Boris has had a rough time since the beginning of November.

It started in early November with the resignation of Lee Cain after he had been offered a top job.

Cummings was thrown out of Downing Street shortly afterwards.

He ordered a second lockdown after refusing to have a shorter one earlier.

Priti Patel was accused of bullying and breaking the ministerial code for the second time, and like with Cummings in the spring, Boris said the matter was now closed. Remember - she had also previously broken the ministerial code, when she had had unauthorized talks with the Israeli Government in an earlier job with Teresa May..

Despite the second covid lockdown cases have continued to rise.

Accusations of bypassing the House of Commons and dis-satisfaction among his own backbenchers despite an 80 seat majority.

The Brexit talks have stalled and a hard Brexit looks a distinct possibility.

Quite a list for six weeks. No wonder he is starting to look haggard.

He could still run a comb through his hair though.

If you look closely you can see he is starting to go bald though.
:-)

John Stevenson on BBC politics now. How did he become an MP?

Boris embarrassing himself on PMQs. Complete waste of time. Asked question about Mr Cummings pay rise and answered by talking about something completely different.

In my day we collected food to send to Africa. This decade we have started to collect food for the poor in the village, now this

Unicef to help feed children in the UK for first time in 70 years

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18948073.unicef-help-feed-children-uk-first-time-70-years/?fbclid=IwAR20s2q7kFLUAlDiRPzUVA_0bH3TY_NxfS7u0SYhOrB2hkBSVYJdnrKEgfw

You wouldn’t want to be on the same team as Andy Burnham-what a snivelling piece of shit he is.He should resign but he won’t-it’s always someone else’s fault with this tart

You wouldn’t want to be on the same team as Andy Burnham-what a snivelling piece of shit he is.He should resign but he won’t-it’s always someone else’s fault with this tart

Change the record Mr Boring

Blindly saying ‘Tories good, Labour bad’ wears a bit thin as a mantra at the best of times, never mind during a mishandled pandemic

I’ll give you one chance to reclaim a shred of cred:

Praise one Labour politician and criticize one Tory

Not sticking up for either party here, at times the Tories have made a hash of certain things and come out with flying colours with others.
I honestly thought that the Labour party, after getting rid of Corbyn (the best thing to ever happen to them) then they would start to reveal themselves as a really decent alternative to the Conservatives. Instead we have Starmer, if he sat on any more fences he would have to get them re-enforced with concrete, all of them seem very happy to criticise, but to date, don't seem to come up with any alternative solutions (apart from spending money which would cripple the economy).
'Mishandled pandemic', maybe so in certain quarters, but does anybody really think the Labour party would have done any better, apart from bankrupting the country?

Old Sir Lapp finds a news story then blindly follows his mantra. Bit tiresome. He’s defends of Cummings was as embarrassing as it was laughable.

But, in answer to your questions.

I’d say being one of Europe’s hardest hit on both deaths per million and GDP is a clear sign of a shit job/no plan. With half a plan they could’ve protected at least one from the worst

Would a Corbo led coalition of several parties with a wafer thin majority have done any better? Perhaps not

Sitting on the fence is probably the wise move for Starmer. Especially with an election years away and, as Biden showed, when the incumbent is doing a bad job, the best thing you can do is shut up and let them get on with it

Old Sir Lapp finds a news story then blindly follows his mantra. Bit tiresome. He’s defends of Cummings was as embarrassing as it was laughable.

But, in answer to your questions.

I’d say being one of Europe’s hardest hit on both deaths per million and GDP is a clear sign of a shit job/no plan. With half a plan they could’ve protected at least one from the worst

Would a Corbo led coalition of several parties with a wafer thin majority have done any better? Perhaps not

Sitting on the fence is probably the wise move for Starmer. Especially with an election years away and, as Biden showed, when the incumbent is doing a bad job, the best thing you can do is shut up and let them get on with it

There you go you see, ("Europe’s hardest hit on both deaths per million and GDP is a clear sign of a shit job/no plan", exactly like the leaders of the Labour Party, 'yea lets criticise the Tories, because they are doing such a shit job, but what's our alternatives..........................errr ummm, not sure about that one' .
And sitting on the fence is NOT a wise move, as a floating voter I want to know how the Labour party would have handled the situation, unfortunately Starmer is coming across worse than Boris, completely indecisive, and no real clue as to what is happening.

To be fair, the role of the opposition is to criticize the government, which they’d be doing even if they were playing a blinder. Just so happens they’re making it easy for them.

