Downing Street Trust

[Seabag]

?Downing Street Trust?

Who came up with that name? With little irony and some exhaustion, is there actually much (if any) trust left for the current occupant of No 10 Downing Street?

It seems every day something new piles on to the already burgeoning pile of mistrust, lack of truth or clarity, and that well used word ?sleaze?.

But have we reached saturation point here, where it?s ?just another thing? on Boris? As if he?s availed of a different set of rules and standards, by just being Boris Johnson.

It?s smelling and looking like the recent Trump era across the pond, and Trump himself gave Boris the title (and kiss of death) of ?Britain Trump? which to be fair, isn?t looking that far off the mark.

Surely even if acting ?neutral? people can see this isn?t sustainable. It is damaging to politics in the general, no matter where you sit. If you didn?t vote for him, are you in the ?well what did you expect? way of thinking.

Are we in a countdown with this one? If you voted for him, are you ok with all that?s going on around him, past and present.

Who might replace him ?

[KidKruger]

I guess it?s a bit like Brexit, those who voted ?for? will consistently claim that whatever happens that is what they voted for.

Hard to imagine many who voted for Johnson now conceding that he?s a pointless, lying, unqualified, traitor.

Maybe we need an insurrection - but by the anti-Johnson posse.

[Seabag]

Setting Brexit aside, even party politics, just as ?the leader? alone, he?s dismal. And if it?s about party not the person, then who?s there to move into his place?

There must be itchy people, within his party, sniffing for his position.

[diable rouge]

Beth Rigby at Shy saying Johnson's relationship with the Tory Party is purely transactional, in that they put up with his lies etc as long as he wins them elections. And I think that's true, history tells us they have no qualms about dumping a leader as soon as they become a liability with voters.

Talk this week of the Daily Mail maneuvering behind Gove after their negative press on Johnson, but he hasn't got the same pull with voters, and therein lies the Tories' problem, who has?...

[malumbu]

Much of the country doesn't care - they see him as being a funny bloke, and the person who got Britain out of Europe and saved the nation due to the vaccination programme. They may not watch the BBC news who have got it in for him at the moment, not sure how Channel 4 is portraying it, as they tend to be much more radical in reporting the news.

What did they used to say about Trump, he could commit first degree murder and get away with it (do provide a more accurate reference).

Not really sure why politics and the public's engagement has changed so much and so quickly.

There were stories that the knives were being sharpened many months ago, including those in the party who were unhappy with Cummings when he was still the PM's main man. But any recent criticism of him seems to lead to unbridled support by Cabinet members.

[malumbu]

Good thing Arlene has thrown herself under the bus, that will distract things.

[Droid]

Agree with Malumbu. The average Mondeo man, or whatever today's equivalent is, doesnt care much about which person(s) gave him the money to pay for the "Louis Farouk" decor. Most people know that politics is a murky world and they will forgive a lot ( infidelity, lies, corruption) as long as the incumbent buffoon delivers.

Boris has delivered in spades, when it comes to vaccines and saving lives and jobs. They also see him as a "character" - a likeable but lying eccentric with a bent spending money big time.

He's safe for now (just about) and will continue ( with a few more scars ) for a good while yet and certainly as long as all he has to face is Starmer.

When he does go, he can look forward to really well paid gigs on the lecture circuit and then there's the serialisation of his biography. His ego will be safe.

[Sephiroth]

?Delivering in spades saving lives ?

That?s an overly kind view tbf

[Sephiroth]

Average man/woman may or may not care

Yet it is AMAZING how much they care when it?s a labour leader up for election. Every little foible is very much Something Important and dutifully reported by the ?press?

And the same tories saying people don?t care we?re very much of the opinion that people cared about Sturgeon a couple of weeks ago

The whole thing stinks

[malumbu]

The media has been demonising Labour for some time - although Labour has hardly helped their cause....

I suppose you could look back on the Blair years and his mistakes (in particular WMD)/sleeze (eg Formula 1) which didn't prevent re-election and compare a tiny little with today.

[hammerman]

Who might replace him (Boris) then Seabag?

I can't imagine any other party political leader seeing us out of the other end of the Covid pandemic for example?

[Seabag]

hammerman Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Who might replace him (Boris) then Seabag?

>

> I can't imagine any other party political leader

> seeing us out of the other end of the Covid

> pandemic for example?

Lucky Boris was there when the pandemic kicked in? Is that the basic line on this?

He?s part of the problem, not the solution.Much the same for Brexit.

We?re in an abusive relationship with the man, try and wake up to that.

Let?s go back in time. Then imagine knowing a global pandemic was looming, and the two people put up for being in charge of the respective countries were Trump and Boris Johnson.

You?d have laughed and derided the idea, like any sane person would. The question of who might replace him (Boris) should really be ?who put him in charge??

We might get some where once we face up to that?!

[Blah Blah]

Droid Wrote:

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> He's safe for now (just about) and will continue (with a few more scars ) for a good while yet and

> certainly as long as all he has to face is Starmer.

Wrong. The electoral Commission are now investigating. It seems very apparent that the rules on party donations were broken and that is a criminal offense. If wrongdoing is found, he could find himself suspended from the House of Commons, and having to face a Police interview under caution. Being PM does not put him above the law, law that is there to ensure government and MPs can not be bought. It really doesn't matter what the common man thinks. This matters a lot. And how stupid of him to do it while PM. It was never going to end well for Boris. It never does for liars who have got away with it for far too long.

