As BBC Political Correspondent, a lot of what LauraK does is report on what the government of the day is saying, from Government sources, so she'll seem biased to whoever is in power. Didn't we call Nick Robinson "toenails," when Gordon Brown was PM, but I didn't see bias from him against Cameron when he took power. She's just doing her job.
Bashing LauraK does seem to have become something of a national sport.
She's accused of bias from both the right and the left so maybe she is straighter that people think. Personally, I would find it hard to divine her political affiliation. If pressed I'd say a liberal but not sure.
Sure, both sides like to get their digs in.
Is it possible for a journalist to have 'gone native'? To be so reliant upon unofficial briefings that to properly interrogate them may hinder any future ones?
Its hard for me to forget the incident in which a Labour activist was said to have punched an aide. A story that could have been so easily checked but was not, instead it was instantaneously tweeted by the BBC's political editor.
I am sure the lefties on here are grateful to Mr Smithson for allowing them a thread to froth over. Its been a long time where the left have had to suck it up... Time to give them a moment to enjoy, if wallpaper be the subject of their wrath, so be it.
As Boris paid for the wallpaper himself it makes it even more bizarre
Seriously doubt your PM pays for ANYTHING himself. Just like his role model Trumpsky.
Well he said numerous times in the Commons today that he did pay for it, so I assume he can produce evidence or he will have lied to the House and will have to resign.
My business partner is generally very supportive of Johnson. Not an enthusiast, but very much prefers him to any Labour offerings. He said to me today that the wallpaper doesn't worry him at all, but the bodies piled up comment does, adding it's exactly the sort of thing, the "stupid b******" would say.
So just froth? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is what I was thinking when Nick Robinson was cooing over Sarah Vine's favourable view of Boris Johnson's wallpaper this morning.
The press have decided that the refurbishment is the bigger story for now, but the 'bodies' comment and issue will anger a lot more people, I think.
With refurbishment, Johnson is completely on the hook because there's an audit trail. He's avoiding answering key questions but the truth will out as there is a trail.
With bodies, journalists have verified via independent witnesses, but Johnson denies it and there is unlikely to be a recording. It's very likely he said it in reality, but harder to make it stick.
That is what he is counting on. He is a gambler and a liar. He is gambling that if he makes the denial forthright enough no one can prove it, and all the gullible fools that give him the benefit of the doubt will give it in spades. He must love those easily fooled plebs.
I am sure the lefties on here are grateful to Mr Smithson for allowing them a thread to froth over. Its been a long time where the left have had to suck it up... Time to give them a moment to enjoy, if wallpaper be the subject of their wrath, so be it.
As Boris paid for the wallpaper himself it makes it even more bizarre
Seriously doubt your PM pays for ANYTHING himself. Just like his role model Trumpsky.
He must pay for something. He earns enough dosh and given he's skint must spend all the dosh he earns one way or another.
Just like Trumpsky, Johnson is grand master at spending other people's money. I stand by my contention.
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
What proportion of the population needs antibodies to trigger for herd immunity with the Kent R? 68% is adults only of course, kiddiewinks will drag it down.
If kiddies are 20% of the population, that equates to about 54.5% of the total population. So I'd say we need another 13m or so first doses to get there.
That's assuming that no kids have naturally acquired immunity, which seems extraordinarily unlikely.
My business partner is generally very supportive of Johnson. Not an enthusiast, but very much prefers him to any Labour offerings. He said to me today that the wallpaper doesn't worry him at all, but the bodies piled up comment does, adding it's exactly the sort of thing, the "stupid b******" would say.
So just froth? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is what I was thinking when Nick Robinson was cooing over Sarah Vine's favourable view of Boris Johnson's wallpaper this morning.
The press have decided that the refurbishment is the bigger story for now, but the 'bodies' comment and issue will anger a lot more people, I think.
With refurbishment, Johnson is completely on the hook because there's an audit trail. He's avoiding answering key questions but the truth will out as there is a trail.
With bodies, journalists have verified via independent witnesses, but Johnson denies it and there is unlikely to be a recording. It's very likely he said it in reality, but harder to make it stick.
That is what he is counting on. He is a gambler and a liar. He is gambling that if he makes the denial forthright enough no one can prove it, and all the gullible fools that give him the benefit of the doubt will give it in spades. He must love those easily fooled plebs.
Johnson (like Trump) will expend moneys ONLY on basis that someone else will make it up to him . . . and them some.
My business partner is generally very supportive of Johnson. Not an enthusiast, but very much prefers him to any Labour offerings. He said to me today that the wallpaper doesn't worry him at all, but the bodies piled up comment does, adding it's exactly the sort of thing, the "stupid b******" would say.
So just froth? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is what I was thinking when Nick Robinson was cooing over Sarah Vine's favourable view of Boris Johnson's wallpaper this morning.
The press have decided that the refurbishment is the bigger story for now, but the 'bodies' comment and issue will anger a lot more people, I think.
With refurbishment, Johnson is completely on the hook because there's an audit trail. He's avoiding answering key questions but the truth will out as there is a trail.
With bodies, journalists have verified via independent witnesses, but Johnson denies it and there is unlikely to be a recording. It's very likely he said it in reality, but harder to make it stick.
