The Boris Johnson thread.

[vandermolen]

Even the Daily Mail has now called for Cummings to resign. The PM completely failed to deal with the journalist's questions at the press conference yesterday and just wants to close down discussion. He basically praised Cummings for following his 'instincts' in driving hundreds of miles to Durham with his family but, as one of the journalists pointed out, the rest of us have been following the rules. Terrible!

[Herman]

Sacking Cummings was never going to happen.

Carrie should have another baby this week, so as to get some good front pages.

[SimonNZ]

Just learned now after following a string of searches - starting with the film 1917 and ending with the casting work of Nina Gold - that there's a tv movie called Brexit with Benedict Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings that came out last year.

Has anyone seen it?

[Roasted Swan]

Just learned now after following a string of searches - starting with the film 1917 and ending with the casting work of Nina Gold - that there's a tv movie called Brexit with Benedict Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings that came out last year.

Has anyone seen it?

worth a watch - ultimately Cummings seeks to be a disrupter (that is an a-political statement of fact) so no real surprise that his highly lauded "instincts" meant that he felt entitled to operate outside of the rules (or indeed laws) set down for others......

[Mandryka]

Here's a very strange thing with Gove on Cummings

https://twitter.com/nickmurftweets/status/1265547788160507906

[Papy Oli]

For the sake of balance and fairness, here is on LBC also yesterday trying to answer a question more thoroughly...

https://twitter.com/Haggis_UK/status/1265214463118114818

[Papy Oli]

A forensic analysis of the Cummings statement by a Lawyer/FT journalist :

https://www.youtube.com/v/MMyWFAInbQc

[Papy Oli]

Maybe we can merge the Trump and the Boris threads now that Bojo has started muting journalists in the virtual daily press conference, preventing follow-up questions and also blocking his scientists to answer perfectly valid questions concerning lockdown behaviours... 

[Iota]

Why anybody still takes Johnson's empty bluster seriously is beyond me. He seems more useless than ever.

Whatever the criticisms/justifications of Dominic Cummings actions, hanging onto him clearly undermines people's trust, which the government badly needs to navigate a way out of the lockdown. It seems obvious he should go for that reason alone. But as well as indicating deeply suspect priorities, clinging so desperately onto Cummings also suggests Johnson feels he can't manage without him, which is hardly a vote of confidence in his own abilities.

I mean really what does Johnson bring to the job? He just seems a spent firework.

[Herman]

I mean really what does Johnson bring to the job? He just seems a spent firework.

Well, remember, he's a dad now. 

So he's got to save his energy for the nights.

[vandermolen]

Why anybody still takes Johnson's empty bluster seriously is beyond me. He seems more useless than ever.

Whatever the criticisms/justifications of Dominic Cummings actions, hanging onto him clearly undermines people's trust, which the government badly needs to navigate a way out of the lockdown. It seems obvious he should go for that reason alone. But as well as indicating deeply suspect priorities, clinging so desperately onto Cummings also suggests Johnson feels he can't manage without him, which is hardly a vote of confidence in his own abilities.

I mean really what does Johnson bring to the job? He just seems a spent firework.

+1

[Irons]

Why anybody still takes Johnson's empty bluster seriously is beyond me. He seems more useless than ever.

Whatever the criticisms/justifications of Dominic Cummings actions, hanging onto him clearly undermines people's trust, which the government badly needs to navigate a way out of the lockdown. It seems obvious he should go for that reason alone. But as well as indicating deeply suspect priorities, clinging so desperately onto Cummings also suggests Johnson feels he can't manage without him, which is hardly a vote of confidence in his own abilities.

I mean really what does Johnson bring to the job? He just seems a spent firework.

One man cannot run a country and it has always been thus. Alastair Campbell was Tony Blair's special adviser and filled a similar role and enjoyed as much power as Cummings does today. Blair had a better cabinet then Johnson who with the exception of Gove and Sunak are useless. Morally Cummings should go but no way that is going to happen as he is a too important cog in the wheel of government. Spent firework is nice stick but have you no compassion for the difficulties and pressures encountered? Johnson got it wrong and made some poor calls but special times don't you know.

[Mandryka]

Here's today's Standard's front page



And here's the London Assembly data for June 6

Coronavirus numbers in London
In the 24-hour period ending 5pm Friday 5 June, it was announced that a further 5 people who tested positive for COVID-19 were confirmed to have died in hospitals in the Greater London area. 3 people have died where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

In London at least, things are looking a bit better.  I expect with local lockdown things will improve in Manchester too.

[Iota]

Spent firework is nice stick but have you no compassion for the difficulties and pressures encountered? Johnson got it wrong and made some poor calls but special times don't you know.

I do indeed have sympathy for the pressures, responsibilities and difficulties involved in such a job, and although I've never trusted or liked Boris Johnson, I sincerely wished him success at the beginning of this crisis, hoping he would rise to the challenge. As apart from anything else I felt if he did it could really help the country, inject some hope or reassurance into the situation.

