Perhaps Boris is not the best person........

I don’t hate him urm

I just desperately wish we had a leader worthy of its name.

Sorry Luckygirl but I think you are allowing your dislike of BJ to colour the debate on this.
For a start, how do you know the message isn’t getting across because you think he isn’t the ‘best person’ to do it?
There is a case ( true or not) to think that because he is liked by a lot of people ( including Labour heartlands) who think of him as a sort of regular guy, the message is actually getting across better than from say a disapproving looking Corbyn or a haughty looking Jeremy Hunt.
We can’t possibly know is the answer, and my thoughts on it are that the people still doing exactly as they like are those who would always do exactly as they like, up until the army actually arrive to round them up, and that BJ is doing alright so far.

Whether BJ is the best person to do the job in hand is irrelevant. He's who we've got whether we like it or no. Stop moaning and do your best.

Sorry, but I think he’s doing brilliantly. I like his delivery, it sounds very....normal. It may not be well rehearsed, but I think he just sounds like any one else would..just human. I think the mistakes were made in the beginning, when we were told 4 out of 5 people will either not be affected at all, or just mildly. It may be they didn’t want to panic us, but I feel it’s led to this blasé “ it won’t happen to me” attitude. Maybe we should have locked down sooner, we’ll never know.

If the message was getting across how come so many people ignored it at the weekend. And, it seems to me that it's the people that probably dislike Johnson that are actually behaving more sensibly. And we're not stuck with him. Even a Conservative MP said we should have a government of national unity at the moment.

Where on earth are Jack Hawkins, Kenneth More and Richard Todd when you need them?
?

It will be several years from now when it is all done and dusted and a proper commission would have been set up to find out how well this government behaved during this crisis. Unfortunately, for too long BJ appeared to be concerned about business and finance than about the health of the general public. So, too much came rather late and contradicted what had been said earlier.
Only thing I can say, is that it could be worse, if Trump was also in charge here - he seems to be in total denial about the whole thing (like he was /is about climate change), Imagine he will now be able to cancel the elections due to be held later this year and continue as 'president'. He seems to be distancing himself from many public announcements -probably working on the theory that if things go reasonably well he can take the credit and if they go wrong (more likely), he can disclaim responsibility.

If the message was getting across how come so many people ignored it at the weekend.

Because they don't like being told what to do is the simplest reason so probably the right one.

Urmston ?they are on the deck of a warship wearing duffle coats and holding mugs of cocoa and looking noble, somewhere in the North Atlantic.

Labaik I think the reason that people ignored the message, has nothing to do with BJ, a lot of them were young families with children who wanted to get away on holiday, I’m sure a lot of them had plans for the Easter break and they were blowed if they were going to stay at home so off they all went.
I think also that the message that ‘if you’re young it’s like the flu’ has really done some damage. It might be true , but the younger people don’t seem to be treating it seriously, then of course there are people who really don’t give a damn.
A 29 yr old marathon runner is recovering from Covid 19 and he says it’s like he was dying, but no news of this on the BBC just online, maybe if more of the idiots thought they would catch it too, they would stay at home

Isn't Johnson responsible for telling people the truth and isn't he responsible for not enforcing a lockdown last week? I know of one pub that still opened for meals on Sunday and served drinks till 9.30.

Enforcing lockdowns needs laws to be put in place first, we are not China.
I think it’s exactly the right time, after the general public can see it really has to be done.

People have to take responsibility, why didn’t you go and report the Pub? Did you go in and ask what they were doing and why? Did you contact your local Parish Council and tell them ? Or your local Trading Standards?

We all have to be responsible , BJ is on TV telling people what to do, the lockdown came when the experts told him it was the right time.

in fact they probably don’t even watch the news.

We've been saying this all along. Boris is preaching to the converted. He probably knows that though but it still has to be said.

I have never voted Conservative, disliked Boris Johnson intensely however, I believe he is doing a good job, I'd only people would believe the message he is giving. Many are not hearing it, they still believe it is not going affect them, for whatever reason; arrogance, youth, greed, ignorance, fear...who knows. But this is real, we all need to listen and for once, do what we are told.

What I am saying is not political and what I might or might not think about BJ is irrelevant. I would certainly be saying the same things if it were Corbyn doing it.

It is about how we get the message across, as clearly this has not happened yet for so many people - and our lives are in the hands of everyone at the moment.

I hoped to initiate a debate about good ways of getting he message across.

BJ is known to be unreliable with the truth and many people will dismiss what he says - Corbyn is hopelessly flippy-floppy and many will have dismissed him in the same way.

Maybe there is a better way?

Oopsadaisy; the pub is 300 miles away and I only heard about it today....don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger...

I believe the mayor of New York is good.

Luckgirl do you remember the ‘ old days’ during elections, we had vans going around with a chap inside with a huge loud speaker on the top.

Imagine hundreds of vans going around the towns and villages, shouting at people to get off of the streets. I’d like them to follow it up with a water cannon but I don’t suppose we have any, or if it would be allowed..........sadly.

It might work

labaik ok you are officially let off....
I have heard that some pubs that are doing take away food are offering drinks at the bar whilst you wait. How thoughtful of them.....

To answer the original OP, maybe he's not "the best", (although I think he's doing a great job at the moment) but he's a million times better than this poor excuse of a leader would have been

I usually think of Boris as a clown. Despite that, I must admit to being impressed by yesterday's honest speech.

However, most people didn't vote for him and take little notice of the rules. We'll all have to suffer far more (all of us obeying the rules now) if (probably when) things proceed to total lockdown. We'll hardly be able to leave our homes, maybe one person allowed to the nearest shop. No walks outside. There will be roadblocks and army everywhere!

However, most people didn't vote for him

Eh?

Don’t shoot the messenger.

Would you all rather bring back Theresa May?
Do you think she would a better job of it all??