For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Yes, of course we should torpedo government policy-making to avoid some bad headlines. What a ridiculous set of priorities that would be.
Does no one have the slightest particle of nerve? Just grow a spine and tough it out - no one's going to bite us.
Them and us.
At the next election. Yes in four years time, that election. And with Dom in place the Cons will have nowhere to hide.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Who cares about mantles? It's four years from the election and the election will be won or lost by being a good government or not and messaging next time etc
Getting rid of a key person involved with policies will make governance worse not better and that is the issue not a different issue.
The government needs to get on with the job. Not pander to witch hunts.
...but it's done a rubbish job of the bit it had control over. Imagine how they will cope when circumstances are dictated by exchange rate fluctuations, falling world demand, rampant unemployment and diminishing tax receipts.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
It's a manufactured outrage. It's bullshit.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
I suppose we should have kept Neville Chamberlain too?
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
You will not hear the words stay home from a govt minister for the next month.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Yes, of course we should torpedo government policy-making to avoid some bad headlines. What a ridiculous set of priorities that would be.
Does no one have the slightest particle of nerve? Just grow a spine and tough it out - no one's going to bite us.
Them and us.
At the next election. Yes in four years time, that election. And with Dom in place the Cons will have nowhere to hide.
I'd love to have your crystal ball. 4 years ago the EU Referendum was still a month away. Did you predict today's political situation accurately then? Be honest.
People on this site obviously follow the minutiae of politics closely. I can put my hand on my heart and say that not only did I not know that he was Under Secretary of State for Scotland, but I didn't know he was a Conservative MP and couldn't distinguish him from Adam if Adam turned up holding an apple.
But apart from that, he's a really big fish
Calling one of your own ministers a NOBODY calls into doubt why he was appointed by the PM in the first place.
He was a PUSS rather than a minister, they're the guys who do extra work for a minister but don't get a government salary for it.
If I see cabinet ministers resigning, I'll believe Cummings is actually in danger, at the moment I think the over-reaction of the Lobby mob acts in his favour.
You’re getting mixed up with PPSs who are the unpaid bag carriers. Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State are junior Ministers and get a salary.
Ah, maybe. That's what happens when one reads Wikipedia rather than an authoritative source.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
You will not hear the words stay home from a govt minister for the next month.
The ads are still running on TV every couple of hours
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Who cares about mantles? It's four years from the election and the election will be won or lost by being a good government or not and messaging next time etc
Getting rid of a key person involved with policies will make governance worse not better and that is the issue not a different issue.
The government needs to get on with the job. Not pander to witch hunts.
Lost cause now. I`ll be surprised if he makes it to the end of the week.
What happens when you draw a line in the sand and the tide just keeps coming in?
Clean break at end of the year then. Keep Cummings in place to help resolve it.
You should have learnt from the WA that Cummings doesn't do clean breaks. He's a capitulation merchant, and his talent is getting the Brexiteers to line up behind it as he sells them out.
Boris... hand over the spade and step away from the hole, FFS.
I'm old enough to remember Bernard Jenkin insisting "if Boris Johnson expects an easy ride, he's nominated the wrong man...... I’m answerable to the committee and the House. I’m not beholden to anyone else."
(That's mainly *because he said it three days ago*, rather my being particularly old )
That's quite funny. But I prefer the G photographer who chalked anti-Dom slogans on the pavement to provide a story and missed the 'M' out of "Cummings":
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
You will not hear the words stay home from a govt minister for the next month.
The ads are still running on TV every couple of hours
Boris changed it to self isolate in the press conferences.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Who cares about mantles? It's four years from the election and the election will be won or lost by being a good government or not and messaging next time etc
Getting rid of a key person involved with policies will make governance worse not better and that is the issue not a different issue.
The government needs to get on with the job. Not pander to witch hunts.
Lost cause now. I`ll be surprised if he makes it to the end of the week.
What happens when you draw a line in the sand and the tide just keeps coming in?
A case of who reported to whom. Boris is a poor man manager if he was clueless as to Dom's whereabouts for those days before Boris became dangerously ill.
In my days in Senior Management, you were obliged to give details of your holiday hotel phone number so you could be contacted abroad, in the years before mobile phones became widely used. The barstewards weren't afraid to call you either.
In my day chased down to an Island kiosk in Spetses "Can you call back in 10 minutes? "No, speak to me now, or not at all"
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
Absolutely. Which makes me wonder how many of these correspondents have actually spoken to a tory MP, and how many are winging it in the hope of keeping the story going.
They are never, ever challenged to name sources and many just swallow their tweets as gospel.
