To InfiniTier and beyond ....

[dancemom]

Tiers, tiers and more tears ....

Ofcom has dismissed claims that covid briefings have an SNP bias which is good! 👍🏻

Shame about the numbers but positivity percentage is good. Could be a big outbreak somewhere pushing numbers up?

I agree that's good @snowcoveredcampsies - we should be allowed to have our government communicate with us during a pandemic!

I don't mind the briefings as long as they are used for their purpose only.
There have been a few occasions where they haven't with responses on Alex Salmond, opinions on UK govt, independence questions etc
All questions on this should be shut down and quickly!

Personally I don't think any politician should be leading them and it should be done by medical and scientific advisors and then we might get some more decent questions and answers too!

There usually is a medical person there thought isn't there? Gregor Smith, Jason Leitch, Jeanne Freeman, etc.

@GirlLovesWorld

There usually is a medical person there thought isn't there? Gregor Smith, Jason Leitch, Jeanne Freeman, etc.

There generally is but occasionally it's a police officer instead. If you had only scientific and medical advisors the questions would be related to actual figures rather than at the moment its just based around whatever the latest breaking news is on twitter!

So most of the last one questions were around bloody football.....
Rather then structure of tiers system, what is causing the high persistent numbers in certain areas, how is this being tackled etc

Instead we got multiple responses of a row between a football club and the SG!

They don't ever seem to be asking questions about the high numbers in Glasgow.

@Scottishskifun

I don't mind the briefings as long as they are used for their purpose only. There have been a few occasions where they haven't with responses on Alex Salmond, opinions on UK govt, independence questions etc All questions on this should be shut down and quickly!

Personally I don't think any politician should be leading them and it should be done by medical and scientific advisors and then we might get some more decent questions and answers too!

I'm not sure that's their job really. They provide the medical background / advice and the government have ultimate responsibility for decisions so I think it's appropriate as it is.

High numbers in Glasgow? Anyone know where?

No @StarryEyeSurprise I wonder if it might. E a prison or similar? Is that the cause for the jump in numbers today?

I quite agree that the journalists ask poss poor questions but I'm glad ofcom have investigated and put the idea of it being a party political broadcast to bed.

• A further 691 people tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, which amounts to 3.1% of all tests
• An additional 20 deaths of people who tested positive in the previous 28 days have been registered

@snowcoveredcampsies in the early days yes SG gave decisions at the daily briefings, announced changes to areas etc. But this is now all done within scottish Parliament on a Tuesday and sometimes on a Wednesday.

So what's the point in the leader of the govt standing there if the only response to questions about changing levels is this will be announced in Parliament......

So if the point of the briefings is to give daily data and figures then this should come from people who understand the data, can answer the questions because they are involved in the IMT in areas with outbreaks so can answer specific questions.

But I don't think they would see that as part of their job tbh.

It's their job to advise the government. Not to face journalists' questions. Of course in certain circumstances they do but I think that having the FM there protects them in a way. I'm not sure if that's the correct word but I feel that to shove scientists in the limelight and in effect have them carry the weight of it all isn't really on.

I think it's appropriate that the FM is the face of it because ultimately the buck stops with her.

Piss poor not poss poor

Yeah I don't see many of the SG scientific and medical advisors turning down other journalist interviews on TV...... Devi and JL spring to mind!

Taking the odd interview is an entirely different thing to essentially being the face of Covid in Scotland and doing it day in and day out.

And why shouldn't they give some interviews? Despite the many disparaging comments they face from people who are probably far less educated and intelligent, some people are interested in hearing what they have to say.

From Philip Sim today on Twitter:

"Asked if she will continue Covid briefings during election, Nicola Surgeon says "I understand the importance of level playing fields in elections...you will undoubtedly not have me doing briefings every day the way I have been" - however she will still communicate "big decisions""

Sounds like NS is at least recognising that in the campaigning period the daily coverage is inappropriate. Unless she can think of a 'big decision' to broadcast every day!

I don't think it can be classified as the "odd interview" regularly on the nine, different shows etc.

The daily briefings have progressed from what they were at the beginning. But if we aren't going to get any SG developments on things which effect lock down and businesses as this is now all done in parliament then what's the point in having NS stand there......

She can't answer data questions, time is wasted each briefing saying she can't, it's the medical advisors that sit in incident management team discussions for areas when they are set up, it's scientists who inform on the modelling etc

If you got it as a scientist/medical led briefing the questions would probably improve as they would be related to the briefing which is now about giving the latest test data!

I didn't say they shouldn't do interviews but you can't have it both ways that scientific and medical experts "need to be protected" and its not "their job" if they are then giving a TV interview in the evening.......

It's not a daily briefing was my point. It's a pandemic and they in their own ways are experts in that field. Hearing from them can only be a good thing surely?

I've stopped watching for that reason Scottishskifun.

I stop and listen if I see on UK briefings that Chris Whitty or JVT is on. And that's it now.

Not that they need to be protected, I did say I wasn't sure if the word, but that they shouldn't carry the burden of being the daily face of Covid.

Essentially standing up there and relating the numbers is a recognition that the SG for good and for bad are somewhat responsible for those numbers. That's unfair in scientists who are not responsible for leadership in that way.

An interview, which presumably they can do or not, and where they are asked questions directly related to their field is an entirely different thing.

@snowcoveredcampsies

No *@StarryEyeSurprise* I wonder if it might. E a prison or similar? Is that the cause for the jump in numbers today?

I quite agree that the journalists ask poss poor questions but I'm glad ofcom have investigated and put the idea of it being a party political broadcast to bed.

I don't know- I've just taken a break from working so not up to date with anything.

Yes. Surely the whole point of voting for a leader is to have them lead in times of crisis.

And when I say field I suppose I mean their specific niche of the field.