Westminstenders: Magical Thinking

[RedToothBrush]

This week has seen reports of the government editing footage of Johnson to avoid embarrassing questions about the early government response.

We've been asked to accept that the rules were different to what we were told to excuse the law breaking behaviour of a senior government advisor. As Johnson said he was being a responsible father (as if Johnson knows what this is) and it wasn't as if he was visiting a lover (this Johnson would know all about). Let's be honest Johnson is the master of brazening out controversy.

We also have the ERG complaining they were lied to by Gove about the new Withdrawal Agreement and the border in the Irish Sea which surprises precisely no one else.

They appear to be a little upset by the Cummings debarkable too.

Cringing at Nicky Morgan on R4 just now, defending DC.

The one thing I want to hear is the one thing that we won't hear: "I'm sorry"... but at least he's being honest about the fact that he's not sorry!

So...he thought his eyesight was dodgy so drove for 30 minutes, with wife and child (so much for 'safeguarding' his child) perchancing upon Bernard Castle and decided to make the most of this happy coincidence...

Is there something the Police could get him on? Except even if there was Suella Braverman would probably interfere and quash any prosecution.

We have to hope that Tory MPs' bulging postbags of complaint will do the trick.

and on his wife's birthday.

Soooo that went well then... 😮😬

Utterly pathetic.

Cos everyone checks their eyesight by seeing if they crash the car with their family in it ....

Soooooo... this trip to Barney. Couldn't he have left his 4 year old with the 17 year old niece then??

Is he being advised on how to make a success of a media appearance by Prince Andrew?

Yesterday's effort was a car crash, so has this made it worse or better for BoZo?

Who will rid us of this turbulent PM? Only MPs with bulging postbags of complaint might do it.

Cummings is well aware that the truth doesn't matter - he's made his career off the back of this. He is on record as saying this.

The thing that matters is how the public perceive things to be and how they interpretate what they are told.

There is a certain irony about this.

I suspect that most people will be angrier after sitting through that
especially parents of 4 year olds, people who have elderly parents, people who felt ill, people who had to get back to work,
pretty much 99.9% of the country

This ahs become worryingly American to me ... bad bad media asking 'nasty' questions.

At least he didn't tell them all to drink Dettol...

I was impressed that he mostly managed to control his rude for the entire duration. Clearly the briefing was to go for humble and human. It wasn't entirely successful.

R4 just now. 3 chairs of local Tory parties are on. All 3 support him, 1 of whom changed her mind in his favour after the presser.

As someone so beautifully just pointed out on Twitter, Justin Trudeau looked after his wife and three kids while she was ill. And he is the actual prime minister of a country.

BJ about to do daily briefing. Oh joy.

3 chairs of Tory parties might well change their minds when they see bulging postbags of complaint.

He thinks he's different and special.

Not convinced....don't think the reporters were either. They're probably going to keep digging, and hope to get him one day.

Were there reporters from the Guardian or the Mirror there?

Where's the Briefing gone??

When he said “there were no taxis” he realised that it was a mistake to say they were prepared to take a taxi, due to the risk to the taxi driver.

Ditto his parents doing pick up.

But despite not being able to stand the day before, it was safe for him to drive to pick up his wife and son. Safe for the family, safe for other road users, safe for pedestrians.

Briefing at 7 apparently.

Johnson expected about 6.30.