"Number 10 held two boozy parties the night before the Queen mourned Prince Philip alone".... Is this finally going to be the end for B.J. /Tories?

[HeadPain]

This thread!

mobile.twitter.com/Tony_Diver/status/1481741337951195136

EXCLUSIVE

"Number 10 held two boozy parties the night before the Queen mourned Prince Philip alone.

Staff drank and at points danced until the early hours of the night of April 16.

Hours later, the Queen went to a socially-distanced funeral for Philip.

We have spoken to eyewitnesses. At a leaving do for a No10 photographer it’s alleged:

🥂Staff partied in the basement of No10, to music DJd by a special adviser.

🥂One broke Wilf Johnson’s swing in the No10 garden.

🥂Another was sent to the Co-op with a suitcase to buy booze.

Another event held to mark the departure of James Slack, Mr Johnson’s chief spinner, saw:

🍻 Staff gathered for a speech from Slack, with others dialling in via Zoom.

🍻Booze drunk and attendees spilling into the garden.

🍻Chatting and drinking into the early hours.

At the time Britain was in Step 2 of lockdown easing - which banned indoor gatherings and imposed the rule of six outside.

But the celebrations in No10 meant around 30 people were gathered for what a source declares were definitely parties.

Can No10 claim they were work events?

This was the scene in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle the next day.

Prince Philip’s funeral was restricted to 30 people, and the PM declined to attend, to make more space for family.

The Queen did not participate in the service. "

Thing is, it would actually have been perfectly reasonable in public health terms for group of people who had been working together all day to have some drinks and snacks and chill-out time together - viruses don't clock on and off, nor can they tell whether you are Working Hard or engaging in such fiendish hedonism as having a couple of pints with the same people you spent the day with.
The issue is that these people had been ordering the harassment, public humiliation and stigmatizing, prosecution, fining etc of everyone else for doing such things.

And I don't think that one wealthy old woman stage-managing a few pictures to go 'Look, despite my millions of pounds I'm Just Like You' is actually much comfort to those who couldn't go and see their dying friends or family members, or comfort each other at funerals. She's irrelevant. What's relevant is the sheer cruelty of this government; the deliberate terrorizing of the public and the immense harm done when there were better options all along...

Wreath21
I think holding her up as some kind of saintly example is dangerous TBH. That photo was staged, because she understands (these days) the power of public image. She's not all on her own in that huge palace, boohoo. Unlike a lot of other people who were not allowed to hug one another at funerals anddidhave to go home to empty houses...

You could be right. I actually don't disagree with you. Her reasons for sitting alone could be staged, as she understands the power of public image.

But that's the point.

She understands, regardless of her intentions behind it, behaving in the correct way, is leadership.

If you expect your subjects to follow rules/laws then you must do the same.
Has she always done this? Absolutely not and is think the whole Prince Andrew reflects this. But that's another thread.

It does show that even the Queen, who can and has flouted rules and laws, followed the rules for funerals during Covid.

The point of the photo is to represent that if the Queen, who could have easily flouted the rules, is able to show publicly she is following the rules, then why can't the Prime Minister?

If PM expects the public to follow the rules and laws he sets then the very minimum we should expect is for him to do the same.

Yup, she's smart enough to understand that a public figure should demonstrate obedience to the rules. Big deal. But she doesn't 'lead' the country in any effective way; she's an expensive irrelevance.

Thing is, it would actually have been perfectly reasonable in public health terms for group of people who had been working together all day to have some drinks and snacks and chill-out time together - viruses don't clock on and off, nor can they tell whether you are Working Hard or engaging in such fiendish hedonism as having a couple of pints with the same people you spent the day with.
The issue is that these people had been ordering the harassment, public humiliation and stigmatizing, prosecution, fining etc of everyone else for doing such things.

Yes, exactly. The problem is the willingness to inflict privations on the rest of the population that they refused to accept for themselves.

If this were simply multiple parties amongst a group of people who weren't in power and hadn't tried to force other people to do as they say not as they do, there'd be no ethical issue at all here.

I think your 1st sentence says it all

Yup, she's smart enough to understand that a public figure should demonstrate obedience to the rules.

I just find it astonishing that certain posters and Tory MPs don't expect the same level of "smart" from the leader of the country.
It's pretty basic level of behaviour and intelligence we should expect from our public figures.

She didn't have to sit alone, she chose too, has it occurred to you she was just morning the loss of her Husband & wanted to be alone?

@JaniieJones

'While I rewatch the Prime Minister on Wednesday, will you rewatch what Oliver Dowden said at the Downing Street briefing on the 20th Mary 2020. Then we could both report back what was said?'

Yes he said you could meet one person outdoors.

Different for colleagues and work places, didn't you realise? I mean the nhs would've be stuffed for starters if you could only work with one other person!Think they needed to be a bit clearer with their messages perhaps for some people..

No, not different for colleagues and work places when you're not working out of working hours.

@JaniieJones

'Why did he feel the need to apologise so humbly if he didn't think he'd been to the party?'

Because the media has whipped some of you up with this constant 'party' rage. It was an error even if colleagues (like starmer) could drink together. He had to say sorry to calm the situation.

'Let's blame the NHS... rightio...'

What?! No, you miss my point I'm trying to explain that Dowden's 'only meet one other' did not refer to the workplace .

So Johnson confided in you why he said sorry, did he?

Come off it. When there are thirty people in your garden, including people who don't work there, swinging bottles of booze and scoffing party snacks, and you go out to join them with your spouse, you cannot conceivably believe that to be anything other than a social event.

