The Dominic Cummings file

[Wilf]

I've only dipped in and out of this, but weren't we expecting more killer evidence from cummings - tapes, texts etc? He has submitted some docs to the committee I think, but it's all a bit short on smoking guns. Either leaving it in reserve or he's a bullshitter.

 

[elbows]

All this is going to take the sting out of the enquiry somewhat isn't it? Everyone will be, "oh yeah we know all that already." Assuming he's telling the truth...

I've said we knew this already on a number of occasions when Cummings started tweeting about the pandemic. This is not the start of that phenomenon in terms of peoples existing understanding of this pandemic and the failed government response to it.

So your point is not wrong, and can be combined with a wider point as to the extent to which many people had already moved on from the early stages of the pandemic.

However we do seem to have a system where the establishment and people with power still really fear specific details coming out. They may be confident that they can stand firm against general criticisms, and bluff and bluster their way through difficult moments, but specifics carry an additional threat.

 

[elbows]

I've only dipped in and out of this, but weren't we expecting more killer evidence from cummings - tapes, texts etc? He has submitted some docs to the committee I think, but it's all a bit short on smoking guns. Either leaving it in reserve or he's a bullshitter.

I wasnt expecting that sort of thing today.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Problem is he's telling porkies all the way through, even about stuff that doesn't really matter. So he would have made masks compulsory at the start. Really? How come he wasn't wearing a mask at Barnard Castle when he knew he was infected, then?

if only he had, he wouldn't have been spotted and saved himself that unpleasantness...

 

[Pickman's model]

I've only dipped in and out of this, but weren't we expecting more killer evidence from cummings - tapes, texts etc? He has submitted some docs to the committee I think, but it's all a bit short on smoking guns. Either leaving it in reserve or he's a bullshitter.

what's being covered up while the hacks are covering this shower of shite?

 

[elbows]

I wasnt expecting that sort of thing today.

Not quite what I should have said - I wasnt expecting much of that sort of thing today. Because he had already put some scraps on twitter and it didnt look like he had a large collection of formal evidence smoking guns. Plus the initial focus was always going to be on his oral evidence today.

 

[Smangus]

He'll probably produce it when the gvt starts rubbishing his claims. That's what I'd do.

eta- if he has it.

eeta-the shifty cunt.

 

[agricola]

He'll probably produce it when the gvt starts rubbishing his claims. That's what I'd do.

eta- if he has it.

eeta-the shifty cunt.

hope he projects them on the side of Barnard Castle when he releases them

 

[neonwilderness]

hope he projects them on the side of Barnard Castle when he releases them

Led By Donkeys could probably help with that

 

[Teaboy]

I'm not watching the live feed but I've just read that he blamed that rose garden press conference shit show on him not releasing all the information and only partially explaining.

What was really apparent about the whole event was that he was telling obvious lies and was terrible at them. He now appears to be saying he's had more time to think of better lies. All this shit is why it will be easy for Johnson and the rest to brush off the other stuff Cummings has said.

 

[Steel Icarus]

This SHOULD be huge tbh, that Johnson just ignored the advice on the "circuit-breaker" lockdown in September and just decided by himself to not lock down without consulting anyone, not MPs, not the Cabinet, not SAGE, nobody.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

 

[brogdale]

On to "the Prime Minister's girlfriend" now...

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I'm not watching the live feed but I've just read that he blamed that rose garden press conference shit show on him not releasing all the information and only partially explaining.

What was really apparent about the whole event was that he was telling obvious lies and was terrible at them. He now appears to be saying he's had more time to think of better lies. All this shit is why it will be easy for Johnson and the rest to brush off the other stuff Cummings has said.

This is the problem. I don't doubt that most of what he's saying about Johnson is true. But he's also got an agenda here to make himself out as the hero of the story, and to do that he has to lie. It may need corroboration from someone with an iota of credibility.

 

[Epico]

...

