Partygate

Back to the COVID outbreak, and Boris Johnson's government had many tough decisions to make, the country was put into lockdown, people couldn't see loved ones or dying relatives, all whilst no.10 partied.

Credit to Channel four for making this drama documentary, and for using Sue Gray's comprehensive report for its content.

It's well acted, although were they all such a privileged bunch of posh boys and girls? I hope they played the actual people with a degree of tongue in cheek. Clever that they don't focus on Cullshaw too much.

The interviews with ordinary members of the public have a real sobering effect, they really do hammer home what was actually happening in the real world outside of The Westminster bubble.

I wonder how much of this will actually influence the next General Election, it will be a while before the public trust the party again.

8/10.

Wine time Friday, wtf indeed.

Having lived through the pandemic, this programme was absolutely fascinating but at the same time pretty difficult to watch - it really hit home hard, as with the majority of us all, the lockdowns and restrictions put in place affected us all.

This depiction of the events that happened at No.10 really dramatises the complete flagrant disregard of rules, and laws our complete inept government put in place, that they clearly felt they were not subject to.

It is a total insult that whilst they were clearly having a jolly good time on cheese and wine, hard working people who simply wanted to see their loved ones, weren't able to, and if they did they incurred a ludicrous and disproportionate fine for breaking these rules....and Boris & crew, who were found guilty paid a measly £50 for the same breaches.

I'm not a politically driven person at all, but this has utterly infuriated me, and I feel downright upset how we have all been taken for mugs.

I didn't expect this watch to be so difficult or emotional, so toy may find the same, so be aware.

I watched Partygate to try to understand what went on in No. 10 during the covid lockdowns. I am not surprised by its content but I am angered by it. It's not a particularly good piece of drama but it is worth watching to learn about what happened behind "closed" doors while most ordinary people were obeying the rules. It has an interesting cast with quite a few familiar faces. I quite liked the interplay of acting interspersed with real footage from 2020/2021 although it has left me feeling angry, sad and rebellious. I think it's a drama to be filed safely away for the record and watched by future generations who want to look back in history.

Prior to watching this docudrama I was a staunch supporter of Boris. And defended the parties as work place gatherings as we hear the lady doing near to the beginning. I felt Boris had been hounded out of office unfairly. Watching this dramatisation has sowed the seed of doubt in my mind. If the parties were on the scale depicted in the drama nobody including the prime minister could possibly justify them as small work place gatherings. Perhaps I have been duped by very left wing film makers? Although the film does cite the Sue Gray report throughout to support the account it gives. The acting was appalling though.

As you're watching Partygate, you ask yourself 'Did this really happen?' And then you are shown the evidence to prove it from the Sue Gray Report; testimonies of family of those who died, who weren't allowed into hospital to say goodbye; film of mourners at funerals who were not permitted to comfort others. Reminders of the awful things the rest of the country was suffering, at the exact same time Johnson and his staff were living it up at 14 parties and then lied about it. This is a tough watch, but as the Covid Inquiry is deliberately kicked into the long grass, I think it's really important we're reminded of this.