What about... Still enjoying Boris' downfall Part 4. The one with the report released?

[jgw1]

Part 4

BBC reporting that SG will submit the report "shortly". Wonder how long counts as shortly.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60177028

Telegraph putting the birthday "refreshments" on to Mrs Johnson.

twitter.com/harryyorke1/status/1487179484801421321?s=21

I see the repulsive Rees Mogg thinks the whole thing's just a "dead lion" and "really not helpful"

So that's okay then ...

Johnson was elected as a populist .

Everyone needs to remember that HITLER was ELECTED !! As a populist...

And there were an awful lot of people who were quite happy with what Hitler was doing - who had to rewrite their personal histories smartish after the war.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

I see the repulsive Rees Mogg thinks the whole thing's just a "dead lion" and "really not helpful"

So that's okay then ...

‘Dead lion’? Out of the strong came forth sweetness sort of thing? He wishes. Or has Nanny put too much syrup on his morning porridge again?

Evening all.

Telegraph putting the birthday "refreshments" on to Mrs Johnson.

But it was still up to the senior civil servants to remind her that this was breaking the law. So I don't think they have too much excuse. The awkward fact is that 70 or so did give it a miss.

Another 'nobody told me' then.

We knew the rules, however confusing, but nobody in No 10 did, the lies just keep coming.

You beat me to it with the "nanny" reference, Saucery

I think he meant a sort of "Look!! A dead lion!!" distraction thing though, but who knows with a mind like that ...?

Oh, he would mean the Biblical reference, no doubt about that. None so clever as them as thinks themselves clever

You could be right, Saucery - I just lookeed at it again, and yes it might well be ...

@merrymouse

Much as he loves money, he loves power more.

He likes it in theory, but he has no interest in actually doing the job.

The trouble for him is the nasty civil servants only let him take responsibility for entertaining the staff with his clown routine, pot plants and the wine cellar. Hardly his fault, he is after all only PM.

Alexandra2001;
Lol! ...but the Met did investigate, people were arrested, questioned under caution - they didn't let anyone off the hook....

Tony Blair told the Met that he would have to resign if questioned under caution, so the Met agreed not to do so. Still, it's off-topic for this thread.

Words:
This from the previous thread

Would that be from the foul-mouthed rant (now deleted, I see) from a user who would tell us that she works for the civil service? If true, I can only say that it has gone downhill badly since I retired. Those who serviced the three QUANGOs on which I served over the years were unfailing polite, well-spoken and well-educated.

[quote ClaudineClare]@Florianus would you mind telling us which Department(s) you worked with in the claret and hamper days and when this was?[/quote]
I would mind: although now retired, I am still well known in my profession and am not going to reveal who I am, any more than I suspect you would be after your foul-mouthed rant on the previous thread.

He won't go.
And when he does he'll end up on Fox or GB News, if it still exists and pays enough. He's got a new family to pay for and eventually a divorce.

@Notonthestairs

https://twitter.com/hugogye/status/1487141693811998724?s=21

So the report will be published next week but with redactions - apparently the hold up has been all about fixed penalty notices...

As I have pointed out before, it was only ever going to be about fixed penalty notices. The law does not make provision for anything else unless something more sinister is uncovered (such a conspiracy to destroy evidence, in which case perverting the course of justice would be an issue).

What is worse is that the statement issued by the Met last night makes it clear that individuals will be "identified as having potentially breached" regulations. Shades of the police enquiry into the Cummings excursion to Barnard Castle - it might have breached regulations, but we aren't taking any action.

Tony Blair told the Met that he would have to resign if questioned under caution, so the Met agreed not to do so. Still, it's off-topic for this thread.

Not entirely off-topic to remind us of what previous PM's did.
It tells us that the Met has been seen as corrupt for many years.
It also tells us that Blair knew that some things were resigning matters. I thought that he was interviewed under caution at one stage anyway.

@CSWife

Civil servant of 20 years husband has just about choked on his dinner at the notion of claret and hampers. Also says the idea that a Secretary of State would simply parrot what a perm sec wants is laughable.

Perhaps he's never worked for a QUANGO? (Hint: members are, at least in the three I worked for, unpaid and wouldn't do it if hospitality was not provided). I have already addressed your second point: someone like Liz Truss could start a war if she wasn't told what to say when making public statements about Putin - she has no experience in diplomacy, just as most ministers have no experience in the work of the ministries that they head. Civil servants, on the other hand, have enormous experience).

Peregrina:
I thought that he was interviewed under caution at one stage anyway.

No, the police didn't want to be accused of having forced a general election, so they agreed to interview Blair as a witness rather than interviewing him under caution.

Whether Blair would really have resigned is a different matter. He could well have been bluffing. After all, he never resigned after lying to parliament about weapons of mass destruction.

[quote Zonder]BBC reporting that SG will submit the report "shortly". Wonder how long counts as shortly.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60177028[/quote]
"Shortly" is a little quicker than "In due course".

After all, he never resigned after lying to parliament about weapons of mass destruction.

But completely trashed his reputation in the process. Otherwise he would have got a lot of credit as one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, plus having a decent domestic agenda.

But you can't really make comparisons here - it's not even apples and pears - it's a grape seed vs a watermelon. There aren't hundreds of people walking round in this country who have been fined for lying about WMD when Blair got away with it.

@Peregrina

Yes, it makes me wonder if there was some sort of parallel Civil Service that most of us never knew about.

For instance, did you know of the drinking culture among civil servants at No.10 ?

But it was still up to the senior civil servants to remind her that this was breaking the law

Is it really up to civil servants to tell the wife of the PM what is and isn’t breaking the law?! I don’t think so.

Agree the ones who went shouldn’t have done. They seem to have been captured somewhat into the culture (or maybe only ones who would go along with it remain there). But that by no means excuses the PM and his wife.