 

[agricola]

Paul Bristow will go far in this government

 

[Lurdan]

This arrived in the post. (So was on it's way before he began).

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

^^^^first class

 

[Storm Fox]

This arrived in the post. (So was on it's way before he began).

And the sad but true caption at the bottom.

 

[brogdale]

Team Murdoch winning here.

 

[chilango]

...so what?

What is anybody going to do with all this?

The media will do it's usual breathless reporting of whatever they're told.

The Labour Party will continue to plummet in the polls. Not that if matters 'cos a General Election us years away and we've no way of forcing one...and even if we could there's almost no route to a majority for Labour anymore.

Nobody is batting an eyelid because everyone already knows that the Government are murdering public school bastards. It's not a shock anymore.

All we're left with is spectacle.


(Edit to add: I'm not hopeless about the potential for change btw. I just don't think it will come via anything like this)

 

[ska invita]

...so what?

What is anybody going to do with all this?

The media will do it's usual breathless reporting of whatever they're told.

The Labour Party will continue to plummet in the polls. Not that if matters 'cos a General Election us years away and we've no way of forcing one...and even if we could there's almost no route to a majority for Labour anymore.

Nobody is batting an eyelid because everyone already knows that the Government are murdering public school bastards. It's not a shock anymore.

All we're left with is spectacle.


(Edit to add: I'm not hopeless about the potential for change btw. I just don't think it will come via anything like this)

IIRC bereaved families have been talking about taking the government to court over Covid handling - some of this might help their case ?? I havent watched or read what he's said but I get the
gist
ETA: legal challenges to government seem to be the new way to get any accountability
I think its interesting that Tories have noticed and are planning a defence mechanism, as in this paper

War on Woke: Conservative Cultural Campaigning

Oh, certainly not disputing that it's mad.

www.urban75.net

 

[Johnny Doe]

The pics of Johnson that are being used have shifted from Bob The Builder sorting things out to that of a man who's lies after lies are catching up on him. From a local rag...
View attachment 265152

Once they go full Ron, we'll know he's toast

 

[glitch hiker]

On to "the Prime Minister's girlfriend" now...

sneak peek of Boris' wedding vows

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

IIRC bereaved families have been talking about taking the government to court over Covid handling - some of this might help their case ?? I havent watched or read what he's said but I get the
gist
ETA: legal challenges to government seem to be the new way to get any accountability
I think its interesting that Tories have noticed and are planning a defence mechanism, as in this paper

War on Woke: Conservative Cultural Campaigning

Oh, certainly not disputing that it's mad.

www.urban75.net

View attachment 270360

Corporate manslaughter was mentioned to Cummings earlier.

 

[ska invita]

Corporate manslaughter was mentioned to Cummings earlier.

by whom?

 

[ruffneck23]

 

[killer b]

Nobody is batting an eyelid because everyone already knows that the Government are murdering public school bastards. It's not a shock anymore.

I'm not sure if this is true - I think it's more that most people aren't very interested in politics, and it's only when there's really big stories that properly cut through that it starts to effect people's voting intentions

I just posted this bit of yougov analysis in the polling thread and I think it illustrates the issue pretty well

Tory sleaze stories only affected voting intention among highly engaged voters | YouGov

Conservative lead remains unchanged amongst those not following politics so closely

yougov.co.uk

 

[ska invita]

I'm not sure if this is true - I think it's more that most people aren't very interested in politics, and it's only when there's really big stories that properly cut through that it starts to effect people's voting intentions

I just posted this bit of yougov analysis in the polling thread and I think it illustrates the issue pretty well

Tory sleaze stories only affected voting intention among highly engaged voters | YouGov

Conservative lead remains unchanged amongst those not following politics so closely

yougov.co.uk

in which case this might cut through

 

[killer b]

in which case this might cut through

sure, although some might point to Cummings' personal polling which shows only 15% of the country trust what he has to say. Personally I'm not totally sure that matters - if the message rings true, the messenger might not be relevant. But we'll see.