I REFER to Friday’s page-four article “Boris Johnson WILL face a probe over lying to parliament”, and offer the following little story to put it into context.
Last Saturday, Mary was five years old. Her mum took her to help with some shopping in the morning and when they got home there was a surprise for her. Her father and brother had got some of her friends together and when she went into the front room, they all sang Happy Birthday to her. Then she got to blow out her candles, and she and her friends had some cake to eat, and soft drinks to drink.
Afterwards, she was asked if she had enjoyed her birthday party. She said “Yes.” She didn’t say: “It wasn’t a birthday party. It was an after-school event.” Now Mary is only five and can’t read or write properly, but she realised that, because there was cake and drinks; and because her friends sang Happy Birthday, and because she got to blow out the candles, it was a birthday party.
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Logically, therefore, either Boris Johnson doesn’t have the intelligence of that five-year-old girl, and really thought it was a works event; in which case he hasn’t the intelligence of a five-year-old and isn’t fit to run a country, so should resign. Or, he does have more intelligence than a five-year-old; in which case he knew he was attending a birthday party and deliberately lied to parliament; in which case he has broken the parliamentary code and also must resign. There is no third option!
It will be interesting to see what sort of twist the Tories who dominate the inquiry committee try to spin in order to keep Boris in office. There is no justification for his actions. Even a five-year-old knows the difference between a birthday party and any other event.
Charlie Kerr
Glenrothes
I AM amazed at the lack of outrage and the paucity of a reaction from the national press over a recent statement from the Metropolitan Police. They have advised that they will not disclose any details of the partygate inquiry until after the May elections.
This is so clearly political! I presume that even they would concede that this is because it could influence the outcome of the elections (to the disadvantage of the Tories).
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So if the public is aware of what is going on then they may vote in a different way. The Metropolitan Police seem to have the most bizarre understanding of how democracy is meant to function.
Attempting to influence the outcome of an election with false information or withholding relevant information is surely wrong.
I think there need to be questions over who made this decision, how and why.
Nick Boyle
via email
“HE got the big calls on Covid right” is one of the deceitful claims, regrettably often left unchallenged by reporters, made by those who unashamedly strive to keep a dishonest and corrupt Prime Minister in office. If this claim were true the UK would not have accumulated one of the highest Covid-related death rates in the world.
Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian
THE prepared line taken by Tory MPs and politicians is that Boris Johnson shouldn’t be sacked because of the war in Ukraine and his determination to tackle the cost-of-living crisis! Yet what use is a proven liar and crook like Johnson for helping Ukraine defend its borders? How can the Ukrainians rely on Johnson’s support when you see the complete hash his government is making with regard to visas to allow Ukrainians into the country? Johnson is no friend of Ukraine.
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And as regards his determination to tackle the cost-of-living crisis – that is laughable as he is one of the primary causes of this crisis! It was his government which agreed to a 54% increase in the energy price cap, while other countries such as France and Germany limited increases to 4% and 5% respectively. Johnson promised £350 million per week more for the NHS – he even had it on the side of a bus – but instead of this, everyone is facing a hike in their National Insurance contributions while billions of pounds have been wasted in their feeble attempt to control the Covid pandemic.
What is even worse is that a good share of that money was syphoned off by Tory politicians and their friends, to line their pockets for inadequate PPE equipment. Under Johnson and his crooked Cabinet there has been wholesale fraud committed, using the Covid pandemic as a cover for them to steal from the public purse and then have the nerve to increase our National Insurance contributions to pay for it.
Boris Johnson and his Cabinet are not fit to serve in any office of state. However, while people fall for the nonsense put forward by Tory MPs it’s increasingly important that we look to ourselves to get out of this corrupt Union. Scotland can’t afford to be part of the UK, we’re being bled dry by crooked politicians, it’s time we were independent.
Cllr Kenny MacLaren
Paisley
A LOCAL Tory councillor advocates hanging Pakistani politicians. A Tory MP has been convicted for sex offences against a minor. Another was suspended for making unwanted advances to women and pictured next to lines of cocaine. Home Secretary Priti Patel is to institute a scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda – in spite of the fact it violates international law. And Tory leader Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak (among many of their Conservative colleagues) have faced fine after lockdown violations.
There’s not much hope for law-abiding citizens if we’re governed by criminals.
Stephen McCarthy
Glasgow
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