Trump and Johnson following a pattern

Perhaps they kept quiet and just let him bluster on, Furret rather than look undignified too.

I know you know, of course.

Which ‘many’ would that be I wonder? The many armchair experts I expect.

PS if only the politics did depend on the science. In the opinion of many Boris is riding rough-shod over the statistics in his efforts to protect the economy,

It will prove to be false economy in the long term.

I know that Callistemon and as such should have stood their ground and demanded the respect from Boris that their position, qualifications and experience demanded.

They failed in that duty.

They should have spoken up.

Another Trumpian

Martin Lewis
@MartinSLewis
·
1h
WHAT IS
@10DowningStreet
SCARED OF?

Today the Chancellor makes his next big support scheme announcement. MSE & I've been explaining these for 10wks, with millions following our journalism

And again No10's just said "No, you CAN'T ask Q at the press conference"

Furret may I correct your statement that the two scientific advisers are Johnson's sidekicks.

They are highly qualified professional scientific advisers.
Johnson was wrong to butt in before they could speak.

They may well, of course, have said that this was a political question not a scientific one and they preferred not to comment but he did not give them the chance.
However, the lines are blurred here because the politics of this is dependent on the science.

The independent sage group say that the government is actually ignoring the advice given by the official sage group. Isn't it time the members of the official sage group actually did their job and told the british public that the government were going against their advice?

Since when has asking a scientist and a medical officer if they would recommend that someone drives a car to see if their eyesight is safe enough to drive a car [when being concerned that it wasn't] a political question? Because that is one of the questions that was blocked.

Surely we've all noticed the avoidance tactics and deflection of blame. The shutting down with 'scientists don't answer political questions' was pathetic. He wants to 'draw a line under it and move on' - but it's not working.

Nick Robinson
@bbcnickrobinson
·
20h
This is not a real news conference. The Chief Medical Officer & Chief Scientific Officer have either been gagged &/or have told No 10 that they will not publicly back the PM’s defence of Dominic Cummings. Follow up questions have been stopped.

Unfortunately, Boris' defence of Cummings' actions does have a knock-on effect in terms of the virus. Anything that makes people think that breaking the rules is OK carries the possibility of further spread and a worse second wave. The scientists are fully aware of that and will have an opinion on it and should not have been silenced.

Technically didn't Boris read Classics. I think Stanley read Greats?

Some people were always aware of the charlatan, and we can’t say we weren’t warned.

JW expressing my bewilderment that he managed a degree when he's obviously not that bright. Very odd.
Yes, most likely a Viva not an oral. What was Stanley's old college?

Cheap laughs about shutting a woman up? Really. Very antidiluvian ??

Ian Blackford went HOME to Skye and ISOLATED for 14 days ,its all there for you to see.He didn't go on a jolly ,he went home to work on his farm .

I find your breathless admiration for a charlatan who can speak two dead languages but is unable to put a coherent sentence together in his own language, just a wee bit nauseating, Jw. Not to mention unconvincing of his supposed 'cleverness'. Try giving us some concrete examples of his 'cleverness' that relates to the modern world...particularly to this current crisis.

I am not sure you are correct about an oral exam . I believe there may be a viva which is different.

The scientists were there to give their scientific opinion and advise, not to be asked their opinions on political matters. They were quite right not to become embroiled in anything other than that for which they were employed and Boris was quite right to make sure that is exactly what happened.
Furret I'm not sure that many of us have a classics degree or are actually fluent in Latin and ancient greek! This degree would have required an oral exam as well as written. Not easy to get someone else to do it for you, which I think is what you were suggesting!
Wonder why there's no inquiry into Ian Blackford?!! I think what he did bearing in mind his wife's ill health was eminently sensibly , but surely it must break the spirit of lockdown as did Stephen Kinnock and by all accounts others too. Why all the fuss about DC and clearly no one else?!!

Emily Maitliss
@LKTranslator
·
21h
Turns out I've broken one of the BBC's rules on impartiality which is as follows:

Rule 42.1(b) Staff must not report factual information which casts the Conservative Party in a bad light or conflicts with our organisation's mission to preserve the status quo.

I am so sorry x

^I watched the briefing and thought that there was a definite
blocking by Johnson^ Prof Vallance was asked afterwards how he felt about it westendgirl and he replied ‘as a civil servant we are supposed to be apolitical and neutral in our responses so I was glad not to have to answer’. So, not worrying at all!

Johnson's behaviour at the briefing was outrageous. Whitty and Vallance lost all credibility - shown to be yes men.

The public health message has gone. I live in a part of the country that has so far seen very low rates of infection - in other words there are very few of us who have had the virus, so there will be low immunity. The beaches are packed, people have been told they can drive wherever they like for childcare, and scientists have been gagged. I suppose the only positive is that in refusing to answer it showed they don't agree with Cummings' actions.

My son is working for track and trace - I am hoping I can persuade him to count the number of times he gets told to fuck off each day.

Also lots of very usually moderate people (including myself) refusing to download the app because that's such a mess. Our death rate is going to be even more shameful than it already is.

Perhaps if journalists were not so aggressive and gave people a chance to answer their questions, politicians might be more co-operative. It seems to be the policy to immediately put them on the defensive, which doesn't make for a good interview.
On the odd occasion that the journalist is polite and chatty (Huw Edwards, Joanna Gosling) they get a much better response from the person being interviewed.

Journalists including those at the BBC are entitled to express opinions when they disagree with politicians. It is there job to get answers from politicians who do their best to ignore anyone who questions them. Biased may be, but aren't we all biased especially when we feel that Cummings, Johnson, Trump etc. have gone too far,

I belong to several pro-EU facebook groups in particular Scientists for the EU, Open Britain and now Campaign to Rejoin the EU. They do tend to be ranting shops where people agree with each other. There are probably pro-Brexit groups to which I not belong.

Granset has a spectrum of different views and also we generally are pleasant to each other. Many of you want me to stop going on about Brexit. Rather than being asked to put up and shupt up I would appreciate constructive debate explaining why Leavers voted Leave and in the cold light of today why they still feel it is best to Leave. Then I may be persuaded to change my views.

Individuals have the right to change their minds, so why were millions denied the right to a "People's Vote" on Brexit. The winning margin was narrow, around 3 million voters from 2016 have since died, about the same number of younger voters are now eligible to vote on their future.

The solution to Northern Ireland is far from satisfactory. You will loose your EHIC card, farmers will be poorer, fishermen who have a case did sell quotas. We really do understand so much more than we did in 2016. Just tell me who aside from Cummings, Gove, Johnson and Rees-Mogg will benefit from Brexit.

Somebody shut Laura Kuenssberg up?
Give that man a medal !