#professor chris whitty

[justforbooks]

Unleashed by Boris Johnson

All the fancy verbiage in the world cannot disguise the emptiness at the heart of this self-serving, solipsistic book

Written once their authors have lost power, most prime ministerial memoirs try at some level to be reflective. David Cameron’s begins by confessing that he still has daily anxieties about having called the Brexit referendum. John Major’s starts even more disarmingly, by wondering why he went into politics at all.

But Boris Johnson does not do reflective. He never has and he never will. And nor does his new memoir, with its unnerving title, Unleashed. It covers his time as London mayor, Brexit campaigner, foreign secretary and prime minister. But if it is heart-searching and confessions you seek from the pen of Britain’s most iconoclastic prime minister, you can stop now.

This is not “the political memoir of the century” as the Daily Mail has been billing it for the past week. Or, if it is, an unrewarding 76 years lie ahead for the publishing industry. Take this passage from the section describing how Johnson felt in April 2020 when he had to be transferred from Downing Street to St Thomas’ hospital suffering from Covid:

It wasn’t just the physical distress; it was the guilt, the political embarrassment of it all. I needed to be bee-oing-oing back on my feet like an india rubber ball. I needed to be out there, leading the country from the front, sorting the PPE, fixing the care homes, driving the quest for a cure.

There’s a lot worth parsing there. And plenty that is characteristic of Johnson’s writing more generally. There’s the rubber ball image and the exuberant vocabulary. But then there’s also the sheer dishonesty and the lies. In reality, Johnson was a chronically indecisive prime minister, emphatically not one who led from the front. The PPE wasn’t being sorted at all, either, nor the care homes fixed. His solipsistic admission that he thought going into hospital was an embarrassing look for a leader shows where his instinctive priorities lay.

Then there are the political omissions. Johnson records Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, warning – rightly – at the outset of the pandemic that the public would expect the government to act, to make rules and to enforce them. Yet listen to the Covid inquiry, and the evidence of what things were really like at the heart of Johnson’s government in 2020 is jaw-dropping. “I’ve never seen a bunch of people less well equipped to run a country,” said the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, in a WhatsApp message.

Johnson’s book gives his version of the big episodes. But it dodges the larger issues they raise. The description of what he calls “the whole Partygate hoo-ha” is typical. It is full of angry self-righteousness. But his conclusion that he should not have apologised so much over Partygate is strikingly tin-eared. Though Johnson likes to parade the outward signs of his intellect, there is not a philosophical sentence in the entire book.

Yes, he often dresses up his memoir in amusingly image-rich and alliterative language. Donald Trump is “like an orange-hued dirigible exuberantly buoyed aloft by the inexhaustible Primus stove of his own ego”, for example. Kate Bingham did Covid vaccine deals “like a slightly tipsy billionaire at the Grand National”. Oliver Letwin is “the Professor Branestawm of British politics”.

And, yes, he regularly uses a cascade of words when a single one would do. “I wanted to create ladders, springboards, trampolines, catapults – anything to help kids with energy and talent,” he writes on his levelling up policy.

The freewheeling nature of the memoir is entertaining but becomes irritating for its lack of structure. You will search long and hard to find any other political memoirist who could reflect, after Cameron threatens to “fuck you up for ever” if Johnson opts to back leave in the Brexit campaign: “Did I want to be fucked up? For ever? By a prime minister equipped with all the fucking-up tools available to a modern government, and thousands of fucker-uppers just waiting to do his bidding?”

It is important to remember, though, that this has always been Johnson’s way. He uses his wit, appearance and persona to deflect from serious matters and to advance his own cause. His language is a form of collusion with his audience to stand apart from the tough business of governing. As Ed Docx observed in 2021 in these pages, Johnson has perfected the role of the clown king, whose speech is “not – in truth – eloquent, but rather the caricature of eloquence”. It is the same with this memoir.

That is not to deny that some of his anecdotes are striking. Johnson really does seem to have seriously contemplated a ludicrous armed raid on the Netherlands in order to bring millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Britain. He did almost drown on holiday in Scotland in summer 2020 because he was determined to sit out at sea in an inflatable kayak to avoid the Highland midges. And he comes super-close to implying that Benjamin Netanyahu personally planted a listening device in his private departmental bathroom when Johnson was foreign secretary.

Just occasionally, there is an almost casually delivered shaft of self-knowledge. “I am afraid, looking back, that I allowed the wish to be the father to the thought,” he writes. He is talking about Northern Ireland policy at this point, but the insight applies to much else in Johnson’s career, including Brexit, levelling up and his ability to govern. It probably describes his chances of a return to power too.

