Davey - What? 100ks of parents burying their children? Obv even one is too many, but that is barking
That is weird. I can't find pandemic numbers but in 2019 there were tragically 907 child deaths (aged one to fifteen). Not sure how many aged zero, but it wouldn't get anywhere near to 100k even with pandemic and aged zero deaths.
It is a horrific experience I wouldn't want anyone to go through.
Johnson has totally fecked up the tone in his reply
All that rubbish about Jimmy Saville as well
Missed that. What did he say about Savile?
That Starmer was only interested in prosecuting journalists and not Saville. It was very good.
No it really wasn't. Not a subject for a jibe. It lowered the tone still further but also subliminally made an association between non-investigation of Savile and non-investigation of Johnson. Two men who got away with it ... a bad move.
This exchange with Mark Harper sounds significant as to whether there will be 54 letters or not. The response must surely have increased the odds that the letters are going in.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
The Tory anti-Johnson speakers are reminding why I used to be a Tory!
Yep I don't often admire the party opposite but it reminds me too that there are still some decent people in the Conservative Party. I wish they would hold the reins once more.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
BoE making a decision on Thursday which will affect the price of everything.
Sir Bernard Jenkins puts him on a few months notice
Thats a clear, we'll kick you out after the May elections if you don't buck up..
Big mistake. An admission they don't care what happened, only that it is hurting polling. So he can behave however he likes so long as they don't get blowback from it.
This exchange with Mark Harper sounds significant as to whether there will be 54 letters or not. The response must surely have increased the odds that the letters are going in.
Nope it requires 54 Tory MPs with a backbone and a disregard to their political careers if 54 letters aren't rapidly reached.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
I wonder if this brief report will turn out to have been an error? He's getting a kicking here. He'd have got one for the full report too. But then it would have been over.
Even Jacob Rees looked completely incredulous when Bozza told Jakey's good mate Jess P to "wait" when she simply asked him whether he was at the 13 Nov do.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
You are, I think, not watching this.
It’s a PMQs for the ages.
Please today of all days don't give Leon the oxygen. He's on another island but could be on another planet.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
I think theres a decent chance of that. It's why the moment for a challenge was when people riled up. The tories might not recover with time, but the public wont remain as interested in these things as us.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
The problem Leon is that he is not suitable to hold the office of PM. Simples. He needs to get back into showbiz and scre*ing single and married women. He cannot and is unwilling to take any responsibility; we have seen that numerous times both in politics and his personal life. He's really not a very nice man. Worst PM of my lifetime for sure, probably of all time.
This exchange with Mark Harper sounds significant as to whether there will be 54 letters or not. The response must surely have increased the odds that the letters are going in.
Nope it requires 54 Tory MPs with a backbone and a disregard to their political careers if 54 letters aren't rapidly reached.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
BoE making a decision on Thursday which will affect the price of everything.
Not really it merely puts us where we should have been in December.
This exchange with Mark Harper sounds significant as to whether there will be 54 letters or not. The response must surely have increased the odds that the letters are going in.
Nope it requires 54 Tory MPs with a backbone and a disregard to their political careers if 54 letters aren't rapidly reached.
It isn't going to happen.
The letters are anonymous aren't they?
Remember Boris has people trying to watch who is heading in that direction.
Yup. I think the moment for me is JRM's face dropping when Jess, inquiring about Bozzatron's attendance on Nov 13, said "I guess I'm going to be told to wait for something..." and he then told her to wait for something.
Even Jacob Rees looked completely incredulous when Bozza told Jakey's good mate Jess P to "wait" when she simply asked him whether he was at the 13 Nov do.
Indeed. Especially as she specifically prefaced her question with "I expect I'll be told to wait!"
Blackford is a counterproductive idiot, distracting the House and drawing attention onto himself.
A 'lie' requires the knowledge of falsehood and intent to deceive - and it's extremely hard to prove someone else's knowledge and intent. They could just be lazy and winging it.
I wonder how close some Cabinet ministers are to breaking ranks.
