Why Betty Boothroyd is right to call out ‘waffling’ Ministers – Jayne Dowle

Praising Keighley-born Captain Tom Moore, who has raised nigh on £30m for the NHS, she asserted that the war veteran “has done more to raise public morale than all the bluster from members of Boris Johnson’s beleaguered Cabinet”.

She also reminds us pointedly that Captain Moore’s determination to walk 100 laps around his garden on the eve of his 100th birthday stands in contrast to the “waffling” of Ministers.

At 90 herself, and as a former Speaker of the House of Commons, Baroness Boothroyd is certainly qualified to speak her mind. By doing so, she is raising the concerns many of us share.

When I say ‘many of us’, I mean you and I, ordinary members of the public trying to make sense of these awful times. And I also mean journalists, the individuals who seek answers on our behalf. I have a foot in both camps.

I’ve learned a lot over the past month or so. And one of the most important of these lessons is that editors, reporters and commentators have been obliged to tread a very fine line; not to undermine the national effort to tackle coronavirus, but also to raise questions about the conduct of government, scientists and public bodies where and when necessary.

This has been especially pertinent as Her Majesty’s Opposition was effectively rudderless until Sir Keir Starmer was elected as leader earlier this month. In addition, Parliament has been suspended. We shall now see how the virtual chambers work in practice.

Balancing this difficult backdrop with the undesirability of making political capital out of a devastating global crisis is no mean feat. Yet every day brings fresh news. As the narrative evolves, so does the response. Baroness Boothroyd, for one, warns that “last month’s compliance is turning to anger”.

In the middle of all this stand the media, the usual conduit between public and politicians.

Believe it or not, most of my fellow hacks did not choose journalism as a career because their egos need constant exercise.

I’ve been in the trade for more than 30 years now; the one defining factor which unites all the best journalists and editors I’ve worked with is a determination to slice through cant and disinformation to get to the truth.

These days, I’m a long-range observer, but I’m increasingly concerned by the criticism levelled at those who attend the daily press briefings and attempt, often without success, to persuade Matt Hancock, Robert Jenrick and so on to give straight answers to simple questions.

That’s why I was pleased with Baroness Boothroyd’s candour. I read an exchange between acquaintances on social media the other day, none of whom – as far as I know – have ever set foot in a newsroom. They agreed that they were ‘sick’ of hearing journalists ask the same questions over and over again about, for example, the shortage of PPE equipment, the lack of reliable testing and when schools and businesses might be able to reopen.

And here’s the clincher: “Surely the media can’t think they are asking these questions on behalf of the general public?” I felt like weighing in and asking “What pray, would the ‘general public’ like to know instead – the name of Mr Jenrick’s tailor? Where Mr Hancock might be thinking of going on holiday when all this is over?”

I decided that discretion was the better part of valour. I kept my mouth shut and my fingers off the keyboard. Why are journalists asking the ‘same’ questions over and over again? Because sadly, too often the answers are either not forthcoming or disingenuous when they are.

An unfettered Press is a privilege and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. We only have to look at the petulant attempts by the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk to control tabloid access to their daily doings to appreciate this.

And we only have to read about the outspoken individuals who mysteriously disappear in countries such as China to appreciate that we still have freedom to dissent.

The privilege of her position allows Baroness Boothroyd to voice the things we are all struggling with. As we enter the second month of lockdown, we need more of this honesty and forthrightness to hold the Government to account. It is not disrespectful or even unpatriotic. In a democracy it is only right.

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