Do you want to discuss boring politics? (15 Viewers)

[Grendel]

Couldn't you get arrested in May 2020 for sitting on a park bench

Did that happen to you? I assume you said it’s where you sleep?

 

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[Grendel]

And that’s what adds to the absurdity of it all. Imagine trying to justify things like this when you were banning people from comforting dying relatives.

Even Jasmine Ali Brown said it’s much ado about nothing - it’s desperate

 

[Ian1779]

Even Jasmine Ali Brown said it’s much ado about nothing - it’s desperate

You say it’s desperate, but then that’s been ‘released’ by someone in the Tory party inner circle. They were hoping for outrage otherwise it wouldn’t have surfaced.

 

[Grendel]

You say it’s desperate, but then that’s been ‘released’ by someone in the Tory party inner circle. They were hoping for outrage otherwise it wouldn’t have surfaced.

Which is why it is desperate and should be ignored

 

[JAM See]

Work is a fucking nightmare this morning.
The team haven't even managed to finish a bottle of malbec yet.
Slackers!

 

[Sick Boy]

Talk of Irish reunification seems to forget that it would need to approved by a referendum in the Republic - not sure there’s a major appetite for the fallout that would occur in the north.

 

[PVA]

Which is why it is desperate and should be ignored

Your continued defence of this government is desperate.

 

[Sick Boy]

I see Truss has taken over from Frost - hahaha

 

[skybluetony176]

This latest event on it’s own doesn’t seem that bad. Until you remember that it’s part of a wider pattern of behaviour. Everything from lying to the queen to Barnard castle eye tests to numerous lockdown parties to the next lie that gets unearthed prove that we have a government who have nothing but contempt for the truth, the rules and more telling the general public. The only reason they do it is because they think we’re stupid enough to let them of the hook. Clearly some of “us” are, not just on here but the general public as well.

 

[skybluetony176]

I see Truss has taken over from Frost - hahaha

Defrosting the oven ready deal.

 

[skybluetony176]

Talk of Irish reunification seems to forget that it would need to approved by a referendum in the Republic - not sure there’s a major appetite for the fallout that would occur in the north.

There was a poll earlier in the year. Think it was over 60% in favour IIRC.

 

[shmmeee]

I really don't care if some people who've had some meetings together relax afterwards with a small amount of cheese and wine. It's outside, they're at separate tables, and you could argue it's good for morale after a tough day to give a small pick-me-up. It's also a bit like my next door neighbour - he goes off to work sharing a car with a colleague, so he may as well have a pint afterwards with him mightn't he, as any 'damage' has been done. It's the same with this cheese and wine - if you've been in an office with somebody all day, then being in the garden for an hour or two after is not going to make things worse! I can buy that that's an extension of a meeting, in a liberal sense of the word - hell, I've brought biscuits and cake into meetings in the past, even if I'm clearly not posh enough for the finest wines known to humanity.

Now that doesn't mean that the Christmas gatherings don't leave a sour taste however, but this particular one is distracting from more important breaches, and also policy decisions going forward.

Its the idea that say NHS staff, who went through hell last year, didn’t get a Christmas party even if “the damage was done”, but the govt did because “they were working hard”. It’s the implication everyone else wasn’t working hard and having a tough time that cuts through.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

Its the idea that say NHS staff, who went through hell last year, didn’t get a Christmas party even if “the damage was done”, but the govt did because “they were working hard”. It’s the implication everyone else wasn’t working hard and having a tough time that cuts through.

I specifically distinguished the Christmas gatherings from cheese and wine in the garden.

 

[shmmeee]

I specifically distinguished the Christmas gatherings from cheese and wine in the garden.

All much of a muchness though innit? It’s social gatherings with work mates, whatever the preamble is.

 

[CCFCSteve]

I think most commentators even accept that this particular one didn't breach guidelines, so it's a particular non-story! If I were Boris Johnson, I'd be delighted for this one to have come out, as it suggests they're running out of the stuff that could actually be damaging.

I agree with you, Tony and Ian on this. First time for everything It’s a bit of a non issue. People who are working together having a catch up outside (where it’s safer to do so). I wonder if certain papers are overplaying their hand on this issue. The public will look at this one and think it’s nonsense and a bit of a witch hunt, which dilutes the messaging around the real/worse breaches....Hancock and Cummings being the very worst and then any parties where people travelled in especially ie weren’t working together or in the building to start with

 

[CCFCSteve]

Defrosting the oven ready deal.

That did make me laugh to be fair

 

[fernandopartridge]

I agree with you, Tony and Ian on this. First time for everything It’s a bit of a non issue. People who are working together having a catch up outside (where it’s safer to do so). I wonder if certain papers are overplaying their hand on this issue. The public will look at this one and think it’s nonsense and a bit of a witch hunt, which dilutes the messaging around the real/worse breaches....Hancock and Cummings being the very worst and then any parties where people travelled in especially ie weren’t working together or in the building to start with

See my post earlier, the direction of travel is towards the public turning on the restrictions and the people who made them

 

[CCFCSteve]

Its the idea that say NHS staff, who went through hell last year, didn’t get a Christmas party even if “the damage was done”, but the govt did because “they were working hard”. It’s the implication everyone else wasn’t working hard and having a tough time that cuts through.

I’m aware of nurses, doctors, teachers and various other people that were breaching the rules to varying extents. I know I also did over Xmas.

I agree that there should rightly be anger at the rule makers breaching rules but as I’ve mentioned above/before there are varying levels, some far more serious than others. People like Ferguson, Hancock, Cummings etc who drove policy being worst hypocrites of the lot

 

[PVA]

I see Truss has taken over from Frost - hahaha

Giving her the poisoned chalice to stop a leadership challenge perhaps.

