AIBU to assume Boris Johnson is lying?

[Thirtytimesround]

Cummings says that he warned Boris the drinks party was against the covid rules.

Boris says he didn’t. 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.

(sorry for mentioning Saint Tony).

Now back to Boris the lying scum bag. Do you think he sometimes tell the truth by accident and then has a surprised face?

This is a man who doesn't know how many children he has.

@sadpapercourtesan

Nothing could compel me to refer to TB as "Sir" either. I don't call anybody Sir, as it happens, but he would be the last person I'd make an exception for.

Lovely whataboutery to have dragged him onto this thread, though.

I'm impressed it was Tony Blair and not the Kier Starmer/Jimmy Saville approach this time.

@DGRossetti

No, he's a Sir. The Knighthood took effect from the time he was appointed.

I dare you, I double-dare you, to make me call him "sir"

With you on that one!

The only two people I call sir are David Attenborough and Kevin Sinfield (even though he isn't actually a sir yet... give it time)

They are both liars and awful but quite enjoyable to see the loathsome Cummings stabbing his equally loathesome creature in the back.

Can someone explain why someone else lying (TB) makes any difference to the fact that Johnson is lying? We want our politicians to be more truthful, more ethical and more competent than those who went before them. Having been disappointed by previous prime ministers doesn't mean we should accept this one's behaviour.

@TheDogsMother

Almost certainly he is though I'm astonished that anyone is giving Cummings any airtime. This is the same man who viewed the public with complete contempt when he had his little trip to Barnard Castle (when the rest of us had to stay home) then came up with a ludicrous story about testing his eyesight. FFS.

Because he clearly knows where the bodies are buried, there's a reasonable chance he's behind at least some of the leaks so far and they suspect he might have evidence.

Boris Johnson was sacked from his last two jobs for lying.

Boris Johnson has cheated on his previous wives, including cheating when one of them, who bore (one of) his child, was having cancer treatment.

Boris Johnson is a racist.

Boris Johnson is a misogynist.

Boris Johnson is a homophobe.

Boris Johnson belonged to the Bullingdon Club at University, which makes it members set fire to a £50 note in front of a homeless person.

Why do people feel the need to try and work out if he's lying or not, based on the above information, none of which is new.

What would be noteworthy is if he did something decent and honest - but forgive me for not holding my breath.

The only two people I call sir are David Attenborough

I still can't get over my intense dislike about the boat thing. Really don't like naming things after/for* living people.

*Delete as applicable, as I'm no longer sure what's right here

Mr and Mrs Johnson also moved around a fair bit during the first lockdown between Chequers and number 10 in March 2020 just after the famous ' stay at home ' speech.
It was on LBC radio earlier on today, although the reporter did admit it might have been within the rules because she was heavily pregnant with Wilfred. The staff at Chequers were concerned at this apparently , but obviously nobody told Boris Johnson the exact rules that he told everyone else a few days before!

@JesusInTheCabbageVan

The leaks are strategic - the next one will be proof that he lied to Parliament.

I said exactly this last night. He's had this ready blow by blow for months. Good for him .

@Lottapianos

'I don’t think Cummings is the most honest of people either to be fair'

Absolutely. This is the sewer we find ourselves swimming in - having to choose which self-serving sack of shit to believe. Good times

Precisely! What a time to be alive

He is an insult to even my limited intelligence.

🩲🔥 there is a fire extinguisher shortage now thanks to him. At least he can blame Brexit now.

The problem is that they stood by Cummings with all the Barnard Castle shit. If they turn around now and say he's a slimy shit then that shows they misled or misjudged previously.

The problem is also that Cummings and Johnson are in No 10 at all because of Brexit. If this whole partygate is a little party bag full of lies and hypocrisy, Brexit is a freight container full of it.

Johnson's apology was very carefully worded and had obviously been composed by lawyers, look at the word implicitly for example. It's a non-apology.

The problem is that they stood by Cummings with all the Barnard Castle shit. If they turn around now and say he's a slimy shit then that shows they misled or misjudged previously.

I suspect a lot of them stood by Cummings because Team Boris lied to them about it from the off. And they believed him, because they are Tory MPs and to a greater or lesser extent their entire career depended - and still depends - on believing him.

It's hard not to remember Comical Ali telling us how Iraq were winning the gulf war even as the bombs were falling.

All this public frothing is one thing. But it would be interesting to know how many Tory MPs have been lied to in private over the past few years.

The "Yes Minister" episode that revolved around a spy not being discovered because he was "one of us" still rings true 35+ years on.

Both

He is lying and he is an incompetent idiot.

A lot of them stood by Johnson because although Cummings clearly broke the rules, the public outcry was fundamentally muted.

The Tory party is concerned with one thing: maintaining it's grip on power.

Johnson will be kept until he is too much of a liability and then he will be ejected and replaced. As it stands I have no great hopes of his departure. Too many voters are still of the view that it's really not that bad and "well, it's just Boris isn't it ? He's a bit of a lad".

If his mouth is open, he’s lying.

Agree. Johnson lies to country but Starmer's boring and lacks charisma. Can't possibly vote for labour

Of course he is, bonkers to ever believe a word he says unless he’s admitting to being a liar that is.

@Shambolicatthleast

Agree. Johnson lies to country but Starmer's boring and lacks charisma. Can't possibly vote for labour

At this point, what we desperately need is a boring PM who lacks charisma. Give me someone who can do the sodding job every time.

A lot of them stood by Johnson because although Cummings clearly broke the rules, the public outcry was fundamentally muted.

It was muted because the public was dealing with a pandemic and otherwise distracted. I can easily believe MPs may have mistaken that for disinterest, but it was more a case of keeping granny alive for now - we'll deal with you later.

It seems this is the "later".

When in a hole stop digging!

Will Sue Gray believe him though ?
That's the person that needs to try and wade through the mud of lies and deceit here to get to the truth.
She might think that he is telling the truth. Or find evidence that he didn't know it was a party ?
How do you square that one then ? Will it be a case of ' mud sticks' , or will we all have to move on from it all?
She is between a rock and two liars ( if she has to take any of D Cummings evidence into account too )
She won't be liked whatever her conclusions are that's for sure.
How much further could the LP go with it if Boris Johnson gets off these allegations etc?
So many questions.
This inquiry may take a while.

Will Sue Gray believe him though ?

I think her job kinda depends on it.

Obviously after this you would trust her judgement to run a whelk stall, so she'll need to confirm the corruption of our system by getting some sort of blingy title and therefore devalue the existing holders worth that tiny bit more.