Another Bloody Downing Street party

[JustJam4Tea]

So hours after telling us to only meet one other person outside from a different household 100 invited to Downing Street BYO in the garden.

It was unlawful to mix outside. If my employer had invited 100 staff to a garden party we’d have all been arrested.

This is surely now without doubt the worst British government ever. I never slander anyone for their general political preferences, because I think there are decent MPs in all political parties. But how the hell can 30% of people at this moment still say they would vote Tory at the next election? If you really can’t stomach the thought of voting Labour, Lib Dems, Greens, etc then surely you’d just abstain. But actually still supporting this mob? I don’t get it.

The civil servant who sent out the invite is (from Wiki usual caveats apply) apparently an ex ambassador (expert party thrower maybe?!) And graduate of Caius College Cambridge. Breathtaking.

@NewYearNewKale

The civil servant who sent out the invite is (from Wiki usual caveats apply) apparently an ex ambassador (expert party thrower maybe?!) And graduate of Caius College Cambridge. Breathtaking.

However wonderful a Cambridge education is they obviously don't do commonsense.

@kittensinthekitchen

Yes I agree, but what I can’t fathom, is when it comes to the virus why so many don’t question the lies, the figures, that are grossly overestimated, that’s being kind at best.

@Roselilly36

What I can't fathom is why people keep spouting this nonsense.

What is your evidence that figures are "grossly overestimated"?

Where do I start, perhaps with the 75,000 that were estimated to die of omicron after Christmas, such a threat, Gov considered cancelling Christmas for another year.

I heard a journalist on the radio the other week discussing the Christmas party and she said it had been known about since January (can’t remember her name)

Of course it’s been known why it’s not been reported is a different matter the media has agendas too. It’s a small world all senior politicians and government employees have connections to journalists

Often things are reported in an obscure way to protect those leaking information

If Argar, the Minister who drew the short straw this am, had a pound for every time he said "Sue Gray" in his interview he'd be a rich man (perhaps already is).Good old Kay Burley who doesn't stand any nonsense.
Just to say totally agree with pps who don't accept all the all politicians are the same/not interested in parties a year ago crap.

@SerendipityJane
In fairness, the last election was about Brexit and most people just wanted the shitshow to end, even though majority knew that it would harm the country. But it was too late, as the vote was in, and decades of anti-EU propaganda had served its purpose in the context of an electorate that saw a Leave vote as a way to stick up two fingers at mainstream Conservative AND Labour politicians. Making Brexit End Now basically meant voting Tory.
Of course all fault lies at the door of the Tory Party. They fucked the country with Brexit, possible 4.5% GDP loss to the country, and landed us with Johnson!

@OhWhyNot

I heard a journalist on the radio the other week discussing the Christmas party and she said it had been known about since January (can’t remember her name)

Of course it’s been known why it’s not been reported is a different matter the media has agendas too. It’s a small world all senior politicians and government employees have connections to journalists

Often things are reported in an obscure way to protect those leaking information

The journalist I heard said that due to legal issues, i.e. newspapers getting sued, they have to have a certain level of proof before they can publish. So she knew about certain things but didn't have the requisite proof to convince the legal bods that it was safe to publish.

Its appalling.
I thought my opinion of Boris and his cronies couldn't sink any lower.
Yet it has!

One thought on why it didn't come out sooner, and what it says about those who were invited but didn't attend:
I actually think that leaking it at the time (or during subsequent lockdowns, especially before the vaccination programme) would have been hugely irresponsible. Not as irresponsible as those who organised and attended such a party of course...

What would have happened had this news come out in May 2020? How many people would have stuck so strictly to the rules as they did? How could the police have enforced any of the rules with any credibility if we had known what we know now? I expect that the death rates would have been even higher (not just for covid but for other emergencies and illnesses too, due to NHS being even more swamped).

The potential consequences of the public knowing about the party at the time make the fact this party was organised even worse, of course. Because the knock on effect is far higher than the direct consequences of 100 people from an average workplace attending a party (which would still have been bad).

And they should have known this! They risked public compliance and trust, and in doing this risked many, many thousands of lives. For a fucking party.
The arrogance, selfishness, stupidity and sheer callousness required astound me.

So I am glad it didn't leak at the time. But still furious it happened.

I mean the millions (billions?) of public money they splurge on "behavioural science" expertise, and they couldn't see any potential drawback to holding a massive party at a time when high public compliance with very difficult restrictions was essential??
Fucking hell.

In fairness, the last election was

when people were told what a Tory government is like.

I have very little sympathy for those that enabled these people into power - especially as they were warned. They can stew in their mess. It's the people they kicked in the teeth I cry for.

