NOW we have seen with our own eyes what Boris Johnson and many others have known all the way through this saga. We can only surmise that they have all lied to themselves, to the country, to parliament and that every Tory MP who has gone on the airwaves and defended Boris has colluded in his lying, along with the hacks who were reportedly also present.

We are now at the stage where every Tory MP who does not call for his resignation is also culpable and party to allowing Boris Johnson to continue to lie to country, to parliament and to every person who followed the rules and was not able to be with dying relatives and friends and worked through the pandemic even when they did not have the PPE needed.

WATCH: Scottish Tories blank PM resignation questions as pressure grows

It is almost incomprehensible to anyone that Boris could stand up in parliament as often as he has and lie and obfuscate as he has while knowing all along the truth. It must have taken some very fancy lawyer speak to get him wriggled off that hook – but it will not wash with the rest of us.

All those present at these parties have colluded and kept the details under wraps – trying to hope that we will forget and that time will make the problems disappear. We now have to show that we will not forget and that every Tory helping to keep Boris Johnson lying to parliament is just as bad as him in refusing to accept their responsibility for what should happen now.

The excuse that most upset me was when we were told again and again how hard everyone in Downing Street was working – I can tell you they were not working as hard as all staff in hospitals and care homes, in the community and in public transport and utilities with very little thought for their own safety but a desire to do their very best for their communities.

Winifred McCartney
Paisley

PHOTOGRAPHS of the Prime Minister raising a glass toasting a retiring official in a booze-filled room of people – in contravention of the very ban on indoor gatherings Johnson himself inflicted on the rest of us who conformed to it, thereby preventing our contact with elderly and dying relatives and even attendance at funerals – and yet Johnson felt able to tell parliament there was no party or illegal gathering.

Doesn’t it now seem crystal clear that Johnson lied to parliament and that as this is proscribed for his office, he should now resign immediately?

READ MORE: Boris Johnson blamed for partygate rule breaking by No 10 insiders

And this being the case, haven’t all those who defended and supported him rather than hold him to account for his serial lies over his time in office shown they too are unfit for office and should also resign?

Hasn’t the Conservative party, by failing to observe parliamentary standards, shown itself to be unfit to govern the country and should be forced to seek a renewed mandate from the electorate?

In the face of the clear breakdown of parliamentary standards by this conservative government, and the failure of the Speaker of the House of Commons to ensure standards, shouldn’t the opposition agree to jointly withdraw from the Chamber until proper action is taken to redress these failures?

READ MORE: Boris Johnson denies telling Sue Gray to conceal partygate report

Finally, it is becoming increasingly clear that the conduct of the Metropolitan Police in handling matters concerning “partygate” needs forensic examination through a full public inquiry.

The Met’s actions have been appalling, from the failure of officers guarding Downing Street to ensure the law of the land was complied with, the unprecedented issuing of questionnaires to those involved, the issuing of fines to some at events and not other attendees of the same, and the clear attempt by government to influence aspects of the investigation regarding fines, timings etc.

“Do as I say and not as I do” is not the bedrock of any form of democracy. Don’t we Scots need to take notice here, and ask ourselves why we couldn’t do better away from such sleazy Westminster government?

Jim Taylor
Edinburgh

WHO is worse? A compulsive liar? Or those who defend the compulsive liar?

Euan Lindsay
via thenational.scot

IT could only happen in Westminster – although parliament will provide the judge and jury, the Prime Minster appears to be playing the roles of the prosecutor, the accused and the court of appeal in Partygate.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

IT is easy, far too easy, to dismiss Mhairi Black’s speech as over-heated rhetoric, as some have done. Yet history has shown the dangers of complacency.

Readers might find it of interest to catch up with the BBC documentary series, The Rise of the Nazis. It is excellent and informative, with some insightful analysis from experts, presented in an unusual but accessible way. Each programme produced at least one single phrase or thought that is memorable precisely because of its contemporary relevance.

READ MORE: Mhairi Black goes viral with speech about fascism in the UK

In programme one a commentator said: “Hitler told lies and used empty slogans to make the German people feel good.” In programme three, there was: “He was a man who felt he was above the law.” Or programme four: “A lot of authoritarian figures disregard intelligence, they disregard expertise, they disregard the educated people...”

Moreover, if serious commentators and academics did not share Mhairi Black’s concerns about the risks faced at present by liberal democracies, there would not have been, in recent years, the spate of books we have seen such as The Twilight of Democracy, How Democracy Ends or “How to Lose a Country, to name but three.

Another quote from the BBC series was “all such regimes need is quiet complicity.” We in Scotland need to be aware of these dangers and forge our own path.

Gavin Brown
Linlithgow