The illegal Downing Street Christmas Party

[Manc Skipper]

So what? A lot of workers in offices do this, and were told abide all sorts of restrictions that No 10 and its people ignored. And not just ONCE, but multiple times indoors and outdoors.

That's the galling part. The very day the coutnry was being told they could only meet up with one person, outdoors, two metres apart, other than with family you live with. They were partying every week behind the scenes. Police were moving sunbathers apart in London parks as their security colleagues watched the Downing Street staff gambolling in the garden.

 

[Cordelier]

So what? A lot of workers in offices do this, and were told abide all sorts of restrictions that No 10 and its people ignored. And not just ONCE, but multiple times indoors and outdoors.

Working at No. 10 isn't a typical office. I would imagine that pretty much everyone at these events either went straight there from their desks, or went to their desks immediately afterwards. Or both, I would imagine in a lot of cases. I know the PM did. It's a different environment.

Mind you, I'm not saying what happened was right or that Johnson doesn't deserve to be called out for it. I'm just saying that the work environment there has to be a continuous blur.

And calling for the PM to resign over this? C'mon... let's at least try and keep some perspective here. It's a blip.

 

[Cordelier]

That's the galling part. The very day the coutnry was being told they could only meet up with one person, outdoors, two metres apart, other than with family you live with. They were partying every week behind the scenes. Police were moving sunbathers apart in London parks as their security colleagues watched the Downing Street staff gambolling in the garden.

Oh, the horror! The Horror!

 

[PeteEU]

Working at No. 10 isn't a typical office. I would imagine that pretty much everyone at these events either went straight there from their desks, or went to their desks immediately afterwards. Or both, I would imagine in a lot of cases. I know the PM did. It's a different environment.

Mind you, I'm not saying what happened was right or that Johnson doesn't deserve to be called out for it. I'm just saying that the work environment there has to be a continuous blur.

And calling for the PM to resign over this? C'mon... let's at least try and keep some perspective here. It's a blip.

What a load of bs. An office is an office and you don't need 100 people at nr 10. Most of those could easily work from home like everyone else at the time. There was no legal parties at the time and thousands of people have been fined for doing what Boris and Co did. They clearly broke thier own rules not once, but 12 times and counting....this is not a ****ing blip.

And you believe that Boris Johnson went back to his office? He has been fired twice for lying, once as journalist and is notorious in being absent from Cobra and similar critical meetings. Hell he went on a donor payed expensive holiday in the middle of a national crisis...and got donors to pay for his extravagant redoing of Nr 11...and LIED about that as well. So you still believe him that he went back to office to work?

 

[Cordelier]

What a load of bs. An office is an office and you don't need 100 people at nr 10. Most of those could easily work from home like everyone else at the time. There was no legal parties at the time and thousands of people have been fined for doing what Boris and Co did. They clearly broke thier own rules not once, but 12 times and counting....this is not a ****ing blip.

And you believe that Boris Johnson went back to his office? He has been fired twice for lying, once as journalist and is notorious in being absent from Cobra and similar critical meetings. Hell he went on a donor payed expensive holiday in the middle of a national crisis...and got donors to pay for his extravagant redoing of Nr 11...and LIED about that as well. So you still believe him that he went back to office to work?

Well, the man does live above the shop, so I'd say it's a pretty fair bet he went back there before, after or both.

I think it's a mistake to treat the PM like a schoolboy.... give him a list of rules he has to follow, and if he steps out of line, slap him on the wrist. Someone like Boris Johnson is an outside-the-box operator. He's not going to thrive in that kind of an atmosphere. And the ones who do thrive like that tend to be pretty poor PMs.

Oooohh... he's notorious for being absent from COBR meetings. Bad Boris.

But you do realize that even at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK purposefully absented himself from ExComm meetings. The fate of the world was in the balance, and the man at the top wasn't there. Why? Well, first off, the President has an extensive list of public appearances to attend... and when he calls them off to attend a crisis meeting, it tends to make people uneasy. But, secondly, he wanted those meetings to come up with viable strategies for handling the crisis.... he wanted to make sure everyone present went there with the unvarnished truth... and not with an eye to kissing up to the Boss. Attending every meeting - as a dutiful schoolboy attends every class - doesn't get you anywhere as a Prime Minister. People just tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. You need to have a certain level of detachment as a leader... Theresa May never got that. Boris Johnson does.

