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Diligence and a sense of public duty.Philip_Thompson said:
You respected Theresa May? The woman who sent vans telling immigrants to Go Home?kinabalu said:
I think Johnson will be there for the next election - and I'm betting that way - but I hope he is brought down and I hope it's in humiliating circumstances. He deserves it.FrancisUrquhart said:
I can't see how Boris makes it another 4 years. I can see Tory party pushing him out and spinning it as him going having never fully recovered from coronavirus.MaxPB said:By my unscientific finger in the air method the Tory party has just shifted 3m votes from their column into the undecided column. It's literally all to play for for Labour now. If Boris is still there in 2024 I could see Labour getting very close to a majority or even a working majority atm.
It's going to be a very long 4 years for the party if they don't dump Boris.
I like to have respect for the PM of this country. It's important to me, regardless of which party is in power, that I can feel this way. And despite being no Tory, I have been able to feel this way about every Conservative PM of my adult lifetime. Thatcher, Major, Cameron, May. Every one. Why? Because, whilst hating their politics much of the time, I could sense some integrity and diligence and sense of public service in the individuaI.
But this guy - this "Boris" character - he would not recognize any of these things if he fell over them. He is about nothing more elevated than himself. Born into privilege he has done little with it except feed his own vanity and need for the spotlight. He is a piss-taker.
And this means - for the very first time - I find it impossible to respect the person leading the country. Which makes me feel bad. I feel bad about it. A bit sick even, when I dwell on it.
So I want him gone. And I want him punished for putting me through this.
Fuck off Boris.
So for that, yes, I could respect her whilst disliking and disagreeing with much of her politics.
Not so, this vacuous entitled charlatan.1 -
It's not been peer reviewed yet, but I believe there are several such studies ongoing.Sandpit said:
Wow, that's some genuinely significant research if it can be backed up with further studies.Nigelb said:
If we get another wave, with a doubling rate of 2-3 days, a week's notice will be invaluable.0 -
French is vertically stratified into 'registres' in a way that English just isn't. (Soutenue/Courant/Familier). These reforms are aimed at the Soutenue and Courant and are very largely successful. Those kids are speaking the registre familier which probably has as many Arabic loan words as English these days.Sandpit said:
Ha, they've clearly never heard French teenagers talking. The French language police have long since missed their opportunity to stop the kids speaking "Franglish".FrancisUrquhart said:France has announced a new list of alternatives for English language terms such as clickbait, podcast and deepfake.
For clickbait - the term used for headlines that tempt a reader to click on an online link to a story - CELF suggests "piège à clics", or "click trap" in English.
The commission also recommends the use of "audio à la demande" (AAD) or "audio on demand" for podcast, and "videotox infox" for "deepfake" - edited media which puts a person's face or body onto someone else's.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-528064691 -
Like everyone she has a mix of good and bad. I admired her work ethic, duty and tenacity but the same qualities were also responsible for her trying to do too much herself and not involving others enough. On policy there is little I agreed with her on, beyond some very mainstream things nearly everyone agrees on.Philip_Thompson said:Am I the only person on this site who can't stand Theresa May and finds her morally awful?
I don't understand it. I quit the party when she became leader as I can't stand the vile woman. I can't stand anyone who shouts at immigrants to "GO HOME" yet to listen to people here you'd swear she was a paragon of virtue.
Not everything and certainly not everybody is black and white, good or bad. In the round, yes I find her less objectionable than Johnson.0 -
Her attitude to internet snooping and ID cards was enough for me to rule out voting for the Conservatives while she was in a position of influence.Philip_Thompson said:Am I the only person on this site who can't stand Theresa May and finds her morally awful?
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What level is the Johnson-Cummings-Gove stool on the Bristol stool chart?LostPassword said:
Johnson is just one leg of the Johnson-Cummings-Gove stool that still has a grip on the Conservative Party unparalleled in its history.Scott_xP said:
But he has shown only weakness.LostPassword said:It's only because Johnson's position is so strong that he's been allowed to make such a huge mistake over this.
A strong PM could jettison advisors on a whim.
Apparently without Cummings, BoZo can't think.2 -
He`s got to go though. Even if you think it`s unfair - he`s still got to go.BluestBlue said:
The media are sooo desperate for that scalp, not just because they hate Cummings, but because they know that if they don't get it their power will have been broken and the Government can tell them to get stuffed with any future whining.Scott_xP said:
I would sacrifice a lot of temporary popularity to win that prize. And I think Dominic Cummings would too
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I still haven't found anyone who says "I believe everything he says". This includes all his Tory defenders.Scott_xP said:
A decent sub editor could have shortened thatwilliamglenn said:"Like it or lump it."
https://twitter.com/talkRADIO/status/1265197170854105088
"Fuck you, plebs"0 -
Weren't the vans just satirical comedy? Nothing sinister about them at all, you know, just like, picanninies, water melon smiles, bank robbers and letter boxes.Philip_Thompson said:
You respected Theresa May? The woman who sent vans telling immigrants to Go Home?kinabalu said:
I think Johnson will be there for the next election - and I'm betting that way - but I hope he is brought down and I hope it's in humiliating circumstances. He deserves it.FrancisUrquhart said:
I can't see how Boris makes it another 4 years. I can see Tory party pushing him out and spinning it as him going having never fully recovered from coronavirus.MaxPB said:By my unscientific finger in the air method the Tory party has just shifted 3m votes from their column into the undecided column. It's literally all to play for for Labour now. If Boris is still there in 2024 I could see Labour getting very close to a majority or even a working majority atm.
It's going to be a very long 4 years for the party if they don't dump Boris.
I like to have respect for the PM of this country. It's important to me, regardless of which party is in power, that I can feel this way. And despite being no Tory, I have been able to feel this way about every Conservative PM of my adult lifetime. Thatcher, Major, Cameron, May. Every one. Why? Because, whilst hating their politics much of the time, I could sense some integrity and diligence and sense of public service in the individuaI.
But this guy - this "Boris" character - he would not recognize any of these things if he fell over them. He is about nothing more elevated than himself. Born into privilege he has done little with it except feed his own vanity and need for the spotlight. He is a piss-taker.
And this means - for the very first time - I find it impossible to respect the person leading the country. Which makes me feel bad. I feel bad about it. A bit sick even, when I dwell on it.
So I want him gone. And I want him punished for putting me through this.
