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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

AIBU to think that Boris should resign now?

994 replies

Seemslikeagoodidea · 11/01/2022 17:45

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/01/2022 15:41

Glad someone else broughtg up the terror the government were encouraging around the virus, and the fact those at the various parties didn't seem to share that terror

Makes you wonder why, doesn't it ...?

Itsalmostanaccessory · 12/01/2022 15:42

@JaniieJones

You're the one who can't debate. You're not engaging with people asking you very direct, clear cut questions. You've ignored every single thing I've asked you. And we all know that it is because your points don't stack up to any scrutiny.

PartyOnKale · 12/01/2022 15:42

We could call it plain old "minglin' " as expressly forbidden at one point by the home secretary.

Poetrypatty · 12/01/2022 15:44

We could call it plain old "minglin' " as expressly forbidden at one point by the home secretary.

Indeed.

BashStreetKid · 12/01/2022 15:46

[quote Clavinova]I've always wondered what type of person keeps voting tory, and now I know.

Should I have voted for Labour/Jeremy Corbyn instead?

Jeremy Corbyn won't be fined for breaking coronavirus rules,

Sir Keir Starmer, Corbyn's successor as leader of the Labour party, admonished his old mate for breaking the rules but didn't call for him to be fined.

www.joe.co.uk/news/jeremy-corbyn-wont-be-fined-for-breaking-coronavirus-rules-251673[/quote]
Broken record time ...

Jeremy Corbyn was not Prime Minister, he wasn't even leader of the opposition. Not comparable.

RunRunGingerbreadMan · 12/01/2022 15:47

Unless you are a milkman there really can be no need to 'bring your own bottle' to work. Party or not, it was a social gathering and was banned at the time. The man has once again proven he is a liar. I'd like our country to be run by decent, moral people, sadly there seems to be a bit of a shortage of those.

oakleaffy · 12/01/2022 15:48

One rule for the plebs- another for them.
Utterly disgraceful behaviour.

BashStreetKid · 12/01/2022 15:48

Maybe he didn't class work colleagues in an outdoor work area, at work, as a 'party'?! I know I wouldn't

It doesn't matter whether he thought it was a party or not. The rules related to gatherings of any sort, not just parties. He's accepted that it wasn't a work event.

BeMoreGoldfish · 12/01/2022 15:50

@JaniieJones are you being deliberately obtuse? You know full well that invites with 'bring a bottle' is not 'work'. You obviously think it's okay for them to so flagrantly break the rules, but to pretend they haven't broken the rules is surely just a stance for the hard of thinking?

AnotherRandomUsernom · 12/01/2022 15:52

Well this is precisely the problem Boris, that’s why you need to go!

Peregrina · 12/01/2022 15:52

Prince Andrew inadvertently has come to BoJo's rescue.

It's not good for the Royals, of course.

SueSaid · 12/01/2022 15:55

[quote BeMoreGoldfish]@JaniieJones are you being deliberately obtuse? You know full well that invites with 'bring a bottle' is not 'work'. You obviously think it's okay for them to so flagrantly break the rules, but to pretend they haven't broken the rules is surely just a stance for the hard of thinking?[/quote]
I've said throughout it was an error of judgement. I'm not defending it just explaining how it could have passed as a 'workbased event'.

He's apologised and sounded genuine. I don't think he should resign. I believe the strong position we are in now is due to his leadership and team, so a resignation would cause disruption at an unstable time.

merrymouse · 12/01/2022 15:57

@Poetrypatty

Maybe he didn't class work colleagues in an outdoor work area, at work, as a 'party'?! I know I wouldn't

He passed a law banning mass gatherings. He was at one. Therefore even on his own case he's incompetent and unfit to lead.

Yes. All the alcohol and the invitation should made it clear that this was a party. If he didn’t see any need to question what was happening, that just demonstrates his unsuitability for the job.

His suggestion that any kind of mass gathering was legal as long as it was related to work is insulting given the restrictions at the time.