On the subject of lies.... well, if you went around telling the truth all the time, it's not going to make you all that popular, is it? People always say they want the truth, but they don't... because when you it to them straight, then you're the asshole. If you're going to be an effective leader, you need to have guile. Like that old Winston Churchill line about the truth being so important it needs to be protected by a bodyguard of lies.

 

[PeteEU]

Well, the man does live above the shop, so I'd say it's a pretty fair bet he went back there before, after or both.

LOL I see you are a Boris man.. fine, believe the lazy ass lying piece of shit. He lied to the British people directly on TV multiple times.. and yet you still defend him..

I think it's a mistake to treat the PM like a schoolboy....

A PM yes.. this PM, hell no. He acts like a 10 year old more than not, so he is to be treated as one.

give him a list of rules he has to follow, and if he steps out of line, slap him on the wrist.

How many times do you slap him on the wrist before it becomes serious? 1? 2? 3? 10? 20? 30?

Someone like Boris Johnson is an outside-the-box operator. He's not going to thrive in that kind of an atmosphere. And the ones who do thrive like that tend to be pretty poor PMs.

The hell he is. He is a narcissistic asshole that only thinks of himself. He against Brexit before he was for it. He became Mayor of London just so he could up his profile on a national level and eventually lead him to Nr 10. He would backstab his own mother to get power... which he and Gove basically did.

Oooohh... he's notorious for being absent from COBR meetings. Bad Boris.

So you have no problem with the leader of a country being absent from the most important meetings there can be.. meetings that are ONLY called in times of national crisis? Okay...

But you do realize that even at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK purposefully absented himself from ExComm meetings. The fate of the world was in the balance, and the man at the top wasn't there. Why? Well, first off, the President has an extensive list of public appearances to attend... and when he calls them off to attend a crisis meeting, it tends to make people uneasy. But, secondly, he wanted those meetings to come up with viable strategies for handling the crisis.... he wanted to make sure everyone present went there with the unvarnished truth... and not with an eye to kissing up to the Boss. Attending every meeting - as a dutiful schoolboy attends every class - doesn't get you anywhere as a Prime Minister. People just tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. You need to have a certain level of detachment as a leader... Theresa May never got that. Boris Johnson does.

Deflection.

On the subject of lies.... well, if you went around telling the truth all the time, it's not going to make you all that popular, is it? People always say they want the truth, but they don't... because when you it to them straight, then you're the asshole. If you're going to be an effective leader, you need to have guile. Like that old Winston Churchill line about the truth being so important it needs to be protected by a bodyguard of lies.

More deflection.

You sound like one of those Tory Boris fans on TV trying to defend the PM and failing so badly that not even Sky News reporters are buying it.. and that is saying a lot considering how protective they have been of the current government.

 

[Cordelier]

LOL I see you are a Boris man.. fine, believe the lazy ass lying piece of shit. He lied to the British people directly on TV multiple times.. and yet you still defend him..


A PM yes.. this PM, hell no. He acts like a 10 year old more than not, so he is to be treated as one.

How many times do you slap him on the wrist before it becomes serious? 1? 2? 3? 10? 20? 30?


The hell he is. He is a narcissistic asshole that only thinks of himself. He against Brexit before he was for it. He became Mayor of London just so he could up his profile on a national level and eventually lead him to Nr 10. He would backstab his own mother to get power... which he and Gove basically did.


So you have no problem with the leader of a country being absent from the most important meetings there can be.. meetings that are ONLY called in times of national crisis? Okay...


Deflection.

More deflection.

You sound like one of those Tory Boris fans on TV trying to defend the PM and failing so badly that not even Sky News reporters are buying it.. and that is saying a lot considering how protective they have been of the current government.

