Whatever.
EDIT:
Meant to type Wikipedia. I'm blaming autocorrect...
If Therese Coffey is a potato that might explain why she spent the interview looking at the floor
Probably done on one thread or other but thought Angla Rayners response to Hi-de-hi guy (Raab does look like Simon the camp manager) when criticised for going to the opera was pretty good.
"My advice to the deputy prime minister is to cut out the snobbery and brush up on his opera. The Marriage of Figaro is the story of a working-class woman who gets the better of a privileged but dim-witted villain.”
Liked that comment from Rayner when I heard it on Thursday.
Front page headline in the Metro...
Groping for Answers.
Arf arf
Chis Pincher and Sarah Dines are living proof of nominative determinism.
The whole "report any concerns to the whips" thing is bonkers, isn't it (eg Dines in this case). Is there anyone less independent, and more likely to abuse information about MPs given in confidence, than government whips?!?!
Oh, Johnson has changed his previous line about not knowing about previous allegations about Pincher. It obviously wasn't credible... but did its job. Lie now... worrying about back peddling on the lie when headlines have moved on. Same old.
Chis Pincher and Sarah Dines are living proof of nominative determinism.
As a counter-argument, James Cleverly exists.
Oh, Johnson has changed his previous line about not knowing about previous allegations about Pincher. It obviously wasn’t credible… but did its job. Lie now… worrying about back peddling on the lie when headlines have moved on. Same old.
what was that 3 hours before u-turning?
the jr, jr minister that drew the short straw this morning to do the interview rounds must be loving it
https://twitter.com/TomSwarbrick1/status/1543926556963266565
Yep, MH, he's an oxy moron.
BillMC
Yep, MH, he’s aoxymoron.
FTFY
It's worth remembering as you turn on the radio, or open the newspaper, that this govt once thought it would be a good idea to have a scheduled daily press conference.
'given a categoric assurance the Prime Minister was not aware of any specific allegation or complaint.'
I guess "he's a massive sex pest" is nicely non-specific, so the above quote could technically still be true 🙄
Raab on BBC this morning.
How can you tell he's lying? Well his lips are moving, unlike the thought processes in his brain.
I just avoid all news about this rabble now.
Can someone please wake me up when we've got some grown-ups in charge?
These are 'grown ups'. One thing I've learnt over the years is that people's inadequacies, eccentricities and nastiness don't improve with age. I want to see some young talent in power not some cynical, reactionary and bought off gerontocracy.
The first thing I think of when I think of Oxbridge is the debating societies and the exercise in pure sophistry that they represent. Winning the argument is what matters, not what is right or wrong.
I think you overestimate how important the Oxford Union Society is in the University. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the education process. Everyone knows that it's a posh club where shits like Johnson can polish their egos playing at being important. It's a failure of our democracy that some of them go on to actually become important in real life.
Raab on BBC this morning.
How can you tell he’s lying? Well his lips are moving, unlike the thought processes in his brain.
To be fair to Raab, it looks like he's guilty of being naive, gullible and thick, rather than telling lies on this occasion.
The Prime Minister was briefed that Chris Pincher was a massive sex pest but decided to keep that information to himself, before appointing him as deputy chief whip
And as we know from Raab's surprise as to the importance of the Dover Calais crossing to UK trade, he is not a curious man. The thought of asking what the outcome of an investigation about someone being a sex pest simply never entered his empty head.
Ladies and gentlemen... your Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister
Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Mr Raab said: "I have discussed this with the prime minister over the last 24 hours, it is not my understanding that he was directly briefed."
From the BBC story linked above - look at the words "it is not my understanding"...
look at the words “it is not my understanding”…
This Government manages to not understand, not be aware of, not be briefed on and not have sight of pretty much everything it's supposed to be managing. Impressive.
so the above quote could technically still be true
Although not the best excuse since if I had heard nonspecific claims about someone I was thinking of giving a senior job to, especially one relating to handling these sort of claims, I think I would have put a few minutes into trying to find out the specifics.
Or on the other hand I might have just gone "he is a grade a arsekisser who will help me out so sod it".
He certainly seems to be that.
Correction: age has FA to do with it, cf Streeting and Corbyn.
look at the words “it is not my understanding”…
Exactly. Interviewers absolutely need to be pinning ministers down on specifics so there's no weasel room later. I know using vague language is not a new phenomenon in politics, but we seem to be an era where this government in particular is a house of cards built upon lies.
"I think you overestimate how important the Oxford Union Society is in the University."
I hadn't so much thought about the societies effect on the University, rather the effect the debating style they nurture have on the country itself.
That adversarial and sophistic style is mirrored both in parliament and our press. It has also found a broader audience with the internet and the format has become widely duplicated by many other institutions.
