Know-alls who know nothing.

I don't know about you, but I am getting fed up with those politicians and journalists who seem to know all the things the government should have done to mitigate this pandemic, but failed to share their wisdom when it would have done some good - several weeks ago!

I marvel at the patience of spokespeople who try to answer the same inane unanswerable questions every day, from people whose aim is merely to seek to score political points.

I came across this quotation by Theodore Roosevelt, and thought it apt:

""It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/02/89/40/35...UoKdz5G0Ey.jpg

Go Teddy!

My complaint is about the politicians who do not actually answer the questions. Often the questions are not unanswerable but questions which the spokespeople do not want to answer or to which they do not know the answer. So, instead, they mouth a mixture of platitudes, slogans and catchphrases.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tony41

My complaint is about the politicians who do not actually answer the questions. Often the questions are not unanswerable but questions which the spokespeople do not want to answer or to which they do not know the answer. So, instead, they mouth a mixture of platitudes, slogans and catchphrases.

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Totally agree turned the tv on today and the person at the podium was given his answer, I did not know what the question was but the way he was bumbling along with his answers gave me no confidence at all.

Their remit is to keep us all as calm as possible; therefore they are not allowed to say the obvious, such as : "Your guess is as good as mine!" Or, "None of us has a clue! What's your idea?"

Just the tiniest bit of humility would help. "We may have got it wrong at the beginning" "The PPE situation is messy"

And.. a slightly different topic. Couldn't Boris have combed his hair to talk on VE day?

I think that's a good idea - it would be a refreshing change, and honest.
"We've never been in this position before, so we're doing the best we can as we go along".
Most of us would find that reasonable and acceptable.