Scrutable

If it was a work meeting, who's taking the minutes? Where are the laptops? Where are the tablets? Where are the files?
Do we now have government by chat?
With Yoko just sitting in?

Just Asking Questions.

Iirc Blair was a fan of "sofa governing" having informal chats to make decisions. Not to excuse the bastards one iota, but the informal meetings side is at least arguable.

plebian wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 11:45 pm

Iirc Blair was a fan of "sofa governing" having informal chats to make decisions. Not to excuse the bastards one iota, but the informal meetings side is at least arguable.

Did Cherie Blair attend the meetings with her baby?

Did Carrie Symonds have security clearance to attend this meeting?

During the lockdown last summer we were running some long term field research project, often requiring a small team of us to meet in a swamp from about 5am to lunchtime.

We'd sometimes hang around afterwards to eat a packed lunch, perhaps including a cold beer.

It was probably technically against the rules, but also zero additional risk and added a semblance of normality to our lives at a stressful time when we had been locked down for months.

Obviously we're not the government, so optics weren't really a consideration. But if they were all working hard together (not the Johnsons, but the rest of them) anyway a catered chat in the garden after work seems harmless pandemic-wise and helpful mental health-wise.

I think the reason to hammer the government about this is because they clearly didn't afford the same consideration to workers more generally.

I think several reasons tbh.

Firstly, the amount of people who were fined or harassed by police at that stage of the pandemic for similar behaviour was pretty large.

Secondly, if you're in government, it's your job to demonstrate the proper application of the rules you created. Not to do so is the height of hypocrisy.

Thirdly, they have not once, not since this whole party sh.t started, actually admitted fault. Johnson has claimed that the video of Stratton laughing about the party that happened made him, like, super duper angry, but insists that no party took place. Raab has claimed that this garden event was both a business meeting and a post-business drinks. If they just fronted up and stopped f.cking lying, this might have blown over by now. It's the denial of obvious reality that grates the most.

How similar are the situations where others have been prosecuted? Are there any cases where nurses/doctors/shop staff or other key workers who had been in close contact throughout they day stayed for drinks after work and were prosecuted? If so, the garden photo is clearly indefensible. In any case the presence of Carrie in the photos is difficult to defend.

At much as I am enjoying the kicking Boris and the Tories are getting over this, and it is a perfect example of the constantly dripping damage of them not owning up and apologising, its is only really the parties that stick out as totally indefensible. This photo and the quiz much more so.

Plus it's an all sides thing.

The you-lock-down-far-too-late-every-f.cking-time-you-tw.t crowd hate these parties for being so cavalier.

The you-take-away-our-freedumbs-you-c.nt-it's-just-the-flu crowd hate these parties for being so hypocritical.

I'm assuming it's the freedumb morons who are leaking all this.

Digging into ancient history from the long forgotten year of 2020...

The Number 10 garden party was on 15 May. On 16 April the police had new guidelines. They were to "stop people 'home-working' in parks or sitting on a public bench for long periods of time."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-52312560

It was a couple of months after the police had flown their drone in the Peak District searching for walkers miles from anywhere. And a few weeks after the "you can't buy Easter Eggs" thing.

At exactly the time they were cracking open another bottle BoaF posted on the Covid thread:

OTOH my mum lives alone, and runs sheltered housing for old folks. She's taking it very seriously, and hasn't seen friends or family since Portugal started lockdown two months ago (as she recognised the uselessness of the UK government's guidance, and that of the "social" housing corporation she works for). She's definitely finding it incredibly hard. I'd happily fly over there just to give her a hug but really don't want to risk spreading the virus and rendering the whole thing moot - most of the nursing homes (not quite the same thing I know) in my hometown are already post-apocalyptic wastelands and I'd rather not be responsible for my mum's gaff becoming the next one. International travel, especially to places like the UK and USA, just seems like a totally irresponsible risk in 99% of cases.

Lol, via Suw, someone stopped by the police around that time for looking at a swan.

https://twitter.com/WhistlingDixie4/sta ... 6577947657

lpm wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 2:08 pm

Lol, via Suw, someone stopped by the police around that time for looking at a swan.

https://twitter.com/WhistlingDixie4/sta ... 6577947657

I saw a comment btl on a guardian article about this. it was from an intensive care doctor who hadn't seen her kids for days. Her hubby brought the kids to the park to meet her in her lunch hour. they were threatened by a pig.

I'd forgotten the UK went the whole hog on sending the pigs to harass people. Such a weird place.

May 2020 feels so long ago I'd forgotten where we all were on the covid timeline, so thanks for the reminder lpm.

And yeah, the gov's pathetic attempts to Big Lie / doublespeak their way out of it doesn't help. Nothing new there of course, but it's interesting that some people are finally noticing that these c.nts are indeed c.nts now that they've been inconvenienced too.

This thread may be interesting to review viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1073

Stephanie wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 4:00 pm

This thread may be interesting to review viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1073

Very much in my mind. Luckily my parents never did get harassed by over-zealous cops.

“Hi all, after what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening. Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... byob-party

Will Johnson actually get accused of misleading parliament?

FlammableFlower wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 11, 2022 8:11 am

Will Johnson actually get accused of misleading parliament?

It wouldn't exactly be his first offence.

Leak it on a Monday, headlines on Tuesday, PMQs and clips for the telly on Weds, opinion pieces on Thurs, fresh excuses on Friday.

Leak it on a Monday, headlines on Tuesday, Riley Bina and DJ Chello split up on Wednesday, Riley and DJ Chello get back together on Thursday.

They chilled on Sunday.

Ruth Davidson just stuck the boot in on BBC news.

Amazing that 100 or so people have had this email for 18 months and it's only just now being leaked.

Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:36 am

Ruth Davidson just stuck the boot in on BBC news.

Amazing that 100 or so people have had this email for 18 months and it's only just now being leaked.

sh.t sticks together.

What’s f.cking next?

What I think is becoming more and more apparent to people is something I've been saying for a while - that Johnson is not a clever man. He is a stupid man.

Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:36 am

Ruth Davidson just stuck the boot in on BBC news.

Amazing that 100 or so people have had this email for 18 months and it's only just now being leaked.

The timings are working out quite well though - as it meant that the 'Christmas Party' could return a "I wasn't there, this was terrible, We shall investigate" response.
The 'Party on the Terrace' photo then led to a "no, no, this was just our way of working in a socially distanced manner" response

Then this. Busted

and the timing is great so that the outrage from each of the earlier incidents has allowed to subside, before coming back even stronger.

Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:36 am

Amazing that 100 or so people have had this email for 18 months and it's only just now being leaked.

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:14 pm

and the timing is great so that the outrage from each of the earlier incidents has allowed to subside, before coming back even stronger.

It seems clear to me that no one who was there or involved in any way actually gave a sh.t. The evidence was merely filed away for later. Just in case.

The most likely explanation for this "drip, drip" that I can see is that the "grey men in grey suits" have decided that Johnson has outlived his usefulness, and are (tacitly) encouraging these leaks to happen in order that he is forced out.