That is what he is counting on. He is a gambler and a liar. He is gambling that if he makes the denial forthright enough no one can prove it, and all the gullible fools that give him the benefit of the doubt will give it in spades. He must love those easily fooled plebs.
Or he may not have said it
Innocent until proved guilty is the law of the land
And it is why he has to resign if a recording or tape exists to condemn him
My business partner is generally very supportive of Johnson. Not an enthusiast, but very much prefers him to any Labour offerings. He said to me today that the wallpaper doesn't worry him at all, but the bodies piled up comment does, adding it's exactly the sort of thing, the "stupid b******" would say.
So just froth? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is what I was thinking when Nick Robinson was cooing over Sarah Vine's favourable view of Boris Johnson's wallpaper this morning.
The press have decided that the refurbishment is the bigger story for now, but the 'bodies' comment and issue will anger a lot more people, I think.
With refurbishment, Johnson is completely on the hook because there's an audit trail. He's avoiding answering key questions but the truth will out as there is a trail.
With bodies, journalists have verified via independent witnesses, but Johnson denies it and there is unlikely to be a recording. It's very likely he said it in reality, but harder to make it stick.
That is what he is counting on. He is a gambler and a liar. He is gambling that if he makes the denial forthright enough no one can prove it, and all the gullible fools that give him the benefit of the doubt will give it in spades. He must love those easily fooled plebs.
Or he may not have said it
Innocent until proved guilty is the law of the land
And it is why he has to resign if a recording or tape exists to condemn him
"Innocent until proved guilty is the law of the land"
The presser won't be good news (as in early unlockdown good news) because without fail that would be Bozza delivering it. Despite the flak he would take for Wallpapergate.
Virtually no chance of early unlockdown. But neither of slippage. Think the roadmap is now written in stone.
Nestlé to cut almost 600 jobs as it closes UK factory and moves some production to Europe
Detail: It said it plans to invest £20.2m in York to "modernise and increase production of KitKat in the city where the brand was first created in 1935".
A further £9.2m will be invested in Halifax to "equip the factory to take on the largest portion of Fawdon's current production"
I guess "consolidating production and investing in £29,400,000 in other UK production sites" is not as "newsworthy" as moves some production to Europe when the "largest proportion" is staying in the UK.....
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
What proportion of the population needs antibodies to trigger for herd immunity with the Kent R? 68% is adults only of course, kiddiewinks will drag it down.
If kiddies are 20% of the population, that equates to about 54.5% of the total population. So I'd say we need another 13m or so first doses to get there.
That's assuming that no kids have naturally acquired immunity, which seems extraordinarily unlikely.
Say in line with overall infection rate for the population - 1 in 15, so 1/15th of 20% = 1.33%, brings the total up to ~56%. So, ok, we get there with 12M additional 1st doses.
What proportion of the population needs antibodies to trigger for herd immunity with the Kent R? 68% is adults only of course, kiddiewinks will drag it down.
If kiddies are 20% of the population, that equates to about 54.5% of the total population. So I'd say we need another 13m or so first doses to get there.
There'll be children previously infected, perhaps 20% or so ?
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
What proportion of the population needs antibodies to trigger for herd immunity with the Kent R? 68% is adults only of course, kiddiewinks will drag it down.
If kiddies are 20% of the population, that equates to about 54.5% of the total population. So I'd say we need another 13m or so first doses to get there.
There'll be children previously infected, perhaps 20% or so ?
At that high, it'd be 58.5% of the total population. 10-11M new first doses.
As BBC Political Correspondent, a lot of what LauraK does is report on what the government of the day is saying, from Government sources, so she'll seem biased to whoever is in power. Didn't we call Nick Robinson "toenails," when Gordon Brown was PM, but I didn't see bias from him against Cameron when he took power. She's just doing her job.
Nick Robinson got quite a bit, didnt the SNP have an effigy of him at a march? I think what separates Laura is the growth of social media while she has been in post. We've seen the kind of abuse, quite awful really. And she seems such a pleasant person doing a difficult job (but i guess very well remunerated).
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
As BBC Political Correspondent, a lot of what LauraK does is report on what the government of the day is saying, from Government sources, so she'll seem biased to whoever is in power. Didn't we call Nick Robinson "toenails," when Gordon Brown was PM, but I didn't see bias from him against Cameron when he took power. She's just doing her job.
The problem I have with lauraK is that she managed to completely miss Theresa Mays election gamble. For someone so well connected, she monumentally misread / allowed herself to be mislead.
I was betting on that and lost a lot of money. Her job is to be critical, not just buy into the governments narrative and allow herself to be played like a violin.
I was a bit tongue-in-cheek earlier today calling her a 'BBC lefty' in response to someone saying she must be right because Momentum call her a Tory. The fact is I couldn't say if she's left or right, quite frankly I find her to be a very dull empty vessel.
All she does most of the time is copy and paste press releases by the parties. So sometimes it will be "government sources say [xyz]" and other times it will be "Labour sources say [abc]" but that's just copying and pasting what others are telling her.
No proper investigations, when she gets to ask questions whether to Boris, Hancock or Starmer, they're typically rather vapid questions. Hence all the questions from her and others about holidays etc knowing they won't get an answer. Nothing cutting or insightful against anyone.
