If we want ministers to shoulder responsibility and be accountable for decisions, they should be seen as making decisions based on expert advice.

If experts are seen as making the decisions and directing ministers, they risk being the focus of responsibility and accountability. https://twitter.com/cochranecbc/status/1250399541943316480

I’m not sure having experts lead the way depoliticizes our response to the pandemic. It leads to greater public trust and confidence in what’s happening, yes. But the politics are always there, ready to focus on those seen to be making decisions.

Simply put, we need to recognize that we expose the experts to certain political risks when we put them out there as the decision-makers, rather than advising those who make the decisions.

To bring it back to the origins of ministerial responsibility:

To ensure that the ‘King could do no wrong’, we needed ministers to be held responsible.

To ensure that the ‘experts have done no wrong’, we need ministers to be seen as the responsible decision-makers.