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For cabinet ministers this could be a career-defining issue – politicalbetting.com
For cabinet ministers this could be a career-defining issue – politicalbetting.com
The big spreadsheet of Cabinet support making a comeback today. Currently looking a bit bare. Twitter alerts on – which minister will be first out of the blocks? https://t.co/lcKlUeu6A2 pic.twitter.com/XCseAOAV1o
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Boris has finally jumped the shark. But things could have been worse than BoJo as PM. We could have had Corbyn as PM. Putin would now be giving a press conference in Kiev.
Alas, I fear my money is on (a) for far too many of them...
Politically speaking its a different matter.
https://www.dw.com/en/war-in-ukraine-german-foreign-policy-under-fire/a-61436299
I really am surprised Mr Ross can move on land, never mind run along a footie field. It's not as if he hadn't burnt his Johnsonian boats already, so he had nothing to lose by maintaining some vertebrae,
Not because he expects to win, but to tar the entire Parliamentary Conservative Party with this.
A bit rubbish for the decent ones who have called out the misbehaviour (Aaron Bell, say), but in that situation they would have to fall into line... wouldn't they?
https://twitter.com/BethRigby/status/1513906163384995842
So the only interesting bit will be who makes the biggest prat of themselves proving loyalty.
My bet is on Cleverly - he has not been without wit on occasion, but when sucking up he can misstep wildly.
If you are caught on camera doing 75mph in a 60mph zone, there isn't a question of whether the offence took place. It did. Therefore, why waste the time of a court?
Similarly, if you are photographed attending an event that was not essential for work, it took place. And was illegal. Therefore, why go to court?
Arguably, if he gets an FPN which is presumably three figures rather than five, and AIUI does not carry a criminal record, he's getting off pretty lightly compared to others who organised parties.
What this whole episode, coupled with Cummings, does show is how extraordinarily slack and complacent the cabinet and government were about following their own procedures. No wonder Covid was such an issue among them!
How's his standing in the Scons, do you think? Both the MSPs and MPs, and the party as a whole?
BREAKING: German President Steinmeier was planning to come to Kyiv tomorrow, but Zelensky didn't want to meet him. Background: Steinmeier's close ties to Russia in the past years and his role with Nord Stream II and the so called „Steinmeier-Formel“.
https://twitter.com/ronzheimer/status/1513875012444475398
(Technically, 'convicted' is wrong, but they've not said they'll not pay either.)
OR is this a rare exception to that hitherto iron rule?
It was Bozo, in the Cabinet Room, with a Birthday Cake.
It's also a brazen lie - we know they don't think they did anything wrong because they told us so, so they don't accept responsibility they are just saying they are sorry for being, at best, incredibly dumb for believing none of it was wrong.
"I am incredibly stupid and cannot tell a party when I am literally attending one - this means I am definitely the person to lead the country".
Throughout lockdown when I was in the office (which was most of the time for some people) we still got our Friday afternoon drink supplied by the company. It didn't mean we weren't working.
Even more, why bother retweeting it?
But I really have no idea whether the votes are holding up for the Conservatives where it counts.
Transfers to the Tories in the council elections will be interesting. If Lib Dem and Labour tactical transfers dry up, then there could be trouble.
How fat are you btw?
I'm merely pointing out that it's still a question of opinion not fact, so the parallel with speeding fines fails.
Parties are a much more abstract concept than speeding. There is always wriggle room for an argument.
FPNs are designed to save courts from getting clogged up, and to prevent people who are not generally evilly intending to deal with things in a bureaucratic rather than criminal court way.
Loads of people pay the motoring fine on a FPN while being a bit unsure if they were actually guilty. It will be the same with FPNs for this. And indeed this fairly common human reaction may be how Boris tries to play it: "I accept their judgement, it isn't identical to my judgement but I am making no further fuss. It's an FPM. We'll get over it. No-one lied. Meanwhile there is a war to win."