Fuck off Boris.0 -
Strong position. Weak man.LostPassword said:
I think any other leader of the Conservative Party would have faced more explicit criticism of his judgement from his own MPs, but he hasn't because they're scared.Mysticrose said:
Given what is going on right now in the world and country that's a pretty daft comment. He may be fine but events dear boy, events.LostPassword said:
Given the purge of Tory MPs in 2019 I would think Johnson is the safest Conservative Party leader in history.TheScreamingEagles said:
The poll tax didn’t cost the Tories the next election because they ditched their leader?LostPassword said:
I can't quite work out what distinction is being drawn here.rottenborough said:" Another MP said the situation "feels more poll tax than ERM, actually." "
Telegraph
Any ideas?
Indeed, I'd have thought in most previous Cabinets you would have had senior ministers telling the PM privately that this was not tenable.
It's only because Johnson's position is so strong that he's been allowed to make such a huge mistake over this.1 -
Fantastic! Thatcher won another landslide after the Westland 'crisis' - an excellent omen.Scott_xP said:1 -
Oh lord.BluestBlue said:
The media are sooo desperate for that scalp, not just because they hate Cummings, but because they know that if they don't get it their power will have been broken and the Government can tell them to get stuffed with any future whining.Scott_xP said:
I would sacrifice a lot of temporary popularity to win that prize. And I think Dominic Cummings would too
Honestly, I really really hope Cummings stays. For Keir Starmer's Labour it's the best possible outcome.
But this isn't a media storm. Huge swathe of the country are angry and hurt.2 -
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What a tangled world wide web we weave, when first we practise to deceive.Scott_xP said:0 -
Just seen thisTheuniondivvie said:
Not sure if it's in the SCon constitution that their leader has to be at Holyrood, though it helps obvs. Otoh Jim Murphy is not a happy precedent.Luckyguy1983 said:
It actually wouldn't be a bad thing. It starts him off on the right foot having stuck it to Boris and Cummings. It proves he is independent and principled. There is just the small matter of being elected to Holyrood...CarlottaVance said:
Two tweets supportive of Ross from Davidson and Tomkins won't have added to the gaiety of Carlaw's morning.....Scott_xP said:
https://twitter.com/petermacmahon/status/1265232495349465088
I see Mr Carson has a majority of about 1.5K. A constituency MSP for Galloway & W Dumf. So much more vulnerable than a mere list MSP such as Prof Tomkins.0 -
You felt Brown lacked diligence and a sense of public duty?Scott_xP said:
I felt like that with Gordokinabalu said:And this means - for the very first time - I find it impossible to respect the person leading the country. Which makes me feel bad. I feel bad about it. A bit sick even, when I dwell on it.
And BoZo is sooooo much worse.
Really?0 -
Celebrating Ireland having zero Covid deaths yesterday maybe?backinthedhss said:28802286-8355021-image-m-68_1590420141388
I see good old Leo has been out enjoying himself0 -
No. She was awful.Philip_Thompson said:Am I the only person on this site who can't stand Theresa May and finds her morally awful?
I don't understand it. I quit the party when she became leader as I can't stand the vile woman. I can't stand anyone who shouts at immigrants to "GO HOME" yet to listen to people here you'd swear she was a paragon of virtue.2 -
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Seven running to eight I think, (edit) in the current state of panic.eristdoof said:
What level is the Johnson-Cummings-Gove stool on the Bristol stool chart?LostPassword said:
Johnson is just one leg of the Johnson-Cummings-Gove stool that still has a grip on the Conservative Party unparalleled in its history.Scott_xP said:
But he has shown only weakness.LostPassword said:It's only because Johnson's position is so strong that he's been allowed to make such a huge mistake over this.
A strong PM could jettison advisors on a whim.
Apparently without Cummings, BoZo can't think.0 -
Coronavirus patients in Britain can now be treated with remdesivir, the Ebola drug which has shown promise in battling the infection.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8357333/NHS-gets-green-light-treat-coronavirus-patients-Ebola-drug-remdesivir.html2 -
He just can't help himself. He knew this lie would be discovered. This is to show he can operate with impunity.Scott_xP said:Oh what a tangled web we weave...
https://twitter.com/faisalislam/status/1265239163089096706
Cummings has never been angry with the unaccountable elite, he has been angry with the fact that he wasn't that elite.2 -
They are just laughing in our faces now.CorrectHorseBattery said:
If you look carefully you can see him look over at his minder who is shouting "ABORT ABORT ABORT"Scott_xP said:
The revenge will be mighty and terrible.
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That's not stealing a Mars - you need a mens rea for that. IANAL and even I know that. The scenario specified 'stealing'.Monkeys said:
This is why Dom in the garden yesterday is clever. In journalism, everything is black and white, there's only one side, it's all Good or Bad.TOPPING said:
You are the government's senior advisor. You helped to formulate the rules. Which you then broke.Monkeys said:
You can go out if you think it's absolutely necessary you know. It's a £60 fine the first time you're caught or something, less than weed, and everyone smokes weed.TOPPING said:
The point is that you are not prepared to make the many sacrifices that go with being the government's senior advisor. Hence you, and most others on here, stick to posting on PB.isam said:
That doesn't make sense, the senior advisor did it!TOPPING said:
I suppose that's why you are posting on PB instead of being that advisor.isam said:
Myself, I would still do what I thought best for my family if I were the government's senior advisorTOPPING said:
Agree. But then most of us aren't the government's senior advisor responsible for the policy saying it shouldn't be done.isam said:If the same thing happened to any of us with young children without access to an empty house, it would be a pretty scary situation. Puts into perspective how different dealing with the virus is between the richest and the poorest. Hopefully that will be taken into account in future policies - there are many stealth taxes on the poor that dont appear on the statute.
That said, if we were offered the chance of such access I doubt many people would turn it down.
Because if you are the government's senior advisor you should be aware that rules and expectations which don't apply to most people may well apply to you.
I went to the shittiest of state schools and even I understand that sometimes you have to take personal responsibility in a shitty situation. And it sounds like his child is not particularly well a lot of the time.
Same question to you as yesterday: which is worse, a 17-yr old scrote stealing a Mars Bar from Tesco or the Chief Constable stealing a Mars Bar from Tesco?
