Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sat May 30, 2020 2:19 pm  

Superblue wrote:

The numbers are in,

Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings have taken 38,000 “urinations” each, during the course of the last week.

I thought they were just taking the pee

Remember, Dom has possibly the strongest bladder of any 40 something in the UK, 5 hours + without needing a leak is a decent effort for a bloke of his age, unless he wears one of those old peoples "aids", like Pampers for old folk

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sat May 30, 2020 3:41 pm  

Scarlet Pimpernell wrote:

What your view of the fact that the Tower Hamlets May of lost out of between 25 & 30 million pounds because of an agreement between Robert Jenrick and a Tory donor. He even agreed it was dishonest rather than release his papers regarding the discussions he had with the developers. I guess he thought levelling up referred to the building that was on the site which needed to be demolished.
This is the same MP who went to his second or third home during lockdown. I am sure Cronus will be disgusted at a further questionable action during a Johnson tenure.
The list grows on a daily basis but I suppose when you have a PM who likes the title and kudos but not the work. I believe he is on double time if he has to work on a weekend.

This is way worse than Cummings breaching the lockdown rules. Really this is the story that should have had the relentless media focus and exposure on his behaviour. The fact that it isn't is probably because the media will judge public reaction to this to be "yeah, politicians do favours for their rich friends, hardly news is it", whereas the Cummings thing annoyed them because they have been making sacrifices at home during lockdown and then saw that if you were an 'elite' you could use your discretion.

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sat May 30, 2020 3:50 pm  

Mild Rover wrote:

Tbf, it is hardly like us liberal leftie types unanimously rallied around that decision and embraced Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Along with the PFI and the cuddling up to rather than properly regulating the City, it is one of the three great stains on the New Labour era in Government.

Always amuses me when right wingers start bringing up Blair and Iraq. How many Tories were on those stop the war marches? IDS and the Conservative party were right behind Blair, so was the right wing press. If it had been Corbyn leading Labour at the time, and they didn't join the war against Iraq these same right wingers would have been saying they were weak, apologists for terrorism.

Anyway you can always remind them that it was the Conservatives who took the UK into the EEC under Ted Heath. We didn't have a referendum, they just decided that they were elites and knew it was the right thing for Britain to be in Europe. Is the Conservative Party going to apologise to the British people?

[Mild Rover]

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sat May 30, 2020 8:48 pm  

The furlough scheme. Big, bold and necessary, imo. However, I’ve it described as ‘generous’ a couple of times today, as if it is Rishi Sunak’s own money, as if he’s not just borrowing it on our behalf and we’re not the ones who are going to have to pay it back. For example: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how ... olled-back (I’m experimenting with broadening the political commentary I read. Probably won’t last.) The tree, its magic and its money are the public’s. It can be spent well or badly for the public good, but not really generously.

The furlough scheme. Big, bold and necessary, imo. However, I’ve it described as ‘generous’ a couple of times today, as if it is Rishi Sunak’s own money, as if he’s not just borrowing it on our behalf and we’re not the ones who are going to have to pay it back. For example: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how ... olled-back (I’m experimenting with broadening the political commentary I read. Probably won’t last.) The tree, its magic and its money are the public’s. It can be spent well or badly for the public good, but not really generously.

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sun May 31, 2020 6:14 am  

sally cinnamon wrote:

This is way worse than Cummings breaching the lockdown rules. Really this is the story that should have had the relentless media focus and exposure on his behaviour. The fact that it isn't is probably because the media will judge public reaction to this to be "yeah, politicians do favours for their rich friends, hardly news is it", whereas the Cummings thing annoyed them because they have been making sacrifices at home during lockdown and then saw that if you were an 'elite' you could use your discretion.

As elite as the Labour MP that has apologised for the same thing, in fact, there wasnt even a childcare issue, she just wanted her married lover to move in....

"let he who is without sin".....

[Mild Rover]

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sun May 31, 2020 7:05 am  

IR80 wrote:

As elite as the Labour MP that has apologised for the same thing, in fact, there wasnt even a childcare issue, she just wanted her married lover to move in....

"let he who is without sin".....

None of these things are the same though - the circumstances vary across each case, whether it is Catherine Calderwood, Neil Ferguson, Stephen Kinnock, Robert Jenrick or this nameless Labour MP.

