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[Politics] Forgetful Prime Minister
- Thread starter RustyKent
- Start date
Justice
Dangerous Idiot
Can’t we just shoot all these slimy out for themselves idiots.
Nobby Cybergoat
Well-known member
- Jul 19, 2021
- 8,624
Why should any of this depend on an individuals memory?
Are cabinet or Cobra meetings not minuted? At least to the level that there's a high level record of what was agreed and who has to do what?
Are cabinet or Cobra meetings not minuted? At least to the level that there's a high level record of what was agreed and who has to do what?
Indeed.
And while I have no time for Sunak or Johnson, I don't see why they should be made to surrender their WhatsApp messages.
I thought Sunak sounded confident and assured yesterday. Of course he was lying about what he could recall and indeed what he thought and said, but who can blame him.
"Yes, I always thought Johnson was a ****, but I was a member of the cabinet and I had two choices - play with the team, or flounce. I decided to play with the team."
This is exactly what Starmer would say if questioned about his role in the Corbyn shadow cabinet (well, he wouldn't use those words, but...), and would be something else I would be entirely sympathetic with.
The simple answer here is because any messages that relate to government business are not, in fact, "theirs". They are actually government records / documents that *should* have been backed up / copied across to official records.
From memory this is all laid out in an official policy somewhere (which also encompasses emails etc). Government ministers / officials are required to ensure that anything (whatsapps, SMS, emails, etc) that relates to government business, decision making, etc is added to the official records.
- Jul 10, 2003
- 27,766
This. The Whatsapp accounts and groups submitted to the inquiry are official Government ones. They may well have their own private accounts and groups which will remain Private.
It's just unfortunate that the two haven't been able to 'find' their whatsapp messages from their official Government accounts and submit them to the Covid enquiry are the same two who don't seem to have a great memory. Similarly to them being the two most senior people in Government throughout the pandemic, it's just one of those dreadful coincidences
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How about an electorate who might expect a prime minister to tell the truth, particularly when under oath?
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
The phones used were government issue not personal. In any court of law, it is admissable evidence, and could be applied for by warrant.
Somehow the rule of law isn't being applied.
A mex eyecan
Well-known member
- Nov 3, 2011
- 3,872
ooh, how odd
Cowfold Seagull
Fan of the 17 bus
Would we have enough bullets?
I can't remember
@Cowfold Seagull sent you a DM, if you get a chance to look please?
I can understand about emails. I am under the same strictures - when I use my XX.AC.UK account. And have been bollocked for gobbing off via it. But WhatsApp is private, even if you use it to chat about work, surely?
Really? OK, then I stand corrected.
The fact (that I now accept) that they were using work-issue phones aside, 'I can't remember' is incontestable.
Unfortunately this also applies to 'I can't remember who deleted all my messages'.
Whether the summing up accepts this as remotely plausible is another matter. My guess is it will.
I think the solution here is to consider whether to vote these shysters out of office, based on personal judgement. My personal judgement is to encourage everyone to vote these shysters out of office.
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,321
It's a huge gaping hole in the official record shirley when hmgov officials can use officially-issued phones for end-to-end-encrypted messaging
Ministers are always going to use WhatsApp because it's commonly used and pretty convenient (and handy to misplace messages), but it really shouldn't be used for official business at all exactly because there's no auditable log. Use something like Teams or Slack (I would assume Teams as I believe Microsoft is a preferred provider for Government services) so that there is an actual paper trail.