Jennifer Arcuri publicly admitting four year affair with Boris Johnson

I admit to voting Conservative, largely based on my Constituency MP.

I have never been a Mr.Johnson fan girl. The current Government were voted in to Get Brexit Done which they have (would have been happier with a better deal, but realistically that was never going to happen)

I personally do not care who has slept with who however if it appears that tax payers money was used to fund a mistress of any Government Minister or Local Councillor, then they should have to pay back that money and be dismissed from their position.

Whitewavemark2

I think people have completely lost their moral compass over the governments behaviour in public office.

I do wonder what they find acceptable in their private and working lives.

I didn't dare ask that question, Wwmk2. But I do wonder...

My thoughts exactly Jaxjacky.
I have never understood why women who have affairs shout it from a great height.
Edwina Curry was the same,shameless hussies imo.

why is it the women's fault? why are they shameless hussies? they didn't have affairs on their own

I admit to voting Conservative, largely based on my Constituency MP.

It's a difficult one, isn't it, GG13? Because some constituency MPs are very good, whatever the colour of their politics.

But wasn't it obvious, from actions such as the unlawful prorogation of Parliament, removing the whip from long serving and honourable tory MPs and refusal to engage with the media while campaigning, that this wasn't going to be a government run along the usual lines of responsibility and accountability?

Not to mention the fact that the tory party's choice of leader fell on candidate whose complete unfitness for the post was flagged up by previous employers and colleagues? And they are being proved so right...

My daughter had a wonderful conservative MP who was very highly thought of locally who was forced out by BJ and his ilk

Boris and his cohorts don’t seem to get any hard scrutiny in the press for corruption and the opposition isn’t mentioning it eitherVery strange

The press are run by oligarchs who don't want to pay their fair share of tax, so support this government with propaganda they have an agenda for themselves. Our press is one of the worst in terms of giving people the truth far from it.

Now this government has free rein to do as it likes with no one to stop them. The reason is the Queen who is a Head of State gives too much power to the government with no checks and balances in place can only do as the PM asks The queen is not accountable.

The leader of the opposition now is no opposition he is useless.

This is a good written summation of him.

voxpoliticalonline.com/2021/03/31/elections-2021-labours-gutlessness-and-treachery-is-all-too-clear-in-this-tale-of-two-representatives/

Owen joins is interviewed by Aaron Bastani on YouTube talking about how bad the press is in this country speaking as a journalist himself.

Jones

I don't understand why some people say they don't care who's slept with whom because presumably there's some lying going on somewhere because there are spouses/partners in existence. If it was two unattached people, nobody would be interested.

Think back to the days of Cecil Parkinson and Sarah Keyes - perhaps that was when the rot started. Prior to that, if ministers were caught out, they invariably resigned.

If someone's married and has an affair, lies will be told. That is why we cannot trust people like Johnson, who is know to be a liar anyway.

Allegra Stratton is clearly lying as well then, as Boris has no integrity nor honesty that i can see..I'm not a fan of his, but i used to think he was ok, nice enough to everyone, but the more i learn about him, im appalled!?

MaizieD I (and I guess an awful lot of the electorate) never imagined The Conservatives gaining an 80 seat majority.

I hoped that we would have had a credible opposition who would have held the Government to account.

GG13 Given the current pandemic, the opposition is damned if they do and damned if they don't.

I do wish that people on here would stop blaming the woman for going to the press with her story, that is not the point is it? Johnson is a moral bankrupt as far as anybody with any sense of morality or acceptable standards of behaviour are concerned, but the fact is we, the UK taxpayer, paid for his four year affair. The man is a liar, a cheat and completely unfit for the job, why isn't this being screamed across the from pages of the press? Can you imagine the drama if Nicola Sturgeon or Teresa May had done this? Johnson is a vile apology for a man, and those who support him in office need to have a good look at their moral code.

Just seen the latest @yougov poll

Boris Johnson is 10% ahead of Keir Starmer and Conservatives are 10% ahead of Labour?

My flabber is well and trying gasted !

He is riding on the wave of a successful NHS vaccine campaign. The NHS that the tories were in the process of dismantling when the pandemic struck.

One of the ex Tory ministers that I respected was Rory Stewart. He had the measure of Johnson all right.

Such a pity that he left parliament. But I guess it would have been difficult for him having to tolerate Johnson as PM.

I agree about Rory Stewart, pity he left Parliament, but personally he has gone up in my estimation as one of the very few prepared to put his morals and conscience above supporting this bunch of lying self serving charlatans in office. I find it immensely depressing that nothing will happen to Johnson, there will be no censure, not even any mass public disapproval. The NHS successfully handled the vaccine programme despite Johnson's government, and it has been run on goodwill, hard work and volunteers and it makes me sick to see Johnson claiming credit for an NHS which he and his mates are trying hard to slowly erode.

