 2019 MP who was at lunchtime meeting (whips took names)
Many MPs tell me the whipping operation to support Boris Johnson has been half hearted and “meh”
Several MPs told me today it was the settled will of the Tory party to remove Boris Johnson
But with no agreement on how, when (one suggested next year) and most importantly who (expect a huge field inc Sunak Truss Zahawi Mordaunt & others) the future path not 100% set
What can Boris offer a 2019 intake Red Wall MP - Boris is going to be gone well before the next election and that MP needs actual thinks he/she can point at and say - I got you that.
One ally of Boris Johnson attacked the “grey wolf” intake from 2019 saying they are “called the grey wolves because they were not socialised in parliament during the pandemic”
This came after 20 2019 MPs met at 1pm to discuss what should happen to the PM
…. Some of these MPs wanted to move against the PM before the Sue Gray report, but several did not. Some want the cover of moving in a group, others determined to act come what may.
Most think confidence vote still after Gray reports (timing: 60% likely to be next week)
Tonight Boris Johnson is seeing at least one 2019 MP who was at lunchtime meeting (whips took names)
Many MPs tell me the whipping operation to support Boris Johnson has been half hearted and “meh”
Several MPs told me today it was the settled will of the Tory party to remove Boris Johnson
But with no agreement on how, when (one suggested next year) and most importantly who (expect a huge field inc Sunak Truss Zahawi Mordaunt & others) the future path not 100% set
Iain Martin @iainmartin1 · 16m But we're all missing something, a Tory MP told me today: "Boris thought the rules were ridiculous." So bending/breaking rules came naturally to him. Problem - he imposed those rules on the rest of us. If they were ridiculous rules, well, he was PM with power to change them.
To be fair, not everyone has missed this. Julia HB has been banging on about it.
Well, lots of government rules are ridiculous. Face masks in schools spring to mind without any effort at all.
But that only makes it more important that those making them should not break them. Otherwise, it goes from ridiculous to unfair, unfair to unenforceable and from there it's a short step to discrediting laws entirely.
Yes.
It's not merely about enforcing the rules to the same rigour as the rest of us but actually going even further, even more scrupulously observing the rules to the letter (a) to ultimately set the example that the country is expected to follow and (b) precisely BECAUSE every single instance of you taking the piss out of the rules you set for everyone else is going to be jumped on like a bunch of man-eating piranhas.
If Boris can't see that he deserves everything that's coming to him.
It really is astonishing that anyone with such an absence of soft skills ever made it anywhere near Parliament, let alone Downing Street. Real indictment of the loudmouth columnistocracy we became at the turn of the Millennium.
Evening all! First big customer presentation in 2 years went well, much good happening with work and I'm about to have a parmo (in Manchester...) to celebrate.
Has the pillock resigned yet?
The Parmo is a Protected geographical name - they shouldn't exist outside Teesside.
Lovingly made by Smoggies for the betterment of Mancunians
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
Yeah, my fault. He did a Do You Know Who I Am post no.4556, and I pointed out (truthfully) that I know lots of his cousins who get through life quite comfortably without reminding people Who They Are every second utterance, and why didn't he follow their example. Mistake. I now feel guilty about this, because I am pretty fucking irritating myself, but there you are.
It does look like Boris is finished, with even virtually all PB Tories calling for his scalp. However, I think getting rid of him is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a revival in Tory fortunes.
I reckon that the presumption that the Tories will recover under a new leader, probably Sunak, is, well, presumptuous. Boris has not just tarnished himself; he has tarnished the brand, including all the sycophants who worshipped him despite knowing that he was nothing more than a lovable (sic) rogue - until they didn't worship him any more.
Similarly, the presumption that Starmer would quietly prefer Boris to hang on, is I think, wrong. Boris going would be a significant scalp for Starmer, despite the fact that he will have played very little part in his downfall - it's still a victory for the opposition to remove a sitting PM, whatever the reasons.
Corbyn didn't get any credit for outlasting Cameron and May, though.
Starmer isn't Corbyn, though. Not sure that's a worthwhile comparison.
True, but Corbyn had much more to do with May's exit than Starmer has with Boris's implosion. (Cameron storming off in a huff could never be attributed to a LOTO, in fairness).
What a strange statement. are they currently flying by owl or something to Graham Brady?
I think there are 25 letters already submitted and maybe 40 to go in the moment anything new/bad emerges, plus maybe few dozen more if the Gray report is bad.
