I would fall short of referring to these events as Crime.
I don’t like liars though and Boris is clearly that.
In fairness others caught breaking the rules have resigned. Including the Scottish chief medical officer I believe. Again it's a matter of degree, the risk is not the same with each rule break.. I think to resign on failure to wear a mask is OTT. I am sure that most reasonable people will agree which is why there has not been a massive furore over Sturgeon. However, to travel, gather in a large group or to hold parties shows blatant disregard not only for the rules but also for those who followed the rules.I don't have any real issues with what they done, how they handled it was awful though.
To deny it, lie about it and try to get out of it on a technicality is abhorrent.
If he, or any of them had put their hands up and said, hey we fudged up, i'm sorry and i will try and do better, i would at least had some grudging respect for them.
But it seems like none of them can ever accept that they should not have to abide by the same laws as the rest of us.
In fairness others caught breaking the rules have resigned. Including the Scottish chief medical officer I believe. Again it's a matter of degree, the risk is not the same with each rule break.. I think to resign on failure to wear a mask is OTT. I am sure that most reasonable people will agree which is why there has not been a massive furore over Sturgeon. However, to travel, gather in a large group or to hold parties shows blatant disregard not only for the rules but also for those who followed the rules.
Was that deemed unlawful? I believed he was cleared of any wrongdoing by Durham Police. Again not an equivalence with Boris.Starmer didn't resign after having his pizza and beer party.
Was that deemed unlawful? I believed he was cleared of any wrongdoing by Durham Police. Again not an equivalence with Boris.
They're all tacos, they all broke the rules and so did most people.
In fairness others caught breaking the rules have resigned. Including the Scottish chief medical officer I believe. Again it's a matter of degree, the risk is not the same with each rule break.. I think to resign on failure to wear a mask is OTT. I am sure that most reasonable people will agree which is why there has not been a massive furore over Sturgeon. However, to travel, gather in a large group or to hold parties shows blatant disregard not only for the rules but also for those who followed the rules.
I have heard this line trotted out a bit recently, usually by those trying to support Johnson as he and his party continue to gaslight the country. It doesn’t reflect my experience at all. Without exception, everyone I know took the rules extremely seriously.
I have heard this line trotted out a bit recently, usually by those trying to support Johnson as he and his party continue to gaslight the country. It doesn’t reflect my experience at all. Without exception, everyone I know took the rules extremely seriously.
"Everyone was breaking the rules". Do me a favour. Sickening seeing the brick the Tory MPs come out with to defend him, and the right wing media.
"Everyone was breaking the rules". Do me a favour. Sickening seeing the brick the Tory MPs come out with to defend him, and the right wing media.
I'm sure over the two years most people did, but that's not an excuse and certainly not for the people that set the rules.
You fudge up, own it. Don't act like some cowardly clam and try wriggle out of it.
The crucial thing in Boris's case, for me, that makes his position untenable is not simply that he has been fined, or that on one occasion he has "misunderstood" his own legal requirements; it's more that he and at least 50 others in the downing Street machinery have been fined. This is a systemic failure by the people who make the rules and it is aggravated by the fact they may have done so repeatedly. Boris as well as not following the rules himself, was clearly not in control of his staff. If he can't do that during a pandemic, then it shows him to be an incompetent manager and leader. When taken together, one has question his fitness to be in office, and he should resign.I have heard this line trotted out a bit recently, usually by those trying to support Johnson as he and his party continue to gaslight the country. It doesn’t reflect my experience at all. Without exception, everyone I know took the rules extremely seriously.
I have no allegiance to Boris. I don’t know if this is an age thing/ location thing or whatever, but I know plenty who broke the rules. Also there will be plenty of work colleagues etc that are not going to admit they broke rules to fellow colleagues and just other types of situations where people aren’t going to admit to anyone other than those close to them that they didn’t stick to the rules.I have heard this line trotted out a bit recently, usually by those trying to support Johnson as he and his party continue to gaslight the country. It doesn’t reflect my experience at all. Without exception, everyone I know took the rules extremely seriously.
If you look at analyses conducted by organisations such as ONS the conclusion that compliance rates decreased over time definitely supports what you and I and many other people observed for ourselves that compliance dropped in later lockdowns and also as restrictions were eased towards the end of each lock down period. Nevertheless, compliance was still relatively high throughout the period of the restrictions, (even taking account factors such as age, socio economic group etc).I have no allegiance to Boris. I don’t know if this is an age thing/ location thing or whatever, but I know plenty who broke the rules. Also there will be plenty of work colleagues etc that are not going to admit they broke rules to fellow colleagues and just other types of situations where people aren’t going to admit to anyone other than those close to them that they didn’t stick to the rules.
Where I live in Essex, and definitely in London aswell the rules were massively flouted a hell of a lot - whether this is applicable to most other areas I have no idea but by the time second lockdown came, many who were strictly sticking to the rules first time round were not so compliant this time….
If you look at analyses conducted by organisations such as ONS the conclusion that compliance rates decreased over time definitely supports what you and I and many other people observed for ourselves that compliance dropped in later lockdowns and also as restrictions were eased towards the end of each lock down period. Nevertheless, compliance was still relatively high throughout the period of the restrictions, (even taking account factors such as age, socio economic group etc).
Even in the face of the decreasing compliance rates, Boris and his team's failure to follow the rules was still extraordinary in that-
1) Boris and/or his ministers were holding daily press briefings during which they presented infection and mortality rates and then emphasised the importance of following the rules, bloody hell they were emblazoned on the lecterns from which they delivered their briefings. They can't say their non compliance stemmed from ignorance of the risks.
2) if the allegations are to be believed they started around the middle of the first lock down, then were repeated at Christmas and also at various leaving dos. And not only Boris but even the head of his COVID taskforce. In other words a repeated and widespread pattern of non compliance.
3) they made the rules and would only have done so if they believed there were good reasons for them.
People break rules for all sorts of reasons. But if you are entrusted to be a law maker, a mere member of the public such as myself might reasonably expect that you would only make laws that you believed were crucial to running society. If they are not don't pass them so there is a level playing field.