a m ole Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 20 hours ago, OutByEaster? said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56125462 That has to be a good start I think. I have a feeling it will take twenty years before we fully know how much public money this government stole in the chaos of the pandemic, but it's nice to know that there are people fighting for that now. Incidentally, isn't this the kind of thing Ministers used to resign over? I wish we could get these words removed out of politics. I could stomach conservative policies and ideology if the actions backed up the rhetoric of improving the country for everyone. same goes for crooks in other parties too by the way, I’m not just talking Tories. This kind of thing should mean serious prison time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 56 minutes ago, a m ole said: I wish we could get these words removed out of politics. I could stomach conservative policies and ideology if the actions backed up the rhetoric of improving the country for everyone. same goes for crooks in other parties too by the way, I’m not just talking Tories. This kind of thing should mean serious prison time. If tory policy and ideology improved the country for everyone I’d vote for them tomorrow. Unfortunately, they are lying thieving selfish scum. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted February 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2021 2 hours ago, NurembergVillan said: Don't laugh, it's an act, it's aimed to humanise him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted February 20, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 20, 2021 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted February 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2021 The lack of coverage has been absolutely shocking on Hancock's having stolen from the nation for the benefit of his mates while people died. We desperately need a BBC free from the influence of government - a new charter that protects them from the insidious placing of senior figures from (in this case) the Conservative party at levels where they influence what is and isn't considered news. This is as shameful an obfuscation of news as I can remember in my lifetime. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lichfield Dean Posted February 20, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 20, 2021 It's an interesting one this. The thing Hancock was found guilty of (and only by association as being head of his department) is that contracts weren't published within the expected period of time. It isn't true that he was found guilty of corruption or mishandling funds, he was found guilty of an administrative error. People say "why isn't it front page news on the BBC" but it was. I saw it. It was the second story on the site on the day the judgement was made. It has dropped off the site because administrative errors aren't really all that important in the grand scheme of things. Having said all this, he should be investigated for his handling of the covid contracts and the media should be slating him and the rest of the cabinet for what appears to be clear abuse of power and public funds. But this particular issue? I'm not sure it's all that newsworthy to be honest. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 I’m sure all the journalists that have evaluated the relative minor nature of the offence are working away on the big expose of the real crime. The death. The theft of millions. The crashing of an economy. We just need to wait for them to show the work they’ve been doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lichfield Dean Posted February 20, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, chrisp65 said: I’m sure all the journalists that have evaluated the relative minor nature of the offence are working away on the big expose of the real crime. The death. The theft of millions. The crashing of an economy. We just need to wait for them to show the work they’ve been doing. Hmmmm.... If only! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MessiWillSignForVilla Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 22 hours ago, Mark Albrighton said: Right on cue... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 58 minutes ago, MessiWillSignForVilla said: Right on cue... Typical "small-picture" thinking from Johnson. If he were really serious, he'd have another one going north to Iceland, one going south to northern Spain and one zig-zagging around to link the Isle of Man to Manhattan Island, just for the nice linguistic symmetry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 A long time ago, after Diane Abbott messed up some numbers related to policing in an interview, she received an even-larger-than-normal-for-her torrent of abuse and death threats, and when it was suggested On Here that this abuse might have more than a bit of something to do with her being a prominent black woman in politics, there was a lot of pushback that it was not and could not be about her identity, that it was purely a matter of her incompetence, and that in fact the abuse she receives is in direct proportion to her awful incompetence. So it will be interesting to see what happens vis-a-vis torrents of abuse and death threats regarding this interview, in which vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi claims that schools are being reopened on March 8th, because that is a date that is three weeks after a particular vaccination milestone in April: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 (edited) I have to say, I wouldn't have taken the piss out of Nadhim Zahawi as much because I've never heard of the bloke. With him and the home secretary with her "counterterrorist offenders", it's a miracle they manage to open the door to the cabinet room. Edited February 22, 2021 by Davkaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lichfield Dean Posted February 22, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 22, 2021 Quote Someone in government insisted that this case went all the way to court – at the cost of over two hundred thousand pounds. There may not have been a deliberate policy of delaying contract award notices – but there seems there was a deliberate decision to delay admitting that there had been legal breaches. David Allen Green's assessment of the court case re. Hancock's late publication of contracts: https://davidallengreen.com/2021/02/the-real-significance-of-the-governments-defeat-over-transparency-in-public-procurement-yes-the-claimants-overstated-their-case-but-reaction-of-the-government-was-extraordinary/ He is questioning just why the government went all the way to the court case with this given that it was undeniable they had breached the 30 day limit. It is an interesting question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted February 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted February 22, 2021 9 minutes ago, Lichfield Dean said: David Allen Green's assessment of the court case re. Hancock's late publication of contracts: https://davidallengreen.com/2021/02/the-real-significance-of-the-governments-defeat-over-transparency-in-public-procurement-yes-the-claimants-overstated-their-case-but-reaction-of-the-government-was-extraordinary/ He is questioning just why the government went all the way to the court case with this given that it was undeniable they had breached the 30 day limit. It is an interesting question. almost as interesting as this behaviour in the next court case today but this might give a clue 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 23 minutes ago, Lichfield Dean said: He is questioning just why the government went all the way to the court case with this given that it was undeniable they had breached the 30 day limit. It is an interesting question. Because they never saw a piece of public money that they didn't want to extravagantly waste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lichfield Dean Posted February 22, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 22, 2021 7 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: A long time ago, after Diane Abbott messed up some numbers related to policing in an interview, she received an even-larger-than-normal-for-her torrent of abuse and death threats, and when it was suggested On Here that this abuse might have more than a bit of something to do with her being a prominent black woman in politics, there was a lot of pushback that it was not and could not be about her identity, that it was purely a matter of her incompetence, and that in fact the abuse she receives is in direct proportion to her awful incompetence. So it will be interesting to see what happens vis-a-vis torrents of abuse and death threats regarding this interview, in which vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi claims that schools are being reopened on March 8th, because that is a date that is three weeks after a particular vaccination milestone in April: I mean, I can't help but think this a Trumpian ploy to deliberately confuse and mislead. It can't be a mistake, surely? Surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 On 21/02/2021 at 16:38, MessiWillSignForVilla said: Right on cue... The epicentre of that is right under my old house. Would have saved me loads of time in plane and ferry journeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted February 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted February 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Risso said: The epicentre of that is right under my old house. Would have saved me loads of time in plane and ferry journeys. Nah, all journeys from craggy island must involve three legs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Has Boris run this whizzo scheme past . . . the government of the Isle of Man? (it's a rhetorical question, I don't need an answer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted February 24, 2021 Moderator Share Posted February 24, 2021 Guess who has been putting through dodgy contacts under the cover of the pandemic again? https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/ournhs/why-were-suing-over-the-23m-nhs-data-deal-with-palantir/ Quote The government is battling ‘vaccine hesitancy’. How does sneaking through a massive deal with a controversial spy tech firm help? The government claimed the initial Palantir ‘datastore’ deal, signed last March, was a short-term, emergency response to the pandemic. But December's new, two-year contract reaches far beyond COVID: to Brexit, general business planning and much more. Because after all, how is Mr Hancock supposed to keep us healthy without the aid of the foremost American data spying network? We might notice what he's up to and that wouldn't be healthy for anyone. What has this bloke got to do before someone takes him to task? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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