The fact is journalists are disingenuous about the conservative party all the time, as last week-end's reports about Cummings conduct showed.
Indeed, the way Sky has treated the tories since day one of this government it would surprise me that any of its MPs are on speaking terms with its correspondents, let alone confiding in them
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
It's a manufactured outrage. It's bullshit.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
Prediction: as soon as Johnson sacks Cummings you will be saying it was the "right decision at the right time"
I have heard from several people in England - friends, relatives - who NEVER comment on political matters to me - mention how disgusted they are with Cummings. None of them have anything to do with the media or Led By Donkeys.
You can keep telling yourself it's manufactured outrage and bullshit if it makes you feel better, but your determined sophistry in trying to defend the guy shows how much you care about this story.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
If they think that Cummings and his behaviour is a major distraction in one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes, why wouldn't they?
A case of who reported to whom. Boris is a poor man manager if he was clueless as to Dom's whereabouts for those days before Boris became dangerously ill.
In my days in Senior Management, you were obliged to give details of your holiday hotel phone number so you could be contacted abroad, in the years before mobile phones became widely used. The barstewards weren't afraid to call you either.
In my day chased down to an Island kiosk in Spetses "Can you call back in 10 minutes? "No, speak to me now, or not at all"
I recall a phone call pfrom my boss as I stood watching the horses line up for the Gold Cup. Can u even believe he would be so stupid?
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
They have no chance of being listened to otherwise and if they don't go public then they will lose their seats in 2024.
People on this site obviously follow the minutiae of politics closely. I can put my hand on my heart and say that not only did I not know that he was Under Secretary of State for Scotland, but I didn't know he was a Conservative MP and couldn't distinguish him from Adam if Adam turned up holding an apple.
But apart from that, he's a really big fish
Calling one of your own ministers a NOBODY calls into doubt why he was appointed by the PM in the first place.
He was a PUSS rather than a minister, they're the guys who do extra work for a minister but don't get a government salary for it.
If I see cabinet ministers resigning, I'll believe Cummings is actually in danger, at the moment I think the over-reaction of the Lobby mob acts in his favour.
You’re getting mixed up with PPSs who are the unpaid bag carriers. Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State are junior Ministers and get a salary.
Ah, maybe. That's what happens when one reads Wikipedia rather than an authoritative source.
Obviously more beer required!
Actually wiki says the government can only pay 83 ministers so it is entirely possible he was unpaid depending on how many there are
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
If they think that Cummings and his behaviour is a major distraction in one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes, why wouldn't they?
"Boris knows best"?
Because if they just shut up about it, the heat will rapidly disappear. Their moaning is what's keeping the story even vaguely alive.
People on this site obviously follow the minutiae of politics closely. I can put my hand on my heart and say that not only did I not know that he was Under Secretary of State for Scotland, but I didn't know he was a Conservative MP and couldn't distinguish him from Adam if Adam turned up holding an apple.
But apart from that, he's a really big fish
Calling one of your own ministers a NOBODY calls into doubt why he was appointed by the PM in the first place.
He was a PUSS rather than a minister, they're the guys who do extra work for a minister but don't get a government salary for it.
If I see cabinet ministers resigning, I'll believe Cummings is actually in danger, at the moment I think the over-reaction of the Lobby mob acts in his favour.
You’re getting mixed up with PPSs who are the unpaid bag carriers. Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State are junior Ministers and get a salary.
Ah, maybe. That's what happens when one reads Wikipedia rather than an authoritative source.
Obviously more beer required!
Quite right too.
IT occurs to me belatedly that Mr Ross was the chap who fitted in his MP's duties in the gaps between being a footie referee [I speak satirically, but in truth the footie absences from Holyrood did cause some friction and he had to give up conflicting engagements]. Professor Tomkins is of course well known for being the MSP for Ibrox, but it may just be the usual background noise of fitba enthusiasm to be expected of 50% of the male Scots population as I can't think of a footie link to Mr Ross's other supporters.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
There comes a time when a PM loses control.
That time is now and even sacking Cummings may not be enough, Boris is putting himself in the line of fire, and this looks like he is prepared to sacrifice everything for Cummings
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
You will not hear the words stay home from a govt minister for the next month.
The ads are still running on TV every couple of hours
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
It's a manufactured outrage. It's bullshit.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
Except it is hardly common sense to enclose your son and heir in a small metal box with two covid sufferers for a five hour drive. It's not sensible and if no-one else did it, it's not even common.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic. That would not be a wise decision on their part.
Not long ago, it was said that UKIP had taken over the Conservative Party. Moderate Conservatives were dismayed.
