Current Affairs

[screwy]

I would call that sarcasm.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Whatever the reality of Boris's wallpaper it won't affect my vote in the council elections one way or the other. I don't believe in party politics at a local level but vote for the individual I believe who has done/will do the best job on local issues. That is very often someone of a completely different leaning to the party I might choose at a general election. Indeed my postal vote has already been sent in.

[screwy]

I would call that sarcasm.

In fact I thought it was rather childish.

[Onelife]

In my opinion, Johnson is a situational PM.
He won a huge majority on going all in with his policy of following through with the will of the majority of the people.
Get Brexit Done was simple and to the point.
Well, he got Brexit done, he can now hand over the reign to a grown up and go back to writing his column and doing the speech circuit.

He would undoubtedly be far better off financially if he did that, but I believe he does enjoy being PM, and unless he is an exceptional actor, he does zeem very keen to provide some early benefits from his levelling up agenda.

It will be interesting to see whether Boris’s levelling up agenda starts from the bottom up or the top down?

[Kendhni]

It will be interesting to see whether Boris’s levelling up agenda starts from the bottom up or the top down?

The problem is that 'levelling up' is just another Johnson sound bite (he does come up with great soundbites). There is no target or success measures attached to it - there never is with anything Johnson does. In fact, given the little that has been revealed it is as much about 'levelling down' as it is it is about levelling up.

[towny44]

It will be interesting to see whether Boris’s levelling up agenda starts from the bottom up or the top down?

The problem is that 'levelling up' is just another Johnson sound bite (he does come up with great soundbites). There is no target or success measures attached to it - there never is with anything Johnson does. In fact, given the little that has been revealed it is as much about 'levelling down' as it is it is about levelling up.

I would have thought you would be more concerned about who replaces Arlene, to be worrying about trivial things at Westminster.

[Manoverboard]

Can't help thinking, sorry about that, that Boris is completely in the clear and is simply having some boarding school type fun at the expense of those who would like to see him fail ... I do hope so

If you think Johnson is having a bit of fun, you’ll no doubt be delighted to know that Starmer also has a sense of humour. He was photographed this afternoon, browsing the wallpaper section of John Lewis !

I would call that ' bad timing '

[Kendhni]

It will be interesting to see whether Boris’s levelling up agenda starts from the bottom up or the top down?

The problem is that 'levelling up' is just another Johnson sound bite (he does come up with great soundbites). There is no target or success measures attached to it - there never is with anything Johnson does. In fact, given the little that has been revealed it is as much about 'levelling down' as it is it is about levelling up.

I would have thought you would be more concerned about who replaces Arlene, to be worrying about trivial things at Westminster.

If only we didn't live in a federal UK then that would be more important.

[Onelife]

It will be interesting to see whether Boris’s levelling up agenda starts from the bottom up or the top down?

The problem is that 'levelling up' is just another Johnson sound bite (he does come up with great soundbites). There is no target or success measures attached to it - there never is with anything Johnson does. In fact, given the little that has been revealed it is as much about 'levelling down' as it is it is about levelling up.

The levelling up aspiration has been used by every PM since the 1950’s and Boris’s will more than likely produce the same result as the previous ones.

I think any incentive that tackles these divides are worth considering but from what I’ve been reading Boris’s 4.8 billion will only have an impact if the monies is distributed to areas of most need. As I understand it there will be a process of regional application for this money with an adjudication body deciding who gets it…. all well and good until one area feels their application deserves more consideration than the area next to it, especially if that town is a conservative voting area as opposed to a labour voting area.

The see-saw always dips to the side that has more weight

[screwy]

I thought after the last election, most towns were conservative.

[Onelife]

I thought after the last election, most towns were conservative.

In that case they should have no problem deciding which of the labour held areas the money should go to.

[Kendhni]

It will be interesting to see whether Boris’s levelling up agenda starts from the bottom up or the top down?

The problem is that 'levelling up' is just another Johnson sound bite (he does come up with great soundbites). There is no target or success measures attached to it - there never is with anything Johnson does. In fact, given the little that has been revealed it is as much about 'levelling down' as it is it is about levelling up.

The levelling up aspiration has been used by every PM since the 1950’s and Boris’s will more than likely produce the same result as the previous ones.

I think any incentive that tackles these divides are worth considering but from what I’ve been reading Boris’s 4.8 billion will only have an impact if the monies is distributed to areas of most need. As I understand it there will be a process of regional application for this money with an adjudication body deciding who gets it…. all well and good until one area feels their application deserves more consideration than the area next to it, especially if that town is a conservative voting area as opposed to a labour voting area.

The see-saw always dips to the side that has more weight

That is pretty much my understanding as well.
Except that the majority of the money on offer will probably be eaten up by a bunch of worthless paper pushing civil servants with the rest being used on various council vanity projects that don't really benefit anyone - although I could be being somewhat cynical and relying too much on what has happened in the past.