I'd suspect not close. Remember when May seemingly couldn't get any Cabinet Ministers to defend her Brexit deal, and most of the defending it got done by Rory Stewart? That they wouldn't act then and still didn't resign, despite so many doing so, shows how few at so high a level break ranks
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
Back to your poolside drink, and leave this to those of us who are concentrating
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
BoE making a decision on Thursday which will affect the price of everything.
Not really it merely puts us where we should have been in December.
That's if they hike. They were sounding like that's the case from my CNBC this morning.
It's very rare for Leaders of the Opposition to get to speak for the country. It's even rarer for them to get it right when they do. Starmer knocked it out of the park today.
It was always going to be near-impossible for Boris to handle this situation in the Commons, but I'm surprised he didn't at least attempt the humble contrition gambit. That probably shows how flustered he is.
I can sort of understand it from his pov. Contrition, of attempted, wouldn't call off his internal critics, so a confident, punchy response stirs up his backers at least.
Even Jacob Rees looked completely incredulous when Bozza told Jakey's good mate Jess P to "wait" when she simply asked him whether he was at the 13 Nov do.
Indeed. Especially as she specifically prefaced her question with "I expect I'll be told to wait!"
Yes, it was a masterstroke that. Made Bozza look like a complete idiot.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
Well that would be a perfectly normal and understandable reaction from the many who supported him in his rise to power. It's very difficult to admit a misjudgement. A sense of ennuie and ca ne fait rien is certainly more comfortable than one of embarassment.
It is unlikely to detract however from the sense of disdain felt by those who always thought he was, is and will always remain a gobshite.
Not enough to topple Johnson before the next election. But enough to leave the stench of criminality around him for good.
Far too early to say that.
If the Met determine the PM broke the law (considering the flat is one investigated by them) then surely that is the end of Boris.
If the Met determine the law wasn't broken, then that should be the end of the matter too.
Either way, I don't see how this can drag on until the election.
That's a reframing in his favour that doesn't work. The bar is whether he lied to Parliament not whether he gets a fixed penalty notice. If he lied to Parliament he must go. Or to put it differently, if the evidence shows he lied to Parliament about these rule-breaking parties in the middle of a pandemic but he *still* won't resign, Tory MPs simply must remove him. And if they don't the public must punish them with a shellacking in the polls and a landslide loss of seats. If none of this happens we're fucked. It's Banana Republic and total loss of self-respect here we come.
Whether the law was broken, or whether the rules were broken, is the same thing.
Guidelines are not rules. They're guidelines. Laws are the rules.
This lies to Parliament thing is weird because if the threshold to say he lied has been met, the threshold he has to go for other reasons has also already been met. So yes if he's lied to Parliament he should go, but in this case it's an unnecessary and redundant condition.
No, if he lied it doesn't follow he'll get a penalty notice. Likewise if he doesn't get a penalty notice it doesn't follow he didn't lie.
He said he had no knowledge of rule-breaking events. Will the Gray Report (when we get the proper one) and/or the Met investigation show that to be a lie?
Let's see.
If the PM knew the law was being broken by either himself or his team and did nothing about it then he should resign. Whether he'd said to the House that the law wasn't being broken or not.
Lawmakers can not be lawbreakers.
Yep. And PMs cannot be liars to parliaments. Either should be enough to end him unless he and the Tory Party wish to take up residence in the gutter.
If Boris is charged, convicted, sentenced and sent down. Boris, his supporters and possibly HYUFD will say he can carry on. There is no place where they will draw a line. Someone else has to draw that line.
Nelson Mandela was jailed and came back to lead his country but obviously I am not making that direct comparison.
If Boris was arrested and jailed he would have to cease being Tory leader and PM at that point
What a bizarre comment
You become more ridiculous day by day
Actually quite a few leaders have done time then returned to lead
Lenin? Stalin maybe Vaclav Havel Gandhi Ho Chi Minh Aung Sun Sue Khi Nehru
Oh, that's much more like it! With that post you are competing with HYUFD for the Unembarrassed Boris Apologist Award, also known as the Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf Award for Most Comical & Absurd Defence
There is more an issue of why these persons went to prison. Herr Hitler, for instance, did not go to prison for his government of the Third Reich. He went to prison for trying to overthrow the Weimar Republic (or the Bavarian Land - I'ma bit hazy on that detail at present, but you get the idea). And Mr Mandela did not go to prison for his implementation of the apartheid policy of the RSA Government at the time.