GRAY
GIRL REMOVES AILING YOB
G
R
A
Y
Girl? Distinguished 65 year old married woman?
Patronise the fuck out of the fluffy haired little darlings, just spell their names right.
Back in the middle of the year, I waited for a time when the Covid map at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map/cases allowed me to take an imaginary walk from Land's End to the Scottish border only passing through contiguous white areas (*).
Now the map's got the first blue authorities on for some time, anyone like to guess when that'll next be possible?
I'm going for mid-March; say March 15th. Last year, the problem areas were either Land's End (obviously blocking the walk), or the Liverpool to Hull axis.
(*) From memory, representing 0-3 cases in that area.
Are you really that worried about Covid? Or is it just an excuse for doing an interesting walk?
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
I'm tempted to suggest we need the electronic equivalent of one of those hand-painted boards that one used to see in the Inns of Court and the snootier Oxford college staircases, with little wooden shutters to flip in and out, which would be completely painted out if X was expelled, though merely left in place if X was rusticated or whatever the word was.
I'm tempted to suggest we need the electronic equivalent of one of those hand-painted boards that one used to see in the Inns of Court and the snootier Oxford college staircases, with little wooden shutters to flip in and out, which would be completely painted out if X was expelled, though merely left in place if X was rusticated or whatever the word was.
What a strange statement. are they currently flying by owl or something to Graham Brady?
I think there are 25 letters already submitted and maybe 40 to go in the moment anything new/bad emerges, plus maybe few dozen more if the Gray report is bad.
GRAY
GIRL REMOVES AILING YOB
G
R
A
Y
Girl? Distinguished 65 year old married woman?
Patronise the fuck out of the fluffy haired little darlings, just spell their names right.
Evening all! First big customer presentation in 2 years went well, much good happening with work and I'm about to have a parmo (in Manchester...) to celebrate.
Has the pillock resigned yet?
The Parmo is a Protected geographical name - they shouldn't exist outside Teesside.
Regional protection of named cuisines was an EU thing... so now any clown can do it. There is supposed to be a UK version, but it stops at Dover if it is even in place at all.
I believe we kept the regional protection to some extent.
I am now in the US, and man, do I miss those regional protections. Cheese is dire.
Did you end up in NYC? Avoid the main supermarkets (Gristides, Key Markets etc) and try Trader Joe's or Whole Foods instead. Even our little C-Town out here in the 'burbs has an adequate selection of imported cheese.
And for British food generally, there's Myers of Keswick and Tea and Sympathy in the West Village. Or, if you don't mind venturing up to the North Bronx, the Irish shops in Woodlawn have all the same stuff as the UK but cheaper than the WV shops.
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
Yeah, my fault. He did a Do You Know Who I Am post no.4556, and I pointed out (truthfully) that I know lots of his cousins who get through life quite comfortably without reminding people Who They Are every second utterance, and why didn't he follow their example. Mistake. I now feel guilty about this, because I am pretty fucking irritating myself, but there you are.
Perhaps one of the admins could send out a missive that all are sorry and please return?
Been there, done that. Don't beat yourself up. Always feels better when you take a breath and say sorry.
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
I'm tempted to suggest we need the electronic equivalent of one of those hand-painted boards that one used to see in the Inns of Court and the snootier Oxford college staircases, with little wooden shutters to flip in and out, which would be completely painted out if X was expelled, though merely left in place if X was rusticated or whatever the word was.
We need an amnesty. See if we can bring back largely lapsed or thrown the nest posters like Messer's Meeks and Herdson
EXC As many as 20 Tory MPs from the 2019 intake are planning to submit letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson tomorrow.
The number could breach the 54 letters required for a confidence vote. One 2019 Tory MP told me it could be the PM’s “D-Day”, adding: “His time has gone.
I'm tempted to suggest we need the electronic equivalent of one of those hand-painted boards that one used to see in the Inns of Court and the snootier Oxford college staircases, with little wooden shutters to flip in and out, which would be completely painted out if X was expelled, though merely left in place if X was rusticated or whatever the word was.
Charles is on sabbatical
Off to spend more time with his Marjorie Taylor Greene posters.
One ally of Boris Johnson attacked the “grey wolf” intake from 2019 saying they are “called the grey wolves because they were not socialised in parliament during the pandemic”
This came after 20 2019 MPs met at 1pm to discuss what should happen to the PM
…. Some of these MPs wanted to move against the PM before the Sue Gray report, but several did not. Some want the cover of moving in a group, others determined to act come what may.