Turns out real life is nuanced. It's a human story now. There's exceptional circumstances. This site was unified against him before it, now there is at least some debate, because it's murky, and it's real. So the media lost. Maybe the chief constable has diabetes and collapsed before he got to the till, and there's a rule that says you only need the wrapper to pay.2 -
The accusations of cowardice and weakness are entirely predictable but truly bizarre. If Boris was weak or a coward Cummings would have gone. Period. The fact that he has not gone shows Boris is neither. Whether he is right to invest so much of his personal capital in supporting an advisor is of course a different question.Philip_Thompson said:
Standing up to the media shows he is weak.Mysticrose said:
I think he does, or perhaps rather did. From HIGNFY to winning Labour London for the Conservatives and then championing the Olympics, he showed a deft touch that belied his Etonian education. He reached across the political spectrum as, indeed, he did by winning last year.isam said:
"Boris' USP as a man of the people"MaxPB said:
The difference then is that Boris was (fairly or unfairly) cast as the saviour of the people vs the elites. That strategy isn't going to be available to him and Dom next time. This has taken away Boris' USP as a man of the people. The consensus view of Boris among those who would consider voting for him is "he might be rich and a toff but he's not like the rest of them". That's been completely shattered today.BluestBlue said:
Yes, of course they should dump their best election winner in 32 years over a single incident. Remember when Boris' prorogation was overturned? When he expelled 20 MPs from his own party, was in deep minority, and faced a die-in-a-ditch deadline within weeks?MaxPB said:By my unscientific finger in the air method the Tory party has just shifted 3m votes from their column into the undecided column. It's literally all to play for for Labour now. If Boris is still there in 2024 I could see Labour getting very close to a majority or even a working majority atm.
It's going to be a very long 4 years for the party if they don't dump Boris.
The received wisdom was that he was finished then too. It is comically lacking in perspective to believe that he is finished now with a majority of 80, Labour 163 seats behind, and 4 years to plan strategy for the next election.
You are completely blinkered if you think Boris will win another majority.
Not sure he ever had that.
He has really blown it through standing by Cummings. More even than his lack of judgement and his failure to capture the mood of the country, it shows he is insecure and weak. And those are terrible qualities in a PM. The last (godawful) PM we had like that was Gordon Brown.
Couldn't make it up 😂😂😂😂😂😂3 -
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.1 -
Gove has made this 10x worse lol0
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Effective coronavirus treatment now available for free on the NHS? That news cycle is going to slip away from the frothers pretty quickly...FrancisUrquhart said:Coronavirus patients in Britain can now be treated with remdesivir, the Ebola drug which has shown promise in battling the infection.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8357333/NHS-gets-green-light-treat-coronavirus-patients-Ebola-drug-remdesivir.html1 -
I did say it was a conspiracy theory! It might conceivably have been a backroom deal outside of the government rules, I suppose.eek said:
Why would you head to a factory where none of GSK's senior management actually work on a Saturday when they definitely wouldn't be working.noneoftheabove said:
Wouldnt that be a good thing? Why not just say he was there for work and stopped on the way for exercise?Flatlander said:
The conspiracy theorists suggest he was cooking up a backroom deal with GSK (who have headquarters in Barnard Castle). They did announce something 2 days later, after all...algarkirk said:
This is all rubbish of course and adding to the confected story, but FWIW on 12 April it was not illegal to drive somewhere to exercise, though the police, as part of the general thought police, were not keen. Which is why 'exercise' would have been the best excuse for Barnard Castle, unless he happened to have a true reasonable excuse - which plainly he didn't or he would have let us into the secret.Scott_xP said:Gove contradicting Cummings...
https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/1265231030472105986
https://uk.gsk.com/en-gb/about-us/uk-locations/barnard-castle/
It doesnt sound like something he would choose to avoid saying?
It's a bollox justification for a bollox excuse for a very stupid thing to do.
I don't understand why he used the eyesight excuse, though. It seems so odd. You were allowed out for daily exercise at the time, so why not just say that? It would have been pushing it a bit but it wasn't halfway across the country. The original trip north was the major problem as far as rule-breaking went.0 -
That and people with the virus on their hands but who wash it off in time. It is not really a predictor, but it is picking up the spread of the virus more quickly than waiting for people to get the symptoms and get tested. If it can allow strong localised lock down measures for a couple of weeks, it should have a big effect on hindering the spread of the virus.logical_song said:
I guess it's measuring people who have it and don't yet feel ill, so it's a way of reducing the two week lag in the figures.Nigelb said:
Caveat: This is all assuming the reported effect is genuine.0 -
Westland was a 'bubble' story in comparison. This is more of a Black Wednesday. Even if everything goes right for the government on coronavirus for the rest of their term, people will forever associate them with "one rule for us and another rule for you".BluestBlue said:
Fantastic! Thatcher won another landslide after the Westland 'crisis' - an excellent omen.Scott_xP said:0 -
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Because Real Life Is Nuanced, Not Black And White, the scenario doesn't exactly fit because it isn't nuanced, it's black and white.Carnyx said:
That's not stealing a Mars - you need a mens rea for that. IANAL and even I know that. The scenario specified 'stealing'.Monkeys said:
This is why Dom in the garden yesterday is clever. In journalism, everything is black and white, there's only one side, it's all Good or Bad.TOPPING said:
You are the government's senior advisor. You helped to formulate the rules. Which you then broke.Monkeys said:
You can go out if you think it's absolutely necessary you know. It's a £60 fine the first time you're caught or something, less than weed, and everyone smokes weed.TOPPING said:
The point is that you are not prepared to make the many sacrifices that go with being the government's senior advisor. Hence you, and most others on here, stick to posting on PB.isam said:
That doesn't make sense, the senior advisor did it!TOPPING said:
I suppose that's why you are posting on PB instead of being that advisor.isam said:
Myself, I would still do what I thought best for my family if I were the government's senior advisorTOPPING said:
Agree. But then most of us aren't the government's senior advisor responsible for the policy saying it shouldn't be done.isam said:If the same thing happened to any of us with young children without access to an empty house, it would be a pretty scary situation. Puts into perspective how different dealing with the virus is between the richest and the poorest. Hopefully that will be taken into account in future policies - there are many stealth taxes on the poor that dont appear on the statute.
That said, if we were offered the chance of such access I doubt many people would turn it down.
Because if you are the government's senior advisor you should be aware that rules and expectations which don't apply to most people may well apply to you.
I went to the shittiest of state schools and even I understand that sometimes you have to take personal responsibility in a shitty situation. And it sounds like his child is not particularly well a lot of the time.
Same question to you as yesterday: which is worse, a 17-yr old scrote stealing a Mars Bar from Tesco or the Chief Constable stealing a Mars Bar from Tesco?