Now it seems that the anarchist tendency has taken over. All the structures, all the trust which supported the working of the political system have been swept away. Cummings and his puppet Johnson have undermined it all. Why should anybody now trust the authorities or take any notice of them? They are just hot air and bluster.
I wonder if some of the Conservative Party´s official spokesmen here on PB can provide us with an answer.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
They have no chance of being listened to otherwise and if they don't go public then they will lose their seats in 2024.
I'll just repeat what I said to Topping, since no one seems capable of answering the question:
I'd love to have your crystal ball. 4 years ago the EU Referendum was still a month away. Did you predict today's political situation accurately then, in all its details? Be honest.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
It's a manufactured outrage. It's bullshit.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
Manufactured by whom ? And for whos benefit.
The last time this faux outrage reached boiling point was around prorogation.
Forces are at work in the background - Boris and Dom correct to hold firm and....
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
There comes a time when a PM loses control.
That time is now and even sacking Cummings may not be enough, Boris is putting himself in the line of fire, and this looks like he is prepared to sacrifice everything for Cummings
Utter stupidity
he has to sacrifice everything for Cummings because if Cummings goes now Johnson is certainly next and very quickly at that. He would look impossibly weak now if he sacked Cummings.
A fire needs three things to keep burning: fuel, heat and oxygen.
Eventually, every fire stops burning for lack of one of the three. If Johnson and Cummings stand firm then the same will be true here.
The fuel of new information will dwindle. The heat of outrage will cool. The oxygen of attention will be directed elsewhere.
The questions then are: How long will it take to burn out? Is Cummings' role worth the damage caused?
It seems pretty clear to me that they are willing to let this burn on. I wonder whether that's why more Tory MPs have come out in opposition? They can win some personal credit from their constituents confident that Cummings is going nowhere?
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Yes, of course we should torpedo government policy-making to avoid some bad headlines. What a ridiculous set of priorities that would be.
Does no one have the slightest particle of nerve? Just grow a spine and tough it out - no one's going to bite us.
Them and us.
At the next election. Yes in four years time, that election. And with Dom in place the Cons will have nowhere to hide.
I'd love to have your crystal ball. 4 years ago the EU Referendum was still a month away. Did you predict today's political situation accurately then? Be honest.
Any fool can predict what Labour's attack line will be.
A fire needs three things to keep burning: fuel, heat and oxygen.
Eventually, every fire stops burning for lack of one of the three. If Johnson and Cummings stand firm then the same will be true here.
The fuel of new information will dwindle. The heat of outrage will cool. The oxygen of attention will be directed elsewhere.
The questions then are: How long will it take to burn out? Is Cummings' role worth the damage caused?
It seems pretty clear to me that they are willing to let this burn on. I wonder whether that's why more Tory MPs have come out in opposition? They can win some personal credit from their constituents confident that Cummings is going nowhere?
The last point is key. The US Republicans will very often have electorally-vulnerable senators etc. come out and criticize Trump or their own policy when it's unpopular, or even get them to vote against it (but never enough to block said policy). Those politicians thus win credit for standing up to their leadership, and the leadership gets what it wants anyway...
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Yes, of course we should torpedo government policy-making to avoid some bad headlines. What a ridiculous set of priorities that would be.
Does no one have the slightest particle of nerve? Just grow a spine and tough it out - no one's going to bite us.
Them and us.
At the next election. Yes in four years time, that election. And with Dom in place the Cons will have nowhere to hide.
I'd love to have your crystal ball. 4 years ago the EU Referendum was still a month away. Did you predict today's political situation accurately then? Be honest.
Any fool can predict what Labour's attack line will be.
So that's a no then. Perhaps some realism and humility in attempting to make definitive predictions 4 years hence would be logical in that case?
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
If they think that Cummings and his behaviour is a major distraction in one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes, why wouldn't they?
"Boris knows best"?
Their moaning is what's keeping the story even vaguely alive.
So if they shut up so will:
The Labour Party The SNP The Liberal Democrats Plaid Cymru The Green The Guardian The Mirror The Daily Mail
That's a tad optimistic, because not least of all there's
That makes Boris look even weaker, even more duplicitous and useless. We are in a major pandemic, the wheels have come off the government's wagon as regards managing that pandemic and Boris' only concern is the polling?
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
If they think that Cummings and his behaviour is a major distraction in one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes, why wouldn't they?
"Boris knows best"?
Their moaning is what's keeping the story even vaguely alive.
So if they shut up so will:
The Labour Party The SNP The Liberal Democrats Plaid Cymru The Green The Guardian The Mirror The Daily Mail
That's a tad optimistic, because not least of all there's
Their constituents.