Mandela went to prison for TERRORISM
Say what you like about Boris, and I admit he is not a saint, he didn’t anything as bad at MADIBA
Mr M didn't go to prison for being President, and Herr Hitler didn't go to prison for being Ministerpraesident.
Steve Baker intervention notably unhelpful. Seems to have made his mind up. Given what Mark Harper, former chief whip, said a few minutes ago not looking good for the PM.
This exchange with Mark Harper sounds significant as to whether there will be 54 letters or not. The response must surely have increased the odds that the letters are going in.
Nope it requires 54 Tory MPs with a backbone and a disregard to their political careers if 54 letters aren't rapidly reached.
It isn't going to happen.
I thought the only person who would ever be supposed to know who submitted letters would be Graham Brady unless the letter writers choose to announce it themselves.
Not enough to topple Johnson before the next election. But enough to leave the stench of criminality around him for good.
Far too early to say that.
If the Met determine the PM broke the law (considering the flat is one investigated by them) then surely that is the end of Boris.
If the Met determine the law wasn't broken, then that should be the end of the matter too.
Either way, I don't see how this can drag on until the election.
That's a reframing in his favour that doesn't work. The bar is whether he lied to Parliament not whether he gets a fixed penalty notice. If he lied to Parliament he must go. Or to put it differently, if the evidence shows he lied to Parliament about these rule-breaking parties in the middle of a pandemic but he *still* won't resign, Tory MPs simply must remove him. And if they don't the public must punish them with a shellacking in the polls and a landslide loss of seats. If none of this happens we're fucked. It's Banana Republic and total loss of self-respect here we come.
Whether the law was broken, or whether the rules were broken, is the same thing.
Guidelines are not rules. They're guidelines. Laws are the rules.
This lies to Parliament thing is weird because if the threshold to say he lied has been met, the threshold he has to go for other reasons has also already been met. So yes if he's lied to Parliament he should go, but in this case it's an unnecessary and redundant condition.
No, if he lied it doesn't follow he'll get a penalty notice. Likewise if he doesn't get a penalty notice it doesn't follow he didn't lie.
He said he had no knowledge of rule-breaking events. Will the Gray Report (when we get the proper one) and/or the Met investigation show that to be a lie?
Let's see.
If the PM knew the law was being broken by either himself or his team and did nothing about it then he should resign. Whether he'd said to the House that the law wasn't being broken or not.
Lawmakers can not be lawbreakers.
Yep. And PMs cannot be liars to parliaments. Either should be enough to end him unless he and the Tory Party wish to take up residence in the gutter.
Indeed but you're trying to set up lying to Parliament as somehow a lower or easier bar to clear than proving knowledge of lawbreaking. It isn't.
If he knew about lawbreaking and did nothing he should resign. If he doesn't, he hasn't lied.
I find the latter implausible given the evidence we know about. But at the end of the day if its not shown he knew about lawbreaking, then its not shown he lied either.
That would indicate that the observation that Cummings was required to hand over all the information that he had in his possession was salient
The timing is as expected, and possibly police have had no choice but to make it known, now - however, he can't publish them. Takes a bit of the edge of him.
Steve Baker intervention notably unhelpful. Seems to have made his mind up. Given what Mark Harper, former chief whip, said a few minutes ago not looking good for the PM.
The 54 letters is just the start of course. Could he go on to survive the resulting VOC?
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
The problem Leon is that he is not suitable to hold the office of PM. Simples. He needs to get back into showbiz and scre*ing single and married women. He cannot and is unwilling to take any responsibility; we have seen that numerous times both in politics and his personal life. He's really not a very nice man. Worst PM of my lifetime for sure, probably of all time.
