AIBU to think that Boris should resign now?

[Seemslikeagoodidea]

Today it has been revealed that in May 2020 invitations were emailed to (allegedly) 100 Downing Street staff, for a garden party. This party happened during the first lockdown, when many people could not visit their elderly relatives, even on their death beds, due to the lockdown rules. The email was sent by one of the PM's top people, and stated that people should "bring their own booze and enjoy the sunshine". Today Boris has been conspicuous by his absence.

I think this is the final straw and shows a lack of judgement and absence of moral fibre. Enough is enough - he should resign and if he doesn't do it then his own party should force him to go.

AIBU?

Sad though it makes me - I think every election in my lifetime has been won by a party campaigning along the lines of "we're not as shit as them". It's a particular bugbear of mine: that our politics is based on aiming to be the least worst option, not on being the best option.

I've always thought this too - saying negative things about the opposition rather than promoting the positives of their own party.
Even the remain campaign seemed to be built on horror stories of what would happen if we left, rather than promoting the benefits of being in the EU.

@Christmaswindows

Keir Starmer is no better, comes across as nothing but a whiney little baby.

Starmer doesn’t come across better than the PM and his cohort? Really?

I suppose it depends on what metrics your using to decide what’s ‘better’. Personally I can’t see how the current PM could stoop much lower without going publicly embracing despotism.

If Starmer is the rope that gets us out of the well I’ll vote for him over waiting for someone that just isn’t there.

Any gathering clearly needs investigating but tbh I'd rather be in a country with the fastest economic growth, fastest vaccine rollout etc

Yeah... let the bodies pile high.

Also, what if there had been a super-spreader event at that party? It could have taken out the PM's closest team of civil servants all at once. It was totally irresponsible. And BJ is trying to make out that he was not really responsible because he just visited for 25 mins or something? Passing the buck as usual. Totally predictable sadly.

You'd rather be in a country where the laws only apply to the little people and that the Prime Minister lies to Parliament and then needs 24 hours and no doubt lawyers to proof his excuses (and we get to pay for the lawyers!).
Fab.

How about having a thriving economy AND a Prime Minister with integrity.

'But what about (X/Starmer/the welsh government)' is scraping the barrel for an argument.

He played dumb about parties at Downing Street, got caught in the denial, parties did happen, he didn't attend know about them/attend, now he has got caught in that denial. You might feel 'meh' about it, and be okay with the lying, that is your call and most people know and welcomed 'the legend, lad, liar Boris' and think him attending a garden party is nothing. But that is because expectations are lower to match what people needed from him. To serve their own needs. But using the 'whatabout' argument here is lazy. Other people wouldn't do this. They are allowed to feel aggreived about it and pissed off that he lied. Bringing the strengths or weaknesses of others into it doesn't dilute the fact that he lied.

I think future generations will look back at this time and wonder what the hell the British public were doing voting for this imbecile - in the same way they will look back at the Trump years.

Boris lacks any moral compass. He is probably the most selfish PM we have ever had. He and his cronies will always come first. he will not resign, but if his party do nothing to get rid of him then they will have to face the consequences in the next elecion.

I can't belivee some people are defending him. A guy on the radio saying it's a witch hunt and 'everyone was having bbqs at the time. We bloody weren't. I kept all of the rules because, unlike Boris, I know right from wrong.

@alwaysraining123 Just another example of how the Conservatives and Elites don't think the rules apply to them

I think this is a really unhelpful take on things. It’s trying to emphasise a political divide when actually this issue is something that most people agree on regardless of their political persuasion. It’s exactly what boris accused people of in pmqs today … partisan politics… trying to manipulate a situation for political gain. It discredits the person saying it when there’s a good point to make.

Personally I don’t believe all conservatives think this way, just as I don’t believe all Labour Party members are raging communists. A few people give others a bad name. As for the “elite” - again a divisive term that does nothing for the subject in question. Many of these people aren’t “elite”. Many of those who are wouldn’t dream of doing what the PM does.

I’m against what has happened because it’s plain wrong, not because it was done by conservatives or people with wealth behind them.

This may have already been mentioned but no time to go through 15 odd pages.

If 40 plus people turned up to the party then 40 plus people are also tossers who didn't obey the restrictions. I think Boris should resign but who were all the people ? MPs ? Downing Office workers ?

I personally wouldn't want anyone who attended to become PM. I think we should be given the names of MPs who were there.

@Exhausteddog

Sad though it makes me - I think every election in my lifetime has been won by a party campaigning along the lines of "we're not as shit as them". It's a particular bugbear of mine: that our politics is based on aiming to be the least worst option, not on being the best option.

I've always thought this too - saying negative things about the opposition rather than promoting the positives of their own party.
Even the remain campaign seemed to be built on horror stories of what would happen if we left, rather than promoting the benefits of being in the EU.

The leave campaign was largely built on what ‘they’ were denying us under the banner of ‘take back control’. It wasn’t a positive campaign. It was bitter and built on fabrications and promises that could never be kept.

I don’t know what the answer is but negativity speaks to the public better than positivity.

'If 40 plus people turned up to the party then 40 plus people are also tossers who didn't obey the restrictions'

But they were surely people who minutes before were inside the building working together so what actually is the problem?