She's simply really weak and not impressive at all. A Political Editor really ought to be able to do more than just copy and paste the soundbites that others wish to give to them.
I would imagine she is on text message terms with many senior politicians and hence whatever she says has gone through the filter of plausibility from those "sources" which are not to be sniffed at.
Oh absolutely, but as I said that's just copying and pasting what others want to say.
She really ought to be more competent at stuff other than that. As she represents the BBC she's almost inevitably the first journalist to be called to ask a question, so should have a humdinger lined up sometimes, but its always vapid stuff. When was the last time she asked something unexpected and insightful? I can't think of any time.
I am still awaiting for the same from you Philip to no avail.
I have noticed a possible seam of misogyny in your posts, which would explain your view of Laura. Maybe why you relate to "Boris"? A real man's man eh?
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
I assume that Cummings signed the Offical Secrets Act, he may be subject to arrest if he says too much.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
I think the numbers in hospital with Covid will be close to 1,000 by the May 17th next stage of unlocking.
Given Johnson's demonstrated affinity for the nation's football supporters, I am amazed that the June 21st date isn't being brought forward to before the start of the Euro 2021 tournament.
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
Question if we are receiving those 60 million this Autumn why have the EU been talking about delivery in 2022?
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
AIUI the big 1.8bn EU order is for the gen 2/3 vaccine, they have got is set for delivery from 2022 and 2023. In comparison it looks as though the UK will get the gen 2 vaccine in 2021 and that matches up with Pfizer's own timeframe for gen 2 delivery.
My business partner is generally very supportive of Johnson. Not an enthusiast, but very much prefers him to any Labour offerings. He said to me today that the wallpaper doesn't worry him at all, but the bodies piled up comment does, adding it's exactly the sort of thing, the "stupid b******" would say.
So just froth? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is what I was thinking when Nick Robinson was cooing over Sarah Vine's favourable view of Boris Johnson's wallpaper this morning.
The press have decided that the refurbishment is the bigger story for now, but the 'bodies' comment and issue will anger a lot more people, I think.
With refurbishment, Johnson is completely on the hook because there's an audit trail. He's avoiding answering key questions but the truth will out as there is a trail.
With bodies, journalists have verified via independent witnesses, but Johnson denies it and there is unlikely to be a recording. It's very likely he said it in reality, but harder to make it stick.
That is what he is counting on. He is a gambler and a liar. He is gambling that if he makes the denial forthright enough no one can prove it, and all the gullible fools that give him the benefit of the doubt will give it in spades. He must love those easily fooled plebs.
Or he may not have said it
Innocent until proved guilty is the law of the land
And it is why he has to resign if a recording or tape exists to condemn him
Innocent until proven guilty may be the guiding principle in a criminal court, where the burden of proof is with the prosecution. The Court of Public Opinion has different criteria. The problem for Johnson is that most people could imagine him saying such a thing
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
Question if we are receiving those 60 million this Autumn why have the EU been talking about delivery in 2022?
It does make one wonder what the government has done to get this deal, it's seriously a great move IMO as Pfizer are easily the most reliable manufacturer with a top vaccine and have already begun trialling their gen 2 vaccine and they have received approval for kids aged 11-15 as well with a trial for kids aged 5-10 being planned too.
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
I assume that Cummings signed the Offical Secrets Act, he may be subject to arrest if he says too much.
As I understand it that only applies to matters that fall under the act
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
Question if we are receiving those 60 million this Autumn why have the EU been talking about delivery in 2022?
It does make one wonder what the government has done to get this deal, it's seriously a great move IMO as Pfizer are easily the most reliable manufacturer with a top vaccine and have already begun trialling their gen 2 vaccine and they have received approval for kids aged 11-15 as well with a trial for kids aged 5-10 being planned too.
I suspect not that much - paying the asking price while not being an arse...
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
Question if we are receiving those 60 million this Autumn why have the EU been talking about delivery in 2022?
It's a rolling delivery programme - but as the EU is vaccinating later it will need the boosters later. It is by far Pfizer's biggest customer.
The good news is that after its absolute clusterfuck balls-up the EU is beginning to get its act in order and is set to get the majority of its citizens vaccinated with at least one jab by July. If this happens it is going to allow some serious opening up, which will benefit us hugely.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
I assume that Cummings signed the Offical Secrets Act, he may be subject to arrest if he says too much.
That WOULD be a great case. The Ponting case would be in the shade!
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
I assume that Cummings signed the Offical Secrets Act, he may be subject to arrest if he says too much.
Surely the act applies to classified materials only, not to embarrassing private conversations, particularly those that are held without formal meetings, or observed embarrassing actions.
I just checked. It appears the OSA applies to intelligence, security, defence and international relations information release of which would cause harm to the nation.
Not sure that the sleaze stories that might be Cummings focus would qualify, but IANAL (although I signed the OSA on multiple occasions).
My business partner is generally very supportive of Johnson. Not an enthusiast, but very much prefers him to any Labour offerings. He said to me today that the wallpaper doesn't worry him at all, but the bodies piled up comment does, adding it's exactly the sort of thing, the "stupid b******" would say.
So just froth? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is what I was thinking when Nick Robinson was cooing over Sarah Vine's favourable view of Boris Johnson's wallpaper this morning.