However having waited, I have seen nothing to indicate he has any real public qualities other than self-promotion, which not only comes across as depressingly hollow in current circumstances, but is completely ineffective, meaning he seems like a fish out of water when trying to talk seriously about things. This leaves the impression of a somewhat rudderless boat, and if the man whose hand is supposed to be on the tiller sounds so unconvincing, it's bad for us all.

One man cannot run a country and it has always been thus.

I am well aware of this. My point is that if Johnson feels the whole house of cards comes tumbling down without Cummings, then that's a very poor reflection of his own abilities. And if it's his only plan, to which he is prepared to sacrifice the goodwill of an electorate he desperately needs, how are people expected to rally round a man like that?

Alastair Campbell was Tony Blair's special adviser and filled a similar role and enjoyed as much power as Cummings does today. Blair had a better cabinet then Johnson who with the exception of Gove and Sunak are useless. Morally Cummings should go but no way that is going to happen as he is a too important cog in the wheel of government.

I'm not a fan, but Blair had a far greater political sense and felt like he had a vision (whatever you thought of it), and would have adapted far better had he been in a similar situation with Campbell I think.

If you want to be a leader, surely you have to lead, or at least have good delegating abilities, and Johnson sadly, seems to me completely bereft of either.

[Irons]

I do indeed have sympathy for the pressures, responsibilities and difficulties involved in such a job, and although I've never trusted or liked Boris Johnson, I sincerely wished him success at the beginning of this crisis, hoping he would rise to the challenge. As apart from anything else I felt if he did it could really help the country, inject some hope or reassurance into the situation.

However having waited, I have seen nothing to indicate he has any real public qualities other than self-promotion, which not only comes across as depressingly hollow in current circumstances, but is completely ineffective, meaning he seems like a fish out of water when trying to talk seriously about things. This leaves the impression of a somewhat rudderless boat, and if the man whose hand is supposed to be on the tiller sounds so unconvincing, it's bad for us all.

I am well aware of this. My point is that if Johnson feels the whole house of cards comes tumbling down without Cummings, then that's a very poor reflection of his own abilities. And if it's his only plan, to which he is prepared to sacrifice the goodwill of an electorate he desperately needs, how are people expected to rally round a man like that?


I'm not a fan, but Blair had a far greater political sense and felt like he had a vision (whatever you thought of it), and would have adapted far better had he been in a similar situation with Campbell I think.

If you want to be a leader, surely you have to lead, or at least have good delegating abilities, and Johnson sadly, seems to me completely bereft of either.

That is all fair comment and reasoned criticism and you could well be right. It is the snarling name calling and distortion of the character of politicians of both persuasions in this age of social media that I dislike. Johnson is doing the best he can under the most difficult of circumstances. I know power is most alluring but he would earn buckets of money in the commercial sector without the extreme hassle of running the basket case of UK. Give the guy some slack. I do not think it naive to believe the majority of politicians are in it to contribute.   

A Margret Thatcher thread - that would be fun.      

[Mandryka]

I think you are both being naive.  I consider this Conservative government, BJ included , a bungling corrupt lying unscrupulous mess in almost all things, a total disaster when it comes to learning from elsewhere in the world, taking prudent action, protecting citizens, and far beyond laughable in their messaging.

[MusicTurner]

Social statistics, including a movement towards societal equality, are some of the best indicators for any claimed social responsibility of politicians - that responsibility being fake, imagined, or real.

[Irons]

I think you are both being naive.  I consider this Conservative government, BJ included , a bungling corrupt lying unscrupulous mess in almost all things, a total disaster when it comes to learning from elsewhere in the world, taking prudent action, protecting citizens, and far beyond laughable in their messaging.

I didn't think it would take long for this thread to get back on track.

[Iota]

It is the snarling name calling and distortion of the character of politicians of both persuasions in this age of social media that I dislike. 

I agree name calling can get tired quickly, is often inaccurate and at times unfair. Though it may help let off steam at times .. But Johnson really does come across to me as almost completely useless, depressingly so. He seems to have no conviction about anything.

I read an article a couple of weeks ago whose title was something like 'Boris Johnson wanted to be prime minister, wanted to have been prime minister, but didn't particularly want the bit in between' (can't find the original article sadly, so the quote a very loose one), which sort of tallies with what I see before me now.

And I agree with a number of things in #338, but things are never that black and white, we just don't have time or will to nuance everything in this life. But at a time of crisis, looking for the positive/achievable/constructive in the midst of mess/bungling, seems sage too.

[Mandryka]

I didn't think it would take long for this thread to get back on track.

Maybe you'd like to help BJ end  freedom of movement.

https://action.conservatives.com/immigration-bill-survey/