Moaning from the Opposition parties and media is the least newsworthy thing in the world. If the Tories shut up, this goes away, simple as that.
" I get that, but everything about the response is pushing us closer to the rotting cadaver that is American political debate. Partisans frightened to live in certain areas because they have become so tribal; institutions such as the civil service and Church being dragged into politics and so wrecking the power of social institutions; journalists losing all sense of proportion or pretence at even-handedness as the media heads towards hyper-partisanship."
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
It's a manufactured outrage. It's bullshit.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
Prediction: as soon as Johnson sacks Cummings you will be saying it was the "right decision at the right time"
I have heard from several people in England - friends, relatives - who NEVER comment on political matters to me - mention how disgusted they are with Cummings. None of them have anything to do with the media or Led By Donkeys.
You can keep telling yourself it's manufactured outrage and bullshit if it makes you feel better, but your determined sophistry in trying to defend the guy shows how much you care about this story.
We'll see. If new information comes out I may change my mind but if it doesn't I shall not be doing so now.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
For the greater good, grow up.
Some jobsworth tells you you have come into contact with someone with coronavirus and must stay indoors for 14 days.
How do you know that's even the truth? Somebody could keep you under house arrest for ever, essentially, if they wanted to. Do you get a review?
The jobsworths could make it politically motivated, house arresting key personnel of one party or other at certain times, or simply targeting people they don't like. Or blackmailing them.
Its a system that is wide, wide open to abuse.
Plus we are talking here about depriving people of their liberty for extended periods with no recourse to the rule of law whatsoever. What's the effective difference between what Sturgeon proposes and arbitrary imprisonment? very little it seems to me.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Nope.
contacts will only be tested if they too become syptomatic as testing before then might not give an accurate result.
Contact tracing in Scotland:
If their test comes back positive, they will be asked for details of people they they share a house with, anyone they have had face to face contact with, and people they have been within two metres of for a period of 15 minutes or more.
Not sure that is over what previous period - but if it's two weeks (for example) and people are at work/taking public transport, that could be tricky.....which I guess is why others use an App.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
For the greater good, grow up.
Some jobsworth tells you you have come into contact with someone with coronavirus and must stay indoors for 14 days.
How do you know that's even the truth? Somebody could keep you under house arrest for ever, essentially, if they wanted to. Do you get a review?
The jobsworths could make it politically motivated, house arresting key personnel of one party or other at certain times, or simply targeting people they don't like. Or blackmailing them.
Its a system that is wide, wide open to abuse.
Plus we are talking here about depriving people of their liberty for extended periods with no recourse to the rule of law whatsoever. What's the effective difference between what Sturgeon proposes and arbitrary imprisonment? very little it seems to me.
Most of the the Scots will lap it up - Nanny Sturgeon telling them to hide in the cupboard - its the republican left wing authoritarian jackboot they all wish for - saves them having to think.
The UK Government in England will have a similarly difficult message to sell too if they want an effective track, trace and quarantine program. It's not an easy message to sell at the best of times. I don't think their actions will make it any easier to sell now.
When Boris Johnson returned to work after being ill I really wondered if he wanted to stay. I thought that he could soon be out, but I did not imagine this turn of events. Boris does want to stay as PM but on his own terms. Conservative MPs just have to decide whether they will accept his terms. If they refuse they have to find a new party leader and Prime Minister, and they have to take responsibility for running the country in the middle of a pandemic and an economic and social crisis.
So Boris remains as PM or he leaves but someone else has to lead the Conservative party and find a solution to the country's problems. Either way Boris wins because Conservative MPs end up being committed to supporting the government at a time of national crisis. Boris has been cleverer than I expected.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
It's a manufactured outrage. It's bullshit.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
Except it is hardly common sense to enclose your son and heir in a small metal box with two covid sufferers for a five hour drive. It's not sensible and if no-one else did it, it's not even common.
That's a different matter. People should do what THEY think is right in an emergency situation. Not what others think is right.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
Yes of course you can't let the press hound you main man out of office because where does it end?
Unless that main man has become a vote-losing liability who rather than occupy a weird blue-sky thinking space in your government, now serves only to give your opponents ammunition against you.
Them and us.
Boris could reclaim the "we can't have people lording over us all" mantle, especially as he is a survivor and managed to follow the rules. He would be golden.
That said, what would happen to government policy without its policy-maker? Gawd knows but that's a different issue.
Yes, of course we should torpedo government policy-making to avoid some bad headlines. What a ridiculous set of priorities that would be.
Does no one have the slightest particle of nerve? Just grow a spine and tough it out - no one's going to bite us.