Most think confidence vote still after Gray reports (timing: 60% likely to be next week)
Tonight Boris Johnson is seeing at least one 2019 MP who was at lunchtime meeting (whips took names)
Many MPs tell me the whipping operation to support Boris Johnson has been half hearted and “meh”
Several MPs told me today it was the settled will of the Tory party to remove Boris Johnson
But with no agreement on how, when (one suggested next year) and most importantly who (expect a huge field inc Sunak Truss Zahawi Mordaunt & others) the future path not 100% set
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
Yeah, my fault. He did a Do You Know Who I Am post no.4556, and I pointed out (truthfully) that I know lots of his cousins who get through life quite comfortably without reminding people Who They Are every second utterance, and why didn't he follow their example. Mistake. I now feel guilty about this, because I am pretty fucking irritating myself, but there you are.
I shouldn't feel too bad about it.
He flounced, no one made him. I expect we will survive without hearing about his family this, his family that yadda yadda yadda...
EXC As many as 20 Tory MPs from the 2019 intake are planning to submit letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson tomorrow.
The number could breach the 54 letters required for a confidence vote. One 2019 Tory MP told me it could be the PM’s “D-Day”, adding: “His time has gone.
I still cannot think of a PM who was removed by losing an internal party vote. Thatcher would be closest, but she actually won, just not by a big enough margin.
We are in unprecedented territory if Johnson is removed by a VONC, which he will be if one is called. The party dare not risk this dragging on like in 2018-19 and he's far more damaged than ever May was.
One ally of Boris Johnson attacked the “grey wolf” intake from 2019 saying they are “called the grey wolves because they were not socialised in parliament during the pandemic”
This came after 20 2019 MPs met at 1pm to discuss what should happen to the PM
…. Some of these MPs wanted to move against the PM before the Sue Gray report, but several did not. Some want the cover of moving in a group, others determined to act come what may.
Most think confidence vote still after Gray reports (timing: 60% likely to be next week)
Tonight Boris Johnson is seeing at least one 2019 MP who was at lunchtime meeting (whips took names)
Many MPs tell me the whipping operation to support Boris Johnson has been half hearted and “meh”
Several MPs told me today it was the settled will of the Tory party to remove Boris Johnson
But with no agreement on how, when (one suggested next year) and most importantly who (expect a huge field inc Sunak Truss Zahawi Mordaunt & others) the future path not 100% set
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31 One party will really worry about its Westminster prospects if there's no Boris Johnson to bash and Starmer and Labour's numbers continue to strengthen. It's the SNP.
Chances of them needing an interim PM are increasing. If he goes suddenly Mrs May is available.
I think this is a very interesting betting market now. By the nature of this, hated by public, defrenstrated by own party, doesn’t seem like I would hang around.
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
Yeah, my fault. He did a Do You Know Who I Am post no.4556, and I pointed out (truthfully) that I know lots of his cousins who get through life quite comfortably without reminding people Who They Are every second utterance, and why didn't he follow their example. Mistake. I now feel guilty about this, because I am pretty fucking irritating myself, but there you are.
Yes and no. You display better self-awareness than Charles.
Back in the middle of the year, I waited for a time when the Covid map at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map/cases allowed me to take an imaginary walk from Land's End to the Scottish border only passing through contiguous white areas (*).
Now the map's got the first blue authorities on for some time, anyone like to guess when that'll next be possible?
I'm going for mid-March; say March 15th. Last year, the problem areas were either Land's End (obviously blocking the walk), or the Liverpool to Hull axis.
(*) From memory, representing 0-3 cases in that area.
Are you really that worried about Covid? Or is it just an excuse for doing an interesting walk?
I just love maps, and seeing all those white areas on the map gave me warm fuzzy feelings.
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
I'm tempted to suggest we need the electronic equivalent of one of those hand-painted boards that one used to see in the Inns of Court and the snootier Oxford college staircases, with little wooden shutters to flip in and out, which would be completely painted out if X was expelled, though merely left in place if X was rusticated or whatever the word was.
We need an amnesty. See if we can bring back largely lapsed or thrown the nest posters like Messer's Meeks and Herdson
Herdson is too busy planning the YP’s clean sweep of Yorkshire seats in the coming GE
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31 One party will really worry about its Westminster prospects if there's no Boris Johnson to bash and Starmer and Labour's numbers continue to strengthen. It's the SNP.
Demise of the SNP, chapter 765,090. Yawn.
Did you send HYUFD his nomination papers for Epping Forest constituency?
