Is anyone actually still behind the Prime Minister?

[annabel85]

I don't think he has handled the pandemic as well as he could tbh and i've noticed the tide turning on here recently very much against him. The right wing media are really getting restless with Boris as well and of course the left are sticking the knife in.

I think a lot of people cut him loads of slack because it was an unprecedented situation and then he got really ill himself (I don't think his 'shake hands with the virus' attitude was sensible either) which set the government back in their response. Then he was let down by his main advisor which has eroded confidence in his administration.

How can Boris get a hold of this and the government approach to Covid and get everyone back on side again? 9 months ago he won one of the biggest landslides ever, to huge fanfare. It's a bit of a downfall at the moment, he still has a chance to recover it.

Boris needs to unite the country again.

@derxa

He lost the country the moment he let Cummings get away with breaking the rules. I always find this a very childish view. He did it so I can do it too. In addition I don't think that Cummings did anything wrong at all.

He broke the law with the Barnard Castle trip. Hotboxing covid down the length of the country was probably legal, but there's no interpretation of the Barnard Castle drive that brings him within what were then the regulations.

Now one may of course not have an ethical problem with an illegal, child endangering, eye checking drive, and that's a personal call. But meanwhile that leaves anyone who speaks in defence of that behaviour but then wishes to tell others they need to keep to the rules in a bit of a pickle. Hence Johnson's plummeting approval figures, and difficult position now.

@Cornettoninja

It’s not just Boris Johnson in isolation either. I’m very annoyed Jacob Rees-Mog wasn’t more widely condemned for his ‘carping on about testing’ comment.

Testing is what we’re meant to be doing, their job is to provide it and they’ve failed massively.

^ This.

See also Rees-Mogg's previous comments on the Grenfell victims. The Leader of the House of Commons has form for disgusting victim blaming.

@derxa Hi Dom, eyesight ok now? When I think back and consider what DC did and that it was considered shocking it makes me quite afraid. I obey the regulations but when I heard Nicola Sturgeon utter the words 'You are not allowed to visit another household' DS and I burst out laughing. I support NS but these draconian measures are like something out of Stalinist Russia. I will do the right thing but can't help seeing the absurdity of it all.

[quote derxa]**@derxa Hi Dom, eyesight ok now? When I think back and consider what DC did and that it was considered shocking it makes me quite afraid. I obey the regulations but when I heard Nicola Sturgeon utter the words 'You are not allowed to visit another household' DS and I burst out laughing. I support NS but these draconian measures are like something out of Stalinist Russia. I will do the right thing but can't help seeing the absurdity of it all.[/quote]
If he really did think it was ok to drive a car with his own child inside to check he was fit to do a longer drive, ie if there was doubt, that would be pretty shocking regardless of any covid regulations. That was one of those situations where you hope someone is lying, because the idea that it might actually be the truth is too sad for words. Poor little boy.

@derxa

He lost the country the moment he let Cummings get away with breaking the rules. I always find this a very childish view. He did it so I can do it too. In addition I don't think that Cummings did anything wrong at all.

Classic Derxa.... and exactly why people will pay lip service to the new rules and do what they want now, as many have already..... 1 in 5 stick to quarantine... they follow their instincts and do as they please.

So if i meet up with my friends to watch footie, take-a-ways and a few beers, so what? i'm doing nothing wrong, its all common sense ain't it?

He’s finished.

I was watching the speech last night, and honestly I thought he is fucked whatever. And he will continue to be fucked until there is a vaccine or treatment, there is simply no right answer.

Right now they need to keep the economy going, whilst trying to suppress this, so they don’t need to totally lock down again. Whatever they do is going to piss someone off.

However some of the rules are hard to understand the logic of. Why shut pubs at ten, what difference does that hour make? Is it softening us up for a ten pm curfew? If so, why not just do it.

And then you have sturgeon being a pita on the sidelines, whatever Boris does she either does less or more, she’d rather eat her own liver than do the same, so is constantly looking to point out Scotland is seperate by giving different rules, so she can ultimately get to her devolution goal. For her it’s a prime opportunity to make a point.

Boris is apparently trying to tread a path between science and the economy, and we sat and watched the chuckle brothers, vallance and witty, give the most ludicrous press conf on Monday, scaremongering in the extreme and trying to claim countries like France were doubling weekly, whilst blatantly sitting alongside a chart showing it was every three weeks, like we were a bunch of thickos and couldn’t do the basic maths. Whilst millions of people sat there thinking “it’s not doubling weekly what are you on about” and their credibility dripped away.

With so many different agendas, there is simoly no way to get it right here. There simply isn’t. It’s the extreme example of fucked if you do, fucked if you don’t.

Classic Derxa.... and exactly why people will pay lip service to the new rules and do what they want now, as many have already..... 1 in 5 stick to quarantine... they follow their instincts and do as they please. The point is that I don't follow my instincts as far as pubs, shops, restaurants and home are concerned. But... I don't stay 2m away from a vet when she's plastering a sheep's leg and I'm holding on to it.
I remember the DC on here and people said that DC's niece should have been put on a train down to London to look after his son. What a load of old bollocks.

I think Matt Lucas's GBBO spoof will also help finish him, just as Spitting Image hammered the reputation and career of David Steel. Lucas was so very close to the bone last night.

Mockery is powerful. Mass mockery is extremely powerful.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/wife-of-david-steel-blames-tv-1094162

*I remember the DC debate

I don't have a problem with them changing the measures as we go along. To protect the NHS they always said that they would have to put the brakes on and off.
I am furious about the testing and the track and tracing though. They absolutely should have that sorted.
Nobody trusts Boris anymore. We hardly see him.

