That Sue Gray Report/Johnson meeting

Dear God in heaven.

Our PM today, in his element.

DiamondLily

Number 10 has just admitted they did ask for a secret meeting with Sue Grey.?

There are now disputes as to who sent a formal invite, or if a formal invite was ever sent...

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10844513/Boris-braces-Partygate-report-DAYS-including-photos-No10-bashes.html

How strange. Didn’t the Daily Mail have a front page news item saying it was Sue Grey that instigated it?? Surely the Mail wouldn’t lie?

Boris picks the cabinet. Who then go about doing the job. Rishi Sunak for example runs the Exchequer. He reports in to the PM, but Rishi makes the decisions.

Same in other depts. PM is there to set overall strategy and direction.

The thing is Urmstongran that Prime Ministers don't arrange meetings for their diary. They have somebody with a job title something like "diary secretary" in their Private Office. So they will probably be civil servants doing the Prime Minister's bidding.
Does this help you understand?

He's PM, not head of HR. You think he organises the lunch rota as well?

Well at least he's now picked a better cabinet in the number 10 shake-up

Urmstongran

He's PM, not head of HR. You think he organises the lunch rota as well?

Have you ever met any boss ever who doesn’t decide who he wants to see and when, and who he doesn’t - and makes sure his reports don’t book people in without his say so? That is how the world works.

This enquiry involves the PM, cabinet ministers, other MPs, and civil servants.

Are we seriously saying that a civil servant would arrange a "secret meeting", with the head of this enquiry, without telling the PM, who is a major subject of it??

I don't think so...?

It wasn’t a ‘secret’ meeting. It was a ‘private meeting’.
Which is why we all know about it.

Why would Ms Gray agree to hold a meeting which could or would undermine the integrity of her report?

If she attended it must be because she felt that there was no such risk, or even that it would help her to iron out technicalities. She is either a paragon of virtue, in which case her report will have a lot of weight; or she is nothing but a puppet, in which case it doesn’t matter what she says. The media need to make up their minds.

They have already decided that the report will be ‘explosive ‘, and unless it leaves the PM fatally wounded they will not accept the legitimacy of the report.

So first there was no meeting. Then there was a meeting but it was Sue Gray who asked for it. Then Dacre/Lap? Media wound up to do her in. Now it turns out there was a meeting and No 10 asked for it. And it was because Johnson wanted to discuss ‘timings’. Yeah right! PM has a diary Secretary and a planning team. Absolutely no need whatever for the PM (a busy man/woman in a functional government) to be involved in issues of timing like that. So we can assume that yet again a new set of lies has been constructed to cover up the original lies

Now stand by for ministers in studios debasing themselves by saying the opposite of what they said a day ago while insisting they have been ‘clear all along.’ One final point. There is no such thing as an ‘independent’ civil servant. They are impartial. That is not same thing

Alastair Campbell

I don’t care what the media are saying or not saying. I just want the truth. Is that something impossible to achieve with this current government.

Urmstongran

It wasn’t a ‘secret’ meeting. It was a ‘private meeting’.
Which is why we all know about it.

Why would Ms Gray agree to hold a meeting which could or would undermine the integrity of her report?

If she attended it must be because she felt that there was no such risk, or even that it would help her to iron out technicalities. She is either a paragon of virtue, in which case her report will have a lot of weight; or she is nothing but a puppet, in which case it doesn’t matter what she says. The media need to make up their minds.

They have already decided that the report will be ‘explosive ‘, and unless it leaves the PM fatally wounded they will not accept the legitimacy of the report.

Sue Gray would not be able to refuse to attend a meeting with the Prime Minister if he summoned her. He is her boss.

Tories are now saying neither Met Police investigation nor report are decisive for Johnson’s future. Now we apparently have to wait for the Privileges Committee report.

Frankly I think it is for the voting public to decide not the craven Tories.

Urmstongran

Such negativity. It worked for us. We needed a better weekly income and went out to earn it.

Sorry to derail the thread. It was just a reply to WWmk2. I won’t mention my circumstances again. We are all different.

Back in the 50s I was one of 4. My mum worked nights (not every night) and my dad connected insurance premiums for a Friendly Society one evening a week in addition to his full time job. I'm sure others will have a similar story. That was then. Things are different now.

Not everyone is part of a couple so whose going to look after the children?

Not everyone has a car and public transport is very poor in rural areas so ow are people expected to get to one of these part time evening jobs in a town?

sorry - collected not connected

Dinahmo

Urmstongran

Such negativity. It worked for us. We needed a better weekly income and went out to earn it.

Sorry to derail the thread. It was just a reply to WWmk2. I won’t mention my circumstances again. We are all different.

Back in the 50s I was one of 4. My mum worked nights (not every night) and my dad connected insurance premiums for a Friendly Society one evening a week in addition to his full time job. I'm sure others will have a similar story. That was then. Things are different now.

Not everyone is part of a couple so whose going to look after the children?

Not everyone has a car and public transport is very poor in rural areas so ow are people expected to get to one of these part time evening jobs in a town?

Most people experiencing fuel and food poverty ARE IN WORK!

We have full employment as near to dam it.

Johnson statement is both ridiculous and unhelpful.

A bit like the daft statement that perhaps people ought to get on their bikes.

It was a secret meeting until the details got leaked.

Then it wasn't a meeting, there was no meeting, then it was a meeting, that Sue Grey wanted, and it did take place, now it's a meeting that Number 10 requested, but didn't formalise.

Jeez lol ?

My feelings exactly DiamondLily - makes me think about something else... what can that be?
?
Could it be partying I wonder??

He must have a pretty big black book of names who’ve done a lot worse than him….that’s what keeps him in his job.
‘If I go, I’ll spill the beans every stinking dirty secret one of them’?-

Wow! Just seeing the first pictures.
www.itv.com/news/2022-05-23/exclusive-pm-pictured-drinking-at-downing-street-party-during-lockdown

I just hope the lady does not let anyone put her reputation on the line just to save their own. Some people are not too particular about whose career or reputation they destroy to save their own.
I gather Dominic Cummings has pontificated that disgruntled staff who did get fines while others escaped will release their own photos.
I think BJ will come to realise it would have been better, in the eyes of the public, to get a dozen fines and take the punishment rather than just the one. I think it will be the 'money' disparity that will rile people up, especially as some young people got massive fines and lost their place at University. This has not gone away. My sister reminded me of the saying in the C of E - 'the minister can commit adultery as often as he likes, but make off with the proceeds of the collection plate is a different matter altogether'. It will be the difference in the amount of the fines that will stick in the public craw.

Excellent, Petera !

Is that the party Boris got his fine for Mamie?

No, I believe it is Lee Cain's leaving do on November 13th. I am not even sure if it was investigated. Plenty of booze though.

Take a step back and just laugh at the absurdity of it all: the PM is stood holding a glass in the air, toasting someone who’s leaving with people who have all been working together all day anyway! What a load of cobblers all this is.