I doubt you’ll give a monkeys about Labour’s hypothetical pandemic response come 2024. You’ll vote for whoever you think will fix the main problems of the day, which will hopefully no longer be an ongoing pandemic.

To be fair, the role of the opposition is to criticize the government, which they’d be doing even if they were playing a blinder. Just so happens they’re making it easy for them.

I doubt you’ll give a monkeys about Labour’s hypothetical pandemic response come 2024. You’ll vote for whoever you think will fix the main problems of the day, which will hopefully no longer be an ongoing pandemic.

Only problem is, they have no credibility, so doing a sxxt job. Starmer could have done a job, however until the Party sort's itself out, they are worse than useless as opposition. The Labour party is like the stock market, every ten years their is a crash, then a re-set, sadly the last time the party had a purge was back in Kinnock's time.

Blind faith in Jezza and the Cult has cost the party very dearly, and until their is a 'night of the long knives ' and the left of left is kicked into touch, Boris the Buffoon has nothing to fear.

So, Starmer can do a brilliant job, but as long as his own bench's are sharpening the knives to stick in his back, what chance has he ? Get rid of McClunky !!!

Ibo

I think Alan Johnson would have made a great PM.He’s humble, but bloody smart with a common touch.

As for rubbishing a Tory, where can I start?Plenty to choose from but how about the Tory grandee Patton-he would bore the pants off both of us.

I cannot hide my dislike of Labour.They are irrelevant or rather have made themselves irrelevant.Their reason for being has gone and the rump is left somewhere between being liberal and socialist.The hard left will never change so the Labour Party needs to cast them adrift and remodel itself-but what is the real instinct of a Labour Party?Their position on Brexit was a joke, their position on the pandemic is unclear and I blame them entirely for the recent rise of the SNP in Scotland which could see the Union split.In Wales, they are led by a man who could be an old granny-but totally out of his depth.

Burnham is a bloody chancer-whinging on about Manchester when the city is a major centre for the pandemic whilst the rozzers forget to record 20pc of all crimes.He’s everything I dislike about Labour-sound bites but absolutely unable to add up and incapable of making difficult decisions.

The current Tories are not brilliant but Jesus can you imagine where we would be with Labour?

Burnham is a bloody chancer-whinging on about Manchester when the city is a major centre for the pandemic whilst the rozzers forget to record 20pc of all crimes.He’s everything I dislike about Labour-sound bites but absolutely unable to add up and incapable of making difficult decisions.

Andy Burnham did his best for Manchester. That's it.

If the Tories actually had a consistent and coherent policy on movement between tiers and on funding then there'd of been no argument - they didn't, they made it up as they went along on the back of a fag packet with no justification and no clear policy for exiting tiers. How is that justifiable?

The only reason Manchester had a spike in cases was the seeding during the return of universities. You know, how the Govt insisted that all universities had to go back and have face to face lectures? Only for there to be no face to face lectures and for 18 year old kids to be locked in halls of residence with security guards restricting access.

Of course, Sunak vetoing SAGEs recommendation for the second national lockdown for 3 weeks when it would of had most effect during half term didn't help.

This virus response has been mishandled from start to finish and this government has cost lives. That's not Andy Burnham's fault.

My area has less than three COVID cases and officially the virus is suppressed, yet i'm in Tier 3. Carlisle has ~150 cases per 100k and yet is in Tier 2. It's hard to find any other reason than that Greater Manchester is being punished for the audacity to stand up to the government.

Ironically, Burnham reminds me of Alan Johnson.

Both are principled, northern, perhaps labour’s best man in their time but look too much like gnomes to ever win a general election

Quote:
"The only reason Manchester had a spike in cases was the seeding during the return of universities. You know, how the Govt insisted that all universities had to go back and have face to face lectures? Only for there to be no face to face lectures and for 18 year old kids to be locked in halls of residence with security guards restricting access."

I am not surprised that there has been a big increase in infections over the last week or so, with students, from those virus propagation centers known as colleges, universities and boarding schools, returning home for Christmas
And we are due another spike after Christmas with the 5 day relaxation.

I expect a third lockdown in the New Year.

Burnham did his best?You are confusing effort with success mate-and there is a big difference.

He’s failed-at pretty much every level.Read the comments of Vera Baird on the Guardian.Shameful performance.

