Current Affairs 2023

[screwy]

I blame Brexit chickens!!!

Don’t mention the B word.

[oldbluefox]

B****r!!! .

[screwy]

So Oakshott broke a written legal non disclosure agreement.? Hope Hancock sues her!

[Mervyn and Trish]

What is certain is no politician will employ her ever again to ghost write their memoirs.

[towny44]

Congratulations to Sue Gray the impartial civil servant who led the inquiry into the Tory party scandal on her appointment as Keir Starmer's Chief of Staff. Would you Adam and Eve it?

Who said sleaze and corruption were dead eh?

Sue Gray was appointed to do the report by Johnson, she didn’t inveigle herself into it as part of some sort of left wing plot !

Anyway, last year, the investigation and subsequent report was of no interest to this forum, so it’s weird that it’s suddenly become something that you want to talk about after all !

If it's good enough to warrant front page headlines in the press and lead story on the TV news, then it must be worthy of discussion on the Current agfairs thread. Surely you dont advocate suppressing freedom of speech Gill, or do you?

[Mervyn and Trish]

More interesting and significant than the leaked Hancock WhatsApps for sure. All they appear to show us is that the Cabinet argued over various aspects of how to handle Covid. Lockdown or not? Close schools or not? Encourage hospitality sector to reopen or not? That's hardly news.

At the best of times do we naively believe the Cabinet immediately unanimously agree every decision? Of course not. And this wasn't the best of times. This was a virus we'd never seen before and a situation we'd not experienced in modern times. There was no right textbook answer.

Beyond that they also showed that Bojo and Hancock squirmed to save their jobs. That's human nature and we already knew it.

[david63]

And also in that situation everyone would be bouncing ideas around no matter how "way out" they were at the time and even more so in the cold light of day after the event.

[Stephen]

All this mud raking over Hancock. Do we really care.

Stop all this nonsense and get on with running the country.

[Onelife]

I was in conversation with some friends last night and one of the topics of discussion was about Tomato’s and Glasshouses…one of the chaps came up with the suggestion that a lot of glasshouses that were used for such things as tomato growing etc are now being used for the more profitable medicinal cannabis market.

Certainly, a different angle that I hadn’t thought about.

[Stephen]

Doesn’t tast quite the same in your sandwiches though ………maaaaan

[Onelife]

Doesn’t tast quite the same in your sandwiches though ………maaaaan

After quick snort your sandwiches will taste of anything you want them to be

[Gill W]

If it's good enough to warrant front page headlines in the press and lead story on the TV news, then it must be worthy of discussion on the Current agfairs thread. Surely you dont advocate suppressing freedom of speech Gill, or do you?

Where did I say that I advocated suppressing freedom of speech? I didn't - I think you are making up your own stories again!

I obviously didn't make myself clear enough.

For clarity, this forum has collectively either shrugged it's shoulders or looked the other way for the last three years when it comes to corruption and sleaze, yet suddenly people start posting about it again. Ironically, having ignored three years worth of it, they have found it where it doesn't exist, even impugning the the reputation of a civil servant with an unblemished record. It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad!

Apparently, Kemi Badenoch wanted Sue Gray for her permanent secretary, but Simon Case (if you are concerned about dodgy civil servants, have a look at him, he really is in the thick of it) blocked it. She was probably very fed up about this, and was probably seriously pondering her future in the civil service. Then Starmer comes along with this job offer, so looks like she decided on a change of career direction

[david63]

Then Starmer comes along with this job offer

But she apparently only left the Civil Service on Thursday and as yet we do not know when she was "offered" this job with Starmer and in any event it would also appear that she did not follow the correct protocols whereby it could be two years before she can take up this position. One would have expected that a Civil Servant of her level would have known this.

[Gill W]

Then Starmer comes along with this job offer

But she apparently only left the Civil Service on Thursday and as yet we do not know when she was "offered" this job with Starmer and in any event it would also appear that she did not follow the correct protocols whereby it could be two years before she can take up this position. One would have expected that a Civil Servant of her level would have known this.

