Part 6 A thread for the continued enjoyment of Boris' downfall, enjoyment being important

[jgw1]

What the title says.

This will be the one where he resigns, so if please keep the whatabout to a minimum.

It will be interesting to see how quiet or noisy his backbenchers are.

Bingo cards at the ready and don't drink every time he tells a lie

@ClaudineClare

the chances of the Cabinet, or anyone else, sitting around planning how the PM should answer questions are pretty remote

This is actually what happens, though not quite as you describe. Civil servants across Whitehakl will anticipate what will come up in their particular domain, draft answers to questions and to the possible follow ups.

You didn't think the PM just answers on the hoof during PMQs, did you? There is a lot of preparation behind it all.

Given that no civil servant knows which MPs will win the "shuffle" (the ballot to ask a question) nor, in most cases, will they even know what those selected are likely to ask, nor will they know which MPs might catch the Speaker's eye in order to ask a supplementary, what you describe strikes me as a gross waste of public money.

@ClaudineClare

Anyway, todays PMQs should be interesting...or will it just be Johnson bellowing his way through it again, with all the nodding dogs grinning away. Hmm.

We might hope for Ian Blackford again offering a moment of high drama - the entire PMQs is a piece of pointless theatre, of course.

@BoodyDedalus

No I was assured by a poster on another thread, that JRM was working entirely of his own volition to include these things in the parliamentary schedule.

It's better to look things up than rely on what other posters tell you. The standing orders are published online: www.parliament.uk/business/publications/commons/standing-orders-public11/

The orders for opposition days are currently under Standing Order 14 (the numbering changes from one edition to the next).

You're missing the sarcasm element. One of the regular posters on threads like this made a thing of saying what a wonderful job Rees-Mogg was doing because he was so nice about allowing opposition questions. It was pointed out then that he had no choice, but she wouldn't admit she was talking bollocks.

You're missing the sarcasm element.

Thanks. Like irony, sarcasm rarely works in a written medium such as this, unless pointed out.

FFS

Susanna Reid - Gillian Keegan has apologised for continuing with an in-person meeting despite being told she had tested positive for Covid... there is a big issue of members of the government not following their own rules?

Edward Argar - She has issued a fulsome apology..

the chances of the Cabinet, or anyone else, sitting around planning how the PM should answer questions are pretty remote

This is exactly what happens. Did you really think they don’t prepare their awkward jokes?

Given that no civil servant knows which MPs will win the "shuffle" (the ballot to ask a question) nor, in most cases, will they even know what those selected are likely to ask, nor will they know which MPs might catch the Speaker's eye in order to ask a supplementary, what you describe strikes me as a gross waste of public money.

You really have a very naive concept of PMQ. Of course they know what the topical issues of the day are, they research what is going on in individual members' constituencies, they keep records on what SpAds etc are inquiring into, and they keep that information up to date. Hence the fact that, as recorded in that Guardian article, good PMs spend a lot of time preparing for PMQs. Lazy ones like Johnson brush through it by lying, obfuscating and going off into supposedly populist rants.

@merrymouse

the chances of the Cabinet, or anyone else, sitting around planning how the PM should answer questions are pretty remote

This is exactly what happens. Did you really think they don’t prepare their awkward jokes?

...or completely fail to answer a question :( explains a lot.

Given that no civil servant knows which MPs will win the "shuffle" (the ballot to ask a question) nor, in most cases, will they even know what those selected are likely to ask, nor will they know which MPs might catch the Speaker's eye in order to ask a supplementary, what you describe strikes me as a gross waste of public money

It really is not that hard to predict what will come up. Each Department knows what subjects have been hot topics in the previous few days. As I said, it is all carefully planned week on week right up until the last minute.

Someone please tell the oafs in No 10 that 'fulsome' has a different meaning to 'full'.

I sort of agree it is a waste of money, especially with the PM we have. A lot of what goes on in Parliament is a bit pointless at times and costs a lot in terms of staffing. But that is the result of having a supposedly open government.

DePfeffoff:
You really have a very naive concept of PMQ. Of course they know what the topical issues of the day are.

I'm sure they do, but there's no requirement for MPs to ask about topical issues of the day. Questions are often far more obscure.

@BoodyDedalus

You're missing the sarcasm element.

Thanks. Like irony, sarcasm rarely works in a written medium such as this, unless pointed out.

Maybe you’re on the wrong thread. Most of us get it.

ClaudineClare
It really is not that hard to predict what will come up. Each Department knows what subjects have been hot topics in the previous few days.

But many of the questions are not about hot topics of the previous few days. Many are on relatively obscure constituency-specific matters.

Maybe you’re on the wrong thread. Most of us get it.

Apologies for taking people for what they write. Should i assume that your comment is genuine or sarcasm?

Definitely genuine. HTH.

https://twitter.com/sophiasleigh/status/1491092648371044352?s=21

Analysis: Boris Johnson's Savile slur is a foretaste of the next general election campaign.

“This wasn’t something said off the cuff - this is something we know people are talking about,” one Tory MP tells HuffPost UK.

Tories are planning on further smear stories - Mark Harper tweeted in response -

"Grim.

This is not the kind of country we want to be.

The prospect of adopting this approach poses yet more serious questions for my Conservative MP colleagues and I to consider in the weeks and months ahead."

It's going to get worse isn't it.

But many of the questions are not about hot topics of the previous few days. Many are on relatively obscure constituency-specific matters

Listen carefully to how the PM answers those more obscure questions.

The only "detectable impact of Brexit" is delays, costs, loss of trade and queues at the border, esp Dover Felixstowe.

Commons cross party finance committee

This is what i judge that fucking clown and govt of clowns on... so much of the damage this moron has done is covered up by deflection/Boriswash - such as parties and throw away remarks... if there was any justice in the world he'd be on trial.

@Blossomtoes

Definitely genuine. HTH.

I was making an ironic comment!

(Just to make the point that it is difficult for newbies such as myself to know whether something is sarcastic or not. )

@ClaudineClare

But many of the questions are not about hot topics of the previous few days. Many are on relatively obscure constituency-specific matters

Listen carefully to how the PM answers those more obscure questions.

Will do. By the way, are you saying that the "Savile slur" was dreamt up by a civil servant?

It's going to get worse isn't it.

I expect so. The way things are going there could be civil war in the Tory party which would hopefully finish them for a generation. I’m ever the optimist.

@Notonthestairs

"His allies have said he will not resign even if he is fined by police for breaching lockdown rules by attending Downing Street parties. Johnson told cabinet yesterday that the party needed to start talking about voters’ priorities: “The public really hate it when we talk about ourselves and stop talking about them,” he said."

From the Times. So he's definitely getting fined then!

Yes, I read this and thought exactly the same! We've moved on a bit from the days of "there were no parties"/"no rules were broken" haven't we?

Interesting to see how effective the (clearly planned) Savile slur has been - it has replaced Johnson's lawbreaking at the forefront of people's minds and as a topic of discussion.

Britain Trump.