All things Boris: has it really come to this?

[Scot Dutchy]

The Super Boris

[Scot Dutchy]

He just loves spending other peoples (taxpayers) money.

Government to spend £9m on Whitehall 'situation room'

Confirmation of project follows other expensive revamps that have drawn ire after 1% NHS pay offer

The government has earmarked more than £9m for creating a US-style “situation room” at Whitehall – the latest in a series of expensive refurbishments that have drawn criticism, given the 1% pay offer proposed for NHS staff.

Downing Street sources confirmed that the government’s review into foreign and defence policy, when it is unveiled on 16 March, will include the creation of a situation centre in the Cabinet Office. The room is due to be operational by the summer.

The Cabinet Office budget has set aside £9.3m for the renovation, which will fit the room with interactive dashboards and heat maps so it can be used as a command centre during emergencies like terror attacks and epidemics.

Chumocracy.

[Scot Dutchy]

How many nurses' salaries does it take to redecorate Downing Street?

It’s the standard unit of measurement for top football signings – and can be usefully applied to political expenditure too

There’s no point demanding a retrospective VAR review on the footage of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak clapping for the NHS last year. Footballers can be booked for sarcastic applause, but ministers can’t. Even so, news the government proposes a mere 1% pay rise for NHS workers – a real-terms pay cut – suggests the prime minister and chancellor weren’t so much clapping for the NHS as clapping back at it. Or maybe they were doing the sort of begrudging we-pay-your-wages clap that you sometimes see in the stands, a reminder that the NHS would be nothing – NOTHING – without the fans.

Either way, it’s right that top-flight football is the only profession where the figures involved are perpetually discussed in terms of how many nurses’ salaries they could cover. A new club signing who you’d hope would bring pleasure to countless fans of all ages must always be tutted at as though he is being paid out of the critical care budget, as opposed to by some Delaware investment banker. But the fact we’ve just blown 13 nurses’ salaries on Priti Patel’s right to be a shit to her staff must escape similar comparisons. Incidentally, that tally is without the legal costs. If you add those, we could scare you up even more hospital staff. (Not literally scare them, of course – we’re not the home secretary.)

[Scot Dutchy]

No lie off limits for Boris Johnson

The prime minister was given free rein to waffle and talk over questioners in a debate over the Tory manifesto promise

How much longer can this go on? Previous prime ministers have at least been on nodding terms with the truth, but Boris Johnson is completely without shame. Without conscience. A sociopath for whom no lie is off limits, either in his public or his private life. What counts is reality as he would like it to be.

All of which makes prime minister’s questions increasingly pointless – other than as an exercise in Oxford Union am-dram – because there is no chance of Johnson ever admitting he has made a mistake or changed his mind. Today was a case in point. Keir Starmer thought he had Boris bang to rights. After all, even the defence secretary had said the government was planning to break the Tory manifesto promise not to cut the number of troops in his commons statement earlier in the week.

But for Johnson, any such admission was an impossibility, even after Starmer quoted directly from a newspaper article published during the last election campaign. The thing that was going to happen was not the thing that was going to happen. Reducing the number of troops was not actually reducing the number of troops because fewer soldiers would actually be more effective than having more. No wonder the Labour leader looked thoroughly confused by the time he had finished his six questions. Everyone was.

Chumocracy in action: Waffling and lying. The do it so well.

[Svartalf]

Point to you... we have to detail him into nemo size chunks before...

[Scot Dutchy]

More Chumocracy:

Tories accused of corruption and NHS privatisation by former chief scientist

Exclusive: Boris Johnson’s ‘chumocracy’ is using Covid crisis to sell off health service by stealth, says Sir David King

Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of corruption, privatising the NHS by stealth, operating a “chumocracy” and mishandling the pandemic and climate crisis, by Sir David King, a former government chief scientist.

“I am extremely worried about the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, about the processes by which public money has been distributed to private sector companies without due process,” he told the Guardian in an interview. “It really smells of corruption.”

King contrasted the success of the vaccination programme, carried out by the NHS, with the failure of the government’s test-and-trace operation, which has been contracted out to private companies.

