UK Politics Thread

[Jimbuna]

The guy (as was predicted by many) has become a laughing stock not only in the UK but also on the world stage.

[mapuc]

Can an elected Politician in the UK Parliament be impeached or do you not have such a thing ?

Markus

[Jimbuna]

No such thing as impeachment as far as I'm aware...the simple method would be a vote of no confidence.

[Skybird]

Birthday party, eh? 30+ guests, and celebrations in his private rooms with staffers not even belonging to Down It Street, eh? MET police strongly blasting away against the Boris's claims on what happened, eh?

Has the political funeral for him already been fixed in the calender? If not, its getting about high time, I think. He's done. A blond scalp will soon be served on the BBC's newsroom desk. Im sure this time the anchorman will smile and not hide is amusement, they have some open bills with him, or not...

[Jimbuna]

Downing Street, the gift that keeps on giving.

Downing Street has admitted that staff gathered inside No 10 to celebrate Boris Johnson's birthday when the first Covid lockdown was still in place.

ITV News reports up to 30 people attended the June 2020 event, sang Happy Birthday and were served cake.

No 10 said staff had "gathered briefly" to "wish the prime minister a happy birthday", adding that he had been there "for less than 10 minutes".

Rules at the time banned most indoor gatherings of more than two people.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60114812

[mapuc]

In a stream from the British Parliament I could hear Boris refusing to resign

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-politics-60134104


I guess he can do that-but if the Parliament vote for a kick-the Prime minister-out-Then he has to leave doesn't he ?

If he still refuse-Will it then be the police who has to remove him ?

I hope he know when he has lost and leave.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Boris has been proven to be a liar many times over the years, it is in his DNA.

He will dig his heels in until the very end.

The Sue Gray report is expected to be released later today and after a short period of time to allow MP's to read it there may yet be a vote of no confidence in him by his fellow Tory MP's

Should he lose that vote he will be obliged to resign but not a moment before.

[Jimbuna]

The latest revelation...

Boris Johnson authorised the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul, according to emails leaked by a whistleblower.

The PM has previously dismissed as "nonsense" claims he intervened in the evacuation of the Nowzad charity, run by former Royal Marine Pen Farthing.

But an email from an official in minister Zac Goldsmith's office suggests he was personally involved.

It is one of a number of emails released by a select committee.

The August 2021 message to another official in the Foreign Office says: "Charity Nowzad, run by an ex-Royal Marine, has received a lot of publicity and the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated."

When asked in December if he had prioritised animals over the Afghan people in the evacuation of Kabul, Mr Johnson said: "That is complete nonsense."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60143279

[Jimbuna]

Jobseekers on Universal Credit will have to look for jobs outside their chosen field more quickly or face sanctions under new government plans.

From Thursday, people will have to look outside their sectors after just four weeks, rather than three months.

If they fail to make "reasonable efforts" to get a job, or turn down employment, they could see their benefit payment reduced.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60149016

Not sure what to make of this.

[Skybird]

Its clear, similiar things are tried in Germany as well. Long term unemployed who refuse jobs, are pushed to nevertheless take offered jobs by reducing their benefits.

In case of the UK it might be even more pressing an issue since there are shortages of workers in certain areas that UK citizens did not want to do and left to seasonal workers and job migrants from abroad that now have been banned to enter or to work in the UK. I must not tell you about the shortages of truck drivers, as an example, further worstened due to Corona quarantines.

In principle I agree with such steps. It cannot be that the community has to pay for the daily bills of somebody who is offered work that would allow hiomn to come up for the costs of his living, but that he doe snto want, expecting to live at th cost of the others.

I would even go a step further, for reasons reaching beyond this imminent context, and exclude people who live of social wellfare and get general benefits like unemployment money from voting rights. Same for prisoners: voting rights are cancelled as long as they are in prison. A prisoner is no citizen in my book, but a prisoner. His citizen rights are temporarily disabled for as long as he is a prisoner.

It cannot be that people who live at the cost of the community are even allowed to vote for conditions and politicians that continue and maybe even widen their personal profits form this scheme. If you accept state aid you are under (moral) obligation to do your best to cut this period as short as possible. Once you are back in any kind of work you make aliving of you then can use this as a platform for looking for another, more wanted follow-on job. But if you are unemployed, the priority is to bring you into work again so that you do not cost the community more than absolutely inevitable.

I did over a dozen jobs in my life. Most of them were not really pleasant, or satisfying, and none of them turned me into a welathy man except just one, and I did not do them because I wanted to do them, but because it was what was available to me at those times. If I could have done and worked so, I can demand others to do the same.

[Jimbuna]

^ I take your points and tend to agree but the timing of all this is what I question.

[Catfish]

[Jimbuna]

There is confusion over when Sue Gray's report into No 10 lockdown parties will be published after a statement from the police on their investigation.

The Met said on Friday it had asked for "minimal reference" in the report to events they are investigating to avoid prejudicing its inquiries.

Many in the Cabinet Office, where Ms Gray is based, were taken by surprise by the Met's statement, sources say.

The report was due to be sent to Downing Street this week.

Boris Johnson's premiership is potentially at stake, as Conservative MPs wait to see the outcome of Ms Gray's inquiry before deciding to call for a vote of no confidence in him.

In a statement on Friday morning, the Met said: "For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report.

"The Met did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice to our investigation."

It is unclear what the police investigation means for the timing of the report, how much detail will be included or whether it will now be published at all.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60166997

Fast turning into a pantomime now.

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Fast turning into a pantomime now.

I propose sealing Gray's report for a hundred years for "security reasons" like so many others

[Skybird]

"To thank all those who do not believe in these party rumours and still stand by me loyally, I throw a very hot super mega party this evening in Downing Street!"




Klaus Stuttmann for Der Tagesspiegel.
The way this humorist painted Trump and now Johnson, is priceless. I spit on my screen frequently, laughing.