Should there be a Parliamentary Inquiry into Johnson's handling of covid?

[wilts rover]

Robert Peston confirming that Johnson did say 'Let the bodies pile up in their thousands' and that he got it from different sources to the Mail.

Thus Ben Wallace was lying/deciving the public on several radio stations this morning when he denied Johnson had said it.

Peston also confirming that Cummings was not the leak for the lockdown story - and he has the texts on his phone.

https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1386632029949792260

Perhaps backing up Jonny Mercer's assertion when he resigned last week that:

'This is the most distrustful, awful environment I’ve ever worked in, in government. Almost nobody tells the truth is what I’ve worked out over the last 36 hours.'

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/21/ex-minister-johnny-mercer-says-almost-nobody-tells-truth-in-johnsons-government

and No.10 is a cesspit of snakes and cowards

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9510175/Number-10-cesspit-snakes-cowards-Johnny-Mercer-delivers-blistering-salvo.html

But there will be people on here quite soon defending him and attacking the people who have made allegations against him, without wanting to see if they are true or not.

[drfchound]

Of course whistleblowing should be applauded, but it’s naive for anyone to think this would not have a very negative effect on Cummings’ ‘career’. He’s not whistleblowing because people at the top are breaking the rules and getting away with it (if he was, he would have done it whilst he was still working for Johnson). He’s done it because he bears a grudge.

Any employer who thinks someone will turn when they fall out will give a very wide birth.

Spot on Belton and for the record I haven’t condemned it despite BST intimating that I might have done.
I was simply suggesting that Cummings has f**ked up his chances of getting a job where he will have access to information which might effect his employers.

[drfchound]

Robert Peston confirming that Johnson did say 'Let the bodies pile up in their thousands' and that he got it from different sources to the Mail.

Thus Ben Wallace was lying/deciving the public on several radio stations this morning when he denied Johnson had said it.

Peston also confirming that Cummings was not the leak for the lockdown story - and he has the texts on his phone.

https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1386632029949792260

Perhaps backing up Jonny Mercer's assertion when he resigned last week that:

'This is the most distrustful, awful environment I’ve ever worked in, in government. Almost nobody tells the truth is what I’ve worked out over the last 36 hours.'

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/21/ex-minister-johnny-mercer-says-almost-nobody-tells-truth-in-johnsons-government

and No.10 is a cesspit of snakes and cowards

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9510175/Number-10-cesspit-snakes-cowards-Johnny-Mercer-delivers-blistering-salvo.html

But there will be people on here quite soon defending him and attacking the people who have made allegations against him, without wanting to see if they are true or not.

Wilts, waiting to see what the outcome is going to be might be a good idea for both sides to be fair.

[BillyStubbsTears]

That Peston tweet ups the ante considerably.

Johnson is in very, very big trouble.

If he's said "Let the bodies pile up in their thousands" while implementing policies that have directly led to the avoidable deaths of tens of thousands of people...I'm lost for words.

[drfchound]

If he has actually said that it is as bad as it gets.
If true then some people on here might get their wish but beware, you might end up with Gove or Rees Mogg as PM.

[MachoMadness]

Is he in big trouble BST? Or will this simply blow over in a week when the clown car moves on to the next circus show?

[wilts rover]

That Peston tweet ups the ante considerably.

Johnson is in very, very big trouble.

If he's said "Let the bodies pile up in their thousands" while implementing policies that have directly led to the avoidable deaths of tens of thousands of people...I'm lost for words.

And he had a Minister doining the media rounds this morning flat out denying he said it!

Appalling - North Korean government at its very best.

[Bentley Bullet]

If it was a North Korean government you wouldn't have said that.

[idler]

If it was a North Korean government you wouldn't have said that.

Certainly not twice.

[wilts rover]

And yet more

Story in todays Times that Johnson wants a new Royal yacht, named after Prince Philip, as a trade and investment ship to 'sell Britain to the world'.

Unfortuantely he forgot to ask the Queen first if she was in support of this and she is said to be 'very displeased with the suggestion'

https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1386652150793703427

So not only has he upset the families of covid victims - he also upset a grieving widow the week after her husbands funeral.



But as I put above - there are still people who come out and attack and mock the people making you aware of this in a pathetic attempt to defend him.

Who is worse, Johnson or his sycophants?

[SydneyRover]

That's a difficult question Wilts.

