[Youngian]

Yes, you know what they’re on about as you did Dubya Bush.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Johnson about to break another promise.

No 10 weighs up plan to fix UK social care system with tax rise

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... h-tax-rise

John Major got really hammered for breaking his tax promise in the 1993 Budget, though he was already on the floor after Black Wednesday. Could Johnson get a hammering for this?

How do Labour respond? Smith-Blair responded very cleverly, "we hear your pain, Middle England". Starmer studies that period, but could he do this?

[Youngian]

“considering plans” is far from a done deal. Labour should blame all tax rises on fantasy economics. The radical plan to place barriers and tariffs on exports to its primary market don’t appear to be working for some reason.

[Cyclist]

Why does this news not surprise me?

Labour has accused Boris Johnson of "cronyism" after he appointed a university friend to a committee advising him on ethical standards.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57860969.amp

[Samanfur]

Government admits Boris Johnson's flat refurb originally paid for by Tory donors

The refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat was originally paid for with cash from Tory donors, the government has confirmed.

The Prime Minister eventually refunded the cost of the lavish upgrade to the apartment above Number 11 Downing Street - but only after press reports of the original source of funds.

The bizarre funding chain was finally confirmed in the fourth footnote on the 208th page of the Cabinet Office’s annual report, which the Government quietly published on Thursday.

[Crabcakes]

A “pilot scheme”? How remarkably convenient…

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... says-no-10

[Crabcakes]

Oh, and Gove got a free pass as well. The best bit? Allegedly the participants in the test rather than isolate scheme were chosen at random.

Seems totally legit…

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Brings the science into disrepute. Do they care?

[davidjay]

Brings the science into disrepute. Do they care?

Of course they don't. It's gone beyond contempt for the plebs now: Alex is behaving with the arrogance of a pre-Civil War monarch who can do as he pleases.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

And faced with public opprpobrium they've u-turned and will now isolate.

I wonder if the vox pop twat from Batley who was voting Tory because 'Boris is a character' still feels the same way?

(Probably... tried to get away with it, dinnee? Good lad, you gotta try...)

[Tubby Isaacs]

What's happened to the random trial? Do we just forget they lied about that?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Ah no, there are two trials. One is randomised, one isn't. After a little initial confusion it has been clarified by an official spokesperson (Laura Kuenssberg) that they were never part of the randomised trial (just as we were never at war with Oceania) but the other trial, which is largely centred on government departments etc.

Clear?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Let Jenrick explain:

(from the Independent)

But this morning, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick appeared on Sky News to defend Downing Street's initial announcement that the PM and chancellor would not be isolating.

He said: "I appreciate the frustration [the public] might feel listening to this.
"They, like me, or other members of the public who are pinged will have to self-isolate in the usual way."

Having seen Mr Jenrick sent on to the morning politics programmes to defend the original decision, Sky's political correspondent Rob Powell described the situation as "baffling".

"This is a pretty speedy U-turn," he said.

Whilst Mr Jenrick referred to being "pinged", the PM and chancellor were in fact contacted by NHS Test and Trace directly rather than simply being alerted by the NHS COVID-19 app.

That means that there is a legal obligation to self-isolate, whereas being pinged by the app is only guidance.

[Oboogie]

And another U-turn.

[Andy McDandy]

So Carrie fancied a week in the country, Alex didn't fancy another grilling at PMQ, and the original story was going down like a bucket of sick. Fuck it, they said, let's isolate.

[Oboogie]

Or, more likely, this was the plan all along.
Problem: Too many people are self-isolating because they've been ping.
Solution: Encourage people to delete the app so fewer people have to self-isolate. When COVID surges and the cases and death rate go through the roof, blame the public for deleting the app.

Job's a good 'un.

[davidjay]

And faced with public opprpobrium they've u-turned and will now isolate.

I wonder if the vox pop twat from Batley who was voting Tory because 'Boris is a character' still feels the same way?

(Probably... tried to get away with it, dinnee? Good lad, you gotta try...)

And of course They're All The Same.

[The All New KevS]

Strange, but normally when I "briefly consider" something I'm not going to do, I think about it for about thirty seconds before going "Nah".

What I don't do is issue a press release, or have Robert Jenrick go on Sky News to defend it.

We are being taken for fools.

[davidjay]

38 minutes between the Sun's political editor criticising on Sky and the U-turn.

[Tubby Isaacs]

David Gauke predicted it would last a day.