I think Boris has made a very significant mistake today. He may not be punished for it immediately but this conference just has the feeling of a moment that will stick with people.
His base won't care, and it's impossible for everyone else's opinion of Boris to sink lower.
I really don't think is true, on both counts. This is egregious enough - and an emotional enough issue for many people - that it seems to be impacting his support even amongst Tories.
It's going to be very, very difficult to shake the memory of the Tory government that led Britain to the top of Europe's death charts during a pandemic and defended their senior advisor who repeatedly broke the lockdown rules they tried to impose on everyone else.
I think Boris has made a very significant mistake today. He may not be punished for it immediately but this conference just has the feeling of a moment that will stick with people.
His base won't care, and it's impossible for everyone else's opinion of Boris to sink lower.
What other kind of visit is Johnson capable of imagining?
"If you aren't leaving the house to work or cheat on your partner, what could you possibly be up to?"
Perhaps I'm still clinging on to norms naively, but this isn't a typical party divide here, so normal rules don't apply.
Boris has just told everyone that the sacrifices that we have had to make over the last two months, weren't necessary.
He's brazenly treated the country like a bunch of mugs and then bragged about it afterwards.
This isn't your typical political gaffe. This shit actually matters and I don't think it will die down quickly.
The read I'm getting from the online Con side is this (and it's been built up over the past couple of weeks of paper news reporting).
"The lockdown was the unnecessary, overblown and panicky action of the scientific council that the government felt it had to listen to. But the models were wrong and the science was poorly thought out and didn't apply to sensible folk like me. Cummings did exactly what we would've done if we had a small child and were diagnosed with CoViD. Moreover, I was right that they can't keep us under lockdown forever, and this supports me pushing the limits of lockdown now."
Johnson has made a career out of avoid responsibility, so I shouldn't be surprised if he can get away with this, but this is exactly the sort of weird scandal that press and voters latch onto and if they don't get rid of Cummings, I really think it'll form part of a well-earned reputation for scandal and sleaze which was a key part of the Conservative defeat in 1997.
The Tories playing into their reputation for being an arrogant bunch of cunts who think they’re above the law when everyone else has been making horrendous sacrifices is a bed-shittingly bad look and just plain stupid. Possibly Johnson thinks he’s genuinely lost without Cummings.
Johnson has made a career out of avoid responsibility, so I shouldn't be surprised if he can get away with this, but this is exactly the sort of weird scandal that press and voters latch onto and if they don't get rid of Cummings, I really think it'll form part of a well-earned reputation for scandal and sleaze which was a key part of the Conservative defeat in 1997.
Are you suggesting that Johnson not washing his hands after Cummings everywhere scandal could lead to a sticky situation?
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surrealitychecklonely, but not unloveddreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered Userregular
Johnson's Cummings must have some dirt on him because Johnson has spent the last 3 months avoiding or abdicating responsibility and tying the albatross around the necks of others such that I struggle to really relate Johnson and COVID together. He's insulated himself from criticism via surrogates, adults and his latest progeny, and yet has chosen to throw himself on this grenade.
Piers Morgan gets a couple of hours every day to talk to millions of people on the telly. He’s an absolute wanker but boy howdy he’s unhappy and will no doubt be saying so regularly.
I suspect that Johnson is all in on Cummings "reform" the civil service plan, as it doesn't require leadership from the prime minister.
One of Johnson's big problems is that for brexit to be anything other than an massive failure the government will need to be incredibly coordinated, one way to achieve that is to have a competent and committed prime minster to pull everyone together, as Johnson knows he isn't/doesn't want to be this person, he needs an alternative plan, which is where Cummings civil service "reform" comes in.
Another consideration is that Cummings was originally Gove's adviser and Gove appears to be a much more effective party politician than Johnson (much less convincing human though).
Guardian are reporting that there are five (edit: now seven) Tory MPs (outside the cabinet, naturally) who have explicitly stated that Cummings needs to go.
Trickle before the flood?
Also, this made me snort coffee down my nose (Dmitry Grozoubinski is a former Australian trade negotiator and trade expert, who gave evidence to select committees on the impact of Brexit):
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Seen posted on Reddit: "Motion to name the next wave of virus cases the Second Cumming"
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HakkekageSpace Whore Academysumma cum laudeRegistered Userregular
edited May 2020
Just popping in to survey whether or not Boris Johnson's brush with death had any effect on his being an absolute twat and it seems like the answer is a small, pathetic no
Good to know even the prospect of meeting your maker isn't enough for some people
EDIT: I won't pretend to understand the deep lore of UK politics but this take seems about as right to me as any
The Tories playing into their reputation for being an arrogant bunch of cunts who think they’re above the law when everyone else has been making horrendous sacrifices is a bed-shittingly bad look and just plain stupid. Possibly Johnson thinks he’s genuinely lost without Cummings.