I think Boris Johnson was just about getting away with being an untrustworthy shit. But a laughing stock? That's dangerous territory for a PM.

[quote derxa]**@derxa Hi Dom, eyesight ok now? When I think back and consider what DC did and that it was considered shocking it makes me quite afraid. I obey the regulations but when I heard Nicola Sturgeon utter the words 'You are not allowed to visit another household' DS and I burst out laughing. I support NS but these draconian measures are like something out of Stalinist Russia. I will do the right thing but can't help seeing the absurdity of it all.[/quote]
Derxa - it has to be understood in the context of the time. In lockdown everyone was being fed the 'Stay at Home' message with incredible public adherence to the rules.

Cummings left the epicentre of a disease hotspot and travelled across the country while symptomatic and ended up with his child and symptomatic wife going into a hospital in the NE. He knew full well this type of behaviour had spread the disease in Italy with people retreating to second homes. He then came up with an absolutely ludicrous excuse about testing his eyesight when visiting a beauty spot on his wife’s birthday. Then when many people didn’t buy the bullshit the Government put their efforts into forming a ‘protective ring’ around Cummings and in the most high handed manner telling the public to ‘move on’. According to the Government it was completely reasonable for their man DC to gallop around the country to family. Just prior to this Prof Ferguson’s position was untenable and he was ‘right to resign’. MPs were inundated with complaints from their constituents. The way it was handled was a disgrace!

Admittedly I was probably more upset about it than I ordinarily would have been given that my Mum had been recently widowed and I was watching her upset and alone at distance on facetime as I followed the instructions the Government had issued. There were thousands of other families in awful circumstances also being compliant. People holding funerals with limited mourners, people missing out on births - so that's why people were so upset and didn't like to find out we were expected to do one thing while Johnson's inner circle got to do what they wished e.g. Johnson senior skipping off to Greece.

Johnson better make sure his inner circle comply with the rules this time around! They cannot ask from the British public what they are unwilling to do themselves.

Of course we need to take personal responsibility for our actions but the Government need to lead by example.

I think he's probably fucked too. Murdoch having turned against him is a really bad sign. If the Tories had a really viable successor he'd be out by now, probably using his health as a get out clause.

Matt Lucas
Aka Boris Johnson's NEMESIS

MPs were inundated with complaints from their constituents. The way it was handled was a disgrace! You're probably right. NS sacked her chief medical officer for flouting her own advice.

Bearing in mind that any politician of any party, who may have been in power this year, would have had to deal with the same situation, the same science, the same shifting sands, WHO changing tack regularly, needing to balance health with the economy, Brexit looming etc etc etc.

Any and all PM's would have been in the same situation, with the same issues, and no pleasing anyone.

The public are fickle. It is impossible to please all of the people all of the time. I would like Rishi to step up. There is something about Starmer that gives me the creeps!

@derxa Doing your job as a farmer is one thing and unequivocally within the spirit and letter of the law....

Travelling, during a lockdown and a pandemic for childcare reasons (even if we accept his explanation) is completely wrong.

Someone in his position of power and wealth could very easily have employed local childcare if required, special arrangements would have been made for him, as they were for Johnson when he became ill, no being stuck on hold with 111 and told to stay at home until breathing becomes difficult.

Johnsons authority was eroded when he refused to offer even a mild rebuke to DC or an apology.
its now non existent.

Johnsons authority was eroded when he refused to offer even a mild rebuke to DC or an apology. its now non existent.

Yes. This is the unfortunate reality. It doesn't go away because someone has reasons why they feel they're better than the people who lost respect for Johnson due to the Cummings affair.

Regarding Brexit baaahhhhh, I'm not sure other parties would've pissed around pretending No Deal is a viable option like Johnson has! The option was there to simply ask for the WA to be extended while the parties concerned all dealt with covid. The Tory government having chosen not to do so is on them, and them alone. Other alternative PMs would only have been in this particular situation if they had been that stupid.

I think Matt Lucas's GBBO spoof will also help finish him

Don’t get me wrong, I like matt Lucus but let’s not pretend he’s iconic and has the ability to finish a prime minister and lead mass mockery , it’s a daft skit that will be forgotten tomorrow.

@derxa

MPs were inundated with complaints from their constituents. The way it was handled was a disgrace! You're probably right. NS sacked her chief medical officer for flouting her own advice.

Precisely what was needed. Double standards are extremely damaging in these circumstances.

Double standards are extremely damaging in these circumstances.

Except the public can have short memories, which I guess is what they're hoping.
Either way, they have no need for the public at the moment, or for another 4 years.

@deydododatdodontdeydo no they don't need votes at the moment but they do need the public to be receptive to restrictions and to modify their behaviour accordingly. Johnson and co are going to need to set a good example this Autumn/Winter!

@deydododatdodontdeydo

Double standards are extremely damaging in these circumstances.

Except the public can have short memories, which I guess is what they're hoping.
Either way, they have no need for the public at the moment, or for another 4 years.

Erm, except for the small matter of the coronavirus! An essential part of governing during a crisis is keeping enough public trust that people will believe you're managing it properly and do what you say. If you don't have that, you will not be able to manage the crisis properly and you will have to worry about the findings of subsequent enquiries. He's in a totally different position to the one that governments with large majorities normally occupy.

Mockery is powerful. Mass mockery is extremely powerful.

Especially effective against narcissists like Johnson who so desperately, pathetically wants everyone to love him.