Channel 4 debate

Unfortunately Rory's refreshing courtesy against the stridence of others may be a disadvantage in such an arena as a television debate.

Exactly Seadragon. Marieeliz- It's correct. There's plenty out there on his achievements before becoming an MP.

He seems the best of the bunch? Some handle on reality.

Rory is getting popular with the public, he will be out tomorrow

maxdecatt - the arrangements for the withdrawal of a state from the European Union are set out in Article 218(3) in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. They have said on many occasions that they will not renegotiate with the UK. Any politician who states that they can do so is either pig headed, arrogant or stupid (or all three)

As regards the "signing off" of the EU's annual accounts, there appears to be a slight misunderstanding here. Included in their opinion of the 2016 accounts the state " we were therefore able to give a clean opinion of the accounts as we have done since 2007"

Auditors' opinions are given on the accuracy and reliability of the accounts, that they present a true and fair view and follow the rules of financial reporting. If they qualify a set of accounts they give their reasons for the qualification.

The auditors have found significant errors in how the money was paid out. This does not mean that all the people involved were fraudulent. The UK's Public Accounts Committee concluded that for years the complexity of the EU's spending programme, which creates misunderstanding, contributes towards these errors. It doesn't mean that the money was wasted but that it wasn't paid out according to the rules. eg - awarding and EU funded contract directly without holding a proper bidding process .However, the most common type of error is when people claim for costs which they aren't eligible for. Beloved (by some) NF has had his salary halved on order to recoup misspent money.

Tillybelle, what a good, & unfortunately truthful, summary of Boris! I hope it's widely read by as many politicians as possible.

Rory Stewart
Upstanding
Educated
Dated and subsequently married a woman who was still happily married to her first husband at the time of their meeting.

Rory/Boris
Pot/kettle?

I know nothing about the backstory but If someone is happily married why would they agree to go on a date with another man?

The marriage broke down, it happens as we're all old enough and wise enough to know.
I don't see much comparison between that and Doris with his serial philandering and unknown number of children. He betrayed his wife over and over. One of his daughters recently described him as a selfish **.

Exactly, not the same scenario at all. Actually " philandering" makes him sound like some sort of 19th century dandy.

Just like Boris makes him sound like some somebody we know and love.

The truth, from his ex wife, his children, his father, those who have worked with him is somewhat different.

Just recalled Alan Clatk, one wife, many mistresses, many of the public loved him .?

Yes I called them idiots Lemon and perhaps ‘incompetents’ would have been more accurate. Gove managed to alienate the teachers, Hunt the junior doctors. Neither showed any of the ‘negotiating skills’ they boasted about on C4. Javid has failed to make any significant improvements at the Home Office and Raab didn’t last two minutes as Brexit Secretary.

There was only Stewart who actually attempted to debate, which is what the programme was supposed to be.

I don't care how many supposed affairs or marriages Boris has had all I want him to do is carry out the referendum vote and take us out of the EU on the 31st October 2019 and get rid of the Remainers in the cabinet.

Dinahmo. Read what they said and read it carefully. " We are therefore able to give a clean opinion of the accounts" They do not say, "We give an opinion that the accounts are clean". What they were saying was that the audit wax conducted in a clean manner....in other words their opinion is clean and untarnished....not influenced by bullying of EU opfficials to whitewash a can of worms. That is not an endorsement...in fact it is a subtle condemnation of the acconts. "We found the books to have been cooked but are restrained from saying so is so many words". Auditors always cover their backs...they earn vast sums for their work and the last thing they would say is "This business is crooked". So they couch their report in language which prevents them (the auditors) from being accused of covering up fraud. "What we were allowed to see is more or less acceptable, but beyond that we cannot say" Their regulating body is well aware of the need to do so....auditors being struck of the board is the lastr thing they want.

Where there’s money there’s a temptation for wrong doing. The EU has an awful lot of money ....

If the general public had known about the private lives of all politicians years ago, some, who were really very good at their jobs and brought in landmark policies for the greater good of the UK , would never have been chosen.Just something to think about.
You could say ( with some accuracy) that we know far too much now without seeing the whole picture, just snippets of information about individuals that don’t add up to the whole.
Am talking of all MP’s btw.

Ooh do name lemon

You would have to go back a long way WWM2 and read biographies of all PM’s,in all Parties, plus cabinet members.
Even then, you wouldn’t get all the flaws and private misdemeanors.Today, everything is brought out in the open for us to see.

Sadly, lemongrove, not everything is brought into the open. Just ordinary gossip about affairs and recently the historical drug use many of the current crop of politicians of a certain age are likely to have shared with voters of their generation. Hardly anyone gets agitated about that, tho I confess to disliking serial philanderers and liars. Just saying

'^just saying^' What a juvenile remark with which to end a post.

Should read Just saying

In other words lemon you don’t know. Guesswork?

There was a GN thread about RS five years ago - seems I was as sceptical then as I am now!

Rory Stewart

Just because he's not Boris Johnson doesn't make him a good prime minister.

None of them will make a good prime minister

I have just read the thread from 2014 river and it seems many gnetters were impressed with Rory Stewart then as now. Personally I had never heard of him til recent events.