Trump and Johnson following a pattern

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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"

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.

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.

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

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

I know you know, of course.