Them and us.
At the next election. Yes in four years time, that election. And with Dom in place the Cons will have nowhere to hide.
I'd love to have your crystal ball. 4 years ago the EU Referendum was still a month away. Did you predict today's political situation accurately then? Be honest.
Any fool can predict what Labour's attack line will be.
So that's a no then. Perhaps some realism and humility in attempting to make definitive predictions 4 years hence would be logical in that case?
It's not a no. It's telling you how party politics works.
Okay put yourself in the shoes of the Labour party head of strategy. What would be your attack lines at the next election?
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
That makes Boris look even weaker, even more duplicitous and useless. We are in a major pandemic, the wheels have come off the government's wagon as regards managing that pandemic and Boris' only concern is the polling?
FFS!
Yeh right. A senior tory is going to text some anti-tory journo with a comment like that at a moment like this.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
Tracking and tracing and ADVISING people to stay home is fine.
For the proverbially practical and hard-headed Cons MPs the simple fact is that Dom is an electoral weakness. Either now or in a few years time. To think he is not and that everyone will have forgotten is to misunderestimate Lab's attack lines.
Them and us.
It was ever thus.
If every single time there was a controversial person you let them go you're just inviting further controversy, further manufactured outrage and further scalp hunting.
You're getting more and more ridiculous. This is about the most powerful political advisor demonstrating blatant contempt for
"Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives"
(then getting lost in a labyrinth of laughable excuses for it just makes it more politically damaging for Johnson).
It's not about sacking every "controversial person" because they are controversial.
It's a manufactured outrage. It's bullshit.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
Except it is hardly common sense to enclose your son and heir in a small metal box with two covid sufferers for a five hour drive. It's not sensible and if no-one else did it, it's not even common.
That's a different matter. People should do what THEY think is right in an emergency situation. Not what others think is right.
Are you auditioning for one of those Ever Ready adverts or something?
Fighting like tats in a sack! Although that being so Ellwood is an urbane, rather agreeable rodent.
Number 10's contempt for democratic norms is shameless.
No yours is. The electorate returned the conservatives with a big majority, why should they behave like the media that clearly hasn't accepted that result want them to?
IF the electorate want Boris & co out that is their privilege.
The UK Government in England will have a similarly difficult message to sell too if they want an effective track, trace and quarantine program. It's not an easy message to sell at the best of times. I don't think their actions will make it any easier to sell now.
Telling someone to be at home for 72 to 96 hours while you arrange a test and get the results is one thing.
14 days because you can't be bothered with testing. What logic is there in that?
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
I also note that the Scottish system, which is based on the traditional human system we all used to have when local government across the UK had its MOH and staff, will by its n ature [edit] emphasise known interactions - for instance, school class, rather than something coming up on an app phoned in by someone who thinks he's got covid-19 after wandering all over London.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
Tracking and tracing and ADVISING people to stay home is fine.
Putting them under house arrest is not.
I'm afraid Mr Cummings has just given us ample proof that you can't trust people to put the public good above their own - even when they wrote the bloody rules!
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
Tracking and tracing and ADVISING people to stay home is fine.
Putting them under house arrest is not.
I'm afraid Mr Cummings has just given us ample proof that you can't trust people to put the public good above their own - even when they wrote the bloody rules!
Yes - we cannot trust people to work for the glorious revolution - hence why we must spy on them and "re-educate" them in special camps if required.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
If they think that Cummings and his behaviour is a major distraction in one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes, why wouldn't they?
"Boris knows best"?
Their moaning is what's keeping the story even vaguely alive.
So if they shut up so will:
The Labour Party The SNP The Liberal Democrats Plaid Cymru The Green The Guardian The Mirror The Daily Mail
That's a tad optimistic, because not least of all there's
Their constituents.
Moaning from the Opposition parties and media is the least newsworthy thing in the world. If the Tories shut up, this goes away, simple as that.
And their constituents? Should they ignore them too?
Top rated comment:
Boris has misread the mood of the country. He demanded people to respect the lockdown but turned a blind eye when his right hand man flouted the rules. Rules should be the same for everyone.
The UK Government in England will have a similarly difficult message to sell too if they want an effective track, trace and quarantine program. It's not an easy message to sell at the best of times. I don't think their actions will make it any easier to sell now.
Telling someone to be at home for 72 to 96 hours while you arrange a test and get the results is one thing.
14 days because you can't be bothered with testing. What logic is there in that?
Because the virtus takes up to 14 days to be manifest, ergo appear in test results, I imagine. (Well, perhaps a bit less, but it needs a margin.)
