Boaty McBoatface decision is an insult to Sir David Attenborough

Last Updated: May 7, 2016By
The Mirror captioned this "Votey McVolte-Face" to mark the way Science minister Jo Johnson U-turned on the naming of a new Arctic science vessel.

The Mirror captioned this “Votey McVolte-Face” to mark the way Science minister Jo Johnson U-turned on the naming of a new Arctic science vessel.

Is anybody else as angry as This Writer about the decision to insult the general public and national treasure Sir David Attenborough at the same time?

A national poll to find out what the people wanted to call a new Arctic science vessel ended with an overwhelming result for Boaty McBoatface.

But the Tory government didn’t like it and announced a while ago that this would not be the name.

This resulted in a public backlash and a U-turn.

But now, Science minister Jo Johnson has U-turned again, announcing that Boaty will now be called the Sir David Attenborough, in honour of the great TV naturalist, on his 90th birthday.

Clearly this is intended to forestall any criticism by making it seem like a present to Sir David on his 90th birthday.

In fact, it is an insult.

Why in all the natural world would David Attenborough want to put his own aggrandisement above the wishes of the British people?

It is arrogant of Johnson and the administration he represents to think that Sir David would want to collude in this.

And the sop – naming a tiny submarine carried by the new vessel as Boaty McBoatface instead of the main ship – is adding injury to insult.

Let us hope Sir David tells the Tories their selection is not natural and should be consigned to history.

In perhaps the most cynical sneaked-out news item of the day, Science Minister Jo Johnson quietly announced that the ship the people wanted to name Boaty McBoatface will end up being named in honour of Sir David Attenborough.

It’s the naturalist’s 90th Birthday today. Most people just get a card, to be honest.

But in an attempt to calm the fury of the internet, Mr Johnson agreed to name a tiny submarine carried by the Sir David Attenborough to be named Boaty McBoatface.

Source: 7 bits of bad news the Tories sneaked out while everyone was watching the election – Mirror Online

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8 Comments

  1. autismandate May 7, 2016 at 6:41 am - Reply

    Its got to be Attenborough

    • Mike Sivier May 7, 2016 at 11:36 am - Reply

      Why? The public chose Boaty.

      • hayfords May 7, 2016 at 1:43 pm - Reply

        The basis of the public vote was as a suggestion. The final decision was always going to be by NERC – the Natural Environment Research Council. That was stated when the public were originally asked. Attenborough is a much better name.

        • Mike Sivier May 7, 2016 at 1:46 pm - Reply

          Why ask the public if the public suggestion was to be refused?
          In any case, it is a Tory minister who has decided what the ship will be called, not this organisation you mention.
          This decision spits in the fact of everybody who bothered to vote.

  2. Joan Edington May 7, 2016 at 12:52 pm - Reply

    Attenburgh won’t tell the Tories anything. I should think he’ll love it having his name. I’d like to be proved wrong though.

  3. Phil Lee May 7, 2016 at 3:12 pm - Reply

    The public jumped on the comic suggestion as a huge joke. Get over it.
    The only reservation I have over the chosen name is that it is unusual to name a ship owned and operated by government after a living person, but the amount by which Sir David Attenborough has popularised natural science among the general public more than overcomes that small reservation.

    • Mike Sivier May 10, 2016 at 3:28 pm - Reply

      I was never under it. The decision is still an insult.

  4. Bernard Price May 8, 2016 at 12:35 pm - Reply

    Boaty McBoatface was good for a laugh, but I think naming the new research ship after David Attenborough is an appropriated gesture to a great naturalist and communicator.

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