UK General Discussion:The Rt. Hon Alex Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, Populist Hero

[Blair]

The London decision was baffling; I realise I'm going down another topic but it seems striking that England has struggled a lot compared to other countries who operate a federal system, in the sense that political leaders can't easily justify the borders of divergence & the public don't understand why they're in.

There was some gripping in Scotland & Wales based on the changes over the last year but people understood A.) Why it was being done B.) Where the idea came from. The one ray of fortune before was that they've avoided the tempation (and begging from outer london tories) to split the capital up into sections... until now.

I would have also hoped the DofE would have known how many london secondary school kids (and a lesser extent primary kids) travel across borough to get to school; it's something around 20%!

[Blair]

In news it looks likely we'll have what is being called Tier 5 but what that will actually involve gods know!

[brucejoel99]

Johnson still insisting schools in much of the country have to reopen this week, though.

Teeing himself up for the next U-turn in 3... 2...

[EastAnglianLefty]

The London decision was baffling; I realise I'm going down another topic but it seems striking that England has struggled a lot compared to other countries who operate a federal system, in the sense that political leaders can't easily justify the borders of divergence & the public don't understand why they're in.

There was some gripping in Scotland & Wales based on the changes over the last year but people understood A.) Why it was being done B.) Where the idea came from. The one ray of fortune before was that they've avoided the tempation (and begging from outer london tories) to split the capital up into sections... until now.

I would have also hoped the DofE would have known how many london secondary school kids (and a lesser extent primary kids) travel across borough to get to school; it's something around 20%!

The puzzling thing about the school closures is that whilst there clearly wasn't a rational basis for the boroughs initially told to remain open, it doesn't necessarily follow any clear partisan logic.

All the Tory boroughs had schools closed (even when, as with Westminster and RBKC, case rates were low) and it was only Labour boroughs (plus Lib Dem Kingston) that stayed open. But Brent and Ealing (both Labour-controlled) were shut, whilst Harrow stayed open (even though all the non-London authorities is borders also had schools closed.) Islington and Greenwich, both of which tried to close schools before Christmas, were told to stay open, but Waltham Forest (which did the same) was allowed to shut. Lambeth and Lewisham were told to stay open, but Southwark was allowed to close.

Undoubtedly Williamson is both very incompetent and very partisan (this Cabinet's Grayling, arguably) but it's hard to see what was being played at with that one.

[CumbrianLefty]

Maybe its as simple as being petty enough to target boroughs (eg Greenwich) that contradicted him?

[NewYorkExpress]

New General election poll out, from Focaldata.

The public are deeply unhappy with the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the Brexit negotiations, a damning new poll suggests.

The poll predicts that if a general election were held tomorrow neither the Conservatives nor Labour would win an outright majority. Disturbingly for Boris Johnson, the survey says the Conservatives would lose 81 seats, wiping out the 80-seat majority they won in December 2019.

It gives the first detailed insight into the public’s perception of Johnson’s handling of the Brexit talks and the pandemic, amid fears that Britain is heading into a third national lockdown.

The prime minister is on course to lose his own seat of Uxbridge and Ruislip South, if the insight is accurate.

[Blair]

The most baffling thing is that Williamsom wasn't sacked in the summer or given a job that actually uses his skills.

This should have happened after the A-Levels fiasco; a policy that emerged because he ignored the advice of officals from Ofqual & warnings from Heads/MPs. Much like with Grayling he has developed a reputation of incompetence; which means that everything going wrong with the DofE sticks to him.

It also shows Johnson's failure to manage his own cabinet/party; this Government knows that Jacob Rees-Mogg only has value in setting the parliamentary timetable so they made him Leader of the House- surely Williamson should have been given party chair/Chief Whip at the least.

It's interesting that both he & Grant Shapps were given jobs because they delievered votes for Boris in the leadership race; Shapps (who was a glorified party hack in the Cameron years) has actually been one of the higher performers of the cabinet (a low bar though)

[EastAnglianLefty]

Maybe its as simple as being petty enough to target boroughs (eg Greenwich) that contradicted him?

But Harrow hasn't done anything, whereas Waltham Forest has - and I haven't noticed Lambeth being any louder than Southwark either.

[CumbrianLefty]

The most baffling thing is that Williamsom wasn't sacked in the summer or given a job that actually uses his skills; 

He does in fact have some?

[Zinneke]

He is clearly effective at picking the right side.

[TheTide]

Williamson did the numbers in the May and Johnson leadership campaigns and there was less rebellion during his time as Chief Whip. Obvious crap at leading ministerial departments, but as a fixer he appears to have some talent.

[Cassius]

So we’re going into Lockdown Part III from Wednesday. Appears as though this one will be more similar to Part I as opposed to Part II.

[Silent Hunter]

Indeed, far more like Part I. At least we have the vaccine now. If we didn't, we would have to find a new solution, because let's face it, this wasn't working.

[brucejoel99]

Jan. 3rd: "Schools are perfectly safe. You must send your kids back to school."

Jan. 4th: "Schools are vectors of transmission. We must impose a tough national lockdown."

[GenerationTerrorist]

Absolute Omnishambles from the Government, yet again.

I think I am just going to hide under some coats in the corner for a while, and hope that everything turns out fine in the end.

