Current Affairs 2023

[Stephen]

He is well but is taking a break.

[towny44]

If you can believe what the papers say.

Now there's a surprise

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertain ... e-30117562

I can hear Keith crying in his hanky

Not seen Keith on here for a while, I do hope he's keeping well and is just taking a break.

I wonder if Keirh is part of Harry's legal team and not got time to keep us entertained.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I find it odd to hear the media keep saying it's however many years since a Senior Royal gave evidence in court. I thought that by his own choice Harry had given up being a Royal of any significance.

[Gill W]

The question is, who gets to decide what’s relevant?

That should, in my opinion, be a joint decision between the inquiry and the Government with the caveat that it is presented to the inquiry at the appropriate time.

Then it wouldn’t be an independent enquiry

I hope this 'independent' panel is more independent than the last one which was headed by one who had already declared her dislike of Boris adjudicating with the help of a report compiled by a left wing sympathiser who is soon to be in Starmer's pocket.
If something positive comes out of it then I think it will be worthwhile but if it's only purpose is to have a whinge at the actions of the government at the time the money could be better spent.

‘Left wing sympathiser’ is your opinion, not a fact.

The Privileges Committee was made up of both Labour and Conservative MPs.

Baroness Hallett, a former high court judge in the chair of the COVID enquiry. I think maybe you are preempting their findings if you are already assuming that it’s going to be a whinge at the actions of the government! I think we have to wait and see what it says

[barney]

Just imagine the shock around the country when we find out that Johnson’s government were incompetent
Who’d have thought that ?

[paultheagle]

I don't know why an enquiry is needed, the government is guilty as charged as far as I'm concerned, but it was the government that set it up, it was the government that appointed Ms Hallett and now it's the government that is refusing to co-operate with their own enquiry. You couldn't make it up. Only the Tories.

[oldbluefox]

with the help of a report compiled by a left wing sympathiser who is soon to be in Starmer's pocket.

‘Left wing sympathiser’ is your opinion, not a fact.

I can't believe Sue Gray would become Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer if she was a dyed in the wool Tory, would she? It's not rocket science to see where her leanings lie.

As I said before "If something positive comes out of it then I think it will be worthwhile but if it's only purpose is to have a whinge at the actions of the government at the time the money could be better spent".

[Gill W]

I can't believe Sue Gray would become Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer if she was a dyed in the wool Tory, would she? It's not rocket science to see where her leanings lie.

Just your opinion though.

She was deemed professional enough to investigate the parties, and Kemi Badenoch wanted her on her team. If Simon Case hadn’t blocked it, Sue Grey would probably be working with Badenoch and Starmer would never have approached her.

Incidentally, I hear that the Acoba committee have found no issues with Grey’s appointment as Starmer’s Chief of Staff. Just 6 months gardening leave, so she’ll probably start in the autumn

[david63]

the government is guilty as charged

And what exactly is the Government charged with?

[paultheagle]

the government is guilty as charged

And what exactly is the Government charged with?

Well where covid was concerned, how about lying, deceit, incompetence and cheating, that'll do for a start? This government are a tad better but not a lot.

[oldbluefox]

But that's only your opinion

Truth is we will never know that anybody else would do any better. This was an epidemic we had not seen before. We had no idea how it would pan out or how to treat it. Hindsight suggests we could have handled it better but that was always going to be the case.
It is hoped that should we find ourselves in a similar state we would be better prepared based on lessons learnt from this epidemic.

[Ray B]

Foxy, that's what I've been saying from the start, it seems to go over everyone's heads that at the time people were dying and thing had to be done differently and more expediently. The fall out comes later.

[paultheagle]

Yes, I agree with you both in that point but that's only part of the story.

[Mervyn and Trish]

It's the most important part to everyone but the left wing Covid deniers who were telling everyone the whole thing was a government hoax and encouraging them to not get vaccinated. Which resulted, among others, in the death of a fit young left wing acquaintance of mine who was daft enough the believe them.

[Gill W]

It's the most important part to everyone but the left wing Covid deniers who were telling everyone the whole thing was a government hoax and encouraging them to not get vaccinated. Which resulted, among others, in the death of a fit young left wing acquaintance of mine who was daft enough the believe them.

I’m sorry to hear what happened to your acquaintance. Too many people died, and are still dying, not necessarily from the acute stage of the infection but from post COVID health issues. According to the ONS death counts for the week ending 26th May were 10% higher the the 5 year average, so there is still a lot of fall out.

However, COVID deniers are across the political spectrum. Plenty of them on the right wing, especially the far right libertarian conspiracy theory nut job type.

[barney]

Could just be natures way on thinning things out.
We’ve not had a war for some time.
I dunno ?

[towny44]

Could just be natures way on thinning things out.
We’ve not had a war for some time.
I dunno ?

It could be any number of things, maybe not related to covid at all.

[Stephen]

Boris is gone.

Resignation statement in full as Boris Johnson steps down https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65863336

[Manoverboard]

It's a dangerous precedent and absolutely undemocratic

It is also pointless because he will doubtless win the resulting local election

[david63]

It is also pointless because he will doubtless win the resulting local election

I don't think that is a foregone conclusion - even if he stands at the by-election.

What I find more concerning is the current trend of someone leaking information to the press that they should not be leaking, for any number of reasons, and then the press effectively deciding what is right or wrong depending on their alignment at the time.

[Gill W]

It's a dangerous precedent and absolutely undemocratic

It is also pointless because he will doubtless win the resulting local election

Not sure what is ‘dangerous and undemocratic’.

We don’t know what the (Conservative majority)) Privileges Committee report actually said, but it’s almost certain that they found that Johnson wilfully mislead Parliament

The process now would be that the Committee makes a recommendation, the Conservative dominated Commons would vote on any suspension , and his Conservative majority constituents would decide in any by election that was triggered. All perfectly democratic and part of the process that is in place.

Johnson has quit to avoid this scrutiny and his Trumpian resignation letter letter reads like a sulky child who has finally been caught out when he couldn’t get his own way.

Johnson has lied constantly, has broken his own laws and (it appears) has wilfully mislead Parliament. Anyone still supporting him, or believing the untruth that ‘he was subject to a witch-hunt or kangaroo court’ should have a long look at themselves.

Content edited to avoid misinterpretation

[Ray B]

Interesting that both sides of the pond are after their respective ex leaders. And the way it's being done does have similarities.

[paultheagle]

Johnson was given a sneak look at the report and resigned. I wonder what is says......now let's think.

The Tories are a complete mess and there should not be a by-election but a General Election. Give Labour a go, they won't do any worse and might just might do a little bit better.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm glad Boris has gone. He had served his purpose and the Boring Boris Bashing was a distraction from discussion of actual policies (ironic that this week Labour backtracked on their only one declared so far). However I can understand the disquiet at the way it's happened. A committee chaired by a Labour politician who had publicly declared her view on the matter before even hearing any evidence? And even though there were Tory members on the Committee some were outspoken Boris critics. It's not how you'd select a jury is it?

Still on the plus side he should get his knighthood now. After all the last PM to lie to parliament got one.

[Ray Scully]

So who has the last laugh ? BYE BOJO

bojo Boris-Johnson-1.jpg