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Let your next career move come to you.

anyone hear Sumption on the Today prog this morning

he is becoming a rentavoice for the BBC and that's beginning to do him no favours, and today's seemed a little out of focus. He was making a case, without wanting to say it out loud, based on the UK Gov's moral obligation to uphold international law in respect of the disproportionality of Israel's actions, while recognising that no private law right existed which could cause anyone to sue the UK Government to mandate any particular response.   It was all a bit tricky.  Yet still his clarity of expression and comprehensive intellectual horizon are still a joy to listen to.  I like him and respect his views.  I think the questions and his answers today made for odd radio. 

 

I learned from Wikipedia that he was bottom of his class at Eton aged 15.  Yet he is unarguably one of the country's finest minds. I wonder what the epiphanic event was. Someone clearly identified the learning profile and unlocked him.  Bravo to that person

Obligation on UK Gov under International law (Art 1) to do what they can to avoid genocide

Not yet clear if Israel's actions are genocide, he says... erm

If he doesn't take action can an action be brought against the government? No.

Sorry, if the Gov doesn't take action.... No he says, no legal remedy as no justiciable cause.

Then a lot of (right) moral condemnation of actions taken. 

 

 

 

I think he made that abundantly clear. 
Lawyer invited to comment on why he signed a letter criticising the Government.  Lawyer says this is the law.  Interviewer says so is there a remedy in law. Lawyer says no not really, but really they should do the right thing.

You are right Guy. 

Thing is, does he honestly think anyone listening is in a position to influence what’s happening? Or that the wider populace cares what he thinks? To most he’s just another out of touch judge who likes the sound of his own voice. 

Who is speaking up for ordinary people in our country today? 

Is it Work Experience, the over privileged second gen immigrant who thinks he’s doing us a favour by being in politics?

Is it Brave Sir Keir, the worthy but stuffy self made upper middle class who sounds like something out of Crown Court?

Is it Loony Liz, recidivist sex dungeon worker with the manic glare?

 

Always had a lot of respect for Sumption after he broke from the General establishment consensus on lockdown “harder, faster, stronger” and risked his reputation to criticise it 

Sumption is undoubtedly brilliant when as a barrister he was told what case to argue.  He is a utter disaster when arguing for what he actually thinks.  Massively Intelligent yet deeply unwise, he's absolutely destroyed his legacy with his lunatic pandering to far right libertarian extremism during the Covid pandemic.  Richard Dawkins is one of a similar ilk.   

he's absolutely destroyed his legacy with his lunatic pandering to far right libertarian extremism during the Covid pandemic

Absolutely. He'll never be invited to speak on the BBC for example.

 

"far right libertarianism"

oh dear me.

 

What did he say about lockdown: governments should not be in the business of locking down citizens against their will for public health reasons. If the concern is that vulnerable people will be put at risk by people going about their business then that is easily addressed by those vulnerable people shielding if they wish. They can lock down.  The rest can go about their business if they wish.  This protects the vulnerable and the economy.  Mandatory lockdowns cause damage the economy without justifcation. "

 

He was right.

If I had stage 4 cancer I would not be demanding society locked down to protect me and then complaining to the Guardian as someone had hurt my feelings. 

I must admit that moment with the late "bowel babe" has become so iconic that I did immediately picture Sumption arguing with a Palestine supporter 

"I didn't say the lives of people in Gaza weren't valuable ...

I said they were LESS valuable"

 

I was a fan of his LD shtick but that was a car crash

Does anyone else (apart from possibly Mutters)think that the only really really really interesting thing revealed here is how someone so widely recognised as brilliant ever found themselves at the bottom of their class. 

Wasn’t Einstein also very ordinary as a young man?

Churchill too?

Any other precedents?

Next time Sumption is interviewed that should be the first question and then thoroughly explored. 

It does seem a very ROF/lawyer or maybe teacher kind of perspective 

The idea that performance at school in the teens is somehow a magic predictor of later success, and that succeeding greatly in later life at something cerebrally based after mediocrity at school  is a miracle, is one that was very much drummed into me at school but after 40 years of life I very firmly believe it to be bullsh1t

 

What I would readily agree with is the proposition that being ‘top of the class’ at a young age is a predictor of very much. 

I do find it considerably more fascinating that someone whose performance was so underwhelming found within himself an ability or a realisation of his potential so overwhelming. 

Of George Best, where did it all go wrong?

of Sumption, where did it all go right?
 

I know Sumption is rubbish at maths.  But he said himself that at 15 he was fed up of being bottom of the class and decided to put the hours in.  So presumably it's laziness.

I related to the issue. I struggled at school due to a neurodivergency issue then at A level,  degree and postgrad, where insight trumped memory to some degree (save bar finals which were rote crap) it came right fir me. The Sumption point wasnt really really interesting. But it was of interest to me. Clearly traditional teaching did not work for him. Then his mind emerged out of that straight jacket. He has a fine mind. 

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