[wilts rover]

Now on BBC website that Johnson did say 'let the bodies pile high' so they must have sources too;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56890714

[SydneyRover]

And any donations for flat will be declared ................. I thought there wasn't any?


''Boris Johnson has said any donations linked to the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat will be declared "in due course".

The prime minister is under pressure to explain how works on the official residence were paid for, following claims from his former top adviser''

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56883078

[BillyStubbsTears]

Now on BBC website that Johnson did say 'let the bodies pile high' so they must have sources too;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56890714

Johnson will of course stick to the line that he said nothing of the sort.

There IS a way to get to the bottom of who is right and who is wrong though. An official inquiry, with witnesses giving testimony under oath. It would be perjury to lie to such an enquiry.

As I said early, Johnson is in very, very big trouble over this. I doubt it will finish him off immediately, but this is going to hang around him for the rest of his time as PM, just as the Iraq dossier did for Blair.

And this does but into some sort of context the speech Johnson gave when we passed 100,000 COVID deaths, where he looked down the camera to the nations and said that he took full responsibility. Then immediately followed that up by insisting that the Govt had done everything it could to reduce the death toll.

One final point. Peston's sources say Johnson was ranting about lockdowns not even working. That is all very consistent with the fact that he'd had his ear bent by those arch lockdown sceptics, Heneghan and Gupta, who have been wrong about pretty much everything in this awful crisis. Johnson, apparently, was repeating precisely what those dangerous idiots were telling him, after Sunak had ushered them into No10 to convince Johnson not to lockdown.

What an almighty tragedy.

[Ldr]

Slight devil's advocate here and slight honesty from me. Personally I don't care whether he said it or not, though I will say from a so called statesman it's outrageous if true. I'll wager though a lot of people would feel the same way whether they admit it or not

[BillyStubbsTears]

I don't understand the point you're making Ldr. It would be outrageous if he did say it, but you don't care either way if he did or didn't?

My take. It's not the words. It is the effect on policy. That is all that matters. If he has resisted scientific advice to bring in lockdowns because he wanted to prioritise the economy, when we have known for months that the only way you protect the economy is by clamping down on outbreaks hard and fast, then he is unfit for office. The fact that he'd have demonstrated that by such a disgusting use of words (if true) just demonstrates that he's morally abhorrent as well.

[Ldr]

I don't understand the point you're making Ldr. It would be outrageous if he did say it, but you don't care either way if he did or didn't?

My take. It's not the words. It is the effect on policy. That is all that matters. If he has resisted scientific advice to bring in lockdowns because he wanted to prioritise the economy, when we have known for months that the only way you protect the economy is by clamping down on outbreaks hard and fast, then he is unfit for office. The fact that he'd have demonstrated that by such a disgusting use of words (if true) just demonstrates that he's morally abhorrent as well.

It's apathy on my side mate. He is a moral.cesspit and unfit to lead no question and I have become desensitised to it all. Last election was a choice between a kick in the b*llocks or a bat to the b*llocks and I don't see future elections been different sadly.

[Donnywolf]

If he has actually said that it is as bad as it gets.
If true then some people on here might get their wish but beware, you might end up with Gove or Rees Mogg as PM.

Havnt read much of this thread - though i did post earlier

Wouldnt mind either of those as they would be cut much LESS slack than bojo / boris / liar Johnson * Delete as applicable

[albie]

Team Gove limbering up on the sidelines.

I reckon you should mind, Wolf.
Gove is as unprincipled as you get, and will pitch to the right of Johnson on social issues.

Johnson is a gruesome excuse for a human, and an advert for all the pathologies that come with an expensive private education....but he is a transparent buffoon. If you want to see it, his flaws are on full display.

Gove is altogether more devious and vulpine. Not sure how many are aware of his track record!
Rees Mogg has no chance IMO.

[wilts rover]

Thought Sunak was going to be 'Britains next PM'. Did I miss something?

[drfchound]

Thought Sunak was going to be 'Britains next PM'. Did I miss something?

It was another poster who said something along those lines wilts.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Thought Sunak was going to be 'Britains next PM'. Did I miss something?

Well who was it who wheeled Heneghan and Gupta into No10 and convinced Johnson that lockdowns don't work? Leading, one assumes, to the PM choosing to prioritise the economy and let the bodies pile up in their thousands.

Going on past experience when the shit starts flying, Sunak will be conspicuous by his absence for the next few weeks.

[drfchound]

Hound.
I'm talking about THIS development.

