Christmas party at Downing Street last year

Sorry, I'm really speechless. That you think a professional person like an accountant, an HR manager or a PR practitioner could be described as "admin staff".

I'm not being contrary, I'm really flummoxed.

I was a Project Manager. Was I "admin staff"?

Well you weren’t in a law firm I guess. Different sectors categorise their staff in different ways. Offence was neither meant nor taken. The professionally qualified HR director and her team were part of admin (and of course essential). As were the accounting staff, who are not usually chartered accountants in law firms but book keepers specifically trained in the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules, which you break at your professional peril.

Anyway. A point to consider; all people entering Downing Street or the Parliamentary estate for that matter, are known to be there, so surely a quick look at the leaving times of those 'working late' would furnish us with a guest list?

I very much doubt it. People are coming and going at these places 24/7. The only person whose attendance has been mentioned is Laura Kuenssberg (sp?) and I’d be delighted to see her in hot water (nothing to do with her religion before anyone accuses me on that score).

Germanshepherdsmum

I will ask again - who was there? Possibly not the people who made the covid regs? Might have been those admin staff Alegrias, who are not members of the government.

I think knowing how many were there is a better starting point than who was there.
After all, the higher the number, the greater the risk to public health.

Don't people have to be signed in and out of the building? You would imagine they do. (And if not, why not?)

Assuming they do, those numbers could be compared with those at those times on a 'normal' day.

If there is a significant difference between the two, it needs looking into.
At that point who becomes more important, because those who were there need to explain what they were doing.

Germanshepherdsmum

Well you weren’t in a law firm I guess. Different sectors categorise their staff in different ways. Offence was neither meant nor taken. The professionally qualified HR director and her team were part of admin (and of course essential). As were the accounting staff, who are not usually chartered accountants in law firms but book keepers specifically trained in the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules, which you break at your professional peril.

Yes, sorry, I know we've moved on but this'll be my last say on the matter.

If the people in your organisation were happy to be called admin, fair enough. But Number 10 isn't a law firm and PR people are never "admin".

I'll leave it there.

We shall agree to differ about PR employees then and hopefully not fall out over it.?

Indeed GSM

?

Just a little reminder. On 17th December last year, Priti Patel was on the front page of The Telegraph encouraging people to "grass up" their neighbours if they were contracting covid19 restrictions and having family or friends in their home.

Germanshepherdsmum

The HR people in my firms were part of the admin staff, which also encompassed managerial, accounting, clerical and secretarial staff.

I was a senior HR manager and I wasn't admin staff.

Germanshepherdsmum

I very much doubt it. People are coming and going at these places 24/7. The only person whose attendance has been mentioned is Laura Kuenssberg (sp?) and I’d be delighted to see her in hot water (nothing to do with her religion before anyone accuses me on that score).

Who mentioned Laura Kuenssberg being there? She certainly is saying that on the BBC news channels or on the website, she talks about sources and what she's been told. If someone is saying she was there presumably they were there as well?

What has Laura Kuenssberg's religion got to do with anything.?

Does she actually worship Boris Johnson?

She's Jewish. I don't want to be accused of not being able to stand her because of that. I just can't stand her full stop.

Germanshepherdsmum

She's Jewish. I don't want to be accused of not being able to stand her because of that. I just can't stand her full stop.

Kuennsberg is not a follower of the Jewish faith, so that comment is somewhat baffling.

Its a funny old world, isn't it?

No information about who says she was at the party then.

I expect they're still working on that lie one.

She might not be a follower of the faith growstuff but my understanding is that that is her heritage. Not that I care but I’m just being careful not to offend.

It's not working then, GSM.

Germanshepherdsmum

She might not be a follower of the faith growstuff but my understanding is that that is her heritage. Not that I care but I’m just being careful not to offend.

Ignore the goading, Germanshepherdsmum.

Germanshepherdsmum

She might not be a follower of the faith growstuff but my understanding is that that is her heritage. Not that I care but I’m just being careful not to offend.

For goodness' sake! No wonder people claim that they can't say what they think and there are accusations of anti-Semiticism, when people make stuff up. Kuenssberg's heritage might be Jewish, but she doesn't identify as Jewish and has said as much.

Calistemon

Germanshepherdsmum

She might not be a follower of the faith growstuff but my understanding is that that is her heritage. Not that I care but I’m just being careful not to offend.

Ignore the goading, Germanshepherdsmum.

It's not goading. Germanshepherdsmum is being ridiculous.

I’m not being ridiculous growstuff, I’m trying not to say something which might offend. I’d rather make a mistake about her (as it seems I have) than be accused of being antisemitic.

You've managed to say you don't like her, which is fair enough. You could just as easily said that you didn't want to criticise her (which you did anyway) because she's an Oxbridge graduate and you didn't want to jump on the anti-elite bandwagon.

I'm not the slightest bit surprised that some people see "PC" thought police all over the place.