“The operation to roll out vaccination has been extremely successful, it was driven through entirely by our truly national health service and GP service – just amazing,” he said. “Yet we have persisted with this money for test and trace, given without competition, without due process … I am really worried about democratic processes being ignored.”

He said: “This is a so-called chumocracy, that has been a phrase used, and that is what it looks like I’m afraid: it is a chumocracy.”

Will ever stop?

[pErvinalia]

What, your use of the word 'chumocracy'?

[Scot Dutchy]

Chumocracy in full flight.

Climate crisis: Boris Johnson ‘too cosy’ with vested interests to take serious action

Report author calls for thorough clean-up of political donations, directorships and embedded interns

Boris Johnson’s government is “too cosy” with vested interests in business to take strong action on the climate crisis, the author of a report on “the polluting elite”, has warned.

Peter Newell, a professor of international relations at the University of Sussex, said: “We are never going to have change while these actors are so close to government. The government is not willing to take on these interests as it has close ties to big industries, including fossil fuels. There is a definite reluctance to take them on.”

He warned: “The beneficiaries of the status quo are in no rush to change. If we are serious about the Paris agreement, we have to disrupt that cosy relationship between business and government.”

Recent scandals such as David Cameron’s lobbying on behalf of the finance company Greensill had shone a light on the government’s links to business, he said. “But the problem goes much deeper, such as directorships [of companies, taken by politicians], the revolving doors for ministers, and the internships by which energy companies send their employees to work inside the civil service on policy,” he said.

He called for more transparency, from party funding to the machinery of government. “A thorough clean-up is needed,” he told the Guardian. “Transparency is needed on where donations go. There should be limits on directorships [of companies by serving and former politicians]. There needs to be a conscious attempt to say, we can’t function like this.”

Newell’s warning came as Sir David King, a former chief scientific adviser to the government, criticised the “chumocracy” of the government, which he said was “privatising the NHS by stealth” and “smells of corruption”.

How does he take a shit with all the arms up his arse.

[Scot Dutchy]

Parties call for inquiry into Boris Johnson’s ‘failure to be honest’

Exclusive: Commons Speaker asked to allow vote on inquiry as government spokesperson says ‘PM follows the ministerial code’

Six opposition parties in the Commons are urging the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, to allow a vote on an inquiry into Boris Johnson’s “consistent failure to be honest” in statements to MPs.

They want Hoyle to let them table a motion saying that Johnson’s conduct should be referred to the committee of privileges, on the grounds that making a deliberately misleading statement to MPs amounts to a contempt of parliament under the Commons rulebook, Erskine May.

Given the size of the Conservative majority, there is no realistic chance of MPs approving such a motion, but a debate on this subject – if the Speaker were to allow one – would be highly embarrassing to the prime minister.

The letter was organised by the Green MP Caroline Lucas and it has been signed by five other parliamentary party leaders: Ian Blackford (Scottish National party), Sir Ed Davey (Liberal Democrats), Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru), Colum Eastwood (SDLP) and Stephen Farry (Alliance).

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, was invited to sign the letter, but declined. A party source said Labour did not normally sign up to initiatives launched by other parties.

Of course this is a pointless exercise given UK's undemocratic system but it would be an embarrassment to Johnson.

[Scot Dutchy]

Once again Chumocracy raises its ugly head:

Boris Johnson says he will publish text messages to James Dyson

PM promised he would ‘fix’ tax issue for James Dyson so firm could help build ventilators

Boris Johnson has said he will publish his text messages and “make absolutely no apology” for the exchanges with businessman James Dyson promising to “fix” tax status for the firm to help build ventilators.

Keir Starmer accused the government of “sleaze, sleaze, sleaze” after leaked texts from Johnson promised that the pro-Brexit billionaire’s employees would not have to pay extra tax if they came to the UK to make ventilators during the pandemic.

Johnson pledged: “I will fix it tomo! We need you. It looks fantastic.”

The prime minister then texted him again, saying: “[Chancellor] Rishi [Sunak] says it is fixed!! We need you here,” according to the BBC.

