Will this crisis lead to a change in Conservative attitudes?

Barmeyoldbat you mention the £10000 payment to each MP to work at home. I mentioned this to my daughter who wouldn't believe me. Can anybody verify this?

Thanks s the choice China or the UK? Or can we pick another country, like Germany or Taiwan?

I’m intrigued too Dinahmo. Is it all of us on the left of centre or just some people on the left who don’t criticise China? I see quite a few on here on the right who never criticise the Tories - does that count too?

Ilovecheese Sunak's financial reliefs are nothing like a Labour budget. True to Tory form he's given huge sums to big business (Tesco's and Sainsbury's business rates holiday - not a grant) and the small people are still suffering. There are many people falling through the gap - those recently changing employment (supposed to go back to their previous employer and ask to be put back on the books so that they can get sick pay!). No help for anybody who stopped employment and switched to self employment after 5 April 2019. Amazon not paying a wage to anybody off work without a certificate stating that they have covid-19).

Seems to me it's Tory's as usual.

Newnanny said:

' I really think Boris and Conservative government have done all that they can to try to protect the people.'

Really? How can anybody believe that? Their slow reaction, half-hearted response, delays, excuses and meetings to deflect the blame (onto Civil Service and NHS England) have cost countless precious human lives!

There should be cross party talks and the NHS, Fire, Ambulance and Police services should be taken out of Party Politics. Money taken from us in taxes should be ring fenced to protect them. It will cost us, but it’s costing us indirectly anyway.

Barmeyoldbat I know which government I’d rather be living under and it certainly isn’t China’s.

Please will someone explain why every now and then someone puts their head above the parapet and accuses those of us on the "left" of never criticising China? I see such comments occasionally haven't read any support.

Jabberwok perhaps you could enlighten me please/

Tickingbird, yes thats true many more have died than the figures show and that is this country.

Not only that Jaberwok but believe China’s figures. Many don’t and I’m one of them. Truth be known thousands more have died there than their government are saying.

OK, he made the whole thing up from start to finish, a massive Tory plot to deceive the nation! Isn't it strange that nobody on the left ever criticises China for being responsible for this pandemic in the first place and who apparently knew as long ago as November the implications of this pending crisis and didn't warn other countries! But no, China of course is faultless, and this country virtually responsible for the whole pandemic.

I wouldn't have thought that two nurses would be on constant duty for 48 hours at somebody's bedside with a 'not very serious' illness!! (Parents have confirmed this to be true, and the nurses concerned haven't denied it) Or perhaps they're part of this skullduggery?!!

I think that they Torys must surely have lost some votes as a result of this shambles. If Kier Starmer can get established then surely he will give them a run for their money. In the meantime I hope that they will be asked to explain their actions and the reasons behind them. I think they are struggling because they don't actually know. I find Johnson's near miraculous recovery a marvel of modern science.

Where is Cummings, anyway? It's all gone very quiet since he was reported as having CV.

I don't think anything will change. I don't even think that Our Great Leader had anything approaching a 'near death' experience. I think he's milking a not very serious attack for all it's worth.

I suspect it will be business as usual for them. Yes, it’s great that Boris survived but that won’t translate into any level of altruism. They probably believe that he’d have survived under a private healthcare system and that it’s nothing to do with the NHS per se, ergo no reason to change their approach.

Not only misinformation but ministers not following their own advice and sticking to the rules. Nothing will change after this, after all they have already looked after themselves by giving all MP £10,000 whilst working at home. Most people were taking a cut.

That's a shame Dinahmo. I was hoping that the first thing Johnson would do after recovery would be to sack Cummings.

I think there's going to be political turmoil for at least 12-18 months and I'd hate to predict what will happen after that.

Somebody's going to have to make a decision on B** very soon and I can't even begin to think what kind of chaos we could be facing in 2021.

I doubt very much if things will change within the Tory Party.
I was reading this morning that Cummings has hired new advisers, including Lynton Crosby's acolyte Isaac Levido and others who worked on the Brexit campaign and the December election. They are cast from the same mould as Cummings.

For the sake of accuracy I should point out that they were hired before BJ went into hospital but I haven't read that they've been got rid of.

The reason for the hirings is that the government haven't been able to get their message across. Hardly surprising with all the misinformation that's been spouted by Tory ministers.

Sunak had absolutely no choice but to do what he did. The Tories did what was expedient. It wasn’t a Labour budget it was a budget for crises.
Any government will have done the same.

Johnson will not change and people would be very foolish to hope that he will.

What I am hoping is that they will find it very difficult to return to austerity and in particular the austerity that was so cruel to the poor. It would be good to see this crises has given people greater humanity, but I very much doubt it.

I think in a way we have already had a change in attitude from this particular Conservative Govt. The budget delivered by Rishi Sunak could easily have been a Labour budget.
Very different from Mrs May's "There is no magic money tree" remark.

Anecdotally, I have known two people who have had a near death experience and both made major changes to their lives when they had recovered. But in both cases on very personal level rather than a change of philosophy.

EllanVannin I'm not sure what you mean about there being money to back up the losses. Given what Mrs May said about there being no money.
The Govt does not have money to back up the losses. it will either have to borrow or raise taxes. it would be nice to think that if taxes are raised they will be paid by the people with the most to spare.

newnanny I have posted elsewhere that the government had to help bail out the banks for several reasons, one of them being that thousands of ordinary people would have lost their savings because there would have been a run on the banks. Maybe you should read some of the 19th Century novelists, such as Mrs Gaskell, who describe in detail the consequences of a run on the banks. Admittedly the banks were smaller and those were different times but the principle's the same.

As regards repossessions, in 2008 40,000 and 2009 48,900. BUT in 1991 75,520 and 1992 68,600.

Finally, the 2008 crash was not the fault of the Labour government, despite what the right wing press tell you. I won't explain further because most of us on here are fully aware of the reasons.

Evoha16 I think you are right and no substantive changes will ensue. I do hope I'm wrong and would love to be proved so.

Evoha16, how do you expect a country to keep ticking over without investment ?

Could you do any better ?

This government is not responsible for the losses that will be caused by this virus.

Had it been a Labour government there'd have been no money to back-up losses in business. Remember Brown and the gold debacle ? Selling it at a great loss ?

As big money from the unions will grabbed Labour if
Starmer continues with Corbyn’s promise to give full power
back to unions.

I'd be highly surprised if change flowed from Boris' experience. His time in hospital will have been more like the most expensive private care, and "back on the ward" will not have meant a bed in a curtained cubicle with seven other random patients.

Recuperation and being waited on hand and foot for a fortnight at Chequers will begin to diminish his elation at having survived.

No of course not. It will be business as usual, with big money grabbing the Tories attention. As his illness and gratitude fades, Johnson will revert to being a true right wing Tory.