tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post6211992910073382002..comments2023-08-20T11:07:28.396+01:00Comments on Freeborn John: The Boris TapePeter Risdonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792275403997179926noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-39019036198930746012009-04-01T19:50:00.000+01:002009-04-01T19:50:00.000+01:00There was a time when someone in Boris's social ci...There was a time when someone in Boris's social circle would be expected to cut dead "one whose friend had misappropriated cash".adnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-71890999133978219612009-03-30T15:13:00.000+01:002009-03-30T15:13:00.000+01:00I don't buy the argument that Boris he has condone...I don't buy the argument that Boris he has condoned or excused Guppy's behaviour. I am not really sure this is in the public interest, really, as we are unlikely to be treated to anything more than the repetition of rumour.tired and emotionalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-39177970471463165332009-03-30T14:34:00.000+01:002009-03-30T14:34:00.000+01:00Well, if Guppy has gained favours then Johnson wou...Well, if Guppy has gained favours then Johnson would have to resign. I don't think that's the case and as I said in the main post, Johnson's resignation is not something I'd like to see.<BR/><BR/>I think huge areas of a politician's life should remain private, unless they happen to be seeking to impose laws on the rest of us that they contradict with their private behaviour.<BR/><BR/>This issue, though, cannot fall into the private. You can't condone and excuse law breaking - even in old school friends - and at the same time have political power over a part of the legal process.<BR/><BR/>I think Johnson has a public duty to make it clear he agrees with this.Peter Risdonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792275403997179926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-4316630845327531322009-03-30T14:23:00.000+01:002009-03-30T14:23:00.000+01:00I don't know where we should draw the line between...I don't know where we should draw the line between the public and the private. Should there even be a line? Is everything up for grabs - and saleable for public consumption and titillation - just because someone asks about something? Is there any rumour or suggestion that Guppy has gained favours from the Mayor of London? Or does the mere fact of the possibility, despite Boris' prior refusal to so help at a time when he had much less to lose, force Boris to perform a mea culpa in the 'court of public opinion'?tired and emotionalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-60118560702553625812009-03-30T14:13:00.000+01:002009-03-30T14:13:00.000+01:00T&E, that's OK. I expect to take some flak...T&E, that's OK. I expect to take some flak for this. <BR/><BR/>I don't care at all about the incident 20 years ago. It was irrelevant then and it's irrelevant now. Boris didn't help. End of story.<BR/><BR/>What I am concerned about is now. Does Johnson maintain a relationship with an unrepentant criminal whose modus operandi included the deliberate and calculated leveraging of the power, influence and connections of his contacts? The Mayor of London is a powerful contact for such a man.<BR/><BR/>I broadly like Boris too, and an earlier post of mine, while entirely true in every respect, was timed to help his election campaign and, I think, had that effect. And thank goodness he got rid of the appalling Livingstone.<BR/><BR/>This was a very hard decision to make. I actually canvassed opinion from others in the political blogosphere, who will remain nameless because the decision was mine.<BR/><BR/>But I concluded this is too important. As it happens, and as I had feared might be the case, I think Dispatches dropped the ball and didn't follow up this point with the vigour it deserves.Peter Risdonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792275403997179926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-50419045826665554532009-03-30T14:04:00.000+01:002009-03-30T14:04:00.000+01:00Peter, I apologise for calling you a shit. You don...Peter, <BR/><BR/>I apologise for calling you a shit. You don't come across as one and I shouldn't have said it. You are entitled to do what ever you like with your tape recording, I just find it hard to believe that you've changed your mind on the basis of reading a two line exchange reported in the Independent in 1999.<BR/><BR/>I'm also struggling to see what it is you want Boris to do here - is it a public humiliation that you are after a la Jacqui Smith's poor husband? Do you want Boris to publicallly repudiate and condemn Guppy, some 18-19 years after your recording? What is the point of co-operating with Channel 4 on this?<BR/><BR/>And, while I do broadly support Boris (he's a little left-wing for my taste), I am not sure how I would feel about a genuinely left-wing politician who was in a similiar position. <BR/><BR/>One of the elements I like least about politics - and the media - is the tendency to smear and destroy people when they themselves cannot be shown to have acted illegally or improperly in relation to the events that have occasioned comment. <BR/><BR/>That should apply across the board regardless of political views (though I won't claim to live up to this aspiration 100%). <BR/><BR/>Regards<BR/><BR/>T&Etired and emotionalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-41689659643565647752009-03-30T11:31:00.000+01:002009-03-30T11:31:00.000+01:00T&E, I'm appalled you're happy to set ...T&E, I'm appalled you're happy to set aside rules you'd insist applied to political opponents when it comes to people whose politics you agree with.Peter Risdonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792275403997179926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-73751728419957160912009-03-30T11:08:00.000+01:002009-03-30T11:08:00.000+01:00You shit. Really. I had considerable respect for y...You shit. Really. I had considerable respect for your clearly stated position that by handling the conversation in the way that he did Johnson prevented or at least impeded a journalist from being beaten up. Why should Johnson now have to throw a friend or former friend under the bus just because you feel that a general group of people are offensive in their behaviour? Don't you think that the willingness to reject a friend, no matter how flawed, just because the media pressure is on is actually a symptom of the kind of dishonesty that you claim to dislike rather than some sort of badge of honour or integrity? Ultimately, if you are worried about Boris' judgement as Mayor then question his actions as Mayor, not his private relationships with old school friends.tired and emotionalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12471112.post-79652876124421865652009-03-29T14:00:00.000+01:002009-03-29T14:00:00.000+01:00Fair enough. I too loath the way that our rulers ...Fair enough. I too loath the way that our rulers exempt themselves from the laws and rules that they impose on everyone else. But a word of caution: much of the population would snigger at the implication of "dole claimants who behaved in the same way would be fined or imprisoned". Who on earth believes that there's any consistent, substantial effort made to police the dole claimants' frauds? I bet they overwhelmingly get off as scot-free as the bankers.deariemenoreply@blogger.com