Susan Michie, a professor at University College London and longtime member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, got into a tense exchange Monday morning when she was asked about her Communist party membership.
Michie has advocated for lockdowns to continue forever, claiming that ending restrictions would lead to more spread of the virus. Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid asked Michie about her position on lockdowns. Michie argued that because Britain only has part of the population vaccinated and there is still spread of coronavirus, people will “continue to take precautions.” According to Good Morning Britain, 86% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Richard Madeley, the other host of Good Morning Britain, said the “logical extension” of what Michie said is that “we shouldn’t lift restrictions at all.” (RELATED: Boris Johnson Unveils UK Reopening Plan, Says Nation Must ‘Learn To Live With This Virus’)
“Well, lifting restrictions will increase transmission,” Michie said. “And with all the problems that I just talked about, it doesn’t seem to me the best time to do that.”
Madeley then pointed out that Michie has been a member of the Communist Party for about 40 years and is still a member.
“We know that communism is basically statist … if your politics actually informs your sense of control, it’s not just the medical argument, but you have a political bent to want the state to tell people what to do,” he said.
Michie dodged to question, saying that she agreed to come on the show to talk about science and not politics.
“I’ve come on your program as a scientist, as do all people who come on to your program as scientists,” she said. “They come on to talk about the evidence, relevant theories, how we approach scientific disciplines. And you don’t ask other scientists about politics. So I’m very happy to speak about science which is what my job is, and to limit it to that.”
Madeley then asked again if her politics inform her opinion on lockdowns. Michie once again did not give a clear answer.
“I’m saying that I agreed to come on this program as a scientist and I’m very happy to talk to you about the issues that you’re raising as a scientist,” she said.