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?

@BashStreetKid

Simon Hoare MP now saying this was a party to welcome Johnson back from hospital and say thank you to Raab for holding the fort. twitter.com/search?q=Raab&src=trend_click&vertical=trends

So definitely a party, then, and it does look rather like Raab has some questions to answer, too.

Raab was furiously whispering to Boris Johnson at one point in PMQs and by the screwed up brow he wasn't whispering sweet nothings.

My neighbor retired now saw NI Falkland Islands, Eastern Europe, he says it's normal to party in awful times. He's not impressed with the pearl clutching, mask wearing, self righteous namby pambies who have never had to dig up mass graves in Bosnia, no counselling out there he said

@justasking111 with respect, your neighbours military service and views on Covid measures are utterly irrelevant.

@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.

You know perfectly well why that is highly relevant. Please don't pretend to be obtuse.

And 150,000 deaths doesn't look like "getting a lot right".

@Clavinova

That was actually at work, whilst doing work. You can drink during work if it is allowed in that business.

What happened at downing street and other government buildings was not work. They were purely social gatherings. Not work.

"But it happened throughout, my family awash with NHS workers from consultant's down partied hard, Christmas, birthdays, nightclubbing, it's up on their Instagram pages no big secret. They're still standing after 22 months of covid from 50 plus year olds right down to 3rd year med students."

@justasking111 - well they certainly weren't doing it when Boris was enjoying his little booze up/small glass of wine (whichever you believe). Pubs and restaurants didn't open until June? July? We went for a weekend break in August and they were doing the 'eat out to help out' to get people using the restaurants again. I couldn't get my hair cut until then as my hairdresser was inundated for appointments when she opened in July.

And nightclubs were closed for well over 12 months - I remember everything finally opening just before the schools broke up last year. My sister has a daughter with an auto-immune problem and she was worried about covid levels soaring when nightclubs opened.

They may have partied, I don't doubt that, people play hard when life is hard. But they didn't do it in May 2020 because nowhere was open for them to do it and they'd be arrested if they tried it in a park!

Isn't it a bit odd that people are still trying to justify this on here when Johnson has apologised (several times, did anyone count?) and admitted it was wrong and he wishes it hadn't happened.

Do all his fans think he's wrong now or wrong then?

Itsalmostanaccessory
That was actually at work, whilst doing work. You can drink during work if it is allowed in that business

So you can have an alcoholic drink whilst working after all? Was Keir Starmer asked to bring his own beer?

@Soffit

it is obvious that Rishi does not want the job, right now in 2022 at a stage of the pandemic when we still cannot predict the end. This leaves precisely nobody with more charisma. It leaves may honest potential leaders but as Kier proves, it is not enough

I dunno, I think all the obvious contenders now aren't really big enough hitters to be able to wait for their moment. They're all the sort who get presented with an opportunity by circumstance rather than clear leaders in waiting.

There was a statue of limitation but some people dismantled it and threw it into the harbour.

It was an error or judgement not crime of the century, he's apologised but it was a work place. They were colleagues. So what.

The "so what" is the stark contrast between overprivileged. gits poncing about in Downing Street and the austere and stern pronouncements and instructions being issued forth to us proles by those exact same cunts - or which Johnson is leader.

'That was actually at work, whilst doing work. You can drink during work if it is allowed in that business.'

Exactly! work colleagues in an outdoor communal work area, drinking which is no doubt 'allowed in that business'. Not say, if they were a bunch of neurosurgeons on a break.

@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.

The problem, as you well know, is that it was being emphasised that this sort of gathering was out of the question, irrespective of the background circumstances. There was no exception saying "but it's fine if you were working with them during the day". Nor was there any exception saying "It's fine if you keep socially distanced". And Johnson and his friends knew that perfectly well.

Keir Starmer didn’t make the rules. Boris did and he broke them. Does this really need pointing out. Is this the only line of defence now for Boris fans?

@ancientgran

Isn't it a bit odd that people are still trying to justify this on here when Johnson has apologised (several times, did anyone count?) and admitted it was wrong and he wishes it hadn't happened.

