8-Jan-2022 : LAB: 39 / CON: 34 / LDEM: 11 / GRN: 5

[oldnat]

ED

"That's it. He's toast."

Certainly someone will be burnt to a crisp. My money would be on the one that broke Wilf's swing.

[thexterminatingdalek]

oldnat
If that tweet you posted is true, everything I said is/was academic.

Assuming he goes by the start of next week, at least he can, presumably, meet her majesty over zoom. If the Wednesday Event was bad, can you imagine what the next in person meeting with Brenda will be like?

[alec]

This, from Armando Iannucci, is very funny:

"It looks like we might be moving from the Pandemic to Endemic phase of Downing St apologies, and will just have to learn to live with them on a daily basis."

[mandolinist]

So nearly close of play, so nearly toast. It really won't be long now I think.

[jayblanc]

"The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within."
- Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death.

[guymonde]

@theexterminatingdalek "This, despite the science he's chosen to listen to saying he should jolly well be visiting hospitals and shaking hands with everyone until he works out how to draw an extra line on a test using one of Wilfred's crayons, a red one, preferably, and going back to running the country after five days instead of seven."

A friend of mine was in the steam room at the local gym today when 2 young men came in and discussed how they were faking positive tests to skive off work. Apparently dipping the cotton bud thingy in a satsuma does the trick

[alec]

Not sure if anyone has already picked this up, but apparently Andrew Bridgen MP, raging Brexiter, has become the 5th Con MP to call for Johnson to go, citing the "moral vacuum" in government.

That may be a significant sign, as I had assumed the headbangers would all line up behind him, for their own political reasons.

Max Hastings also on fine form tonight, lashing Boris, but not blaming him. 'What would you expect from a man like that' is his line. Instead, Hatings says it's the pathetic Conservatives that put him there that deserve shaming - so devoid of morals and decency for backing a man like that.

[mandolinist]

Jan 13, 2022 23:00:58 GMT guymonde said:

@theexterminatingdalek "This, despite the science he's chosen to listen to saying he should jolly well be visiting hospitals and shaking hands with everyone until he works out how to draw an extra line on a test using one of Wilfred's crayons, a red one, preferably, and going back to running the country after five days instead of seven."

A friend of mine was in the steam room at the local gym today when 2 young men came in and discussed how they were faking positive tests to skive off work. Apparently dipping the cotton bud thingy in a satsuma does the trick

It was reported last year that orange juice works, school kids were doing it apparently.

[tancred]

Jan 13, 2022 22:08:22 GMT steamdrivenandy said:

Jan 13, 2022 22:00:57 GMT lululemonmustdobetter said:

oldnat

It does indeed. Civilised society has created the M25 as a border to contain the uncivilised within it. That's why the UK Parliament is imprisoned at the very centre of barbarism

Yes cower before our hordes of prosecco drinking, brioche eating, Guardian reading woke warriors - we are coming!!!!!

Oh wow. If I'd known about all that in 1993 I'd not have dragged the family to North Yorkshire.

Riles me when I look up the value of our old house in Kings Langley on Zoopla which we sold for £200k in '93, now valued at £1.043m

Current Staffordshire house value at £356k.

How are the mighty fallen.

Does it matter?  A house is for living in. My shoebox in Berkshire is worth £500k - I could probably get a few acres for this up north somewhere. 

[hireton]

Interesting that Andrew Bridgen MP has now said that Johnson's position is untenable and that he should resign.

[statgeek]

Jan 13, 2022 22:34:04 GMT mercian said:

A shame IMO because his ebullience and positivity was such a breath of fresh air compared to other politicians.

Maybe Mr.Blobby should be elected next? No, the original one. A 'can-do' attitude only works until someone says 'no ye canna'.

[steve]

Apparently Spaffer apologists are now saying that it was standard practice to open a bottle of plonk at the desk on a Friday evening.

Fortunately this practice hadn't spread to metropolitan police fire arms units.

[steve]

mercian

"ebullience and positivity"

Is that the same as exaggeration and lies?

[domjg]

mercian I imagine exhibiting ebullience and positivity are textbook prerequisites for your aspiring confidence trickster.

[hireton]

If Johnson does go, is it conceivable that he could continue as PM until his successor as party leader is elected as would normally be the case as he will have resigned because of personal wrongdoing?

If not, presumably Raab could run the UK Government as Deputy PM without being appointed as PM, the PM having no formal constitutional powers which cannot be exercised by any Secretary of State.

But if Raab harbours leadership ambitions will his rivals be willing to let him have even that amount of limelight?

[statgeek]

Jan 13, 2022 23:01:53 GMT alec said:

so devoid of morals and decency for backing a man like that.

Aye, they ignored all the warnings, and all the little signs, as long as he kept winding up the right people.

