Whittyspeak and Johnson Gestures

Oh, what a mess we are in. The latest Covid Press Conference on 15 December from the lavishly refurbished conference room at 10 Downing Street was to clarify how we are to respond to the insurgent Omicron variant of Covid. There were 78,610 new cases of Covid yesterday, the highest ever figures since the outbreak of Covid. The dynamic between the PM, Boris Johnson, and his Medical and Science advisers has always been sticky. On this occasion, Chris Whitty was the PMs minder. The mantra used by the PM and the late unlamented Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, to describe the government's decision making was always, "we follow the Science". When examining the actions made and contracts handed out by government, they probably meant 'Scientology',  a religion that operates as a cult and has been described as a manipulative profit-making business, 

Chris Whitty is well aware that the underlying values of the medical and scientific community are diametrically opposed to the freedom-loving chancer PM. Whitty, along with the pride of professors from Oxford and Cambridge, who dominate the airwaves, has adopted an alternative language, let's call it Whittyspeak, that gently contradicts the messaging of the PM. Johnson wants people to get boosted, go to work, eat out, have parties, albeit following the guidance, and to book holidays, fly, commute and if they can afford it, go into space.

Whittyspeak is a bit like Esperanto, it works fine if people understand it. His advice yesterday to de-prioritise some of your events, take sensible precautions, wear a mask, and avoid unnecessary contacts are all indisputable but not a direct contradiction of the PM's determination to impose no more restrictions. The inevitable outcome is that people can choose which sets of guidance chime best with their own intentions. It is no surprise that the hospitality sector, the aviation and tourism industries, the high street retailers and young people wanting to enjoy themselves will interpret the PM's messaging to suit their desires. Similarly, older people, families with children at school, those with health problems and people more concerned about the global implications of the pandemic will be inclined to follow some Whittyspeak.

Standing at the Downing Street podium, Johnson is on his best behaviour, keeping to script with his comments short and generally non-controversial. He knows that his wingmen and women will not contradict him and that their comments will not rock the boat too much. It is a different story when he appears at the despatch box in the House of Commons and is speared by opposition MPs and now his own backbenchers on all cabals in the Tory collective. His trademark smart but grungy appearance and bullish statements no longer cut the mustard, if they ever did. 

Any suggestion by his opposition questioners that he is winging it or deceiving the public prompts an immediate flounce. He retaliates with mad gesturing and vicious trolling of Keir Starmer and Ian Blackford repeating old, but no longer funny, insults. He then tries to conduct Conservative MPs to outshout the opposition, twisting round and flailing his arms to his benches in a pale imitation of Jurgen Klopp getting the Kop choir to another rousing rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone". And what does he hear 'Hello darkness my old friend,....the Sound of Silence'. He is what he is, a busted flush.