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Original poster

Boris Xmas quiz leak, surely he has to resign now?

131 replies

OriginalM · 12/12/2021 05:55

There is a photo now of Boris hosting a work Xmas quiz with wine and beer when mixing of households and work parties not allowed.
Surely he has to resign or will be keep stating lies as fact that all guidelines were followed?

OP posts:
the80sweregreat · 12/12/2021 06:07

It's him sitting at a desk with people he had been previously working with.
I loath him and pretty much all of them in his party , but if the Sunday mirror thinks this will oust him I think not to be perfectly honest.
Am prepared to be told I'm wrong.

Original poster
OriginalM · 12/12/2021 06:11

The rules were office social events like parties or get together were banned and he hosted knowing office workers were getting together for the quiz (a social event) which was not allowed at the time.

OP posts:
SpringRainbow · 12/12/2021 06:19

I have been thinking this 2019, yet he is still here.

MostNamesAreTaken · 12/12/2021 06:22

Surely a virtual quiz was within the rules, and indeed the kind of thing encouraged to keep morale up during restrictions? If some virtual attendees broke rules, was that really Boris Johnson's fault?

I don't like Boris Johnson, but I am not convinced that the evidence currently available is as conclusive that he disregarded the rules as some are making out.

needmoreshinys · 12/12/2021 06:29

I think there is going to be more, but I agree with PP that its not enough, it will be very much

blah blah blah covid safe blah blah blah within the rules blah blah blah people helping with internet problem/technology issues blah blah blah peppa pig world blah blah blah dead cat

madisonbridges · 12/12/2021 06:30

It was a quiz on zoom or teams or something and he asked about 5 questions to people who had signed up to do it from home. Well, according to the Mirror. I was mad about the first party but I don't get the outrage over this. It sounds like they're scraping the barrel now so the next story I might not even pay attention to.

Original poster
OriginalM · 12/12/2021 06:49

It was supposed to be virtual but if you read the articles office staff decided to attend in person, (not in the same room as Boris) but he would have seen them all together when it was supposed to be virtual

OP posts:
theculture · 12/12/2021 06:58

I agree with you, but he was voted in with it being quite clear he lied all the time (sacked from 2 jobs etc), got elected even after hiding in a fridge to avoid awkward questions - he has managed to get himself judged by very different rules than most other politicians . .

SickAndTiredAgain · 12/12/2021 06:59

Surely a virtual quiz was within the rules, and indeed the kind of thing encouraged to keep morale up during restrictions? If some virtual attendees broke rules, was that really Boris Johnson's fault?

Well, I think technically Boris did also break the rules because it was an event for mainly social reasons, and he was mixing - there were two other people sitting with him.

I agree though that it’s hardly the most egregious rule breaking, however he has spent the last week saying “don’t know anything about any Christmas events, but I’ve been told all guidelines were followed.” This is clearly untrue, even if this picture shows pretty minor rule breaking.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t the last picture released. They gave him a few days to say nothing happened, then there was the Stratton video, so he spends a few days saying ok maybe something happened but I don’t know anything about it, then this picture. It wouldn’t surprise me if they gave him a few days to say “ok yes sorry, small transgression, but I didn’t think of it because it’s not really a “party” like I was being asked about” and then release something else.

whatkatydid2013 · 12/12/2021 07:03

I don’t think enough people care. If they voted for him knowing he lied in office as a mayor and gave his girlfriend at the time a major contract and had been sacked in the past for lying then why would this finish him. I wouldn’t have ever wanted him as PM and didn’t vote for his party but loads of people did knowing what he’d done in the past so I’ve little faith this will make a difference

madisonbridges · 12/12/2021 07:06

@OriginalM

It was supposed to be virtual but if you read the articles office staff decided to attend in person, (not in the same room as Boris) but he would have seen them all together when it was supposed to be virtual
But it also says in the article that people stayed in their own offices so they're always with these same people anyway. And I don't believe they don't have a computer each. Seriously, I had to go into work from time to time and I talked to other people in the staff room. And I will confess, we actually laughed and joked about things too. Shocking really.
Darkpheonix · 12/12/2021 07:13

Honestly, I thought it was going to be worse than this.

Virtual social events weren't banned. Many offices had virtual Christmas parties and quizzes. Someone provided him some tech support and was too close. Which I am sure most people have done at some point.

I am hoping there's more. If someone asked me if I attended a Christmas party or was aware of my company having one, I can't imagine a virtual one would cross my mind.

