Neil Ferguson - is this Too good to be true?

[LilacTree1]

Resigns after breaking the lockdown?

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/05/exclusive-government-scientist-neil-ferguson-resigns-breaking/

I was only thinking the other day he would be the scapegoat if ever they need to defend the decision to lockdown. Now he is in disgrace so even better.

I was just looking for the thread on this. Not sure it's good.

What a bloody joke though. This and the Scottish adviser. One rule and all that.

He was an idiot to let her visit, but NO, him resigning is NOT a good thing. If it wasn't for him the death rate would have been many many times what is it. But you know that

Blimey-talk about, ‘do as I say, not as I do!’

One rule for those on the telly and another for us...

I’ve not heard about this.

That said I did finally break lockdown today. My dad has dementia and my Mum was tearing her hair out. They’ve just swapped to Sky for Internet and he couldn’t get their printer to work. He was stressing and raging when I spoke to my Mum. Have to admit I ended up going round and connecting their printer to their new wifi . My poor Mum was shaking as it had all been stressful. Ended up taking her out and driving around for a while to calm down.

Hoping they will ease lockdown a little bit in the next few weeks.

walking I wouldn't call that breaking the lockdown, it counts as helping a vulnerable person in need.

how do you mean too good to be true?

He hasn’t resigned, he’s stepped down from his position on SAGE.

He also says that:

“I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms“

@Walkingtohealth you absolutely did the right thing there in my view. You gave care to vulnerable parents. I would have done exactly the same, am in a similar boat x

He hasn’t resigned, he’s stepped down from his position

Aren’t those things the same?

Thing is they aren't confirming that people who have it are definitely immune or for how long. Otherwise they could say 'people who have tested positive can so what they want after two weeks.' But they haven't, so he shouldn't.

Call me a conspiracy theorist but it wouldn't surprise me if he was found to have locked himself in a suitcase and strangled himself to death.

No. You don’t generally resign from a committee. The DT has chosen this term to make it more dramatic. He still has his Professor post at Imperial.

Walking I call that helping a vulnerable person and don't consider you have broken lockdown at all

re the resignation, his professorship etc - it's only really too good to be true if he's not advising the government anymore. Given his previous projections on foot and mouth, swine flu etc I was surprised he was taken so seriously in the first place.

I am not sure who is to "blame" for lockdown but I certainly think he has a share of that responsibility.

Deary me

Isn’t he the one involved in the break away from Oxford University a good few years ago? Big scandal at the time.

He seems to think it's a lot less dangerous than he wants us to believe it is...

Won't these people ever learn?

After that Scottish health advisor fiasco, how arrogant and stupid do you have to be to do that?

Fuck's sake.

just googled the Oxford thing and found this in the standard - if true, doesn't speak well for his character

I don't know why any of us bother to try to be decent humans!

"Before Anderson left Oxford in 2000, he had resigned his post after admitting he falsely accused a colleague of having a relationship with a professor to help her land a job."

Wasn’t his first modelling based on flu models rather than the epi data from China demonstrating the need for swift action? As others have said, he will stay be paid a very high salary in his day job.

@LilacTree1 There was an article in The Telegraph a few weeks ago. He sounds like a right piece of work.

Plus when I’ve just googled him the first thing that came up was that he was responsible for all the slaughtering during foot and mouth.

oh i know his previous in terms of hysterical history!

That really is appalling behaviour. He tested positive so knew he had a confirmed case of covid and yet deliberately mixed with a separate household without even waiting 14 days for self isolation.

His excuse that “he believed he was immune” both seems very unlikely, given he is a scientist who understands the uncertainty around this, not to mention that it shows a total disregard for anyone else. Even if he was immune, having someone come to his home this soon after confirmed infection might cause continued spread and is exactly the sort of reason why we have to have these rules!

Well.

Professor Lockdown doesn't lock down.

This is embarrassing.

Thanks @LilacTree1

"Before Anderson left Oxford in 2000, he had resigned his post after admitting he falsely accused a colleague of having a relationship with a professor to help her land a job."

Who is Anderson? Sorry if I missed it

Noeuf - sorry, I got Anderson and Ferguson mixed up there, my bad!

Now I'm wondering how long it will take for Ferguson to be announced as the govenment's fall guy. 45 mins? Too long?