" I get that, but everything about the response is pushing us closer to the rotting cadaver that is American political debate. Partisans frightened to live in certain areas because they have become so tribal; institutions such as the civil service and Church being dragged into politics and so wrecking the power of social institutions; journalists losing all sense of proportion or pretence at even-handedness as the media heads towards hyper-partisanship."
The great irony of course is that few people have done more to nurture a US-style culture war in the UK than Cummings with the crass populism of Vote Leave. The culture war is central to US right wing politics because it is the means of winning majority support for policies benefiting a wealthy elite. It was only a matter of time before it was imported to the UK, especially since a fair amount of US billionaire money is involved here too. Personally I didn't like the sight of him being jeered by his neighbours and certainly hope he comes to no physical harm, but I understand and indeed share their rage.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
Tracking and tracing and ADVISING people to stay home is fine.
Putting them under house arrest is not.
I'm afraid Mr Cummings has just given us ample proof that you can't trust people to put the public good above their own - even when they wrote the bloody rules!
Yes - we cannot trust people to work for the glorious revolution - hence why we must spy on them and "re-educate" them in special camps if required.
Can you explain to me why it is wrong for the Scots to do that and right for the English to do that? I'd really like to know.
Fighting like tats in a sack! Although that being so Ellwood is an urbane, rather agreeable rodent.
Number 10's contempt for democratic norms is shameless.
No yours is. The electorate returned the conservatives with a big majority, why should they behave like the media that clearly hasn't accepted that result want them to?
IF the electorate want Boris & co out that is their privilege.
The people upset the most now with Boris etc are the same losers who were upset when he won the election. Funny that.
Fighting like tats in a sack! Although that being so Ellwood is an urbane, rather agreeable rodent.
Number 10's contempt for democratic norms is shameless.
No yours is. The electorate returned the conservatives with a big majority, why should they behave like the media that clearly hasn't accepted that result want them to?
IF the electorate want Boris & co out that is their privilege.
The people upset the most now with Boris etc are the same losers who were upset when he won the election. Funny that.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
Tracking and tracing and ADVISING people to stay home is fine.
Putting them under house arrest is not.
I'm afraid Mr Cummings has just given us ample proof that you can't trust people to put the public good above their own - even when they wrote the bloody rules!
Yes - we cannot trust people to work for the glorious revolution - hence why we must spy on them and "re-educate" them in special camps if required.
Can you explain to me why it is wrong for the Scots to do that and right for the English to do that? I'd really like to know.
Find people, test them - if positive they stay in.
Scottish approach seems to be - have a different system because TOARIES - find people, cant test them because testing rates are so low - so lock everyone up.
Don't restart construction Don't open retail Don't open schools Don't open golf courses Don't open flipping garden centres.
It's like January in Wuhan - but without the exotic cuisine.
Steve Baker is a contrarian arsehole who loves the sound of Steve Bakers voice. Steve Baker will be pissed off that since May went we weren't paying enough attention to Steve "Hardman" Baker.
Fighting like tats in a sack! Although that being so Ellwood is an urbane, rather agreeable rodent.
Number 10's contempt for democratic norms is shameless.
No yours is. The electorate returned the conservatives with a big majority, why should they behave like the media that clearly hasn't accepted that result want them to? IF the electorate want Boris & co out that is their privilege.
Come off it, Contrarian. The Tories "won" the election by cheating and lying. In doing so, they destroyed trust in the government, which they now want to claim as legitimate. And everything they do now just undermines that trust even further.
What they need to do is to start building up trust, not gamble away the future of the country.
But for the greater good. Perhaps a test can be administered after a few days to see if they do have it?
Christ - wait until the lockdown snitch Stasis get a load of that- the curtains will be twitching and the hotline to the Covid Police buzzing.
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
My prediction: the people who have been whining the loudest for the lockdown to be relaxed will also whine the loudest about the tracing and isolation operation that's necessary to relax it.
Tracking and tracing and ADVISING people to stay home is fine.
Putting them under house arrest is not.
I'm afraid Mr Cummings has just given us ample proof that you can't trust people to put the public good above their own - even when they wrote the bloody rules!
Yes - we cannot trust people to work for the glorious revolution - hence why we must spy on them and "re-educate" them in special camps if required.
Can you explain to me why it is wrong for the Scots to do that and right for the English to do that? I'd really like to know.
Find people, test them - if positive they stay in.
Scottish approach seems to be - have a different system because TOARIES - find people, cant test them because testing rates are so low - so lock everyone up.
Don't restart construction Don't open retail Don't open schools Don't open golf courses Don't open flipping garden centres.
It's like January in Wuhan - but without the exotic cuisine.
