To think that a personality cult has developed around Boris Johnson?

[Applejaxx]

I know this sounds completley ridiculous but have a quick look around social media and in particular Twitter, and you will see a disturbing number of people with lots of union flags in their twitter handle name who effectively think that the sun shines out of his arse, that he can do no wrong and that any justifiable criticism of his or his governments handling of the current crisis is part of a massive 'leftie' conspiracy against him.

They are terrified of 'lefties's and 'liberals' and think all of the media are out to get Boris and his government, it is just bat shit. Its not just Twitter either, I had to unfriend someone on Facebook after they told me that I should 'show Boris some fucking respect' a few weeks ago. This was after I'd shared something criticising his handling of the pandemic. Thankfully it was somone I don't really know that well and never have to see again, but still!

If im honest it all a bit disturbing. Its reminscent of a personality cult IMO, 'how dare you disrespect our glorious leader'.

The public enquiry is going to be very interesting.

Professor Horby might be a little worried - he worked with the Chinese in January - he also advises the WHO.

I am sure a lot of people are going to be worried

And if we ever get to see the Cabinet papers in 30 years time....

I am sure a lot of people are going to be worried

Indeed -

"Lawsuits fly in France as blame game begins."
"Prime minister and health ministers pursued in court for alleged manslaughter."

www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/coronavirus-lawsuits-fly-in-france-as-blame-game-begins-1.4213267

The Public Enquiry? What do you want?

To be bored beyond endurance by several years of Chilcott?

To be kicked into the long grass with Leveson?

Or would you like to spend £190m over ten years to come up with the bleeding obvious, like Saville on Bloody Sunday?

Public Enquiries are job creation for lawyers.

Please not a public enquiry. What are people hoping for a cruxifixion of those they felt did something wrong, too soon, too late, too much, too litte. Give me strength

Agree on job creation for lawyers for huge amounts.

Agree on job creation for lawyers for huge amounts. How do we hold our politicians to account if we don't threaten to investigate how they conduct themselves?

Mogeat how can you see it helping.

What is different after it’s finished? Any precedent for this you can think of?

Interested. Maybe there is.

@MarshaBradyo I don't know I just asked the question - if I'd had the answer I wouldn't have bothered! Do we have another mechanism to keep them on the right track apart from their vanity at being discovered as frauds?

I have just read the Sunday Times article in full.
It is pretty damning - and Marr just touched on it this morning.

Lots of questions to be asked.

Do we have another mechanism to keep them on the right track apart from their vanity at being discovered as frauds

Parliament is being recalled next week - so that will be interesting.

We are where we are now - but there are a lot of questions about where we are going and what we need to be doing to get there.

The response to the article

healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/04/19/response-to-sunday-times-insight-article/

I see they have quoted the Richard Horton tweet

A call for caution please. Media are escalating anxiety by talking of a “killer virus” + “growing fears”. In truth, from what we currently know, 2019-nCoV has moderate transmissibility and relatively low pathogenicity. There is no reason to foster panic with exaggerated language.

Both those things are true - it has moderate transmissibility and low pathogenicity

You can look at the 'induce panic' language - and think about what people have seen in films like Contagion and their view of say Ebola.

Which this isn't

But of course - even a low pathogenicity is a lot of people in a big population.

Thanks for the link to that response @Chomalunga. I recognise that. It’s the sort of shit I used to write for a living. In other words, complete bollocks. Interesting that they’re rattled enough by it to have a comms team working over a weekend to refute it.

Parliament is being recalled next week - so that will be interesting. It will still be the same bullshit avoidance tactics we have seen in the daily press reports. Some people I know are just getting angry at journalists questioning king Boris - I find the whole thing utterly mind boggling! Challenging government is healthy - it’s what an opposition should do to endure the right decisions are made.

One of his senior advisers-

“What you learn about Boris was he didn’t chair any meetings. He liked his country breaks. He didn’t work weekends. It was like working for an old-fashioned chief executive in a local authority 20 years ago. There was a real sense that he didn’t do urgent crisis planning. It was exactly like people feared he would be.”

Thanks for this brexiters. Just gets better and fucking better doesn't it. 20,000 now dead.

User1441 - Which senior advisor, does it say?

Seems that having had the disease has really affected how he sees it and his views on how the lockdown should end.

No idea, its in the guardian.

Wasn't it in the Sunday Times article?

It's always a bit of worry when a leader changes their mind after experience something personally - they have to make decisions on all sorts of things, one would hope they could rise above their own personal circumstances - otherwise we're screwed - given how over -privileged The Cabinet is!
It sounds like he has been affected emotionally, potentially overly cautious and I'm not convinced that's a great way forward.

www.effiedeans.com/2020/04/journalism-is-missing-mood-country.html?m=1

This to me sums up the mood of most people I talk to.

The Telegraph were putting extremely photoshopped images of Boris in the paper pre election. They shaved his jowls, gave him a tan, basically pasted his features onto an image of Robert Redford.
It was sickening.
And then they banned press photographers from no. 10 and only released flattering pictures.
All very Kim Jong style.

mummy thanks for that link. It's exactly how I'm feeling this morning. The news is wittering on about who's to blame for lack of PPE. Everyone is trying to score political points which isn't any help at all.

Wittering only about PPE???

Boris refused to participate in EU procurement for PPE because of Brexit ideology. Then lied about it.

Yes our NHS staff are dying from lack of PPE because of pig headed Brexit bollocks.

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/british-diplomat-admits-political-decision-not-join-eu-bulk-buy-schemes-not-e-mail-error-1-6617185