Turns out real life is nuanced. It's a human story now. There's exceptional circumstances. This site was unified against him before it, now there is at least some debate, because it's murky, and it's real. So the media lost. Maybe the chief constable has diabetes and collapsed before he got to the till, and there's a rule that says you only need the wrapper to pay.2 -
Afternoon all
I've not commented on Cummings specifically thus far because I'm not equipped to. I'm not a parent and I don't know what I would do if confronted by the situation in which Cummings found himself on that Thursday evening and Friday morning.
For the vast majority (NOT, I emphasise, everyone as will come out in the days and weeks ahead), "Home" is a place of safety, security, comfort and control. That's why lockdown was so successful - because people felt safe at home and once they figured out how to keep themselves fed and entertained it wasn't so bad for a lot of people.
Cummings didn't feel safe at "home" and I thought this from his statement was telling:
"But these stories had created a very bad atmosphere around my home. I was subject to threats of violence. People came to my house shouting threats. There were posts on social media, encouraging attacks. There were many media reports on TV showing pictures of my house."
Now, one could argue he was the architect of his own misfortune and there's an important maxim worth remembering at this time:
"It doesn't matter who writes the history - what matters is who re-writes it".
There will be those who argue, irrespective of his role, Cummings has the same right we all do to feel safe in his own house. I have some sympathy with that and if it is the "mob" which has forced him to up sticks and drive to Durham that's something to consider.
I'm also curious as to the notion of his own indispensability to No.10 and the Prime Minister. I've met his type (and it's a female trait too) in my career - however sick they are, whatever problems they have, they have to be at work because the world can't function without them.
In the world of digital technology, that's absurd. When your family has a serious health situation, that's even more absurd. No one is indispensable.5 -
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Whitty or Valance referenced the methodology in one of the Press Conferences which quickly spiralled into "There's Covid in the water supply" on twitter - so I suspect its part of how they're keeping track.Nigelb said:
It's not been peer reviewed yet, but I believe there are several such studies ongoing.Sandpit said:
Wow, that's some genuinely significant research if it can be backed up with further studies.Nigelb said:
If we get another wave, with a doubling rate of 2-3 days, a week's notice will be invaluable.0 -
Virtually in tears at the 'Go Home' Vans yet (i) happy to almost worship Boris "casual racism" Johnson and (ii) a Brexiteer with no concerns whatsoever about the xenophobic aspect of the vote to Leave.Philip_Thompson said:Am I the only person on this site who can't stand Theresa May and finds her morally awful?
I don't understand it. I quit the party when she became leader as I can't stand the vile woman. I can't stand anyone who shouts at immigrants to "GO HOME" yet to listen to people here you'd swear she was a paragon of virtue.
No-one's buying it.0 -
Keep clutching at those straws.Philip_Thompson said:
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.0 -
Why do I get the feeling that for some people every Wednesday is Black Wednesday?williamglenn said:
Westland was a 'bubble' story in comparison. This is more of a Black Wednesday. Even if everything goes right for the government on coronavirus for the rest of their term, people will forever associate them with "one rule for us and another rule for you".BluestBlue said:
Fantastic! Thatcher won another landslide after the Westland 'crisis' - an excellent omen.Scott_xP said:
This supposed 'scandal' doesn't even have a catchy name yet, FFS, and _everything_ gets a catchy name these days. 'Cummingsgate' doesn't exactly trip off the tongue...0 -
New Opinium poll out.
CorrectHorseBattery is the worst poster on this site1 -
I bet you would still trade Boris for her!TOPPING said:
No. She was awful.Philip_Thompson said:Am I the only person on this site who can't stand Theresa May and finds her morally awful?
I don't understand it. I quit the party when she became leader as I can't stand the vile woman. I can't stand anyone who shouts at immigrants to "GO HOME" yet to listen to people here you'd swear she was a paragon of virtue.0 -
She's right.williamglenn said:Glenda Jackson speaks for many of us.
https://twitter.com/DPJHodges/status/12652417765892792350 -
For that matter the self-isolation guidance didn't have any legal standing anyway, and at that time it allowed even people with symptoms to leave the house for exercise.algarkirk said:
This is all rubbish of course and adding to the confected story, but FWIW on 12 April it was not illegal to drive somewhere to exercise, though the police, as part of the general thought police, were not keen.Scott_xP said:Gove contradicting Cummings...
https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/1265231030472105986
Maybe Cummings should just have said all these trips were for exercise. No illegality and no breach of the self-isolation guidance.0 -
That could be pretty much applied to any aspect of existence.CorrectHorseBattery said:Gove has made this 10x worse lol
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https://twitter.com/George_Osborne/status/1265243201570516992
Irony because it's Osborne but still seems good to me0 -
HahaTOPPING said:
The point is that you are not prepared to make the many sacrifices that go with being the government's senior advisor. Hence you, and most others on here, stick to posting on PB.isam said:
That doesn't make sense, the senior advisor did it!TOPPING said:
I suppose that's why you are posting on PB instead of being that advisor.isam said:
Myself, I would still do what I thought best for my family if I were the government's senior advisorTOPPING said:
Agree. But then most of us aren't the government's senior advisor responsible for the policy saying it shouldn't be done.isam said:If the same thing happened to any of us with young children without access to an empty house, it would be a pretty scary situation. Puts into perspective how different dealing with the virus is between the richest and the poorest. Hopefully that will be taken into account in future policies - there are many stealth taxes on the poor that dont appear on the statute.
That said, if we were offered the chance of such access I doubt many people would turn it down.
Because if you are the government's senior advisor you should be aware that rules and expectations which don't apply to most people may well apply to you.
"If I were Eric Cantona, I'd have Kung fu kicked that Palace fan too"
"That's why you're posting on here not playing for Man Utd"
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And the other 90% shrug their shoulders and wonder why the BBC is making such a big deal over this.Scott_xP said:Dom said "Fuck you" to every parent who didn't break quarantine to visit their parents, and go for a drive in the country on their wife's birthday.
The MSM have to be faced down.
