Partygate (cont'd)

[Workingman]

What I find odd about Johnson's supporters is that most of them are Royalists and Brexshiters, yet they supported the goings on in Downing St on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral... the one where the Queen they pretend to love and admire, sat alone in the Abbey with her mask on: alone. An image that will never go away. Now they say that they are not interested, but yet they vocally still offer the bag of custard with the withered wheatsheaf sticking out the top their support. And oh how they deflect!

How's Brexshit going? Oven ready new deals. NIP. Immigration. £350 m per week for the NHS. Anything?

So long as the Cons and their mates are having a good party time the rest of us, including the Queen, can go to Hell. Nice people.

Criminals, sycophants, promoted above their talent level and cronies one and all.

[Suff]

Actually everyone I know IRL, including several of my family, decided how they were going to do lockdown and it was not the lockdown that the Government was putting forth.

What I find most interesting is that the vast majority of people who are contra Boris and MP's who didn't see that working colleagues who has to work together could have some downtime together; who are fanatically against the Monarchy and want to replace it with MORE of these elected ingrates, including removing the HOL and replacing it with an elected ingrate house; hold the Queen up as a shining example of integrity and honour to prove that the people they don't like were unconscionable.

Just don't.

The Queen Isolated and set an example and did everything to show that example to her "subjects". A term republicans hate.

The government could not isolate, they had to work and run the country. They did lockdown differently.

What I find wholly unacceptable is the people who point at a government required to work and mix saying "that is totally unacceptable" whilst when the people they are happier with can go to a place they should not have been assemble illegally and then "just have a beer" and that beer is OK and the rest of it is forgotten.

Sorry it won't wash and I don't feel guilty. Tremendously proud of our Queen and I hope she gave Boris an earful.

But I don't have double standards. Unlike the people making all the noise.

The longer this goes on, the more people will focus on the double standards and the less they will focus on the government and what they did. I hope they keep this up every week till the next election. Because the negative effect it will have will be massive.

[Workingman]

For someone who claimed not to be interested in the issue you sure are putting up a strong but poor defence of the indefensible.

Johnson and his crew broke the law, proved as fact, and the issue is not going away. You might not like it but millions of us love it. We get our votes - you get one.

[Kaz]

What on earth does the Queen have to do with Boris breaking the law? Yes, of course the government had to keep working, as did millions of others including my husband and adult children but they kept within the law! As did all of those who were unable to attend deathbeds, funerals, weddings, etc!

Actually everyone I know IRL, including several of my family, decided how they were going to do lockdown and it was not the lockdown that the Government was putting forth.

Not something to boast about, IMHO, and incredibly disrespectful to those who did

[medsec222]

Whether Boris will survive this I have no idea - what comes out today and PMs questions following it will be very telling.

In my opinion, for what it's worth, I don't think it will be Partygate that finishes off the Tories. It will be its lack of meaningful action in relation to the economy. There are things which could have been done almost immediately, removal of VAT in certain cases, removal of the green taxes from utility bills, temporary stop on the national insurance hike, restoration of the triple lock, restoration of the £20 on universal credit - all in themselves small steps but added up they could make a difference to people on low incomes. The disparity between those who are highly paid and who will probably to an extent feel the effects of inflation and a higher cost of living, but will undoubtedly get by, is absolutely nothing compared to those on the lowest incomes who have no chance of paying gas and electricity bills of upwards of £2,800, coupled with rent and mortgages rises, and the inevitable rise in food prices and transport costs. If they don't do something soon to tackle the situation they are almost certainly a busted flush.

[Suff]

Not something to boast about, IMHO, and incredibly disrespectful to those who did

Boasting? I did every thing the Government said, but I was in France and what they said was radically different from what the UK government said. I watched, over the border, with saddened eyes, as the political games played out with medical advisors playing political games and the UK doing different things in different countries for political expediency.

To me it is no wonder that people chose to observe what they thought was sensible.

Most people in the UK that I know decided that it was "honour in the breach". Including members of my family in Scotland who followed a more English style of lockdown and also think Bojo should go and that partygate is a travesty. Work that one out.

I wasn't boasting of anything. I was stating a fact which was repeated up and down the country.

[Suff]

If they don't do something soon to tackle the situation they are almost certainly a busted flush.

Yes but those who actually pay the taxes which pay for these initiatives don't want to pay for it.

Reality on the latest government figures.

Distribution of income and Income Tax liabilities
the top 50% of Income Tax payers received 74.6% of total income in 2018 to 2019, or £834bn out of a total £1,120 billion. This resulted in a 49.2 percentage point income inequality between the top and bottom 50% of Income Tax payers (where 0 percentage points is completely equal)

however, the top 50% of Income Tax payers were liable for 90.5% of total Income Tax in 2018 to 2019, or £168 billion out of a total £187 billion, indicating the progressive nature of the Income Tax system

the top 1% of Income Tax payers make up the majority of additional rate Income Tax payers and received 12.5% of total income in 2018 to 2019

in addition, the top 1% of Income Tax payers were liable for 28.9% of total Income Tax in 2018 to 2019. This is projected to decrease to a 28.0% share of total Income Tax by 2021 to 2022

This is reality. So who is going to pay for it? The only easy area left to tax which could net significant gains is a very low (say 1%) tax on the lower earners. From which they could then distribute money as needed.

This is an oxymoron as it is taking with one hand to give with the other.

The top 1% already pay 28% of the taxes on 12.5% of the income. The top 50% pay 90.5% of the taxes on 74.6% of the income.

Where is the money to come from?

There is a salient educational tale about a group of people who met for lunch every week. The richest paid the most and those with moderate incomes paid the rest. The poorest person paid nothing, every time. When the restaurant decided to give a discount on meal for good custom, everyone who paid got some money back. Except the poorest. "Hang on a minute said the poorest, everyone got something but me". Offended the richest person decided to stop coming to lunch, the moderate incomes couldn't afford to fund themselves and the poorest. So the poorest person lost the free lunch and the lunch sessions were lost for everyone.

I fully understand that there are people who will be suffering in this squeeze. However not all of them will be obvious. In fact the very poorest may be the least hit as they will already be on benefits designed to level them up to where they can afford to live. Those benefits will rise more than average wages as this crisis bites.

It will be the people one above, those just off benefits, just making ends meet, proud to be in control of their own lives. Plus those who are extended as far as they can go but cannot extend further and have debt which will rise in price to service.

But those who are extended and struggling to cope with the debt will be those who pay a chunk of this 90.5% tax and will be considered delinquent if they don't pay more for those who are struggling.

Takes all kinds.

[TheOstrich]

I've only seen the headlines of the Sue Gray Report so far, but I sense another email to my MP is coming on, possibly tomorrow .....

I think Johnson is both amoral and immoral. He is only surviving in office because there is literally no viable alternative.

[Kaz]

Absolutely right, Ossie x

[Workingman]

Regardless of Covid restrictions the Gray report is damning of the culture of heavy drinking and partying in the heart of Government: No 10.

These events would not be allowed in many businesses under normal circumstances, never mind at the heart of government, yet somehow the fans of the perambulating haystack continue to support them / him.