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General British politics discussion thread

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    #272
    Tom Mann Centuria
    Registered Users Posts: 10,964 ✭✭✭✭Tom Mann Centuria


    Sunday Times have turned on Boris Johnson, that's a nice surprise that they've finally realised what a total disaster his management has been.

    It's behind a paywall but headline gives a flavour
    Coronavirus: 38 days when Britain sleepwalked into disaster
    Boris Johnson skipped five Cobra meetings on the virus, calls to order protective gear were ignored and scientists’ warnings fell on deaf ears. Failings in February may have cost thousands of lives

    Whether they press this home now is another thing, or just step back into line, the more likely option.

    Edit: here's a link to the full article, no paywall

    https://archive.is/20200418182037/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/coronavirus-38-days-when-britain-sleepwalked-into-disaster-hq3b9tlgh

    Oh well, give me an easy life and a peaceful death.



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    #273
    Roanmore
    Registered Users Posts: 1,801 ✭✭✭Roanmore


    The narrative form some journalists / commentators on Twitter is that Murdoch wants Johnson out and replaced with Gove.
    #WheresBoris was even trending on Twitter.

    The problem is if they want Gove will he be any better, looking at this I'd say worse.

    https://twitter.com/HastingsRyeLab/status/1251801878826037248

    and this

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2020/apr/19/michael-gove-says-boris-johnson-didnt-miss-cobra-meetings-then-backtracks-in-same-day-video


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    #274
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,966 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    PPE from Turkey delayed over "clearance and paperwork"

    Turkey and the UK are both inside the EU customs union for goods so it's a very lame excuse.

    And a bad predictor for future Brexit "clearance and paperwork"


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    #275
    ancapailldorcha
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 37,882 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    Please do not dump tweets here. A post has been deleted.

    We sat again for an hour and a half discussing maps and figures and always getting back to that most damnable creation of the perverted ingenuity of man - the County of Tyrone.

    H. H. Asquith



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    #276
    badabing106
    Registered Users Posts: 1,433 ✭✭✭badabing106


    I find it perculiar that Boris Johnson approval rating since the coronavirus keeps sky rocketing upwards

    https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/boris-johnson-approval-rating

    He had positive approval rating of 40 % in November 2019, he currently has an approval rating of 66%. That's a massive upswing.

    In November 2019, 30% thought he was doing a very bad job. Today that figure is only 7%

    In March 2020, nearly 13% thought he was doing very good job. Today that figure is 30% Is that a sympathy vote because he was very ill?


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    #277
    Joe_ Public
    Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    Definitely partly a sympathy vote. And no matter how badly he performs, or how destructive his decisions, lots and lots of British voters will always forgive johnson simply because he makes them laugh. When he gets back and makes the first lifting of lockdown restrictions promise, watch his rating go up again.


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    #278
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 39,162 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    I'm curious to know if IDS's comments are Tory policy...
    Unmarried Men Are 'A Problem' For Society, Says Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith
    'These boys' will go looking for 'the alternative on the internet' if they don't tie the knot, says IDS.
    men out of wedlock were “released to do all the things they wouldn’t normally do” such as committing crimes, drinking too much, taking drugs and fathering multiple children
    ...
    Duncan Smith said: “If something really matters to you in life, you commit to it. People join golf clubs and they sign up for the most absurd things that you have to do, wearing trousers, shoes, all sorts of things.


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    #279
    PommieBast
    Registered Users Posts: 2,629 ✭✭✭PommieBast


    Seth Brundle wrote: »
    I'm curious to know if IDS's comments are Tory policy...
    Unmarried Men Are 'A Problem' For Society, Says Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith
    'These boys' will go looking for 'the alternative on the internet' if they don't tie the knot, says IDS.
    Probably not part policy but no doubt a popular idea among party members..


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    #280
    BonnieSituation
    Registered Users Posts: 18,923 ✭✭✭✭BonnieSituation


    Seth Brundle wrote: »
    I'm curious to know if IDS's comments are Tory policy...
    Unmarried Men Are 'A Problem' For Society, Says Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith
    'These boys' will go looking for 'the alternative on the internet' if they don't tie the knot, says IDS.

    Fathering multiple children?

