I've seen a snippet of news where she's asked about her reasoning and was it for the money. She came across a bit arrogant, "I'm very good at my job", not to my liking as a person. Edit: sorry @farnboromackem , I've just checked her twitter account and she does come across well, interesting, intelligent and passionate.
The Daily Heil ran with the story of the Bullington Club initiations (that were factual ) Not a lady to cross....
It wasn't the Bullingdon though, it was the Piers Gaveston Society and the founder, Valentine Guiness, has said that Cameron wasn't a member. So he wouldn't have had to undergo any initiation. While it's always possible that they may have reason to deny it, there are more voices saying its a lie than there are saying it happened (i.e. Ashcroft, who allegedly had an axe to grind with Cameron, and Oakeshott), so logic dictates that we should be sceptical about the story.
I can understand the Civil Service being annoyed about this as it was always going to lead to questions about their impartiality. I think the Conservative response, while to be expected, is over the top though. While in her civil service role, she would have had to take an impartial line no matter what her personal beliefs were. As an impartial civil servant, she could have taken a job with any party. She doesn't necessarily have to be a Labour member or 'supporter' to take this job. In fact, her impartiality may make her better candidate than some fervent Labour activist.
Oakeshott herself has since said it is highly unlikely to be true. According to her there is much less burden of proof required about what you write in books compared to newspapers. I commented at the time Hancock had chosen a really odd author for this. Not a surprising outcome at all really and I have no sympathy whatsoever.
IIRC, she did not want to do the job anyhow, but was bounced into it cos her boss was involved in the parties (but not her?).
There is probably no doubt Bonko would stick his dick in a pig, he is that sort of idiot/clown. Cameron seems less likely to, but if he was desperate to join... he would have. We The truth will out in due course..
It's mud slinging by Johnson allies in the Conservative party and nothing more. There's no indication at all that she was anything but thoroughly professional in her role and she's produced a report with all of the facts which was accepted by all parties. Given that this is clearly the way Conservatives think the world operates though, it makes you question the Conservative Party/BBC relationship again.
She's not a very pleasant woman in my view and I very much question that she's done this on moral grounds. She's had these messages for upwards of a year but has held on to them. Now she decides to release them and start with the very points that back up her own (and her partner's) political views. It's very much similar as the Dominic Cummings leaks in my eyes. The right throwing each other under the bus.
At the very best, the optics are awful. Major miscalculation by Starmer here, he's handed the Tories an escape route. There's been rumblings for years about increasing politicisation of the civil service.
Yeah, this is the issue with it. It opens the report, and the Civil Service, up to these kinds of criticism. It is being spun for political gain when, like most things, the reality is probably quite different. I used to chat to a Whitehall Civil Servant during my daughter's swimming lessons. He told me some quite interesting stuff but he was always clear that the Civil Servants and politicos were two completely different beasts.
Well put, makes me realise watching a small news snippet and briefly glancing at a twitter account, doesn't give me the full picture of her personality.
I tend to agree. Strange choice by Starmer. He has opened the door to questions so long as she is in post. I would be quite confident she is entirely professional and will do nothing wrong, but we all now how politicians work these days. It will be a stick he is beaten with constantly and it will create noise if nothing else.
Privileges cttee about to find him guilty of misleading Parliament. Perhaps the distraction publicity of Sue Gray will help Bonko?
