to think the Mayor in Jaws and Boris Johnson have a lot in common

[chomalungma]

The Mayor didn't even get attacked by the shark. But Boris did get Covid-19.

But wilful ignorance, ignoring expert advice and letting a problem escalate just to save face.

We could have had a circuit breaker over 1/2 term. Just 2 weeks. Only a week of school lost.

But no. Just like the Mayor in Jaws, he wanted the 'beach open'. He ignored the experts.

And now his hubris will cost us.

YABU because the mayor always seems sober to me.

I think that Boris admires the Mayor.

www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/13/boris-johnson-coronavirus-hero-mayor-larry-vaughn-jaws

It's not just Boris who wants to keep the schools open - have you actually read MN threads on the subject?

@FuckeryOmbudsman

It's not just Boris who wants to keep the schools open - have you actually read MN threads on the subject?

Um

You have missed the point.
If we had locked down over half term, we could have had a proper lockdown with the schools closed for maybe a week after half term. So a week lost of school but a 2 week circuit breaker.

But no. He's fucked up. He is arrogant and now we are paying the price for a lockdown that won't be as effective as a circuit breaker could have been.

He has a lot in common with the Mayor in Jaws

I haven't missed the point. The 'keep the schools open' voices were even louder in the weeks when a half term lockdown could have been achieved.

It is a pity that Labour did not start calling for it until the middle of the second week of the 2 peak half term weeks, when it was essentially too late. For that does seem to have made another lockdown more palatable. But would Starmer have been able to traction back in early/mid October when the softening up would have needed to have been done to meet half term dates (some regions started on 19/10 and Scotland earlier)

And (genuine question) would 2 weeks in October push the next substantial rise directly over Christmas? ie the time when people are already openly talking about mass non-compliance, and the riskiest sort of contact (inter-regional, indoors, household close contact) which could be utterly disastrous if it happened at a time of high transmission.

I haven't missed the point. The 'keep the schools open' voices were even louder in the weeks when a half term lockdown could have been achieved

What do you think the point is that I am trying to make?

You have missed the point.

I haven't missed the point.

What do you think the point is that I am trying to make?

No I have missed the point.

You are being unfair to mayor Vaughan. He was a much better dresser than Boris and his tenure was mostly successful if you ignore the shark attack issue. Most of those people would have died of old age anyway.

You are being unfair to mayor Vaughan. He was a much better dresser than Boris and his tenure was mostly successful if you ignore the shark attack issue

He even carried on in his post despite the shark attacks and not taking certain actions early. And then ignored all the signs again.

He even carried on in his post despite the shark attacks and not taking certain actions early. And then ignored all the signs again.

Oh sure, that bit maps quite well but he had competent people working for him, so I'm not sure the analogy holds.

Maybe BJ as police chief Tehiezel works better (leader of the keystone cops)?

Still Boris thinking that mayor Vaughan is the hero of Jaws is telling.

I imagine he roots for Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels, that Snarf was his favourite Thunder Cat and he thinks Inspector Clouseau is a gritty drama about a brilliant detective.

From BJ in a 2006 sppech to Lloyd's:

The real hero of Jaws is the mayor. A gigantic fish is eating all your constituents and he decides to keep the beaches open. OK, in that instance he was actually wrong. But in principle, we need more politicians like the mayor-- we are often the only obstacle against all the nonsense which is really a massive conspiracy against the taxpayer.

I thought we'd already had a lockdown, no?

@Moonmelodies

I thought we'd already had a lockdown, no?

Eventually.

And despite all the warnings, we're here again.

Later than it should have been. Despite warnings.

I wonder with his classical knowledge what he thinks of Cassandra?

It is a pity that Labour did not start calling for it until the middle of the second week of the 2 peak half term weeks, when it was essentially too late

WTF has Labour got anything to do with it?
They aren't privy to the SAGE advice, which in mid Sept was very clear: Short lockdown or NHS will be overwhelmed.

Johnson went for the 3 Tiers approach instead, despite Whitty saying T3 won't be enough at the very same press conference.

Johnson has blood on his hands with this, now many more deaths, weeks of lockdown and economic hardship.

He is a millionaire and couldn't care less.