Sad, that so many can be fooled by so few for so much.

[bantams]

Jan 13, 2022 22:45:57 GMT oldnat said:

ED

"That's it. He's toast."

Certainly someone will be burnt to a crisp. My money would be on the one that broke Wilf's swing.

And now this is doing the rounds

[oldnat]

bantams

I am quite happy to accept the implication that all of the main English parties are dominated by folk who believe that there is one rule for them, and another for the serfs that they rule.

Probably a slur on the decent people in all of them, but happy for their partisans to drag each other down into the mire.

[eor]

bantams - if that's the best they can do, it really is almost over now.

[oldnat]

Today is quintidi 25 Nivôse in the year of the Republic CCXXX, celebrating the cat.

Unfortunately, Larry was found to be lapping up the spilt booze at all the Downing St parties, has developed symptoms of alcoholic poisoning and requires to be put to sleep. Were we to offer the same release from pain and suffering that others in the household are enduring, that might be a mark of humanity.

[pete]

Jan 13, 2022 23:28:26 GMT bantams said:

Jan 13, 2022 22:45:57 GMT oldnat said:

ED

"That's it. He's toast."

Certainly someone will be burnt to a crisp. My money would be on the one that broke Wilf's swing.

And now this is doing the rounds

That came out in the summer. Starmer was definitely in the wrong.  I'd be quiet happy for the police to question him (and others) and fine them if laws were broken.

[jib]

hireton

"If Johnson does go, is it conceivable that he could continue as PM until his successor as party leader is elected as would normally be the case as he will have resigned because of personal wrongdoing?

If not, presumably Raab could run the UK Government as Deputy PM without being appointed as PM, the PM having no formal constitutional powers which cannot be exercised by any Secretary of State.

But if Raab harbours leadership ambitions will his rivals be willing to let him have even that amount of limelight?"

More likely that the Leadership election will be a quick affair and the winner of the MPs votes is given a quick Coronation as with May.

However, if it's a tight race between Truss and Sunak, it may end up with the members. I can't see Truss giving way to Sunak.

(However, I'd think both would rather the credibility dead Johnson takes the bullets for cost of living crisis first).

[eor]

jib - it doesn't need to be a tight race between Truss and Sunak, they just have to have enough MPs each to be the final two. The margin won't matter at all.

IMO the only way it wouldn't go to a membership vote is if MPs push someone clearly implausible into the final 2 in order to stick it to Michael Gove. Again.

And whilst that would be very funny from the perspective of annoying Gove, from the perspective of overall credibility it's probably not the best plan.

[eor]

On Johnson... if he's as doomed as most posting on here think then there's a few quid to be made, the betting markets still have him at roughly 33% chance to be PM into next year.

I know that has dropped quite a bit even to that level, but I don't know how quickly - @tw would likely have a far closer eye on those markets than I do.

[oldnat]

Seems odd that the London press are describing the tone and contents of the Gray report.

They could be a bunch of imaginative ignoramuses, or someone on her team is leaking assiduously - or both.

[oldnat]

So, is this the Chinese agent manipulating parliamentarians in the sewer of Westminster?

www.channel4.com/news/boris-johnson-london-propery-deal-china-albert-dock

[steve]

Reports of a party at downing street the night before Mrs Windsor sat alone at her late husband's funeral. Seeing the old lady sitting alone at the funeral elicited sympathy even from crusty old republicans like me.
Johnson wasn't in residence having taken the weekend off at Chequers but if anything the fact that his cronies were boozing it up on that off all evenings will be even more damaging than the parties he did attend.

[steve]

bantams

Regarding the Starmer photo
The telegraph reports describes it as this "The image, which was taken several days before the Hartlepool by-election, was captured through the window of the building and showed Sir Keir standing close to two other people while another pair congregated in the background."

Now I might be going blind but what I see in the picture is Starmer standing away from others while two other people stand in the background.No wine and cheese no music no dancing.
This apparently took place in his constituency office with people who work there while they were working and drinking a beer.Clearly it isn't a party.

If this was all that there was on Spaffer he wouldn't have a problem as it was allowed under the rules.

[moby]

Jan 13, 2022 23:23:21 GMT statgeek said:

Jan 13, 2022 23:01:53 GMT alec said:

so devoid of morals and decency for backing a man like that.

Aye, they ignored all the warnings, and all the little signs, as long as he kept winding up the right people.

Sad, that so many can be fooled by so few for so much.

What mattered to them more than anything else was that he was an election winner. They cared little about his lack of integrity and morality. What does this say about them!

[neilj]

The conclusions of Gray's report looks to have been leaked. Not sure it will wash with the public, especially as Gray was not able to say whether Johnson broke the ministerial code as only Johnson can authorise her to be able to make that judgement