The press have decided that the refurbishment is the bigger story for now, but the 'bodies' comment and issue will anger a lot more people, I think.
With refurbishment, Johnson is completely on the hook because there's an audit trail. He's avoiding answering key questions but the truth will out as there is a trail.
With bodies, journalists have verified via independent witnesses, but Johnson denies it and there is unlikely to be a recording. It's very likely he said it in reality, but harder to make it stick.
That is what he is counting on. He is a gambler and a liar. He is gambling that if he makes the denial forthright enough no one can prove it, and all the gullible fools that give him the benefit of the doubt will give it in spades. He must love those easily fooled plebs.
Or he may not have said it
Innocent until proved guilty is the law of the land
And it is why he has to resign if a recording or tape exists to condemn him
Only if it is encrypted with an integral time-stamp and backed up by at least half a dozen sworn statements from credible witnesses.Not including anyone who dislikes the prime minister's fiancee, naturally.
It will be a sad day for British politics when a senior statesman can't express an honest desire for thousands of people to die in order to preserve his career, and lie his way out of it afterwards!
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
Question if we are receiving those 60 million this Autumn why have the EU been talking about delivery in 2022?
It does make one wonder what the government has done to get this deal, it's seriously a great move IMO as Pfizer are easily the most reliable manufacturer with a top vaccine and have already begun trialling their gen 2 vaccine and they have received approval for kids aged 11-15 as well with a trial for kids aged 5-10 being planned too.
I suspect not that much - paying the asking price while not being an arse...
It's worth remembering that Pfizer's platform partner is a German company. Relations between Pfizer and the EU are much better than they are with AZN.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
Repulsive though Cummings is, MAYBE, just maybe he does have some scruples. He mentioned competence; perhaps he realised that he has helped put an incompetent buffoon in as PM and is going through a phase of remorse? More likely it is revenge of the ego!
The presser won't be good news (as in early unlockdown good news) because without fail that would be Bozza delivering it. Despite the flak he would take for Wallpapergate.
Virtually no chance of early unlockdown. But neither of slippage. Think the roadmap is now written in stone.
Yes, I think that is absolutely correct. They won’t take the risk of loosening early and the inherent negative publicity any spike may bring.
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
Question if we are receiving those 60 million this Autumn why have the EU been talking about delivery in 2022?
It does make one wonder what the government has done to get this deal, it's seriously a great move IMO as Pfizer are easily the most reliable manufacturer with a top vaccine and have already begun trialling their gen 2 vaccine and they have received approval for kids aged 11-15 as well with a trial for kids aged 5-10 being planned too.
I suspect not that much - paying the asking price while not being an arse...
It's worth remembering that Pfizer's platform partner is a German company. Relations between Pfizer and the EU are much better than they are with AZN.
That would be the same Pfizer that warned the EU not to block any shipments of vaccines out of Puurs, yes?
The EU has been burning bridges with more than just AZ, though the latter will probably now think more than twice before entering into any contract with the EU.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
Some people are so fickle!
Im not in that camp, Im in the masks don't prevent Covid transmission camp (its a small but select group) , they certainly prevent Flu transmission as shown by the fact there has been no flu in the UK for months, but they do not prevent Covid transmission as numerous countries where there is a mask wearing mandate show.
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
I assume that Cummings signed the Offical Secrets Act, he may be subject to arrest if he says too much.
Surely the act applies to classified materials only, not to embarrassing private conversations, particularly those that are held without formal meetings, or observed embarrassing actions.
I just checked. It appears the OSA applies to intelligence, security, defence and international relations information release of which would cause harm to the nation.
Not sure that the sleaze stories that might be Cummings focus would qualify, but IANAL (although I signed the OSA on multiple occasions).
Someone in his position must sign something to prevent private conversations being released.
Interesting pitch for big pharma to come to the UK there..
“We will never block exports..”
Er, Big Pharma is already here. We have one of the largest and most successful pharma sectors in the world
Can always have more.
yes, but as I have said, ad nauseam, to those that have got very excited about the EU's stupidity over the vaccines, pharma CEOs decide on locations or expansion on rational market and supply chain conditions for the long term. They are unlikely to be influenced by some flash in the pan nationalistic nonsense driven either from London, Paris or Brussels. At the moment the favourite place for many is still Ireland and Switzerland, which is mainly driven by favourable tax regimes and supplies of appropriately trained labour
Breaking NYT: Federal investigators in Manhattan have executed a search warrant at the Upper East Side apartment of Rudy Giuliani, stepping up a criminal investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
Some people are so fickle!
Im not in that camp, Im in the masks don't prevent Covid transmission camp (its a small but select group) , they certainly prevent Flu transmission as shown by the fact there has been no flu in the UK for months, but they do not prevent Covid transmission as numerous countries where there is a mask wearing mandate show.
Thanks for clarifying exactly what kind of stark raving loony you are.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
Some people are so fickle!
Clear the strategy (as deployed at PMQs), arguing about who paid for the wallpaper. Completely minimises it. But where there is this kind of nonsense theyll be more. Isnt this what a strong chief of staff is supposed to insulate a PM from?
