[thread]

I would like to say.

I am so so sorry for Kate Bingham.

Michael Gove cannot play the ball.

So instead plays utter hollow bullshit instead.

Since Michael doesn't know where to start.

I will.

Now first of all.

There is the fact that other than Boris.

The heaviest hitter in the cabinet is sent out to bat for Kate.

That should be reassuring to Kate.

I would say the opposite.

It is a sign of the desperation.
Now I could go into a bit on Michael

But I honestly can't be bothered

I have covered him in depth previously

This is a man who cannot recall his role in the Vote Leave campaign

Weird that

I should warn you - this is a long thread on Michael

It's also weird he only raises his head above the parapet to have a go at Carole Cadwalladr

Or as Carole has been classed by others "mad cat woman"

pressgazette.co.uk/bbcs-andrew-ne…
Anyway back to Kate

So there are

To borrow a phrase

5 elements
5 pillars
5 tiers

1 - where to start
2 - given up months of her life
3 - deliver vaccines
4 - secured access to
5 - sexist sniping
Pillar 1 - "I don't know where to start with this."

Well a good place would be to rebut charges of nepotism and cronyism.

To reassure people the job position, selection and ethical nature of Kate's appointment was above board and her duties and execution of them has been.
I could quote Thatcher on playing the ball

But I won't
Pillar 2 - "Kate Bingham has given up months of her life"

You mean she has a job to chair a government task force.
"Kate is temporarily stepping back from her full time role as Managing Partner at SV Health Investors, a leading international life sciences venture capital firm to take on this role as Chair of the Taskforce. "

gov.uk/government/new…
Bingham “stepped away” from her role at private equity firm SV Health Investors in May to take an unpaid post as chair of the vaccine taskforce, which aims to ensure the UK population has access to vaccines as soon as possible.

theguardian.com/world/2020/nov…
Now I think it's great that Kate has the capacity to do this volunteer role

bbc.co.uk/news/business-…
After all wouldn't life be bliss if we could all do such volunteering work

(Warning a long thread introduced by a young Margaret and followed up by Liz Truss)

Now whether or not this role is paid or volunteer

The standards of expectation of openness and transparency

For the process of that role being advertised, recruited, selected and what that role entails

Those standards apply irrespective of volunteer or unpaid
All Michael Gove need to is assure of those standards being upheld

After all

You can see previous examples of when transparency or openness are at work

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Or here -

Note scandal "continues"

Not just the first

Continues

bylinetimes.com/2020/09/02/gov…
if I was Robert Jenrick I would be really upset

Upset that a dinner date that should lead to such a massive saving to one of the guests

Should result in such a paltry donation

Save a man a £45 million tax bill

And all he donates is a lame £12,000

theguardian.com/politics/2020/…
Oh yes AND for Robert

On constituency bribes before a general election

He and Jake Berry

Well...

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/…
again "refuses to release"

independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
There is a simple process

Close your eyes

Pretend you don't know the political affiliation of a person carrying out something that is unethical

Open your eyes

Does your reaction change

If it does - why?
See also: Priti Patel

theguardian.com/politics/2017/…
See also: Boris Johnson

independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
Anyway sorry

back to Kate

theguardian.com/world/2020/nov…
"Bingham, 55, was also criticised following claims that she showed a detailed list of vaccines that the UK government is closely monitoring to a “premier webinar and networking event” for women in private equity hosted by a Massachusetts company. "
"She denied any wrongdoing, telling a joint select committee last week that reports were “inaccurate” and “irresponsible”. Asked if she had disclosed information not in the public domain to the financiers, she told MPs: “No.”"
That particular conference - also covered here in more detail

thetimes.co.uk/article/vaccin…
"According to a video of the event, she showed financiers a detailed list of vaccines which the UK government is closely monitoring and could later invest in"

A reminder

Asked if she had disclosed information not in the public domain to the financiers, she told MPs: “No.”"
A reminder

There is a video of it

But then again

If you can deny telling the police off for crying wolf

huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/theresa-…
If you can block your local police federation

independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
As Conservative's seek to accuse others of wanting to "defund the police"

In particular like aiming that trope at BLM

A reminder of the legacy of a decade of their rule

which takes us to

Pillar 3 "to deliver vaccines"

bmj.com/content/370/bm…
She chairs a government task force

She isn't working in the medical companies doing the research into the candidate vaccines

She isn't a volunteer in the trials

Now that isn't to diminish her work

But lay off the hyperbole
Pillar 4 secured access to

She was a buyer of vaccines

She had to use public funds to pre-buy quantities of vaccine doses

That money obviously helps front load some monies into research companies in their drive for a cure

So on buying those doses
The UK bought a range of early candidates

From a range of companies

And for a range of types in terms of use

forbes.com/sites/isabelto…
Now to give an analogy

If I was a betting person

And it was the 2022 World Cup I wanted to have a flutter on

I would chose the top seeded teams

And take account of which of these top seeds qualify first

That same simple logic would apply to vaccine candidates
Pillar 5 - sexist sniping

What in any of the reporting on Kate Bingham's role and behaviour has been sexist

I haven't seen anything

What precisely is Michael Gove alleging is sexist in the reporting of it
It's not like anyone has questioned the "tone" of Kate Bingham

theguardian.com/politics/2020/…
Or asked her to "calm down dear"

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
to end on a positive for Kate Bingham

I am sad that your reputation has been affected by this

I would rather it hadn't

Your daughter inspired you to take up this role

And the medicines industry have worked hard to come up with vaccines in record time

thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/…
How you are defended matters

It's a shame that those trying to defend you

Can't do a better job of it

Perhaps a boutique PR company would be better than Michael Gove and Tory MPs
Tory MPs after all have a really bad record at how they fall into line

And to end with a thread on coronavirus

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Just a comparison from history

There is an echo of numbers across the ages

The two numbers

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But the story begins over a century ago
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[thread]

I remember it being "normal" that a senior Conservative MP accused a Prime Minister of being a threat to the country

Because of their faith & and because of them caring for the common good

I am going to focus on the "common good"

With a side focus on the sectarian mention from Claire

You see Michael Gove once accused Theresa May of being a threat to post-brexit Britain
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[thread]

On this

And I want to say thank you to those back bench MPs and ministers back in June 2020 who admitted to this

For several reasons.....
Reason 1

It shows you as an MP or minister know what a no deal
Brexit is

Therefore you know the selling of it as an Australian deal is a lie
Reason 2

You are honest enough to admit internally that Brexit will damage the U.K.

Whether you know this from horoscopes (as Mogg recommends) or from economists I don’t really care

You admit it to yourself
Read 7 tweets

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