Did Johnson lie to Parliament?

So
He keeps his integrity
It's about 20 years too late for that
Yes it is, his defence that these events were essential for work is central too his entire defence that he believed he never misled the house.
If it were essential for a goodbye meeting at work or a birthday party, then where exactly is the bar set for 'essential'? It would be so low that unenforceable in its entirety.
 
Also just to clarify this entire thing, misled in this context isn't actually about a lie, that is very hard to prove. Misleading the house is also about the implications of the statements being made.

Johnson heavily implied that he was repeatedly "assured" that no rules/guidance were broken at all times. If Johnson caveats that with his assurance was provided by two political appointees only, it completely changes what that statement to the house means.

It is very reasonable for everyone to think his statement came from legal and/or senior Civil Servants, that is how Johnson has misled Parliament.
 
My take (and I didn't watch all of it) was that he was "assured that the statements he was making were correct" but he can't remember who told him they were correct.

About as credible and as me telling my teacher "one of the other boys told me it was alright not to do my homework but I can't remember which one said that"

If you still have any credence in the utterances of Johnson I have some magic beans that you might be interested in...
7fgphj.jpg
 
Anyone who doesn't think he intentionally lied about it needs their head examining. Of course he did, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Proving it of course is extremely hard. Looks highly likely he'll be found to have "recklessly" misled the house. Which is BS, he obviously meant to do it.

But even so I'm not sure it's a good look for him. In fact none of it is. His defence is "I'm a thick hypocritical idiot who didn't understand what I was reading out at press conferences and who swallowed clear nonsense from the yes men I surrounded myself with". Why would anyone want someone so pathetic back running the country again?

Has to be that or he's a liar (obviously the latter). But no doubt his supporters will manage the mental gymnastics required to convince themselves otherwise.
 
I still cannot comprehend how normal people in the North of England "quite like Boris". The man is an entitled lying bar steward who only ever does what is best for him.

Of course he lied to Parliament. Just like he lied about Northern Ireland, about Brexit and when he was a so called Journalist.
It’s not everyone’s reason, but I remember years ago when he wrote that article about Muslim women looking like post boxes etc. a lad on the pool team I played on thought it was hilarious and thought he was on “the same wavelength”.

When I called him out for what it was, ie. Racism. He didn’t really disagree. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I left that team.

There’s multiple reasons why Johnson gets away with it. The media have consistently tried to portray him as a bit of lovable rogue (bork!) and a bit of a lad.

It’s personality politics. It drives me mad when I hear people complain about Starmer because he’s “a bit boring”. I don’t a give a F… Politicians and PM’s especially aren’t there to entertain us. Criticise Starmer for other things by all means, but this constant frenzy around personality and entertainment factor does my nut in.

A lot of people will turn a blind eye because in reality they don’t care about the misdemeanours as they’re brainwashed cheerleaders.
 
My take (and I didn't watch all of it) was that he was "assured that the statements he was making were correct" but he can't remember who told him they were correct.

About as credible and as me telling my teacher "one of the other boys told me it was alright not to do my homework but I can't remember which one said that"

If you still have any credence in the utterances of Johnson I have some magic beans that you might be interested in...
7fgphj.jpg
Yep, that's pretty much what he is saying.

And when the HSC have spoken to the inner circle, those who may have been the one to have reassured him that no rules were broken, they've all denied - in very clear terms - giving any such assurance.

But I also think it's missing the point a bit - in the circumstances it would have been clear and obvious that rules were broken and he didn't do a thing to challenge the culture of flagrant rule breaking within no.10.

He needs to slope away out of public life as soon as possible.
 
It’s not everyone’s reason, but I remember years ago when he wrote that article about Muslim women looking like post boxes etc. a lad on the pool team I played on thought it was hilarious and thought he was on “the same wavelength”.

When I called him out for what it was, ie. Racism. He didn’t really disagree. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I left that team.

There’s multiple reasons why Johnson gets away with it. The media have consistently tried to portray him as a bit of lovable rogue (bork!) and a bit of a lad.

It’s personality politics. It drives me mad when I hear people complain about Starmer because he’s “a bit boring”. I don’t a give a F… Politicians and PM’s especially aren’t there to entertain us. Criticise Starmer for other things by all means, but this constant frenzy around personality and entertainment factor does my nut in.

A lot of people will turn a blind eye because in reality they don’t care about the misdemeanours as they’re brainwashed cheerleaders.
Exactly this. Whilst he portrays this bumbling oaf character he is clearly extremely intelligent but everything about him is meticulously planned.. the scruffy hair, the badly tied tie, the way he talks, the weird outfit when he goes out for a run .. all of it is part of a big act to get the common man on side… and it’s worked for an awful long time much to our detriment.
 
Exactly this. Whilst he portrays this bumbling oaf character he is clearly extremely intelligent but everything about him is meticulously planned.. the scruffy hair, the badly tied tie, the way he talks, the weird outfit when he goes out for a run .. all of it is part of a big act to get the common man on side… and it’s worked for an awful long time much to our detriment.
I don't buy either version. I don't think he's this extremely intelligent slick con man some make him out to be. I also don't think he's really the bumbling oaf persona.

He's somewhere in-between. Some of the mistakes and own goals are not the actions of someone extremely intelligent. They're easily foreseeable and preventable and he's still blundered into them. That's why he's no longer PM.

The comments from people who have known the real Alexander over the years don't suggest he is either. He's definitely a gifted chancer, a con man. He stumbled across the bumbling oaf persona as a kid and it worked for him. He's had half a century to perfect it, it's very effective. But it's more of a habit than anything else now. Which is probably why so many find it so authentic.

He's also quite probably a psychopath.

Don't give him too much credit, he's intelligent enough (in some circumstances) but he's no genius. He's also extraordinarily lazy, which is what the bumbling oaf act largely allows him to get away with.
 
But I also think it's missing the point a bit - in the circumstances it would have been clear and obvious that rules were broken and he didn't do a thing to challenge the culture of flagrant rule breaking within no.10.
He effectively promoted the culture by flirting around it and not shutting it down. It's not by accident either. Firstly some people will love working for someone that isn't a stickler for the rules, it gives them carte blanche to avoid staying within the boundaries of their role, allows them to bully, manipulate and cojoule their way up the ladder. Other people go along with it, not realising that morally corrupting themselves, leaves them vulnerable to abuse from above. Once they've established themselves as rule breakers, Johnson can use that to enforce loyalty, because they're in a situation where he has right to fire them, but can also protect them.

This is how sociopaths work, manipulation, implied threat, entrapping people into loyalty.
 
I don't buy either version. I don't think he's this extremely intelligent slick con man some make him out to be. I also don't think he's really the bumbling oaf persona.
he's extremely intelligent, no intellectual, but certainly very smart....but, he's absolutely lazy, the only time he really gets busy is when his power is threatened, and suddenly his mind is awake and calculating.
 
he's extremely intelligent, no intellectual, but certainly very smart....but, he's absolutely lazy, the only time he really gets busy is when his power is threatened, and suddenly his mind is awake and calculating.
Semantics maybe, but don't know about "extremely" intelligent. He famously struggles with detail. Admittedly a lot of that is down to his laziness, but the genuinely extremely intelligent people I know, or who have worked with, understand detail without having to try. They get it first time. It's easy for them and it wouldn't matter if they were lazy or not.

Johnson doesn't. He's bright enough, but extremely smart/intelligent? I just don't buy it. He's very cunning though, which is a bit different.
 
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