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
I assume that Cummings signed the Offical Secrets Act, he may be subject to arrest if he says too much.
Surely the act applies to classified materials only, not to embarrassing private conversations, particularly those that are held without formal meetings, or observed embarrassing actions.
I just checked. It appears the OSA applies to intelligence, security, defence and international relations information release of which would cause harm to the nation.
Not sure that the sleaze stories that might be Cummings focus would qualify, but IANAL (although I signed the OSA on multiple occasions).
A secret undercover clandestine (if that not double redundant) agency of HMG begs to inform you, that your past, present AND future comments on this unauthorized platform may perhaps could (ditto) be construed as serious violations of the Official Secrets Act.
At least that's the message I get when I put on my tinfoil helmet . . .
MH: We don't have excess doses of the vaccine in the UK today (so won't export vaccines). Lisa Nandy: er, we, er, we would, um, excess, er, ventilators.
Clear message from Hancock = UK is most important while helping others in any way we can. Clear message from Nandy = erm, well, but, and, um...
As BBC Political Correspondent, a lot of what LauraK does is report on what the government of the day is saying, from Government sources, so she'll seem biased to whoever is in power. Didn't we call Nick Robinson "toenails," when Gordon Brown was PM, but I didn't see bias from him against Cameron when he took power. She's just doing her job.
The problem I have with lauraK is that she managed to completely miss Theresa Mays election gamble. For someone so well connected, she monumentally misread / allowed herself to be mislead.
I was betting on that and lost a lot of money. Her job is to be critical, not just buy into the governments narrative and allow herself to be played like a violin.
I was a bit tongue-in-cheek earlier today calling her a 'BBC lefty' in response to someone saying she must be right because Momentum call her a Tory. The fact is I couldn't say if she's left or right, quite frankly I find her to be a very dull empty vessel.
All she does most of the time is copy and paste press releases by the parties. So sometimes it will be "government sources say [xyz]" and other times it will be "Labour sources say [abc]" but that's just copying and pasting what others are telling her.
No proper investigations, when she gets to ask questions whether to Boris, Hancock or Starmer, they're typically rather vapid questions. Hence all the questions from her and others about holidays etc knowing they won't get an answer. Nothing cutting or insightful against anyone.
She's simply really weak and not impressive at all. A Political Editor really ought to be able to do more than just copy and paste the soundbites that others wish to give to them.
I would imagine she is on text message terms with many senior politicians and hence whatever she says has gone through the filter of plausibility from those "sources" which are not to be sniffed at.
Oh absolutely, but as I said that's just copying and pasting what others want to say.
She really ought to be more competent at stuff other than that. As she represents the BBC she's almost inevitably the first journalist to be called to ask a question, so should have a humdinger lined up sometimes, but its always vapid stuff. When was the last time she asked something unexpected and insightful? I can't think of any time.
I am still awaiting for the same from you Philip to no avail.
I have noticed a possible seam of misogyny in your posts, which would explain your view of Laura. Maybe why you relate to "Boris"? A real man's man eh?
Were are you pulling that crap from? I've said the same thing about Robert Peston, while I was singing the praises of Liz Truss earlier - so if you're reading misogyny into that then I'm going to put that down to your clear functional illiteracy rather than anything I've said.
BREAKING: Arlene Foster says she will step down as DUP leader and Northern Ireland’s First Minister, following calls within the party for a leadership contest. More on @SkyNews now.
Which means that the next leader will be more unionist and Sinn Fein will win the 2022 election.
Not at all, Sinn Fein are only ahead now as the DUP have lost hardliners to Traditional Unionist Voice.
The latest NI Assembly poll has Sinn Fein on 24%, the DUP on 19%, the Alliance on 18% and the SDLP on 13%, the UUP on 12% and Traditional Unionist Voice on 10%.
If you are a moderate Unionist you will already be voting UUP not DUP. If you are a centrist you will be voting Alliance not DUP and if you are a Nationalist you will obviously never vote DUP anyway.
It is hardliners the DUP needs to win back
Are you sure? Have you ever been to Northern Ireland?
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
Question if we are receiving those 60 million this Autumn why have the EU been talking about delivery in 2022?
It does make one wonder what the government has done to get this deal, it's seriously a great move IMO as Pfizer are easily the most reliable manufacturer with a top vaccine and have already begun trialling their gen 2 vaccine and they have received approval for kids aged 11-15 as well with a trial for kids aged 5-10 being planned too.
I suspect not that much - paying the asking price while not being an arse...
It's worth remembering that Pfizer's platform partner is a German company. Relations between Pfizer and the EU are much better than they are with AZN.
That would be the same Pfizer that warned the EU not to block any shipments of vaccines out of Puurs, yes?
The EU has been burning bridges with more than just AZ, though the latter will probably now think more than twice before entering into any contract with the EU.
It would be the Pfizer that is signing a deal to supply 1.8 billion vaccines to the EU on a rolling basis over the next few years. Because of its size and wealth, the EU is a primary market for all pharma companies. It has acted abysmally over the AZN vaccine, but the fundamentals don't change - all Big Pharma companies need to be there.
Wow 60m Pfizer doses for the booster shot programme. I think that's their gen 2 vaccine as well (at least that's what I'd heard earlier last week). That covers the whole eligible population with a single dose (every person aged 11 or above).
