To wonder where Boris Johnson is?

[littleblackdress04]

He’s never at the daily briefings and given that we are living through the greatest crisis in living memory, he should be there. The list of people at these briefings gets more bizarre every day.

He’s the prime minister and he’s pretty absent at the moment meanwhile the death count grows. 35,000 people - it’s truly devastating especially when you think that if there is a terrorist incident and even one person dies, it makes the headlines for days.

And before anyone says he’s on paternity leave, he’s a notoriously absent father who has many other kids and if that was anyone else on here, would get slated for not fulfilling his parental duties.

Aibu to think he’s shirking his responsibilities as PM- he should be there every day being accountable but he’s not- he’s sending in his minions. It’s truly appalling.

He can’t answer any of the questions , that’s why? He ‘delegates’ these briefings.
Very disappointing

To be honest, most of the people he sends in can’t answer the questions either. They get the questions in advance - he’s the PM- surely he’s paid to know?!

It was supposed to be an easy gig. Lapping up "getting brexit done". Then a pandemic came along and slogans just wont cut it. The country has the "leadership" it deserves.

He only likes delivering good news so he can be seen as the good guy. It's pathetic and cowardly.

@GhostofFrankGrimes yes exactly. Although they are trying to fob everyone off with slogans but unfortunately 35,000 people have died (although I read the actual figure is nearer 60,000) and it’s been an appalling incompetent shit show. I hope there is a public inquiry and he is held to account.

@MrsBobBlackadder very Trumpian actually isn’t it? God it’s grim

I think it's a bit pointless having daily briefings to be honest. They're incredibly repetitive and long-winded, with journalists asking pre-prepared questions which have effectively been answered in the briefing itself, or members of the public asking unanswerable questions like 'when can I hug my parents'.

I'd far rather they had them every few days or when there was something new to say. Or at least kept them a bit tighter.

I'm absolutely no Boris fan but I think he's absolutely right to delegate them unless there is something really important to say. I'd far rather the pm spends his time more productively (though not sure Boris knows the meaning of the word....)

He has just had a baby!

I have to agree with you. I obviously completely understood when he was poorly and wished him well on his recovery then of course he had his baby but that was a few weeks ago now. As the prime minister he should be showing his face a lot more. I don't watch the daily briefings much anymore, you know nothing major is changing when it is a random person in the main podium!

@Medievalist it’s about accountability thought ultimately isn’t it? You could argue that announcing yesterday that another 545 people have died isn’t pointless at all- it’s a vast number of daily deaths- the briefings are important if just for that. I am sure the families of those 545 wouldn’t see it as pointless. But I get what you are saying too

Never bothered with the rest of his children including one he's on record as never meeting. The baby is not an excuse. Can you imagine if we had a female prime minister or even an MP who didn't show up to national briefings in the grip of a pandemic killing 1000s? This is not a political point but it's unbelievable shit leadership

@HavenDilemma no he hasn’t- his partner has just had a baby and actually, it’s a poor excuse. He’s the prime minister during the greatest peacetime crisis we have seen- and also, he didn’t show up for the other twelvty kids he’s had so why is now any different.

@HavenDilemma yes, he has. The baby is 3 weeks old now. Most dad's I know only get 2 weeks off for paternity (sadly!) What makes him different? Honestly I wouldn't care normally. But we are living through a global pandemic. Even if he put more videos out on his social media like before lockdown then that would be something.

I'm glad he's not there tbh. His manner & lack of understanding of the pandemic are just too much to bear.

I agree some of the others aren't that great, but they're still preferable.

I'm looking forward to PMQ's today

I don't vote labour, I'm glad they're not running the show & I dislike KS - but I do like him in PMQ's and I hope he can do some good 'feet to the fire' style.

I have just seen this too - appalling

Sorry, attachment didn’t work but basically- Hong Kong, South Korea & Singapore- no care home deaths
UK 22,000 care home deaths

The people on th podium have made a point of saying in the past they don't receive the questions in advance. Is that a lie?
(stealth in 'politicians lie' shock)

this made me LOL - very accurate

its a parody of the press briefings.

www.facebook.com/185180654855189/videos/541864546502790/

@littleblackdress04

Absolutely not suggesting that the deaths are pointless, only the briefings. And that at the moment the PM should have better things to do than prep for and attend press conferences every day. They last about an hour, so even with minimum prep that's quite a chunk of the PM's day which I for one would rather he spent trying to find a way out of this mess.

Of course he is accountable. That doesn't mean he can't delegate!

I’ve often wondered the same thing. I’m thinking he’s been told to stay away because every speech he gives turns out to be a big gaff. He looks to be slowly unraveling when I see him speaking.

Agree that the briefings are pointless. In the beginning when things were changing daily, they were necessary. But not much is changing now so they're repetitive and a bit unnecessary. We could get away with weekly briefings and extras if there is a big announcement to make.

"not much is changing now so they're repetitive and a bit unnecessary."
I actually think it's when not much is changing we need them. We're all living very different lives from the ones we want to lead and it feels like there's no end point. Daily briefings are a way of showing us that they are still on the case and things will change ASAP. Otherwise it would feel to me like nothing is happening, nothing is changing, we're just being left in a state of limbo.

I’m glad this shit show lies solely with him though - the tories try to blame everyone else all the tim- foreigners, Jeremy corbyn, benefit scrounges, single mums, Muslims etc. But NOPE, this ALL rests with them and Johnson will have to answer for it.

He's fridging again.

(Sorry, bad spelling above!!)