At last a fully functioning opposition

Given the favourite phrase of the day, for anyone who remembers, William Hague regularly "tore to pieces" Tony Blair at the dispatch box. He "won" the encounters time after time. Didn't do him much good, because the public were dazzled by Blair at the time!

Even if Starmer is the wow at the dispatch box some expect, bear in mind that this isn't in itself the way to win elections.

I think Boris is pretty smart with words and has a bit of style about him and Starmer is inclined to be a bit stodgy and dull, so I'm not sure he will catch the public imagination. But he will at least provide the sort of rational Opposition that has been missing for some years.

I see the Turkey PPE - remember the consignment everyone got so excited about as we watched the plain land?

No good have to be returned.

Hoping to get our money back.

I think grandad has become annie but with a different target ??

You're a bit of a laugh Grandad. A positive comment for Boris Johnson and not a word about Keir Starmer.
Incidentally, I agree that Mr Johnson is still suffering the impact of the awful virus. If he wasn't the PM he'd be at home recovering rather than working. Currently I recognise he needs to be seen to be working.

The deaths we have seen rising exponentially are not as a result of recent decisions.

Johnson made these decisions when he was fit and well.

Running a country in such an enormous crises is not for someone running halfcock. If Johnson isn’t up to it he should step down or at least step back.

Johnson’s performance was all he was capable of because he was faced with proper questions that were followed up and he was not allowed to bluster, bumble and sound bite his way out. He also didn’t have the braying mobs on the benches behind him to bolster him along,

As for Grandads apology for him - Johnson atm is making literally life and death decisions. Are you saying he’s not upto it but that if he gets it wrong, it’ll be fine because he was still poorly?

Well he did turn up.

I am normally no supporter of Johnson or any Tory government and would agree that Johnson was well below par at PMQs yesterday.

However, I and many others I am sure would allow for the fact that Johnson is only weeks away from overcoming being very seriously ill and that in all probability that played a very large factor in his performance in the House of Commons yesterday.

All those that incure Covid-19 in a significant manner advise that the illness leaves all those infected feeling "drained" for many weeks after the illness is in the main overcome.

So on this occasion, I feel that a great degree of allowance and consideration should be given to Johnson in that he did very well to have handled PMQs in the way that he did under those circumstances.

In fact, I would go as far as to say "many thanks and well done Boris" on this occasion.

Chief prosecutor V Lady McBeth.

Johnson found with blood on his hands.

Well it certainly wasn’t ‘boring’ when he left the PM almost speechless! I had to laugh aloud when after Johnson said we should NOT use international comparisons, Starmer held up a copy of the international comparisons that have been displayed every day on the daily briefing and pointed out they had been doing just that.

Game, set and match.

Not sure it worked though.

I’m a bit concerned about Johnson’s potential to inflict yet more damage on Sunday. Apparently our position is the same as Italy’s was about a month ago, and yet there are suggestions that lockdown is going to be begin to be eased.

I find that worrying, but will wait and see what Sunday brings.

Without parliamentary approval you note.

It was interesting watching Starmer quietly pointing out he was using the governments own slides, when Johnson blustered about death rates. As an aside, I was reading that the scientist who resigned because of breaking lockdown rules with a married lover, that the leak came from Cummings who wanted to get rid of him from Sage, as he was telling them things he didn’t want to hear. The story was used as a diversion from the U.K. getting the worse death rates in Europe.

growstuff Hmm footnote? Quite a lot of damage for a footnote. Tell that to the grieving.

How many extra deaths can be attributed to Johnson’s leadership?

He appeared to admit failure in PMQs

What do you mean in terms of mantras about democracy and free speech?

Devorgilla My son doesn't have to pretend that he's a politics student because he is one. His view is that Johnson is the consequence of a broken political system. Somehow or other, it will be resolved and Johnson will be no more than a footnote. He's the symptom of an electorate lacking leadership or anybody perceived as listening to real life problems. He won't last.

Politicians have yet to grasp the implications of populism. At the moment, it's still being exploited with agendas very far from the "will of the people". Ironically, we need to ditch some of the mantras about democracy and free speech, if we are ever to achieve democracy and free speech. Weird, huh?

Devor, I agree with your post
Johnson struggled today, when challenged with facts, it's excruciating, he has no answers to hand
Keir left him standing
Waffle, is no longer good enough

I gather a number of the people mentioned in the report no longer work in that office or for the Labour Party. The staff still there are, presumably, like the rest of us in lockdown and at home rather than in the office. I have every confidence that KS will do 'due diligence' on the enquiry.
As for KS at PMQs - I think he is shaping up nicely. Laying the ground for when he can bring Boris to account. The only waffler I saw and heard was Boris himself. No audience to bounce off. My approach to political discussions, PMQs etc is to pretend I am a Politics student told to listen and make notes on what I hear. You can make notes on KS and write an essay on what you glean. Boris waffles and says nothing of substance. His answers will always be 'made clear' at some future date.

I should add to my above post that Tim Roache has now resigned from his position as General Secretary of the GMB union.

Starmer has stated on several occasions since his election as leader that his wish is to see an end to factional divisions within the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). In that he had a real opportunity to take a very large step in achieving the above wish had he suspended from employment and all other activity within the Labour Party those named as carrying out misdeeds immediately the content of the leaked antisemitism report was known.

In the above Starmer should have taken a lead from the National Executive Committee of the GMB Union who moved to suspend their General Secretary Tim Roache and launch an inquiry for inappropriate behaviour which coincided with the leak of the antisemitism report.

The staff of the Labour Party Central Office are members of the GMB union and have their own branch based within the headquarters. The GMB union never supported Corbyn thorough both his leadership elections and Roache would seem to have had had a very poor relationship with Corbyn throughout his period in office.

In the above, what Kier Starmer seems not to appreciate is that the leaked report takes in issues and persons that are much wider than just the alleged actions within Labours Central Office. That is the reason there is an ever-growing criticism of Starmer's lack of action in regard to the suspensions etc from within the entire Labour Movement.

That movement will, without doubt, be the body that the Parliamentary Labour Party will be looking to for very large funding in the coming months as the financial implications of the leaking of the antisemitism report are brought forward.

BBC report on the above can be found by following the below link:-

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-politics-52475683

Is the PM ever anything other than weak when he bothers to turn up at PMQ?

I wish you'd give us a link to whatever article it is that you're quoting from, Ug.

I thought the PM was rather weak at question time today bumbling an awful lot, well below par. Starmer was “measured” and did not go for the throat - very capable.

I so want to believe that Keir Starmer will keep most of the policies in the last manifesto. I am leaning more towards Grandad1948's view of him though, because he has not suspended the people that actively tried to prevent a labour victory.
I really, really don't want to turn against him so I will wait a bit longer to judge. I like Ed Milliband and am glad he is back but the appointment of Rachel Reeeves I find very worrying.

ug I wasn’t talking about the money. I just thought that Johnson may just have plucked that figure from the air to suggest how many tests he is intending to be done by the end of the month, as it is easier for people to remember as it was rammed downs our thoughts ad nauseam and is easy to remember.

It would be easier to remember 350 million a week. They just as well use that figure as it is seared into everyone’s brain who supports the NHS and we know where we are with that- a lie.

Nice try WWmk2
That figure (which Theresa May confirmed 18 months ago was - at the time anyway - higher, more like £370 million a week) was to ILLUSTRATE as a ‘for instance’ what the U.K. could do each week with that money.

I’m not the brightest but I ‘got’ it. It was never ringfenced for the NHS ‼️