Current Affairs

[towny44]

Very easy to criticise when your not the one making the decisions. As for the ‘Whistleblower’ senior desk man, looks like he’s not old enough to shave yet,totally lacking in experience of any kind.!

I agree. It's a fact we didn't get everyone our. But having seen the scenes at the airport I doubt that was ever possible. I'm not going to take the word of one disaffected employee. I could tell you some tales about some of my former bosses, which may reflect on me rather than them! I'd like to hear all the evidence before drawing a conclusion. But I never will because I'll only get the version the media choose to give me.

There may well have been over 150000 e-mails requesting help, but there was a limited time and number of flights available, so everyone in the FO knew it would be impossible to evacuate them all. Possibly the whistleblower disagreed with the criteria being used to decide who was most worthy, but their location and the massive crowds around the airport must have made it very difficult to ensure those with the highest priority were all evacuated. I would need a lot more data before I accepted the word of one very junior official.

[oldbluefox]

I don't think anybody expected the Afghan forces to crumble and the Taliban sweep to power as quickly as they did. Judging by the chaos and pandemonium at the airport I think we did well to evacuate as many as we did . I am quite surprised by the numbers who are now claiming they worked for the Brits plus the rest of the Afghan 'deserving' cases. It seems clear to me there was no way we could evacuate everybody who felt they had a right especially when you consider other nations were also evacuating personnel within a limited time frame from the one airport. It was a mammoth task but it's easy to sit in the cool. or rather warm light of day and pick holes. Sadly life is not always perfect no matter what Starmer seems to think.

[Kendhni]

Excellent comment today from Sir Hindsight

The opposition leader says we "are in a race now between this booster regime and the new variant" and the government should have acted weeks ago, adding that the programme needs to be ramped up immediately.

The government should have acted weeks ago - the government did not know about the latest strain "weeks ago" - perhaps with the benefit of his crystal ball he can tell us all when the next strain will appear!!

Not that I am one to defend Calamity Johnson, but I thought he reacted reasonably quickly (for once). Omicron was first reported to the WHO on 24/11 and Johnson started putting things in place on the 27th .. given how slowly the wheels of the civil service usually turn that would probably be considered close to 'warp factor'.

The one thing I disagreed with was that some aspects were implemented 'from' a future date rather than immediately, maybe there were logistical or operational reasons why they could not have been implemented immediately.

[Onelife]

I don't think anybody expected the Afghan forces to crumble and the Taliban sweep to power as quickly as they did. Judging by the chaos and pandemonium at the airport I think we did well to evacuate as many as we did . I am quite surprised by the numbers who are now claiming they worked for the Brits plus the rest of the Afghan 'deserving' cases. It seems clear to me there was no way we could evacuate everybody who felt they had a right especially when you consider other nations were also evacuating personnel within a limited time frame from the one airport. It was a mammoth task but it's easy to sit in the cool. or rather warm light of day and pick holes. Sadly life is not always perfect no matter what Starmer seems to think.

Excellent point foxy.

[Mervyn and Trish]

More sensationalist and misleading reporting based on inconsistent statistics and poor understanding.

"The UK has now registered Omicron cases than anywhere else in Europe."

To the casual listener that probably means we have more cases. Another national failure.

Given that we test twice as many per million population as the next nearest country, France, and five times as many as the next, Germany, and we DNA sequence more than the rest of Europe together I doubt that is the case.

We've found more is not the same as we have more but the media don't explain that.

[towny44]

More sensationalist and misleading reporting based on inconsistent statistics and poor understanding.

"The UK has now registered Omicron cases than anywhere else in Europe."

To the casual listener that probably means we have more cases. Another national failure.

Given that we test twice as many per million population as the next nearest country, France, and five times as many as the next, Germany, and we DNA sequence more than the rest of Europe together I doubt that is the case.

We've found more is not the same as we have more but the media don't explain that.

I totally agree.

[Stephen]

A usual, one no rules for them and several for everyone else, the lying cow.

Downing Street party: No 10 staff joked about party amid lockdown restrictions https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59572149

[Kendhni]

This government is institutionally dishonest, from the top, a Prime Minister that has made a career out of being a liar, right down through the cabinet and onto the back benches. This goes way beyond simple spin and massaging of the truth to this government being inherently corrupt and dishonest.

[Gill W]

Sajid Javid has been pulled from the media rounds this morning, with no replacement.

The government has pushed its dishonestly too far, and they have no idea what to say next.

