"watching Boris Johnson get his head around stats is awful" | Covid Inquiry UK

[@lynnlovattjones4171]

Good to know we had a razor-sharp mind in charge of a pandemic.

[@Caesar-3el]

I'm just proud of myself they didnt get near me with this so called Safe and effective procedure 😡

[@davidrutty6733]

​@@Caesar-3elwell done👍

[@willieckaslike]

Yep ! So sharp one could ride to York bare arsed on it !

[@DavidSmith-ze2wi]

Pandemic, 🤔

[@isabellewhite3505]

Even less sharp due to the large intake of booze

[@grahamwade5932]

Good job on voting him in, after all politics is just a tv show with no real consequences or responsibilities and you should give positions to people that you find most entertaining.

[@Hartley_Hare]

Deadly accurate.

[@ploppysonofploppy6066]

First time I saw him on hignfy I could see what he is. And I'm not very clever.

[@Hartley_Hare]

I'm also slightly slow on the uptake, but I know a charismatic, media-friendly, egotistic charlatan when I see one.

[@trevordavies5486]

So the atempted defense is that other leaders were just as thick.

[@richardjames3022]

So it would seem, but that comes as no surprise as you don't need any qualifications to be an MP, other than know how to brown nose, Mad Nad's is a prime example, she has tasted more of Johnson than most to have got her position as Sec' for Media etc

[@kanedNunable]

yet they all did better bar trump.

[@markbriten6999]

​@@kanedNunableI'm not sure about Italy BUT they were the first country hit by the virus AND warned the rest. It's just bozo was too stupid to understand or too lazy to read what was put in front of him. OR BOTH

[@duesbury2]

That is not a surprise .. Boris was NEVER any good. Frightening …

[@mosheridan7016]

Knows about survival very well though

[@audreymcgready4329]

Think how frightening it was for those dying and their families. Yet he knew this and kept his mouth shut. They sicken me.

[@sailormanoyster1849]

He oited upon us by the tory prty, no mndate from the country

[@mosheridan7016]

@@audreymcgready4329 Did he know it was a bioweapon?

[@sailormanoyster1849]

Hary enfield charicter rich but dim

[@peterfox2538]

He only wanted to hear what he wanted nothing more if they were talking about money in his bank account he would of heard every word.

[@supacamoo]

💯🎯🤦🏾

[@peterm7548]

I also gave up science after my O levels but I try to understand scientific issues as an interested lay person. Johnson is just lazy and cant be bothered to retain knowledge that is technical and dull even if it means making decisions that could save thousands of lives. He has the attention span of an overactive fifteen year old who hates school and whose only hobby is chasing after girls!

[@isabellewhite3505]

It's honestly beyond sloppy laziness. He did not care at all. He had/has a severe lack of empathy, when leading a country during a pandemic.

[@ericharding9866]

You don't need a degree of any sort to know there is very little between Johnson's ears...😂

[@slartibartfast7921]

“Gave up science when he was fifteen” So did I, but I can understand graphs and basic data. Just saying that stupidity isn’t uncommon in Western Democracies makes him sound like an apologist for bad government or a communist.

[@kevinthebespectacledpilgrim]

Gave up science at 15, what an odd thing to say or even know. It has no bearing whatsoever and seems to be a poor reason to excuse incompetence.

[@clowncarqingdao]

@@kevinthebespectacledpilgrim If you watch Johnson in action at any time you can see he's a thick and dense idiot with a veneer of entitlement and bravado. Exactly the sort of person you want locked in a library with toys and not someone making any decisions that affect other humans in anyway whatsoever.

[@terryurquhart2413]

Eh…. How does it make some one a Communist Mr McCarthy ?

[@PanglossDr]

Not understanding graphs and charts is a really serious limitation. These together with a basic understanding of Risk analysis should be a minimum requirement for anyone seeking election to Parliament. A personality test would be useful too.