GrannyGravy13

MaizieD I (and I guess an awful lot of the electorate) never imagined The Conservatives gaining an 80 seat majority.

I hoped that we would have had a credible opposition who would have held the Government to account.

Have you any ideas on how the opposition is meant to hold the government to account, GG13?

The usual way is by pointing out when the government is being 'economical with the truth'; they do that.
Select committees are supposed to be a mechanism; they publish reports criticising the government
PMQs? I have watched most of the PMs sessions since Starmer became LOTO. Johnson lies shamelessly in answer to every single question, or completely evades it. (The Speaker should be pulling him up for this, surely?)

The government just completely ignores any criticism (though it has produced a U turn or two ). Johnson has made all sorts of promises which haven't been kept, Starmer points them out; nothing done.

Usually the media are quite helpful in pouncing on corruption, loose morals and general wrong doing. But most of the popular press is right wing and is gung ho for Johnson. The media that criticises him is not widely read.

David Allen Green did an interesting blog about Accountability the other day. It's well worth reading:

Part of it:

..'apart from the remote possibility of a legal challenge, or an eventual general election, they (Ministers) are safe from actual accountability.

There are various causes of this:
– the elective dictatorship of parliament, where the government also has control of the elected part of the legislature, is a primary cause;

– the lack (with a few notable exceptions) of a press that is geared to holding ministers to account rather than being a means of transmission of information from/about the government to the public;

– the hold that political parties continue to have in the recruitment and promotion of candidates;

– our tribal and increasingly hyper-partisan political culture;

– the increasing lack of care of voters about being lied to by ministers – for, as this blog has previously averred, there is no practical point exposing the lies of ministers if people do not mind being lied to

davidallengreen.com/2021/03/the-accountability-gap-is-the-most-fundamental-problem-in-united-kingdom-government-and-politics/

Neil Kinnock pointed out the other week that Johnson said he would get back to him about a question he’d raised at PMQT but never bothered to do so. imo when that happens there should be a means by which the voting public can access the answers to unanswered questions at PMQT. The speaker is useless.

Why is it that people don't mind being lied to? I just don't get it. On GN and some of he spoken media Johnson's lies and misinformation have been called out many times. But the answer is often - oh it's the Guardian, or the BBC - left leaning, can't trust them.

I got some good news today from my MP Mathew Pennycook regarding the Duchy's exemption from leaseholder reform

So an MP is prepared as they are meant to to do something about those in public office thevqueen's son being held to account.

Thank you for your email.

I support an end to the unfair and outdated system of leasehold ownership. I know from correspondence I have received from hundreds of constituents over the last year alone that many leaseholders face a whole range of problems, including high service charges, a lack of transparency over what they are being charged for – and of course dangerous cladding.


Under current laws many people face high ground rents which, when combined with a mortgage, can make it feel like they are paying rent on a property they own.


The issues facing residential leaseholders who own properties on the Duchy of Cornwall’s estate are particularly unique. I know from reports that the exemptions afforded to the Duchy of Cornwall under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 have left some residents living in homes that have diminishing or no financial value. I am also aware of reports that some residents have reported problems borrowing against their homes to pay, for example, social care fees for themselves and loved ones.

At the beginning of the year, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government stated that legislation will be brought forward to make it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to buy their homes. However, no reference was made to residents living within the Duchy of Cornwall’s estate.


While Ministers have repeatedly promised action to tackle the abuses that leaseholders face, I am concerned that action by the Government has been too slow, too weak, and existing leaseholders have largely been overlooked.


I believe tenants on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall should have the same rights as other leaseholders.


I have therefore written to the Secretary of State seeking his explanation as to what steps he and his Department are taking to remove exemptions under the Act in respect of the Duchy to ensure that leaseholder laws apply to everyone equally, especially in the context of the impending Queen’s Speech, which is the prime opportunity for new legislation to be brought forward. I will share his response with you in due course.


At the beginning of the year, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government stated that legislation will be brought forward to make it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to buy their homes. However, no reference was made to residents living within the Duchy of Cornwall’s estate.

Yours,

Matthew

Forget the last paragraph it is duplicate

Dinahmo

Why is it that people don't mind being lied to? I just don't get it. On GN and some of he spoken media Johnson's lies and misinformation have been called out many times. But the answer is often - oh it's the Guardian, or the BBC - left leaning, can't trust them.

I don't know, so all I can do is speculate. It occurred to me that some people might think it legitimises their own behaviour and values.