Off Topic News & Current affairs

Leaders should lead by example if they want any sympathy.

Drinks parties in No.10 and in the garden, drinks every Friday, suitcases of booze from the local offy during lockdown...
That isn't leading by example.
Defending an unelected advisor who drove 300 miles while he had COVID and then another 60 mile round trip to a tourist spot in lockdown is not leading by example.
And unless the Police and Civil service reports exonerate him and all his staff, the PM has also repeatedly lied to Parliament.
That isn't leading by example either.

How quickly this administration went from delivering Brexit, to losing control of its own behaviour while 150,000 people have died.
I think its time for a new broom to sweep though, and a new leader & cabinet to take us forward.

 

That’s all fine, so as I have argued, it’s hypocrisy.

In my opinion it’s hypocrisy for the media and others to be calling for the PM to be subject to the same standards and sanctions as everyone else (which I have no problem with) but then calling for him to lose his job because he is a leader and different to everyone else and must set an example.

As I say, in my opinion you can’t have it both ways. Either treat everyone the same and investigate everyone with the same zeal and impose the same sanctions (or indeed the same no sanctions) or stop calling for one individual to be dealt with differently because of who he is and because he has to lead by example.

And with that reply I shall withdraw from this debate as quite frankly there are far more important and urgent matters which could be talked about and which will have a far greater impact on the people of this country if they are not resolved.

 

I think the difference is that Boris makes the rules, so his excuse that nobody told him the "party" or whatever you call it was against the rules isn't very prime ministerial.

 

Boris has made it clear that he will not resign as long as he is not found to have broken the law.
No consideration of the responsibility he has to lead by example when it comes to honesty, integrity and keeping to the spirit of the lockdown rules.
Unless he is actually convicted of an offence, he won't quit.

A vote of no confidence must be on the horizon now.

Probably not much more to say until the Sue Gray report is published.

 

Looks like Putin isn't planning on a full scale invasion of Ukraine.
Apparently the State controlled TV and newspapers in Russia are being very quiet about it.
The thinking is that Putin's propaganda machine would be seriously preparing (grooming) the Russian people for War if there was going to be a full-on military campaign.

 

It seems now that the driver of the car did not know the guy he ran over, and his sole motive was to try to stop the attack on the woman.
I apologise for suggesting the car driver was involved for personal reasons.
I only mentioned that because I had mistakenly picked up from an early report of the incident that all three of the people involved knew each other.

Of course, the car driver should not be charged with anything.
He should be freed from any investigations into his actions immediately.

 

The letter of the law may think differently. In which case it would be up to a jury to choose between justice and the law.

 

Whoops! Boris caught lying again, over the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan. Just Boris being Boris what a card!

 

He just can't help himself can he.
Flatly and categorically denied any involvement in the animal rescue scheme.
Then an email emerges confirming he authorised it.

Now - to be fair - that email does not mean the Prime Minister prioritised rescuing those animals over rescuing people.
It just means he did authorise the animal rescue scheme, then denied having anything to do with it.

That whole Afghanistan debacle was a bad business.
And that's down to Joe Biden I'm afraid.

 

Er no, it’s down to George Bush and Sir Tony Blair

 

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What a surprise - to hear the Met Police trying to have some details of the Sue Gray report removed because of their investigation.
Next, I expect somebody will suggest perhaps the whole Gray report should not be released at all until after the Police investigation is concluded... in May or June perhaps.

Just how independent is Sue Gray?
Perhaps she should consider withdrawing from leading the Civil Service inquiry.
Her independence and integrity will be seriously in question if she agrees to the effective censorship of her report.
That will mean she had either been duped by the Government, or was in with them from the start.

I've heard Sue Gray is highly respected within the circles she moves in.
I think she is being manipulated. And I cannot believe that she is OK with this latest development.
Only yesterday Cressida Dick said there was no reason the Gray report should be affected by the Met's own investigation.
That tune changed pretty quickly, didn't it.

 

It's very mysterious, isn't it? I think the truth will emerge eventually, but atm I can only think of two possible explanations. Either there has been political pressure on the Met to protect Big Dog, or there is something more serious in the report, like misconduct in public office, which may prejudice a trial if released now. All will be revealed in the fullness of time I hope, but until then there is no point in pursuing Big Dog, you know what he'll say.

 

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spot on

 

In the recent Daniel Morgan enquiry the Met was declared to be "institutionally corrupt" was it not?

 

Is the Met trying to impose the equivalent of a D-Notice on Sue Gray's report?
A threat to National Security?

 

Joe Lycett

 

Listening to the LBC phone-ins today it appears that an increasing number of people are realising that Boris is a moral degenerate. The dilemma for Tory MP's is that Party members still support him but voters do not.

 

Unusually, I was working in a part of our factory today where LBC was on in the background. The prevailing view was that No.10 has lost all the respect it should have as the place people look to for responsible and trustworthy leadership.
The impression that staff there were casually and routinely bending and disregarding lockdown rules is now firmly established. And that mocking video clip also has many people believing that No.10 found the sacrifices being made by common folk to follow the rules a subject for amusement. Something to smirk and giggle about.

Exactly which rules (if any) were broken, and when, and by who, are nearly beside the point now.
The Culture of No.10, including the conduct of Dominic Cummings, has been exposed as falling so far short of the basic levels of respect and decency the British people should be able to expect, that the bond of trust required for leadership by consent has been terribly damaged.

Quite possibly there will be multiple sackings of No.10 staff, including civil servants.
If that leads to a longer term change of culture in Downing Street then it will be worthwhile, even if harsh on some individuals who may have done nothing more wrong than not stood up against a prevailing pattern of drinking and smug arrogance.
But unless No.10 also gets a new Prime Minister to go with a new staff, there will be a real danger the new faces will just end up adopting bad old habits.

For the longer term good of the whole Country, a real new start would be best in my view.
Not just a big staff re-shuffle.

And I'm not saying that as somebody who has always had it in for Boris.
I supported him from the time he became Conservative Party leader, to more or less the start of the Pandemic. I've posted many times in the past of my sneaking admiration for his clumsy, cheeky but engaging manner.
Basically, I was happy to side with him while he was carrying out the verdict of the Referendum after his thumping GE victory.
But the behaviour of No.10 during the Pandemic under his watch is unforgivable in my view.
They have betrayed the trust of the public.
And which other Prime Minister in history has lost control of his own party just a couple of years after winning an 80 seat majority?

The Country is in an awful state, with terrible challenges to overcome.
We need common sense, temperance, honesty and moderation from our leaders. And maybe even a little humility.