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.

Berkley castle - Edward II and the red hot poker?

Wrote to my MP re Dom Cummings. MP's father died during lockdown and could not get to see him. Thinks he should be sacked and said so on BBC breakfast yesterday. First thing I have ever agreed with him ...

Also famous for the Berkeley Hunt, of course.

Also famous for the Berkeley Hunt, of course.

Language Timothy !

Meanwhile, speaking of the downfall of tyrants ...

We've not had nearly enough Downfall Parodies.

That's quite old now ...

The only good thing about cronyism, is like a parasite, it eventually kills it's host.

Liked that question about fine on the video from the public. Hancock seemed quite panicked answering that

Member of the public asks if the government will review any fixed penalty fines issued to the public for child care reasons.

Matt Hancock flaps and says 'Thats a very good question, I'll have to ask the Cabinet and I'll write to you about the answer'.

Undertone is that he's bloody pissed off at the situation and he's not prepared to blag the answer right now... (also trying to close down the topic)

Member of the public asks if the government will review any fixed penalty fines issued to the public for child care reasons.

The problem with that is that by paying the fine, the offender is also admitting guilt. So there's no need to review anything.

Getting a FPN reviewed in court costs a lot of wonga. (Which may not be recouped).

There could be a blanket amnesty of course. (There won't. But there could).

Hancock vs Peston smackdown 😂😂

I suppose on one level or another I might feel sort of sorry for Matty having to shovel shit he never shat. But then again......

I also note that the 71% who think Cummings should be Goings includes 52% of Brexiteers. Nice number.

What a crock yet again! Wish I could ask a question at briefing! Peston cut off midway a comeback question.
' it's important people to adhere to guidelines,.......important to self isolate.....it's your civil duty......but only if your Joe public!

What a crock yet again!

Did you expect anything less ?

It really isn't a great outcome for a country to have such a weak and incompetent government. When the next pandemic strikes nobody will take is seriously and a lot more people will die.

Who's buying shares in undertakers and coffin makers, as the poem goes ?

You're not doing it for me. You're doing it for your loved ones. We're doing it for the kids.....

I wrote to DS today, stating my outrage about the situation, the email reply stated that they were getting rather a lot of emails at the moment, I wonder why......?

So there will be local lockdowns if there are flare ups when lockdown eased and yet again council's will have ball in their court to deal with it. Wow! Really sharp exit there! Shorter and shorter briefings! Short shift given to some questions, no budging on Cummings what idiots to not budge on it.
He does regret anger but if you dare decide to do what Cummings did be it on your own heads!

@Sostenueto. " Civic duty" seriously after this weekend.

So there will be local lockdowns if there are flare ups

I doubt it. There might be attempts and laws and regulations, but no one will bother anymore, with good reason.

The only thing missing from this clusterfuck is Trump wading in, and defending Dominic as "doing the right thing ... this virus you know ... you've gotta do the right thing ... I mean over in Engerland ... there's a guy. There's this guy. He's doing the right thing, and the press ... well the press are trying to lock people up. But this guy ... he's right. And my bigly friend Boris ...he's right to back this guy you know ?"

In fact, I might tweet Donnie T and suggest he back Dominic as soon as he can. After all, it would be a stonking press briefing for him too ...

Meanwhile, Donnie T is trying to kill off as many of the GOP faithful as he possibly can: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52803871

I mean, what’s the point of being President if you can’t be adored by a full hall of people?

Unlockdown:

Here's one kid who'd definitely be safer in school.

From Sam Coates
A enormous effort is about to begin by government to suggest there is NO review, and the position on fines won’t change

And Laura K
Govt source says Hancock did not announce a review of fines of people in lockdown - just meant that he would pass concern raised by Martin the vicar on to his colleagues - 2020 everyone

Oopsie Matt. You'll be wrung out to dry faster than Cummings.

I'm pretty sure I got my sayings mashed up there. I should be in government

The Secret Barrister

@BarristerSecret

The government is actually, seriously proposing to introduce retrospective legislation to create a new legal defence of Doing As Dom Did. All to save a man who is such an irreplaceable genius that he held a press conference to inadvertently admit having committed an offenc

This is what is staggering me:

this would be unprecedented effort that I can't remember even to save a top level Cabinet Minister in any government

Rewriting the law to save Goings takes us into Yes Minister crossed with Twilight Zone,

Incredible
wtf hold has he got on BJ and probably several others, for them to defend him like this

this would be unprecedented effort that I can't remember even to save a top level Cabinet Minister in any government

Which is why I said, any cabinet minster is totally safe forever now.

wtf hold has he got on BJ and probably several others, for them to defend him like this

What are the only things left that could libel Boris ? We know he's a liar. A cheat. And has conspired to beat up a journalist. There really isn't much else left in the cupboard that you could accuse him of.

I'm really wondering about that rumour earlier. It would make sense in a weird way. After all, there's no evidence Boris even knows how many children he has. One more in a cuckoos nest isn't that surprising surely ?