They've already said that they will abide by the recommendations of the advisory committee for when she can start - they are awaiting this review.

Surely, there aren't really people who think she was offered this job last year when she was doing the partygate report and that she was some sort of sleeper agent?

[david63]

Surely, there aren't really people who think she was offered this job last year when she was doing the partygate report and that she was some sort of sleeper agent?

Who knows - I certainly don't. Anything is possible these days.

The point that is in question is whether she had/has any political leanings, which it appears that she may have, and whether those political leanings may have had any influence on her report.

[barney]

Surely, there aren't really people who think she was offered this job last year when she was doing the partygate report and that she was some sort of sleeper agent?

Who knows - I certainly don't. Anything is possible these days.

The point that is in question is whether she had/has any political leanings, which it appears that she may have, and whether those political leanings may have had any influence on her report.

As I said David, they all have political leanings.
They are just people doing a job.
Would her political leanings influence her doing her job?
Unlikely in my opinion.
My sister in law worked for numerous Ministers and did her job despite her views.
She would often rein in Duncan Smith when he got carried away.
He was her favourite.
Least favourite, Priti Patel.
No love lost there.

[Gill W]

Who knows - I certainly don't. Anything is possible these days.

The point that is in question is whether she had/has any political leanings, which it appears that she may have, and whether those political leanings may have had any influence on her report.

This is what I mean - she has an unblemished record, has worked with the Conservative government for 13 years. She was praised by the likes of Rees-Mogg and Dorries for her trustworthiness for the job of doing the report. Her report was accepted by all parties involved, without any doubts being cast on it. Now all of a sudden, people are smearing her with innuendos about her political leanings and whether these leanings influenced her report.

I know corruption was normalised in the Johnson era, but not every one is corrupt. If people are worried about corruption there was plenty of other things going on, but for whatever reason people didn't think it mattered or just wanted to ignore it.

[barney]

A civil servant gets no choice who they work for except a vote as an individual.
They just have to get on with it.
Some Ministers are easier than others to work for.
My sister in law had a very soft spot for a particular Labour Minister who unfortunately fell from grace in the expenses scandal.

[Onelife]

I rather suspect Sue Grey could have walked into any senior administrative position within the conservative party...with this in mind it could be that she does have a leaning towards the labour party, however, it could also be the case that having witnessed how the inner circles of the conservative party conduct themselves she may well be thinking her unquestionable integrity (which is generally accepted by her peers) will be better suited to working with people she feels have the same moral compass as herself ?

[oldbluefox]

It's a theory OL but that's all it is and all we can really do is surmise what is the real truth. I suspect only Sue Gray knows what her true motives and loyalties are.'

Meanwhile it is reported that Boris has submitted his father's name for a peerage. Is it not time the honour's system was scrapped? It does make a mockery of the whole system.

[Stephen]

Foxy wrote:

Meanwhile it is reported that Boris has submitted his father's name for a peerage. Is it not time the honour's system was scrapped? It does make a mockery of the whole system

Agree, but not until Monty our cat has got his.

[Onelife]

It's a theory OL but that's all it is and all we can really do is surmise what is the real truth. I suspect only Sue Gray knows what her true motives and loyalties are.'

Meanwhile it is reported that Boris has submitted his father's name for a peerage. Is it not time the honour's system was scrapped? It does make a mockery of the whole system.

There are those who would say the Conservative party spend more time covering their own backs than administrating the countries affairs…I’ve been saying for ages that our political system has corrupted itself to the point of no return.

I won't tell you what I would do about it because I hate arguing with people

[oldbluefox]

I can't say I haven't noticed

[Onelife]

I can't say I haven't noticed

Are you looking for an argument?

[oldbluefox]

I can't say I haven't noticed

Are you looking for an argument?

As if!!! Not me guv'nor!!!