UKC

To be honest, I've always been deeply suspicious of politicians' claims made during media interviews. It seems like a sensible idea to check what is being said. Regrettably though, 'truths' are verified mainly according to ideology and political affiliation.

Johnson has taken this to new lows, further diminishing trust for the benefit of personal grandstanding and political gain. He really has no shame in doing so either, even when pontificating about young children who are the very least advantaged socially and economically. Rotten, absolutely rotten. Not sure this man can sink further down the scale of my disdain or estimation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53588275

We need to adopt a new scale, similar to Kelvin in temperature.

I genuinely believe he doesn't realise he's doing it; the concept of 'truth' is just a hazy ideal.

On the whole, I've never been very impressed with journalists, the 'story' is usually more important than accuracy, (there will of course be honourable exceptions.) Johnson has made a handsome living creating stories only loosely related to facts, I don't see him changing now.

Even until quite recently, having an official body like the OSR, or a respected economist, journalist and BBC commentator like Tim Harford, accuse a government minister of repeatedly lying would have caused a scandal.  Now, apparently, nobody cares.

He is just adopting the Trump style - say anything that makes you appear good and refuse, even when the evidence is irrefutable, to concede you were wrong.

He hasn't quite got to the full Trump level which also relies on firing off statement in very raid succession, but it would not surprise me if that comes along soon.

I note he is also moving to a US style of communication -  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53568610

Dave

Agreed. That's populism for you.

Trying to spin the truth is too time consuming. Better to just tell people what they want to hear, most of the time you'll get away with if you're careful.

While BJ is bad I'm afraid politics in Scotland is even worse.

The BBC is largely responsible for this. They've normalised client journalism and acted as though calling a lie a lie is tantamount to expressing political bias.

Now the Tory government is looking for a £100000 a year press spokesperson. "Mouth of Sauron"

?"

Job requirements: no moral compass or sense of shame.

So "The Brain" does his thinking for him, his new spokesman will shortly do the talking, what is the point of Johnson exactly?

you han see Johnson's type exposed to reality in every series of "The Apprentice" when their lying shite is torn apart at the personal interviews, particularly when Claude gets his teeth in ..

It needs to be logarithmic, to cope with the Tories current trajectory. John Major was the last one I could abide, 23 years of exponentially increasing disbelief later my bile vents have serious capacity issues

Exactly. They've contributed to a culture where it's possible to pass off any argument as "well that's your opinion, and mine is equally valid".

A classic example would be putting up Nigel Lawson to "debate" the reality of climate change against a climate scientist, giving false legitimacy to climate scepticism and suggesting that Lawson's idiot opinion is equal to a scientist's deep knowledge. Or in the Brexit "debate", putting up easily confused fools like Andrew Bridgen or Mark Francois against economists or academic. Generally failing to call obvious lies out for what they are, at most claiming they are contested.

More recently, the political editorship is happy to just report whatever the current line is from the government with little or no effort to analyse.

Very well put. He bungles along, stating half truths off the cuff, and rather than saying "I don't know" he snatches at the first unchecked thought that comes into his mind. He is now stinging from criticism of his government's early handling of the Pandemic, particularly the realisation that it's policies have resulted in the worst death toll in Europe. Catching Covid 19 himself shook him badly, and he and his government are very very worried that we are heading for another spike. Only a week ago he was preaching hope and enthusiasm about being back to normal by Christmas, only to realise with a jolt that is not going to happen, and he has, true to form, reacted in a way that confuses the people yet again. He seems incapable of balancing his statements between statements designed to bring him popularity and dire warnings of doom that make him unpopular.

His leadership qualities are awful.

I don't see any evidence that he is a 'changed man' since then. Same old blustering, lying idiocy from what I can see.