... and the sleaze goes on ...

I feel very pessimistic about what is going on in this country. It seems the establishment is closing ranks in way it hasn't since before the war.
Most government ministers are privately educated privileged profiteers who know their mates will watch out for them.
The press more and more sides with the money and even the BBC no longer pretends to be impartial.
Increasingly, I hear people say they are all the same, there's no point in voting, and most alarming to me- 'they know better than us,' etc etc.
I fear we are not going to see any change anytime soon.
The upcoming elections will show what a stranglehold the establishment have and how untouchable they now are.

Someone on another thread, I am afraid I can't remember who, made what I thought was a very interesting point, that during a pandemic people want to really trust in the Government because they want to feel safe. Maybe that is why, at the moment, the corruption in the Government is being given such an easy ride.
I am hoping that when the pandemic has receded and we all feel safer, that the Government actions will be less acceptable to the public.

Maybe, Ilovecheese, but by then it may well be too late.
How do you trust a government that is responsible for one of the highest per capita death rates on the entire planet. Getting away with that they can now get away with anything. The pandemic is far from over.

The leaders of six opposition parties call out Johnson's failre to tell the truth.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/19/parties-inquiry-boris-johnson-failurehonest

What a pity Keir Starker did not join them.

Starmer

that during a pandemic people want to really trust in the Government because they want to feel safe.

That is so weird, Ilovecheese, because this government makes me feel as though I'm in constant danger.

Perhaps people might have felt safe in the first few months, but the constant dithering and late reactions must surely have scared many people?

You would think so MaizieD but they still have so much support, still ahead in the polls.

varian loved the typo

I haven't given up on KS yet but keepingquiet's first post echoes my feeling except for saying I get the feeling they don't even accept they have to obey the rules. This lot seem to think they are above all that in a way I don't feel I've seen for decades.

Yep, PippaZ, that's spot on. They are morally bankrupt and have shown time and again they are above the law. Unfortunately they are ahead in the polls (which doesn't mean much anyway) but also people defend them!
I feel very frightened by this lack of accountability which shows at least they really have taken back control.
I had a conversation with a courier the other day complaining about his long hours and poor pay. I told him my dad and grandad had fought for decent pay and working conditions all their lives and now it is all being thrown away.
What makes me sad is this guy couldn't even see there might be an alternative.
What's happened to my country?

It could be that Covid, "the enemy" currently has, as Ilovecheese suggested, put people in a position where they will give up some democracy in return for safety. We do this all the time when we make treaties but it might be worth remembering that in the past this has not lasted once the "enemy" is gone. However, if we look at 1945 voters will expect a post crisis programme they can believe in. In 1945 the Conservative government lost, not because of their war-time years but because of their 1930s reputation. Will the voters remember the Conservative inflicted austerity? That will probably depend on what has been achieved since and just how the "get wealthy at cost to the people" sleaze is seen.

We have also just seen a UN report about our countries report on racism calling it "an attempt to normalise white supremacy". We will have to ask how many think that is actually the way to go. It seems to be horrifyingly more than we knew and it also seems Brexit has freed many to want some sort of white supremacist government. Steptoe certainly lives on.

Can I remind everyone that many of us have a chance to vote on May 6th.

GrannyRose15

Can I remind everyone that many of us have a chance to vote on May 6th.

Yes, yes and yes. I really hope people do, but from what I read here I'm not so sure.

GrannyRose15

Can I remind everyone that many of us have a chance to vote on May 6th.

Whilst I do not approve of some of the actions of this current Government, why oh why would I vote out my local councillors who are/have done a good job over the past years because of the actions of the Government?

I will not sacrifice local issues for the sake of telling our PM that I am cross with him!

Governments use the local results as a signal.

If the Tories do well - and I fear they will- Johnson will see it as a signal to continue his wayward path.

Whitewavemark2

Governments use the local results as a signal.

If the Tories do well - and I fear they will- Johnson will see it as a signal to continue his wayward path.

I totally agree with you, I am facing a dilemma.

Our local councillors have done a good job, opposing planning permissions, social care is of a good standard, our roads are repaired fairly quickly compared to other areas etc.

Last time we had a Labour majority we had huge increases in council taxes, they were not approachable our grass verges and parks were not maintained (I could go on but I hope you understand)

Indeed

Our local councillors have done a good job, opposing planning permissions, social care is of a good standard, our roads are repaired fairly quickly compared to other areas etc.

Last time we had a Labour majority we had huge increases in council taxes, they were not approachable our grass verges and parks were not maintained (I could go on but I hope you understand)

Are you able to say how long ago you had a Labour led council and if there has been any difference in funding since the tories took over, GG13?

I'm interested because there have been reports of funding differences over the last decade, obviously with a suspicion that they've been politically motivated, and many councils are being blamed for cuts in services which have been a result of swingeing cuts to central funding.

P.S. Apologies for derailing the thread.

To return to the topic.

How about the Dyson texts to the PM in March 2020?

I'm a bit confused by it Maizie, to tell the truth. I can appreciate that it was urgent but he was asking for his workers not to be charged additional tax for spending longer than the laws allow working here.

Didn't Dyson cheerlead that referendum we had in 2016 which brought in such laws?

That's not really about sleaze so thoughts on that. They need to bring things up to date. Handing over the mobile phone so someone can take a list of all the calls daily and then the owner can make notes regarding all the phone calls - or they could all be recorded but really, shouldn't that be necessary.

I think Johnson, who cannot walk straight but only manipulate the truth, does not want to tell the truth even if it is in his favour until he has had a chance to put his spin on it which probably make clarity almost impossible. Almost as if that's what he wants

That's not really about sleaze so thoughts on that.

I think it's about sleaze, in that Johnson was prepared to order (I am the First Lord of the Treasury, he said ('so they do what I tell them', unspoken but implied) HMRC to waive taxation rules for his mate, and about privileged access to the government; in particular, to the PM. We've already seen Cameron exploiting that...

As far as I can see, the Ventilator campaign in March 2020 was something in the nature of a vanity project. Yes, existing manufacturers were given support to rapidly increase production, but did we need to call in Johnson's Brexit supporting mates, Dyson & JCB, for example, to 'design' a new, cheap, ventilator for mass production (when all the medical experts were saying that it just couldn't be done quickly)? Trying to Grandstand in the face of a national medical emergency.

As it is, the ventilators produced by actual bona fide manufacturers in that initiative weren't used...

Whilst I do not approve of some of the actions of this current Government, why oh why would I vote out my local councillors who are/have done a good job over the past years because of the actions of the Government?

I will not sacrifice local issues for the sake of telling our PM that I am cross with him

I have the same problem, but the excellent local Tory councillor is part of the problem as far as I am concerned as he is climbing the slippery pole of party politics and by voting for him, I am giving my support to this venal, corrupt Tory administration.

Pippa, to return to the original point of your post, I am more concerned that the majority of voters are not bothered by the behaviour of this administration, are not complaining, shouting from the rooftops about it. The vanity project of his 'White House' briefing room? Dyson? Race Relations? Corrupt awarding of contracts? Lies in HoC? The man and his administration are morally bankrupt and anyone who thinks otherwise lives to a very different moral code to me. If Johnson was my son/husband/brother I would be ashamed of him.

It looks to me that Johnson is repeatedly saying "ventilators" and obliterating the fact that cuts made by the Conservative government were the reason for the shortages. It's a farce to even suggest that just because they stopped digging the cuts hole they were not responsible for the country having immense difficulty pulling ourselves out of it when the inevitable crisis came along.