[@edwardwestmoreland-caunter6128]

Agreed. I'm so sick of members of this government using "Ah yes, but in other countries-" as a response to any and all criticism. That's like saying "Ah yes, I did crash your car into those pedestrians, killing all of them, before plowing through that orphanage, but you see, other people also crash cars sometimes." It's equally infuriating and pathetic, as well as such a blatant obfuscation that even a toddler would roll their eyes

[@billybobkingston5604]

Eton and Oxford must be so proud of Boris

[@sailormanoyster1849]

One of hir best😢

[@audreymcgready4329]

He is just as bad. He knew all this but kept his mouth shut. Jail them all.

[@brianparsons5026]

would not trust boris to present a children's programme let alone understand a graph

[@tapaarn5863]

Such a damning indictment of a man who convinced many that he was a genius.

[@playcloudpluspc]

There were millions of people in this country who could understand it, so my question is why did Johnson get the job and not one of us. It's laughable to imply that other leaders were just as bad when so many countries did much better than us in the earlier stages.

[@danh5637]

We live in a democracy. Join a political party and stand for election to run the party.

[@playcloudpluspc]

@@danh5637 How will that stop people electing corrupt fools and idiots? We need systemic change. Our democracy is curtailed by our undemocratic voting system as well as our (in large part) biased media that serves the interests of billionaire tax exiles.

[@danh5637]

@@playcloudpluspc you said why not one of us. Well you have to run in a democracy. It’s open to anybody. And we don’t live in an undemocratic system. Literally any citizen can stand for election.

[@johnseabrook1703]

There were millions, who didn’t understand, and quite happily took a dodgy jab, so Boris isn’t the only, lazy fool.

[@dvidclapperton]

​@@danh5637 Democracy in the UK is zero.

[@MatthewCharmanadventures]

I doubt that the problem was entirely with comprehension. I imagine it was more to do with attention. Once you get past the bluster and smattering of Latin, he's a bit dim, but more importantly totally self-obsessed. Getting him to understand was one thing. I would expect that getting him to pay attention and retain the information was much harder because it wasn't directly about his own gratification. He was probably paying more attention to the figures of any women in the room and how he could go about impregnating them.

[@emmabrooker166]

Spot on.

[@sailormanoyster1849]

Vey good summery 😁

[@fracturedopal]

I always think the lilly pad question is the best way to utterly jolt people into an understanding what exponential growth is. If the growth of lily pads on a pond doubles every day, and the pond is completely covered on day 36, on which day is the pond only half covered? The correct answer is of course, day 35.

[@isabellewhite3505]

Oh my word, thanks for the laugh. 🤡s running the country

[@realhorrorshow8547]

Can we find a way of excluding mongs from the process of government?

[@dr_ned_flanders]

We need more scientists and mathematicians in government and fewer classicists whose understanding of the world is based in ancient Greece.

[@hypatia4754]

There are classicists who know how to read charts and understand concepts. Then there's Boris Johnson.

[@stephenconway2468]

To be frank, most classicists can work out these simple concepts. However, you make an excellent point. Can you imagine how Rory Stuart would have handled this? So much better.

[@deang5622]

​​@@hypatia4754That isn't what is being discussed. The question is as the original poster said is "we need more scientists and mathematicians in government". And he is right. Our elected house is stuffed full of people with degrees in History, Geography, Law, PPE - Philosophy, Politics and Economics. And does that lead to poor performance of our governments? Yes I think it does.

[@terryurquhart2413]

@@stephenconway2468well put … Rory is the Tory leader that they should have had !

[@stephenconway2468]

@@terryurquhart2413 We should have had. At least he can do "detail".

[@trevorstanding6462]

Poor devil. When Johnson was at Eton he missed the lecture on taking advice and taking responsibility !

[@jeanwood6392]

He certainly bamboozled the electorate into voting him as PM.

[@rochford1000]

A superior education, does not equate possession of a superior intelligence. (As we now know)!

[@adrianaspalinky1986]

General Election Please

[@jamesallen9630]

Neither did any of the other world leaders according to Vallance!

[@AbaddayofRain12]

I always doubted Boris' 'mental health' but now I know for sure!

[@martinbennett2228]

I doubt Angela Merkel had problems with exponential mathematical expressions.