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
Why? They ordered an extra 100 million about a week ago from Pfizer and are looking to order a billion or more on top of that.
AIUI the big 1.8bn EU order is for the gen 2/3 vaccine, they have got is set for delivery from 2022 and 2023. In comparison it looks as though the UK will get the gen 2 vaccine in 2021 and that matches up with Pfizer's own timeframe for gen 2 delivery.
The NY Times is running a puff piece about UvdL's big deal for 2022/2023.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
Some people are so fickle!
Im not in that camp, Im in the masks don't prevent Covid transmission camp (its a small but select group) , they certainly prevent Flu transmission as shown by the fact there has been no flu in the UK for months, but they do not prevent Covid transmission as numerous countries where there is a mask wearing mandate show.
Thanks for clarifying exactly what kind of stark raving loony you are.
So sorry to have got it a bit wrong.
Look at Thailand, everyone wears masks there, how is their Covid situation looking today?
Breaking NYT: Federal investigators in Manhattan have executed a search warrant at the Upper East Side apartment of Rudy Giuliani, stepping up a criminal investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine
Not every day a former US District Attorney is subject of a search warrant issued & executed by his former office in his old jurisdiction, in this case the Southern District of New York.
I am sure the lefties on here are grateful to Mr Smithson for allowing them a thread to froth over. Its been a long time where the left have had to suck it up... Time to give them a moment to enjoy, if wallpaper be the subject of their wrath, so be it.
He's filled our boots over the last few days, and I for one am enjoying the spectacle. My favourite day was Monday, when all the shellshocked fanbois kept a low profile, so those of us not in the Johnson camp could harp on unhindered to our hearts content.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
Some people are so fickle!
Im not in that camp, Im in the masks don't prevent Covid transmission camp (its a small but select group) , they certainly prevent Flu transmission as shown by the fact there has been no flu in the UK for months, but they do not prevent Covid transmission as numerous countries where there is a mask wearing mandate show.
Thanks for clarifying exactly what kind of stark raving loony you are.
So sorry to have got it a bit wrong.
That's very funny! Stark raving loonies are de rigueur at the moment. Just look at the PM and his floozy.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
Some people are so fickle!
Im not in that camp, Im in the masks don't prevent Covid transmission camp (its a small but select group) , they certainly prevent Flu transmission as shown by the fact there has been no flu in the UK for months, but they do not prevent Covid transmission as numerous countries where there is a mask wearing mandate show.
Thanks for clarifying exactly what kind of stark raving loony you are.
So sorry to have got it a bit wrong.
Look at Thailand, everyone wears masks there, how is their Covid situation looking today?
Never mind that - look at Mars! Or Planet Tharg, in the DARK DIMENSION ....
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
Repulsive though Cummings is, MAYBE, just maybe he does have some scruples. He mentioned competence; perhaps he realised that he has helped put an incompetent buffoon in as PM and is going through a phase of remorse? More likely it is revenge of the ego!
If he has discovered those scruples, it appears to have been in an entirely self-serving way.
Breaking NYT: Federal investigators in Manhattan have executed a search warrant at the Upper East Side apartment of Rudy Giuliani, stepping up a criminal investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine
Not every day a former US District Attorney is subject of a search warrant issued & executed by his former office in his old jurisdiction, in this case the Southern District of New York.
When I took this job in 2011 I was told one thing, move to DEFCON 1 if the SDNY contacts the firm.
Breaking NYT: Federal investigators in Manhattan have executed a search warrant at the Upper East Side apartment of Rudy Giuliani, stepping up a criminal investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine
Breaking NYT: Federal investigators in Manhattan have executed a search warrant at the Upper East Side apartment of Rudy Giuliani, stepping up a criminal investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine
Not every day a former US District Attorney is subject of a search warrant issued & executed by his former office in his old jurisdiction, in this case the Southern District of New York.
When I took this job in 2011 I was told one thing, move to DEFCON 1 if the SDNY contacts the firm.
The dye (sic) is cast for Rudy.
There are merely going there to collect confirmation of what they already know.
The one thing that came out of PMQs for me was Boris's denial he said those words and challenged those who said he had to bring forward their evidence, as they have none
The simple task for the so called whstlblowers is to bring forward a tape or recording of him saying those words and he has to resign following his HOC denial today
I would also caution those who may want to accuse Boris, that in view of how angry he was they do not stray into controversial legal territory
Do you think he knows there's no tape and therefore is safe to lie through his teeth about it?
What are the odds of a Machiavellian operative like Dom not having recorded on his mobile phone a ranting Johnson, for future leverage?
Which points back to the central mystery:
What does D Cummings want?
It can't be a something, like a job or a policy. He's been so obvious in threatening BoJo that anything he gets will look like a blatant payoff. If the plan was blackmail, it would need to be discreet; hack into the Downing Street streetlights to flash out a coded message or something.
Tempting to think that it's to catapult Gove into No 10, and the clock is really ticking on that one now, but that would be mad. Though that doesn't rule it out.
Is it just to destroy Boris, whether for revenge or guilt? It might also destroy Dom, but as things stand, he's dead anyway- so what's he got to lose?