An ambitious cabinet minister who wants a shot should resign tonight.
Why? Is Johnson taking drastic action to eliminate his rivals?
Rishi Sunak, he sleeps with the fishes
Sunak faces the same difficulty as all current members of government: Dangerous to appoint as next leader when it is obvious that there is a real risk that the same people who are dispatching Boris may have material on them and revenge motives.
There could well be a move against the next leader being any of them; leaving room for Ellwood, Tugendhat, Hunt and one or two others.
Evening all! First big customer presentation in 2 years went well, much good happening with work and I'm about to have a parmo (in Manchester...) to celebrate.
Has the pillock resigned yet?
The Parmo is a Protected geographical name - they shouldn't exist outside Teesside.
Regional protection of named cuisines was an EU thing... so now any clown can do it. There is supposed to be a UK version, but it stops at Dover if it is even in place at all.
I believe we kept the regional protection to some extent.
I am now in the US, and man, do I miss those regional protections. Cheese is dire.
Did you end up in NYC? Avoid the main supermarkets (Gristides, Key Markets etc) and try Trader Joe's or Whole Foods instead. Even our little C-Town out here in the 'burbs has an adequate selection of imported cheese.
And for British food generally, there's Myers of Keswick and Tea and Sympathy in the West Village. Or, if you don't mind venturing up to the North Bronx, the Irish shops in Woodlawn have all the same stuff as the UK but cheaper than the WV shops.
I am on the UWS after all.
I went to Gristedes which comes across as a cross between Iceland and the Aldi middle aisle, with prices from the Harrods Food Court.
I just want an Ocado equivalent - decent veges, good variety, alcohol etc - with easy delivery. Appears there is no obvious parallel.
"The 2019 Tory MPs decided their plan at two meetings yesterday and today. If the no confidence number is not breached tomorrow they say this could happen after the Sue Gray report is published. The MPs say the Government whips are unaware of this. This is denied by the whips."
A bit bizarre, because the whips must be right, because they must be aware of the thing they deny they are unaware of, or how would they know?
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
I'm tempted to suggest we need the electronic equivalent of one of those hand-painted boards that one used to see in the Inns of Court and the snootier Oxford college staircases, with little wooden shutters to flip in and out, which would be completely painted out if X was expelled, though merely left in place if X was rusticated or whatever the word was.
We need an amnesty. See if we can bring back largely lapsed or thrown the nest posters like Messer's Meeks and Herdson
Herdson is too busy planning the YP’s clean sweep of Yorkshire seats in the coming GE
I think Christopher Hope's tweet rings very true about the "sickening" reaction to eve of Prince Philip's funeral party. It was the counterpoint picture of Her Majesty sitting all by herself in Westminster Abbey that drove the stake through Boris Johnson's heart.
It's impossible to recover from that. The monarchy may be in jeopardy but you screw with the person who has served this country more than any other for 70 years and you really deserve to be shredded by the people.
'An idea that migrants could be processed offshore in Ghana also backfired, after the country issued a statement rebutting the policy, mistakenly calling it “Operation Dead Meat”.'
Edit: personally, I suspect the Ghanaians have a sense of humour.
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
Yeah, my fault. He did a Do You Know Who I Am post no.4556, and I pointed out (truthfully) that I know lots of his cousins who get through life quite comfortably without reminding people Who They Are every second utterance, and why didn't he follow their example. Mistake. I now feel guilty about this, because I am pretty fucking irritating myself, but there you are.
Yes and no. You display better self-awareness than Charles.
It was pretty tepid stuff but everyone has the right to flounce off....and flounce back again in due course.
No-one with even a grain of sense would rely on what Cummings tells them unless there is contemporary documentary evidence corroborating it. This is a man who was untruthful about his activities in spring 2020 and who alters his blog.
If Sue Gray hasn't even been given the authority to get hold of emails and WhatsApp messages then her investigation is not, frankly, worth waiting for.
EXC As many as 20 Tory MPs from the 2019 intake are planning to submit letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson tomorrow.
The number could breach the 54 letters required for a confidence vote. One 2019 Tory MP told me it could be the PM’s “D-Day”, adding: “His time has gone.
They were elected with Boris and they will go out with Boris, even Sunak is not going to hold most of the redwall. Any of the good redwall MPs need to hope some ageing Tory MPs in safer seats retire so they can put in their CVs as most of them are probably now doomed. Removing Boris will not save most of them https://order-order.com/2022/01/18/poll-shows-rishi-wont-save-the-tories/
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
Yeah, my fault. He did a Do You Know Who I Am post no.4556, and I pointed out (truthfully) that I know lots of his cousins who get through life quite comfortably without reminding people Who They Are every second utterance, and why didn't he follow their example. Mistake. I now feel guilty about this, because I am pretty fucking irritating myself, but there you are.