It sees truth at one end or the other. With its "which is best: Rome or Greece?" type of positing. It disavowes nuance (which is obviously where truth lies) and doesn't allow for concepts to exist concurrently. Winning is all that counts.
As you point out, the society is a training ground for toffs to go on and rule the country and the debating model established has a big role in shaping our political discourse.
According to Michael Fabricant Tory mp’s feel sorry for Pincher and he is also a victim.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chris-pincher-michael-fabricant-mp-b2115922.html
As you point out, the society is a training ground for toffs to go on and rule the country and the debating model established has a big role in shaping our political discourse.
And it's exactly what PMQs is based on - a bit of theatre and charade where you don't answer the question, you bray repeatedly about how good YOU are and how bad THEY are.
Divisive and combative and quite "showy" but not actually much use in policy or governance.
I was watching Kenneth Clark's "Civilisation" last night. It was the series that launched BBC2 (and is quite possibly the best TV documentary ever made).
This quote seemed rather prescient.
"Authoritarian governments don't like dictionaries, they live by lies and by bamboozling abstractions. They can't afford to have words accurately defined"
And it's not just politicians who are murdering the language. Before watching Civilisations I watched Newsnight, where Kirsy Wark afforded Jacob Lynch Mobb a dozen opportunities to characterise something that his own party's disciplinary committee has confirmed to be true as being 'gossip'.
See also the media's acquiescence with the government with their endless rolling out of the phrase 'culture war'.
Looks more like a 'special operation' to me...
I imagine Raab’s “understanding” is what he was told. And McDonald has stated that most likely what he was told was untrue. Hence the two can be reconciled and Raab goes off to wonder how many more times he must defend a lying boss.
I see Tory MPs are once again at the end of their tether with Johnson
You can only hope that they remain unable to find their spines & depose him
he is a disaster for the Tories
After Partygate I thought it'd calm down and they'd tighten up a bit but this constant drip drip is going to continue for as long as this guys PM, he clearly doesn't do details and wants to be liked so everyday there's some decision being made without the full picture or 'he's a good egg, it'll be fine'.
You know from what ever job your in it's barely ever fine, this guy is continuing to set himself up for a fall every week, if not every day, long may it continue, I just hope the damage is limited to the people around him and the Party rather than the wider populace, but there's always overspill.
Authoritarian governments don’t like dictionaries, they live by lies and by bamboozling abstractions. They can’t afford to have words accurately defined
Doublespeak
According to Michael Fabricant Tory mp’s feel sorry for Pincher and he is also a victim.
Even for an odious League of Gentlemen character, Fabricant never ceases to come up with new ways of being despicable. Is he just taking cues from the yanks - trying to troll 'liberal snowflakes'?
Labour has been granted permission to ask an urgent question about this latest debacle in parliament and there's also meant to be a press briefing now.
Boris is hiding in a fridge, obviously, and apparently they're struggling to find anyone to volunteer to stand in for either the press or parliament. No surprise given that what the poor mug is briefed to say will be a pack of lies which is constantly subject to change/backtracking/screaming U-turn
Everyone has gone to ground, so expect some poor sacrificial junior bag-carrier who nobody has heard of
can someone dub Mad World by Tears for Fears over the top?
https://twitter.com/BestForBritain/status/1544245691215757312
https://twitter.com/peterwalker99/status/1544290013109796868?t=mfXFmF5CjNRXLpgsbJYTow&s=19
I see Johnson's selective memory is in full swing again.
No, I knew nothing of any allegations.
Well I knew there were allegations but not the specifics.
Oh wait HIM?! Oh yes, I do remember now...
🤔
Although when so many members of the party are sexpests and porn watchers, it might be difficult to keep track of the specifics...
Boris is hiding in a fridge, obviously
Not quite - he's on the phone to Ukraine...
Not quite – he’s on the phone to Ukraine…
Tomato / Помидор
It’s great that the ‘defence’ they’ve now settled on is “how the hell am I supposed to remember every time one of this gaggle of deviants and perverts is accused of sexual assault?!! “
Amazingly 1/3rd of the electorate still want to vote tory!
This seems unsustainable to me
https://twitter.com/Tony_Diver/status/1544289293404971008
Oh wow just seen the Raab interview !!!!
https://twitter.com/Haggis_UK/status/1544228692297138176
talk about car crash
I am amazed they still go and put themselves through that. Aside from anything else its the probability that the u-turn ten minutes later will make them look even worse.
Therese Coffee certainly doesnt look enamoured of Johnson this morning
https://twitter.com/ChrisKimberley/status/1544323915945746445
I think when your over-arching approach is 'f you. What are you going to do about it?' nothing very much at all matters apart from riding that train as far as it goes.
