Stand By Your Man

[gulliver1]

Boris is standing by Hancock, and refuses to sack him after breaking Covid rules and a few others. Is it now time for the two of them to go. It's one rule for the Cons and another rule for the Public... enough is enough ..... They should both GO.

[gulliver1]

13.06, Never thought you were a partaker of Alcoholic Beverage P/P.

[bobbinwales]

voo-ey - is that a VOI, PP?

[New Judge]

//If the government try and preach restrictions after this, just how many of the nation are going to feel motivated to comply?//

As I keep pointing out, Andy, compliance with the restrictions that remain are mostly not for individuals to defy. Apart from face coverings, the restrictions are the responsibility of businesses, both large and small. Pubs and restaurants are running at reduced capacity (and many barely breaking even); theatres are suffering similarly; the travel industry is nearing the point of no return. Individuals cannot do anything about these restrictions. The businesses that can mount defiant action will not do so. Most of them rely on some sort of licencing to trade and in most cases that regime is managed by local authorities. They will be more than happy to summarily suspend licences (which they have the power to do) and take action against mutineers. Such mutiny simply isn't going to happen. Lord Lloyd Webber came the closest with his threat to open one of his theatres to a full house, but he folded as he feared action would be taken amongst individuals on his staff.

Apart from walking about muzzled up there are not too many restrictions on individuals that they can defy. But the effect of those restrictions on businesses are profound and largely unnoticed by many people. (How many times do you read on here "I haven't noticed any restrictions. Everything seems to be open."?).

The talk of mass disobedience is silly.

[Canary42]

The fact he's been screwing around with one of his subordinates is of little importance in itself, especially given the extraordinarily lax attitude Brits now have towards infidelity (our Prime Minister is the most notorious philanderer in parliament, a man with an unknown number of children from his serial cheating).

However there are still some important issues to consider.

First, there's no public record of Gina Coladangelo's appointment as a Department of Health adviser last year, and no evidence of a fair recruitment process having been undertaken. We know Gina Coladangelo is a long-term associate of Matt Hancock from their time at Oxford University, and it would be bad enough if he was just handing out jobs at the Department of Health to his chums, but it's a whole different level of corruption if she's his mistress too.
Coladangelo was previously a director at the lobbying firm Luther Pendragon, which boasts that it can help clients “navigate and influence complex legislation”.
How much influence at the Department of Health have this lobbying firm had since her appointment?
Have this lobbying firm received any of the £billions in untendered contracts Hancock has been lavishing on Tory donors, corporate spivs, dormant shell companies, blatant tax-dodging schemes, his sister's firm, and even his former pub landlord?
Matt Hancock has overseen a terrible response to the coronavirus crisis, which resulted in tens of thousands of needless deaths (especially as a result of the insane policy of sending infected patients back into care homes full of the most vulnerable people of all); he's been slammed in the courts for all the dodgy untendered contracts he's been handing out, and for lawlessly hiding the details from public scrutiny; he's been derided as useless by Boris Johnson (who has inexplicably allowed him to stay in his job); and now he's got serious questions to answer about the numerous conflicts of interest his extramarital affair has brought to the surface.

It would be absolutely ludicrous for Hancock to get sacked for his infidelity by a serial philanderer like Boris Johnson, but all the dodgy contracts, needless deaths, and blatant conflicts of interest should easily be enough for him to lose his job and be forced to retire from public life, at an absolute minimum.

It's just that Britain now seems to have the same lax attitude to corruption and conflicts of interest as it does to infidelity.
Once a nation allows standards in public life to collapse into the sewer so badly that a bone-idle, bigoted, elitist, philandering, inveterate liar like Johnson can become Prime Minister, it becomes difficult to see how anyone will ever actually get held to account for anything.

[New Judge]

For once, Canary, I wholeheartedly agree.

(NJ retires for a lie down!)

[gulliver1]

Canary @ 15.20, I just love your description of Boris.
......Bone Idle...Bigoted Elitist......Philandering, ......
Inveterate Liar.......Like Johnson.

It's music to my ears.

[gulliver1]

Gina Coladangelo was hardly going to work because she needed the money was she. Hancock couldn't go to her so he fixed it for her to come to him, and the taxpayer footed the bill . Simple.

[ynnafymmi]

Good thing up here in Scotland no leading members of the SNP have ever been involved in any sex scandals....oh,wait a minute...

[gulliver1]

Well The Cons can't accuse Matt of Bringing the Party into disrepute, when you look at Boris's track record.

[JimF]

Has Hancock just resigned or is that more fake news?

[Toorak]

According to the bbc he has