Can anyone explain what is going on in Parliament?

Wasn’t it RM who said if teachers were expected back into work the MP’s should set an example? They have to get back to ‘normal’ some time surely?

But "normal" can change UG and this is a prime example of when it should.

You think it's a good idea for teachers to be back in schools, Urmstongran?
Seems like faulty logic to me.

Also, I see no reason to create a distorted version of 'normal', when working from home has been perfectly fine and the reasons for it still exist.

What if staff of a business vote to go in to work, instead of completely adequate working from home?

Is this another example of someone in government doing what they like (and bullying others) and the public being left to make up their own minds?

R-Mogg can't get to grips with the technology. He thinks it's still 1930 something. The man is an ass.

Johnson will not have any more of a baying mob behind him, as there will still be a maximum of 50 MPs in the chamber at any one time.

Yes, I do think it’s a good idea o get children back into school FarNorth.
Disclaimer: my daughter is a teacher.

And regards MP’s going back, a few months ago, they were bleating about not being able to get into Parliament!

I didn't hear any 'bleating' UG and I can't think why it would be relevant even if there was some.

You know as well as the rest of us this is all done because Johnson needs the theatre to appear to know what he's doing. Even his own party members were making pointed comments as they voted.

People who are shielded can now be discriminated against by their employer. Reece-Mogg has set the standard.

Honestly I think it's ridiculous that these highly paid public servants find having to queue, to do their job so objectionable and risky. Many mere voters queue for hours just for food or to get medicines whilst underpaid, under resourced front line staff are paid a pittance while unflinchingly do their best and then some.

Can these over paid whingers say they did their best this day?

Did you know that we have a killer virus at large in the UK, Ug? Perhaps you're not aware that our government advice is to work from home if you possibly can? Which we know MPs can, because they've been doing it absolutely fine for the past couple of months.

'Leading by example' is quite one of the most stupid comments I've seen on Gnet for a long time. What the hell use is it for people to open themselves to danger when doing their job if they don't have to? Is the 'example' MPs are supposed to be giving the rest of the country one of playing chicken with their own health so as to encourage the population to throw caution to the winds and just let the virus do its worst?

Basically, it really just demonstrates that the tories do not give a flying wotsit about the people for whose BENEFIT they're supposed to be governing. Leading by example would be to continue to act with care and follow the guidelines in order to stem the rate of infection. Not to bloody charge out into the open as if the guidelines really don't matter.

And I thought you Brexit lot cared about democracy? There's nothing in the least bit democratic about withholding representation from 17 million UK constituents because their MPs are not able to get to Parliament to vote in person.

What a bloody awful shambles this is.

I Don’t think teachers need MPs to set them an example thanks very much.

Your usual brave attempt to defend the indefensible I see UG. What is the purpose of making the MPs queue in such a way as to waste their "highly-paid" time? There must be better things they could be doing and they had already found a perfectly good way to speed votes up, stop them having cluster together and include all the MPs, thus stoping the disenfranchisement of thousands of "mere voters" who should, in a democratic country, expect representation.

The American colonists overthrew the British Parliament with their cries of "no taxation without representation", perhaps the unrepresented constituencies should think about withholding their taxes for the same reason.

Surely they are going to waste a lot of time queuing up to vote. Things seem to have been working perfectly well with them working from home. If this could become the new way of working perhaps they could do away with their 2nd homes near Westminster and just use a hotel if they needed to be in the House late in the evening. That should save us money on their housing and travel expenses.

As they had to go outside, it's going to be even more fun for them when it's raining! As for the frankly ludicrous suggestion that they are setting a good example to teachers, who have to cope with open schools in England, I agree with Lucca that the teachers certainly don't need to have that as an example.

What about setting an example to those who are following what is still the guideline over the whole of the UK, that you should work from home if possible? As I said in a previous post, not everyone lives in the Home Counties - it took Alistair Carmichael 25 hours to get home last time Parliament was open, as transport was then shutting down!

The arguments being put forward by assorted Govt nodding donkeys are ludicrous. I don’t know anyone back at work who has to spend hours queuing to do an intrinsic part of their job. Queuing for shopping is an entirely different issue. But most importantly, it’s the disenfranchisement of the electorate of shielding MPs ( or those MPs caring for shielded partners). Additionally, as mentioned upthread, there are MPs having to travel long distance on public transport and those MPs travelling from areas with higher R rates. The previous hybrid arrangements should have continued at least for all those groups.

Johnson seemed to say at PMQs that proxy voting could happen - but that still doesn’t give the right to speak in debates. As for pairing, this is an informal arrangement and certainly during May’s latter reign, there were examples of MPs reneging on this.

Finally, as for Mogg’s view of the seriousness of casting your vote - you can roll into the lobbies drunk straight from the bar without having heard a word of the debate. One Tory. MP who could afford a flat very near the House, had a division bell fitted so he could break off from his tryst, pull his trousers up and sprint across to the lobby just in time to vote,

The scenes yesterday were appalling and showed us for the absolute undemocratic ante diluvian buffoons we are. Shame on us all

The Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, has been taken ill in the house of commons, but continued with his speech.
He is now in self-isolation and waiting for the result of his C19 test.

Sharma tested positive.

How many “overpaid whingers” were infected by Sharma yesterday?

Maybe everyone in HoC on Wednesday will be track n traced and told to self isolate for 14 days? ( that’s if t and t is working) .
Totally ridiculous to queue up for 45 minutes 3 or 4 times a day just to vote which could be done in seconds remotely. What a farce. But then every MP is like JRM with a big London home plus a country seat as well aren’t they?

It's a wonderful publicity stunt to prove how well track and trace works! ?

Hope they are handing their £10,000 back now the silly asses are back in the big building
Absolutely ludicrous and laughable it’s like a blooming pantomime you just couldn’t make it up and Johnson likened it to queuing for shopping!!! He is well rattled even with his ear piece in getting prompts and his baying troops behind him he’s a done man a job he was never fit for ..as for that awful awful ReesMogg I still have that picture of him lying across the seats in Parliament, disrespectful ass Give him a monocle and top hat and he can lead the funeral procession walking very slowly

Whitewave Where did you read that Sharma has been tested positive - I can't find that on any news site, only that he is waiting for the result of testing

It’s in the Guardian this morning.

As far as I can see a major part of the problem is that the House of Commons is not fit for purpose. It is cramped and adversarial.

When I look at the European Parliament or the Scottish one, they are fit for purpose. There was a golden opportunity to correct this by moving to a more central part of the country when they had to renovate the old building at the cost of four billion pounds.

I think Birmingham would be my choice. There are good rail and road links around the NEC. They would be more able to social distance with purpose build offices and fascilities, including technology to allow remote voting.
They could easily find a use for the present Palace of Westminster. There is no doubting it is a beautiful, iconic building but not fit for purpose in the 21st century.

Wonder if his result will be fast-tracked. My neice’s family must be one of the 1% who still haven’t heard after a week! Because according to Bumbling Boris 99% hear within 48 hours.

He is clueless and we just sit here helplessly witnessing corporate manslaughter of the elderly, the vulnerable, BAME communities, health and other frontline workers.

PS and the airport is there too...nearly forgot.

The online Guardian website just says Sharma has been tested - not the result.

suziewoozie I agree with your post.
Also yours Lully we really do need a new building.??

RM as leader of the house is taking tradition to extreme lengths!