At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Johnson was bullish about his response, saying: “I make absolutely no apology at all for shifting heaven and earth and doing everything I possibly could, as any prime minister would in those circumstances, to secure ventilators for the people in this country and to save lives.”

[Scot Dutchy]

No 10 refurb row: Grieve calls Boris Johnson ‘vacuum of integrity’

Former Tory attorney general piles pressure on PM demanding to know how residence revamp was funded

The former attorney general, Dominic Grieve, has described Boris Johnson as a “vacuum of integrity” as the prime minister came under pressure to explain how the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat was paid for following an explosive attack by his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings.

The government has said Johnson paid for the refurbishment, reportedly costed at £58,000, but in an explosive blog post, Cummings claimed the prime minister had sought outside funding from Conservative supporters.

Grieve, a long-standing critic of the prime minister, joined Labour in calling on Johnson to explain how the revamp of the Downing Street property was funded.

The former attorney general told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he thought it has become “quite clear” that Johnson was given “a significant gift” towards the flat’s refurbishment, adding: “It is all smoke and mirrors. He hasn’t said when he decided to repay it or whether he has now repaid it.”

Chumocracy of course.

[Svartalf]

integrity? has the UK known any of such in the last 40 some years?

[Brian Peacock]

Once again Chumocracy raises its ugly head:

Boris Johnson says he will publish text messages to James Dyson

PM promised he would ‘fix’ tax issue for James Dyson so firm could help build ventilators

Boris Johnson has said he will publish his text messages and “make absolutely no apology” for the exchanges with businessman James Dyson promising to “fix” tax status for the firm to help build ventilators.

Keir Starmer accused the government of “sleaze, sleaze, sleaze” after leaked texts from Johnson promised that the pro-Brexit billionaire’s employees would not have to pay extra tax if they came to the UK to make ventilators during the pandemic.

Johnson pledged: “I will fix it tomo! We need you. It looks fantastic.”

The prime minister then texted him again, saying: “[Chancellor] Rishi [Sunak] says it is fixed!! We need you here,” according to the BBC.

At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Johnson was bullish about his response, saying: “I make absolutely no apology at all for shifting heaven and earth and doing everything I possibly could, as any prime minister would in those circumstances, to secure ventilators for the people in this country and to save lives.”

Dyson didn't make a single ventilator.

[Brian Peacock]

No.10 Refuses To Deny Boris Johnson Said UK Should Let Covid ‘Rip’ In Autumn

Downing Street has refused to deny allegations that Boris Johnson told aides he would rather let coronavirus “rip” than impose another lockdown in September.

The Times reported that the prime minister argued lockdowns were “mad” and that he would rather “let it rip” than close down the economy again as the restrictions would cause businesses to close and people to lose their jobs.

It came during an intense debate in government about whether to impose a second lockdown, the report said.

In the same month, Johnson decided to ignore a plea from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to impose a two week “circuit breaker” lockdown in September before being forced to U-turn weeks later and impose a November shutdown...

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ ... ce6c1666b9

[Scot Dutchy]

In the court of King Boris, only one thing is certain: this will all end badly

Brexit, Covid and the prime minister’s character add up to a triple whammy that has upended the old ways of doing politics

Instead of a cabinet, Britain has courtiers. In place of a prime minister, there is a potentate. The traditional structures still exist, but as tributes to an obsolescent way of governing. There are still secretaries of state. But their place in the formal, constitutional hierarchy has little bearing on real power, which swirls in an unstable vortex of advisers and officials vying for proximity to Boris Johnson’s throne.

The product of this arrangement is the acrid stew of scandal leaking out of Downing Street – a mixture of financial irregularities, reckless statecraft and vendetta, some of it involving the prime minister’s fiancee, just to complete the impression of Byzantine intrigue.

No 10 has always had informal cliques and “kitchen cabinets”. Prime ministers have commonly trusted advisers more than ministers. Alastair Campbell was a mythic enforcer of Tony Blair’s will when Dominic Cummings was splashing around at the political shallow end, advising (and inevitably betraying) Iain Duncan Smith. But the current situation is unprecedented for three reasons.