I hate to state the obvious truth here, but if you're not willing to "back stab your mother" to get power, then you don't deserve to have it. You're not cut out for the game.

Look, I'm no Johnson devotee. I respect the man as an outside-the-box thinker, but I don't agree with him down the line. I was fascinated with the whole Brexit process and the parliamentary wrangling around it... but I walked away from it probably more in sympathy with Oliver Letwin than anyone else in Parliament. And a healthy respect for Michel Barnier's ability as a negotiator. He played the UK Parliament like Paganini played a violin.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

he has not really apologized... god what a *****.

The word freely being bandied about here is "sociopath."

He doesn't even realise that the rest of the party are leaving him there to take all the blame. They will ditch him at the earliest convenience.

his position within the party is so strong

I don't think it is strong. Do you remember Nadine Dorries being banned from the ERG WhatsApp group for defending Boris?

Tory minister removed from Brexiteer WhatsApp group for defending Boris Johnson

THE Culture Secretary was removed from a WhatsApp group of Brexit-supporting Tories for defending the Prime Minister.

www.thenational.scot

Those a bit too strenuously defending the idiot are not doing well in the ERG.

Oh, the horror! The Horror!

You remember this?

She sat alone at her husband's funeral. 30 members maximum even in a ventilated building. If you don't see what duty and honour and integrity should look like, I feel sorry for you.

I'm no Johnson devotee

Sorry but your continued defence of his lying has no other reason to exist.

 

[Manc Skipper]

Brandon Lewis defending Johnson's non-apology apology on BBC Radio 4 The interviewer, Nick Robinson summed up the revulsion currently held by the electorate.

 

[Cordelier]

You remember this?

She sat alone at her husband's funeral. 30 members maximum even in a ventilated building. If you don't see what duty and honour and integrity should look like, I feel sorry for you.

Sorry but your continued defence of his lying has no other reason to exist.

Yeah, well, symbolic gestures are what a Monarchy is for.... when you're at the center of the action, though, it gets harder to maintain a broader perspective.
That's the difference between the Palace and Number 10.

I'm not saying Johnson was in the right - he wasn't - I'm just saying this is being blown way out of perspective.

I don't care whether it's a Conservative or Labour Government in power, it drives me nuts when the opposition harps on this kind of Mickey Mouse minutiae. Is that really all they have got to attack the government for? Not some broad policy issue? Nope... all they focus on is some get-together at No. 10. Give me a break.

 

[Ginza]

Old year ending on idiotic post, just as expected.

Says he in the only post on 31 December 2021.

For once we are in agreement.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

I don't care whether it's a Conservative or Labour Government in power, it drives me nuts when the opposition harps on this kind of Mickey Mouse minutiae. Is that really all they have got to attack the government for?

OK, now I know you’re taking the piss. It’s not some isolated event but a repeated occurrence.

Lockdown parties in No 10 on eve of Prince Philip's funeral

Fresh revelations about staff parties in Downing Street increase pressure on Boris Johnson.

www.bbc.co.uk

It’s about rules and whether everyone has to abide by them or not. It’s about people only allowed to see dying family members on iPads while the people who make the rules are having illegal (at the same time) parties.

Even the hardest core in the Conservatives are embarrassed.

 

[Felis Leo]

I think it is disgusting what he did. Prime Minister Johnson and his cabinet should have announced an easing of restrictions prior to Christmas and then this party would not have been seen as a flagrant abuse of office. OR they should have just gone home and celebrated quiet Christmases with their families under their miserable draconian lockdown (could one of you Brits please tell me if the lockdown even helped in the time of Omicron?). But if this sinks his Prime Ministership, it is fully deserved.

 

[Cordelier]

OK, now I know you’re taking the piss. It’s not some isolated event but a repeated occurrence.

Lockdown parties in No 10 on eve of Prince Philip's funeral

Fresh revelations about staff parties in Downing Street increase pressure on Boris Johnson.

www.bbc.co.uk

It’s about rules and whether everyone has to abide by them or not. It’s about people only allowed to see dying family members on iPads while the people who make the rules are having illegal (at the same time) parties.

