Thoughts and prayers for the Coronavirus ...

[Emrys]

which this evening was announced to have contracted Liz Truss:

Link to tweet

Liz Truss
@trussliz
I tested positive for Covid this evening.

Thankfully I’ve had my three jabs and will be working from home while I isolate.

Attentive Twitter denizens pointed to Truss's appearance on the Tory front bench during this afternoon's boisterous Commons session as the preliminary findings of the Gray report into lawbreaking over Covid regulations were aired:

Link to tweet

Northerner
@grimnorth_0
A good job you had your mask on this afternoon, Lizzy.

Covid Liz continued to spread later in the day:

Link to tweet

Kate McCann
@KateEMcCann
Liz Truss has tested positive for covid. She attended the packed meeting of Tory MPs and ministers in Portcullis House this evening, leaving before it finished. She was not wearing a mask.

Meanwhile, Culture Shecretary Nadine Dorriesh appeared to have choshen to shelf-medicate with sheveral treblesh of gin ash she shtrove to defend Johnshon againsht shtiff queshtioning from Channel 4'sh Krishnan Guru-Murthy:

Link to tweet

Channel 4 News
@Channel4News
"The Prime Minister tells the truth."

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries defends Boris Johnson after the publication of the Sue Gray report and following Met police reports that they have 300 images pertaining to Downing Street parties.

[Twitter video]

The SNP's Ian Blackford had earlier been ejected by the Speaker after he refused to withdraw his remarks that Johnson had misled parliament and was a liar:

Link to tweet

Ian Blackford
@Ianblackford_MP
This is what truth to power looks like at Westminster. A liar is allowed to keep his place- I am forced to leave for telling the truth. He misled the house, he must go. Tories must look themselves in the mirror and ask if they can allow this to go on much longer? Remove him now.

[Twitter video]

In what may become another viral video success, Peter Stefanovic sums up:

Link to tweet

Peter Stefanovic
@PeterStefanovi2
Faced with accusations that he has lied to Parliament Boris Johnson responded today…with lies

[Twitter video]

[SergeStorms]

1. The pandemic....

of lying, cheating, self-serving politicians continues unabated.

Sooner or later the pendulum must swing in the other direction. I hope. I'll do everything in my power to see it does.

[Emrys]

2. The wisdom of crowds ...

Current Twitter trends:




Among all this argy-bargy, an adequate dressing down of Johnson by Starmer and a very sternly headmistressly scolding by Theresa May, one contribution struck to the bone:

Link to tweet

ITV News
@itvnews

'Does the prime minister think I'm a fool?'

Tory MP Aaron Bell says only ten people could attend his grandmother's funeral in May 2020 - when there were two alleged lockdown-breaching gatherings at Downing Street
https://t.co/gWW0eiMiUQ

[Twitter video]

There's been much discussion of how many people now feel guilty for actually observing the rules at the height of the Covid crisis and not being able to be there for their loved ones.

A more dangerous public feeliing for the Tories - and one that all their blustering attempts to brazen it out and counter-attack will only make worse - is this growing sense that the cocky Rees-Mogg, Johnson and all the excuse-makers being trotted out to spin for the PM till they reel think that the vast bulk of the public were utter MUGS for obeying the rules.

[T_i_B]

3. The usual Tory "defence" of their lockdown shenanigans....

... Is to claim that the general public isn't interested and would much rather that the government got on with their usual agenda of being beastly to foreigners.

The trouble is that people are interested, and actually quite annoyed by all this. The Coronavirus pandemic has been a life changing experience for almost all of us so it's quite galling to see SW1 muppets thinking that the rules they foist on the rest of us don't apply to them.

The fallout from this isn't just something remote from the rest of us either. Aside from the abysmal example being set by politicians, it's making the fight against Coronavirus more difficult and also dragging more and more people into the mire, as can be seen with the current situation with the chief executive of Sheffield Council at present.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. The effect on Johnson's popularity is obvious, and on the Tories

Link to tweet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election

No-one (including foreign governments) can trust Johnson, or a government he leads. That's partly from the "rules don't apply to me" attitude exemplified by Covid, and partly "I won't stand by any agreement I make", as shown by Brexit.

[T_i_B]

5. Although the problems go beyond Boris...

... It's clear that a change of leadership at very least is required in order to tackle many of the issues behind this current storm such as Westminster drinking culture and the Tories "do as I say, not as I do" attitudes.