Dominic Cummings - any of the top 1% of most competent people in the country would have reacted differently.

[eggman007]

As quoted by Dominic Cummings today. Something along the lines of:

'Anyone within the top 1% of most competent people in this country would have reacted differently to this pandemic than Boris Johnson.

Clearly he puts himself in this category (in fact, he probably rates himself within the top 0.0001%).

Neither myself nor DH, who both hold down good jobs, run a home, raise a family etc. etc. would classify ourselves in this heady category. Good at various things, sure but all-round competent, probably not so much. In fact, we can both be a bit scatty and fuckwitted at times. I think I'd rate myself top 25%, maybe top third.

God knows how we would have reacted to the pandemic, DH more bullish and myself more cautious probably but very hard to say for sure.

How competent do you think you are? And do you think you would have reacted differently to this pandemic?

Top 1% of the most intelligent people in the world, would not want to run a country or be a politician.

I dont think the top 1% of the most intelligent people in the world (eg a quantum physicist or mathematician) would actually have any ability to run a country.

I wouldn't put myself in the top 1% most competent. I have multiple degrees and quite a high IQ but I don't have the people skills needed to be very successful. I wouldn't make a good politician.

If I'd been in charge during the pandemic, I'm sure I would have made mistakes, but I would have done better than Johnson & co in Feb/March 2020, and I think many MNetters would have! Anyone who understands what exponential growth is and what actually happens when a healthcare system is overwhelmed, for a start. That then it isn't just the patients with the pandemic illness who have to be factored into death rate calculations. Or anyone who has studied history and knows anything about past pandemics and how governments reacted. Cummings' claim that they saw the only options as 'summer peak, terrible death rates' or 'delay, winter peak, even more death' is unbelievable to me, because why on earth would those be the only two scenarios you examined? The idea that he's lying would be less worrying than the idea that this is what actually happened.

I remember calculating figures based on potential death rates in March last year and then getting terribly agitated over all the mass events going ahead and Boris's continued hand-shaking. 'Absolutely fucked' seemed about right at that point.

Does he mean top 1% of leaders - in my view the skill of a good leader is to focus on the task, surround yourself with a good team, solicit a range of opinions , analyse the opinions and make & communicate direction based on that .... I think it’s clear The PM are the cabinet didn’t do that.

How is he assessing competence?

I would guess he has a fairly specific/ narrow definition.

To lead a country, make crucial decisions, get people to trust you, be good at working with others and accept you don't know everything/ can be wrong, being really good with people... Loads of skills.

Just intelligence, academically isn't enough.

So with all that in the pot the best person for it could be from any background or walk of life and in any number of roles etc.

Maybe our best prime minister is at home with 2 kids at the mo or working on a building site... I mean who knows!

I'm top 1% on educational and career success. No money in the world would have me do that job. Which is lucky for society because I'd be terrible at it.