Mr Johnson looks so ill.

[randomer]

I abandoned the briefings early on but I was shocked to see him tonight. He looks ill and the strange manic grin makes it worse.

'Very true but at least the opportunity is there to hold them to account. The fact its inadequate isn't an argument for removing the structure.'

Arent they held to account in The Commons? You can't seriously be suggesting people like rabid Sam Coates from Sky with his silly questions or Peston with monologues holds anyone to account?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

He looks like he's always looked to me.

He looked how he normally does to me.
Unkempt and blustering.

Cheeky fucker syndrome

That's quite worrying someone is seeing signs of ME or CFS (chronic fatigue).

I was washed out for about 5 weeks after I had suspected Covid. And I didn't go into hospital.

My own view is that he is all kinds of ill; Covid, substance abuse/alcohol abuse, and a raging narcissist , surrounded by lackies and sycophants.

I don't think somehow, that'll he be up at 2 am helping with the feeding of the baby.

Yes true about commons. I don't watch that. The public briefings are important to me as we're all living in this weird limbo.

Mr Johnson? Is this some kind of archaic Jane Austen Mumsnet?

I haven't watched him, I never do. He's probably suffering from post viral something. He was ill enough to spend 3 nights in intensive care recently - no one is going to bounce back from that without showing it. Let alone a middle aged, overweight man with a new baby and arguably the most stressful job in the country.

I'm not sure if it's ME, but certainly a small proportion of sufferers are reporting post-viral exhaustion and I think it could in the very least be that.

There are loads of evidence now about post-Covid syndrome, with people relapsing for weeks or months after initial illness. BJ had one of the most severe cases possible that you can still scrape out of alive so not surprised he doesn't look healthy.

What's more worrying is that he's directly responsible for an entire nation in a continuous state of crisis. The stress alone would break a healthy person, let alone someone recently discharged from ICU.

Remember all the fuss made about Hilary Clinton looking dizzy during her campaign or Angela Merkel shaking during an event? Of course whatever they had may not have affected their work performance in which case they're entitled to privacy. Yet there doesn't seem to be more concern about whether BJ is 100% fit to work, both for his own good and the public.

Op thanks for calling him Mr Johnson, instead of Boris.

@UnholyStramash

I’ve not seen his image as I’m using a radio. I’m having internet connection problems and it’s fading in and out. When the PM talks he pauses in weird, unexpected places, like the end of a phrase rather than end of a clause or sentence. I keep swearing at the internet, then realise it’s the PM I should be cursing. I do that a lot too!

One thing I got told in my phonetics lectures when we were doing intonation was that the big way we know when we can cut into a conversation to ask an awkward question or whatever is by the pattern of intonation and when people naturally pause in a statement, and that politicians do this unnatural pausing as a tactic to avoid that. Johnson sounds really like he does that naturally, Blair was another that I found it very noticeable with as well.

Yes I thought he looked unwell again tonight

My 8yo DS is doing persuasive language at the moment and the teacher sent over sentence starters for us to look at. For example:

It is clear that...
Experts know that...
Only a fool believes...
It is vital that...
Without doubt...

And so on. DS is 8 and after scanning the list, pointed out that it read like a politician's "How To" on addressing the masses.

I thought he looked better than he did last week, however I still think he has a drinking problem.

Anyone else channelling Doctor Who bringing down the PM in 6 words? (Don't you think she looks tired?)

Yes, me! I’ve been thinking this whole thing is like the Master being PM in Dr Who. With the toclofane “Reduce the population by one-tenth” and the drumming (phone downloads). 🥺

'My own view is that he is all kinds of ill; Covid, substance abuse/alcohol abuse, and a raging narcissist , surrounded by lackies and sycophants.'

Blimey op you're not a fan are you. I get called a Boris fangirl when I say this but I really find the 'he's an alky!' slur a bit ridiculous and childish. Criticise him but use facts don't make shit up.

Whoever was in charge would be following the exact same scientific advice. How come ThankyouNicola doesn't get slated on MN despite the Nike cover up and the very high care home death rate in Scotland? I especially liked her scathing 'stay alert? I don't know what that meeeeans!' whine attacking Johnson, so she used the very specific 'stay safe' instead .

He came back to work too quick.

People who go into ICU with this virus take weeks/months to recover.

i thought I'd heard that and then thought I must be wrong! So just as they open most things up we are going to stop being told what's the statistics are.
Not comfortable with that - at all

Precisely what i think.

The briefing ended abruptly just as BJ was answering a really good question about the forgotten children and that his own children won't ever have to suffer like they do so what will he do personally to ensure they won't continue to be forgotten...then it finished and i couldn't find the news channel and when i did eventually find, he'd finished

He's had the virus, reasonably badly. It causes what is suspected to be permanent damage to the lungs. I'd be surprised if he was back to full health.
He's got a young baby at home to wake him at night.
Both of those are enough to wipe anyone out and make them look ill.

But on top of that, he's totally out of his depth. He thought he would have an easy run, see Brexit through and be hailed as a hero by people that wanted it.
Instead he's been plunged into one of the greatest world crises for years and he hasn't got anywhere sorting out Brexit.
That wild eyed "oh heck" look is similar to his look the night he realised Brexit had won. He knows he's out of his depth.

‘Mr Johnson’ 🤢🤢🤢

I always listen rather than watch. Just saw a pic though he looked ok except his hair.

He looks bright- eyed (and bushy-haired) enough to me

This topic always pops up whenever the pointless buffoon decides to show his face. I think he looks the same as ever. I just think people forget what he looks like as he only rocks up every once in a blue moon.