Does anyone actually believe that Boris didn't knowingly break the rules?

[BlueBloodedBlue]

Other than his cronies (and even they can't really believe it!)

From the evidence, he’s either a pathological liar (and misled Parliament to boot) or exceptionally thick and didn’t understand the rules he set and personally explained for the rest of us.

Neither makes him an ideal candidate for PM TBH.

@LessTime

The photo is pretty clear

I think the photo is from an entirely different “party”. The party we’re talking about was just that, an actual party. The photo was from supposedly a “work meeting” which you can just about believe if you stretch your imagination to its limits

You can't break rules that you think don't apply to you... or that you think is someone else's problem to keep track of.

So yeah, I believe ignorance is his accurate explanation. I find it very easy to believe in BJ's ignorance!

No. Boris Johnson is absolutely not a stupid man - he has spent his entire political career curating a "loveable idiot" (not my opinion mind) persona - "Boris? Oh he's harmless, he's got scruffy hair and does things like get stuck on ziplines and presents telly shows (hignfy)".

But I do think he is incredibly arrogant and it simply will not have occurred to him that he wouldn't get away with it or that anyone would question him.

This isn't the only thing, if you look at his history there's a he'll of a lot any other politician, especially a woman, wouldn't get away with with the public.

I genuinely think he sees himself as special and above the rules/moral duty.

No! He was on tv telling us what to do almost every night.

It's like listening to an 8yr old boy try and wheedle out of something isn't it ?

'I didn't do it' - photographic evidence, emails and whatsapp groups/texts and a bunch of people said you did

'I didn't know' - you were standing in front of the country for months telling everyone what the rules were, are you saying you forgot , didn't think they applied to you as PM ?

'they made me do it ' would you jump off a cliff if they told you to ? said with a slightly hopeful tone of voice

I am just waiting for the 'I was sick/too drunk/off my tits on drugs to realise what was happening ' Possibly not the latter if he is considering the optics. He could almost go with the drunk angle, do a sad face article in the DM about alcohol abuse, go teetotal till it all quietens down ?

Of course he knew. He just didn’t think the rules applied to him.

According to a former employee working in Downing street, drinking during the working day is not unusual and never has been. apparently they work long hours for relatively low pay and impromptu drinks parties are a bit of a perk.

May Boris stumbled into one of these normal tippling events and didn't realise it was an actual party, just a normal day at the office.

He absolutely knew in my opinion.

@CorrBlimeyGG

Sadly there are plenty of people that do still believe him, and will go with whatever shit he comes out with. Have a look at some of his supporters groups on Facebook, it's like another world!

Agree…..I live in a Tory constituency and the comments on our NextDoor app are excruciating….I actually feel embarrassed for the commenters and their lack of critical thinking!!

Nadine Dorries might. No one else does

Yes I do

apparently they work long hours for relatively low pay I honestly don't think this will be a good excuse to use if they are reading the room, given inflation, council tax rises, fuel prices, general fall in standard of living, increase in poverty etc. Unless they can come up for a reason for all of the above being the fault of the EU or just the French would probably do ?

How could they?

He is in charge of our government. The same government who wrote the rules. Of course he knew what they said and if it met the rules or not. Of course he knew they didn't.

He isn't sorry. He is sorry he and his mates got caught.

In the interview I've just seen he's like the child who gets caught doing something wrong and is trying to wheedle their way out of it, head down in front of the head teacher.

Is @janiiejones still defending him?

I can believe he personally considered it ‘work’ in as much as it was a function with his work colleagues, which he possibly attended largely because it was polite to do so and it was held in his own garden, rather than seeing it like “hosting a party” for his personal friends for fun

Yes something like this ^^

I think there is a culture of drinking and that it was common to hold an event like this where the purpose would be to network/decompress/and seen as a thank you from senior people .And that BJ would see this as work .(I heard an interview with someone on Radio 4 describing this ,think she was a civil servant? and this was the norm prior to the pandemic )
But it was against the rules at the time and shows how above us they think we are .

Also think BJ is going to spin it so that he presents himself as a martyr,
"taking full responsibility" and the person who is going to change the culture .

It wasn’t the norm across the civil service. That lets him off the hook a little. Maybe the norm under his Downing Street

I've just seen the same interview. He was trying to think of an.excuse and couldn't, so was looking down at his shoes. Pathetic. I'm sick of this. But who is competent to replace him? I can't think of anyone!

they think we are = they think they are

Also think BJ is going to spin it so that he presents himself as a martyr,
"taking full responsibility" and the person who is going to change the culture

I think he could almost pull that off, not the actual doing anything to change the culture malarky, but the getting away with it by pretending he cares enough to do it.

It’s an incredible claim given that he made the rules.

So either he did such a piss poor job they even he didn’t understand what the government he leads was telling people to do.

Or he knowingly broke his own rules.

Neither reflects well on him or suggests he should be in the position he’s in.

And now he is probably thinks Ng that if he lifts all restrictions inc face masks, he wins and we will happily move on

Boris- your full of shit. Per usual!! Of course he knew, I don’t believe e got a second he didn’t.

for

No and it will make my week if he is gone by this time next week. An utter arrogant self serving pratt