If we find out people on their days off were turning up with their kids in tow fine, but work colleagues going outside and the PM spending 25mins with them does not outrage me.

Some of you must stopped being so whipped into a frenzy by the media.

I love how there are people that think that every thread about the obvious indiscretions of our PM and his team are actually threads about how bad Kier Starmer or the great British public are.

Boris has never been fit to hold the office of PM and I just hope that this is finally the nail that seals his coffin, but I doubt it. Starmer's performance at the dispatch box does not change what Boris has done.

Ditto, changing government rules to let their mates off.
At least that was one which backfired on them forcing the MP to resign and the electorate giving the Tories a most almighty thrashing.

This was a massive error of judgement. If nothing else it would obviously have got out, but going into a garden for 25mins to thank staff who were drinking wine doesn't seem that outrageous

But he's LYING about it even now! Claiming he thought it was a "work event" rather than a party.

@JaniieJones

'If 40 plus people turned up to the party then 40 plus people are also tossers who didn't obey the restrictions'

But they were surely people who minutes before were inside the building working together so what actually is the problem?

If we find out people on their days off were turning up with their kids in tow fine, but work colleagues going outside and the PM spending 25mins with them does not outrage me.

Some of you must stopped being so whipped into a frenzy by the media.

Events like this were specifically advised against by the government when asked about them.

You are clearly happy with a bunch of hypocrites who can't even lead by example being in charge.

Well, it is said that we get the politicians we deserve.

For those saying we should be more concerned about education, the economy etc. This happened at a time when all that was impacted. People trying to work from home, home schooling. Scrambling to provide for themselves and others. I was head to toe ppe, bagging up my uniform at the end of shift, stripping at the front door before touching my family. The anger and hurt is excruciating. Do not try to diminish what they did out of rabid dedication to a political party.

@Christmaswindows

Keir Starmer is no better, comes across as nothing but a whiney little baby.

No he doesn't? He comes across as a measured and intelligent man, who doesn't lie in parliament, doesn't break his own rules and isn't corrupt. Imagine such a thing in our government.

This is just beyond belief isn’t it? No wonder Boris was so keen to make Cummings trip to Barnard Castle a non-issue, he really wasn’t in any position to do otherwise.

There are so many other skeletons just waiting to be discovered on the Downing Street cupboard.

Why are the media trawling out all the stories people who lost people. Yes very sad but not comparable situations.

If we find out Johnson attended a funeral with 100 people present fine but he didn't. A brief garden visit with colleagues, he has apologised it was an error of judgement.

They have got a lot right in the pandemic.

@JaniieJones

Why are the media trawling out all the stories people who lost people. Yes very sad but not comparable situations.

If we find out Johnson attended a funeral with 100 people present fine but he didn't. A brief garden visit with colleagues, he has apologised it was an error of judgement.

They have got a lot right in the pandemic.

He's the Prime Minister. He can't afford such epic errors of judgment (repeatedly).

As a leftie I'm glad he's fucked up again- a couple of years ago I couldn't see the UK ever having a labour government again but this makes it a bit more feasible.

How many 'works events' as you to bring your own booze?

IF it was a work event, why did he take his wife?

How the hell was it technically within the letter of the rules.

Some of you must stopped being so whipped into a frenzy by the media

It's nothing to do with 'being whipped into a frenzy'. It's talking about facts.

What restrictions and rules were set at that time.

Let's remember things like Scotland's Chief Medical officer resigning because she visited her second home with her own family just a couple of weeks before this party. Yes, it was a party.

I think you're forgetting what it was like for everyone during that lockdown. How awful it was for some people, how there were no funerals to speak of (I went to a 'virtual' one online, it was absolutely cold and upsetting) no wakes, no seeing elderly parents in care homes... and so on.

Dismissing this party as nothing is awful. IMO.

@JaniieJones

'If 40 plus people turned up to the party then 40 plus people are also tossers who didn't obey the restrictions'

But they were surely people who minutes before were inside the building working together so what actually is the problem?

If we find out people on their days off were turning up with their kids in tow fine, but work colleagues going outside and the PM spending 25mins with them does not outrage me.

Some of you must stopped being so whipped into a frenzy by the media.

People are not whipped up into a frenzy by the media over this, they don't need the media pushing them into outrage. How can you not be moved by the stories people are telling of relatives dying alone/not seeing friends and family for months on end/people being arrested, or at least moved on by the police for sitting on a bench or talking to someone else in public - when all the while Boris and co carried on socialising at will. I'm guessing you are a hard of thinking type who will vote for these incompetent immoral people at the next election.

And Boris did bring his wife and child along - who in fact live above number 11 (Sunak and family live at number 10) so you cannot even say his wife was just socialising in her own garden.

I don’t know what the answer is but negativity speaks to the public better than positivity.

It's the politics of fear and, as a tactic I think it's being used more and more.

You see it on here:

'At least Johnson is not Starmer'
or
'At least Starmer is not Johnson'

In both cases, these are rubbish reasons to ask someone to lead the country. It encourages tribalism and division rather than proper assessment and accountability of and from our elected officials whose actions should always be subject to scrutiny - no matter who they are.

I think Boris should resign but who were all the people ? MPs ? Downing Office workers ?

Civil servants