@LolaLouLou

I feel upset about Wilf's swing. I know it is ridiculous because he is an incredibly privileged child.

But it's just an awful image a whole load of drunk men using and breaking something belonging to a toddler. These people assist in making decisions that affect us all.

Johnson probably got a rich mate to replace it for him in return for the promise of a fat Covid contract.

Come off it. When there are thirty people in your garden, including people who don't work there, swinging bottles of booze and scoffing party snacks, and you go out to join them with your spouse, you cannot conceivably believe that to be anything other than a social event

Given some of the delays and fascial decisions that came out of No10, its likely that boozing is part of their normal day.

I thought up to 200 people worked there. He has use of the flat above Number 11 and use of the garden - he wouldn't be involved in the day to day running of the house or the staff

There is no way anyone would have organised a party in the garden without consulting Johnson. Apart from anything else, he needs to know not to invite any other people over for any other parties events he might be planning.

Hah, Andrew Bridgen MP has now joined the call for Johnson to resign.

Bridgen is one of the men who put Johnson there, if his own spiel is to be believed.

IIRC, in some documentary a couple of years ago, Bridgen was chortling about how wonderful it would be having Johnson as PM, because Johnson "thrashes about and breaks things" when he gets himself into one of his frequent pickles, and it would create great opportunities for the likes of A Bridgen, Esq.

Oh, your big toddler is breaking things you care about now, is he, Andrew.

Mm-hm.

Think we'll all remember you were part of the reason we've had to put up with him too. Don't come trying to play the rescuing hero now, you scheming turd.

I don't quite get the reliance on Sue Grey. She is not independent she won't be making any recommendations just a report

They're relying on her because she isn't independent. If they were even halfway genuine they would have gone for someone like a judge to lead the inquiry.

@BashStreetKid

I don't quite get the reliance on Sue Grey. She is not independent she won't be making any recommendations just a report

They're relying on her because she isn't independent. If they were even halfway genuine they would have gone for someone like a judge to lead the inquiry.

Of course my point. Sick of hearing people phrasing -' let's wait for Sue Greys report'

It's not going to publish anything we don't already know

@Clavinova

Roussette Was it the bloke who was swinging in the garden and broke it his first offence?

We already know that Boris Johnson was at Chequers when the swing was allegedly broken.

And, if it was working, why was Carrie there glugging gin

Was she? She doesn't have a drink in the garden photo we've seen.

It doesn't matter whether he was there or not. The fact is that he presided over a culture where parties and social events in breach of the coronavirus regulations were regular events.

You do know that one photo doesn't exactly provide evidence of what happened over the remaining 24 minutes 59 seconds she spent there (or, in practice considerably more, applying the well-attested principle that if Johnson said it was 25 minutes he was certainly lying again).

@TooBigForMyBoots

This government are corrupt, hypocritical, law breaking, reckless liars whose contempt for UK citizens is obvious.

Maybe @JaniieJones and @Clavinova find the government's behaviour acceptable. Most people have higher standards

It mystifies me why they're so keen to support Johnson when it must be absolutely obvious that his shelf life is very limited and he will never make it to the next election. Surely they should be identifying the next Tory leader and fawning on him/her?

The queen didn't 'stage manage a few photos'. Every moment of the funeral was broadcast live. The media chose what stills to use.

@Alexandra2001

She didn't have to sit alone, she chose too, has it occurred to you she was just morning the loss of her Husband & wanted to be alone?

I am no royalist, but I very much doubt HMQ wanted to sit alone at her husband's funeral. She sat alone because that is what the social distancing rules dictated at the time.

@girlmom21

The Queen at that funeral is the saddest sight I think I've ever seen. This has infuriated me more than any of those parties.

Really? You must kead a very sheltered life.

[quote Clavinova]I work in a hospital, our canteen took all the chairs away and had one chair for a table

Nurses not wearing face masks or staying two metres apart led to an outbreak of Covid-19 that shut an A&E unit after 70 staff at a hospital had to go into quarantine, an inquiry has found.

The Guardian has learned that [a] training session has now been identified as the source of the unusually high number of staff who later fell ill or had to stay off work because they were in close contact with those infected.

Hospital sources say that not everyone who attended wore a mask or stayed two metres apart, and that social distancing broke down to a significant extent during the lunch break.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/15/covid-19-nurses-not-wearing-masks-led-to-ae-closure-inquiry-finds[/quote]
We understood why this was done and stuck to the hospital policy. We did not have boozy after work catch up to relieve our stress.

@Clavinova

Blossomtoes That you can see.

The garden photo is very clear.

You didn’t give Starmer the benefit of the doubt with the beer on the windowsill.

Nobody else was standing by the window.

My ds is currently in the kitchen making his cereal.

I'm sat at the table MNing.

The coffee on the side in the kitchen still remains mine.

I always judge how badly the Tories have fucked up by how much what aboutary and defending Clav tries to do.

So in this case we know they are beyond the pale and as guilty as fuck

*My ds is currently in the kitchen making his cereal.

I'm sat at the table MNing.

The coffee on the side in the kitchen still remains mine.*

I understand that if the coffee and the son remain in the kitchen for more than 25minutes then it is his.

I am no royalist, but I very much doubt HMQ wanted to sit alone at her husband's funeral. She sat alone because that is what the social distancing rules dictated at the time

The rules were the indoor 2m SD rule from anyone outside of family you live with or in a support bubble... i.e she sat with her maid in waiting in back of a car to get to the funeral.

MP's reporting they have been bombarded with emails of complaint about this from angry constituents
Yes, I bombarded.