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I get the impression that there are more Tories in this one.Philip_Thompson said:
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.0 -
I had not driven in 2 weeks, I was not sure if I'm 100% so it made sense to do a 30 minute drive to check I felt fine before starting back to London would have made a lot more sense.Flatlander said:
I did say it was a conspiracy theory! It might conceivably have been a backroom deal outside of the government rules, I suppose.eek said:
Why would you head to a factory where none of GSK's senior management actually work on a Saturday when they definitely wouldn't be working.noneoftheabove said:
Wouldnt that be a good thing? Why not just say he was there for work and stopped on the way for exercise?Flatlander said:
The conspiracy theorists suggest he was cooking up a backroom deal with GSK (who have headquarters in Barnard Castle). They did announce something 2 days later, after all...algarkirk said:
This is all rubbish of course and adding to the confected story, but FWIW on 12 April it was not illegal to drive somewhere to exercise, though the police, as part of the general thought police, were not keen. Which is why 'exercise' would have been the best excuse for Barnard Castle, unless he happened to have a true reasonable excuse - which plainly he didn't or he would have let us into the secret.Scott_xP said:Gove contradicting Cummings...
https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/1265231030472105986
https://uk.gsk.com/en-gb/about-us/uk-locations/barnard-castle/
It doesnt sound like something he would choose to avoid saying?
It's a bollox justification for a bollox excuse for a very stupid thing to do.
I don't understand why he used the eyesight excuse, though. It seems so odd. You were allowed out for daily exercise at the time, so why not just say that? It would have been pushing it a bit but it wasn't halfway across the country. The original trip north was the major problem as far as rule-breaking went.
The dumb idiot overthought it, alongside everything else.0 -
6.1 million signatures.Philip_Thompson said:
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.
You would have thought that would have killed petitions, but there they still are.0 -
I can provide you with a very, very extensive list to prove Opinium wrong!CorrectHorseBattery said:New Opinium poll out.
CorrectHorseBattery is the worst poster on this site0 -
They're still looking for a name that doesn't turn up a whole load of 'adult' videos on the first page of a Google search!BluestBlue said:
Why do I get the feeling that for some people every Wednesday is Black Wednesday?williamglenn said:
Westland was a 'bubble' story in comparison. This is more of a Black Wednesday. Even if everything goes right for the government on coronavirus for the rest of their term, people will forever associate them with "one rule for us and another rule for you".BluestBlue said:
Fantastic! Thatcher won another landslide after the Westland 'crisis' - an excellent omen.Scott_xP said:
This supposed 'scandal' doesn't even have a catchy name yet, FFS, and _everything_ gets a catchy name these days. 'Cummingsgate' doesn't exactly trip off the tongue...
edit: or won't do in the future, when people start using it deliberately in 'adult' content.2 -
Biased Left-wing MSM Remoaners now include the following:
* Julia Hartley-Brewer
* Iain Dale
* Tim Montgomerie
* The chief executive of Conservative Home
* A Tory minister
* Tory backbenchers
* The Daily Mail
Please update your records accordingly
Best headline "stay eilte" exact opposite of what Cummings reckons he is0 -
He is the lead in a new netflix mini series. Its not great but not terrible.isam said:
HahaTOPPING said:
The point is that you are not prepared to make the many sacrifices that go with being the government's senior advisor. Hence you, and most others on here, stick to posting on PB.isam said:
That doesn't make sense, the senior advisor did it!TOPPING said:
I suppose that's why you are posting on PB instead of being that advisor.isam said:
Myself, I would still do what I thought best for my family if I were the government's senior advisorTOPPING said:
Agree. But then most of us aren't the government's senior advisor responsible for the policy saying it shouldn't be done.isam said:If the same thing happened to any of us with young children without access to an empty house, it would be a pretty scary situation. Puts into perspective how different dealing with the virus is between the richest and the poorest. Hopefully that will be taken into account in future policies - there are many stealth taxes on the poor that dont appear on the statute.
That said, if we were offered the chance of such access I doubt many people would turn it down.
Because if you are the government's senior advisor you should be aware that rules and expectations which don't apply to most people may well apply to you.
"If I were Eric Cantona, I'd have Kung fu kicked that Palace fan too"
"That's why you're posting on here not playing for Man Utd"0 -
I rather preferred his comment that he didn't really care who Professor Lockdown was shacked up with but he really cared whether his advice was worth taking. The same applies to Cummings. Does he help or hinder the PM in doing his job? That is the real question.CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/George_Osborne/status/1265243201570516992
Irony because it's Osborne but still seems good to me1 -
This is the nub of matter - if there was a simple, clear, consistent story then everyone would give it. Instead what we have is an ever-changing collection of excuses some of which contradict the others.Scott_xP said:
The simple fact that no one seems able to stick to a single explanation is what undermines the whole thing as far as I am concerned. It give the appearance of them making it up as they go along.
2 -
That argument isn't strictly logical.Philip_Thompson said:
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.
We are in the 'what if' argument here though. Certainly if very large numbers hadn't marched or signed petitions nothing probably would have changed. That could have been a big part of a change (or maybe not) but the LDs/SNP took the gamble and enabled the election. Once Boris had the 80 majority it was done and dusted and so the marches/petitions became redundant.
So if the latter hadn't happened the former may have (or not) been influential.0 -
A few points on the most popular petitions in the system's history:rottenborough said:
Keep clutching at those straws.Philip_Thompson said:
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.
(1) The 2019 'Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU' Petition got 6,103,056 signatures.
RESULT: We didn't revoke Article 50, and left the EU.
(2) The 2016 'EU Referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum' got 4,150,262 votes.
RESULT: We didn't hold a second EU Referendum.
(3) The 2017 'Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom' Petition got 1,863,708 votes.
RESULT: President Donald Trump made a State Visit to the UK.
Are we beginning to see a pattern? Looks like you're the one grasping at straws
3 -
But will it be #JacksonforFM ?Theuniondivvie said:
On the rocks.Scott_xP said:
I don't think Nippy is in the clear just yetTheuniondivvie said:Will Trump and Johnson be the only two leaders to fuck up the Covid-19 boost almost all other pms/presidents have received?
#JacksonforFM
https://twitter.com/GerryHassan/status/1265222406584643584?s=20
Jackson Carlaw is already an also-ran at the bookies, currently priced at 25/1 to be Next FM, which is longer than Labour’s Richard Leonard, at 20/1.
Considering that his party are miles ahead of SLab in the VI polls, it seems odd that he is not shorter than the useless Leonard.
With Ross, Tomkins and Davidson being uncooperative, Carlaw is in for a trying 12 months. Will he make it?0 -
In this case wore words = more accurate.Mexicanpete said:That is not really an efficient edit. Isn't the plan to finish with a lot less words?
Mr Cummings reminds me of President Trump, in that he annoys the people who really deserve to be annoyed.