That was a point I made yesterday. What does this approach get Cummings, apart from revenge? Nothing positive.
Though if that is the case- that the important thing for Cummings is to destroy Johnson- the Prime Minister is in a significant spot of bother, because the next bit really will be no holds barred.
Yes. I guess it depends on what, precisely, Cummings has on Boris and how much worse it is than the price that is already baked in.
I assume that Cummings signed the Offical Secrets Act, he may be subject to arrest if he says too much.
Surely the act applies to classified materials only, not to embarrassing private conversations, particularly those that are held without formal meetings, or observed embarrassing actions.
I just checked. It appears the OSA applies to intelligence, security, defence and international relations information release of which would cause harm to the nation.
Not sure that the sleaze stories that might be Cummings focus would qualify, but IANAL (although I signed the OSA on multiple occasions).
Someone in his position must sign something to prevent private conversations being released.
In all likelihood. But, if he is prosecuted for whatever information he may release, I don't think it'll be under the OSA.
Breaking NYT: Federal investigators in Manhattan have executed a search warrant at the Upper East Side apartment of Rudy Giuliani, stepping up a criminal investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine
Not every day a former US District Attorney is subject of a search warrant issued & executed by his former office in his old jurisdiction, in this case the Southern District of New York.
When I took this job in 2011 I was told one thing, move to DEFCON 1 if the SDNY contacts the firm.
"@HugoGye UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
It's another very, very good move wrt vaccines as Pfizer are prepping their gen 2 vaccine for delivery in the timeframe the government is talking about. I'm once again impressed by the level of organisation that the government has showed with this. This is the world's best insurance policy in the west against another lockdown. I genuinely don't think any other major country has been this forwards thinking.
Stuff the Government's outstanding performance on vaccines to enable this Country to get back to normallity, lets spend days discussing who paid for wallpaper on a taxpayer owned property.
Blimey! Have you defected from the "It's all a fake, COVID is no worse than the flu" camp?
Some people are so fickle!
Im not in that camp, Im in the masks don't prevent Covid transmission camp (its a small but select group) , they certainly prevent Flu transmission as shown by the fact there has been no flu in the UK for months, but they do not prevent Covid transmission as numerous countries where there is a mask wearing mandate show.
Thanks for clarifying exactly what kind of stark raving loony you are.
So sorry to have got it a bit wrong.
Look at Thailand, everyone wears masks there, how is their Covid situation looking today?
Never mind that - look at Mars! Or Planet Tharg, in the DARK DIMENSION ....
Its sad that I am considered a lunatic for pointing out the obvious. If masks worked than there is no way a Country where mask wearing is almost 100% prevelant would have expotential growth like that.
Remember last year how Thailand was praised for having low covid numbers with the main reason being mask wearing. All those people doing the praising have gone quiet now as they can't have it both ways.
I missed her question, was it a good and insightful one this time? Or the typical vapid crap?
Same question for Peston in case any idiots think this is a gender-related judgement.
Wallpaper....
And Hancock has just told a Times journalist that he’ll skip his wallpaper question...
Surely the right answer is the one given by a Tory MP (I can't remember which).
"I don't give a damn who gave the money to the prime minister, so long as it wasn't my constituents".
But I think it was better put by Peter Cook: "It is not contested by the defence that enormous sums of money flowed towards them in unusual ways. ... It will be a sad day for this country when a leading politician cannot spend his election expenses in any way he sees fit."
Breaking NYT: Federal investigators in Manhattan have executed a search warrant at the Upper East Side apartment of Rudy Giuliani, stepping up a criminal investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine
Not every day a former US District Attorney is subject of a search warrant issued & executed by his former office in his old jurisdiction, in this case the Southern District of New York.
When I took this job in 2011 I was told one thing, move to DEFCON 1 if the SDNY contacts the firm.
The dye (sic) is cast for Rudy.
There are merely going there to collect confirmation of what they already know.
Which is generally what smart lawyers do - classic Perry Mason!
Roll out the footy analogies... 'We are 6-0 up, in the last minute of the game, but sides have lost from here before...'
LOL
I'd like to think our journalists would ask about lifting restrictions early, but I suspect they will be wittering on about holidays again, and with a subsidary about decorating... I firmly believe we have enough evidence in terms of cases (not rising), population antibodies (thanks ONS), evidence of real world vaccine effects (both within patient, and in preventing/reducing transmission) to be less cautious, but I'd be amazed if any of the lobby ask about it.
It is very odd how the May 17 date is now seemingly set in stone. What the government could offer – through its own rules – is a raft of so-called test events with full crowds – e.g. Royal Ascot and the England vs Scotland Euro 2021 match at Wembley. Those dates are so close to the end date of June 21 (just a few days before it) that imposing restrictions on them seems farcical.
It’s still only small percentages allowed in arenas after the 17th, not full houses?
When they talk about fans in grounds, I hadn’t realised for Leicester semi you could only go if you lived in Brent. The fans looked more bemused than excited.
That's the point I'm making. The events I cite are a few days before 21 June – they should be allowed full crowds.
Do you think there will be full crowds everywhere after 21 June? It’s not mandatory is it, venues have right to restrict and distance.
