I was amused by this Telegraph report this morning:
Boris Johnson would accept a finding that he recklessly misled Parliament over lockdown parties in order to avoid a by-election that risks ending his political career, MP allies have said.
This is clearly an attempt to avoid the charge that he deliberately misled parliament, which might result in a higher penalty.
I have four thoughts.
First, if true this is an admission of guilt.
Second, if the admission to a lesser offence is accepted Johnson will deny he ever misled parliament at all, because that is what he always does.
Third, if he can deliberately game-play the committee it is very likely he deliberately game-played parliament in the first place, brazenly misleading it.
I hope no one is taken in.
And fourth? That it is amusing to see Johnson wriggling on the day that Trump is indicted. The former far-right leaders of parties they corrupted are being brought to justice and do not like it.
One day the right-wing will realise that the rule of law is for all. So far this understanding of equality does not seem to have sunk in.
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I see that the Press Association is reporting that Tory MPs are organising to try and vote down SNP MP Margaret Ferrier’s 30 day suspension for breaching Covid rules as recommended by the Standards Committee as it would make it much harder to justify a lesser punishment for Johnson and 10 days or more would result in him having to stand in a forced byelection.
Depressingly, the PA also reports that three of the Tory members of the privileges committee currently considering the Johnson verdict are said to be leading the campaign.
Very weird as they will have recommended that sanction in the first place
The timing leds me to suspect Ferrier is being used as a stalking horse.
Johnson, Trump, Bolsonaro, Netanyahu -all lie, appear to feel the normal rules don’t apply to them, appeal to the lowest common denominator of bigotry and prejudice and unfortunately have gathered lots of support.
Three of the four have lost elections. All of them are charged with corruption or law breaking.
It shows that evil will ultimately sabotage itself and how important our institutions of an honest news media and legal courts are.
Trump and Johnson are maybe now just empty shell cases discarded having done the damage they were set up to do.
This will not stop the projects that brought them to us proceeding.
So enjoy the theatre as much as wish.
Fascist pollical science will manufacture a sense of justice for you and give you heads for your pikes and have us salivating like Pavlov’s dogs at our sense of personal satisfaction at someones downfall.
But stay awake.
They’ll be other Trumps and Johnsons.
Look at the money pouring in from vested interests into the Tory party. What do you think, that is for? A few drinkies at another illicit party? I think not.
It sounds to me more as if Johnson accepts the probable verdict and is trying to seize the media initiative.
Those who understand these procedures have concluded that intent will be difficult to prove to anyone’s satisfaction. Given that they cannot conclude Johnson’s statements were the honest truth – there is too much incontrovertible evidence – the most likely conclusion is what in formal language is “recklessly misleading” the House which I suspect Johnson is already trying to rewrite as “accidentally misleading” with the aim of minimising the sanction.
I suspect that Johnson is the most likely of the two to have their political career come to a stop, as his popularity has plummeted. Trump still has a huge and very loyal following. However, Trump is facing the more serious problems, as his are being dealt by a court. Which might, hopefully, lead to a proper punishment. If not punished severely, he will come out of this like some weird Martyr.
The privileges committee is quite tame really; johnson should be facing expulsion, not a slap on the wrist. I suspect he will just be admonished and very little more.
‘It’s better to be thought a lunatic than a liar. A lunatic can be vindicated by time and rebranded a prophet; a liar is a liar by choice.…’
I saw the above in a Goodreads review of Sarah Kendzior’s *They Knew: How a culture of conspiracy keeps America complacent*, that’s mainly about Trump. It struck me how well it connected with your observations here, about Johnson.
Indeed