Comments by "Dale Crocker" (@dalecrocker3213) on "" video.

MPs are expected to lie occasionally. It is a political necessity. Johnson though has abused the privilege and brought the House into disrepute. Dawn Butler's brave action could be a very significant nail in his coffin. And it was damned stylish too.
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@Taladar2003 They're quite sensible. Without this rule the level of Parliamentary debate could descend into pointless chaos and become no more than an exchange of insults. Johnson though has abused convention and Dawn Butler has very cleverly called him out.
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She broke the rules. Johnson abused them.
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@lilyadam7318 Everyone is allowed to lie as long it is not made too obvious or employed too often. Johnson fails on both the latter counts.
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@indricotherium4802 She has done many Tories a great favour. She has said out loud which many of them believe but could not say - for obvious reasons.
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@lilyadam7318 No. Parliament does by usually discreet means. Unfortunately since Boris seems to have gone bananas lately he is seemingly beyond polite correction. Dawn Butler has chosen her moment well - which is surprising. Left-wingers are rarely so politically astute. It could have been pure accident though!
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@indricotherium4802 Peter and Polly Punter forgive his failings because he seems so unthreatening, but he really is all over the place. The danger is some immense cock-up which will expose him for what he is: a good comedy writer but a crap politician. Apart from anything else he does seem to be cracking up. Running Carrie and the country at the same time would put a strain on anybody. Playing fantasy cabinet is a foolish task but there really are many good men and true in the Tory ranks - and women too! My preferred choices would probably horrify you. Suffice it to say that I would like to live long enough to see Britain's first black Prime Minister in the shape of Kemi Badenoch. Dawn Butler could be Leader of the Opposition if she's still around.
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This is the Mother of Parliaments not a school debating society.
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You can't use the word liar about an MP or Minister or even lying. It's the actual word which is forbidden, not the thought behind it.
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The first in a fault of character, the second an insult. Back in the day calling someone a liar in public would have meant pistols at dawn.
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She would have to rephrase her accusation in more Parliamentary language ie: "He may occasionally be mistaken in his assessments of the veracity of the information he has been given."
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@mrdaveythebaby A PM cannot make deliberately false statements. He may occasionally have been misinformed by his advisors and inadvertently misled the House - but that's it. This may seem pretty two-faced, but it it is necessary in order to maintain at least semblance of dignity in what is essentially a very undignified process - namely quarrelling violently with people you probably dislike, mistrust and fear.
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They would look like utter clowns and lose several million votes in an instant.
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Johnson has not ignored rules, he has abused privileges - which is worse.
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It's just the word which is forbidden. Any reasonable euphemism is acceptable in Parliament. Johnson CANNOT lie. He can get his facts wrong, that's all.
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@frankkobold No.
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@arturobianco848 It's really the use of the word "liar" that is forbidden. If you can imply that someone is lying without using the word, that's the gentlemanly (or ladylike) way of setting about it. Back in the day calling someone a liar would have meant they were honour bound to challenge you to a duel in response. You can't call an MP drunk either. But you can imply it.
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@arturobianco848 Although the use of the word "liar" may no longer lead to actual bloodshed, it would certainly lead to a degeneration of standards of debate. The Chamber would end up being even more of an adolescent rough-house than it already is. "You're a LIAR!" "I'm not. You are! So there!" And so on.
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@bruce1049 The trouble is that life is not as black and white as you imagine. The truth is an elusive commodity and to pretend to be able to define it is an act of great presumption. This is why we have debates: to arrive at some roughly agreed version of reality. Start slagging people off and the whole thing degenerates into chaos - which is how wars start apart from anything else.
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@bruce1049 Our system is the foundation stone of modern democracy and should only be messed with after the most profound consideration. The IRISH?? One of the most corrupt nations in Europe. Hardly a recommendation.
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@bruce1049 Scandal and politics are inextricably linked, whatever the system. It probably has something to with the character of the people who go in for it. An institution which has evolved over the passage of centuries will inevitably be superior to one which has been devised by a committee.
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@DavidMoxham957 The trouble is a lie has to be proved - and some form of tribunal would be needed for this. It's not the sort of thing you can vote on or expect the Speaker to pass judgement on. Anyway, telling lies is part of politics. Johnson's trouble is he overdoes it a bit. It comes of being a journalist: a profession in which respect for the truth is generally an obstacle to success.
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@DavidMoxham957 They are removed from within their own party structures if they go too far. Legislation would be a nightmare. Johnson is nothing new. Disraeli and Lloyd George were both notorious liars - among others - and lies can often serve the public interest more than the truth. After all, Napoleon said that history is just the lies we agree upon. The truth is the province of philosophers and even they find it impossible to define what it is.
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@chrismcg69 The terms are synonymous I'm afraid. A nation run by compulsive tellers of truth would swiftly be trampled into the dust.
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@indricotherium4802 And the current rank and file dissatisfaction is the result of disappointment in his performance.
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@ravenking1953 May your virtues be forever rewarded. Don't go into politics though.
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@andrewashby70 Generally it does. Lying is often a political necessity but Boris has made too much of a habit of it. Your suggestions would replace debate with authoritarian diktat. Not a good idea.
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@andrewashby70 Lloyd George was one of Britain's most successful politicians - and he lied through his teeth half the time. (He too was a notorious womaniser.) Many others have trod the same path - perhaps most. It is a matter of survival and necessity. The trouble with Johnson is that he is a ham. He is spoiling it for everybody else and Butler has seizes upon the moment with surprising acumen. It's a shame she's such a lefty. If she could get rid of some of her high ideals she might be of use in a future Labour government - if such a thing is ever to exist again, of course. As for the rest - who checks the fact-checkers? Who goes round rapping knuckles when the House brays its disapproval?
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@andrewashby70 The Tory lead in the polls is increasing week by week - despite Johnson, or even possibly because of him! What I find maddening is not that Parliamentary procedure is what it is, but that Johnson should abuse it. It cannot be allowed to continue - nor will it be. There seems to be a feeling that Johnson is cracking under pressure and has lost the plot. Butler has caught the mood and has done herself proud in the process. Such a pity she is caught up so much in the idealistic pseudo-Marxist woke nonsense which is currently dragging her party down.
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