Boris Downfall Part 5

[Rinoachicken]

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One version of the Nadir Dorries interview:
twitter.com/Pandamoanimum/status/1488289749752291331

@Florianus

Here is part of the statement issued by Westminster Cathedral at the time:

The church holds that a Catholic, defined as a person who was baptized or formally received into the Catholic Church, who wishes to enter a marriage which is recognized as valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church must exchange marital consent before a Catholic priest/deacon or receive special permission to exchange marital consent in another setting. If a Catholic does not observe this rule the marriage is considered not to be valid under Catholic Canon Law.

(Sorry that this is getting off-topic, but things often do when someone tries to argue the toss in the face of the facts)

Thanks: your explanation makes sense.

Florianus - I am not interested in reading your take on what the RC Church does, or does not say.

I am pointing out that this is another group of people who have been angered by Johnson's behaviour and are not going to forget it in a hurry. (I am sure they can go back to the Priest and say "Father, I know better than you, you got it wrong.")

I could repeat my question - do you know anyone affected?

I didn't think there were any depths left to be plumbed, but the ever-reliable Raab found them in that interview on Today this morning 🤦‍♀️

"The smear made against Keir Starmer relating to Jimmy Saville yesterday is wrong & cannot be defended. It should be withdrawn. False and baseless personal slurs are dangerous, corrode trust & can't just be accepted as part of the cut & thrust of parliamentary debate."

From Julian Lewis MP & ex whip

I suppose when you've misled Parliament before it becomes something of a habit.

Julian Lewis had the Whip taken from him, for going against Grayling's appointment to some committee. Has he been restored to the Party, or not?

He had the whip restored in 2020.

@Peregrina

But they wouldn't have been able to jab anyone had the government not taken an enormous gamble and placed huge orders for vaccines that were still under development.

He got lucky. He managed to find someone competent to put in charge of procurement. If it had been Dido Harding, we'd still be waiting.

It was Sir Patrick Vallance and his Vaccine Task Force, but they relied on the government for vast sums of money. I don't think that was luck, but it was a risk which paid off - we were already vaccinating while EU countries were still arguing about whether member states should buy vaccines or leave it all to Brussels.

It's a pity that the UK vaccination rate has dropped below that of other western European countries now, but it was inevitable because, to get the lazy and hesitant to be vaccinated, it needs measures such as those adopted in those other countries - and the UK government has balked at introducing penalties such as those used in France, which stop the wilfully unvaccinated from going to public places like bars, restaurants and cinemas.

@AdamRyan

I am disgusted he said that about Starmer and Saville. Just for lurkers www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-britain-savile-idUSL1N2RP200 So noone can call Johnson a liar in the commons, but he can make outrageous smears like that.

That was absolutely disgraceful.

Nick Robinson gave Raab a tough ride about that on R4 this morning. He was squirming like an eel as he tried not to commit himself.

Peregrina:
Florianus - I am not interested in reading your take on what the RC Church does, or does not say.

Then you should not have tried to divert the thread with fake news about Johnson's wedding

And it is not my take: I have posted part of the official statement from Westminster Cathedral, explaining why the RC church does not regard previous marriages by an Anglican priest as valid. If you read the full statement, they also say that this was not a special arrangement for the Johnsons - it applies to everyone - and that the only special arrangement afforded to the Johnsons was briefly closing the building for security reasons.

Julian Smith, former cabinet minister and chief whip

The smear made against Keir Starmer relating to Jimmy Saville yesterday is wrong & cannot be defended. It should be withdrawn. False and baseless personal slurs are dangerous, corrode trust & can't just be accepted as part of the cut & thrust of parliamentary debate.

I just saw Raab from this morning. We really are living in a parallel universe. I'm in Scotland and I agree this is a gift to the independence movement but it makes me heart sore that this is what we have become.
My 13 year old son was watching clips from the Ho C on his phone that his friends were sharing. He goes to a bog standard comp. Even the kids are incredulous at whats going on.

Major change needed to the democratic system of this country. Proportional representation needed to make every vote count. All the time we have this first past the post system this government will manipulate constituency borders to work in their favour.

I will be joining this next weekend:

www.electoral-reform.org.uk/the-government-arent-listening-make-your-voices-heard-on-5th-february/

Sorry I see notonthestairs already posted that

But it is Julian Smith not Julian Lewis

But I note Florianus that you are not answering my question.

You do appear to have missed the point that this is yet another group of people who are angered by Johnson's behaviour, which looks very slippery in their eyes, even though he managed to find a technicality, which they (stupidly perhaps) didn't.

@ClaudineClare

I had to switch Raab off. I can't stand it.

Look on the bright side - he’s scupperiing his leadership chances.

I suppose that's why Sunak has stayed schtumm.

Raab ' the sea was closed' won't survive wihout Johnson

@Peregrina

I suppose that's why Sunak has stayed schtumm.

And Truss is self isolating

@DuncinToffee

Iain Watson *@iainjwatson*

Emerging from the 1922 committee meeting with @borisjohnson a critic of the PM says their colleagues are 'fucking deluded' -and
'There is no way we are getting 54 letters' And mood improved when PM said he'd publish the full Gray report and would say so if asked at PMQs
An ally of the PM's said he promised personnel changes at no10 -
Though no names divulged

I've read elsewhere that, while there are 54 or more Tory MPs prepared to put in letters, they don't want to do it yet because they don't think they'd get a majority in subsequent VONC.

If they lost the VONC, it would protect Johnson for another year (party rules say there can't be a no confidence motion within 12 months of one being moved and lost).

I suspect that this may change if the local election results in May are bad for the Tories. Those MPs with small majorities may then feel they have nothing to lose by seeking a VONC, as they're likely to lose their seats anyway.

Anecdotally, grassroots Tory members still seem to be backing Johnson, the deluded fools.

That’s a pretty accurate assessment I’d say @LakieLady.

I wonder does Liz really have covid or whether she's just a big fearty bum and has run away.

@Notonthestairs

The Telegraph are reporting that No 10 has asked Sue Gray to produce a further "update" to be published. Her report is complete and has been legalled so there is no reason to publish that.

Is that right - that her report has been completed and legalled? Ie it does actually exist as a document and not just a draft? I was wondering whether the final report (as opposed to final draft) might never come into existence due to ongoing chicanery by BJ but happy to be wrong about that!

Raab interview made my toes curl, he is utterly repellent

@Alexandra2001

Why can't the Speaker ask BJ to withdraw the Saville claim?

He has the power to interpret the rules (Erskin May) but as i ve said before, he is weak.

I can't remember a worse Speaker than Hoyle.

I'm 66, and have been an avid follower of politics since my teens, so that's a lot of Speakers, right back to Selwyn Lloyd in the 1970s!