IntenseDebate - Malcolm Redfellow

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's PMQs s... · 0 replies · +1 points

Mr Gimson is usually good value: I don't have to agree with him to appreciate his arguments.

His contribution above does him absolutely no credit.

PMQs is not the most venerable parliamentary tradition. It is, though, the one occasion in the regular parliamentary week when the Queen's First Minister, the First Lord of the Treasury, can be called to account on each and any issue.

The Leader of the Opposition, quite reasonably, asked about a government-inspired report. The Prime Minister had, it seems, no awareness of the report, let alone where it may — and the PM ought to — lead the nation for the dire immediate future.

We presently have the equivalent of a constituency's entire electorate dead from the CoVid virus, with daily additions. Each of those dead has a spouse, or children, or relatives who care, and who will continue to care and mourn.

On any level, it isn't a good idea to trash that topic.

And not good PR or leadership to snurgle "pee poo belly bum drawers'" as an ill-considered punchline.

Compare the thread immediately below this one for more serious, more decent, more Conservative, responses.

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - WATCH: PMQs - "It look... · 3 replies · +1 points

If 'knickers' is best line the intellects of Downing Street can manage, this government really is in trouble.

That flippancy was a gross mis-step. That, the inability to say positively he had read the prognosis for CoVid, the forced line on a CoVid enquiry (it will necessarily be of the same status as Iraq), amounted to not a good half-hour at the despatch box for Mr Johnson.

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's PMQs s... · 1 reply · +1 points

Response to £900 million claim in The Times PMQs sketch comments (h/t Peter Doyle):

The cost of abandoning the overseas worker NHS surcharge is in the order of £35m for medical staff rising to about £100m if you include the care home sector. (Commons Library). Boris got it badly wrong yesterday in saying it generated £900m; the figure for all sectors over a four year period. £100m is a blip in the context of the post-Budget rescue schemes.

If this is the PM being 'on top of the detail', Starmer will eviscerate him. The Starmer technique is to bank these wild statements for future recycling. The June 1 date for test-and-trace is another such: see The Times front page for the shrewder version of that. The PM may have bought himself time, but the come-back is due in a fortnight's time.

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's PMQs s... · 0 replies · +1 points

But Starmer's question was specifically about NHS/care workers.

So banzai11 is accusing @BorisJohnson of some kind of logical fallacy: the 'red herring' fallacy, perchance?

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's PMQs s... · 4 replies · +1 points

@BorisJohnson #PMQs on surcharging carewokers for NHS provision:

"those contributions help us to raise about £900 million”

If that’s per annum, there must be over 1.4 million care workers from overseas working in UK hospitals, care homes, etc. For comparison, the total pay-roll of the NHS is around 1.5 million.

Does that make any kind of sense?

3 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's PMQs s... · 7 replies · +1 points

Which the Fawkes folks (see update 2) have now reversed, to recognise that Starmer's point was quite correct.

4 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's Common... · 0 replies · +1 points

If we are looking for comparisons, which one for Barnet's non-functioning 'Housing Committee', and its Chairman, Cllr Daniel Thomas?

A major scandal and 'Mr Toad', Brian Coleman, is only Barnet semi-Tory prepared to be the fire-wall on BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.

It's the way to lose elections, chaps.

4 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's Common... · 1 reply · +1 points

The only 'house' Boris Johnson, in that vein, is fit to 'master' would be the most fetid dunny.

4 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - "The Surrender Act" · 2 replies · +1 points

And that, at last, is the proper point.

Paula Sherriff only invoked the memorial shield acknowledging Jo Cox, not the assassinated MP by name. Ms Sherriff's grief was the relentless abuse heaped on (especially women) MPs by the keyboard crusaders of the Thomas Mair Appreciation Society. Nor should we forget the more recent gang attempt at the murders of Rosie Cooper MP and DC Victoria Henderson.

Such is not 'humbug'. Absit omen.

To play it all as part of a 'people versus parliament' electoral ploy is sinister to the point of recklessness. Boris Johnson, Attorney General Cox and any complicit in this exacerbation should not (and, in the longer term won't) be easily forgiven.

4 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Andrew Gimson's leader... · 5 replies · +1 points

Alan Brooke climbed to the top by dissing Gort, his superior (who had got ahead in the promotion stakes). Alan Brooke had Arthur Bryant (now! now! stop twitching that extended right arm!) doing the PR for him. Gort then served his country well in Gibraltar, Malta and (stickiest of the lot?) Palestine.

There are parallels there I find less comforting by far than Orde Wingate.

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