Johnson and Sunak both fined.

[miasmum]

Have I understood this right? They had been working together within Downing Street during the day and then at night they had some food and drinks for Boris' birthday? Have I got that right?

[TheOstrich]

As I understand it, Boris was working in the Cabinet Office of No.10 most of that day, breaking off midday to visit a school in Hertfordshire, where the kids sang him "Happy Birthday".
When he got back to No.10, there was a small social gathering with snacks and drinks (no cake) which is said to have lasted around 10 minutes. Sunak and Carrie were present.

This is what The Sun says - a totally biased pro-Johnson piece, as you'd expect from that paper:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18246926/ ... eet-party/

I think, TBH, this was the least of his transgressions. There are plenty of much bigger gatherings and parties that summer still being investigated. Whether he attended those or not, only time and the Met Police will tell ....

[miasmum]

Oh well fine us now then.

We worked both Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2020 and as a thank you our manager bought us hot cross buns and chocolates which we enjoyed sitting together. As we had spent the day working together seemed a bit daft to sit in separate rooms to eat our treats.

Maybe when you were working every day you see it a bit differently to those who were enjoying the beautiful Spring weather on furlough like my neighbour. Sitting in her hammock in the garden day after day after day

[Suff]

I think, TBH, this was the least of his transgressions. There are plenty of much bigger gatherings and parties that summer still being investigated. Whether he attended those or not, only time and the Met Police will tell ....

Indeed and the main complaint was that they did not socially distance with masks. It is almost certain that the vast majority (if not all), of these gatherings were of people who worked together and decided to take the opportunity to unwind a bit after the work was done.

Treated as if they came from all over the world for no other purpose but to have a rave.

takes all kinds.

[Workingman]

Nice attempts at deflection.

OK I'll answer from another PoV.

It is said that there were six "parties" looked into. Some were in the afternoon and others went into the late evening; some for about thirty minutes when others lasted hours. They were variously attended by workers, family and friends, up to 30 plus, maybe 100.

Not that it really matters. The ones who have been fined have all been deemed to be at illegal gatherings under the law at the time by the Met Police and, so far, none of the fines have been challenged - ergo they were guilty. .

You defenders all sound a bit bitter about furlough etc. but it is irrelevant to the issue. The law was broken by those who made the law,. Accept it.

[miasmum]

I’m not bitter and I’m not deflecting because basically I’m not bloody interested

I’m more devastated about the atrocities going on elsewhere

I’m sick to the back teeth of partygate

Yes I’ll be honest I was fed up of furlough and peoples wonderful relaxing times as me and mine ploughed on but Rightly or wrongly I saw Luke (because I refused not too) and my mother in law. I shopped for 6 and spent longer in a supermarket that I had in my life. I worked harder and I worked longer and I am proud of myself, my husband and all those who did likewise. And yes I include the Government in that because I think they were instrumental in getting us through the pandemic and getting us vaccinated

[medsec222]

The annoying aspect to all of this is that is has taken so long for Sue Gray and the police to look at the evidence and decide whether someone should be fined or not and so it looks like this is going to drip drip drip for several months to come. It is certainly not surprising therefore that most people want the whole thing over and done with. It will play nicely into the hands of those who want to undermine the Government, something we don't need at the moment, with the cost of living crisis, fuel increases, inflation etc.

I am reserving my opinion about the stories that were circulating when Dominic Cummings released information about late night parties at No 10, with bottles of booze being brought in in wheelie trollies. I find that behaviour indefensible and something which should have been stopped, or better still, not even been allowed to start. As has been pointed out in the media, Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May would have had a grip on this long before it got out of hand. However, it will be interesting to see how this evolves. Maybe those involved in this type of party have already been fined but without much publicity, as perhaps being minor officials they serve no useful purpose in bringing down an elected government.

As regards No 10, it serves both as a residential property and a work place and so during the day people living on the premises and working on the premises would no doubt be mixing with each other on a daily basis, even to the point of sitting in the grounds of No 10 to have some lunch or a drink at the end of the day. Perhaps other people in similar circumstances working throughout the pandemic to keep us all going did something similar themselves.

In the end the fate of Boris Johnson will be resolved either by members of his own Party or at the ballot box. I wonder if Dominic Cummings is still stirring the pot with a big stick - the original rule breaker - the man who drove hundreds of miles in the middle of lockdown to take a day trip to Barnard Castle to test his eyes.

[miasmum]

Wish this was Facebook and I could just 'like' your post Medsec

[victor]

100%agree with miasmum , it's being used as a witch hunt to get rid on Boris.

There is a hell of a lot more to be concerned about at the moment .