1 -
PS personally I agree with you. I don't think that petition will be influential unless it increases by at least a factor of 10 and I am not seeing the same motivation to sign, but I could be wrong. Sadly I often am.kjh said:
That argument isn't strictly logical.Philip_Thompson said:
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.
We are in the 'what if' argument here though. Certainly if very large numbers hadn't marched or signed petitions nothing probably would have changed. That could have been a big part of a change (or maybe not) but the LDs/SNP took the gamble and enabled the election. Once Boris had the 80 majority it was done and dusted and so the marches/petitions became redundant.
So if the latter hadn't happened the former may have (or not) been influential.0 -
In general, its easy to come up with a lie that obscures one issue. When there are a dozen different issues, coming up with a set of lies that consistently deals with all the issues is much harder.Beibheirli_C said:
This is the nub of matter - if there was a simple, clear, consistent story then everyone would give it. Instead what we have is an ever-changing collection of excuses some of which contradict the others.Scott_xP said:
The simple fact that no one seems able to stick to a single explanation is what undermines the whole thing as far as I am concerned. It give the appearance of them making it up as they go along.1 -
Btw at these prices you can back both sides to lock in a small profit. Be careful if you attempt this because one bookmaker might accept your stake and the other one knock you back.DecrepiterJohnL said:
Has there been a new development?DecrepiterJohnL said:Betting on whether Dominic Cummings will still be in post on 1st June.
PP/Betfair 11/4 go, 1/4 stay
Ladbrokes 3/1 go, 1/5 stay
Starsports 11/4 go, 2/9 stay
PP/Betfair 13/8 go, 4/9 stay
Ladbrokes & Starsports prices unchanged0 -
If you admit Cummings is a lying toerag does it not then reflect on the VoteLeave campaign itself? Gove & Johnson have too much invested in Cummings and have to maintain the myth that he is a man of "honesty and integrity"Scott_xP said:0 -
If I missed the satirical context, like the rest of the article those quotes were taken from, then I'd love to see it!Mexicanpete said:
Weren't the vans just satirical comedy? Nothing sinister about them at all, you know, just like, picanninies, water melon smiles, bank robbers and letter boxes.Philip_Thompson said:
You respected Theresa May? The woman who sent vans telling immigrants to Go Home?kinabalu said:
I think Johnson will be there for the next election - and I'm betting that way - but I hope he is brought down and I hope it's in humiliating circumstances. He deserves it.FrancisUrquhart said:
I can't see how Boris makes it another 4 years. I can see Tory party pushing him out and spinning it as him going having never fully recovered from coronavirus.MaxPB said:By my unscientific finger in the air method the Tory party has just shifted 3m votes from their column into the undecided column. It's literally all to play for for Labour now. If Boris is still there in 2024 I could see Labour getting very close to a majority or even a working majority atm.
It's going to be a very long 4 years for the party if they don't dump Boris.
I like to have respect for the PM of this country. It's important to me, regardless of which party is in power, that I can feel this way. And despite being no Tory, I have been able to feel this way about every Conservative PM of my adult lifetime. Thatcher, Major, Cameron, May. Every one. Why? Because, whilst hating their politics much of the time, I could sense some integrity and diligence and sense of public service in the individuaI.
But this guy - this "Boris" character - he would not recognize any of these things if he fell over them. He is about nothing more elevated than himself. Born into privilege he has done little with it except feed his own vanity and need for the spotlight. He is a piss-taker.
And this means - for the very first time - I find it impossible to respect the person leading the country. Which makes me feel bad. I feel bad about it. A bit sick even, when I dwell on it.
So I want him gone. And I want him punished for putting me through this.
Fuck off Boris.0 -
4/9 stay sounds good to me. I thought it was done and dusted in terms of him staying.DecrepiterJohnL said:
Btw at these prices you can back both sides to lock in a small profit. Be careful if you attempt this because one bookmaker might accept your stake and the other one knock you back.DecrepiterJohnL said:
Has there been a new development?DecrepiterJohnL said:Betting on whether Dominic Cummings will still be in post on 1st June.
PP/Betfair 11/4 go, 1/4 stay
Ladbrokes 3/1 go, 1/5 stay
Starsports 11/4 go, 2/9 stay
PP/Betfair 13/8 go, 4/9 stay
Ladbrokes & Starsports prices unchanged1 -
You know what would really propel this story into the stratosphere?
A Cabinet Minister being caught infringing lockdown.
Do you reckon they've all been beyond reproach? I doubt it.0 -
Hallelujah! We agree on something!TOPPING said:
No. She was awful.Philip_Thompson said:Am I the only person on this site who can't stand Theresa May and finds her morally awful?
I don't understand it. I quit the party when she became leader as I can't stand the vile woman. I can't stand anyone who shouts at immigrants to "GO HOME" yet to listen to people here you'd swear she was a paragon of virtue.0 -
Did you feel the same way about the Scottish CMO? Or all the well-trodden repeats about stuff Corbyn did 30 years ago? Or criticism of Emily Thornberry for slagging off people who live on housing estates? Or Ed Miliband making a funny face while he had breakfast?Socky said:
And the other 90% shrug their shoulders and wonder why the BBC is making such a big deal over this.Scott_xP said:Dom said "Fuck you" to every parent who didn't break quarantine to visit their parents, and go for a drive in the country on their wife's birthday.
The MSM have to be faced down.
If you believe all of those are probably unwise in hindsight but no reason for media outlets to "make such a big deal", then I'd cut you some slack on this one.
And frankly, I'm not sure why you're going at the BBC when well-known lefties Nick Ferrari, Tim Montgomerie and, er, the Daily Mail are being rather more persistent.
0 -
Just like Cummings didn't break the law. Same thing.Carnyx said:
That's not stealing a Mars - you need a mens rea for that. IANAL and even I know that. The scenario specified 'stealing'.Monkeys said:
This is why Dom in the garden yesterday is clever. In journalism, everything is black and white, there's only one side, it's all Good or Bad.TOPPING said:
You are the government's senior advisor. You helped to formulate the rules. Which you then broke.Monkeys said:
You can go out if you think it's absolutely necessary you know. It's a £60 fine the first time you're caught or something, less than weed, and everyone smokes weed.TOPPING said:
The point is that you are not prepared to make the many sacrifices that go with being the government's senior advisor. Hence you, and most others on here, stick to posting on PB.isam said:
That doesn't make sense, the senior advisor did it!TOPPING said:
I suppose that's why you are posting on PB instead of being that advisor.isam said:
Myself, I would still do what I thought best for my family if I were the government's senior advisorTOPPING said:
Agree. But then most of us aren't the government's senior advisor responsible for the policy saying it shouldn't be done.isam said:If the same thing happened to any of us with young children without access to an empty house, it would be a pretty scary situation. Puts into perspective how different dealing with the virus is between the richest and the poorest. Hopefully that will be taken into account in future policies - there are many stealth taxes on the poor that dont appear on the statute.
