Whitty and Vallance being grilled live

[Lis4Laughter]

www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

Yes, just watching it now on BBC news channel

I'm no expert but I am getting the feeling that Whitty and Vallance are being defensive. Not very trust evoking.

Not a very diverse group that is making all these life changing decisions for us.

@Lis4Laughter

I'm no expert but I am getting the feeling that Whitty and Vallance are being defensive. Not very trust evoking.

I thought the defensiveness became more pronounced when they were pushed to make a more political statement. They do protect themesleve from that, quite rightly.

This is so my so better than the pressers. Some real discussion about the limitations of the data etc

Ah! Just watched it again... or when the question misunderstood the graphs. Concatenated information or just misunderstood what the data being shown was.

Robert Peston has been doing that since March, he gets short shrift too.

They are showing a lot of data these days. As a response for not having shown enough early on. They are explaining their thought proceses, having been moaned at for just presenting data. It was only to be expected that some would continue to misunderstand the data. After all science uses some very common words in very esoteric ways.

That and the accusations thrown seem to be utterly misinformed too. Digging after the tiniest of points rather than eliciting important information!

I'll listen on, see what else is thrown up!

'Grilled live....?' They are medics not politicians

Neither seem to be able to defend the use of that graph suggesting 4000 deaths a day

Interesting line of questioning by Jeremy Hunt.

At that level their job also becomes political.

I thought they had... it's a projection of a maybe in the case of no intervention. It has low confidence, it's over too long a period and they, Whitty and Valence, don't use longer projections. It came from elsehwere in the SAGE data stream and was not presented to the PM by either of them, though he has seen it... as part of the wider SAGE data stream.

As Valance said, the data they do use is being followed quite closely in real life!

Oh lord! And that "have you assumed that something that doesn't yet exist does something" question!!!

And now they are apparently contradicting themselves when they talk about T+T. By someone who doesn't know what R really is... more concatenating... and he is being so polite in response!

Why don’t they have other scientists there who might have a different opinion? How can proper decisions be made when the only experts are presenting one argument?!

Chris Whitty looks like he's got two black eyes, he looks so ground down and exhausted.

I think you have misunderstood their position. They are the senior officers in their respective organisations. They represent the work of hundreds, thousands, of scientists.

Who else would you want to speak for PHE etc? A junior doctor, and epidemiologist in Rhyll?

Butler is making some good points on a quick turn around of testing, TnT, effects of winter viruses and actual test numbers.

Otherwise, they are doing a great job of defending the Govt.

@JovialNickname

Chris Whitty looks like he's got two black eyes, he looks so ground down and exhausted.

He does doesn't he? He hasn't looked healthy or put back on the weght he lost, since he had covid!

He seems sharp enough, so prob lighting or even make-up for TV.

@Lis4Laughter

Not a very diverse group that is making all these life changing decisions for us.

How diverse can two people be?

Just knackered, I'd assume!

And the current PCR question probably doesn't help! Again misinformed. Such misunderstanding and asking again and again for information that simply doesn't exist as the questioner has asked!

Will you make that ONS document available to us

Oh, how did they keep a straight face?

The doctor they are interviewing now on bbc news now is making a lot of sense.

They speak well as usual will have to catch up later

Whole SAGE membership...

www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response-membership/list-of-participants-of-sage-and-related-sub-groups

And now determined questioning on something they don't do, never have done but do liaise on. As if connecting epidemiology and economics makes them the fall guys. And again, they remain so calm. And still he comes back and tries to trip them up... getting the last word, a misinformed word!

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Will you make that ONS document available to us

Oh, how did they keep a straight face?

Really reminds me of old work meetings - a bit cringey overall for questioners