news & politics:discussion

[Crazyfool01]

8 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

I don't think that sort of stuff is fair.  She is largely a passenger in all this.  She shouldn't be expected to do anything other than her job.

I mean you do realise its a joke ? 

[Homer]

When my little sister was young, she used to have tantrums and shout 'I want to but you won't let me' repeatedly for no apparent reason.

The ongoing Tory Brexit position has often reminded me of that, but never more than today as they transparently try to stoke up a culture war with a largely disinterested opposition.

[steviewevie]

Opposition could use something called Humble Address to force release of full report after Met done with it..ml

 

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, Barry Fish said:

Hard to tell with you highly strung leftie types 🙂 

ive said all along to just let her do the report ... nothing highly strung there Barry ... please dont make things up about me that frankly arent true 

[steviewevie]

Well, Gray is making clear that this isn't the report..it is an update...and Boris said wait for the report...

[steviewevie]

 

[steviewevie]

read it already.

[Crazyfool01]

Failures of Leadership... 

[steviewevie]

Conclusion...Boris lied.

[Crazyfool01]

how much is missing ? 

[squirrelarmy]

Quote that stands out is “At least some of the gatherings in question”

That shows that there was definitely lots of parties and Spaffer definitely knew about them. 
 

He denied their existence in Parliament. He is now on record as having misled the house. 
 

Time to pack his bags. He isn’t going to quit but I think he will be forced to leave now. 

[Matt42]

 

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

how much is missing ? 

yeah, hard to know...I mean, it's not a very big report is it!? She does say in methodology section that details about various parties has gone to the police and about the minimal reference thing..and so this is an update, not full report.

[steviewevie]

3 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

Quote that stands out is “At least some of the gatherings in question”

That shows that there was definitely lots of parties and Spaffer definitely knew about them. 
 

He denied their existence in Parliament. He is now on record as having misled the house. 
 

Time to pack his bags. He isn’t going to quit but I think he will be forced to leave now. 

nah...that time has passed I think. MPs have realised that Sunak isn't ready yet, and Truss doesn't poll that well with the public...and there isn't anyone else except maybe Hunt and he's way to socialist remainer.

[Crazyfool01]

Met looking at all the gatherings bar 4 ...... @Ozanne hows our bet looking ? 

[ian the worm]

Took me ages to find the link........

so.,...........

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investigation-into-alleged-gatherings-on-government-premises-during-covid-restrictions-update

[squirrelarmy]

Just beat me to it on the link. I count 16 parties.

[steviewevie]

2 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

Just beat me to it on the link. I count 16 parties.

yeah, and these ones gone to the cops...

• 15 May 2020
• 27 November 2020
• 10 December 2020
• 15 December 2020

[Homer]

6 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

nah...that time has passed I think. MPs have realised that Sunak isn't ready yet, and Truss doesn't poll that well with the public...and there isn't anyone else except maybe Hunt and he's way to socialist remainer.

Well, Johnson is a remainer too, to be fair (he just doesn't like to talk about it these days).

[MrHew]

BBC highlight, if you like me are in a meeting and can't read it in full:
 

Gray report: Failures of leadership in No 10

The initial findings of Sue Gray's report into parties at Downing Street has just dropped, saying there were "failures of leadership and judgment" in No 10 and the Cabinet Office.

We are going through it with a fine-tooth comb to bring you all you need to know, but here are some stand-out lines from the document:

Quote Message: Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify

 

 

Quote Message: At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time

At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time

 

 

Quote Message: At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public

At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public.


 

Lockdown parties 'should not have been allowed'

The report is 12 pages long, and makes clear that some of the events in Downing Street over the lockdowns "should not have been allowed to take place", while others "should not have been allowed to develop as they did".

It says the garden of No 10 was "used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight - this was not appropriate".

Here are some more of Sue Gray's findings:

Quote Message: The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time

The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time

 

 

Quote Message: Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so - no member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it

Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so - no member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it

 

 

Quote Message: The leadership structures [in No 10] are fragmented and complicated and this has sometimes led to the blurring of lines of accountability

The leadership structures [in No 10] are fragmented and complicated and this has sometimes led to the blurring of lines of accountability

[Homer]

Some lunatic on BBCNew24 suggesting it proves he's been lying!

[Crazyfool01]

Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so. No member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it

 

Bullying ? 

[Guest]

So I was right all along. The report is pretty useless and doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know already. It doesn’t say anything specific. This will exonerate Johnson, which is what it was intended to do. 

[steviewevie]

10 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

yeah, and these ones gone to the cops...

• 15 May 2020
• 27 November 2020
• 10 December 2020
• 15 December 2020

No. I got this wrong. Police are investigating all parties except these. So they are also investigating the one on 13th Nov 2020 in PM's flat. Hmmm...juicy.

[jparx]

2 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

So I was right all along. The report is pretty useless and doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know already. It doesn’t say anything specific. This will exonerate Johnson, which is what it was intended to do. 

“Failure of leadership” is pretty strong for a heavily redacted report.