Ibo-Johnson is a completely different individual to Burnham.Johnson is a realist-Burnham a closet Marxist in the Hatton mode.Sharp suit, polished but ultimately a failure.

Burnham did his best?You are confusing effort with success mate-and there is a big difference.

He’s failed-at pretty much every level.Read the comments of Vera Baird on the Guardian.Shameful performance.

I'm not sure I am confusing effort with success. Perhaps your confusing short-term setbacks (this piss poor govt just arbitrarily put Manchester into Tier 3 *without any funding* and then tried to play one council off against another) against the long-term. "When infections rise in the North, the north goes into Tier 3. When London infections rise, the country goes into lockdown" rings true - let's see how that plays out with the Northern Red Wall.

Burnham did his best?You are confusing effort with success mate-and there is a big difference.

He’s failed-at pretty much every level.Read the comments of Vera Baird on the Guardian.Shameful performance.

I'm not sure I am confusing effort with success. Perhaps your confusing short-term setbacks (this piss poor govt just arbitrarily put Manchester into Tier 3 *without any funding* and then tried to play one council off against another) against the long-term. "When infections rise in the North, the north goes into Tier 3. When London infections rise, the country goes into lockdown" rings true - let's see how that plays out with the Northern Red Wall.

Remember, Burnham is only there because he couldn't stand Corbyn or even be in the same place. He's from the same mould as Khan, They only know one sentence, which always starts " The Government must......."

It's laughable to suggest Burnham is a closet Marxist. Search parties have been sent out in the past to try and find his beliefs but to no avail. He sees himself as a 'man of the people' - an ordinary bloke speaking for everyone else. He's left of centre but not by much and is very much a Blairite in wanting to occupy the sweet middle ground where you win elections.

Well he claims to be a socialist because ‘he was radicalised by the miners strike’

Basically he’s a serial moaner and has been caught asleep on the job with the Manchester rozzers

Well he claims to be a socialist because ‘he was radicalised by the miners strike’

Basically he’s a serial moaner and has been caught asleep on the job with the Manchester rozzers

Right, of course, it's all Andy Burnham's fault? Nothing to do with losing 3,000 policing jobs?

Tory mentality all over - let's cut shit down to the bone, tell you to make it up with these mythical "efficiency gains" and then act all shocked when it all turns to shit.

He's very similar to Boris in that he says what people want to hear and he wants to be liked by everyone. I don't think he has done anything radical since he left school. Him saying he's socialist is very different from him believing it.

I was invited to join a zoom conference call with Burnham last month with dozens of others but I didn't want to waste an hour listening to him whingeing about the government.

Ah. Andy Burnham.
Calls for Northern Rail to be stripped off it’s franchise and to retain guards on their train, despite being one of the persons that signed off their franchise deal, as a member of TfN.

Armo-he’s in charge and has sat on this debacle for months.Is he not responsible?He’s as bad as the the guy who has resigned.

Boris has been in charge of this coronavirus debacle but he is still here.

3 days ago he said he wasn’t going to cancel Christmas and now he’s done it.

If Burnham should resign so should Boris.

A tad unkind Richard-this is clearly a fast moving problem which could overwhelm the NHS.I doubt there is anyone out there who really knows what the short term solution is but in typical British way, we need a fall guy.

Armo-he’s in charge and has sat on this debacle for months.Is he not responsible?He’s as bad as the the guy who has resigned.

Yeah, ok.......

But I assume, by the same token, your accepting:

• Boris is responsible for the "world beating Test and Trace app" by 1st June?
  
• Boris is responsible for Trace and Trace never managing to trace any more than less than 70% of people?
  
• Boris being responsible for Healthcare professionals, Teachers and Police all being told to disable the Track and Trace app?
  
• Boris is responsible for ignoring SAGE recommendations to enter lockdown during half-term in September making the resultant lockdown three weeks later a waste of time?
  
• That Priti Patel is in fact a bully and should be sacked (again)?
  
• The this government is responsible for UNICEF having to feed the starving children of this country?
  

I mean, I could go on, the list is so, so much longer but you get the idea?

A tad unkind Richard-this is clearly a fast moving problem which could overwhelm the NHS.I doubt there is anyone out there who really knows what the short term solution is but in typical British way, we need a fall guy.

His the prime minister though!

Everything’s been a disaster, everything, as per Arnos list.

God knows what’s happening with Brexit now.