[@frostyrobot7689]

... and you'd be correct. She wrote her Phd on quantum chemistry.

[@isabellewhite3505]

Shes a physicist.

[@bob23301]

And yet no one said anything at the time that might help have saved the lives lost due to Johnsons utter incompetence.

[@mattwright2964]

Most problems the world and our society face are systems problems that require systems thinking. That requires evidence based solutions and a good grasp of fairly basic science. We very sorely lack engineers and scientists in political positions and the partisan, short term, rhetorical approach actively mitigates against systems thinking and practical solutions. Systems thinking and solutions also require collaboration but politics is becoming more polarised and we seem to be withdrawing into ourselves as a nation in the world. No wonder we are in a complete mess. A starting point on the long journey to rebuild our country has to start with an absolute priority in all education from day one of critical systems thinking, problem solving, data and evidence based decision making and scientific principles. No-one should be allowed into important positions in any strand of our society without this. This should be a primary policy for any Govt going forward.

[@ganymede242]

Interestingly Singapore really promotes technical ability in its leaders. One can see clear evidence of systems thinking in how they design their society.

[@mattwright2964]

​@@ganymede242 Agree, it really is important for everything that we address.

[@terryjacob8169]

Three year olds have a longer attention span than Boris Johnson.

[@MartinSmith-qt3cc]

Just because someone has a private education does not mean they have the capacity to learn, bravo sheeple you must be so proud

[@flowerpower7288]

He really just shoulda stayed at Peppa Pig World

[@TruthPrevails101]

The Thumb nail- You had at me at ; "boris did not understand"" Enough said!!! That qualifies him as the best Tory PM material EVER!!!!!

[@thefella131]

Did anyone ever advise him to brush his hair with a brush rather than the leg of a chair?

[@tonycrook7796]

I always thought he used a balloon.

[@PatrickOfTav]

So why did Vallance stand alongside Johnson and support what he was saying instead of contradicting him or resigning?

[@californiadreamin8423]

Exactly. They’re “yes” men, and Valance is defending Johnson. As another post commented, Angela Merkel , had a PHD in Science , so I doubt those laughing, were laughing at her. We have no evidence that Valance is telling the whole truth about this matter.

[@12bigredd]

you were telling him not to make money and making money was not the priority lol of course he looked confused lol thats why he set up the VIP lane lol it was for the Tories to cop lol

[@dereks1264]

Maybe they should have done the briefings in Latin.

[@rbaxter286]

With his inability to concentrate beyond the next sound bite/Churchill quote/Who Cares Latin quote, I think the best description of BoJo trying to understand something that will get him re-elected (i.e., NOT around SERVING the Nation) is "He looked like a dog trying to swallow a tablespoon of peanut butter." And, that's being kind. He didn't 'not get' science, he just found his BoJo Drivel more profitable.

[@chrislaurenceleo]

If he didnt know how to read simple graphs that a 12 year old would be able to read then he should have allowed somebody more qualified to make pm decisions.

[@SalsaShakers]

The worst man imaginable we had at the top was boring Boris. He was like a teenager running this country. He did not have a dam clue! Did Stanley BUY him his Oxford passes? Jeeze.

[@GerryT.]

What is clear from everyone is that at a time of crisis the UK had a person in charge who should never have been allowed anywhere near No.10. It surprises no one, and yet I guarentee you the likes of Mogg, Fabricant, Cash,Patel will still defend Johnson to the hilt.

[@firesidefairytale]

And some people gave up basic honesty and relied on ‘the science’ when they were fifteen.

[@evansmusic48]

It begs the question as to the former PM's intellect! An Eton education followed by special dispensation getting into Oxford.....not based on his A Level result apparently, then equipping himself poorly with a very low degree! Surely the signs were there yet the old school/college tie network assured him well paid employment.......then poor decision making by fellow politicians and the gullible electorate saddled us all with a monster!!! He should be in jail!

[@lw1zfog]

it’s a ‘family affair’

[@joz6683]

We have politicians who are versed in the classics and have no idea about science, technology, or anything that the modern world uses to survive. Quoting Homer is well and good, but it they can't understand a chart or scientific methodology, then you have a problem.