We must agree to differ. For me he is better than Brown, May, Cameron, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan and Major. He did something amazing: won the Brexit vote. Then something even amazinger: forced Brexit through by winning a genius majority
Has he squandered all that with his idiotic lies and silly marriage and hie venal inability to focus? Yes, that too
So now it is time for him to go as he has been revealed as a lying twat good for not much more than winning campaigns (which he does brilliantly) and telling decent jokes. Off you toddle, now, Boris
But will he? All my points today have been practical not ideological. I can see him surviving, quite easily. Indeed I can see him winning another, slender majority in 2024. His mortal enemy is not partygate, not any more, it is tax and inflation
Caroline Lucas getting it wrong - if she wants Johnson gone, she should be appealing to Tory MPs' better natures, not claiming they are all as bad as each other.
Davey - What? 100ks of parents burying their children? Obv even one is too many, but that is barking
Did he mean children burying their parents, and misspeak ?
There would also have been people in their 40s, 50s etc dying with one or both parents still alive. Even including those, 100k seems far too high.
I was thinking of my father's funeral, in spring 2020, where only a handful of close family could attend under the then rules. We weren't even allowed inside the crematorium.
Caroline Lucas getting it wrong - if she wants Johnson gone, she should be appealing to Tory MPs' better natures, not claiming they are all as bad as each other.
Outside of the tory party the game is to attack Boris but not enough to actually kill him.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
The problem Leon is that he is not suitable to hold the office of PM. Simples. He needs to get back into showbiz and scre*ing single and married women. He cannot and is unwilling to take any responsibility; we have seen that numerous times both in politics and his personal life. He's really not a very nice man. Worst PM of my lifetime for sure, probably of all time.
We must agree to differ. For me he is better than Brown, May, Cameron, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan and Major. He did something amazing: won the Brexit vote. Then something even amazinger: forced Brexit through by winning a genius majority
Has he squandered all that with his idiotic lies and silly marriage and hie venal inability to focus? Yes, that too
So now it is time for him to go as he has been revealed as a lying twat good for not much more than winning campaigns (which he does brilliantly) and telling decent jokes. Off you toddle, now, Boris
But will he? All my points today have been practical not ideological. I can see him surviving, quite easily. Indeed I can see him winning another, slender majority in 2024. His mortal enemy is not partygate, not any more, it is tax and inflation
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
The problem Leon is that he is not suitable to hold the office of PM. Simples. He needs to get back into showbiz and scre*ing single and married women. He cannot and is unwilling to take any responsibility; we have seen that numerous times both in politics and his personal life. He's really not a very nice man. Worst PM of my lifetime for sure, probably of all time.
We must agree to differ. For me he is better than Brown, May, Cameron, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan and Major. He did something amazing: won the Brexit vote. Then something even amazinger: forced Brexit through by winning a genius majority
Has he squandered all that with his idiotic lies and silly marriage and hie venal inability to focus? Yes, that too
So now it is time for him to go as he has been revealed as a lying twat good for not much more than winning campaigns (which he does brilliantly) and telling decent jokes. Off you toddle, now, Boris
But will he? All my points today have been practical not ideological. I can see him surviving, quite easily. Indeed I can see him winning another, slender majority in 2024. His mortal enemy is not partygate, not any more, it is tax and inflation
By the way, how was Sri Lanka this time? Hope you managed to get some decent food this time...
Jackie Doyle-Price gets the award for missing the bleeding obvious. If she thinks ministers should be responsible for what goes on in No 10 then the PM should resign.
I think I now understand the Prime Minister's defence against claims he misled the House when he denied that there was a party in Downing Street on 13th November 2020. There wasn't *a* party: there were two parties!
Steve Baker intervention notably unhelpful. Seems to have made his mind up. Given what Mark Harper, former chief whip, said a few minutes ago not looking good for the PM.
The 54 letters is just the start of course. Could he go on to survive the resulting VOC?
It's very rare for Leaders of the Opposition to get to speak for the country. It's even rarer for them to get it right when they do. Starmer knocked it out of the park today.
Sir Keir was overacting a bit too much today. Makes us all look like fools when you realise the whole thing is a charade.
I liked Boris today actually - not sure if he's going to survive or not though.
As I hinted at earlier the main duty of a current PM (for me) is that they respond quickly and curtly to the next Section 30 letter. There may be better Dear Nippy letter writers amongst the Tory favourites so I'm open minded.
