Page 11 | AIBU to assume Boris Johnson is lying?

Thirtytimesround · 2022-01-18T14:05:41+00:00

Cummings says that he warned Boris the drinks party was against the covid rules. Boris says he didn’t. [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60039868]] So, given the track record, AIBU to assume that BJ is either (A) lying to Parliament, or (B) so bad at his job that he has no idea what his private secretary is up to, or what the rules he created actually said, or what the difference is between working and having a drinks party.

theemperorhasnoclothes · 19/01/2022 10:45

I can kind of see now why DC was so seemingly surprised that people were angry at him for driving with covid to see his parents.

Relative to loads of massive piss ups at number 10, it might not seem quite as bad if you have a dodgy moral compass.

22itsallnew · 19/01/2022 19:46

@DGRossetti yes @Clavinova only appears to point fingers here, there and everywhere in a masterful display of whataboutery but fails to say whatever she/he actually thinks about something

BashStreetKid · 20/01/2022 09:59

And they presumably worked together.

It's vanishingly unlikely that all 100 invitees worked in the same room all day every day.

And it looked like they socially distanced

Who says they did? How likely is it that, at a relaxed after work event with people bringing their own booze that they all stood decorously two metres away from each other?

Byebyeboris · 20/01/2022 10:05

@Sheabutterisdelish

Beth making him squirm

She’s as bad. She broke the rules partying with that annoying Kay burley. They were all at it. The more we hear and see the more it seems it was only us suckers who were actually following the rules.

theemperorhasnoclothes · 20/01/2022 11:58

Still, 'us suckers' were doing the right thing.

What happened in Brazil or in India in the Delta wave was what would have happened here if everyone had behaved like the staff at number 10.

I also think when we know what our medics have gone through and continue to go through, it's just abhorrent. How Chris Whitty and his medical colleagues (who've worked on covid words) even can bring themselves to speak to Boris and the rest I don't know.

DGRossetti · 20/01/2022 12:16

Quote of the day, if not the century ...

I mean really everything we were taught to fear from socialism has happened under capitalism.

the80sweregreat · 20/01/2022 13:11

The police won't do anything about claims of blackmail at Westminster , they are just as bad as the government and good at covering up things too. I've absolutely no confidence that they would do much about these allegations.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 20/01/2022 13:16

The more we hear and see the more it seems it was only us suckers who were actually following the rules

That's why I said it would be amusing if it turns out that Sue Gray was at the parties too ...

the80sweregreat · 20/01/2022 13:18

A caller on lbc today described the current government as carrying on like a third rate 'mafia mob. ' I've read allegations before about Boris Johnson and his history of threats to certain people when he was a columnist , how true they are I've no idea , but nothing surprises me at all and I'm sure that the government whips are fairly robust at holding MPs to account by suggesting that things will be held back for their constituents if they don't toe the party line. It's probably always gone on.

VikingOnTheFridge · 20/01/2022 14:11

@Puzzledandpissedoff

The more we hear and see the more it seems it was only us suckers who were actually following the rules

That's why I said it would be amusing if it turns out that Sue Gray was at the parties too ...

Her predecessor was!

Blossomtoes · 20/01/2022 15:45

And look how long it took Simon Case to come clean.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 20/01/2022 15:50

Her predecessor was!

I know, Viking - or at least parties were held in his office
In fact I mentioned it a day or so again, saying that having had one who had to pass the enquiry over, it might be amusing to have another

Balance left over to do the work, anyone ... ?

DGRossetti · 20/01/2022 15:51

@the80sweregreat

A caller on lbc today described the current government as carrying on like a third rate 'mafia mob. ' I've read allegations before about Boris Johnson and his history of threats to certain people when he was a columnist , how true they are I've no idea , but nothing surprises me at all and I'm sure that the government whips are fairly robust at holding MPs to account by suggesting that things will be held back for their constituents if they don't toe the party line. It's probably always gone on.

The Google key, to unlock that story is "Johnson Guppy" (as in real life, the "Darius" isn't needed).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_Guppy

Boris Johnson and journalist from News of the World

During a telephone call in 1990, Guppy asked Boris Johnson (then a journalist at The Telegraph) to provide the home address of News of the World journalist Stuart Collier. Collier had been making enquiries into Guppy's background, and in response, Guppy wanted to send someone to physically assault Collier. A tape of the conversation was leaked to the press in June 1995.[17][3][18][9]

...