Cummings is different to all those above, I think, because he believed he was infected at the time. He’s tried to spin that as part of his extenuating circumstances but could, imo, be more obviously seen as exacerbating his misjudgement. Like Calderwood and Ferguson, Cummings is closely associated with formulating the response to the crisis, but unlike him they resigned. Ferguson acknowledged that ‘the government guidance is unequivocal, and is there to protect all of us’. The labour MP you mention, you say has apologised. As far as I can see Jenrick and Kinnock never did, but it looks like their breaches were more minor. Cummings has also defended his actions rather than admitting to an error of judgement. However, my strong suspicion is that he and his wife new that view would not be widely shared, which is why the fact of their travel was artfully hidden in their initial description of events in the Spectator.

Because the government rallied around his position, freer interpretation of the rules when they are inconvenient is pretty much inevitable. That accidental policy adjustment will need others to counterbalance it (e.g. slowing relaxing of the rules) or will likely change course of the spread of infection, compared with a firmer and clearer line.

As for casting stones, is that specific to the subject at hand or are you implying that nobody who has ever sinned should ever judge anybody about anything?

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sun May 31, 2020 7:17 am  

Mild Rover wrote:

None of these things are the same though - the circumstances vary across each case, whether it is Catherine Calderwood, Neil Ferguson, Stephen Kinnock, Robert Jenrick or this nameless Labour MP.

Cummings is different to all those above, I think, because he believed he was infected at the time. He’s tried to spin that as part of his extenuating circumstances but could, imo, be more obviously seen as exacerbating his misjudgement. Like Calderwood and Ferguson, Cummings is closely associated with formulating the response to the crisis, but unlike him they resigned. Ferguson acknowledged that ‘the government guidance is unequivocal, and is there to protect all of us’. The labour MP you mention, you say has apologised. As far as I can see Jenrick and Kinnock never did, but it looks like their breaches were more minor. Cummings has also defended his actions rather than admitting to an error of judgement. However, my strong suspicion is that he and his wife new that view would not be widely shared, which is why the fact of their travel was artfully hidden in their initial description of events in the Spectator.

Because the government rallied around his position, freer interpretation of the rules when they are inconvenient is pretty much inevitable. That accidental policy adjustment will need others to counterbalance it (e.g. slowing relaxing of the rules) or will likely change course of the spread of infection, compared with a firmer and clearer line.

As for casting stones, is that specific to the subject at hand or are you implying that nobody who has ever sinned should ever judge anybody about anything?

Duffield isn't nameless, she resigned the whip.

I am saying that the lefties bleat on as if they are in need of some brasso for their collective halo!

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sun May 31, 2020 7:20 am  

Mild Rover wrote: The furlough scheme. Big, bold and necessary, imo. However, I’ve it described as ‘generous’ a couple of times today, as if it is Rishi Sunak’s own money, as if he’s not just borrowing it on our behalf and we’re not the ones who are going to have to pay it back. For example: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how ... olled-back (I’m experimenting with broadening the political commentary I read. Probably won’t last.) The tree, its magic and its money are the public’s. It can be spent well or badly for the public good, but not really generously. Kate Andrews, say no more. She's the sort who would have us all working until we're 90 in a world where private enterprises monetise the air we breathe.

Mild Rover wrote: The furlough scheme. Big, bold and necessary, imo. However, I’ve it described as ‘generous’ a couple of times today, as if it is Rishi Sunak’s own money, as if he’s not just borrowing it on our behalf and we’re not the ones who are going to have to pay it back. For example: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how ... olled-back (I’m experimenting with broadening the political commentary I read. Probably won’t last.) The tree, its magic and its money are the public’s. It can be spent well or badly for the public good, but not really generously. Kate Andrews, say no more. She's the sort who would have us all working until we're 90 in a world where private enterprises monetise the air we breathe.

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sun May 31, 2020 7:35 am  

King Street Cat wrote: Kate Andrews, say no more. She's the sort who would have us all working until we're 90 in a world where private enterprises monetise the air we breathe. https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2018/ ... o-the-nhs/ This Kate Andrews?

King Street Cat wrote: Kate Andrews, say no more. She's the sort who would have us all working until we're 90 in a world where private enterprises monetise the air we breathe. https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2018/ ... o-the-nhs/ This Kate Andrews?

[Mild Rover]

Re: Deepest recession in 100 year ? : Sun May 31, 2020 7:50 am  

IR80 wrote:

Duffield isn't nameless, she resigned the whip.

I am saying that the lefties bleat on as if they are in need of some brasso for their collective halo!

Okay, as I assume it is obvious that righties also bleat on, although usually on other topics, the distinction you’re making is that they don’t make hypocritical claims of virtue?