Current Affairs

[Onelife]

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

What a difference a year makes, this year you can party, as long as you follow the guidance that Boris didn’t follow last year.

[Stephen]

Just watched PMQ’s.

The usual diversionary tactics from the waffling fool of a PM.

His days are numbered.

Like him or not, and I don’t particularly, Ian Blackford didn’t hold back on giving the PM both barrels

[Kendhni]

Johnson needs another diversionary tactic to get the headlines off him ... plan B or a lockdown could well do the job.

[Bensham33]

It's not the fact that they had a party, wrong though it was, it's the lying when they've been clearly found out. Lies, lies and more lies and the PM trying to make excuses for their actions. What they have done is stick two fingers up at the British public who were all trying their best to do the right thing at the time. Johnson should go, he won't resign so it's up to the rank and file to get rid of him but they are Tories so it won't happen.

All that will happen is that all the working class in this country that voted Conservative at the last General Election will go back to Labour. Tories with a conscience will turn against them (that ain't many I know) opening the door for another Labour Government.

[Onelife]

Whether a party did take place and Boris was aware of a party having taken place, will I hope, come out in the inquiry. The bigger question that should be asked (if the party did take place) is what authority/respect does Boris command when those under his leadership think they can flaunt the rules right under his nose?

[Manoverboard]

Ian Blackford makes Boris ( and everybody else ) seem really interesting

[Ray Scully]

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.

"Trust in God and keep your powder dry", attributed to Oliver Cromwell;

[Ray Scully]

A life long Socialist, but when it came to Corbyn I opted out. I wonder how many Tories of principle find them now in a similar position with regard to Johnson.

[Mervyn and Trish]

The question.of what next remains. For a future Tory leader I wouldn't trust Gove as far as I could throw him. If he got power I believe he'd make Boris look like a saint. My money would be on Rishi Sunak.

And as for Labour I haven't a clue what Sir Hindsight stands for, other than not Boris. He hasn't shown any vision other beyond I wouldn't have done that. I have no idea whether I'd be getting Blair without the charisma or Corbyn with a knighthood.

[Onelife]

The question.of what next remains. For a future Tory leader I wouldn't trust Gove as far as I could throw him. If he got power I believe he'd make Boris look like a saint. My money would be on Rishi Sunak.


Sir Merv,

The difference between Gove and Boris is that Gove makes decisions Boris just spouts out the decisions that have been made for him.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Even if that's true, and I've seen no evidence either way, I still wouldnt trust Gove, and don't think he could win an election.

[Manoverboard]

Gove claimed he would re-instate the fishing industry ... sadly he broke his promise to too many who fell for his ' plastic charms '. He was even daft enough to stab Boris in the back

[Gill W]

It's not the fact that they had a party, wrong though it was, it's the lying when they've been clearly found out. Lies, lies and more lies and the PM trying to make excuses for their actions. What they have done is stick two fingers up at the British public who were all trying their best to do the right thing at the time. Johnson should go, he won't resign so it's up to the rank and file to get rid of him but they are Tories so it won't happen.

Agreed. If it had been just the party, without all the other things that had happened like Barnard Castle and Hancock and the rest of it, AND they had held their hands up and apologised for it, then people would have accepted it. But, along with the previous events, the joking about it, and then the lying, it's all reached a sort of critical mass. Johnson's positive is untenable - he should resign forthwith.

I see Allegra Stratton has resigned from whatever advisory job she had.... I don't know if she's going to be the scapegoat and Johnson will wiggle out of it. But the very fact that she's had to resign tells us there was a party.

There are all taking the mickey out of those of us who have done the decent thing, sometimes involving personal sacrifices, and up until a couple of days ago at least, there were still some people that seemed perfectly ok about this

Johnson needs another diversionary tactic to get the headlines off him ... plan B or a lockdown could well do the job.

Whilst I agree that Plan B additional mitigations are needed, it will be disgusting if Johnson implements this in order to distract everyone, rather than for public health reasons.

