Thanks to a tweet from @JonathanStubbs0 earlier, I came across this 2016 Simon Jenkins column about Brexit

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Now ignoring Jenkins is normally a good strategy *anyway*, but in retrospect this one is especially bad
Not least in light of what he is *now* writing about Brexit - today's column

Doesn't sound like Brexit is being good for Britain

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
But the wider question then is this: where is the accountability for those opinion makers in the press?

And when, if it turns out that what they said doesn't come to pass, what *ought* to happen?

What - in other words - is the accountability of commentary?
On my own blog I took Timothy Garton Ash to task here:
jonworth.eu/enlightenment-…

And based on what happened in 2016, I think my take on it was closer to what happened that TGA's was
Or this abject piece by Andrew Marr - so bad it needed a fisking, and it reads even worse today than it did then jonworth.eu/some-further-t…

Have we seen some sort of mea culpa from Marr? No, not as far as I am aware
I suppose the answer, ultimately, is that the new cycle moves on. Most journalists and commentators do not have a complete archive of all their previous works (that's the advantage of my blog - I do have *everything* in one place). And what matters is what these people write now
But somehow this nags at me still... Surely a good commentator is not only one who can analyse the present, but to some extent see what is around the corner, to use experience to judge what will matter in the future
I am not sure we have the tools to assess who is any good at that, and who isn't, over the medium term. Does it matter that we do not?

/ends

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More from @jonworth

2 Feb
All right then

*This* is why I was asking weird questions about locations of 🇪🇺 things earlier...

I have made an EU quiz on @geoguessr

geoguessr.com/maps/601930957…
58 locations of really nerdy EU stuff - places were Treaties were signed, places where EU institutions and agencies are located

And these are not *just* EU institution buildings in Brussels. That'd be too boring...
If any of these locations are wrong, or there are places you think I should add (I have only 3 that relate to historical people in the EU - if you know where someone was born or buried that would be excellent)
Read 7 tweets
30 Jan
The European Commission has messed up its approach and comms on AstraZeneca. It could (should?) have done better.

But - I’m sorry - this is what you get with von der Leyen. She looks like she wants to take action, and goes ahead without fully considering the consequences.
This is what you get in any politics: there are good politicians, bad ones, ones with skills for some situations that then don’t work in other situations.

vdL’s approach worked better for Brexit than it did for AstraZeneca.
We should not assume the behaviour of European Commissioners is any different to that of national politicians. Politics is not a meritocracy.
Read 5 tweets
28 Jan
This is a 🧵 about my new UK passport

And it's a positive story

Really

And German followers of mine would do well to pay attention to it

1/14
Don't worry. I have not lost my mind

I'd prefer a UK passport gave me rights to live freely in the whole of the EU (it doesn't) and what colour it is doesn't bother me in the slightest. I can put it in a @PulseofEurope case anyway 😜

2/14
The story is about how the passport renewal was handled

And how fantastically good it was

Really I am not joking

This is how government-citizen relations should be

3/14
Read 14 tweets
26 Jan
Handelsblatt has a further story about AstraZeneca up where they *stick to the line* from yesterday evening that caused all the fuss. There is some more detail in this one: handelsblatt.com/politik/deutsc…
Please, as before, treat this with care.

And also please don't just go "they used the number from some other part of the report" - it is possible the numbers are still wrong, but this piece now explains where the numbers are from.
And when EMA approves (or partially approves, or does not approve) the AZ vaccine on Friday we are going to know more.
Read 4 tweets
25 Jan
😳⚠️

German newspaper Handelsblatt has a story that - according to German government sources (note: it does NOT quote scientists directly!) - that the AZ vaccine has only 8% effectiveness for over 65s
Please be aware that there have been tensions between Health Minister Spahn and the junior coalition partners, the SPD, about the vaccine strategy - and this could be a hatchet job... but Handelsblatt is normally reliable on something like this and is reputable.
The full story is here:
handelsblatt.com/politik/deutsc…
Read 5 tweets
25 Jan
Questions on 🇪🇺 and its Member States COVID 💉 strategy that need clear answers:

1️⃣ Why is the approval timetable from EMA more sluggish that elsewhere?

2️⃣ What’s the 🛑 with vaccine rollout? Lack of 💉 quick enough? No 🧊 chain? Or lack of vaccine centres & staff?
On approvals: there might be good reason. A faster approval doesn’t mean a better approval. But given the urgency the comms need to be clear and transparent.
On rollout: working out where the blocks are helps find ways to overcome them. If earlier decisions mean problems now, honestly communicating what happened and why helps.
Read 7 tweets

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