Partygate Channel 4

[JenniferBooth]

Tonight 9.30pm. Based on the Sue Gray report telling the story of what was happening during Covid 19 inside 10 Downing Street including the lockdown breaching parties.

Scarily I believe all to be true

I’m also baffled and shocked by the fines.

I’m glad I listened to your recommendations! But bloody hell that was a really infuriating watch.

The poor and working class were shafted from day 1.

All those bus drivers who died before finally screens were installed round their cabs. Scandal.

All the key workers who couldn’t just wfh on their MacBooks, popping into the kitchen to Instagram the sourdough, but were out at work, travelling to work…

All those "leaving parties". I left my job in early October 2020. I was in the office that day as were some of my team.

My colleague got a cake from M&S and cut it in to slices and put it in the kitchen. We went separately, one by one, to collect our piece of cake and sat on our own in different meeting rooms to dial in to a Teams meeting so people could say goodbye.

My heart goes out to you. I think (but I might be wrong) that you may have talked about this whilst Covid was going on. It hit home to me because I am a twin too. Absolutely heartbreaking for you.

I went to sleep thinking of this programme and what people went through and I woke up and my first thoughts were the same. I've just turned the News on in the hope that it's brought up. Doubtful probably.

I want this programme screened on a loop. Johnson is the most venal heartless person imaginable... haven't we just been told he scrawled the word 'bollocks' across a report about long covid?

Boring waste of time. I am amazed anyone watched it and somehow missed it when it happened the first time 🤷🏼‍♀️

What an excellent contribution.👍 Thank you for your analysis.

Not sure anyone said they "missed it the first time round"?

Is Downing Street really full of 20-30 somethings? Was it predominantly the young staff? There appeared to be no middle aged people.

Why on earth would anyone want to watch it again??!! Pointless

Perhaps....and this might be a novel idea...some people are different to you?

Yes, I was surprised at just how many people seemed very young. I guess it is accurate, given the factual aspiration of the programme?

Also, watching this programme was the first time I had actually put together two different sets of facts in my head: the partying, and the persistent stories of general incompetance in the downing streeet team.
I suppose I had kind of bought into the false idea that the parties (although definitely a violation of the rules) were just a hop and a step away from authentic workplace events, and were full of sober, competant professionals in suits talking quietly at the end of a sensible day's work. Not full-on idiotic good-timing that would be inappropriate in any workplace, covid or no covid.

I’m fuming I’ve been awake all night couldn’t stop getting that Allegra woman out of my head. During covid my mum was taken ill and hospitalised, then taken to a home where she was nursed until she died. Nobody was allowed to see her until she started palliative care so for the last year of her life she was locked away in a hospital and then a home with total strangers and frightened beyond belief. At the time I didn’t really realise what was going on as I was in shock at my mums illness and trying to deal with it. But now looking at what was going on in no 10 I feel physically sick. My dear mum died with just me beside her, and a covid led funeral was pitiful.
The whole lot of them should be kicked out of the political system and charged £14000 for each party. I so hope that the people who got stupid fines get them wiped off their records. Disgusted by the whole lot of them and Boris just enjoying his ego being fed by his entourage.

I remember quite early on after people had been told not to travel unless necessary or wfh if you could and there was a picture doing the rounds of a rammed tube early morning - cue lots of criticism. (Including here on MN )
But on the tube we're very clearly a lot of construction workers/builders etc, and I imagine others that couldn't wfh. It wasn't families going on day trips, it was ordinary (probably low paid) people going to work because they couldn't wfh

What are you talking about? This is a new programme, it's never been on before. If you mean the fact that it's yet another programme about COVID, I suppose you think it's a nuisance that they're reporting on the COVID inquiry too.

People need it ramming down their throats what absolute disgrace it was.

Surely nobody who has ever voted Conservative can vote for them again, even if Johnson was a one-man disaster? But what would a different government have really done with a similar challenge, other than maybe drink less? We can never know.

I've just turned the News on in the hope that it's brought up. Doubtful probably.

Doubtful indeed. It's all over Twitter but I'm surprised not many people are commenting on here.I put a post on my Facebook page and not a single person has commented. I think that most people I know have absolutely no interest at all in politics however they vote - or don't vote probably. Even those I know who had to work through it don't seem to care any more. The apathy in this country is appalling.

Well they probably wouldn't have got rid of the pandemic planning committee 6 months previously and would therefore have been slightly better organised.

We had to stop watching after 30 minutes as we were so angry.

I lost my best mate during this time from cancer, didn't go to see because we obeyed the rules. Nearly 50 years as friends.

Were any of the cleaners called to give evidence at the Sue Gray report?

Because I bet they had a very different and way more realistic version of events than than sanitised version the everything minimised Conservative party cooked up.

Have the Conservatives made a comment on this program?

@Fizbosshoes Criticism that no doubt came from the laptop class!

@Lastchancechica
were you bored when folk were talking about not being able to spend time with loved ones when they were dying - or when families couldn’t offer support at a funeral. That’s a very sad reflection on you.
I don’t know how anyone could watch this and not feel sad, frustrated and very very angry.

The fact that's it's proven that Boris only attended 3 or 4 of the parties shows what a complete shit show the whole Tory party is and that it breeds selfishness and a complete lack of empathy from the very top right down to the juniors that were getting pissed up multiple times whilst everyone else was in lockdown. How Boris and Matt Hancock could do those daily briefings and cancel Christmas knowing their were full on piss ups going on in 10 Downing Street (even if they didn't attend) is an absolute disgrace and an insult to every person that ever voted for them.

Of course we all knew the Tories were breaking covid rules, none of us are that stupid, but what is sickening is the extreme level of the rule breaking. It wasn't just a sneaky quiet drink at the end of the day or a few beers during a work meeting, they were full on parties with music, karaoke and wine fridges behind smuggled in.

@PrincessScarlett I remember messaging DB back in Dec 2020 just after they "cancelled" Christmas and saying "you dont think they will be following the rules do you" Like you i knew they wouldnt be but the extent of it is much worse than i thought

I'm less keen on the drama and fictional character element now that I've slept on it. Not that it wasn't well done, but the fact is that nobody blew the whistle. Not one of those civil servants or SPADS or politicians was 'disloyal'. And tbh a spad in their early 20s was always the least likely to do so.

Im actually now forgetting how it did come out! Will have to look it up.

WTF are you on about?

how did the news get out? somebody on the inside must have spoken to the daily mirror who broke the story and ITN I think had their own story (not just reporting the daily mirror report).