Fighting like tats in a sack! Although that being so Ellwood is an urbane, rather agreeable rodent.
Number 10's contempt for democratic norms is shameless.
No yours is. The electorate returned the conservatives with a big majority, why should they behave like the media that clearly hasn't accepted that result want them to?
IF the electorate want Boris & co out that is their privilege.
The people upset the most now with Boris etc are the same losers who were upset when he won the election. Funny that.
Conservative MPs? The Tory press?
There were plenty of the above telling us to stick with Mrs May and vote Conservative in the European Elections or to vote for Mrs Mays amazing deal.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
If they think that Cummings and his behaviour is a major distraction in one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes, why wouldn't they?
"Boris knows best"?
Their moaning is what's keeping the story even vaguely alive.
So if they shut up so will:
The Labour Party The SNP The Liberal Democrats Plaid Cymru The Green The Guardian The Mirror The Daily Mail
That's a tad optimistic, because not least of all there's
Their constituents.
Moaning from the Opposition parties and media is the least newsworthy thing in the world. If the Tories shut up, this goes away, simple as that.
And their constituents? Should they ignore them too?
Top rated comment:
Boris has misread the mood of the country. He demanded people to respect the lockdown but turned a blind eye when his right hand man flouted the rules. Rules should be the same for everyone.
If those MPs all go 'properly' public (no, moaning on Twitter doesn't count), they'll be engaging their own Prime Minister in a political fight to the death in the middle of a pandemic.
That would not be a wise decision on their part.
If they think that Cummings and his behaviour is a major distraction in one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetimes, why wouldn't they?
"Boris knows best"?
Their moaning is what's keeping the story even vaguely alive.
So if they shut up so will:
The Labour Party The SNP The Liberal Democrats Plaid Cymru The Green The Guardian The Mirror The Daily Mail
That's a tad optimistic, because not least of all there's
Their constituents.
Moaning from the Opposition parties and media is the least newsworthy thing in the world. If the Tories shut up, this goes away, simple as that.
And their constituents? Should they ignore them too?
Top rated comment:
Boris has misread the mood of the country. He demanded people to respect the lockdown but turned a blind eye when his right hand man flouted the rules. Rules should be the same for everyone.
Comments
This is worse than the Cummings story.
At the next election. Yes in four years time, that election. And with Dom in place the Cons will have nowhere to hide.
Any father should use their common sense in similar circumstances and twats like Led By Donkeys and the media who've been being oh so clever outside the Cummings residence should be ashamed.
Is there not some kind of quorum?
Obviously more beer required!
I'm old enough to remember Bernard Jenkin insisting "if Boris Johnson expects an easy ride, he's nominated the wrong man...... I’m answerable to the committee and the House. I’m not beholden to anyone else."
(That's mainly *because he said it three days ago*, rather my being particularly old
https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/bernard-jenkin-if-the-government-expect-an-easy-ride-theyve-nominated-the-wrong-man
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlVvgOHqSu/
They are never, ever challenged to name sources and many just swallow their tweets as gospel.
The fact is journalists are disingenuous about the conservative party all the time, as last week-end's reports about Cummings conduct showed.
Indeed, the way Sky has treated the tories since day one of this government it would surprise me that any of its MPs are on speaking terms with its correspondents, let alone confiding in them
I have heard from several people in England - friends, relatives - who NEVER comment on political matters to me - mention how disgusted they are with Cummings. None of them have anything to do with the media or Led By Donkeys.
You can keep telling yourself it's manufactured outrage and bullshit if it makes you feel better, but your determined sophistry in trying to defend the guy shows how much you care about this story.
"Boris knows best"?
IT occurs to me belatedly that Mr Ross was the chap who fitted in his MP's duties in the gaps between being a footie referee [I speak satirically, but in truth the footie absences from Holyrood did cause some friction and he had to give up conflicting engagements]. Professor Tomkins is of course well known for being the MSP for Ibrox, but it may just be the usual background noise of fitba enthusiasm to be expected of 50% of the male Scots population as I can't think of a footie link to Mr Ross's other supporters.
That time is now and even sacking Cummings may not be enough, Boris is putting himself in the line of fire, and this looks like he is prepared to sacrifice everything for Cummings
Utter stupidity
Now it seems that the anarchist tendency has taken over. All the structures, all the trust which supported the working of the political system have been swept away. Cummings and his puppet Johnson have undermined it all. Why should anybody now trust the authorities or take any notice of them? They are just hot air and bluster.
