[embee]

The rest of the world look at us and wonder just how on earth the UK has let itself get into this situation. We used to be respected.

Someone I know said to me recently that there is a word in the English (sic) language for which not all other languages have a direct equivalent, and that word is "decency".
We generally all know what this word means, all the underlying connotations and implied values etc.
I think we will find out over the next few days/weeks just how many of the political masses actually have any sense of "decency".

Recidivism is very predictable, if someone does something wrong, lies about it and gets away with it, they will do it again and again. While being unfair to leopards, they do not change their spots. Pathological liars will remain so. Johnson could have just said he knew about the previous complaints but made a mistake in the appointment, and yet again brazened it out and he'd have got away with it (yet again), but he had to lie. To hang out his cabinet and junior ministers to dry by getting them to lie for him was reprehensible and indicative of the total absence of decency of the man. Utterly despicable in every respect.
It's the kid who gets caught with their hand in the biscuit jar, Johnson's mind works on that level. "It wasn't me, it was him."