Boris and his lockdown birthday party

The unit investigating the parties is a separate one from that which investigates other incidents. According to a statement by the Met, nobody has been diverted from normal duties.

PS. That's not to say that more police aren't needed.

Quote:
Needless to say, if there were evidence of serious criminality in No 10 the police should carry out whatever inquiries they deemed necessary.

There is, however, no such evidence. There are allegations, some of which appear cast-iron, that illegal parties took place. But shameful though these parties undoubtedly were, they constitute in legal terms an offence roughly on a par with a parking ticket.

I won’t be surprised if this needless delving into parties costs millions. It is bound to if it drags on many months and involves many officers. Is this a sensible way to spend public money when Sue Gray, who seems perfectly competent, has already conducted her own inquiry?

If your house is burgled in London, or indeed anywhere else, it is unlikely that you will get much assistance from our supposedly hard-pressed police. They can nevertheless find time to interview dozens of people in Downing Street, whose ‘crime’ is to have attended a party that they shouldn’t have.

In fact, in 2017 the Met issued officers with guidelines informing them that they no longer need to investigate lesser incidents of grievous bodily harm or car crime unless a victim identifies a suspect. Meanwhile, a victim of a non-violent ‘hate crime’ is likely to have concerned officers on the phone.

This is what I mean by a lack of proportionality. Money and officers can always be found to mount high-profile investigations such as the one in Downing Street, while the real crimes which concern us in our everyday lives are often ignored.

I’ve been dying to ask you Mummer - were you Gabrielle56 in a previous life? Your style of writing is so similar?

catta5

Does anyone really care what he did over a year ago .Surely there are more important things people should be worrying about. I live in a city and every day there were reports of people flouting the guidelines so what and a Cabinet government meeting does not that warrant more than 2 people getting together

Don't you think that the rules are being flouted because of Johnson's flagrant behaviour?

ajswan

Okay how many people can say hand on heart that they didn’t break lockdown rules. What about all the thousands on protest marches, are they all going to traced and arrested, I think not. For goodness sake let’s concentrate on all the good he did. How many of you would be dead or in intensive care if he hadn’t launched a mass vaccination program. How many businesses would have gone under with huge job losses without the furlough scheme and the help businesses received.

I can truly say that - in France admittedly but possibly the rules were a bit more stringent. During the first lockdown we had to carry a certificate specifying where we going and the date and time. These were to be shown to gendarmes, should they have stopped us. All my friends in the UK also obeyed the lockdown rules - from what they told me. I believed them because, like me, we're all over 70 and didn't want to get covid.

halfpint1

I am wondering if the pm is all that is said about him how can he be trusted to handle the potential
Ukraine situation. A wise cool head is needed surely

Your post reminded me of what he said about Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe. If he can talk nonsense about one person think what will come out of his mouth in conferences with NATO

Fashionista1

Following on.....Keir Starmer was pictured swigging beer but you don't hear that being mentioned. Also a labour MP was paid £££ by a Chinese spy but you don't hear about that either.

Before you make comments like this I suggest that you vary your reading matter and maybe read in a bit more depth.
Both these actions have been explained several times over the last few weeks.

kevincharley

MayBee70

Anyone see Peter Bone on Sky News again saying that people in his constituency haven’t complained to him at all about the parties and virtually accusing Peter Kyle of lying when he said that many people are talking about it.

I shall rectify that immediately!

Thank you!

Another loathsome individual - Peter bone and another fibber .

MayBee70

Anyone see Peter Bone on Sky News again saying that people in his constituency haven’t complained to him at all about the parties and virtually accusing Peter Kyle of lying when he said that many people are talking about it.

I shall rectify that immediately!

MaizieD

MaizieD

growstuff

railman

GG13 - because the alternative was unthinkable. ??

Most of the Johnson plans are actually recycled from Corbyn's manifesto and policies - so I'm guessing the current plans must be "unthinkable" as well.

Er? I don't think Corbyn had plans to clamp down on protest, undermine the judiciary, refuse to help people drowning or increase tax (via NICs) for the poorest, stop funding the BBC or sell off the NHS.

But he is an evil man, growstuff, don't forget that... ? Nothing at all like the nice cuddly sociopath we got instead...

Sorry, didn't read the quotes properly.

I think that railman was referring to the massive state spending on the pandemic and taking the railways into state control, growstuff. Not the vile Johnson stuff...

Johnson had very little choice but to spend. It's a shame that so much of it went to cronies - maybe the possibilities for opportunism were too much. He hasn't spent as part of a plan (eg. levelling up) and is, in any case, already returning to austerity policies.

MaizieD

growstuff

railman

GG13 - because the alternative was unthinkable. ??

Most of the Johnson plans are actually recycled from Corbyn's manifesto and policies - so I'm guessing the current plans must be "unthinkable" as well.

Er? I don't think Corbyn had plans to clamp down on protest, undermine the judiciary, refuse to help people drowning or increase tax (via NICs) for the poorest, stop funding the BBC or sell off the NHS.

But he is an evil man, growstuff, don't forget that... ? Nothing at all like the nice cuddly sociopath we got instead...

I haven't forgotten anything. Corbyn was demonised, but I don't find it helpful when history gets rewritten and people claim that Johnson has copied Corbyn's policies. He most certainly hasn't. I prefer to stick to facts.

MaizieD

growstuff

railman

GG13 - because the alternative was unthinkable. ??

Most of the Johnson plans are actually recycled from Corbyn's manifesto and policies - so I'm guessing the current plans must be "unthinkable" as well.