Do all his fans think he's wrong now or wrong then?

Yes it was wrong but folks were partying through the pandemic from the start some got sick, some really sick, some died. Some still think it's a government conspiracy, some think it's Chinese warfare. The reasons for breaking the rules are legion

@Itsalmostanaccessory

Do you not see an issue with that sort of behaviour from a prime minister?

No the poster doesn't. He/she has repeatedly said he/she doesn't see it as a problem and is 'meh' about it. He/she sees more value in the economic recovery and the vaccine rollout. Their lens is on this. Not on lies or deaths or failings. I guess it gives us a broader view. Even if it is pretty chilling to read.

@justasking111, aside from the toxic masculinity BS argument you’ve presented, the number of service people with PTSD from active service is a tragedy. A lack of counselling, stiff-upper lip attitudes and dismissal of a need for mental health support as ‘namby-pamby’ is not helpful at all.

1. There were no parties.

1. If there were parties all guidelines were followed.

1. I didn't breach the guidelines and attend a party. I am as furious as you are.

1. I might have had cheese and wine with my wife and assorted advisors but it was strictly work.

1. Oh you mean the 40 people in my garden who brought their own booze ...

@Clavinova

What is it you dont understand?

People drink at work, whilst working. I've done that. But I'm doing actual work. Which is what Starmer was doing whilst visiting that constituency office. They were also hosting an online labour event and it was over dinner so they were working, eating and drinking. That was never against the rules.

The party held at downing street, the other parties held in other government building areas held at the end of the work day and involved no work. They were social gatherings in their entirety.

I'm just repeating the exact same think i replied to you in my last post, so how many times are you going to ask the same thing and need the same answer before you understand?

"I can't get my knickers in a knot over work colleagues being in an outdoor area of their workplace. He's apologised, it was an error of judgement."

But that's not the truth of the matter, is it? It's not just that he attended a party - which was illegal at the time. It's the fact that the person writing the laws, if he/she is going to have any moral authority to see them enforced needs to be seen to follow them.

It's really, really simple to understand.

@justasking111

You know it's not actually a positive that there was no counselling after what soldiers saw in the Falklands and places like Bosnia and Kosovo?

The people I know who have been to those places all wear masks and think it's disgusting that those who made the rules seemed unable to follow them. Your neighbours views is just his own, others think differently.

"But it happened throughout, my family awash with NHS workers from consultant's down partied hard, Christmas, birthdays, nightclubbing, it's up on their Instagram pages no big secret. They're still standing after 22 months of covid from 50 plus year olds right down to 3rd year med students."

The problem with this argument is, if it actually happened, none of them are the Prime Minister of the country, post Covid ICU patient, who has admitted to having a bevy with 40 plus others in good weather, while at the same time clapping for NHS heroes and the country was under strict lockdown rules.

Why are people on here defending the indefensible?

@JaniieJones

The downing street events were not work. No one was working. Different circumstances.

Now, I've directed a few posts at you and asked you questions. You've ignored them all. And now you take a partial quote from me, out of context and actually talking about an entirely different person and use it for your own argument?

Why dont you respond when people ask you a question but you'll fake quote them?

Itsalmostanaccessory
People drink at work, whilst working

Yes - I know that but quite a few posters seem to think that's it not allowed.

But it happened throughout, my family awash with NHS workers from consultant's down partied hard, Christmas, birthdays, nightclubbing, it's up on their Instagram pages no big secret.

I call bullshit. Not least because nightclubs weren't open throughout.

'He/she has repeatedly said he/she doesn't see it as a problem and is 'meh' about it. He/she sees more value in the economic recovery and the vaccine rollout. Their lens is on this. Not on lies or deaths or failings. I guess it gives us a broader view. Even if it is pretty chilling to read.'

'She' thanks very much.

Yes my 'lens' is on economic recovery, vaccine success and minimal restrictions, correct. Wtf is chilling about that?!

Deaths are very sad but per million we are about the same as France Spain and Italy www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/