Boris Downfall Part 5

[Rinoachicken]

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Dominic Cummings tweets:-

Lobby shd get reading all Simon Walters' hits cos we're shortly returning to illegal donations to secretly buy the PM/Tory leader + the Cabinet Office/Geidt coverups, deserving of a separate police investigation #RegimeChange

Interesting tweet from Cummings... I am not familiar with Simon Walters but from the comments it appears he is a DM journalist who has written about Johnson's finances and links with Russia, esp Lebedev.

Illegal donations on a day when a 54% increase of energy bill is announced and no cutting of VAT (which was a brexit promise), he knows how to time these things.

Ian Hislop has been giving evidence to a parliamentary committee -

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3O8mwDFo4M&ab_channel=PoliticsJOE

It's 25 mins long but these are the highlights for me -

Hislop at 2.58

"Again I think the public is very sick of being taken for fools at the moment"

Hislop at 7.37

"Why do you have to explain to a new MP that he shouldn't lobby for a company that's taking government contracts? Why isn't that blatantly obvious?"

Sir Bernard Jenkin then goes on to try and liken it to compliance training that financial companies do.

So here's the thing - 99% of us who have to do that fucking stupid training know it's just the company covering their arse so when someone sticks their fingers in the till the company can say it wasn't their fault.

99% of us can see when MPs are being given cash and gifts that the donors want something back - we don't need a fucking training programme for that.

Quite extraordinary isn't it.

It is worse than illegal donations - the implication seems to be that Johnson is a security risk due to being financially compromised.

Certainly the whole Geidt investigation seemed pretty dodgetastic
This is one of the Simon Walters articles linked to in the comments www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-9770577/SIMON-WALTERS-Boris-Johnsons-personal-finances-Theyre-orderly-hair.html

"This was in breach of the code of conduct, she said, adding: 'I also find that Mr Johnson has not shown the accountability required of those in public life.'"

🙄 you don't say.

(Lifted from the article linked to Crying.)

Im not convinced financial stories about Johnson really cut through as the expectation is that they are all at it - unless (maybe) it is linked to foreign donors. It will be interesting to see what comes out.

Sorry I should have said the quoted comment was made by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Im not convinced financial stories about Johnson really cut through as the expectation is that they are all at it

Maybe but with energy bills rising 54% and a warning UK households must brace themselves for the biggest annual fall in their standard of living since comparable records began three decades ago, people might start seeing it differently

And that is on top of free schol meals u-turn, £20 UC removal, Patterson, NI increase, £4.7b fraud loss, £8.7b dodgy PPE, getherings etc etc
(and that is without mentioning Brexit...)

Im not convinced financial stories about Johnson really cut through as the expectation is that they are all at it

I think when it was all about duck ponds that was true. Being bankrolled by Russian oligarchs is a bit different.

I hope you are right Duncin and Blossom - and maybe the backdrop of Paterson, parties, the Starmer smears and the wallpaper will mean people take it more seriously.

@Blossomtoes

Im not convinced financial stories about Johnson really cut through as the expectation is that they are all at it

I think when it was all about duck ponds that was true. Being bankrolled by Russian oligarchs is a bit different.

Its wierd when the story of the alleged Chinese spy broke, there were some posters who were beside themselves with excitement to condemn Barry Gardiner, but tied themselves in knots saying it was alright for MPs to accept money from other countries.

@Notonthestairs

I hope you are right Duncin and Blossom - and maybe the backdrop of Paterson, parties, the Starmer smears and the wallpaper will mean people take it more seriously.

Me too.

Todays news is already depressing enough.

I agree with pp that Johnsosns Russian links and financial affairs mean nothing when he is the golden boy. With the cost of living crisis etc its more likely to gain traction. People will want to find an excuse why they can suddenly dislike him and Brexity stuff - this sort of stuff gives people an out. People need an out- so they can change their mind without feeling an idiot.

Johnson has now backed down and has admitted that Keir Starmer had nothing to do personally with those decisions.

awaits the return of the squirrels

I should bloody think so! It was a disgusting slur.

He said

I want to be very clear about this because a lot of people have got very hot under the collar, and I understand why

Let’s be absolutely clear, I’m talking not about the leader of the opposition’s personal record when he was DPP and I totally understand that he had nothing to do personally with those decisions

I was making a point about his responsibility for the organisation as a whole. And I think people can see that. And I really do want to clarify that because it is important

How does that last para fit with his own responsibilities for the party culture at No.10?

I am not sure if he will now correct the record in the House.

It makes no difference if he does. He said it and it won’t be forgotten.

They are so bad at this stuff. He says dreadful thing he was advised not to, doubles down on it, sends people out to sully themselves excusing it, gets terrible press and grief from his MPS and then backs down days late. Damage is done to him and the Torys not Starmer.
If it was a dead cat it was useless. No political instincts never mind decency and so slow to react that the binfire is a bonfire by the time he tries to backdown. There musn't be anyone with any nous around him now or he just isn't listening.

The Spectator just tweeted: Exclusive: Boris's policy chief quits over Jimmy Savile slur

I was making a point about his responsibility for the organisation as a whole. And I think people can see that. And I really do want to clarify that because it is important

This is going to sound even more stupid when/if it becomes clear that the November ABBA party took place in his own flat.

And according to a senior Whitehall figure message :'Wow. One of, if not the most, level-headed and experienced people who was left'

To make it worse he undermines the ‘apology’ by claiming other people were just ‘getting hot under the collar’.

Mirza said:

‘I believe it was wrong for you to imply this week that Keir Starmer was personally responsible for allowing Jimmy Savile to escape justice. There was no fair or reasonable basis for that assertion. This was not the usual cut and thrust of politics; it was an inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse. You tried to clarify your position today but, despite my urging, you did not apologise for the misleading impression you gave.’

Very succinct and to the point.