Er? I don't think Corbyn had plans to clamp down on protest, undermine the judiciary, refuse to help people drowning or increase tax (via NICs) for the poorest, stop funding the BBC or sell off the NHS.

But he is an evil man, growstuff, don't forget that... ? Nothing at all like the nice cuddly sociopath we got instead...

Sorry, didn't read the quotes properly.

I think that railman was referring to the massive state spending on the pandemic and taking the railways into state control, growstuff. Not the vile Johnson stuff...

growstuff

railman

GG13 - because the alternative was unthinkable. ??

Most of the Johnson plans are actually recycled from Corbyn's manifesto and policies - so I'm guessing the current plans must be "unthinkable" as well.

Er? I don't think Corbyn had plans to clamp down on protest, undermine the judiciary, refuse to help people drowning or increase tax (via NICs) for the poorest, stop funding the BBC or sell off the NHS.

But he is an evil man, growstuff, don't forget that... ? Nothing at all like the nice cuddly sociopath we got instead...

the mood on the doorstep was very clear, people were angry and said that Boris had to go.

What? Nothing about Ukraine or TV licences?

railman

GG13 - because the alternative was unthinkable. ??

Most of the Johnson plans are actually recycled from Corbyn's manifesto and policies - so I'm guessing the current plans must be "unthinkable" as well.

Er? I don't think Corbyn had plans to clamp down on protest, undermine the judiciary, refuse to help people drowning or increase tax (via NICs) for the poorest, stop funding the BBC or sell off the NHS.

GrannyGravy13

MaizieD the Government may well be doing other business but without doing one’s own searches the general public along with the media (and some on GN) are not discussing this, hence the obsession with partygate

I actually think the PM should go now, and it wasn’t just his get Brexit done sound bite and that gave him a 80 seat majority it was because the alternative was unthinkable.

His previous form was well known.

Yet 42% of those that voted in the 2019 General Election ignored his previous form









Yet a substantial minority - 42% of those who voted in the 2019 election ignored his previous form and voted for this known liar, and under the appallingly undemocratic First Past The Post electoral system he was awarded with an eighty seat majority, giving him license to do whatever he liked for the next five years

How can anyone call this democracy?

MaizieD the Government may well be doing other business but without doing one’s own searches the general public along with the media (and some on GN) are not discussing this, hence the obsession with partygate

But you're the person complaining about the government. I quote:

In the meantime there are many other extremely important things that this Government should be addressing.

You said that. I posted you a link to show that they *are *actually discussing important things.

Why are you expecting Gnetters to get all the information for you? We're not the government. We're just a load of opinionated (and some very angry) older people.

There is one Conservative led council in Wales. Local Government elections are in May. The very competent Council leader was interviewed on BBC Wales tonight and he said the council members had been out canvassing recently, and the mood on the doorstep was very clear, people were angry and said that Boris had to go. Is that a poll?

Lincslass

varian

Today I was told by a Johnson supporter that it was ridiculous that adult people were making such a fuss about parties.

In some ways I quite like this old chap, but I think his habit of reading the Daily Express has addled his brain.

I turned the conversation to the subject of HM the Queen, and the sad photo of her alone at her husband's funeral, because she was setting an example to us all by being a stickler for the rules.

He is an ardent royalist, as a lot of these right wing voters are, and he had no way of challenging that.

Really nasty about an elderly man, who possibly doesn’t read the whatever paper you seem to think “right wingers” do read. Who is also not able to defend himself, unless you said this too his face, which I bet you didn’t. Shall we assume all left wingers read the Daily Mirror, as they are not intelligent enough to read the Guardian.

But probably true that quite a few people think too much fuss is being made - even on GN.

Incidentally, I thought lefties did read the Guardian.

GG13 - because the alternative was unthinkable. ??

Most of the Johnson plans are actually recycled from Corbyn's manifesto and policies - so I'm guessing the current plans must be "unthinkable" as well.

GrannyGravy13

MaizieD the Government may well be doing other business but without doing one’s own searches the general public along with the media (and some on GN) are not discussing this, hence the obsession with partygate

I actually think the PM should go now, and it wasn’t just his get Brexit done sound bite and that gave him a 80 seat majority it was because the alternative was unthinkable.

His previous form was well known.

It depends which media sources you use. I've certainly been following other stories and I know from their comments that other people are.

varian

Today I was told by a Johnson supporter that it was ridiculous that adult people were making such a fuss about parties.

In some ways I quite like this old chap, but I think his habit of reading the Daily Express has addled his brain.

I turned the conversation to the subject of HM the Queen, and the sad photo of her alone at her husband's funeral, because she was setting an example to us all by being a stickler for the rules.

He is an ardent royalist, as a lot of these right wing voters are, and he had no way of challenging that.

Really nasty about an elderly man, who possibly doesn’t read the whatever paper you seem to think “right wingers” do read. Who is also not able to defend himself, unless you said this too his face, which I bet you didn’t. Shall we assume all left wingers read the Daily Mirror, as they are not intelligent enough to read the Guardian.

When I refer to fraud - I obviously mean the fraudulent claims for 'bounce back loans' - I do not imply fraud on the part of either Johnson or Sunak.

Alegrias1

Oh for goodness sake.

Is it a Gransnet rule I've missed?

Try to pretend that every poll, survey and report is flawed and based on lies.

Maybe it justifies people's own flouting of the rules, if they persuade themselves that "everybody else did it".