If Johnson falls on his sword, I will allow myself a small period of relief, than start thinking about who should follow him. Preferably someone who doesn't have the stench of corruption lingering around them.

[Stephen]

Allegra Stratton ........resigned or was pushed with the hope of drawing a line under it. I think not somehow

[Onelife]

Gove claimed he would re-instate the fishing industry ... sadly he broke his promise to too many who fell for his ' plastic charms '. He was even daft enough to stab Boris in the back

Whatever desicions Gove made you can be sure his boss was looking at the bigger prize of Brexit. This will no doubt have influenced any desicions Gove made regarding the concessions to get Brexit done.

[oldbluefox]

I wouldn't trust any of them to be honest especially the Labour Party. I saw enough of them when they used to come up for the party conferences. They treated the town and its residents with disdain and couldn't wait to take themselves and their designer outfits back on the train down to London and this is the party which beats its breast for the poor and the working man. Utter hypocrisy.
Interesting to see Stephen Kinnock waiting to put his two-pennorth in on the party debate. If I remember rightly wasn't he one of those who broke Covid rules when he travelled to wish dad a happy birthday?
Blackford? What a joke that man is. He says the same thing every week.
As I say there are plenty of hypocrites walking the corridors of Westminster which is a pity because there are also those who genuinely work for their communities.
Maybe it's a case of 'be careful what you wish for' as far as the next leader of the Tory party is concerned. Obviously Gove will be in the mix as well as Rishi Sunak but I wouldn't totally rule out Liz Truss and I know how Onelife likes his ladies!!

[Onelife]

Before anyone else mentions this I think Liz Truss would make a good choice for PM

[Kendhni]

Before anyone else mentions this I think Liz Truss would make a good choice for PM

Is Liz Truss make a good choice for anything?
Like Raab she is very much an underachiever.

[Kendhni]

Johnson needs another diversionary tactic to get the headlines off him ... plan B or a lockdown could well do the job.

I see Johnson is to hold a press conference ... quelle surprise!!!

[Gill W]

If he’s going to announce so called Plan B, it so glaringly obvious that it’s an effort to try to divert attention. However, it’s just adding fuel to the fire.

They’re in meltdown

[Mervyn and Trish]

So are you saying they shouldn't go to Plan B then?

[Gill W]

So are you saying they shouldn't go to Plan B then?

I’m not saying anything of the sort.

See post 12713

[towny44]

Even if that's true, and I've seen no evidence either way, I still wouldnt trust Gove, and don't think he could win an election.

As a tory voter I agree that I dont believe Gove could win an election, and that is the determining factor for a leader. I suspect that Brown would not have secured the landslide that Blair secured, and very likely would not have secured a second term, if he had been leader. It is perhaps a sad fact that leadership qualities are now seen purely as the charisma of the leader, this was clearly demonstrated by Theresa May's sad performance, and if Boris has to go the Tory Party must ensure that not only is his replacement a capable politician, but he or she must be able to win over the voters by their personality.

[Onelife]

If he’s going to announce so called Plan B, it so glaringly obvious that it’s an effort to try to divert attention. However, it’s just adding fuel to the fire.

They’re in meltdown

On this occasion I don’t think the timing of this evening’s briefing has been used as a divergence tactic. I think our government is seriously worried about the infection rate of the Omicron variant.
My gut feeling is as it was in an earlier post e.g. “No Christmas parties, ban public attendance at sporting fixtures and bring forward the School Christmas holidays. In two weeks’, time we should have a better understanding about which way this variant is going. Act now and we could be saving thousands of unnecessary deaths… and possibly prevent much longer damaging lockdowns next year”.

This Government need to stop hoping for the best and make decisions that give us the best chance of avoiding the worst.

[Mervyn and Trish]

So are you saying they shouldn't go to Plan B then?

I’m not saying anything of the sort.

See post 12713

So Boris can't win? He's done what you wanted but it's just a smokescreen. If he hadn't done it critics would have attacked him.