Poor Boris has had to face a bunch of very aggressive wrist-slapping interrogators at an enquiry over his working at No 10 during lockdown. His enemies will not let go.
This prompts the obvious question 'Will Sir Kier and Angela Rayner now face the same inquisition over their (non-work related) partying in Durham, during that same period?'
Whilst Boris was in Downing Street meetings, looking after affairs of state, Sir Keir was partying in Durham; swigging beer in the company of people eating take-away curry from cheap paper plates (see above). The event, which was held in the office of local MP Mary Foy, was filmed by two students from the town.
On the surface one would have to say that Sir Keir's infringement of lockdown rules was far more serious than Boris's. But of course one has to remember that Sir Keir had previously been Director of Public Prosecutions, and the two MP's for Durham are both female Labour Party members; making Starmer almost immune.
Personally I'd also like to know how he and Rayner travelled up to Durham. Was it by public transport? Were they both alone in private cars? Was their presence there essential?
Of course this will never happen. What's good for a Tory Goose, certainly ain't good for a Labour one.
Both Starmer and Rayner acted wrongly and stupidly and should face the same type of enquiry. Otherwise it makes a transparently biased mockery of the whole process.
It's not just Starmer, Rayner, Johnson - there's also Cummings and his eye test drive. All of them believed that the rules didn't apply to them. The lack of decency in such public figures is now a fact of life, and the electorate are just being played for mugs.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if Boris is taking the blame for all of them, simply because of who he is.
DeleteStarmer was at least working through his meal, unlike Johnson....but that's a mere irrelevant detail I assume? 😉
ReplyDeleteI don't know who told you that; it was simply a constituency party. He was filmed.
DeleteI really dislike the way reports of so called Partygate are often followed by somebody trying to say that it has anything to do with 'My Mother/Father being in a Nursing Home and not allowed to visit..'
ReplyDeletePeople conveniently forget that Boris had an important job to do. He was not only Prime Minister of the UK, but had to deal with matters the world over. The UK's position in world affairs is extremely important. Of course he had a lot of work to do; it isn't a 9 to 5 job.
DeleteStarmer, on the other hand had no job, other than as leader of an opposition party. There was no need whatsoever for him to be swilling beer at a party knees-up.
Johnson got a fixed penalty notice, Starmer did not.
ReplyDeleteJohnson attended a staff leaving do. Starmer had a beer with his takeout whilst campaigning.
Starmer said he would resign if he got a FPN. Johnson repeatedly told the House that all rules had been followed. The select committee is not conducting an investigation into partygate or the culture and behaviour at No 10. The committee is considering whether Johnson mislead parliament when he said all rules had been followed.
None of this alters the fact that Starmer acted more irresponsibly than Boris. Boris was at his office, seeing to affairs of state, whilst Starmer travelled all the way up to Durham for a shin-dig.
DeleteCro - it wasn't a 'shin-dig' (good word that) - he was working on the Hartlepool by-election. They were working and stopped to eat a takeaway, and drink a beer. The police investigated and concluded no FPN was necessary.
DeleteThe issue now is whether Johnson mislead parliament.
As you say, they were working together on a by-election strategy; which is exactly what was prohibited. The beer and curry was all part and parcel of the rule-breaking.
DeleteJohnson is a charmer, I suppose, and blags his way into and out of trouble. Maybe he is finally about to get his comeuppance for all the deceit he's been engaged in for . . . ever! I doubt it, though.
ReplyDeleteIf he has been involved in 'deceit' then he deserves to be punished, but so do both Starmer and Rayner. We can't have one law for a reigning political party and another for the opposition. That may be OK for Russia, but not for here.
DeleteI assume that stupid as politicians appear to be they knew there was nothing to be worried about.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you have the right people on your side.
DeleteThere was no deceit or wrongdoing in Durham. Mr Starmer and Ms Rayner had to go there to play their part in supporting the Labour candidate in the Hartlepool by-election. At the end of the day they needed food and refreshment so they ordered a takeaway curry that was consumed in the office of Labour MP Mary Hoy. Mr Starmer had one beer to wash down his food. The police investigated this matter at a cost of £101,000 to the taxpayer and discerned that there was no case to answer. Mr Starmer and Ms Rayner went back to their hotel rooms after the takeaway meal to sleep before another long day of electioneering. What happened bears no relation whatsoever to Johnson's rule breaking and partying at Number 10 for which he was quite correctly fined. Even now Johnson is incapable of accepting responsibility for the culture bubble he allowed to develop in Downing Street.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm pleased to see that the first 6 lines of your comment above agree with me; even if your conclusion doesn't.
DeleteThanks YP
DeleteLanguage hardly likely to persuade those who disagree, and likely only to reinforce those who do: "aggressive wrist-slapping interrogators", "his enemies", "looking after affairs of state", "swigging beer", "cheap paper plates". To play this game myself, it's like a cheap newspaper for the unthinking massers.
ReplyDeleteAn intelligent comment
DeleteSuch language should not be the sole prerogative of the left. The mid-right should be allowed to have some fun too. However, I would never go as far as using words such as 'sc*m'.
DeleteIt seems to me that many aspects of the lockdown rules were knowingly breached either in the open or behind closed doors. I cannot believe that the Met Police diplomatic protection did not know what was going on in Downing Street, and likewise I am sure that the Starmer/Rayner get-together was known about. But , like the Black Lives Matter demos in 2020 the police chose to ignore them and go after a couple of old ladies enjoying a cup of coffee in a Peak District national park. I find this kind of selective policing a very worrying development - if you are part of an "approved by the left" cause the police give you a free pass that in other circumstances would land you in a .
ReplyDeleteIn a cell.
DeleteThey were knowingly breached by me as in our isolated community someone had to get food to the frightened.
DeleteThe first trip out was a nightmare, I was climbing over heaps of cadavers in Lidl or that's what I told folk.
Funny that petrol stations stayed open as did supermarkets and like me their staff were blessed.
It's not hard to guess the idle or vulnerable.....90% of the public sector.
'Approved by the Left' syndrome is now everywhere, and is quite worrying. Usually such things come back to bite them on the bum, so they should be wary.
DeleteHigh profile politicians seem to believe they are above the law and can do as they please. The same thing happens everywhere. What bothers me is the cost to the public tax payers. We know these investigations and then legal proceedings will take time and also incur great cost. Plus the broadcasters and journalists will go mad.
ReplyDeleteI can understand that there is massive left wing support around; they are desperate. But they shouldn't let it cloud their judgement. In this particular case the bias towards the Left is so blatant that it's almost comical.
DeleteLet me throw the U.S. in this mix of political game playing. The party in power now is downright lying at every turn.
ReplyDeleteI really know nothing of US politics, but I must say that your present POTUS does seem a little 'confused' on occasions.
DeleteApparently you are unaware of game playing by Trump and the odious right wing here in the US.
DeleteYou can keep Trump, we have plenty of our own nutters here!
DeleteAs many will have realised, this has been a bit of fun. With two opposing political leaders, who have committed much the same misdemeanours, it was amusing to see how one side would defend their man to the end, whilst condemning the other without question. Sadly, such is politics in this country.
ReplyDelete