Boris Johnson

Quote from Boris about forced resignation of BCC chair

"The British public deserve to have the facts put before them. They deserve a proper debate.

"It cannot be right that when someone has the guts to dissent from the establishment line, he or she is immediately crushed by the agents of Project Fear."
www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3478127/Brexit-backers-report-3-500-campaigning-biggest-day-action-far.html

So if you agree with Boris you should be allowed to speak out but if you disagree with him you should keep quiet-sounds like double standards to me.

John Longworth said this today:
"I have chosen to resign from my position at the British Chambers of Commerce so I can speak freely on the matter of our membership of the EU and try to inform the debate with some facts, which I intend to do over the coming weeks."

Boris has not said people can't speak of their support for Remain in their own time, with no connection to the Lord Mayor's office.

There is such a thing as impartiality when it comes to assessing and understanding what people say and what is said about them. It has nothing to do with whether one agrees with the individuals concerned. Seems some people don't understand the concept. Hey ho.

Is Boris the UK's Trump or just a headline seeker?

He has certainly put me off believing he was ready for higher officer.

Boris has not banned anyone from expressing a private opinion, just requested that his staff follow the mayoral line in statements from their office.

When people work in an organisation which has a vested interest in a controversial matter, they have to be very careful what they say on the subject in public. They are considered to be voicing the official opinion of that organisation even when it is just their own view that they are airing.

That is why "as official mayoral policy is now to support the case for leaving the EU they are requested to support that position when undertaking official city hall business."^ When they are off-duty and speaking of their own views Boris " is relaxed about any of his team of advisers in a personal capacity campaigning for or supporting either side"

The head of an influential organisation is in a cleft stick - in such a position anything John Longworth says will be regarded as coming from the British Chambers of Commerce. That is he why has resigned so as to speak freely, and that is the difference between his personal opinions and those of Boris's advisors.

I agree, thatbags, but it's obviously very difficult for those with entrenched views to be impartial.

By which I mean entrenched political views, of course.

But shouldn't one apply the same principles to all organisations and ideas. How can someone say what he did about the establishment as far as BCC is concerned and yet apply the same rules to the people who work for him? Either it is wrong to stop dissenters and ask people to comply with the accepted line or it isn't. Boris had no need to comment on the BCC situation at all but he chose to do so and in very definite terms. This is him trading in on something to promote his own views and it seems like some people are easily fooled. If he wanted to stay impartial he just had to keep quiet.

Fooling some of the people most of the time, or fooling most of the people some of the time?

He seemed to have difficulty explaining it on the news.

The BBC is supposed to be impartial. Anyone can, and probably should, complain if they think it is not being impartial. It should never be seen to 'support' government policy (whichever government is in power), only to report it. It should also report views opposing government policy.

The government and the London Lord Mayor's Office are not supposed to be impartial. They can take a side.

So, yes, trisher, I agree that the same principles should apply to all businesses and organisations that don't purport to be impartial.

Why ban his staff from voicing their views at certain times , this is nonsense, if against Monday to Friday then surely the same views Saturday and Sunday. Boris got caught out for doing what he accused Cameron of doing , he floundered in his Andrew Marr interview on Sundays and now declares - it's a cock out

Obviously everyone has their own views but I find it hard to understand how anyone takes this man seriously - but then I find it hard to understand why people take Trump seriously and many do. I have realised (more than ever) that I do not understand the thinking - or in Trumps case the following of celebrity - of a proportion of our population. That does not make either those thinking this way or me bad people but I wonder why our views of such people are so far apart.

Why say he has banned something when he hasn't? He has asked that they follow his rules about publicity in his office while at work. Don't all bosses do that?

This isn't about Boris. It isn't even about views on the EU referendum. It's about a principle. The principle would be the same whoever had brought it to public attention.

It,s the same sort of thing as asking kids not to swear in school. School rules. Do as school rules say.

And then swear all you like out of school and out of school uniform, i.e. when not representing the school.

Cameron made an exception to the rule when he said ministers of his government could support whichever side of the EU ref debate they wished.
Similar to a free vote on things like abortion, I suppose.

I though he explained it quite clearly on the interview I saw.

Comparing it with rules on swearing in school is silly. What is the point of banning political views on certain days and times of day . This means one of his deputies can voice support for the in campaign on a Sunday on TVs but if questioned during working hours must say - no comment

Whilst not a fan of Boris, I do think there is nothing wrong with what he has instructed staff to say.As other posters say, that is a work related matter, and outside their place of work they can speak to reporters about their own personal views if they want to.

because you don't like somebody or the political party they are in , does not mean that everything they do or say is silly. The world is not so black and white.

I have no objection to Boris placing restrictions on his staff in working time if he agrees that the same rules should apply to all organisations but he doesn't. I don't think Boris is silly I think he is devious and scary. He has a political agenda which he hides under the bumbling idiot persona and people fall for it.

Rosesarered, you had much to say because the Labour Party leader took a walking holiday in Scotland in the autumn

My, what a memory you have for things that I have said last year, quite amazing,ab
However, I didn't say what Corbyn said on holiday was silly.Although it is quite on the cards that it was.

What does that have to do with this thread though?

Anniebach. Have you picked up the memory baton from a certain poster who is no longer with us. It seems like it.

Perhaps Anniebach keeps notes...