Private Eye covered it at the time.

Clavinova · 20/01/2022 17:01

The Google key, to unlock that story is "Johnson Guppy" (as in real life, the "Darius" isn't needed).

Darius Guppy speaks here in 2013;

As we all know, Mr Johnson never provided me with any address and it is perfectly clear from the tape recording in question that he was simply placating a friend he considered to be letting off steam. But while this may rightly exonerate the Mayor of London, my own line has always been somewhat different – and consistent: my only regret being that I was never able to finish the job.”

order-order.com/2013/03/27/darius-guppy-breaks-boris-silence/

Clavinova · 20/01/2022 17:05

Umm, not really, and he was sacked from the shadow cabinet for lying to the then leader about an affair

Michael Howard -

“First of all, he wasn’t in the Shadow Cabinet. It’s often said that he lied to me. He didn’t lie to me.”

“What happened was that my Director of Communications at the time was convinced that Boris had lied to him, and strongly advised me that I should take the action which I took.”

“I took that action, I’m not entirely sure that I was right to take that action, but I’m happy to set the record straight.”

inews.co.uk/news/politics/michael-howard-boris-johnson-sacked-tory-leadership-election-latest-news-312600

22itsallnew · 20/01/2022 20:17

@Clavinova back to cut and paste

Go on tell us what you really think about Johnson's goings on in No. 10?

BashStreetKid · 21/01/2022 00:42

The trouble with that Darius Guppy quote is that we can all hear from the recording that it's not true. The normal person, hearing a friend seriously asking him to help get someone beaten up, would react by laughing it off and quickly changing the subject. Instead, Johnson spends ages talking about how he doesn't want anything to be traceable back to him.

BashStreetKid · 21/01/2022 00:44

It's interesting that, when asked about the blackmail, Johnson instant reaction is to say that he hasn't seen any evidence of it. Because of course he knows that's safe ground - the whips would never be so daft as to leave any written record of their blackmail. But the fact that so many Tory MPs are complaining of the same tactics is evidence enough.

noblegiraffe · 21/01/2022 01:18

The Times is reporting a recorded conversation with the whips.

Alexandra2001 · 21/01/2022 08:34

Howard may be re writing history now but at the time, he was PM and believed BJ was lying, as did his advisor.

The Times also sacked him for lying too.

DGRossetti · 21/01/2022 08:34

@BashStreetKid

It's interesting that, when asked about the blackmail, Johnson instant reaction is to say that he hasn't seen any evidence of it. Because of course he knows that's safe ground - the whips would never be so daft as to leave any written record of their blackmail. But the fact that so many Tory MPs are complaining of the same tactics is evidence enough.

He's gone from a third rate Churchill tribute act (the dog, of course) to an fourth rate Nelson.

Ships ? I see no ships.

the80sweregreat · 21/01/2022 08:48

Will may well find out that ' big dog ' has selective hearing loss to no doubt.
His in a bad way..

DGRossetti · 21/01/2022 09:02

@Alexandra2001

Howard may be re writing history now but at the time, he was PM and believed BJ was lying, as did his advisor.

The Times also sacked him for lying too.

Just to be factual Michael Howard has never been Prime Minister.

SarahBellam · 21/01/2022 09:20

Boris Johnson sits on a throne of lies.

The thing is though, we've always known he's a liar. Always. It's well documented in the press and has been for decades. He's even been sacked for lying. It seems like nobody cares. People voted for him regardless. It's like we chose to be in an abusive relationship with our own government.

DGRossetti · 21/01/2022 09:27

@SarahBellam

Boris Johnson sits on a throne of lies.

The thing is though, we've always known he's a liar. Always. It's well documented in the press and has been for decades. He's even been sacked for lying. It seems like nobody cares. People voted for him regardless. It's like we chose to be in an abusive relationship with our own government.

If we are happy for our leaders to treat us like this, it makes us pretty fair game for other countries too.

Remember how we piled it on Americans when they had Trump ? Now it's our turn.