Questions are what you ask.
Questioning is what you do.
It is hard to keep questioning for four months straight. It gets tiring, you lose energy and give up. If we all remembered the full incompetence of our government during this crisis, we would be storming Downing Street on a daily basis.
And, it is at that point, those who have locked us up for four months can get away with any old shit.
Boris Johnson has just celebrated one year of being prime minister. It seems a hell of a lot longer.
In that time, he has won an election, brushed aside an affair with his IT advisor, ‘got Brexit done’, shook hands with as many infected people as possible, contracted Corona-19, become a superspreader, spent a few nights in intensive care, realised he was fat, got engaged, had a baby and dodged a hell of a lot of questions.
Before the election, he saw Jeremy Corbyn eviscerated by the BBC’s Andrew Neil, so he ducked that interview, opting instead for a pre-election grilling by Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning’s couch.
If you remember, at the beginning of the pandemic, a government minister, accompanied by some senior scientists, fronted a daily Virus Update on the BBC.
After giving the daily death charts, they faced questions from the media. Boris Johnson attended a few, then stopped, and after about eight weeks, cancelled the whole show, due to low ratings (how Trump).
Parliament is on holiday, so our government is running the country, during its biggest trauma since WW2, without scrutiny. They leak their ideas to their friendly media (Murdoch & Mail) and then proceed with what the feedback says will be popular, rather than safe for us or following best scientific practice.
An example: from day one the government, shielding behind the science, agreed the wearing of masks should not be mandatory and then, around 120 days into lockdown, made the wearing of masks compulsory in all shops. The right wing media immediately canvassed opinion and reported back that the overwhelming majority of citizens of the UK, would do anything, even that, to get things back to normal.
It is obvious that the government, via their newspaper-owning chums, will say that, since the wearing of masks is so successful (nothing to do with social distancing), the 2M rule is no longer required and everyone can go back to work. Immediately.
We are now stuck in masks for the foreseeable.
Who is questioning them on this crap?
At work, we traditionally think of the annual appraisal as the opportunity to legitimately ask questions about our career progression. But, the annual review has never been a process fit for purpose.
It should be a legitimate, two-way process, where you can ask questions regarding your performance at work, where the company you work for is going and your position within it. More often it is something pointless, usually negative, to be endured.
“In the past year I have carried out my duties with efficiency and good humour, as well as winning the biggest account in the company’s history. I would like to think this performance could be recognised with the appropriate remuneration, both financial and titular.”
“Whilst that is possibly true, times are hard and my only memories of you, (Sorry Sally, your manager, is not here by the way), are your terrible karaoke performances and not sponsoring me for my Five Peaks’ Challenge.”
In the current climate, you are lucky to have a job, but you seem to be doing okay and I hope to see you again this time next year.”
There has to be a better way; perhaps refer back to I: For Interviews, and the six people tasked with mentoring you can take responsibility for your appraisal.
Questions:
Does anyone want to go back to the office, ever?
Why is that incredibly bad Vax ad on TV so often? “There’s no loss of suction.” “What does that mean?”. Why don’t they know what they are talking about?
What the fuck has Carol Vorderman done to herself?
Why does F1 still exist?
Why are all landlords scumbags?
What happened to our world-beating track and trace system?
Why have 250,000 volunteers been given nothing to do?
What hold does Dominic Cummings have over our PM?
Why are all our roads being dug up at least twice?
Why didn’t children go to school as normal?
Can we rejoin the EU and put Angela Merkel or that Scottish lady in charge?
Why isn’t Eastenders back on our screens?
Does anyone buy newspapers anymore?
Is it acceptable to wear a mask with a picture of your children on it?
Why do so many TV/radio presenters have incomprehensible regional accents;? This is cultural apartheid.
Have we reached podcast saturation point?
Why is the government making cycle lanes?
Do you really have to wear a mask in a bank?
Does anyone ever want to go to the gym again?
Will Donald Trump refuse to leave the White House?
Will I ever be allowed to get drunk on a plane again?
If I stuck my dear old Mum in a care home, do I really love her?
Why did the South Africans ban alcohol?
Why was Robbie Savage allowed to ask a question at the Daily Virus Update?
Why are TV chefs so annoying?
Quarantine:
Not going to happen.