I don't think this will be true, but it might do for now.
I've just spoken to @POTUS and updated him on my meeting with President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv this weekend.
Our joint focus remains on supporting President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.
Putin's barbaric venture cannot be allowed to succeed.
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1513904574934962181
Complete with Kyiv walkabout photo....
Other than not being enormously fat, what's your excuse ?
Drink as much as you want for free, but if you are drunk, you get sacked.
Jay Rayner is annoying enough on Twitter, when he does politics, without having his entitled leftwing prattle relayed here for no reason
Are we gonna retweet Lineker next? Pff!
"Prime Minister to provide a clip at 5.30pm after Downing Street revealed he and his Chancellor had been fined."
https://twitter.com/itvnewsinsider/status/1513903647255670785
Meanwhile I've just been watching Sky News and became quite annoyed at the member of the medical profession they got onto speak. They claimed that the fine means that Johnson's visit to Kyiv was "clearly designed as a distraction and photo opportunity".
I'm not Ukrainian, but I imagine it would feel pretty insulting that some prats continually seek to minimise the good work the UK has been doing because of a domestic scandal. The issues are separate and should remain so. Johnson should go because of the fine, but not all of his work deserves to be trashed as opportunistic.
Yes, they were stupid regulations. But they were the regulations. Stultus lex, sed lex applies.
And while I might feel sympathy for people caught out by the fact that our government and civil service appear to consist entirely of smug barely literate idiots, I feel no sympathy at all for them getting hoist on their own petard.
Do you think Boris Johnson should…
Resign: 57%
Remain in his role: 30%
Do you think Rishi Sunak should…
Resign: 57%
Remain in role: 29%
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2022/04/12/c5ce0/1 https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1513912233524404244/photo/1
I think he did knowingly lie: 75%
I think he did not knowingly lie: 12%
Don’t know: 13%
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2022/04/12/c5ce0/3 https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1513912239539032064/photo/1
https://twitter.com/mathieugallard/status/1513636287240196097
Next, to prove his point, Carnyx will repost a retweet of The Hairy Bikers' perspective on nuclear deterrence
No one's going to need Claude Rains again. For old times sake!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H-PS_pr-t0
I have to say I cannot see how that's an opinion rather than a fact.
On the other hand I think they will be fine in rural councils such as Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway and Moray where there are fewer SNP and independent councillors standing than last time plus more Tory candidates and are still extremely likely/almost certain to gain seats in those places.
'A few months ago, I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me this is true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not.'
When I showed that to my Year 12s a few years back, one of them was so surprised she actually fell off her chair.
(It cured her of rocking on it, so it wasn't all bad news!)
What's interesting is the bloc that think he lied but shouldn't resign.
Nicola Sturgeon demands Boris resign after being found to have broke covid rules, whilst conveniently forgetting she brought pub drinking Green covid breakers into her own government.
What a Nipocrite.
https://twitter.com/AgentP22/status/1513913848595636239
Of course this is not a legal issue. It is a political thing. It depends on the views of his backbenchers. And they are as entitled to their views as the Met.
But I'm afraid that I think that will be the sum of it.
When this ship goes down, which it will, some of the same people will be wringing their hands and saying it was all terribly bad.
When they had the chance they did not stand up to be counted.
I really can't see how I can make this any clearer, so I'll stop now.
HOWEVER there IS an argument for saying This is not the time
Boris clearly has a good relationship with Zelenskyy, and Ukraine is an almost overwhelmingly important issue, right now, an issue which might take us to the brink of nuclear war
Is this really the best juncture to be having leadership contests to replace the PM?
It's not. It will be deeply frustrating to Boris-haters, who must feel they have got their man, but I sense the Tory party has neither the energy nor appetite to defenestrate Boris in the middle of this enormous crisis
I think those are wise words
It's at 3.22 but I'd advise you to watch from about 2.45.
https://twitter.com/RuthDavidsonPC/status/1513897295313620994