Boris's Brain is missing

[Jdsk]

From the Good Law Project:

Dear John,

Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and Lord Bethell have all been reportedly using private email accounts or WhatApp for Government business, discussing matters of national importance - from the spread of Covid-19 in care homes to the award of lucrative Government contracts.

But why would Ministers choose to use personal accounts rather than official channels?

An email exchange between senior officials about a legal case being brought by Good Law Project over a controversial contract is perhaps revealing. The senior official explains that because Matt Hancock conducted his duties as Health Minister using his private email, they think this means there would be a “substantial” threshold for civil servants to request access to his emails to check if they should be disclosed to the Court.

They seem to believe this is a loophole to avoid scrutiny. If politicians think they can evade oversight from the Courts or dodge Freedom of Information requests by using private email and WhatsApp, the question becomes: what have they got to hide?

Government does have a policy in place about the use of private email, but we don’t think it is fit for purpose - not least because it fails to set out when and why it would ever be acceptable for politicians to use their own accounts. And it seems unlikely the policy is being followed in any event, because there’s no evidence that steps are generally being taken to ensure that information held by Ministers on private emails or WhatsApp is recorded on Government systems.

We don’t just think this situation is wrong, we believe it’s unlawful. It flies in the face of Government’s legal obligations to preserve official records, and undermines its ability to comply with Freedom of Information requests and the duty of candour required by the Courts.

We are taking legal action. If we are successful, we could force Government to put in place proper policies to close this accountability gap for good. If you believe that Government business should be conducted transparently and would like to support this legal challenge, you can do so here.

Thank you,

Jo Maugham
Director of Good Law Project

https://goodlawproject.org/update/lord- ... new-phone/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v6fMMw ... 8lns6/view

Jonathan

[Oldjohnw]

Thanks Jonathan.

It’s hard to be surprise but we should be.

[Psamathe]

I'm sure everybody remembers but in case not and given his lack of engagement pre-COP (from 2013, but only 8 years ago):

Wind farms couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, says Boris Johnson

And though Johnson has never retracted/apologised, at least one cabinet minister has broken ranks to declare he was wrong. All Johnson can do is see Thatcher as the supreme eco-warrior.

And he still avoids questions about new UK oil fields and new UK coal mines.

Is there any hope?

Ian

[Jdsk]

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/ ... h-2019.pdf

Well worth reading.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

I'm sure everybody remembers but in case not and given his lack of engagement pre-COP (from 2013, but only 8 years ago):

Wind farms couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, says Boris Johnson

And though Johnson has never retracted/apologised, at least one cabinet minister has broken ranks to declare he was wrong. All Johnson can do is see Thatcher as the supreme eco-warrior.

And he still avoids questions about new UK oil fields and new UK coal mines.

Is there any hope?

Yes. Always.

Jonathan

[Oldjohnw]

Hard not to be just a little thankful:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... SApp_Other

[atoz]

I'm sure everybody remembers but in case not and given his lack of engagement pre-COP (from 2013, but only 8 years ago):

Wind farms couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, says Boris Johnson

And though Johnson has never retracted/apologised, at least one cabinet minister has broken ranks to declare he was wrong. All Johnson can do is see Thatcher as the supreme eco-warrior.

And he still avoids questions about new UK oil fields and new UK coal mines.

Is there any hope?

Ian

Boris is full of misleading crap on Thatcher and the mines, listen to why here at https://youtu.be/DocotTtDIYI

[al_yrpal]

Something to contemplate....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58186519

A challenge to the establishment, Academia in particular?

Al

[reohn2]

I'm sure everybody remembers but in case not and given his lack of engagement pre-COP (from 2013, but only 8 years ago):

Wind farms couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, says Boris Johnson

And though Johnson has never retracted/apologised, at least one cabinet minister has broken ranks to declare he was wrong. All Johnson can do is see Thatcher as the supreme eco-warrior.

And he still avoids questions about new UK oil fields and new UK coal mines.

Is there any hope?

Ian

Boris is full of misleading crap on Thatcher and the mines, listen to why here at https://youtu.be/DocotTtDIYI

Johnson like Thatcher and Blair are pathological liar to suit their own agenda,closing the mines was about breaking the unions,which was done.
Thatcher's government was importing coal,any coal,including orimulsion and lignite from as far away as Brazil(mined by children as young as 10)and Australian opencast poor grade coal to keep powerstations going after the strike whilst it closed down pit after pitand squeezed the miner to produce more coal for less money at the same time!
The problem is unbridled neoliberalist capitalism heralded by Thatcher as the answer to all the UK's sick man of Europe's problems,continued by Blair(war criminal),Camaron,May(both idiots) and now made worse by the bungling idiot Johnson who'll tell us the moon's made of green cheese if helps him stay in power.
He is the worst PM this country has ever seen along with his idiotic bungling of the Brexit debacle.

Is there any hope?
Yes,move to the continent,this place is in steep decline,unless that is you're a disaster capitalist who cares nought for your fellow countryman and woman.

[al_yrpal]

Qué, its 48 degrees here, theres no cricket, they are all on strike and you cant get a decent pint anywhere!

Hasta la vista baby

Al

[Psamathe]

Interesting (and predictable) report on funding and levelling up (after Brexit). Plenty of time until next election and closer to election I'd expect all sorts of cash to be thrown into the "Red Wall" constituencies to "buy votes" (except that risks a negative reaction from constituencies not getting such hand-outs and further highlighting all the sleaze stories), but for now

‘Red Wall’ and other poorer areas lose £1bn of development cash after Brexit, despite ‘level up’ pledge
‘Red Wall‘ and other poorer areas of England will lose up to £1bn of development cash this year because of Brexit, despite Boris Johnson’s vow to “level up” the country.

The government promised to match the grants – to build local economies by attracting businesses and jobs – when the UK left the EU, but has yet to set up a promised replacement fund.

Instead, just £220m is being made available across the whole of the UK for 2021-22, and no money has yet been handed out at all – even though the financial year is nearly halfway over.

Areas of the North and Midlands, many of which switched to the Tories at the 2019 election after the prime minister’s “levelling up” pledge, received £500m a year from EU Structural Funds, new analysis shows.

Now they will receive only a slice of the stopgap £220m Community Renewal Fund – amid further anger that councils had to put in bids, rather than be allocated cash according to need.
...

Ian

[Jdsk]

Plenty of time until next election and closer to election I'd expect all sorts of cash to be thrown into the "Red Wall" constituencies to "buy votes" (except that risks a negative reaction from constituencies not getting such hand-outs and further highlighting all the sleaze stories)...

What's the state of the legal challenge to the recent allocation from central government? I saw the analysis by electoral advantage, but was there ever an application for judicial review?

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

Parliament recalled over "Afghanistan".

Ellwood: "It’s a test of what Global Britain means.".

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

Plenty of time until next election and closer to election I'd expect all sorts of cash to be thrown into the "Red Wall" constituencies to "buy votes" (except that risks a negative reaction from constituencies not getting such hand-outs and further highlighting all the sleaze stories)...

What's the state of the legal challenge to the recent allocation from central government? I saw the analysis by electoral advantage, but was there ever an application for judicial review?

Claim submitted in June. Can't find anything since.
https://goodlawproject.org/case/pork-barrel-politics/
https://goodlawproject.org/update/have-filed-our-claim/

Jonathan

[Oldjohnw]

As far as brands go, Global Britain is in the same league as Ratners.