This prime minister. I despair.

[Richtea15]

I’m young. I don’t have a comprehensive understanding of the nitty gritty of politics. However, I can see broad and clear that Boris Johnson cannot lead a country. He is not transparent in anything he says. He avoided answering that journalist about the ventilator “joke”. He’s so fucking wishy washy. He just shakes his head and acts like the public’s questions are a pesky inconvenience.

Sorry. I’m absolutely despairing.

When asked how kids with free school dinners will cope, it's all a cheery 'we're all in it together'

Eh? No he didn't. He said the Education secretary was working in a solution to ensure that those kids would not go without.

What his dad does is nothing to do with him.

I’m no Boris supporter but I think they have all stepped up

But of course it is relevant that an over 70 who should be self isolating for 12 weeks is on national TV saying he plans on going to the pub, when he is the PMs father.

It is evidence that people will ignore the advisory and that stronger measures are required.

And the leader of a country SHOULD have the ability not to make jokes of the nature that he did.

I don't feel reassured at all.

He just seems so out of his depth, with little confidence in what he’s doing. I understand all country’s leaders will be feeling like that right now, but there still needs to be clarity and reassurance. I don’t feel either.

He's doing really well I think, Corbyn would have been a disaster had he won. He doesn't have enough of a spine to do what's needed to be done.

I think there's also a misapprehension about the nature of employment in pubs, restaurants, retail, hotels etc. Rishi Sunak kept referring to fixed costs of employment but many of the staff are given shifts on zero hours contracts. Those costs are not fixed.

It's good that businesses will be given financial support, but if they've got no customers they won't be giving the staff shifts - why should they? It was clear again today that the aim is that no customers should visit pubs and restaurants - so no work for staff o do! So we still have the problem of people being, effectively, 'laid off' in that they won't be given shifts. I don't know if that has been fully taken into account.

The government backed loans will be distributed by the banks on an INTEREST FREE basis for 6 months. We haven’t seen the finer details yet but I would be surprised if there were any repayments at all in the first year. I anticipate businesses being given up to 5 years to repay after that. Any business that was viable before should return to viability and be able to repay that lifeline. I think it is an excellent scheme.

And so he should have. That's not what the press conference was for. Using the time to pull him up over something like that was wrong of her. The country wants answers, not to listen to a bitch fest.

Exactly. Let’s get our priorities right!

Anyone that actually thinks he has a say in any of this would be in for a shock... in the big meetings with CMO and Valance it would not surprise me if he was latterly told to keep quiet and let the grown ups do the talking.

Then why bitch about him at all then? And if Corbyn was doing a sterling job would you say the same or would you praise him as an individual?

Everyone knows he's just the face of the party and that there's a massive team behind him, what a pointless comment.

he's an absolute moron. Everything about his managemnt of this is a shambles. The past 2 press conferences have just really driven this home for me. I work for the NHS. Its absolute bloody chaos on thr frontline. No one has a clue what we're meant to be doing.
From now on I intentd to pay no intention whatsover to him or his cronies and will be making my own decisions based in science and reason.

I think it is an excellent scheme.

As someone who runs my own business, I was hugely reassured by Rishi Sunak’s response today, with the caveat that I won’t fully relax until I have the loan in my bank account. Seeing is believing.

@cucumber66 I would start talking to your bank now and get ahead of the game.

Fair enough, give loans to people who own a business or a home.

But what about renters? Someone in another thread pointed out that landlords will still want paying, despite them being the ones to receive financial support, not tenants.

Well we elected a known liar.

We get what we vote for.

I agree. “Squash the sombrero” ffs. He is very powerful, people voted for this, that’s the worrying thing.

I'm the opposite of a Tory, I can't stand the party with a passion.

That said I actually think Boris is now understanding the gravity of the situation, is listening to the professionals and I can't believe I'm saying this, actually stepping up to the plate.

Those of you saying you feel he is finally stepping up - thank heavens I didn’t watch the last press conferences!

Seems the government has done a U-turn and is accepting/has already accepted that its intial strategy (which the BBC terms “mitigation”, , also termed/mistermed herd immunity) which was the strategy as recently as last Friday, will NOT work and could well result in 200,000 deaths. Many people had come up with similar figures, based on basic statistics and models available.

Many are now considering that the government has now (though there is still some debate) moved onto what the BBC call “suppression” ie, joining the rest of the world.

Seems the Givernment is getting a relatively free pass on it as of yet, as the media is understandably busy trying to keep up, but questions will certainly be asked of what would amount to a massive error in the first crucial weeks. How costly will the dithering have proven to be? The “timing is crucial” motto of the past couple of weeks was seemingly nothing but hot air.
Both articles below published today.
www.bbc.com/news/health-51915302
www.zmescience.com/medicine/the-uk-is-realizing-its-initial-coronavirus-plan-might-be-a-disaster/

Am not a Boris fan but I do think he is now stepping up generally. Am wondering what financial relief will be offered to renters ! They are more likely to be the people who will be made redundant .

Fair enough, give loans to people who own a business or a home.

But what about renters?

Give them a chance. Loans and Mortgage holidays are easy to put in place, they literally talk to the banks and the bank does the rest. Also a mortgage holiday is just that, a break, the banks will require the missing months to be paid back at some point, either by extension or overpayment.

Renting etc is much harder for them to implement help for. They will be working behind the scenes and with any luck bring something to the table very soon, but it's not as quick a fix as saying to the bank 'give them a loan' and 'suspend their mortgage for a bit'

There is a bigger picture. What they have given is today is not all they are doing

@Grandmi
You see “stepping up” I see frantic backtracking. Of course he’s not wholly responsible for the intial disastrous strategy and communication of the past couple of weeks. But he is the leader. But when this is over there will be questions...

Look, I really dislike Boris.
But nobody would be doing a good job. This is unprecedented.
I doubt any PM of modern times would be coping too well.

Puppetmaster is Dominic Cummings.

If we'd wanted a grown-up Prime Minister, we wouldn't have voted for Ken Dodd.

Honestly - that’s a fair point

But he does have pretty bad form

*I am not a fan of Boris and did not vote Tory, but I'm going to have to disagree with you.

I think he's stepping up fairly well, and I think all the answers were clear as anything. What part of that press conference was unclear?
The question about his 'joke' was goady and unnecessary completely. He obviously wasn't joking. We will be in a final gasp for ventilators should things become drastic. I don't think he was intending to be funny about that at all.*

Yes to this.