[@stephenconway2468]

It does not require any science degree to understand the difference between "absolute" and "relative". Even if those terms are new to a person, 5 minutes should be enough. However, ministers are supposed to be some of the better minds. They should be able to grasp concepts. He was the Prime minister. He was making decisions that impacted/ended thousands of lives.

[@shaggy0000]

Poor BJ looking an easy ride as PM. Just as well his girlfriend was there to help him along 😂

[@user-st1mp9hu1m]

Bojo knew exactly what he was doing " doing as he was ordered to do " by those with the mysterious motives

[@miras2222]

Narcissistic egomaniac installed in high office as useful idiot in hands of his puppetiers from Tufton Street and ERG.

[@Miguel...160]

This is why people of all positions in life should read some Carl Sagan

[@angelaburrow8114]

Dropping the study of science after O levels as they were named at the time, which is what they're saying, is common. I did it too, but I can still read & understand scientific reports & exponentional graphs & even used to translate or interpret such papers from/to other languages. I think it simply didn't interest Boris so he didn't commit to it. I know some people can bluff their way through many things in life, but surely someone as bumbling as Boris makes himself out to be cannot really reach such political heights whilst being so thick. I bet whilst all the scientific advisors were talking to their international colleagues about the difficulties in ensuring their leaders understood the facts, the Germans ones were heaving sighs of relief. Angela Merkel is a very intelligent lady, with a PhD in Quantum Chemistry.

[@vespa2860]

Heads or tails: The Royal Statistical Society puts the statistical skills of MPs to the test

[@zetectic7968]

This is what happens when you elect a narcissist & a "personality" who has no attention span other than when he can get his leg over. I left school without GSCE Maths & I understand what an exponential curve is & a logarithmic scale ( its not rocket science!).

[@luciadegroseille-noire8073]

Boris, or any leader, might be a dunce - Churchill was - but a leader can delegate:Boris couldn't.

[@bazbuncher6948]

Because he is a thick cabbage

[@supernoodles91]

Giving up science at 15 was and is NO excuse ffs, he was the Prime Minister, if he didn't understand simple graphs then what taf was he doing there???

[@frankduffy2413]

He was utterly useless

[@paullambert9291]

We need to remember that Blondie had a bought and paid for private education. That is not a sign of intelligence, just because he can quote Latin does make him clever. He was a journalist, who somehow due mainly to a believed charisma, became PM. He is a liar, a cheat and lacks any form of integrity. Why do we think it was strange that he didn’t have a clue?

[@kanedNunable]

most of us knew he was unfit for the job. but with our stupid system a minority of people voted for him and he gets a huge majority.

[@californiadreamin8423]

…..and the leader chosen by the Tory Party, still angling for leadership again.

[@kirkhunter146]

@@californiadreamin8423 No, you don't get to do whataboutery, It was Tories in charge whole rotten way through, there is no "but what about" in this instance.

[@californiadreamin8423]

@@kirkhunter146 Don’t put words into my mouth, I didn’t say that at all, other than to emphasise that the Tory party chose Johnson, Cameron, May, Truss and now Sunak after approaching 14 years of Tory lunacy.

[@emmabrooker166]

Probably still drunk every morning 🤡

[@grahamsclater9988]

But, remember this man stood shoulder to shoulder with Boris and nodded........

[@erongi233]

This is the trouble having Oxbridge so traditionally dominant in the UK is that any of its products are assumed to be superior even if it is being excellent at Classics, such as Johnson. I always thought Cameron, Johnsons friend and colleague, if you put him in a wig and suitable clothes , could almost belong in a Gainsborough portrait. Oxbridge is often brilliant but not always fit for purpose in the 21st Century.

[@snowyowel7961]

Boris is not a medical professional nor is he a scientist he could only listen to the advice he is given trouble is it comes from all directions and he was dammed if he didn't. Should not have been put on one person's shoulders in my opinion

[@windsorSJ]

I gave up 'science' when I left school at 15. But I keep an eye on the world around me and I can understand graphs and numbers. Maybe I should try for PM? I couldn't do any worse.