The stuff on the news a few weeks ago was, if I recall correctly, briefings from No10 spin doctors blaming Cummings for leaks about the November lockdown. They did the same thing on Thursday night, accusing Cummings of leaking info about the Johnson/Dyson texts. Then Cummings went supernova yesterday afternoon and the BBC said not a word about it for hours, while the rest of the media were going apeshit over it.

No BST, the news on the bbc a few weeks ago was about Cummings becoming a whistle blower.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Hound
Once again, that was about No10 briefing that Cummings had been the source of leaks last November. When I said that the BBC weren't covering "this" on Friday, I meant they weren't covering Cummings's recently meltdown.

[drfchound]

Robert Peston confirming that Johnson did say 'Let the bodies pile up in their thousands' and that he got it from different sources to the Mail.

Thus Ben Wallace was lying/deciving the public on several radio stations this morning when he denied Johnson had said it.

Peston also confirming that Cummings was not the leak for the lockdown story - and he has the texts on his phone.

https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1386632029949792260

Perhaps backing up Jonny Mercer's assertion when he resigned last week that:

'This is the most distrustful, awful environment I’ve ever worked in, in government. Almost nobody tells the truth is what I’ve worked out over the last 36 hours.'

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/21/ex-minister-johnny-mercer-says-almost-nobody-tells-truth-in-johnsons-government

and No.10 is a cesspit of snakes and cowards

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9510175/Number-10-cesspit-snakes-cowards-Johnny-Mercer-delivers-blistering-salvo.html

But there will be people on here quite soon defending him and attacking the people who have made allegations against him, without wanting to see if they are true or not.

Wilts, that first sentence in your above post should say “Peston has been told by someone that they heard Johnson say......”

[BillyStubbsTears]

Well I guess the "let the bodies pile up" issue has forced Johnson into announcing an investigation into his flat expenses, if only to knock the quote story off the headlines.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56883078

Some independent investigation though, eh? Being run by a man who Johnson has recently appointed and whom he could sack at the drop of a hat.

I don't understand it. If Johnson paid for the flat refurb directly, just publish the receipts and be done with.

[turnbull for england]

Hes able to prove he paid for it , I bet ,  in that he gave the money to the contractor.   Wonder if  he can prove where the money came from though

[Filo]

Well I guess the "let the bodies pile up" issue has forced Johnson into announcing an investigation into his flat expenses, if only to knock the quote story off the headlines.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56883078

Some independent investigation though, eh? Being run by a man who Johnson has recently appointed and whom he could sack at the drop of a hat.

I don't understand it. If Johnson paid for the flat refurb directly, just publish the receipts and be done with.

He’s got the receipts, the problem is they were paid in Ruble’s

[SydneyRover]

Well I guess the "let the bodies pile up" issue has forced Johnson into announcing an investigation into his flat expenses, if only to knock the quote story off the headlines.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56883078

Some independent investigation though, eh? Being run by a man who Johnson has recently appointed and whom he could sack at the drop of a hat.

I don't understand it. If Johnson paid for the flat refurb directly, just publish the receipts and be done with.

It gives No10 control, drag it out and let some of the heat out then of course there's the chance of doctoring the result, bingo

'Can't speak about that now while there's an inquiry'

[BillyStubbsTears]

Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary got an absolute mauling at the Select Committee meeting today. The purpose of the Select Committee is for backbench MPs to hold Cabinet Ministers and senior Civil Servants to account for how they are doing their job. Case repeatedly replied "I can't answer that" when asked. Until one exasperated MP said "Could you explain how we are supposed to check that you are doing your job when every time we ask you how you are doing you job you say you can't answer?"

He then announced that he will be holding an inquiry into Johnson's flat expenses. To which one MP asked him when we could expect a report on that, given that he's been investigating who the Chatty Rat leaker is for 6 months and said he probably wont be able to find out who it was (even though several journalists know exactly who it was because they received the leaks).

I fully expect a whitewash on the Johnson flat inquiry. What expectation of the truth coming out can you have when a boss asks a new employee to investigate the boss's dealings?

That will just be left to rot away and Johnson will get away with the obvious malpractice. (Obvious because if Johnson was clean, he could put this to bed in seconds by publishing the invoices for the flat work, so why on earth wouldn't he?) But there will eventually be a COVID Royal Inquiry with evidence given under oath and the threat of jail for people found to be lying. Then we might see some advisers and civil servants have their balls squeezed.