He wasn’t a columnist rocking up at a Telegraph do, he was making the rules that meant people couldn’t attend funerals and schools were closed.

If his excuse is ignorance rather than deceit, that is just a different reason why he should resign.

merrymouse · 12/01/2022 15:58

He's apologised and sounded genuine. I don't think he should resign. I believe the strong position we are in now is due to his leadership and team, so a resignation would cause disruption at an unstable time.

Really???? He clearly, by his own admission, didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Zombiemum1946 · 12/01/2022 15:58

A work "event" with booze is a party. Stop making excuses. I don't vote tory but I supported the efforts to lockdown. A colleague had died.. I had concern and sympathy when he was clearly ill. To me this comes across as having a level of arrogance that's dangerous.

Huntswomanonthemove · 12/01/2022 15:59

@Roussette

Yeah... let's knock Angela Rayner and Keir Starmer when there's indefensible behaviour by Boris et al. Makes sense Hmm

Anyway... PMQ about to start. It's on BBC2.

I'm pissed off with every tory MP hiding behind the Sue Gray investigation. But I suppose they have no defence, and nothing else to say with Boris being so much of a liar

I've little time for any of them. Angela Rayner lets herself down and Starmer is weak.

Boris should go but I'm worried that there's no credible alternative. I think to some extent, we only have ourselves to blame. Politics isn't an attractive career. Politicians get blamed, criticised and even killed just for doing their job.

Roussette · 12/01/2022 16:04

Angela Rayner lets herself down and Starmer is weak

Good job this thread isn't about them then, isn't it?

Itsalmostanaccessory · 12/01/2022 16:07

@JaniieJones

It could be described as an error of judgement for anyone else. But we are talking about members of the conservative government who made the law which said this was illegal.

They made something illegal. Then they did it themselves. What would be the normal reaction to that?

It doeant matter if the law was stupid. It doesnt matter if you dont agree with the law. What matters is that they made a law and they made the police enforce that law and the police were tweeting about parties they broke up with photos so it wasnt even private for people who were caught. They then broke that law and lied about it over and over again.

What is your opinion on that kind of government?

PartyOnKale · 12/01/2022 16:09

Thanks for posting that link BashStreetKid.

Galdos · 12/01/2022 16:14

And if he resigns or the Tory party boot him out, who will become PM? Absent a general election none of us will have a say in who replaces him. He’s behaving exactly as he always has, and at least that’s a known quantity, even if some of us seem surprised.

LethargicActress · 12/01/2022 16:17

I haven’t read the full thread, apologies, but I think if we want boris to resign, then everyone else who broke the rules in any way that has a responsible job should resign too.

I don’t like our government and I didn’t vote for them, but I am starting to realise how surrounded by hypocrites I am. I heard parents today talking about how out of order the government was to have had this party, but I can remember those exact same parents having illegal play dates and garden parties during lockdown without giving a shit.

chillydownwiththefiregang · 12/01/2022 16:21

@LethargicActress

I haven’t read the full thread, apologies, but I think if we want boris to resign, then everyone else who broke the rules in any way that has a responsible job should resign too.

I don’t like our government and I didn’t vote for them, but I am starting to realise how surrounded by hypocrites I am. I heard parents today talking about how out of order the government was to have had this party, but I can remember those exact same parents having illegal play dates and garden parties during lockdown without giving a shit.

Sorry but I disagree.

It's HIS JOB to set the rules and adhere to them. It's literally his job.

Roussette · 12/01/2022 16:21

Bottom line is...

Boris has gone from 1. to 5.

  1. Denying there were parties
  2. Saying that even if parties happened, no-one broke any rules
  3. Saying he personally didn’t break rules
  4. Admitting he attended a party
  5. Denying knowledge the party he attended was a party.

As MP Chris Bryant said... he must think we're all stupid.

PartyOnKale · 12/01/2022 16:21

Well, yes.
Brazen.