Lockdown exit strategy

It was Brexit, the floods now Caronavirus, the news has been all about a single topic for ages now.

 

Thats the bit that annoys me in the press.

Daily Mail “Government throws away £16m of masks that went out of date scandal”

Daily Mirror “My Child died because we can’t have Drug X yet we stockpile 60 million pairs of goggles”

Express “The £130m wasted by government storing gowns we never use in Tax waste scandal”

Facts are this. No one wants to pay more tax. No one wants to take the blame for the environmental impact of binning hundreds of thousands of bits of kit that go out of date*.

UK government reacted to press and parliament to make procurement more transparent and cost effective.

I’m not making excuses for them, but the problem is caused by how government is funded, the requirements for transparency and the fact that the government can be sued if 3rd party bought goods or services are faulty.


Finally....German GP’s in naked protest over lack of PPE.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....octors-pose-naked-in-protest-at-ppe-shortages

Same issue that hit Spain.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/health/coronavirus/how-a-lack-of-ppe-in-spanish-hospitals-is-leading-to-a-health-care-crisis-1.4217087?mode=amp

Even South Korea are having issues

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....-korea-as-compensation-for-raw-materials.html



If our lazy bast*rd press bothered to spend the 5 mins I did in google, we might get some balanced reporting.



* the out of date bit is a scandal all its own. Many bits of kit are plastic based and apparently have a half life if hundreds of years, why do boxed, out of UV exposure kit have a useable date of 5 or less years?

 

The British press was once the bench mark of the world and the BBC was once taken as a true voice sadly now it's all gone to the brown stuff. How often have you seen a politician of any tribe say one thing then an expert reporter say the opposite.

 

It all boils down to money.
Wonder if that will now change? (Doubt it).
Thing is, if the police stop you with dodgy brakes your excuse of "can't afford it" doesn't work.
Same should apply to essential equipment.

 

Is it me or has Robert pest on started speaking faster ? Maybe he’s not getting paid by the hour any more .Lets see who can think up the most stupid question to ask today and sod social distancing I’ll travel around the country reporting on social distancing shall we and hold my two metre poll half way down and stick it up someone’s nose ay

 

To be fair to political interviewers, politicians are two faced lying scum and always have been. To lie, deflect criticism and never admit mistakes is the default position or your career is over. They never answer a question, they just wait for a gap and say whatever they want. Even now in those press briefings they fall back to this behaviour.

I'd rather have rude interviewers than foot lickers. There used to be a great guy on Radio 5 live 10-15 years ago who when a politician said then repeated something that was obviously an outrageous lie and not an answer to the question, instead of barracking them he left a few seconds gap then said "hmmmm". It left no doubt, saved a lot of time and it was more damning to leave the politician in the hole it had dug than continue on whatever subject it was.

 

So how would you answer all their stupid questions then? . Be rude back ? The reason thy don’t tell the truth is because they don’t know ,or , if they do they can’t tell because the sensations would be too much for the stupid reporter init they exaggerate every answer they do get anyway so no one believes them either

 

It was quite funny how Laura Kuenssberg was ignored the other day after repeating the same old question. Think the annoyance at reporters is resurfacing from Brexit boredom.

 

I disagree. It's built in to politicians to say what they want, they have rehearsed the points they want to make to be sure they're not saying anything that could adversely effect their party/career. So they repeat their inane answer that doesn't fit the question, but is all they have prepared on the subject no matter how belligerent the interviewer gets.

To be fair, they must at all costs avoid saying anything that could be turned into a short negative sound-bite/clip and if you don't answer any questions you can't be tripped up. I don't think politicians are as intellectual and quick thinking as in days gone by.

I don't think there is a solution. Politicians have for 100 years minimum said whatever they chose to say, the questioning has ramped up and up but there's been no change in that basic position. It's all a bit of a waste of time.

 

I’d accept your argument more if it was just politicians who are having to deal with the inept questioning, but the scientists are getting the same treatment. I’ve been pretty impressed how they’ve dealt with it.

 

Scientists are also pre-programmed by career - to concentrate on pertinent facts, seek the truth and explain it. Handy that!
But there will be paid scientific advisors who will be swayed to be economical with the truth or slant it one way or another. I find they are quite obvious when they do that in person, scientists don't make very good liars, you can sometimes see the internal struggle.

 

I agree. I think the guys at the daily briefing are doing a pretty good job at answering the questions. I’m pretty impressed, and I’ve always voted Labour

 

I’m addicted to the new Jamie Oliver simple cooking programme that’s been on everyday. I’m not much of a cook and a bit clueless In the kitchen to be honest. But this show has inspired me to make a few things and they’ve been really nice. I’m can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m going to try to make a pizza from scratch.

I’m turning off the news channels except for the downing st briefing now. I’m bored with the likes of kay ‘look how important I am’ burley shouting stupid questions at politicians.
Yesterday was a prime example. The prime minister stands in front of her and says no end to the lockdown yet. Walks back inside. Not five minutes later the foreign secretary walks past and she shouts at him “when will the lockdown end” ffs what are sky paying these idiots.

I’m enjoying documentaries on the discovery/history/nat geo channels instead.

 

If Im feeling stressed I just watch The Repair Shop, the music narration and flow of the program is V soothing zzzzz

 

Agree 100%

I once worked at a national newspaper....we had Cameron in one week, then Ed Milliband, each has an audience with maybe 40 members of the public then any staff were allowed in too.

Each had a person ask a question, then another, then another....then they’d answer. Only in blocks of three.

I think this tactic killed any discussion, and took any emotion out of each question/answer.

If you watch dine if the hustings that politicians used to go with the public, they regularly got dusted and had to be sharp with responses.

Politicians these days simply play chess with other chess players, each knows the score, where the line is.


I’d love to see metrics on what MP’s voted on correlated to who in their constituencies they actually asked.

 

Yes to ask three questions and answer* most fully only the one that provides an excuse to waffle your prepared position.

*When I say answer I mean talk on that subject without addressing the specific question or preface your answer with a re-write of the question based on a word or two from it, but avoiding the tricky bit.

 

Since when did you watch so much tv then . We all look through our own glasses but if anyone gave any reporter one hint of a true answer they would turn it which ever way to their / or political advantage or cause sensation . Why do we vote when there are elections ? Because we believe liars when it suits us ? You can’t have it all ways . Why are we not running the country if we are so clever ,,,,,,,,,,,,, because we wouldn’t if they paid us ? I’m not protecting them but I am

 

I don't need to watch TV, but once a week at the moment I do dip in for a gander at the corona crap that's on offer. It's so childish and fluffy kitten at the moment I can't stand any more than that - and that's just the news prog.
I don't vote at elections because I don't believe the liars at any point, but particularly when they are lying their way into power.
Nobody claimed to be clever enough to "run" the country (whatever that means) certainly not me. I was discussing the reasons and history behind the MP/reporter relationship.
A poor masquerade of public accountability is the result whoever you most choose to blame.

 

But you’ve just twisted my questions and answers mr dim ball bee

 

Tribalism and stupidity. It's very fashionable at the moment.