Boris and Carrie have had their baby

[boomchikawowwow]

I didn't realise she was due already. Baby boy born this morning!

@Clavinova I don't think the Libya Conference started until the Monday? Yes he flew to Berlin on Sunday. Is the flight what you are counting as working weekends?

@Clavinova Do you have access to Hohnson's diary? I can't find press reports of him making weekend telephone calls with various leaders and presidents? I can find press reports that say things like, during the telephone call on Friday...
So proof please, because I suspect whether that is actually true.

19th January 2020 was a Sunday -

PM meeting with President Putin: 19 January 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson met President Vladimir Putin at the Libya conference in Berlin.
Updated: 19 January 2020

PM meeting with President Macron: 19 January 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Libya conference in Berlin.
Updated: 19 January 2020

Do you have access to Hohnson's diary?

No - Government website.

The Sunday flood visit was the BBC;
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-51791346

So flippin' what?! It's his job!

Sorry, but not impressed with that one little bit. He can hardly dip out of conferences that he has to attend in his role as PM.

I more worry about him swerving 5 COBR meetings on the pandemic TBH. No straining of sinews there.

There were lots of rumours circulating when he was Mayor that he was very lazy and did not work many hours. Well he did need time with his pole dancing friend, can't remember her name. I wonder if we will ever hear the results of the investigation into their relationship?

For me, bottom line is... having had COVID and the baby will give him a free pass for a while. But weeks/months down the line, that won't work and there'll be no hiding not even in a fridge and his strengths or weaknesses will be bare for all to see.

@rousette There are still those who will defend him. But there are those who defend the obvious idiot Trump as well.
If you think a proven liar who is rumoured to be lazy and who has poor morals makes a good Prime Minister, then that is up to you.

PM call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: 15 March 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.

PM call with Prime Minister Abe: 15 March 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Prime Minister Abe of Japan today.

PM call with President Trump: 14 March 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with President Donald Trump.

PM call with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison: 14 March 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison today.

So as one example the meeting with Macron on a Sunday,

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister met President Macron in the margins of the Berlin Conference on Libya.

The Prime Minister and President discussed the ongoing conflict in Libya. The Prime Minister stressed the need to bring an end to the fighting and for all parties to support peace talks to determine a way forward for the Libyan people.

On Iran, the leaders reiterated their commitment to the JCPoA and also acknowledged the need to define a long-term framework to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. They agreed on the importance of de-escalation and of working with international partners to find a diplomatic way through the current tensions.

This sounds like a short meet and greet at an international conference. Hardly a 3 hour meeting hammering out details of international agreements.
Oh yes and he visited the flooding after being criticised for a few weeks for staying away. So he finally gave into pressure and put in a short appearance with the press there.

I just think that wishing them both well is inappropriate

How lovely. Well I wish them well as I would any couple who have just had a baby. Clearly this annoys many people but there it is.

@Clavinova Are we supposed to be impressed by the fact that during an international pandemic Johnson made what sounds like short phone calls, 2 on a Saturday and 2 on a Sunday?

Boris Johnson’s aides were ordered to send him shorter memos, limiting papers to just two sides of A4. Civil servants have also been told to cut the number of documents put into the prime minister’s red box to “make sure that he reads them”

He had a 10 day holiday over Christmas then a 2 week holiday in February.

He missed 5 COBRA meetings when covid 19 was a clear threat.

And the internet is full of quotes like this from people who have worked with him. Johnson’s deputy mayor, Roger Evans, said he “very quickly learned to brief [Johnson] in less than five minutes, adding that “any longer was wasted time.”

Clavinova what's the point in showing you went on the phone over a weekend?
I used to in my full-on job. So do millions of other people. And they catch flights over a weekend, and do work that eats into their weekend.

Unimpressive.
It's his job.

cantory
You asked for some proof of telephone meetings - no doubt there would be some preparation before the calls were made and action afterwards. A telephone call to a lawyer can be brief but then you get a hefty bill for the preparation you don't see.

Boris Johnson’s aides were ordered to send him shorter memos, limiting papers to just two sides of A4. Civil servants have also been told to cut the number of documents put into the prime minister’s red box to “make sure that he reads them”

Where is your proof of this?

Johnson’s deputy mayor, Roger Evans, said he “very quickly learned to brief [Johnson] in less than five minutes, adding that “any longer was wasted time.”

Well OK, but you've missed off the point of his article;

"Briefing in five minutes saves time and focusses on the arguments and possible objections. It leaves people free to get on with their jobs and cuts the time spent in meetings."

"Contact us to find out how Roger and Barndoor Strategy can help you with your presentation skills." !!!

It's all over the internet. Many reports of this.

We should've learnt from his time as Mayor. Time and money on Boris island, messing about with Routemasters, the water cannons and on....

Then foreign secretary... his bigoted comments and not exactly commanding respect in the world.
But the country voted for him, more fool them. Handling of the pandemic will be his letdown I think - only time will tell.

But I refuse to be impressed with someone who takes a call on a weekend and has to prepare for that call. It's what millions do all the time.

@Clavinova I did not take the quote from that article, so did not leave anything off. 5 minutes is not enough briefing time for complex issues such as international affairs. It just isn't.

Those type of meetings and phone calls where I have read the description just sound like formulaic ones, no real preparation required. So - this is what we are doing to tackle covid 19 in brief, yes we will work together to tackle this. Read Yes Prime Minister which Margaret Thatcher said was very accurate, it is full of formalic phone calls and very short meetings which are really simple courtesy calls.

An american view of Boris. Extremely accurate in my book.

nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/boris-johnson-brexit.html

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison today.

How lovely. They have so much in common....

@Roussette Thanks that is an interesting article. I agree that he has excellent political instincts. He also knows that a lot of people don't actually care if he is lazy.

A new baby has been born and anyone hoping the scummy comments could be held off for one day are sadly mistaken. MN is famous for their loony left brigade so no surprise.

He is rumoured to never work weekends as PM. So if true he will be having weekends off anyway.

Good for him, better than presenteeism.
I don't think it'll lose him any votes.

It's all over the internet. Many reports of this.

Any reliable links?

As for being on holiday - twenty years ago before my dh got a mobile phone I used to sit outside telephone boxes for half an hour in the middle of nowhere while he made work calls - apparently he was having a mid-week break.

MN is famous for their loony left brigade so no surprise

Can I call thread bingo....?

We've had ToryBoy exciting himself over his chance to be Very Definitely Tory Cheerleader and now we've got "loony left".

It's like a parody and it never, ever disappoints.