It's literally an impossible job

 

[CCFCSteve]

See my post earlier, the direction of travel is towards the public turning on the restrictions and the people who made them

People are turning on restrictions full stop though Fernando. Especially if there isn’t the data to back them up and they feel they’ve done their bit by getting double or triple jabbed.

Look at the reduction in movements in the past few days though, without bringing in formal restrictions and making stuff illegal. Most people are sensible and will take the necessary precautions...although I appreciate there are some idiots that won’t..:including some around government by the looks of things

 

[CCFCSteve]

Giving her the poisoned chalice to stop a leadership challenge perhaps.

It's literally an impossible job

I’ve read there’s been a softening of the stance by Johnson and government around ECJ involvement which may have also annoyed Frost. If that’s the case they’ll come to an agreement in new year. Most people don’t give a fuck about the ECJ, it’s the unnecessary amount of checks that’s caused the real problem. Solve that and you pretty much solve the lions share of the problem for most, apart from for people like Baker, Rees-Mogg, DUP

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Giving her the poisoned chalice to stop a leadership challenge perhaps.

It's literally an impossible job

It's why Johnson supposedly turned it down under May. She wanted to get him, Gove etc into the main Brexit roles to make them own it but the cowards refused, knowing it was going to be a shitstorm.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Raab doing the rounds this morning. Claims “It’s a place of work. They’re all in suits, predominantly in formal attire... They might have a drink after the formal business has ended”

Isn't after 'formal business has ended' commonly called 'socialising'? Something that was banned at the time (both indoor and outside) by the very people at that gathering and normal people got fined for?

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Why? Irish reunification would meant the end of the union, but it wouldn't automatically mean saying goodbye to Scotland and Wales.

And it was the tories who had to be propped up by a party from the province in 2017.

I would also suggest that overseeing the demise of the union by a party called the Conservative and unionist party would surely pose big questions about their competence on top of all the other shit surrounding them at the moment.

It wouldn't automatically mean it but do you not think any one of them leaving would embolden the other independence movements and weaken the argument for pro-Unionists?

 

[David O'Day]

Talk of Irish reunification seems to forget that it would need to approved by a referendum in the Republic - not sure there’s a major appetite for the fallout that would occur in the north.

60% pro at the moment

 

[PVA]

Good grief.

We can all see what's happening. Just be fucking honest for once.

 

[Sick Boy]

60% pro at the moment

Yeah it’s closer than you’d assume.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Imagine people eating and drinking, that should stop immediately.

We had a number of meetings throughout the pandemic and if I recall May was particularly warm. Those people you've been working all day with you're now still with but in an outside environment, I wish we had one and I may have popped out for a quick beer to unwind at the end of the day.

Tbh it doesn't surprise me a bit that it went on and the new faux outrage at each new photo is only more surprising than the fact that someone has sat on them for 18 months waiting to pull the trigger. The mistake imo is not what went on but the denials. It would have gone away by now if they'd come and said yeah of course we had gatherings. there were many and often and I think people would have been less offended.

Have you missed the part where at the time gatherings outside were banned? I don't give a shit that they've been working together all day. Do you think the response would be the same if it had been you having the gathering? Or even doctors and nurses unwinding after yet another long, harrowing shift stuck in a stuffy hospital?

Besides which they are the people that put those restrictions in place so it's their job to lead by example or else all authority and compliance by the public goes out of the window. So them doing it is worse than the general public.

I agree that there's way, way worse that they've done in terms of corruption, lying and trying to remove basic rights but fact is the majority of people won't react to that. This is the stuff that will gain traction so it's best to make the most of it while you can. you could sit here and list every single dodgy deal and bill they've passed or mention a single party and I know which one is going to cause the more outrage in the general public.

 

[David O'Day]

Yeah it’s closer than you’d assume.

It's the cost element that puts a lot of people off

 

[skybluetony176]

Yeah it’s closer than you’d assume.

Some of it is scepticism. For instance in the same poll it was asking should a united Ireland have a new flag and national anthem, which there has been informal proposals and discussions around and isn’t popular in the South. Also the urgency which varies across Ireland as some see it as unimportant compared to other issues. Should a predominately rupublican assembly and vote happen in May and a border poll is triggered I suspect the conversation of a united Ireland will become more serious in the south and ultimately for numbers to rise.

 

[skybluetony176]

It's the cost element that puts a lot of people off

There will be tons of money made available. I suspect it’s going to cost the UK for starters, plus the North will qualify again for substantial EU support plus I’d expect the EU to offer financial support anyway, dare say the yanks will get involved also. Even if not at government level raising money privately for Ireland has never been an issue in the US.

Essentially they’ll be an actual plan (unlike brexit) for the south to vote on so people will be able to vote with both logic and emotion (again, unlike brexit).

 

[Bugsy]

The liar King

Spitting Image to hit West End in 2022 - with Boris Johnson set to take centre stage

Since Spitting Image's return in 2020, figures such as Dominic Cummings, Greta Thunberg, Donald Trump and Harry and Meghan have all featured on the show. Now, it is set to hit London's West End - with Boris Johnson to feature heavily.

news.sky.com

 

[PVA]

'Keep politics out of the West End'

Spitting image looks terrible these days from the few clips I've seen

 

[chiefdave]

'Keep politics out of the West End'

Spitting image looks terrible these days from the few clips I've seen

Seen a couple of clips on YouTube of the new series and its terrible. Presume if its in the West End its not going to be a run of the same show as it will date quickly. Nice easy work for a writer to be employed for months to tweak the script to current events.

 

[Sick Boy]

It's the cost element that puts a lot of people off

Yeah it’ll be the cost and the political fallout, plus there would need to be a conversation about being inclusive of unionism.