    How dare they. And how dare they think they can become prime minister.


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    #281
    Gerry T
    Registered Users Posts: 1,433 ✭✭✭Gerry T


    BonnieSituation wrote: »
    Fathering multiple children?

    How dare they. And how dare they think they can become prime minister.

    Was he talking about Johnson, he seems to have a trail of children from multiple relationships, including his son today there were 4 from a previous wife and they say 2 from 2 different affairs. Probably some others also.


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    #282
    Lemming
    Registered Users Posts: 14,148 ✭✭✭✭Lemming


    badabing106 wrote: »
    I find it perculiar that Boris Johnson approval rating since the coronavirus keeps sky rocketing upwards

    It's the classic 'Rally around the flag'/patriotism mindset that people fall into in times of serious crisis; "We're all in this together", "Everyone has to do their part", "Support the government", etc. and rinse repeat with any one of a number of different slogans.

    The government have been milking the sympathy vote as well, and now the baby card shall be trotted out as a distraction.


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    #283
    Professor Moriarty
    Registered Users Posts: 14,366 ✭✭✭✭Professor Moriarty


    Gerry T wrote: »
    Was he talking about Johnson, he seems to have a trail of children from multiple relationships, including his son today there were 4 from a previous wife and they say 2 from 2 different affairs. Probably some others also.

    His profile on his Wikipedia page says "Children: 5 or 6".


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    #284
    Gerry T
    Registered Users Posts: 1,433 ✭✭✭Gerry T


    Professor Moriarty wrote: »
    His profile on his Wikipedia page says "Children: 5 or 6".

    I may be wrong, but was that updated with his recent child today.
    In a court case the Judge did make reference to 2 affairs, that's going back yrs. I'll dig something up on it.


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    #285
    Professor Moriarty
    Registered Users Posts: 14,366 ✭✭✭✭Professor Moriarty


    Gerry T wrote: »
    I may be wrong, but was that updated with his recent child today.
    In a court case the Judge did make reference to 2 affairs, that's going back yrs. I'll dig something up on it.

    It's been updated! it says "Children: At least 6"


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    #286
    Gerry T
    Registered Users Posts: 1,433 ✭✭✭Gerry T


    Professor Moriarty wrote: »
    It's been updated! it says "Children: At least 6"

    Didn't take long,
    I'm sure IDS was talking about him now. Not that Johnson has a great track record with comments about women or single mothers himself.


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    #287
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Lemming wrote: »
    It's the classic 'Rally around the flag'/patriotism mindset that people fall into in times of serious crisis; "We're all in this together", "Everyone has to do their part", "Support the government", etc. and rinse repeat with any one of a number of different slogans.

    Ah yeah, they do love their wartime rhetoric in times like these over there


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    #288
    Roanmore
    Registered Users Posts: 1,801 ✭✭✭Roanmore


    Today is the day the UK Govt have promised 100k C19 tests.
    They haven't a hope of doing it but it will be interesting what way they spin it.
    Matt Hancock has form here, remember the pledge about extra nurses which included the nurses that were already employed and they weren't going to lose?
    Also, the 100m pieces of PPE included single gloves, 500k gloves instead of 250k pairs, fine if all the NHS staff were all one handed.


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    #289
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Batrachotox wrote: »
    Ah yeah, they do love their wartime rhetoric in times like these over there
    Nothing to do with "wartime" rhetoric, it's simply a clear sign that nationalism is strong there, despite decades of anti-nationalism rhetoric from politicians, academics and others who wanted to promote multi-nationalism etc.


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    #290
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,240 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Nothing to do with "wartime" rhetoric, it's simply a clear sign that nationalism is strong there, despite decades of anti-nationalism rhetoric from politicians, academics and others who wanted to promote multi-nationalism etc.
    Slogans like "we're all in this together" and "everybody has to do their part" have nothing to do with nationalism. Indeed, in the context of a global pandemic, they are pretty much the polar opposite of petty nationalism.


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    #291
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Peregrinus wrote: »
    Slogans like "we're all in this together" and "everybody has to do their part" have nothing to do with nationalism. Indeed, in the context of a global pandemic, they are pretty much the polar opposite of petty nationalism.
    They have everything to do with nationalism, end of!