[Frank Manning]

Can't help thinking, sorry about that, that Boris is completely in the clear and is simply having some boarding school type fun at the expense of those who would like to see him fail ... I do hope so

If you think Johnson is having a bit of fun, you’ll no doubt be delighted to know that Starmer also has a sense of humour. He was photographed this afternoon, browsing the wallpaper section of John Lewis !

The trouble is Jill, it was probably Ill advised to sink to Boris' level.. The baying deniers of Boris' behaviour are already ridiculing Sir Keir Starmer for it. He does have much better qualities for a serious leader, but he will only begin to turn the tide by playing to his own strengths. At the moment the Tories are riding the Brexit wave, and getting the credit for the vaccination programme. The EU having shot themselves in the foot by their petulance over vaccines. Sir Keir (and with respect to the EU, Britain, having done Brexit), should now stick to the moral high ground.

[Manoverboard]

... He does have much better qualities for a serious leader ...

Please elucidate, I must have missed them

[towny44]

... He does have much better qualities for a serious leader ...

Please elucidate, I must have missed them

He's a lawyer, and they are all a dodgy bunch. 0

[barney]

Labour Party problems are that they have totally alienated their core voters.
They are now seen as a metropolitan, middle class Guardian reading cabal by many of their traditional voters.
I really don’t know what the answer is and unfortunately, neither do they.
Hartlepool next week will be very telling.
If they lose that to the sitting party, then I don’t know where they can go.
We’d end up with the inner cities being Labour and the rest of the country being Tory.
That makes it impossible to win an election.

There appears to be an element of traditional Tory voters who cannot stand Johnson as leader but as we all know, PMs and party leaders are very temporary.
Once Johnson has gone, most of them will resume voting blue.

[Onelife]

Unlike Boris, Sir Keir probably has qualities required of a future leader but he ain't got the personality to go with it….an essential criteria (so it would appear) with the voting public?.

The answer Barney...or should I say a way back for the Labour party will be when Liza Nandy takes over the role of Labour leader.

[Mervyn and Trish]

... He does have much better qualities for a serious leader ...

Please elucidate, I must have missed them

Me too. To be a leader you have to show leadership. And he's not doing that. All he's done so far is whinge with the benefit of hindsight. I have yet to see or hear of a single Labour policy other that we are not Boris.

The baying deniers of Boris' behaviour are already ridiculing Sir Keir Starmer

And there we have it Frank. When there are no policies, resort to name calling. That is all the opposition can muster at the moment.

I am not a died in the wool Tory or a baying denier, I am a floating voter. So I like to see a choice of credible parties at an election. Ever since Labour chose the wrong Miliband there hasn't been one.

[towny44]

Unlike Boris, Sir Keir probably has qualities required of a future leader but he ain't got the personality to go with it….an essential criteria (so it would appear) with the voting public?.

The answer Barney...or should I say a way back for the Labour party will be when Liza Nandy takes over the role of Labour leader.

I don't think lisping Liza will be the answer, and neither will raucous Angela Rayner, she is just too loud. But then again neither stand a chance of winning my vote, so clearly I am not labour's target market.

[david63]

You have to wonder about the accuracy of some of the Covid statistics.

I have been using the Zoe app for the last 12 months and today it stated that there 21 active cases in our area - up 34 from last week. My maths says that if that is the case then there were -13 cases last week!

[Mervyn and Trish]

You have to wonder about the accuracy of some of the Covid statistics.

I have been using the Zoe app for the last 12 months and today it stated that there 21 active cases in our area - up 34 from last week. My maths says that if that is the case then there were -13 cases last week!

We've had some odd figures recently. I think it may be that as the number of cases have come down and maybe fewer people bother reporting the algorithm goes bonkers.

[Stephen]

.....or they're using P&O software

[Frank Manning]

... He does have much better qualities for a serious leader ...

Please elucidate, I must have missed them

Me too. To be a leader you have to show leadership. And he's not doing that. All he's done so far is whinge with the benefit of hindsight. I have yet to see or hear of a single Labour policy other that we are not Boris.

The baying deniers of Boris' behaviour are already ridiculing Sir Keir Starmer

And there we have it Frank. When there are no policies, resort to name calling. That is all the opposition can muster at the moment.

I am not a died in the wool Tory or a baying denier, I am a floating voter. So I like to see a choice of credible parties at an election. Ever since Labour chose the wrong Miliband there hasn't been one.

I doubt if I could bring myself to vote Labour, but by the same token I cannot vote for this government. A dilemna many of us face. I think Sir Keir Hardy is in a difficult position at present, I prefer to judge him over a longer period, although as a person I already prefer him to Boris. I wish him well, Labour desperately need an effective leadership, but one man is not a party, and there are one or two decent Tories. As I say a dilemna.

[johnds]

Lisa Nandy ?

Is that the MP from Wigan who wishes to abolish the Monarchy ?

[Onelife]

Lisa Nandy ?

Is that the MP from Wigan who wishes to abolish the Monarchy ?

She was expressing her democratic opinion….is there a problem with that?

If we ever reach a point where there is a ‘referendum’ on whether to abolish the Monarchy then that question will already have been answered.