Laura Kuenssberg / Dominic Cummings

[Snake Plissken]

I haven't read it as the Centrists, I've just seen reporters pearl clutching whenever someone simply cuts through the bullshit. It took less than 24 hours for someone to stick together a cut of the Government's own words, something that ITV, the BBC and Sky have failed to do. They should simply have been playing that at Grant Shapps or whoever.

That is before the long established tradition of politicians pulling the "won't somebody think of the children" card whenever they want to.

[jwdd27]

Where has this story been for the past month?

Interested in the timing of the story, a cynic might think it's been deliberately leaked as a distraction, but from anything specific, or just the whole government response in general?

[ursus arctos]

My guess is that the papers' lawyers demanded that they have witnesses willing to go on the record and that getting that agreement took time (and allowed the Government to stonewall their inquiries).

[That Night In Barcelona]

https://twitter.com/PrayForPatrick/status/1264617020215242763

The phrase 'deleted' is trending on Twitter, apparently about this supposedly deleted tweet from the civil service - anyone know if it's a hoax?

[That Night In Barcelona]

Looks like I can answer my own question.

https://twitter.com/cabinetofficeuk/status/1264613950790008835

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1264617551411261441

[jwdd27]

I'm guessing someone thought they were on their personal account, rather than that of their (soon to be ex) employer. Whoops.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Laura K is back on shift.

[Nefertiti2]

My guess is that the papers' lawyers demanded that they have witnesses willing to go on the record and that getting that agreement took time (and allowed the Government to stonewall their inquiries).

But Laura Kuennsberg must have known where Cummings was. And the entire staff of the Spectator where Mrs Cummings is deputy editor l.

[ursus arctos]

How is that relevant to the papers' legal position?

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

I'm guessing someone thought they were on their personal account, rather than that of their (soon to be ex) employer. Whoops.

Anyone with access to that account wouldn't tweet anything like that on their own account either (unless it was very carefully anonymised). The most likely seems to be a hack, though I like the more romantic notion that it was a disgruntled employee going out in a blaze of glory.

[Kowalski]

[URL="https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1264625453379321859"]https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/stat...25453379321859[/URL]

[Nefertiti2]

How is that relevant to the papers' legal position?

A lot of journalists knew this story. Quite a lot of members of the public kept telling them on Twitter. No one was interested.

[ursus arctos]

Put me in the "blaze of glory" camp

It is very rare for hackers to be that on point

[ursus arctos]

Nef, neither of us know what was happening, but I think that it is rather more likely that the Observer and Mirror were working to satisfy legal advice than "not caring".

If they didn't care ten days ago, what inspired them to run the story now?

[Ray de Galles]

https://twitter.com/jimwaterson/status/1264611287696396295?s=21

[Antepli Ejderha]

“I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent,” Johnson said.

Johnson's efforts as a parent and gayet seem to be deny he is one, which is what Cummings is also doing.

So what has Laura K been saying?

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/skynewsSam/status/1264608248797241345

[Antepli Ejderha]

Why are Sky News joining in?

[Balderdasha]

Why are Sky News joining in?

Anything to distract from the US death toll nearing 100,000 presumably.

[Nefertiti2]

https://twitter.com/AyoCaesar/status/1264638367838408704?s=20

[Ray de Galles]

Why are Sky News joining in?

Sky News has broadcast a lot of highly critical coverage of this government since it was elected and especially during the C19 pandemic. It's also not owned by Murdoch any more.

[Snake Plissken]

Hats off to that tweeter. If you’re gonna go, that’s how you do it.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

https://twitter.com/AyoCaesar/status/1264638367838408704?s=20

These people are all talk and no stabbing. The spirit of wat tyler lives on in the heart of every saxon yeoman it appears.

[Nefertiti2]

Haven't heard the phrase "all talk and no stabbing before" but I suggest it's not one of your best.