Also, the fact that some people decided ro attend from work, isn't really enough. There was no mandate that you had to leave your office if you weren't working at that moment

Again, loads of my friends companies did virtual events and people who needed to be in the office logged in from where they were.

I am in the fence with Boris going. I want him gone. Not sure now is the time for a general election. But also Dominic Cummings has a lot of shit on most of them but choosing to sit on it. But make it clear he has it.

Why? What's his agenda? I don't believe it's just revenge or trying to do what's best for the country. I am concerned about what his plan, long term, is too.

OfMinceAndMen · 12/12/2021 07:14

I actually hope he doesn't resign.
Like people who have to endure the hell of life in prison instead of 'opting out' via the electric chair, I hope he has to endure the ongoing hell of seeing the nation through the Covid crisis and Brexit aftermath.

rrhuth · 12/12/2021 07:17

@MostNamesAreTaken

Surely a virtual quiz was within the rules, and indeed the kind of thing encouraged to keep morale up during restrictions? If some virtual attendees broke rules, was that really Boris Johnson's fault?

I don't like Boris Johnson, but I am not convinced that the evidence currently available is as conclusive that he disregarded the rules as some are making out.

No, it was not within the rules - see Adam Wagner's Twitter thread for details "Put it another way. If a business had asked me to advise them in Dec 2020 on whether to run a boozy evening quiz with groups of 6+ together in the office with the boss running things on zoom I would have given them some quite robust advice on why that would be a bad idea"

Johnson shouldn't have made those rules if he himself wasn't willing to stick with them.

On 15th December Starmer apparently asked him to hold a COBRA meeting to discuss the worsening situation. Johnson opted for a Christmas quiz.

Tories can defend him all they like. The majority now want him to resign and understand he was put of order.

the80sweregreat · 12/12/2021 07:18

Boris Johnson , quiz master

Question one ,

How many children do I have and what are their names ?

Q2
What are the coronavirus rules again ?

rrhuth · 12/12/2021 07:20

It wasn't a virtual quiz, it was part zoom with groups. The three people in the photo (Johnson + two) are in breach of the rules, let alone those taking part in groups of six in the offices. They were not working, they were at a quiz at a time you could not meet for non-work purposes.

CovidCorvid · 12/12/2021 07:21

I agree he really should go.

But he will try and cling on and gaslight people saying he’s done nothing wrong. He’ll claim that a “team building” quiz is still work. So it was work not a party/gathering. So people didn’t need to socially distance. And anyway he was online, not in a room with lots of people. Though be interesting to see if he was socially distanced from the aides he did appear on camera with.

But nobody will believe him. It was out of work hours and people were drinking alcohol!

CovidCorvid · 12/12/2021 07:26

He must have seen that other people were in groups in their offices.

Official guidance also stated: “You must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier.”

He’ll probably argue it wasn’t lunch or a party and the rules didn’t say anything about quizzes. He has no shame and won’t resign.

madisonbridges · 12/12/2021 07:35

I can think of things he could resign over but to ask a few questions from his office over zoom is not one of them. This is so overblown I'm now wondering if the other one has been over-egged too.

rrhuth · 12/12/2021 07:37

@madisonbridges

I can think of things he could resign over but to ask a few questions from his office over zoom is not one of them. This is so overblown I'm now wondering if the other one has been over-egged too.
Even though it was in breach of the rules he himself set out?

Whilst some were at home, many attendees of the quiz were in groups in the office, and stayed afterwards drinking.

CovidCorvid · 12/12/2021 07:44

And he is responsible for the behaviour of others there. He’s their boss, he’s the leader of the country and he wrote the rules. And he turned a blind eye to his employees breaking them.

My boss wouldn’t have turned a blind eye and she didn’t write the rules!

CovidCorvid · 12/12/2021 07:49

Last Xmas working on an nhs ward we weren’t allowed to bring “buffet food” in on Xmas day as it might encourage gathering in the staff room.

But Downing Street can party hard in their offices knocking the wine back! Right!

rrhuth · 12/12/2021 07:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

madisonbridges · 12/12/2021 07:54

Some were at home, some were working in the office so did the quiz there - in the same room they'd been working alongside the same people they were doing the quiz with. Yeah, I just don't see it as a resigning issue.

madisonbridges · 12/12/2021 07:56

@rrhuth

If the Met wouldn't investigate due to 'lack of evidence' - will this picture which appears to show the PM committing a crime spark a change to that?
But what crime? He was working in his office with his aides that he worked with every day.