Going to go out on a very small limb and assert that these claims by the government that they were "following the science" are 100% cowardice-motivated arse covering with a hefty helping of despicable blame shifting on the side

/1 https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1253392053326807041

Saying they're "following the science" suggests that there was only ever one 'the science' and that our poor innocent leaders trusted it and were 'let down' because the science turned out to be wrong

A handy narrative, which only works if you ignore reality itself

/2

Fact is, science is constantly diverse, messy and uncertain, because so many things outside the absolute fundamentals aren't perfectly understood. And even the supposed fundamentals are still subject of some debate

/3

When we're talking about something new and unpredictable, like, let's say a novel virus, science won't have nearly enough data to form a robust consensus. There will be many theories, predictions and models, all of which are different, all of which are perfectly good science

/4

And then trying to figure out how this unfamiliar pathogen will affect something as wildly chaotic and complicated as a modern human population, that's just going to throw up all manner of possibilities. All of which are scientifically valid

/5

So for the government to say they followed "the science" when deciding their #covid19 strategy (such as it was) is meaningless. There were dozens of "the science"s to choose from.

/6

I'd wager what the government did was prioritise "the science" that supported what they already wanted to do. Why were modellers prioritised over clinical experts/experienced medics? Because the former told them more of what they wanted to hear. Basic confirmation bias

/7

"Following the science" is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Choosing which science to follow in a situation like this is one of the more important ones. The fact our government chose "science" that contradicted that of so many other countries is not just random chance

/8

Boris Johnson didn't boast about still shaking hands or crow about "taking it on the chin" because 'the science' told him to

He was already going to do that, because that's his whole ludicrous schtick. He focused on 'the science' that best 'justified' it

/9

Except viruses have no concept of British exceptionalism or populist rabble-rousing. And they wouldn't give a damn about them if they did. As we're now seeing as the heartbreaking cost mounts every day and our whole society is shut down

/10

The government saying they "followed the science" so can't be blamed for the #Covid19 fallout from their actions is like a drunk driver at a crash site insisting they can't be held responsible because they were "obeying the law" as they had their seatbelt on

/11

And yes, I *am* angry about this. Unbelievably so. My dad caught #Covid19 during Johnson's 'nothing to worry about' herd-immunity period when other countries were locking down. He was 58 and in good heath.

He died on Monday.

/12

As far as I'm concerned, based on all the available evidence, and whether due to cowardice, negligence, incompetence or sociopathic indifference, Boris Johnson and his government are responsible for my father's death

They need to answer for that

/13

So the thought of Jonson and co BLAMING science and scientists, like myself, for their own catastrophic failings? No, absolutely not. That's something I can only ever fight tooth and nail, and always will

/end