How to Kill with a Handshake: My Favorite Boris Johnson Story

Now that Boris Johnson is leaving office it’s time to think back and find our favorite stories from his premiership. Here’s mine. What’s yours?

Bent Flyvbjerg

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I’m Danish but have worked in Britain for the past 14 years. I was there when Covid-19 hit the country in early 2020. I decided to stay, but resolved to take my cues on how to deal with the pandemic from Denmark.*

Smart move, if you ask me.

On March 12, 2020, the Danish government decided to lock down Denmark and send employees and students home to self-isolate. The very same day, to my horror, I received the following email from my employer, the University of Oxford, inviting me for coffee and cakes the next day:

“To thank all staff and faculty for their support in this time of uncertainty, there will be free coffee and cakes in the Common Rooms throughout tomorrow morning, Friday 13 March.”

I read the email as an invitation to come and get infected. So, being Danish, I protested. But protest doesn’t really work in Britain. “Keep calm and carry on” is the preferred approach, including for the pandemic at this stage.

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Bent Flyvbjerg
Bent Flyvbjerg

Written by Bent Flyvbjerg

Professor Emeritus, University of Oxford; Professor, IT University of Copenhagen. Writes about project management. https://www.linkedin.com/in/flyvbjerg/

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