That said, if we were offered the chance of such access I doubt many people would turn it down.
Because if you are the government's senior advisor you should be aware that rules and expectations which don't apply to most people may well apply to you.
I went to the shittiest of state schools and even I understand that sometimes you have to take personal responsibility in a shitty situation. And it sounds like his child is not particularly well a lot of the time.
Same question to you as yesterday: which is worse, a 17-yr old scrote stealing a Mars Bar from Tesco or the Chief Constable stealing a Mars Bar from Tesco?
Turns out real life is nuanced. It's a human story now. There's exceptional circumstances. This site was unified against him before it, now there is at least some debate, because it's murky, and it's real. So the media lost. Maybe the chief constable has diabetes and collapsed before he got to the till, and there's a rule that says you only need the wrapper to pay.0 -
4-9 is a decent price for him to stay now I think and I've taken the max Paddy will allow me, which was £33.80. Like implementing quarantine as Sir Humphrey would say "Well it's too late to do anything about it now".DecrepiterJohnL said:
Btw at these prices you can back both sides to lock in a small profit. Be careful if you attempt this because one bookmaker might accept your stake and the other one knock you back.DecrepiterJohnL said:
Has there been a new development?DecrepiterJohnL said:Betting on whether Dominic Cummings will still be in post on 1st June.
PP/Betfair 11/4 go, 1/4 stay
Ladbrokes 3/1 go, 1/5 stay
Starsports 11/4 go, 2/9 stay
PP/Betfair 13/8 go, 4/9 stay
Ladbrokes & Starsports prices unchanged0 -
Sorry I realise I have given the wrong impression in that post. When I said 'sadly I am' that was self deprecation. It was not that I wanted a lot to sign the petition. I have no strong feelings on it and haven't signed myself.kjh said:
PS personally I agree with you. I don't think that petition will be influential unless it increases by at least a factor of 10 and I am not seeing the same motivation to sign, but I could be wrong. Sadly I often am.kjh said:
That argument isn't strictly logical.Philip_Thompson said:
How many of them will be the same people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition?logical_song said:690,000 have signed
https://www.change.org/p/dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked
Remember the 4 million strong petition that kept being reported on?
That worked so well didn't it.
We are in the 'what if' argument here though. Certainly if very large numbers hadn't marched or signed petitions nothing probably would have changed. That could have been a big part of a change (or maybe not) but the LDs/SNP took the gamble and enabled the election. Once Boris had the 80 majority it was done and dusted and so the marches/petitions became redundant.
So if the latter hadn't happened the former may have (or not) been influential.0 -
Fantastic indeed! Specifically, a year later she won a lower share of the popular vote than May did in 2017 when we had a hung parliament. So if that's an omen, I'd settle for it coming true in a 2021 general election. We would be back to two party politics and I doubt whether the DUP would play Johnson onside this time either. We would probably end up with another election in 2021 or 2022, possibly after PM Starmer's short-lived government had fallen after facing down SNP demands.BluestBlue said:
Fantastic! Thatcher won another landslide after the Westland 'crisis' - an excellent omen.Scott_xP said:
Not that we're going to get a 2021 election.0 -
It shows that Cummings is a crutch. Johnson cannot manage without him. That's the (hardly bizarre) rationale behind the accusation.DavidL said:
The accusations of cowardice and weakness are entirely predictable but truly bizarre. If Boris was weak or a coward Cummings would have gone. Period. The fact that he has not gone shows Boris is neither. Whether he is right to invest so much of his personal capital in supporting an advisor is of course a different question.Philip_Thompson said:
Standing up to the media shows he is weak.Mysticrose said:
I think he does, or perhaps rather did. From HIGNFY to winning Labour London for the Conservatives and then championing the Olympics, he showed a deft touch that belied his Etonian education. He reached across the political spectrum as, indeed, he did by winning last year.isam said:
"Boris' USP as a man of the people"MaxPB said:
The difference then is that Boris was (fairly or unfairly) cast as the saviour of the people vs the elites. That strategy isn't going to be available to him and Dom next time. This has taken away Boris' USP as a man of the people. The consensus view of Boris among those who would consider voting for him is "he might be rich and a toff but he's not like the rest of them". That's been completely shattered today.BluestBlue said:
Yes, of course they should dump their best election winner in 32 years over a single incident. Remember when Boris' prorogation was overturned? When he expelled 20 MPs from his own party, was in deep minority, and faced a die-in-a-ditch deadline within weeks?MaxPB said:By my unscientific finger in the air method the Tory party has just shifted 3m votes from their column into the undecided column. It's literally all to play for for Labour now. If Boris is still there in 2024 I could see Labour getting very close to a majority or even a working majority atm.
It's going to be a very long 4 years for the party if they don't dump Boris.
The received wisdom was that he was finished then too. It is comically lacking in perspective to believe that he is finished now with a majority of 80, Labour 163 seats behind, and 4 years to plan strategy for the next election.
You are completely blinkered if you think Boris will win another majority.
Not sure he ever had that.
He has really blown it through standing by Cummings. More even than his lack of judgement and his failure to capture the mood of the country, it shows he is insecure and weak. And those are terrible qualities in a PM. The last (godawful) PM we had like that was Gordon Brown.
Couldn't make it up 😂😂😂😂😂😂0 -
Why listen to a jumped up idiot like Piers Morgan. His opinion is worth £0.00OllyT said:
If you admit Cummings is a lying toerag does it not then reflect on the VoteLeave campaign itself? Gove & Johnson have too much invested in Cummings and have to maintain the myth that he is a man of "honesty and integrity"Scott_xP said:1 -
Gove is another arrogant little shit who thinks he is in the elite and can do what he wants.eek said:
One rule for us, another rule for you - as has been amply demonstrated over the last 3 days.SouthamObserver said:Is Gove trying to help - or not?
https://twitter.com/PickardJE/status/1265182410146185216
The quarantine and lockdowns are over and can never be restarted by this Government.
