Matt Hancock not only a donkey but sexist and deeply unpleasant

[Theduchessstill]

So following on from the thread last week about his ''donkiness/ineptitude' he gives us this appalling response to Dr Rosena Allin-Kahn today:

twitter.com/DrRosena/status/1257644583158251522

What a disgusting way to speak to someone who is actually working as a Dr in A & E during this crisis. Nasty, lacking in empathy, just wrong.Just when you think these people can't sink any lower they do just that.

[Theduchessstill]

Looking at those guidelines very little that's ever said in there is appropriate. Typical of certain people to resort to the rules when it suits them.

[Theduchessstill]

Clav I'm sure you've been on the politics threads for most of the time I've been here - about 10 years. I may be wrong though.

[Clavinova]

Theduchessstill
I may be wrong though.

Yes, you are wrong - I was on the Education Boards for years. I wasn't involved in the 2016 Brexit threads either - I could have voted either way on the day.

[BigChocFrenzy]

"He will no doubt be the fall guy when this all ends as Boris has shielded himself as much as possible"

Yep, Ferguson is nowhere near enough - there will have to be a political sacrifice too

Hancock doesn't show himself in a good light though, shades of "calm down, dear"

[Theduchessstill]

Ah ok, I must remember you from there then

[JamieLeeCurtains]

I see Hancock has turned on Neil Ferguson in a supreme act of deflection.

[B1rdbra1n]

I don't know why you're calling him a donkey OP🤔
I saw the trousers picture and I don't I think it looks as if he's hung like a donkey 🤷🏼‍♀️

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

Ah! Did we just find our level?

[JamieLeeCurtains]

Johnson just doubled the testing target to 200,000 a day by the end of May.

Meanwhile, Hancock is promoting police involvement with Neil Ferguson

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/neil-ferguson-coronavirus-resigns-new-matt-hancock-police-a9501231.html

[JudyCoolibar]

She did use incredibly emotive language in a highly politicised statement.

No, she didn't. She was being entirely factual about what she and her colleagues are seeing on a daily basis. It is a simple fact that people are dying of Covid 19, and that breaking the news of their deaths to their relatives is an awful experience. Describing something that is awful but that is factually true is not "using incredibly emotive language". Hancock clearly finds it inconvenient, but that does not justify telling someone off for pointing out the facts.

[DateandTime]

He didn't even "need" to resort to the tone remark, the question was very dull and could easily have been answered, as it has been many times before.

I didn't hear anything wrong in the tone, it just seemed a waste of a question.

[1forsorrow]

If she was point scoring and that is wrong can we have an end to the Conservative MPs fawning with their "Oh can I say how wonderful this that and the other is." That is point scoring as well and with all that is going on I think the self congratulations are offensive.

Do we need to hear about Bernie the bus and the jolly music it is playing? Is that good use of parliamentary time, in particular PMQs, in the middle of a pandemic.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

I would agree more Judy if it weren't for those very carefully stressed words.

It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it, as someone once sang!

[JudyCoolibar]

The Speaker of the House of Commons went out of his way to thank Dr Allin-Khan for all that she and her colleagues in the NHS are doing. So apparently he doesn't have a problem with her tone.

[JudyCoolibar]

Just looking at recent contributions from Dr Rosena Allin-Khan in Hansard

I think you mean recent highly selective isolated sentences from Hansard, Clavinova.

[DateandTime]

To me, who's never heard her speak before, the "carefully stressed" words sounded like someone not particularly comfortable with public speaking trying to sound more interesting. She was clearly reading her question word for word.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

FFS! Is it impossible to discuss something like this without the partisan politics?

There are all sorts of things going on that need to be addressed. But they get hidden in party or personality politicking.

She was snide. She has a turn of phrase that doesn't always portray her in a good light.

He was pissed off. Made a terse comment that was not " watch your tone" as early posts has it. But was not the most politic statement.

That's it. Two politicians had a verbal exchange.

Now, in the real news...

[JudyCoolibar]

I think it's only those desperate to find some way, any way, of defending Hancock who perceive those alleged "carefully stressed words", Curious. It's really very revealing.

It reminds me very much of a case I heard about where someone involved in legal proceedings tried to get a big chunk of the other side's evidence chucked out because they accused the person producing the evidence of lying and bullying during the event reported on. Unfortunately for her, it turned out that the event had been recorded and the transcript showed this just wasn't true. So she said that it wasn't what was said, it was the person's tone that was bullying. It was only when it was pointed out that the judge could listen to the recording and judge the tone for herself that she backed down. So all she achieved was to flag up conveniently to all concerned just how bad for her case that piece of evidence was.

[Thisdressneedspockets]

It was against guidance but I don't think Ferguson has done anything he could be prosecuted for.
Assuming he didn't leave his house and didn't gather in public in a group of more than two.

[1forsorrow]

I guess many doctors, and other HCPs, working on the frontline might stress words in a way that might upset some on here. Maybe go and do a 12 hr shift doing what they do and then you might understand, my DIL basically does fulltime what Dr Khan is now doing on a part time basis, she is exhausted and totally burnt out, giving people bad news is something she has done for years but she says it is the relentlessness of it, the not being able to recover from giving someone life changing news before doing it again and again and again.

So do I feel more concerned about poor tired MH or Dr Khan? I think you can probably work it out.

[1forsorrow]

It was against guidance but I don't think Ferguson has done anything he could be prosecuted for. Assuming he didn't leave his house and didn't gather in public in a group of more than two. Well I suppose his friend can carry the can then. Is mixing two households against the rules? Rules seem to change so I'm not sure anymore. Having said that I don't think it is MHs role to tell the police what to do.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

Yeah, if I was defending him you could have a point.

I heard her differently to you.

And some other case, somewhen else does not really prove anything at all. It just supports what you want to say. I daresay I could find similar to counter it.

But, at heart, we just disagree on how we heard them speak!

[JamieLeeCurtains]

I think Hancock needs to take a break for a while. Johnson is going to shaft him anyway.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

You're probably right.

In a year or so we'll see a squaring up of various scientific advisors too.

The blame game will be enthusiastically played by all.

Some are even doing practice Laos, right now!

[Clavinova]

JudyCoolibar
I think you mean recent highly selective isolated sentences from Hansard, Clavinova.

Easy to check - her contributions are very short - I've only looked at the first 10 or so here;

hansard.parliament.uk/search/MemberContributions?memberId=4573&type=Spoken