I wonder if some of the Conservative Party´s official spokesmen here on PB can provide us with an answer.
https://twitter.com/andrewlearmonth/status/1265285919252365313?s=20
I'd love to have your crystal ball. 4 years ago the EU Referendum was still a month away. Did you predict today's political situation accurately then, in all its details? Be honest.
The last time this faux outrage reached boiling point was around prorogation.
Forces are at work in the background - Boris and Dom correct to hold firm and....
Get Brexit Done.
Eventually, every fire stops burning for lack of one of the three. If Johnson and Cummings stand firm then the same will be true here.
The fuel of new information will dwindle. The heat of outrage will cool. The oxygen of attention will be directed elsewhere.
The questions then are: How long will it take to burn out? Is Cummings' role worth the damage caused?
It seems pretty clear to me that they are willing to let this burn on. I wonder whether that's why more Tory MPs have come out in opposition? They can win some personal credit from their constituents confident that Cummings is going nowhere?
https://twitter.com/tconnellyRTE/status/1265276237607387136?s=20
https://twitter.com/tconnellyRTE/status/1265276239259906048?s=20
https://twitter.com/tconnellyRTE/status/1265276246771941377?s=20
https://twitter.com/tconnellyRTE/status/1265276248625778688?s=20
"He's going to the shop after 6.34 days ! "
The Labour Party
The SNP
The Liberal Democrats
Plaid Cymru
The Green
The Guardian
The Mirror
The Daily Mail
That's a tad optimistic, because not least of all there's
Their constituents.
FFS!
" I get that, but everything about the response is pushing us closer to the rotting cadaver that is American political debate. Partisans frightened to live in certain areas because they have become so tribal; institutions such as the civil service and Church being dragged into politics and so wrecking the power of social institutions; journalists losing all sense of proportion or pretence at even-handedness as the media heads towards hyper-partisanship."
Some jobsworth tells you you have come into contact with someone with coronavirus and must stay indoors for 14 days.
How do you know that's even the truth? Somebody could keep you under house arrest for ever, essentially, if they wanted to. Do you get a review?
The jobsworths could make it politically motivated, house arresting key personnel of one party or other at certain times, or simply targeting people they don't like. Or blackmailing them.
Its a system that is wide, wide open to abuse.
Plus we are talking here about depriving people of their liberty for extended periods with no recourse to the rule of law whatsoever. What's the effective difference between what Sturgeon proposes and arbitrary imprisonment? very little it seems to me.
Nope.
contacts will only be tested if they too become syptomatic as testing before then might not give an accurate result.
Contact tracing in Scotland:
If their test comes back positive, they will be asked for details of people they they share a house with, anyone they have had face to face contact with, and people they have been within two metres of for a period of 15 minutes or more.
Not sure that is over what previous period - but if it's two weeks (for example) and people are at work/taking public transport, that could be tricky.....which I guess is why others use an App.
It's not an easy message to sell at the best of times.
I don't think their actions will make it any easier to sell now.
So Boris remains as PM or he leaves but someone else has to lead the Conservative party and find a solution to the country's problems. Either way Boris wins because Conservative MPs end up being committed to supporting the government at a time of national crisis. Boris has been cleverer than I expected.
Okay put yourself in the shoes of the Labour party head of strategy. What would be your attack lines at the next election?
How about b8llocks
Putting them under house arrest is not.
https://twitter.com/BrugesGroup/status/1254871449975885825?s=20
IF the electorate want Boris & co out that is their privilege.
14 days because you can't be bothered with testing. What logic is there in that?
https://twitter.com/SteveBakerHW/status/1264454424770076673?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet
Top rated comment:
Boris has misread the mood of the country. He demanded people to respect the lockdown but turned a blind eye when his right hand man flouted the rules. Rules should be the same for everyone.
On this Daily Mail article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8357481/Boris-Johnsons-popularity-PLUMMETS-wake-Dominic-Cummings-lockdown-row.html#comments
Personally I didn't like the sight of him being jeered by his neighbours and certainly hope he comes to no physical harm, but I understand and indeed share their rage.
Durham Police examining fresh allegations against Dominic Cummings
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/25/police-chief-urges-force-launch-criminal-investigation-dominic/
Scottish approach seems to be - have a different system because TOARIES - find people, cant test them because testing rates are so low - so lock everyone up.
Don't restart construction
Don't open retail
Don't open schools
Don't open golf courses
Don't open flipping garden centres.
It's like January in Wuhan - but without the exotic cuisine.
He's like the Daily Mail.
What they need to do is to start building up trust, not gamble away the future of the country.
''and send the toaries the bill''
Absolute morons who utterly failed.
Still want to run the government according to their top comments?
The PM was rather busy at the time.