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    #292
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,240 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    In a global pandemic - there's a clue in the word "global" - these slogans are a protest against nationalism. Everybody doing their bit against CV-19 is going to be pretty useless if by "everybody" we actually mean "English people". By "everybody" we actually mean . . . well, everybody.


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    #293
    Joe_ Public
    Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    Roanmore wrote: »
    Today is the day the UK Govt have promised 100k C19 tests.
    They haven't a hope of doing it but it will be interesting what way they spin it.
    Matt Hancock has form here, remember the pledge about extra nurses which included the nurses that were already employed and they weren't going to lose?
    Also, the 100m pieces of PPE included single gloves, 500k gloves instead of 250k pairs, fine if all the NHS staff were all one handed.

    "I am pleased to announce today that we have achieved our testing capacity target of 100,000".

    "We want to test as many as possible but it has been an issue getting demand to meet our capacity. If enough people dont come forward there's nothing we can do."

    "Ok, so we fell short of our target to do 100,000 tests a day but I'm not going to stand here and apologise for being ambitious, for wanting what's best for British people and what they deserve. I'd rather set an ambitious target and fail than set a low target - like people in the media and on opposition benches would do - and succeed and praise myself for doing so etc..."


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    #294
    Joe_ Public
    Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    For me anyway, the slogans dont signify anything at all, merely the empty and vacuous rhetoric that comes from the government. Everybody is most certainly not all in it together as the disproportionate toll on poorer and immigrant communities shows. It's a meaningless platitude, devoid of truth or any semblance of reassurance.


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    #295
    Roanmore
    Registered Users Posts: 1,801 ✭✭✭Roanmore


    Joe_ Public wrote: »
    "I am pleased to announce today that we have achieved our testing capacity target of 100,000".

    "We want to test as many as possible but it has been an issue getting demand to meet our capacity. If enough people dont come forward there's nothing we can do."

    "Ok, so we fell short of our target to do 100,000 tests a day but I'm not going to stand here and apologise for being ambitious, for wanting what's best for British people and what they deserve. I'd rather set an ambitious target and fail than set a low target - like people in the media and on opposition benches would do - and succeed and praise myself for doing so etc..."

    Sounds about right.


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    #296
    PommieBast
    Registered Users Posts: 2,629 ✭✭✭PommieBast


    Peregrinus wrote: »
    Slogans like "we're all in this together" and "everybody has to do their part" have nothing to do with nationalism.
    They are when they are rolled out on a regular basis.


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    #297
    Joe_ Public
    Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    Roanmore wrote: »
    Sounds about right.

    We'll see. Will be doing a bit of bingo later and fully expecting to land the full house.


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    #298
    Roanmore
    Registered Users Posts: 1,801 ✭✭✭Roanmore


    So they exceeded the target of 100k, they got 122k. Some achievement.

    What? Only 73k tests were actually done? The rest? The rest were posted out.

    Yes sir, I paid my bill in full, I paid 70% of it and the rest is in the post 🙄


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    #299
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Ireland gets special treatment again.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52594023
    UK airlines say they have been told the government will bring in a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving in the UK from any country apart from the Republic of Ireland in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The new restriction is expected to take effect at the end of this month.

    Industry body Airlines UK said the policy needed "a credible exit plan" and should be reviewed weekly.

    People arriving in the UK would have to self-isolate at a private residence.


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    #300
    Infini
    Registered Users Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭Infini


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Ireland gets special treatment again.

    To be fair the reason for it is primarily the Border and the unionists for that as well as the CTA. On top of that the chance of someone coming from here with the infection is drastically lower than someone from the continent.


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    #301
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,966 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Infini wrote: »
    To be fair the reason for it is primarily the Border and the unionists for that as well as the CTA. On top of that the chance of someone coming from here with the infection is drastically lower than someone from the continent.
    Except they could come here and then cross over to the UK.

    More joined up thinking from the UK.


    Don't get started on their tracing app central storage vs everyone trusting Apple and Google* or on how they are still diverging from the EU on data rights.


    *You handed Apple and Google all your data when you set your phone and neither will hand over any more data than they need to for selfish reasons.


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