Even the hardest core in the Conservatives are embarrassed.

Be that as it may, it's still making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

[joluoto]

OK, now I know you’re taking the piss. It’s not some isolated event but a repeated occurrence.

Lockdown parties in No 10 on eve of Prince Philip's funeral

Fresh revelations about staff parties in Downing Street increase pressure on Boris Johnson.

www.bbc.co.uk

It’s about rules and whether everyone has to abide by them or not. It’s about people only allowed to see dying family members on iPads while the people who make the rules are having illegal (at the same time) parties.

Even the hardest core in the Conservatives are embarrassed.

And the best thing about this is that these parties were dug up by the Torygraph. Now even the pro Tory papers are going after Johnson.

 

[PoS]

Leave Boris alone! His job is hard enough as it is.

 

[Higgins86]

That picture of the queen sat alone at her husbands funeral should be shoved in his face on a daily basis until he resigns

 

[Sven Karma]

Be that as it may, it's still making a mountain out of a molehill.

Hardly worth apologizing to the Queen, then, though a BoJo apology is basically "sorry for getting caught"

Downing Street apologises to Queen over lockdown parties

Two staff get-togethers took place in April last year, the night before Prince Philip's funeral.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Infinite Chaos]

And the best thing about this is that these parties were dug up by the Torygraph. Now even the pro Tory papers are going after Johnson.

I think the releases have gone to ITV first actually. I've read suspicions that Dominic Cummings is releasing these details drip by drip as part of his revenge. If the tips had gone to the BBC first - many Conservatives would have claimed "BBC bias" or "BBC is left wing." There's been zero accusations against ITV so far of any bias.

Leave Boris alone! His job is hard enough as it is.

Come to enjoy the mess you wanted to push onto us when you were Boris' number one overseas supporter during Brexit? We told you the guy was a buffoon and a liar and all he's done is reveal that.
Even to the extent of apologising to the Queen today.

 

[Cordelier]

Hardly worth apologizing to the Queen, then, though a BoJo apology is basically "sorry for getting caught"

Downing Street apologises to Queen over lockdown parties

Two staff get-togethers took place in April last year, the night before Prince Philip's funeral.

www.bbc.co.uk

Kabuki Theater.

 

[Sven Karma]

Kabuki Theater.

There is certainly a striking resemblance between Liz Truss and one of the scarier Kabuki masks.

 

[Cordelier]

There is certainly a striking resemblance between Liz Truss and one of the scarier Kabuki masks.

It's a curious phenomena that people are more apt to make comments on a female politician's appearance than a male's, don't you think?

 

[Infinite Chaos]

For those interested: here’s the full list of at least seventeen parties so far

How many Covid lockdown parties were held in Downing Street?

The prime minister has apologised for attending Downing Street drinks during lockdown, how many other gatherings were there?

www.bbc.co.uk

All held during lockdown, when everyone else was banned from gatherings / funerals etc

 

[Sven Karma]

It's a curious phenomena that people are more apt to make comments on a female politician's appearance than a male's, don't you think?

Given the space devoted to BoJo's notoriously dishevelled appearance, no, not really.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

Given the immaturity of arguing on this thread that it's no big deal that Laws of the country don't apply equally to all citizens - it seems 9 year old school kids are more on the ball about what this means constitutionally

Kuenssberg: What's a PM to do when even kids joke about his future?

The prime minister is fighting to stay in No 10 - and the next few days could prove decisive.

www.bbc.co.uk

And then you add to that the huge anger out there in Conservative constituencies this weekend about this

Lead or step aside, senior Tory Tobias Ellwood tells Boris Johnson

Tobias Ellwood says "we need leadership" as MPs are inundated with messages about Downing Street parties.

www.bbc.co.uk

The anger isn't just here on the thread - it's palpable on the streets and in offices where many level headed people made huge personal sacrifices while at least 17 parties and mass gatherings in confined spaces were held at Downing street. All that our PM claimed to have ZERO knowledge of when he was first challenged in parliament in December 2021.