At least you are not going tier 1 to tier 4 like Dumfries and Galloway. Sturgeon has just confirmed the travel ban both ways and the police are looking into how to enforce it

We have become a nation of I want, I want, I want-and I want it now.Forgotten it has to be earned.

As for wee Nippy, she’s clearly convinced we are carrying the Black Death in England after convincing her flock that she had almost eradicated the virus in the summer

"A tad unkind Richard-this is clearly a fast moving problem which could overwhelm the NHS.I doubt there is anyone out there who really knows what the short term solution is but in typical British way, we need a fall guy"

Sounds fair enough. However, let's be honest about this. If Labour had won the election and Corbyn had been in charge you'd have been on here every 5 minutes criticising and sniding. You're defending Boris because he's a Tory, it's as simple as that.

Boris has been in charge of this coronavirus debacle but he is still here.

3 days ago he said he wasn’t going to cancel Christmas and now he’s done it.

If Burnham should resign so should Boris.

The new data only came to light 24 hours ago.

Unlike you, the government haven't got crystal balls !

We have become a nation of I want, I want, I want-and I want it now.Forgotten it has to be earned.

As for wee Nippy, she’s clearly convinced we are carrying the Black Death in England after convincing her flock that she had almost eradicated the virus in the summer

Yeah, so sorry for me wanting a competent government, sorry for wanting a leader that's decisive and tackles the difficult issues head on.

At least you are not going tier 1 to tier 4 like Dumfries and Galloway. Sturgeon has just confirmed the travel ban both ways and the police are looking into how to enforce it

There’s been a travel ban since 20th November. No change there.

We have become a nation of I want, I want, I want-and I want it now.Forgotten it has to be earned.

As for wee Nippy, she’s clearly convinced we are carrying the Black Death in England after convincing her flock that she had almost eradicated the virus in the summer

Yeah, so sorry for me wanting a competent government, sorry for wanting a leader that's decisive and tackles the difficult issues head on.

Can you name one, because I can't - that's a party as well as a leader!

No but they are looking at enforcing in now Nobby . But atm in tier 1 the pubs are open like the summer and infection rates are low. And then straight to tier 4 and everything closed except essential shops. So there is a change

You can still cross the border for essential shopping and many other things so not a lot different.

There won’t be anybody enforcing it trust me.

I get a gut feeling there will be a few examples made . She is looking at making a stance .

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “I fully understand that people will be disappointed with the tightening of restrictions, particularly at this time of year.

“The vast majority of the public have been complying with the regulations and so the policing approach we adopted from the outset of the pandemic will not change.

The coppers have better things to do.

Yes but they have to investigate all care home covid deaths too . Because the government say so . You can put money on a few getting done for the headlines. Wont be as bad as Isle of Man where they just jail you though . They have jailed loads for contravention of covid regs .

We are going to need a hell of a lot more police in the near future.

Tier 1 to tier 4 on the whim of a narcissistic control freak.
Feeding the sheep before the assembly elections.
She’s as transparent as a glass Polo.

And Brexit, looks like no deal.

Bring out the bad covid news and put Kent into lockdown to divert attention, or am I just overthinking mmmm

There is an excellent article in the Times today about Boris.It’s a fair assessment of him and his position.He has indeed been dealt a poor set of cards and unlike previous attacks on this country, the enemy is not quite so obvious.Some leaders excel in such times-Clinton apparently wished he had been president at the time of 9/11.

The danger for Boris is losing his authority-and he is perilously close to that.It’s clear he has tried to govern in a way in which people largely take responsibility for their actions to keep the country moving, unlike Sturgeon who has turned Scotland into North Korea.This strategy has failed through events-its clear the stats on Friday about the virus took everyone by surprise

Unfortunately, it’s not clear Boris has the authority to lead anymore.The sight of millions fleeing London last night, spreading the new virus, is the opposite of what was intended by the announcement yesterday.All because of Christmas.

I can’t remember the last time I felt so depressed on a Sunday morning reading the papers.It feels like we have lost control and unfortunately Boris is sitting on top of the pile.

"The sight of millions fleeing London last night"

Source? That's genuinely not like you - resorting to cheap tabloid style exaggeration and fear mongering.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9071155/Huge-queues-train-stations-desperate-Londoners-flee-capital-ahead-Tier-4.html

Boris is and never was fit to run the country after his stint and sacking in other Govt posts and his term as major of London it was plainly obvious he is at best a clown or worse a danger to the welfare and future health of the country.
He is running a semi dictatorship from who the only benefactors are the wealthy few.