[Blair]

The most baffling thing is that Williamsom wasn't sacked in the summer or given a job that actually uses his skills; 

He does in fact have some?

He was seen as a half decent chief whip; although a lot of that was because he jumped ship the moment that Theresa May started losing her authority in the commons.

[Pericles]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/06/scale-of-emergency-facing-uk-laid-bare-as-1000-die-in-24-hours
This is a tragic outcome, but given the trajectory of the pandemic it is sadly unsurprising. It seems that the UK now again has the highest death toll in Europe. I'm not sure how much difference the new national lockdown will make, given that normal lockdowns don't seem to actually get the R number of the new variant below 1 (and the restrictions a week or two ago seem like they might have had a similar effect on transmission). Maybe England's lockdown will need to become even stricter.

Also, two minor points from the article;
-

Johnson’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton, insisted that the prime minister had full confidence in Williamson, saying: “It’s a huge brief and the prime minister believes the education secretary is doing it to his utmost ability.”

This is hardly a ringing endorsement of Gavin Williamson's skills lol, since his 'utmost ability' could easily be inadequate.
-

The rebels included New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne, who told the prime minister the latest regulations were “pervaded with a pettifogging malice”, citing the fact that members of the same household cannot play tennis or golf together. Johnson told him: “Pettifogging, yes. Malicious, no.”

What does 'pettifogging' mean, would most MPs have even known?

[CumbrianLefty]

The new lockdown *might* work in conjunction with a major and rapid vaccination effort.

But yes, utterly grim.

[Cassius]

With schools and universities now shut for the foreseeable future, it’s difficult to see how the restrictions can practically be made stricter, short of ‘well if we self-nuked the country then that would prevent anymore COVID-related deaths’.

[Hnv1]

With schools and universities now shut for the foreseeable future, it’s difficult to see how the restrictions can practically be made stricter, short of ‘well if we self-nuked the country then that would prevent anymore COVID-related deaths’.

Our first lock-down had us stay within 500 meters of our home, no visits to others even if they live next door, and closing any nonessential business with more than 10 employees.

[Alcibiades]

There are some signs that the outbreak might have peaked in London and the SE, where the new variant first emerged. Of course still growing rapidly in the rest of the country, but I do think that by mid-February things will be significantly better.

[Cassius]

With schools and universities now shut for the foreseeable future, it’s difficult to see how the restrictions can practically be made stricter, short of ‘well if we self-nuked the country then that would prevent anymore COVID-related deaths’.

Our first lock-down had us stay within 500 meters of our home, no visits to others even if they live next door, and closing any nonessential business with more than 10 employees.

My understanding (correct me if I’m wrong) is that your lockdown was partly enforced by the Israeli Defence Force? That would not be acceptable in this country, and even if it were the British Army doesn’t have the men to enforce it nationwide.

[Hnv1]

With schools and universities now shut for the foreseeable future, it’s difficult to see how the restrictions can practically be made stricter, short of ‘well if we self-nuked the country then that would prevent anymore COVID-related deaths’.

Our first lock-down had us stay within 500 meters of our home, no visits to others even if they live next door, and closing any nonessential business with more than 10 employees.

My understanding (correct me if I’m wrong) is that your lockdown was partly enforced by the Israeli Defence Force? That would not be acceptable in this country, and even if it were the British Army doesn’t have the men to enforce it nationwide.

no, it wasn't. some home front soldiers were attached to the blue police unit to help with various things, but enforcement remained in police hands. The MI helped the health ministry conduct epidemiological investigations, and some military technological measures were used to track quarantine breakers. But always the final call was in civilian hands.

The first lockdown saw a really high level of compliance regardless of enforcement, the second saw mass rebellion that even martial law wouldn't have solved.

[Cassius]

With schools and universities now shut for the foreseeable future, it’s difficult to see how the restrictions can practically be made stricter, short of ‘well if we self-nuked the country then that would prevent anymore COVID-related deaths’.

Our first lock-down had us stay within 500 meters of our home, no visits to others even if they live next door, and closing any nonessential business with more than 10 employees.

My understanding (correct me if I’m wrong) is that your lockdown was partly enforced by the Israeli Defence Force? That would not be acceptable in this country, and even if it were the British Army doesn’t have the men to enforce it nationwide.

no, it wasn't. some home front soldiers were attached to the blue police unit to help with various things, but enforcement remained in police hands. The MI helped the health ministry conduct epidemiological investigations, and some military technological measures were used to track quarantine breakers. But always the final call was in civilian hands.

The first lockdown saw a really high level of compliance regardless of enforcement, the second saw mass rebellion that even martial law wouldn't have solved.

Ah okay, thanks for the clarification. Yes, compliance was also much higher in our first lockdown than in the second, although the second was far less stringent so the lines between what was and wasn’t illegal were a bit blurry. Rereading your first comment, as far as I’m aware all nonessential businesses have been ordered to close this time around, whilst a 500m rule would not be enforceable because a lot of people don’t have access to a supermarket/chemist within that distance.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A lot of the things a government might do to make things 'more strict' would almost certainly have no significant impact on the spread of the virus, so would be, in effect, little more than pandemic theatre. I suppose it would make a lot of people on twitter happy, but it wouldn't reduce the pressure on hospitals or save lives.