PMQs should be interesting today, although I’m half expecting Carrie to ‘give birth’ so Johnson has to rush to her side.

[Stephen]

I wouldn’t want to be in Boris’s shoes at PMQ’s today.

[Ray Scully]

I wouldn’t want to be in Boris’s shoes at PMQ’s today.

Stephen I am sure that there will be ample supplies of white powder to see him through

[Onelife]

I think I’ve said this before…Boris ain’t fit for the job

[Onelife]

This government is institutionally dishonest, from the top, a Prime Minister that has made a career out of being a liar, right down through the cabinet and onto the back benches. This goes way beyond simple spin and massaging of the truth to this government being inherently corrupt and dishonest.

I wouldn't go that far Ken but a good clear out is in order.... Theresa or even Meghan could have done a better job than what Mr “we followed ‘my’ guidelines” has done.

Don't tell Foxy I've said that

[barney]

I think I’ve said this before…Boris ain’t fit for the job

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
The chances of Johnson leading the Tories into the next election is extremely remote.
The guy was bought in for one job, and he’s done it.
Time to say goodbye, ride off into the sunset and leave it to the grownups.

[Mervyn and Trish]

You may be well be right Barney. But who?

In the meantime I'm bewildered by the idiocy of some people misbehaving these days to film it to emerge later.

[Onelife]

I think I’ve said this before…Boris ain’t fit for the job

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
The chances of Johnson leading the Tories into the next election is extremely remote.
The guy was bought in for one job, and he’s done it.
Time to say goodbye, ride off into the sunset and leave it to the grownups.

Adios and Good riddance.

[Onelife]

You may be well be right Barney. But who?

In the meantime I'm bewildered by the idiocy of some people misbehaving these days to film it to emerge later.

If I may…Gove is the man for the job Imo…. whilst he comes across as a bit of a snake, he rarely leaves a trail of mess behind him, indeed he is a man who keeps his eye on the ball and has the vision to take this country where it needs to go imo.

[towny44]

You may be well be right Barney. But who?

In the meantime I'm bewildered by the idiocy of some people misbehaving these days to film it to emerge later.

I'll bet the bloodhounds are out searching for who is leaking all this info.

[CaroleF]

I agree with the idea of Michael Gove but I don't think the same number of people would vote for him as voted for Boris. I really don't know who apart from possibly Sunak. I think in this day and age the leader has got to be someone who has charisma and someone who appeals to the public. I don't think this applies to Gove.

Carole

[david63]

Just a small question - why has it taken 12 months for this video to emerge?

If it was such a breach of the Covid rules and someone went to the trouble of making a video of the "party" I would have expected it to have been released almost straight away.

[barney]

I agree with the idea of Michael Gove but I don't think the same number of people would vote for him as voted for Boris. I really don't know who apart from possibly Sunak. I think in this day and age the leader has got to be someone who has charisma and someone who appeals to the public. I don't think this applies to Gove.

Carole

Liz Truss is bookies favourite followed by Sunak.
My personal choice for PM is Starmer.

[towny44]

Just a small question - why has it taken 12 months for this video to emerge?

If it was such a breach of the Covid rules and someone went to the trouble of making a video of the "party" I would have expected it to have been released almost straight away.

What I want to know is who is the Labour party CI in the Downing street organisation..

[Kendhni]

Just a small question - why has it taken 12 months for this video to emerge?

If it was such a breach of the Covid rules and someone went to the trouble of making a video of the "party" I would have expected it to have been released almost straight away.

Personally I think it is a mountain out of a molehill ... many had parties last year.
However it is just another example of how corrupt and out of touch this government is.

[Onelife]

I agree with the idea of Michael Gove but I don't think the same number of people would vote for him as voted for Boris. I really don't know who apart from possibly Sunak. I think in this day and age the leader has got to be someone who has charisma and someone who appeals to the public. I don't think this applies to Gove.

Carole

Hello Carole…I agree with you about Gove’s unpopularity with the public but those opinions could change if he got the job and showed some leadership qualities, qualities that have been seldom seen in the present PM over the past two years.

Sadly, the biggest problem Gove faces in attaining the position is that of getting support from influential ministers who for the most part are jealous of Gove’s superior intellect and vision of what needs to be done. I have no doubt Gove would give several of them ‘back bench demotions’ because from what I have witnessed of him, he doesn’t tolerate those who say the right things for the wrong reasons.

[barney]

Apparently many people attended Xmas parties last year. !
News to me.