The UK response to Covid-19 [MOD WARNING 1ST POST]

BonnieSituation

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Poor Mr Johnson. Not looking very Churchillian these days. More like Kermit than Winston.

Kermit wasn't a genocidal racist. I'd rather be Kermit.

Igotadose

Beth Rigby for the win.

Enzokk

Johnson asked a good question from Keunssberg, he promised maximum transparency but why did he not tell the public about the trips Cummings took?

A waffle that he may have been sick at the time and not remembered as he was sick at the time and waffle and not really an answer, no follow up allowed.

Good question from Peston as well about why Cummings was afraid of security at his house during the lockdown when it would have been safer at the time, another waffle and non answer and no follow up.

Beth Rigby, asking about Cummings account undermines the government message according to the scientists and if he is undermining this message to keep Cummings. Answer, he repeats the government message and doesn't answer the question at all and talks over her when she is trying to get him to answer her question. Something about washing your hands and no follow up.

This is a joke.

PropJoe10

This is an absolute shambles. Cummings today and now Boris completely fudging the whole issue. Their credibility is out the window.

major bill

Wash yer hands folks

BonnieSituation

Igotadose wrote: »

Beth Rigby for the win.

That question from Beth was a hand grenade.

Wow.

People will make up their minds Boris!

Haha.....now all we need to do to be safe is wash our hands

But in all seriousness, it is obvious now that Cummings is not going anywhere

Banner fights back

Boris Johnson. The master of deflection. Another horrible car crash of a presser, if anything worse than yesterday. There will some movie made out of this!!

Strazdas

Richard Hillman wrote: »

I think it is a truly momentus day for Britain when the media machine unleashed total war on an individual to be sacked from their job and were unsuccessful.


I would imagine the paper editors will try and keep the pressure on by having people stand outside his home.

This is not about a man who drove his family to Durham, or left v right, or Brexit, it is about a man in a senior political position that believes that modern media is irrelevant. The mainstream media are witnessing their end. The media pile-on is paperweight when everybody stands firm.

To be replaced by the alt right / far right media?

Enzokk

Holy crap, he has gone all Trump by making a medical statement on eyesight and the disease when asked if it is plausible that he drove 60 miles to test his eyesight.

He is a joke, but wash your hands people.

Igotadose

Guardian reporter: "60 miles to test your eyesight?"
Bojo: "It's plausible eyesight can have problems."
Now attacking (ineptly) the newspaper. He was asked about MP's wanting Cumming's head, deflected to a (possible) inaccurate news story. Trumpy.

Strazdas

BonnieSituation wrote: »

That question from Beth was a hand grenade.

Wow.

People will make up their minds Boris!

It was quite funny in fact. Most popular theory doing the rounds is that Johnson is lazy, useless and hates hard work and that Cummings is the real PM.....no wonder Johnson can't possibly survive without him.

Enzokk

More support for Cummings and the message is that people has to move on.

https://twitter.com/rhymerrigby/status/1264984133224280064?s=20

Shaney Boy

I thought the purpose of the lockdown was to avoid the spread of virus. Why the hell were 2 Covid carriers heading to the North of England to visit elderly relatives. It would have been bad enough if they were Covid free.

BonnieSituation

The whole point of Cummings' presser today was to give Boris the ability to say "Dominic covered all of that today".

That was it.

devnull

Cutting up both Beth Rigby and Robert Peston by either talking over them or cutting them off there during follow ups and having petty digs about they've had enough questions already.

Didn't answer any specific questions and avoided them repeating the same old soundbites and honestly was not convincing at all. No doubt he'll say that it's the media stitching him up.

Absolutely pathetic and that's before we talk about the glasses stunt, the discussion about maximum transparency, humility and the attempt at deadcatting and the fall back on washing hands now everything else has been destroyed.

Seth Brundle

#clapforcummings

https://twitter.com/TheTwittaTwat/status/1264978833461202946?s=19

Enzokk

BonnieSituation wrote: »

The whole point of Cummings' presser today was to give Boris the ability to say "Dominic covered all of that today".

That was it.

Yes, and the message from whoever is doing the press briefing tomorrow will be to move on. These guys won 365 seats at the last election. I would be glib and say people are going to die, but we know thousands are dead unnecessarily already because you have them in charge in a time of crises.

banie01

Boris' avoided and skipped questions, raced thru with no follow ups.

This is a complete shambles and after Cummings display of outright arrogance combined with messianic instances of recovery....

Both Boris and Cummings have to go.

The instance where Dom was so I'll he could barely walk, the child gets sick and is ambulanced to hospital with his wife.
Child is given the all clear and released the next morning, but as there are no taxi's Dom recovers to an extent that allows him to drive in and collect them?!