[Blah Blah]

Seabag Wrote:

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> The question of who might replace him (Boris) should really be ?who put him in charge??

>

> We might get some where once we face up to that?!

Indeed. All populists have enablers. The very idea that Boris is the best the country has is ridiculous. But that is the problem with populism. It does not seek to appeal to the rational. Instead it waffles, deflects and obfuscates, deliberately riling deep seated emotions in the course. The result is always a toxic and corrupt swing to the political extremes. When people care more about a flag than they do about inequality, then you know the country is screwed.

[Seabag]

I?m sure nobody ?voted? for this, but this is what we?ve got.

And everybody is entitled to privacy, only when you?re a public servant of the highest level, don?t be surprised by, or dismissive of probity of the position you?re in.

Keeping up the ?I don?t talk about my private life? and asserting the right ?to lie about my private life? only has so much runway.

This article from The Times covers much.

https://apple.news/A1eRCUnLGRBeYIVm97jIJZQ

[diable rouge]

Sephiroth Wrote:

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> ?Delivering in spades saving lives ?

>

> That?s an overly kind view tbf

Quite. We've had 3 lockdowns, each one personally delayed by Johnson, each delay costing lives. The buck starts and stops with him.

With respect to vaccines, there's no doubting they will save lives, but they will come more into their own as society slowly opens up. Johnson recently said himself that it's been the lockdowns that have primarily been saving lives.

The vaccine success is also less down to one individual, it's been a collective success.

Hancock with his roulette wheel scattergun approach of placing orders early and hoping his number comes up, allied with taxpayer's funding of AZ. Then you've got the scientists and trial volunteers, the NHS, and again an army of volunteers. And finally the public for taking up the vaccines in huge numbers. It's all these people who should be taking the credit, not a PM who would've rather seen ''bodies piled up''.

Re. the Electoral Commission: they're investigating the Tory Party, not Johnson personally, so don't be surprised if he wriggles out of any blame if wrongdoing is proved. It is strange though exactly what it is that's being covered up, judging by Johnson's meltdown at PMQs yesterday, it could be a lot bigger than an undeclared decorating bill...

[Blah Blah]

Yes, the meltdown was quite something. Apparently the Commission made their announcement an hour before PMQs. He clearly doesn't want them involved, hence the announcement of window dressing reviews that he will have the option to reject the findings of anyway. The whole thing stinks of another attempt to game the system and take the public for fools. That is all Johnson knows. Behind the messy hair is a ruthless, nasty, dishonest, entitled man. He is vile.

[diable rouge]

On trend... :)

[TheCat]

Believe it or not....I didn't vote for Boris. And despite my various views on here, I am not a 'died in the wool tory'.....

But....I think one of the reasons 'people' don't care about these issues as much as many of you would like.... Is that the hysteria every time Boris cuts a fart means when he actually does fuck up (like now)....people have lost interest.....

Not saying it's right. But unfort it's how it is I think.

[Sephiroth]

Doff that cap much farther and you?ll bump into a lamppost

Sorry - but your ?logic? falls apart if you apply it to anyone else. People never stop being interested in other leaders no matter how often they ?cut a fart?

And wether people are interested in what?s going on or not is beside the point - the government and democratic structure of the country needs to be in check

[TheCat]

i dont know why i bother

[Sephiroth]

Edit because I was more snarky than even I want to be

[Sephiroth]

My point is this. People who say ?you lot are attacking Johnson but people just don?t care? might well be (currently) correct

That in no way diminishes the problem at hand

[Seabag]

After watching PMQ?s (again) we see Johnson deflection technique again and again, where he?s questioned or a clear point is made and he goes off on his fairly standard five or six point scree, filling the space with the positive things (with a lie woven in somewhere too) I?m sure he wants (and his analysis team are pushing) to leave hanging in the air and in the ears of those listening.

I say listening, but really if you do listen closely, you don?t actually get an answer, and definitely never or rarely a straight and true one. Though his ?no? lies do come out clearer I?ve noticed.

It starts with something like ? I?ll tell you Mr Speaker, I?ll tell you Mr Speaker? while he scrambles for what he?s about to stuff the air with. It?s both fascinating and boring at the same time. And if course it?s all intentional.

However, what he?s less good at is when he?s faced with an investigation, where the facts laid bare lay Johnson bare. And these he dreads, for good reason. Mostly because he?s unable to bluff his way out. And slowly these add to growing history of behaviour. He?s a liar, a proven liar, and one who?s paid the price for those lies.

Johnson enemy has always been himself, and like Trump it has a time limit.Though for me it?s the corrosion down the line that?s most damaging, where his defenders and enablers chip away at the institutions of what can hold good for a country.

It?s corruption on so many levels, sadly.

[Earl Aelfheah]

The fact that there is an investigation (in fact 3 now) to try and uncover who initially stumped up the money for the flat refurbishment when he could just tell us is unbelievable. What an absolute waste of time, money and effort. What is he playing at? It makes me think there must be something really shady about it for him to be burning political capital on it and amplifying the story through his silence.