Perhaps this overhyped book is the only memoir of which Johnson is capable. He is not going to change. Anyone wanting more about his time at the top will gain greater insight from a few pages of Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell’s Johnson at 10 than they will from Unleashed’s more than 700 pages. Unleashed to do what? We never learn – and even he may not really know either.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[grandmaster-anne]

29 November 2022

Our 2022 Foundation Day honorary guests

HRH The Princess Royal presided over the event, that marked the award of the Royal Charter in 1836.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty

Professor Sir Edward Byrne

Lord Victor Adebowale

Scarlett Westbrook

Baroness Valerie Amos

Baroness Louise Casey

— University of London

[influencermagazineuk]

Call to Stop Huge Water Bill Hikes in England and Wales

Trade unions, celebrities and river activists have called on Britain's new government to order water companies to scrap up to 91% customer bill hikes in England and Wales and to review how water is owned and managed. Michael Rosen, Nish Kumar, and Stephen Fry have joined Greenpeace, Surfers Against Sewage, River Action, the Rivers Trust, and hundreds of other activists in signing a letter to Keir Starmer urging him to take immediate action. They are doing this just before regulator Ofwat decides whether it will approve bill increases across England and Wales.Some, like Thames Water and Southern Water, may ask for the largest bill rises. Thames Water aims for a rise of 59% before inflation is added. Southern Water's aim is to increase the bill by 91% by 2030 to £915 a year.The letter, which was organised by the campaign group We Own It, was also signed by the GMB and Unite unions. It says: "Saturday marked 35 years since the Water Act 1989, which set up our current water and sewage system—including privatization and top-down regulation.". "If this failed model continues, Labour could face the next election with some bills topping £915 a year and sewage being a bigger health threat than ever."The letter urges the prime minister to halt the current price-setting process and instead initiate a "public review of ownership and regulation … with representation from water campaigners and trade unions, alongside customers".The move is in response to strong public outcry over sewage pollution in rivers and seas and the dreadful state of English rivers. There is a rising fear for the public health menace from the treatment of wastewater in England. According to Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, public health must lie at the heart of future investment in any new wastewater system, urging that people must be better protected from waterborne diseases caused by contact with polluted rivers and coastal waters. Also under pressure is Ofwat, which permitted firms to pay £78 billion in dividends over the past 30 years but allowed their debts to balloon to £60 billion. On Thursday it will reveal whether companies' business plans meet expectations.The Ofwat decision had been delayed from December until July 11 because of the general election and comes when ministers are warned of a mounting crisis in the water sector. Debts of almost £15 billion burden Thames Water; investors are threatening to withdraw their support for this biggest of the privatized water companies. Ofwat pointed a finger at other privatized companies—including Southern Water, SES Water, and South East Water—over financial stability concerns. Added to this list under scrutiny is Yorkshire Water and Portsmouth Water."No other country runs water and sewage the way we do: 90% is publicly owned and delivered," the letter to Starmer says."Regulation has been flawed, captured, and underfunded: a constant threat to the current model. Accountability must be reviewed, including putting community representatives on company boards and using 'sunshine regulation' for greater transparency." Read the full article

[eaglesnick]

There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all.  (Robert Orben)

This week saw Keir Starmer’s keynote speech on education being interrupted by environmentalists protesting against him abandoning his previous £28billion commitment to a green prosperity programme.

“Green protesters interrupt Starmer's big education speech with demand for 'no more U-turns'  (skynews: 06/07/23)

They didn’t succeed.

Only a day later Keir Starmer said it was “right" for the Labour candidate fighting the Uxbridge bye-election, to raise concerns about Sadiq Khan's plans to extend the ultra low emissions zone (ULEZ) to outer London.

Apparently, now is “not the right time” for this policy.

When is the right time Sir Keir? After more children die from the polluted air they breathe?

“Air pollution a cause in girl's death, coroner rules in landmark case." (Guardian: 16/12/20)

Following this tragic case, a study found that:

“Almost every London school is in an area where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization limits" (BBC News: 16/08/21)

The fact that in outer London, an area not covered by ULEZ, there are 4000 premature deaths a year caused by air pollution doesn’t seem to bother Sir Keir.

Despite the fact that Professor Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer highlighted the SUCCESS of Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ policy in reducing the air pollution within inner London, Sir Keir doesn’t want the scheme extended.

Sir Keir, who earlier in the week admitted that Sadiq Khan as London Mayor, had a “legal obligation" to cut air pollution, was clearly reluctant to give his open support to the scheme. For Sir Keir the ONLY goal worth pursuing is his own ambition of becoming  Prime Minister. The expansion of ULEZ to the boroughs of outer London is not popular among voters, despite its obvious and proven health benefits, and in the outer London borough of Uxbridge and Ruislip, a bye-election is being fought.

