The level of flaming hypocrisy emerging from #10 Downing Street is growing so fast that I wonder if the issue is actually hypocrisy or instead a belief that the Covid virus is not actually dangerous.
Back on 12/17/21 I discussed Flaming hypocrisy: “It’s good to be the king” of Netherlands or Prime Minister of England edition.
In December news reports said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended a pizza and wine party on 5/15/20, just a couple months into the pandemic. He claimed he was there only a few minutes.
Then on 12/18/20 somewhere between 40 and 50 people had a Christmas party at #10 Downing Street.
Journalists (plural) attended but kept quiet about the event. Of course. They wanted to protect their sources and they knew they are part of the elitist elite who are also exempt from Covid rules.
I discussed this on 12/16/21 in my post Still more flaming hypocrites get caught, this time including Prime Ministers of England and Finland.
The Prime Minister’s press spokes-liar at the time, Allegra Stratton, is on video laughing in a mock press conference that they would call this a “business meeting” and therefore could continue partying.
Just to be clear, multiple staff working for the Prime Minister were laughing at us because they can get away with whatever they want.
Oh, at the time the Prime Minister staff was partying hearty, Christmas parties were explicitly banned. In addition, no more than two people were allowed to get together, even indoors.
Senior leadership were laughing at you and me. Well, not me because I am a free American citizen not personal property subject of the Queen.
The story has gotten a lot worse for the Prime Minister in the last week or so. The extent of flagrantly ignoring Covid restrictions has expanded.
Wall Street Journal – 1/12/21 – Boris Johnson Apologizes for Party at Downing Street During UK Lockdown – Public anger is rising against the British Prime Minister for a party at #10 Downing Street in May 2020, just a few months into the lockdowns. He tried to tamp down anger at a meeting in Parliament.
About 100 people were invited to a party at a time when a person was only allowed to meet with one other person outdoors.
Um, tip for the Prime Minister and his senior staff: 100 is substantially larger than 2.
The glib rationalization offered by the Prime Minister is he thought it was a work event, and besides he was only there for about 25 minutes to thank his staff for their hard work, and also it was a work event, and he only attended for a few minutes, so it is all okay.
Members of the Labor, Social Democrats, and Scottish National Party are screaming for his head. Support from his fellow Tories, who have a solid majority, is fading.
His appearance in front of Parliament follows a week of stonewalling any questions about previous fiascoes.
Article explains two other incidents causing trouble were press representatives having a mock press conference joking and laughing about how to rationalize another party (discussed above) and a photo of the Prime Minister next to someone wearing tinsel and reading questions at an office Christmas party.
Daily Mail – 1/15/22 – A fridge too far: Downing Street “held a wine-time Fridays EVERY week” throughout the pandemic: Now staff are accused of taking a suitcase to Tesco Metro to fill up with booze and have a drinks fridge delivered in December 2020 – A Friday night drinking session was scheduled every week during the pandemic from 4 PM until 7 PM at #10 Downing Street. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly stopped by occasionally at the every-week booze-it-up parties.
Reports say it was a “culture of 3 AM sessions” at Downing Street. Frequency is not instated, but it did happen that people got so drunk that they slept it off on a sofa somewhere in the office until they were sober enough to go home.
There is a photo from 12/11/20 of a person carrying a portable wine cooler costing 142 British pounds (US$194) into the official building. It is large enough to keep 34 bottles of wine at the just-perfect temperature. Staff reportedly took turns stocking up at a local market using a wheeled suitcase to transport the booze back to the office.
The blazing, flagrant, in-your-face hypocrisy is obvious when you keep in mind the staff (including the Prime Minister occasionally) boozed it up when everyone else was not allowed to gather with more than six people in outdoor space and were not allowed to gather with more than one household indoors.
The conclusion?
The only logical conclusion is the Prime Minister and his staff at Downing Street didn’t believe the Covid virus was actually dangerous. Therefore there was no reason for them to be bothered following those silly little rules.
Same attitude that has been on display on a routine basis across the United States for the entirety of the Covid pandemic.
Support for the Prime Minister is fading.
It is possible he may get kicked out of office.
If so that would be at least one politician held accountable for flagrantly ignoring the rules in place when other people can get fined or jailed when they violate those rules.
One can hope this possible accountability is the beginning of a worldwide, ongoing trend.