[@joebloggs3757]

so, let me understand; a posh accent and nothing between the ears gets you to be prime minister. good confidence trick!

[@gohumberto]

He may not understand a graph of Covid Deaths but his expensive education really comes into its own when telling a hilarious anecdote about ancient Greece during a national crisis. It's swings and roundabouts.

[@dvidclapperton]

The covid death figures were a lot worse than those of France and Germany.

[@deang5622]

You can't expect somone with a degree in Classics - even if they have been to Eton - to have anything other than a rudimentary understanding of arithmetic in mathematics.

[@Zoro007]

He always reminds me of a hyperactive Labrador, too many things whizzing around in his head, treading on egg shells not to upset Carrie,his support staff already looking to dethrone him, the whole lot politicians and so called scientific experts were all over the place loving there moment in the limelight at the daily briefings and accumulating points towards their knighthoods. The whole thing was a disaster from start to finish and will take decades if ever to recover.

[@WelshHistories]

Watching Boris Johnson's head is even worse.

[@melmo5218]

Yes, but don't overlook the fact that he can quote ancient Greek.

[@philbateman1989]

I mean, I know the concept of an exponential value, ie. one that increases at and ever increasing rate over time, ie. if one person statistically infects 2 others, then the rate of increase is n^2, so the number of infections will increase by a power of two with each new infection, and I'm a certifiable dumbass :S

[@martinz9]

'... in western democracy...'😂😂

[@robertbottle7713]

I sometimes wistfully daydream about running for office, but I'm daunted by the immense amount of information I'd need to process and evaluate in order to make effective decisions to my own satisfaction, in order to defend them when challenged. Watching this I'm reminded exactly how much collected data, analysis and expertise these clowns have to call upon, rejected at every turn in order to pursue their own sordid adgendas. In balance I believe I really would be a better PM than Johnson, Starmer, Cameron etc. If only because I'd actually engage with the material. But I won't, because I'd have an anyurism trying to navigate the bullshit needed to get there 😂

[@Grz349]

And their all the same right? Not one of those you listed actually had a real job before politics?😂

[@gio-oz8gf]

Does it not occur to you that some leaders might follow the advice of experts more closely? How can a person make the correct decisions when they don't even understand the evidence? It's not possible to know how Starmer or Cameron would have proceeded; therefore, it is not possible to say you would measure up to them. If you don't have the necessary mental strength to make it to the top, what makes you think you'd perform well in the job? You'd certainly need to pay more attention to it than you do to your spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. If I were in your position, I'd stick to blowing my own trumpet; you appear to enjoy it.

[@robertbottle7713]

You have no idea what my position is. It's a KZbin comment, not a manifesto. If you fancy an argument I'm not your man, you want to try Mr Cleese down the hall. Make sure to ask him for the full half hour.

[@robertbottle7713]

No, they're not all the same. Different flavours of shamefully ineffective, but they come from the same multi-pack.

[@californiadreamin8423]

Clearly the idiot dreaming if being Churchill 2, was given too much “reverence “ compared to Churchill who had people like Alan Brooke to face him down.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

BoZo is a thicko.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

And that he thinks other leaders are as thick as BoZo, only Drumpfilthinskin comes close.

[@sailormanoyster1849]

These medics had a thankless tskworking with that lyingpm😢

[@ianlloyd100]

And even with all that, They stood there, and defended the buffoon...................... A plague on all their houses.....

[@alisonbettle7355]

Exponential growth is not difficult to understand, but if you don't want to listen.....

[@paulwilson7234]

Why didn't he resign thousands of people could have been saved?

[@richardjames3022]

What has giving up science at 15 got to do with it, it's maths (graphs)

[@scooble]

the UK's brightest and best...🤣🤣

[@mosheridan7016]

The great and the good wef stooges

[@terencerowberry2444]

No surprises here then 😮

[@RobinRichardson-p7k]

You cannot make a P/M out of a parrot - but you can teach a parrot to speak Latin - and that opens doors that are locked to people with genuine leadership ability.