Sir Keir want to win this bye-election and if that means not actively supporting the Labour Mayor in his bid to improve air quality for ALL Londoners,  then so be it. Who cares if ULEZ saves lives? Who cares if England’s Chief Medical Officer supports its expansion? Who cares if it is the children of the poor who suffer disproportionately from poisoned air?

Not Sir Keir – all he cares about is being elected.

[reportwire]

UK government faces new questions about Covid in care homes

The UK government on Wednesday came under renewed scrutiny over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic after a leaked dossier of WhatsApp messages involving former health secretary Matt Hancock raised fresh questions about the testing of people in care homes. The Daily Telegraph reported that Hancock rejected advice by Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, to test all people…

[qudachuk]

The Prime Minister hosted health leaders including England’s chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty.

[deinheilpraktiker]

Covid ist WIRKLICH vorbei! Das einflussreiche SAGE-Gremium wird AUFHÖREN, sich regelmäßig zu treffen, da Großbritannien in eine neue Phase der Pandemie eintritt … aber die Top-Berater der Regierung „stehen bereit“, falls das Virus erneut auftaucht

Covid ist WIRKLICH vorbei! Das einflussreiche SAGE-Gremium wird AUFHÖREN, sich regelmäßig zu treffen, da Großbritannien in eine neue Phase der Pandemie eintritt … aber die Top-Berater der Regierung „stehen bereit“, falls das Virus erneut auftaucht

SAGE trifft sich seit Januar 2020 mindestens monatlich und oft mehrmals pro Woche Aber das wird aufhören, wenn selbst notorisch vorsichtige Berater glauben, dass Covid vorbei ist Die einflussreiche Gruppe besteht aus 300 führenden Experten und Regierungsbeamten SAGE wird sich nicht mehr regelmäßig treffen, da Großbritannien in eine neue Phase der Covid-Pandemie eintritt. Die wissenschaftliche…

[x-x-elsa-x-x]

if my cat was a human i get the vibe that he’d look just like professor chris whitty :)

[deereporters]

UK Professor Chris Whitty Says Nicki Minaj 'Should Be Ashamed' Over Vaccine Comment On Twitter

UK Professor Chris Whitty Says Nicki Minaj ‘Should Be Ashamed’ Over Vaccine Comment On Twitter

Professor Chris Whitty says rapper Nicki Minaj “should be ashamed” after she tweeted an unsubstantiated story about a man who had a COVID vaccine and then allegedly became impotent.Continue reading

[filternewsofficial]

'UK not out of woods': Senior medic's warning on Covid-19 amid spike in daily cases

‘UK not out of woods’: Senior medic’s warning on Covid-19 amid spike in daily cases

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer (CMO) of England, has warned that the United Kingdom is “not out of the woods yet” with the coronavirus pandemic, adding that the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 is likely to attain “quite a scary level” if the current trend of doubling of hospitalisations due to Covid-19 every three weeks continues. “We are in a much better shape due…

[croxleyrebel]

Article: Will we ever go back to normal?

Will we ever go back to normal?

[deenewsline]

SAGE expert warns lifting lockdown restrictions in February would be a 'disaster'

SAGE expert warns lifting lockdown restrictions in February would be a ‘disaster’

Removing coronavirus restrictions at the end of next month would be a ‘disaster’ and put ‘enormous pressure’ on the NHS, a leading epidemiologist has warned. Professor John Edmunds, who works on the Government’s coronavirus response as part of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there would be significant consequences to lifting current rules,…

[gadgets360technews]

'He needs a slap!' Liam Gallagher SLAMS Chris Whitty for his ominous warnings about pandemic

‘He needs a slap!’ Liam Gallagher SLAMS Chris Whitty for his ominous warnings about pandemic

‘He needs a slap!’ Liam Gallagher SLAMS Professor Chris Whitty for his ominous warnings about the COVID-19 crisis… after Chief Medical Officer says ‘the worst is yet to come’ By Andrew Bullock For Mailonline Published: 16:02 GMT, 11 January 2021 | Updated: 16:18 GMT, 11 January 2021 Liam Gallagher has slammed Professor Chris Whitty for his bleak warnings about the state of the coronavirus…

[nilnews4]

Could exit plan start in ten days? Hopes rise for an end to the lockdown

Ministers might be given the inexperienced mild to begin planning an exit from the lockdown inside ten days, the Chief Medical Officer urged final night time. 

Chris Whitty stated Authorities consultants hoped to have sufficient proof in regards to the transmission of the coronavirus by that time to ‘decide how we are able to go into the subsequent section’. 

The lockdown is ready to be…

[qudachuk]

The Prime Minister is meeting health experts including Professor Sir Chris Whitty.