You appear to have awesomed your own post here. None of us can do that. Are you above the rules now? :P
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HakkekageSpace Whore Academysumma cum laudeRegistered Userregular
This video of Cummings getting heckled on his street been making the rounds on my usual haunts. Kind of stunning to me as an American to see a protected above-the-law elite just openly getting yelled at on the street but, you love to see it
The Tories playing into their reputation for being an arrogant bunch of cunts who think they’re above the law when everyone else has been making horrendous sacrifices is a bed-shittingly bad look and just plain stupid. Possibly Johnson thinks he’s genuinely lost without Cummings.
You can't possibly expect Johnson to sack his boss, really
This video of Cummings getting heckled on his street been making the rounds on my usual haunts. Kind of stunning to me as an American to see a protected above-the-law elite just openly getting yelled at on the street but, you love to see it
One of the only good things around Brexit was seeing Johnson surrounded and herded by groups of pissed-off cyclists so they could yell at him as he biked to work.
Either Johnson is quite possibly somehow stupider than I thought (in thinking everyone would forgive and forget this horror by the use of the word 'Integrity'), or he's owned by Cummings in some way. Or both. I can't otherwise explain the brazenness of this shit. Like, surely he knows that some things are indefensible, even for them?
Edit: in fact I hope that the plan of the person that posted this is specifically to try to beat neck their way through the inevitable disciplinary interview on this basis
japan on
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BethrynUnhappiness is MandatoryRegistered Userregular
Either Johnson is quite possibly somehow stupider than I thought (in thinking everyone would forgive and forget this horror by the use of the word 'Integrity'), or he's owned by Cummings in some way. Or both. I can't otherwise explain the brazenness of this shit. Like, surely he knows that some things are indefensible, even for them?
How do they get held to account?
With a general election in... let's check the FTPA... 5 years time?
Posts
I really don't think is true, on both counts. This is egregious enough - and an emotional enough issue for many people - that it seems to be impacting his support even amongst Tories.
It's going to be very, very difficult to shake the memory of the Tory government that led Britain to the top of Europe's death charts during a pandemic and defended their senior advisor who repeatedly broke the lockdown rules they tried to impose on everyone else.
Another common factor between our blond idiots.
What other kind of visit is Johnson capable of imagining?
"If you aren't leaving the house to work or cheat on your partner, what could you possibly be up to?"
Boris has just told everyone that the sacrifices that we have had to make over the last two months, weren't necessary.
He's brazenly treated the country like a bunch of mugs and then bragged about it afterwards.
This isn't your typical political gaffe. This shit actually matters and I don't think it will die down quickly.
Strong vibes summed up by (checks bio) a writer and comedian I don't know:
"The lockdown was the unnecessary, overblown and panicky action of the scientific council that the government felt it had to listen to. But the models were wrong and the science was poorly thought out and didn't apply to sensible folk like me. Cummings did exactly what we would've done if we had a small child and were diagnosed with CoViD. Moreover, I was right that they can't keep us under lockdown forever, and this supports me pushing the limits of lockdown now."
Yeah this might not die down for a while..
A while being about a week, then they'll be some fresh scandal for everyone to rage over.
Someone screwed up work and personal twitter!
And yet, as people were pointing out yesterday, his name isn't trending on its own
Is it too conspiracy theoryish to wonder why not?
Whips frantically phoning round to see if somebody could go commit murder or something to take attention off cummings.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Are you suggesting that Johnson not washing his hands after Cummings everywhere scandal could lead to a sticky situation?
just following the science as ever, it seems
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
One of Johnson's big problems is that for brexit to be anything other than an massive failure the government will need to be incredibly coordinated, one way to achieve that is to have a competent and committed prime minster to pull everyone together, as Johnson knows he isn't/doesn't want to be this person, he needs an alternative plan, which is where Cummings civil service "reform" comes in.
Another consideration is that Cummings was originally Gove's adviser and Gove appears to be a much more effective party politician than Johnson (much less convincing human though).
The Irish Sea is the traditional dumping ground for the UK's toxic waste.
Though we'd wish you'd stop...
Cummings might've killed people by traveling considering he had Covid symptoms
At this point it is questionable if Cummings even had the virus.
Good to know even the prospect of meeting your maker isn't enough for some people
EDIT: I won't pretend to understand the deep lore of UK politics but this take seems about as right to me as any
NNID: Hakkekage
You appear to have awesomed your own post here. None of us can do that. Are you above the rules now? :P
This video of Cummings getting heckled on his street been making the rounds on my usual haunts. Kind of stunning to me as an American to see a protected above-the-law elite just openly getting yelled at on the street but, you love to see it
NNID: Hakkekage
I bet she's feeling pretty smug right now.
You can't possibly expect Johnson to sack his boss, really
Oh wow, that is scathing from the... Daily Mail!?
One of the only good things around Brexit was seeing Johnson surrounded and herded by groups of pissed-off cyclists so they could yell at him as he biked to work.
Also whoops I didn’t mean to awesome my own post but I’m confident I acted legally, morally and with the instinct of a protective father.
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Edit: in fact I hope that the plan of the person that posted this is specifically to try to beat neck their way through the inevitable disciplinary interview on this basis
With a general election in... let's check the FTPA... 5 years time?