It's now a matter of doing what you think is best because the advice is going to be ignored by most people.0 -
Agree. Great price. He's staying.Pulpstar said:
4-9 is a decent price for him to stay now I think and I've taken the max Paddy will allow me, which was £33.80. Like implementing quarantine as Sir Humphrey would say "Well it's too late to do anything about it now".DecrepiterJohnL said:
Btw at these prices you can back both sides to lock in a small profit. Be careful if you attempt this because one bookmaker might accept your stake and the other one knock you back.DecrepiterJohnL said:
Has there been a new development?DecrepiterJohnL said:Betting on whether Dominic Cummings will still be in post on 1st June.
PP/Betfair 11/4 go, 1/4 stay
Ladbrokes 3/1 go, 1/5 stay
Starsports 11/4 go, 2/9 stay
PP/Betfair 13/8 go, 4/9 stay
Ladbrokes & Starsports prices unchanged0 -
The words Jim and Murphy always bring gaiety into my existence.Theuniondivvie said:
Not sure if it's in the SCon constitution that their leader has to be at Holyrood, though it helps obvs. Otoh Jim Murphy is not a happy precedent.Luckyguy1983 said:
It actually wouldn't be a bad thing. It starts him off on the right foot having stuck it to Boris and Cummings. It proves he is independent and principled. There is just the small matter of being elected to Holyrood...CarlottaVance said:
Two tweets supportive of Ross from Davidson and Tomkins won't have added to the gaiety of Carlaw's morning.....Scott_xP said:
Scots, even Scots Tories, like a bonnie fechter. Inserting his tongue far up The Clown’s posterior is unlikely to bring Carlaw joy at the ballot box. I wouldn’t call Ross “independent” nor “principled”, but he is not as stale as Carlaw, and could well do better with voters.
0 -
I'm pretty shocked at that. Why are you overvaluing his opinion so drastically?!squareroot2 said:
Why listen to a jumped up idiot like Piers Morgan. His opinion is worth £0.00OllyT said:
If you admit Cummings is a lying toerag does it not then reflect on the VoteLeave campaign itself? Gove & Johnson have too much invested in Cummings and have to maintain the myth that he is a man of "honesty and integrity"Scott_xP said: 0 -
And it's the combination of those factors that's causing the trouble. If Boris were a stronger person, he wouldn't have felt the need to do the bizarre press conference on Sunday, or let Dom weave the tales he did yesterday. Either Dom would have been dumped, or a clear line to move on would have been put out. But because Boris desperately wants to be wanted, there has to be a story to make everything better, and it has to be a better story than "Dom is terribly important, can essentially do whatever he wants and Durham is nicer than London".kinabalu said:
Strong position. Weak man.LostPassword said:
I think any other leader of the Conservative Party would have faced more explicit criticism of his judgement from his own MPs, but he hasn't because they're scared.Mysticrose said:
Given what is going on right now in the world and country that's a pretty daft comment. He may be fine but events dear boy, events.LostPassword said:
Given the purge of Tory MPs in 2019 I would think Johnson is the safest Conservative Party leader in history.TheScreamingEagles said:
The poll tax didn’t cost the Tories the next election because they ditched their leader?LostPassword said:
I can't quite work out what distinction is being drawn here.rottenborough said:" Another MP said the situation "feels more poll tax than ERM, actually." "
Telegraph
Any ideas?
Indeed, I'd have thought in most previous Cabinets you would have had senior ministers telling the PM privately that this was not tenable.
It's only because Johnson's position is so strong that he's been allowed to make such a huge mistake over this.
And it's that unwillingness to say something that's unpleasant but much more truthful than the eye test thing that's tying everyone up in knots.0 -
tHE ISsUE iS OvER0
-
The ultimate rocket up it would be if Boris has been bunking off from lockdown to visit his mistress.El_Capitano said:You know what would really propel this story into the stratosphere?
A Cabinet Minister being caught infringing lockdown.
Do you reckon they've all been beyond reproach? I doubt it.1 -
0
-
You can dismiss twitter etc and I don't necessarily disagree but are you really saying that this hasn't damaged Boris's government?DavidL said:
The impotent fury of the outraged on Twitter not getting their man is the one redeeming feature of this sorry tale for me.Sandpit said:
Piers cares only about his own role in creating Twitter 'trends'.Brom said:
Does anyone other Piers and Scott care about twitter 'trends'. You need about 0.005% of the country to get something 'trending', yet it means nothing in the real world.Philip_Thompson said:
No its because of those who view families trying to do their best in difficult circumstances below being nasty hacks interested in partisan politics trying to bring down someone they perceive as an enemy.Scott_xP said:0 -
No sign of my MPs name, the diminutive Alun Cairns then. When I see his signature on the list it is all over for Cummings...and Boris!CarlottaVance said:0 -
1
-
Yes indeed. When something bad is going down it only takes a minute - to find Gove.Theuniondivvie said:
That could be pretty much applied to any aspect of existence.CorrectHorseBattery said:Gove has made this 10x worse lol
1 -
Cummings doubtless has the dossier.El_Capitano said:You know what would really propel this story into the stratosphere?
A Cabinet Minister being caught infringing lockdown.
Do you reckon they've all been beyond reproach? I doubt it.
0 -
Why. I think it is healthy for parties to talk with one another and share ideas and come to a consensus where there is common ground.CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/matt_hfoster/status/1265248895485050880
Labour was right to stay out of this0 -
The Tories at this point don't seem to have a PR operation at all.
They've responded to Cummings' response in possibly the worst way possible0 -
I still think that the Cummings saga is a bit of a red herring, except for it demonstrating how much Boris needs him. But why does Boris need him?
The answer is that Boris is not fit to be Prime Minister, and this is the important revelation of the last three months. He is too lazy and not willing to do the hard graft of that office. He was a very poor Foreign Secretary. He does not do detail. He avoids scrutiny and accountability. He does not lead. He can present a script and make some good jokes, but that's about it. And he has not appointed a good enough team for him to delegate effectively. Hence Cummings.
Whatever you think of May (and I don't think much), I remember her appearing for days on end in the House of Commons answering questions on the Brexit negotiations. Totally on top of her brief, grasping the detail and so on. Being accountable. I just can't imagine Boris doing this - he wouldn't know his stuff. This is why he's done everything he can to avoid scrutiny by the Liaison Committee.
Whatever you think of Blair and Brown, they did detail. And although Cameron was reputedly lazy, he wasn't as idle as Boris, and had Osborne and others to delegate to.
Boris is bright and has charisma, but he's been over-promoted and will, ultimately, fail. It's just not the right job for him.2
This discussion has been closed.