[@paulbannercheck7585]

Nothing was his fortay 😂

[@domb8448]

I took 'exponential curves' as a fat joke..

[@justinw6670]

Surely Carrie could have helped him???

[@MihaelaJeremyPopa-Wyatt]

CP Snow: The Two Cultures

[@Aviopic]

75% of the current Tories have no clue about science 🥱😴

[@Callummullans]

Didn’t like him since I blamed the public for not going to the dentist when asked what was going to be done about the NHS backlog. Google says dentists were closed for 3months due to the lockdown but I tried relentlessly for 18 months.

[@caloricphlogistonandthelum4008]

Is anyone actually surprised about this? Johnson is a zombie willow tree, shambling about the countryside, suddenly aware of the sky, creaking like a damaged wagon wheel and everyone's just waiting for everything to collapse - which it did.

[@parametr]

My parents never went to school and they can understand graphs, words like "exponential", remember a concept for more than 6 hours, ... Maybe we should make politicians have an IQ test and publish it as part of their candidacy.

[@MookMineola]

Johnson’s IQ is 76

[@thalesofmiletus2966]

The PM didn’t understand the difference between absolute and relative risk made me laugh. 90%of the U.K. population don’t understand it. Especially Doctors, journalists, scientists and the general public!!!

[@isabellewhite3505]

The general public was not in charge of the country and managing the pandemic, with access to scientists & other experts. If you have the attention span of a goldfish, not even Trump-size graphs will help the inept.

[@hypatia4754]

But he´s fuuunnnyyyyy! That´s all he needs to get my vote. /s

[@adrianaspalinky1986]

Unelcted bureaucrats

[@daveg1683]

A Narcissist in power, a bleddy stupid idea.... why do people elect them?

[@flowerpower7288]

Because only someone with a narcissistic personality disorder would think they could rule over and make decisions on behalf of millions of people. The political and financial system supports and rewards narcissistic behaviour.

[@daveg1683]

​@@flowerpower7288 ... I agree with what you said,... and the political and financial systems were created by narcissists for narcissists (accidentally, they only do what they do for themself). And I understand why Narcissists would be driven to such positions (not just restricted to politics or finance)... But, why do so many Humans enable/assist/encourage them? for example... vote for them...??

[@peteraston4753]

Was'nt it his job to explain the science behind the virus and vaccines

[@Zolipants]

Leader of millions 😅😅😅

[@worldofameiso5491]

Johnson was always a fair-weather PM. Absolutely no good at dealing with complicated issues. He should have stuck to journalism - although he also seemed to make a hash of that.

[@pmajudge]

A GOOD STEADY " GUY FAWKES " 🤣🤣😂😂! FROM, (2023).

[@andydudley1775]

sounds just like his coke habbits way out of hand.

[@willieckaslike]

I (reluctantly) watched his daily summaries during the Covid period. He came across as a "bumbling clown" with no idea at all about what he was saying. However, the so called "experts" appearing with him fared no better. TBH had it not been such a serious issue, I would have thought 'Monty PYTHON had been revived ! As for HANCOCK ! He has always struck me as a disaster waiting to happen. And happen it did !

[@theghostoftom]

Oh he just pretends to be an idiot, really he is playing 5D chess. Yeah and if you believe that one I've got some brand new NFTs to sell you.

[@kellypaws]

Or marriage vows. Straight bust on getting the meaning of those too, allegedly.

[@УллечкоПеровчДедушка]

Didn't Trump call Boris the "European Trump"? We knew about his disdain for anything factual, his lying and now we find that he also shares a lack of focus with Trump. But where Trump went with the last speaker, Boris goes with the one who presses him the most. These kind of unfocused individuals could compensate by delegating to people they trust, but when they are as insecure, suspicious and attention-seeking as Trump and Johnson, that won't ever happen.

[@paulcasey5204]

Really points to a much bigger problem, how do the experts get their complicated messages across? And against a headwind of entrenched attitudes that are not connected to evidence it is triplely difficult. No wonder Gove has had enough of experts........

[@davidoneill913]

So a complete buffon what a shock not