Also if people were really outraged, rather than pretend outraged, we'd be in the middle of a month long general strike and the government would be holed up behind tanks protecting them from the fury of the mob.

The fact we aren't and they aren't means they'll just do it again.

And again.

Can't say as I'm so bothered about this one, we had a street party, every sitting in front of their house or in their drive and all socially distanced, around the same time.

Did you make the Law, which you ignored (partly) if you were all sitting in front of your houses?

Not if these are Cummings revelations
If they are, the uncomfortable underlying question is whether to further the Cummings agenda

While the idea of Cummings sailing back into the vicinity of power, and what he might do with it, IS terrifying, I'm not sure they are (all) Cummings' doing. I think there are plenty of aides who are sick of being in the Johnson administration, and have realised (finally) just how willing he is to throw other people under the bus, and who are thinking 'fuck it then.'

Unfortunately, though, I don't think it'll stop people voting for the Tories, so

Can't say as I'm so bothered about this one, we had a street party, every sitting in front of their house or in their drive and all socially distanced, around the same time.

Even if you weren't personally inconvenienced by the lockdowns, can you find it in yourself to give a shit about the many, many people who died alone and frightened while the Tories (and you) were celebrating?

Boris needs to go. The buck stops with him and his shambolic, arrogant leadership (or lack of it) is a disgrace. Someone with a moral compass needs to replace him.

@Wintersun but what does Starmer have to do with it ? The conservatives are in power, have been for the last 12 years. This is all on them. Stop deflecting about Starmer.

Yes of course they have to have proof. What is the proof here one email sent to 100 people over 18 months ago. I don’t believe only one person has just reported this to a journalist this has been sat on for what ever reason for a long time

Let’s not forget their ambitions too being the one to publish the story and media playing politics. Senior politicians and advisers back stabbing each other. It all plays a role rather than just a story being published. Publishing a story at the right time was important too we were told a few weeks ago more was to come.

Journalists are not all driven by telling the public the truth but thankfully we do have freedoms here that allow good and at times not so good journalists to publish these type of stories

Not read the whole thread but the smirk on Johnson's face in recent clip on BBC when he says he won't comment as the matter is under investigation by Sue Gray, just made me so angry I could have punched him
Maybe we should all go on strike and abolish this government

Can't say as I'm so bothered about this one, we had a street party, every sitting in front of their house or in their drive and all socially distanced, around the same time.

For real?

"Can't get too het up about someone else hijacking an airplane/robbing a bank/stealing the Mona Lisa, I ate a grape before paying in a supermarket once".

WHY on WHY do people make this about Labour.

Surely, at this point, you have to admit that this party is so utterly inadequate and CRIMINAL that you cant possibly possibly believe that another party would be worse.

@YogaLite

Not read the whole thread but the smirk on Johnson's face in recent clip on BBC when he says he won't comment as the matter is under investigation by Sue Gray, just made me so angry I could have punched him Maybe we should all go on strike and abolish this government

So awful!

No investigation necessary for him to answer the question. He just means “I have delegated this to an underling so that they can find a loophole”.

when people were told what a Tory government is like.

I have very little sympathy for those that enabled these people into power - especially as they were warned. They can stew in their mess. It's the people they kicked in the teeth I cry for.

I agree, it's not the government that needs to be held to account (won't happen anyway, half of them have already been held in contempt of parliament or breaking the ministerial code, they didn't give a shit) it's the people who voted for them that need to be held to account.
If they couldn't see what a bunch of liars they were you are stupid.
If you could and didn't care (I suspect majority of their voters) you are contemptible and have dragged the whole country down to your level.

Surely, at this point, you have to admit that this party is so utterly inadequate and CRIMINAL that you cant possibly possibly believe that another party would be worse.

I’m at that point. Labour aren’t sure what a woman is, seem incapable of getting rid of the awful Angela Rayner or the insidious influence of Momentum……..but no, despite all my reservations, they could not be worse than the Tory party now.

I could sort of understand what Cummings did. If my OH’s family had a massive country pile miles away from the epicentre of a pandemic then I’d probably be tempted to head there tbh. I wouldn’t have, but I can see why he did. Maybe he wanted to avoid the parties that were going on or something 🤷‍♀️
I can’t understand the motivation to hold the parties, just like I can’t understand the motivation of the people who held parties in my area and quite rightly got fined for them.

@JustJam4Tea

There's no way Theresa May or Kier Starmer or Tony Blair or (probably) David Cameron would have done this. Or created a culture where it was OK to throw a party on the same day they'd told everyone to only meet one person outside.

I agree.

Johnson’s inability to face up to consequences is pathological.

Surely those 60 who didn’t attend are almost as bad - keeping it secret for 18 months whilst the country goes to hell in a (liar’s) handcart.