No it's not mandatory. If Ascot want to run a half crowd then up to them, ditto Wembley, pandemic or no pandemic, that's their right. But given those events I cite are literally a few days before 21 June then mandating the restrictions is farcical.
To put that in clear terms: England play Scotland on Friday 18 June. That's the biggest football match on these shores for years. The restrictions are due to be lifted the following Monday. Under the current plans, Wembley would be limited to 10,000 fans – not even enough to meet Scotland's away allocation, never mind England's. If the game were staged just 60 hours later, they could sell out all 90,000 tickets.
Royal Ascot is the same week 15-19 June.
What exactly is your point? I find it hard to infer from your posts at times.
My point being that your point is a good one. 60 hours later could be potential sell out. So why not special dispensation for the full house?
Well, the date may have been fabricated on basis it is sixty hours this side in the first place. My point being, if it was sixty hours or more later, they wouldn’t have tried to sell anything near the full house. The government and scientists wouldn’t’ the have been comfortable with that, nor Wembley stadium.
After June 21st it’s not normal, it’s new normal.
Eh? What does this mean? There are games in the tournament after 21 June, that will not be subject to restrictions. Why should England vs Scotland be? What is "new normal"?
A phrase that the frit like to bandy around to make themselves feel better....
Oh I fully understand now. Anything not at full capacity after June 21st some of you are determined to be frothing at the mouth and waving your skinny fists at - FOR NO GOOD REASON. 😀
Comments
Is it possible for a journalist to have 'gone native'? To be so reliant upon unofficial briefings that to properly interrogate them may hinder any future ones?
Its hard for me to forget the incident in which a Labour activist was said to have punched an aide. A story that could have been so easily checked but was not, instead it was instantaneously tweeted by the BBC's political editor.
I thought that the fact that HE hadn't was the nub of the argument.
Fungibility is his watchword.
Innocent until proved guilty is the law of the land
And it is why he has to resign if a recording or tape exists to condemn him
But NOT the iron law of politics.
https://twitter.com/jfiliatrault/status/1387180491149697027
Rishi Sunak's minister answers questions about Chancellor's redecoration of the No10 flat.
PQ says: "It was paid for upfront and entirely at his own expense. No request was made to HM Treasury."
Pointedly 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-03-25/175836
"And Rishi's got much better taste in sofas too."
UK has ordered another 60m doses of Pfizer vaccine to use as part of booster shot programme in the autumn, Matt Hancock says."
Expect mega bitching from the EU in the next few weeks.
In any case, you can understand the caution.
I have noticed a possible seam of misogyny in your posts, which would explain your view of Laura. Maybe why you relate to "Boris"? A real man's man eh?
Given Johnson's demonstrated affinity for the nation's football supporters, I am amazed that the June 21st date isn't being brought forward to before the start of the Euro 2021 tournament.
The good news is that after its absolute clusterfuck balls-up the EU is beginning to get its act in order and is set to get the majority of its citizens vaccinated with at least one jab by July. If this happens it is going to allow some serious opening up, which will benefit us hugely.
I just checked. It appears the OSA applies to intelligence, security, defence and international relations information release of which would cause harm to the nation.
Not sure that the sleaze stories that might be Cummings focus would qualify, but IANAL (although I signed the OSA on multiple occasions).
It will be a sad day for British politics when a senior statesman can't express an honest desire for thousands of people to die in order to preserve his career, and lie his way out of it afterwards!
“We will never block exports..”
Some people are so fickle!
The EU has been burning bridges with more than just AZ, though the latter will probably now think more than twice before entering into any contract with the EU.
Hancock on encouraging vaccine manufacture:
“We will never block a manufacturer from exporting anywhere in the world”.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/nyregion/rudy-giuliani-trump-ukraine-warrant.html?referringSource=articleShare
So sorry to have got it a bit wrong.
At least that's the message I get when I put on my tinfoil helmet . . .
MH: We don't have excess doses of the vaccine in the UK today (so won't export vaccines).
Lisa Nandy: er, we, er, we would, um, excess, er, ventilators.
Clear message from Hancock = UK is most important while helping others in any way we can.
Clear message from Nandy = erm, well, but, and, um...
Same question for Peston in case any idiots think this is a gender-related judgement.
Anyone heard that expression ever before?
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/world/europe/european-union-pfizer-von-der-leyen-coronavirus-vaccine.html
And Hancock has just told a Times journalist that he’ll skip his wallpaper question...
IIRC she did a Princess Di.
The dye (sic) is cast for Rudy.
One step closer to The Donald.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Thailand-s-new-COVID-wave-slams-hospitals-ignites-public-anger
Its sad that I am considered a lunatic for pointing out the obvious. If masks worked than there is no way a Country where mask wearing is almost 100% prevelant would have expotential growth like that.
Remember last year how Thailand was praised for having low covid numbers with the main reason being mask wearing. All those people doing the praising have gone quiet now as they can't have it both ways.
"I don't give a damn who gave the money to the prime minister, so long as it wasn't my constituents".
But I think it was better put by Peter Cook:
"It is not contested by the defence that enormous sums of money flowed towards them in unusual ways. ... It will be a sad day for this country when a leading politician cannot spend his election expenses in any way he sees fit."
Had absolutely sod all to do with Covid. More wallpaper bothering.