Yes and no. You display better self-awareness than Charles.
I'd rather have @Charles back. He had unique knowledge and perspective. As someone who knows no-one, I do not mind namedroppers, and he is anyway not the only one of those.
If you had asked me what would have caused Boris Johnson's premiership ending after 30 months because of scandal, I would have assumed it was due to a Profumo style sex scandal.
Never would have thought it would have been a non sex thing.
Except that two of the fault lines which run through Boris Johnson are promiscuity and lying.
If the former didn't get him, the latter has.
p.s. well actually it's a bit more than just lying. That comes on top of chaotic incompetence, total disregard for loyalty, and being bone idle.
Re-read the Eton Master's report and it was all there written in the stars. If only we had all paid attention.
We did!
Even the late lamented @Charles warned us he was a “very bad man”.
But the Brexit lust was too great.
Has Charles left?
Yeah, my fault. He did a Do You Know Who I Am post no.4556, and I pointed out (truthfully) that I know lots of his cousins who get through life quite comfortably without reminding people Who They Are every second utterance, and why didn't he follow their example. Mistake. I now feel guilty about this, because I am pretty fucking irritating myself, but there you are.
Yes and no. You display better self-awareness than Charles.
I'd rather have @Charles back. He had unique knowledge and perspective. As someone who knows no-one, I do not mind namedroppers, and he is anyway not the only one of those.
Proud of his pet museum, which is rather endearing.
No-one with even a grain of sense would rely on what Cummings tells them unless there is contemporary documentary evidence corroborating it. This is a man who was untruthful about his activities in spring 2020 and who alters his blog.
If Sue Gray hasn't even been given the authority to get hold of emails and WhatsApp messages then her investigation is not, frankly, worth waiting for.
We know Boris has deleted at least some WhatsApp messages and it’s likely that No 10 isn’t archiving all emails for historical purposes because well they may be awkward.
Comments
https://twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1483418498944671746
Vaguely on topic, the Conservatives won 75% of the LEAVE vote at the time in December 2019 (at that stage, the split was 52-48 for REMAIN). In addition and this is what won them the 80-seat majority, they won just shy of 20% of the REMAIN vote.
Who were these Johnson-voting Remainers? Many were, like @HYUFD, loyalist Conservatives who followed David Cameron in 2016 but had opted after the result to switch sides and there were also those who voted REMAIN but for whom the prospect of Corbyn was anathema.
That extra 10% of so of the electorate gave Johnson his majority - he has succeeded in frittering that away in the past few months so we now see Labour polling above 40% and into majority or near-majority territory.
David Gauke
@DavidGauke
This means that the Prime Minister - the man who made these decisions - should have an in-depth understanding of the restrictions he had decided to impose. He shouldn't need someone else to tell him that a drinks party in his garden was against the rules. /END
https://twitter.com/DavidGauke/status/1483534279879634948
Oh sorry, you meant the Devil not Boris Johnson?
I mean, I've been to some good parties in my time, but even if I can't remember details I can usually remember going.
Patronise the fuck out of the fluffy haired little darlings, just spell their names right.
KIER
IS
EXACTLY
RIGHT.
Iain Martin
@iainmartin1
·
16m
But we're all missing something, a Tory MP told me today: "Boris thought the rules were ridiculous." So bending/breaking rules came naturally to him. Problem - he imposed those rules on the rest of us. If they were ridiculous rules, well, he was PM with power to change them.
https://twitter.com/iainmartin1/status/1483536738173739011
===
To be fair, not everyone has missed this. Julia HB has been banging on about it.
And... borders almost completely sealed to New Zealanders and foreigners alike.
But that only makes it more important that those making them should not break them. Otherwise, it goes from ridiculous to unfair, unfair to unenforceable and from there it's a short step to discrediting laws entirely.
So he wasn’t reading them, heretofore.
One ally of Boris Johnson attacked the “grey wolf” intake from 2019 saying they are “called the grey wolves because they were not socialised in parliament during the pandemic”
This came after 20 2019 MPs met at 1pm to discuss what should happen to the PM
…. Some of these MPs wanted to move against the PM before the Sue Gray report, but several did not. Some want the cover of moving in a group, others determined to act come what may.
