Dominic Cummings is part of Sage

[pontypridd]

The mystery scientific advisory body

A lot of us, that should say

... government scientists began to suspect that ministers and Johnson’s aides were using them as “human shields” to insulate themselves from blame, a SAGE adviser told BuzzFeed News on the condition of anonymity

Not sure why the need for anonymity since goverment "insulating themselves from blame" is only what I'd expect

The whole secrecy around the membership of SAGE stank to high heaven right from the start; clearly such details should be in the public domain, so when it isn't, some kind of dirt is almost guaranteed

I also don’t understand why scientists only realised this recently

They will have known all along and they’ll have their reasons for participating.

I also don’t understand why scientists only realised this recently

I don't suppose they did; no doubt they're only shouting about it now because they perceive the "blame" is moving too far in their direction

You didn't think they put their names forward for this purely out of altruism did you?

Sorry, that was a contradictory statement

Perhaps I mean I don’t understand why they are speaking out now. They could just go and do their lucrative talks “I saved thousands of lives” etc.

Perhaps they forgot David Kelly before signing up. It’s all very confusing.

Or they also thought the public would believe them for longer.

I really don't think there's deliberate murder going on here.

Nor do I think that most of the non-political members of SAGE will be there for political reasons.

If anyone's interested, the Guardian has now published a list. Apart from the political member, Cummings, and his data scientist pal, Warner (who if he hadn't been brought by Cummings as a political advisor wouldn't look so suspicious), the line up looks the sort of thing you'd expect.

Who's who on secret scientific group advising UK government?
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/coronavirus-whos-who-on-secret-scientific-group-advising-uk-government-sage

And I say that as part of a vulnerable group many of whom have died in recent years as a result of government policy.

Narrow though the distinction can be, there is a difference between murdering someone and not saving them. (The easier it would be to save them, the narrower the distinction...)

Were there any questions asked about this in todays update? Sorry i missed it.

Labour has been calling for Cummings to be removed from Sage. Think that’s just on Twitter so far though.

Cumming's like his boss is a sociopath but rather more so. If he was a dog you would have him put down to put him out of his misery.

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2019/09/dominic-cummings-machiavel-downing-street

While he worked successfully with the few civil servants whose minds chimed with his, the co-worker thinks that “the atmosphere he created was one of fear”. When one official raised objections to a policy important to Cummings, they were swiftly moved out of the department. Cummings considered himself in a war with officials; he claims on his blog that one told him, “You’re a mutant virus, [and] I’m the immune system.” Steve Hilton, Cameron’s highest-profile adviser from that time, left government in frustration after two years. He tells me: “The attitude of the civil service was to try to exclude Dom and stop him from seeing papers.”

@LilacTree1 Oh yes. And Dominic's mum was a behavioural specialist...(she's still with us, I just don't think she practises that profession any more). It might sound a bit "woo" but have a look at his, um, aura as well. Even in photos and on TV it comes over. But you're absolutely right with that cringing "don't look at me I'm not important" body language mask that he puts on in public.

I also read that New Statesman article and others, and yes, if you're working with someone that volatile and arrogant, you'd be scared too.

There are other people I've encountered in real life who've made my blood run cold, and in public life at the moment there are several where their true personas seem to ooze through the TV screen. Previous ones include Fritzl. I had nightmares about his eyes for weeks. Trump is another one. Gove scares the socks off me as well. That wide-eyed "Who me?" look. Ask any teacher or ex-teacher what they think of Gove....though my money is on Cummings transferring his Kingmaker Skills to Gove any day now. The signs are already there and have been for a long time.

It wouldn't surprise me if Boris stood down, or was "encouraged" to stand down, in the next few months. You know, after he's been stabbed in the back a few times by his "trusted inner circle". I don't think BJ is intrinsically evil, and I certainly didn't rejoice in him apparently having caught "the Rona" but I do think he's incredibly lazy and has always had a lot of rivalry with Cameron. He just wanted to be Head Boy and make Daddy proud and now he's finding out it's not all jolly japes and apple pie beds. (Or the modern day equivalent. Which might or might not involve illicit substances.)

This is.... its. And on the same day as the bleach. Fucking hell.

Government advisor attends meetings - shock...

Er, that is what they do. Stop looking for things that aren't there.

Labour has been calling for Cummings to be removed from Sage. Think that’s just on Twitter so far though.

Lol. Labour can call all they want... they might want to spend more time sorting out their own ship and why they lost all the seats they did in December.

For me, the shock isn’t that Cummings attended the meetings

It’s that we ended up with lockdown in spite of that

He’s got a different agenda than I thought.

I also think Boris will resign, no way did he sign up for this.

@OhCrumbsWhereNow I sometimes wish I could just obediently swallow everything the mainstream media spouts. Life would definitely be easier.

If you want to look at SOME of the reasons that Labour lost, have a look at Cummings. And the Brexit campaign. He's STILL in contempt of parliament, and yet he has the ear of the PM? Anyone else think there's something VERY odd about that?

Then there's the mainstream media - Barclay Brothers, for starters (the Daily Mail now owns the iNews.) Sitting out the "Rona" on their secluded little island. We don't have Freedom of the Press. When you start looking, we have 4 or 5 companies who own pretty much EVERY title out there. And as for the BBC News department, which used to be a bastion of unbiased(ish) reporting, they'd say the sky was yellow with purple spots on it if they thought that would help them survive. And unicorns were real. Oh, hang on a minute....

Very interesting to hear Mary Wakefield on Radio 4 this morning. I'm sure no strings were pulled there at all. Though her devotion to her husband is touching.

Might Labour have factored in human rights if they’d gone for a lockdown?

@EmpressMcSchnozzle

Thanks for the advice. Worked with him for years so I think I'll still to what I know first hand rather than the media.

I really don't think there's deliberate murder going on here. So what would you call it if a loved one of yours was in their 90s and vulnerable and the policy was to move someone with covid from hospital into their home in the next room, making sure staff didn't have adequate PPE? What would you call it if your loved one caught Covid and died? An accident, an act of God, negligence, manslaughter, corporate manslaughter? Or doesn't it matter if they are 90?

Worked with him for years

Are you saying you've worked with Cummings for years, OhCrumbsWhereNow?

That's interesting.

In what capacity? Directly, face to face? Or you're just member of some organisation which has dealings with some organisation (eg Vote Leave) where Cummings worked?

@OhCrumbsWhereNow Then I'm sure I'm not the only one who''d love to hear the other side of the story, the bits that wouldn't involve any betrayal of the Official Secrets Act, obviously.

The former but don't intend to go into any more detail than that on a public forum (and there is nothing in my thread history that will give you any indication of what I do so no point in going through it).

It is extremely normal for government advisors to attend meetings even if they are not a key member of the team. Would it not be more odd if they didn't?

If you ever look at photos of Cabinet or indeed select committee meetings, there are always SpAds and other staff present.

I really don't think there's deliberate murder going on here.
So what would you call it if a loved one of yours was in their 90s and vulnerable and the policy was to move someone with covid from hospital into their home in the next room, making sure staff didn't have adequate PPE?

France and Spain are just careless then?

Well that certainly gives an interesting perspective on your pro-Tory posting, and calling posters you don't like "Labour bots".

(Your username had stuck in my mind, which most people's don't, which is why I asked.)

Clavinova you might think they are just careless, I was actually talking about what has been happening in care homes in England as that is a situation I am familiar with as I have an elderly relative in such a home.