Matt Hancock says “we are currently at alert level 3” pointing at the government’s own chart which shows level 3 means we should be “relaxing restrictions & social distancing measures”!
@AndrewMarr9 fails to challenge him on this. #Marr #COVID19 #COVID
Marr asks how many people are being tested at the moment?
@MattHancock says the “capacity” is 250,000
#Marr asks again about people tested
Hancock says: “Ystdy 226,000” people were tested for coronavirus”
Really Matt?
Is there any ‘evidence’ of this?
Matt Hancock says “the public must follow the rules”
Whilst the majority do so through “a sense of civic duty” he says “there’s a minority who don’t follow them”
#Marr: Would you call the police on a neighbour who's failing to self-isolate?
Hancock: Yes
“The Health Secretary’s overarching message this morning: if there’s another national lockdown the public will only have themselves to blame.” @KayBurley
This week the govt blamed the #TestingScandal on people without #COVID19 symptoms coming for tests.
Dido Harding blamed schools for not preparing!
On the #CareHomeScandal, @BorisJohnson claimed:
* “clinicians made the final decision” to discharge from hospitals
* care homes didn't "follow procedures"
* scientists didn’t know about asymptomatic spread
One thing that is “world-beating” about this govt’s #COVID response is their ability to shift blame & not take responsibility for anything
@SophyRidgeSky: Will you apologise for the shambolic testing system?
Hancock: No. My team have done an amazing job
For the last 6 months ministers & the PM have fed the public with a bewildering stream of garbled, illogical & even contradictory messaging whilst saying “the rules are absolutely clear”
As someone who works “in comms”, I can say this is no mere accident.
“Go to work. Don't go on public transport. Why are you not in work? Eat out but don't visit your sister. Go on holiday. Quick come home. Blame the public rather than the contradictory policy.”
Issuing of contradictory messaging is not purely accidental.
The narrative that the public (“Covidiots”) are to blame for the spread of #COVID19 is already being amplified
#CovidShaming is making a come back
Whist #Covidiots ARE very irresponsible, is their behaviour not a response to a breakdown in trust in govt?
Some observations:
Q. Why is the govt using #circuitbreaker rather than ‘second lockdown’?
A. To give impression it is something short & new
Q. Why does Hancock always wear the same suit & pink tie?
A. To make it hard to work out when he said what & to locate important clips
“I think you’ve told an absolute porkie there,” @piersmorgan on Hancock
Ystdy, @MattHancock told #Marr that 226,000 people were tested on Sat
Today the Dept of Health said they’re “not sure” whether the stats are kept & are trying to clarify the figure.
For those unfamiliar with the English idiom “porkie”, if comes from Cockney rhyming slang.
“Porkie pies” = “lies”
@piersmorgan is accusing @MattHancock of lying
Unfortunately Piers can’t do it to his face because Hancock (& all other ministers) are boycotting the @GMB show.
The entire Cabinet including @BorisJohnson have been boycotting @piersmorgan & @gmb - as well as several other news programmes & journalists since May.
This is not good for transparency &!accountability - two central tenets of good governance & democracy.
More “porkies” this morning
I would ask journalists to familiarise themselves with the most basic facts about UK response to #COVID19 so that they can immediately correct ministers who “get things wrong”.
I’m happy to provide a “porkie rebuttal” guide.
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