Most think confidence vote still after Gray reports (timing: 60% likely to be next week)
Tonight Boris Johnson is seeing at least one 2019 MP who was at lunchtime meeting (whips took names)
Many MPs tell me the whipping operation to support Boris Johnson has been half hearted and “meh”
Several MPs told me today it was the settled will of the Tory party to remove Boris Johnson
But with no agreement on how, when (one suggested next year) and most importantly who (expect a huge field inc Sunak Truss Zahawi Mordaunt & others) the future path not 100% set
https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1483540953394782212
Is it still 2019?
The whips have flipped
The Wallers are head banging
The polls have dipped
The cabinets plotting
The Parties are done
The Squirrels a consoling
The Big Doggies Bone
That would require him to be able to read...
It's not merely about enforcing the rules to the same rigour as the rest of us but actually going even further, even more scrupulously observing the rules to the letter (a) to ultimately set the example that the country is expected to follow and (b) precisely BECAUSE every single instance of you taking the piss out of the rules you set for everyone else is going to be jumped on like a bunch of man-eating piranhas.
If Boris can't see that he deserves everything that's coming to him.
Now the map's got the first blue authorities on for some time, anyone like to guess when that'll next be possible?
I'm going for mid-March; say March 15th. Last year, the problem areas were either Land's End (obviously blocking the walk), or the Liverpool to Hull axis.
(*) From memory, representing 0-3 cases in that area.
Real indictment of the loudmouth columnistocracy we became at the turn of the Millennium.
Pulling the trigger first gets them in the frame
Posters, that is.
All rather like Bell-the-Cat.
Get Exit Done.
Unless we take the Duke of Monmouth option.
Oh, I see the problem...
Est
Indevitatus
Recto
Last thing we need is some smarmy hedge fund git in charge.
Been there, done that. Don't beat yourself up. Always feels better when you take a breath and say sorry.
EXC As many as 20 Tory MPs from the 2019 intake are planning to submit letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson tomorrow.
The number could breach the 54 letters required for a confidence vote. One 2019 Tory MP told me it could be the PM’s “D-Day”, adding: “His time has gone.
https://twitter.com/christopherhope/status/1483544039555321864
"As a man/woman of principle, it is with a very heavy heart" etc etc...
He flounced, no one made him. I expect we will survive without hearing about his family this, his family that yadda yadda yadda...
We are in unprecedented territory if Johnson is removed by a VONC, which he will be if one is called. The party dare not risk this dragging on like in 2018-19 and he's far more damaged than ever May was.
Macron 22.5%, Le Pen 14.5%, Zemmour 14%, Pecresse 13%, Melanchon 12.5%
Very different to other polls but apparently Cluster 17 is a valid recognised French pollster but does a different turnout model (apparently).
Agreed for cheese in supermarkets and such. But Delis do ok and I remember good strong (cheddar?) from Wisconsin.
There could well be a move against the next leader being any of them; leaving room for Ellwood, Tugendhat, Hunt and one or two others.
I went to Gristedes which comes across as a cross between Iceland and the Aldi middle aisle, with prices from the Harrods Food Court.
I just want an Ocado equivalent - decent veges, good variety, alcohol etc - with easy delivery. Appears there is no obvious parallel.
I will PM you separately.
If the no confidence number is not breached tomorrow they say this could happen after the Sue Gray report is published.
The MPs say the Government whips are unaware of this. This is denied by the whips."
A bit bizarre, because the whips must be right, because they must be aware of the thing they deny they are unaware of, or how would they know?
It's impossible to recover from that. The monarchy may be in jeopardy but you screw with the person who has served this country more than any other for 70 years and you really deserve to be shredded by the people.
https://twitter.com/christopherhope/status/1483544044164861962?s=20
No 10 dead cat ...
'An idea that migrants could be processed offshore in Ghana also backfired, after the country issued a statement rebutting the policy, mistakenly calling it “Operation Dead Meat”.'
Edit: personally, I suspect the Ghanaians have a sense of humour.
If Sue Gray hasn't even been given the authority to get hold of emails and WhatsApp messages then her investigation is not, frankly, worth waiting for.
https://order-order.com/2022/01/18/poll-shows-rishi-wont-save-the-tories/
However one senior MP insists a ‘credible source’ has told them 54 letters are in.
No one really knows. But anxious few hours ahead for PM.
Could this stop MPs putting letters in or encourage pile on?
https://twitter.com/joepike/status/1483544562631020544