It was always going to be near-impossible for Boris to handle this situation in the Commons, but I'm surprised he didn't at least attempt the humble contrition gambit. That probably shows how flustered he is.
I can sort of understand it from his pov. Contrition, of attempted, wouldn't call off his internal critics, so a confident, punchy response stirs up his backers at least.
Difficult to express how boring this all seems from 5000 miles away, by the lacy moonlit waves of the Laccadive Sea
I accept that’s it’s probably way more exciting if you are there in, er, Swindon, or whatever.
It just seems phenomenally trivial. Obviously wrong, but equally trivial.
I wonder if for this reason Boris has an unexpected chance of reviving, as no other PM which such terrible polling has ever done.
Presenting things as boring or complicated and so not worth the bother is a standard evasion tactic.
Much will be trivial, were it not for the context and particularly comments made about those events. And suddenly even the boring and trivial can become more vital. The pettiness can compound the error not exculpate the participant.
I just get the sense - from a trillion miles away on balcony on a tropical seashore - that this is beginning to bore the fuck out of voters. And today won’t make any difference - at least in the polls
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
You are, I think, not watching this.
It’s a PMQs for the ages.
And far more important than any other domestic matter right now.
Steve Baker intervention notably unhelpful. Seems to have made his mind up. Given what Mark Harper, former chief whip, said a few minutes ago not looking good for the PM.
The 54 letters is just the start of course. Could he go on to survive the resulting VOC?
Comments
It is a horrific experience I wouldn't want anyone to go through.
I’m not saying it is boring PER SE, I’m a politics geek. Tho, actually, even as a geek this feels a bit damp squib-esque
We know he is a lying fuck, we know they lied and had pastries, whatever yawn yes, we hate them, but what are they going to do about the price of petrol? Etc?
I have to try and put my utter fury aside, but I do believe that this is the most appalling display by a British PM in my lifetime.
I think his inability to commit to that could be the end.
It isn't going to happen.
It’s a PMQs for the ages.
This feels like the trickiest issue for him. He has previously said no party occurred - and is still standing by that denial
https://twitter.com/rowenamason/status/1488183144834555906
If I were a Tory backbencher, that would be crucial as to whether I’d put my letter in.
He's getting a kicking here. He'd have got one for the full report too.
But then it would have been over.
Best parliamentary drama of my life.
A 'lie' requires the knowledge of falsehood and intent to deceive - and it's extremely hard to prove someone else's knowledge and intent. They could just be lazy and winging it.
https://twitter.com/DavidHerdson/status/1488181592136818704?s=20&t=nQZNfBgj7Fd6QKC6qfr2UA
https://twitter.com/benrileysmith/status/1488184464861798401
Won't someone think of the geeks. Boris must reaign.
It is unlikely to detract however from the sense of disdain felt by those who always thought he was, is and will always remain a gobshite.
DomCum may remember...
If he wanted to hit an open goal, he surely would have.
He knows what he's doing.
Doesn’t end there…surely some of those photos have Johnson in them
If he knew about lawbreaking and did nothing he should resign. If he doesn't, he hasn't lied.
I find the latter implausible given the evidence we know about. But at the end of the day if its not shown he knew about lawbreaking, then its not shown he lied either.
Has he squandered all that with his idiotic lies and silly marriage and hie venal inability to focus? Yes, that too
So now it is time for him to go as he has been revealed as a lying twat good for not much more than winning campaigns (which he does brilliantly) and telling decent jokes. Off you toddle, now, Boris
But will he? All my points today have been practical not ideological. I can see him surviving, quite easily. Indeed I can see him winning another, slender majority in 2024. His mortal enemy is not partygate, not any more, it is tax and inflation
I liked Boris today actually - not sure if he's going to survive or not though.
As I hinted at earlier the main duty of a current PM (for me) is that they respond quickly and curtly to the next Section 30 letter. There may be better Dear Nippy letter writers amongst the Tory favourites so I'm open minded.
"They've taken too long talking about this, so I'm going to talk about it some more"
Anyone paying any attention at all since the 1990's knew what they were getting when they promoted Boris.