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I didn't mention the scientists because I'm not criticising them. The only reason politicians are deferring to experts is they've realised experts are actually

I didn't mention the scientists because I'm not criticising them. The only reason politicians are deferring to experts is they've realised experts are actually useful whereas before they didn't like them (something about the time for experts is over, something like that, can anyone recall?) Conversely you haven't touched on the fact that the buggers are constantly spinning, deferring blame for not getting enough PPE, plain deceit about the number of tests done etc. The UK has not done well. That was avoidable. If you defend that, you let the responsible ones off the hook and they will do it again.

matthewheath 6y ago
> something about the time for experts is over, something like that, can anyone recall? Michael Gove said, during the Brexit referendum, that "people in this country have had enough of experts".[1] -- [1] https://www.ft.com/content/3be49734-29cb-11e6-83e4-abc22d5d108c https://www.ft.com/content/3be49734-29cb-11e6-83e4-abc22d5d1...
- throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
  That's the one, thanks.
  - r_c_a_d 6y ago
    I don't like Gove, so it feels strange for me to "defend" him, but this is an interesting quote that keeps coming up. In a later interview [1] he said this: "When I was being interviewed on Sky by Faisal Islam, he put it to me that there were a number of economists and organizations of economic prestige that questioned the arguments for leaving the European Union and said that it would be a mistake if we did. I countered it by saying people have had enough of experts from organizations with acronyms that have got things so wrong in the past. And Faisal Islam, as a skilled interrogator, cut me off half way, so while I completed my sentence he took the first half and said ‘people have had enough experts?’ and used that as a fencing posture in the interview itself." [1] https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/michael-gove-trouble-experts https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/michael-gove-tro...

matthewheath 6y ago

> something about the time for experts is over, something like that, can anyone recall? Michael Gove said, during the Brexit referendum, that "people in this country have had enough of experts".[1] -- [1] https://www.ft.com/content/3be49734-29cb-11e6-83e4-abc22d5d108c https://www.ft.com/content/3be49734-29cb-11e6-83e4-abc22d5d1...

throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
That's the one, thanks.
- r_c_a_d 6y ago
  I don't like Gove, so it feels strange for me to "defend" him, but this is an interesting quote that keeps coming up. In a later interview [1] he said this: "When I was being interviewed on Sky by Faisal Islam, he put it to me that there were a number of economists and organizations of economic prestige that questioned the arguments for leaving the European Union and said that it would be a mistake if we did. I countered it by saying people have had enough of experts from organizations with acronyms that have got things so wrong in the past. And Faisal Islam, as a skilled interrogator, cut me off half way, so while I completed my sentence he took the first half and said ‘people have had enough experts?’ and used that as a fencing posture in the interview itself." [1] https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/michael-gove-trouble-experts https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/michael-gove-tro...