There need to be questions asked regarding Mr Cummings judgement.
From driving 260miles, to driving to the hospital during a febrile and debilitating stage of his illness, then to test his eyesight and ability to drive, by taking a 60mile round drive to a local beauty spot (On what has been reported as coincidentally being his wife's birthday) for a little sit and stroll?

Before returning to London after receiving expert medical advice?

Aside from the complete lack of common sense on display prior to that?
Why did he not seek such medical advice before he travelled in the 1st place?

This is a man at the core of shaping British foreign and domestic policy, his judgement if the thought process he outlined is valid, is extremely suspect.

What's worse is that if this a story he spun to cover his arse, is that this is the best he could do and didn't even deign his behaviour worthy of an apology...

Shocking and abhorrent arrogance tbh.

ChikiChiki

So the Tory front bench are tweeting again this evening that they support Cummings account, no lies were told and its time for everyone to move on.

Do they not realise that saying nothing is probably better?

devnull

Enzokk wrote: »

Yes, and the message from whoever is doing the press briefing tomorrow will be to move on. These guys won 365 seats at the last election. I would be glib and say people are going to die, but we know thousands are dead unnecessarily already because you have them in charge in a time of crises.

Just looked back at the press conference on Sky having previously watched it elsewhere and noticed when Rigby was asking her question they were showing a studio shot of her asking the initial question alongside the main feeds showing her listening even when she wasn't on screen in the main feed

You could clearly see even before she was heard trying to follow up she was speaking for a few seconds beforehand which didn't come through at all. Do Sky do this on a regular basis or is it just to show that Beth is trying to follow up but being prevented from doing so? Wonder if we will see others doing similar if they persist with stopping follow ups?

Meanwhile, this is the view of the ex head of the BBC Political Unit, who hired Laura K and defended her heavily:
https://twitter.com/RobbieGibb/status/1264970878766460928

MadYaker

Elect clowns and you get a circus. That was unbelievable.

Enzokk

devnull wrote: »

Just looked back at the press conference on Sky having previously watched it elsewhere and noticed when Rigby was asking her question they were showing a studio shot of her asking the initial question and listening even when she wasn't on screen in the main feed

You could clearly see even before she was heard trying to follow up she was speaking for a few seconds beforehand which didn't come through at all. Do Sky do this on a regular basis or is it just to show that Beth is trying to follow up but being prevented from doing so?

Sky shows the video's of all those asking the question so you can see if they are asking a follow up or not.

Johnson caught in another strange statement, says he started using glasses but said in 2014 he was blind as a bat.

https://twitter.com/david_conn/status/1264991747228254208?s=20

devnull

Enzokk wrote: »

Sky shows the video's of all those asking the question so you can see if they are asking a follow up or not.

Good idea, seems they are wise of the tricks.

Johnson caught in another strange statement, says he started using glasses but said in 2014 he was blind as a bat.

https://twitter.com/david_conn/status/1264991747228254208?s=20

No surprise there, wouldn't know honesty if it slapped him in the face.

VinLieger

Now the Church of England are getting in on the game, numerous Bishops calling for his sacking or the COE will stop working directly with Johnsons government.

This on the surface isnt massively impactful but for them to get involved in Politics to this granular a level of demanding someone be sacked is very out of the oridinary is indicative again of the outrage many many people are feeling that the rules dont count for a select few.

PropJoe10

Well, I think it's fairly to say that Boris won't be relishing PMQ's on Wednesday. Starmer will be giving it the full prosecution lawyer treatment.

VinLieger

PropJoe10 wrote: »

Well, I think it's fairly to say that Boris won't be relishing PMQ's on Wednesday. Starmer will be giving it the full prosecution lawyer treatment.

I haven't watched since the whole prorogation debacle but ill deffinitely tune in this week.

PropJoe10

VinLieger wrote: »

I haven't watched since the whole prorogation debacle but ill deffinitely tune in this week.

Starmer is excellent. He's had Boris squirming in his seat every week so far, but I'd say he'll go to town on it this week.

PropJoe10

PropJoe10 wrote: »

Well, I think it's fairly to say that Boris won't be relishing PMQ's on Wednesday. Starmer will be giving it the full prosecution lawyer treatment.

It’s recess I think. There isn’t one until 3 June. By which time this will be old news and Starmer will look bad for raking back over the coals. Lucky timing for BJ

Joe_ Public

Cummings says that on April 11th, he sought medical advice and was told he was "cleared to go back to work and employ child care." So he obviously had access to child care but claimed none of those options were available before he left London. Be curious to know why that was.