Following on from Boris Johnson's performance yesterday evening the comments from so many can be summed up by saying "What an idiot". Totally lacking in clarity, yet more spin designed to try make the government look better. I've been watching Good Morning Britain just now. The more we see the more it becomes apparent that they really haven't got much of a clue. Moderate Tories, Labour and others in Parliament need to force a change in government with a coalition of common sense pending a general election when the truth has come out.
The problems can be traced back to the Thatcher era when profits, privatisation and a lack of caring for society was the mantra. Brexit was just the latest example of not caring about the good of the country. Recent austerity for the sake of saving a few pence on income tax left the country unprepared for any sort of emergency let alone a pandemic.
The performance of the UK must be compared with that of Germany, South Korea and other countries who have handled the situation so much better. They have for years maintained Health and Care systems at a level with capacity to react, kept a manufacturing sector vibrant and seen an over reliance on the service sector as bad for their countries.
We should have tested from the start and where resources were limited tested where it really mattered. Assume that those in hospital with symptoms were positive and only testing those who were likely to pass the infection on. The true of deaths can only be estimated based on compariing this year's figures with those of recent years.
It will take years for Britain to regain the status it squandered away. We have the talent, may have the right type of leadership in some as yet less well known politicians. No quick fix just a slow gradual return to values that really matter.
So write to / email your MP's asking them to take a lesson from 1940 and form a government of National Unity, cancel Brexit and call a general election when and only when the situation is properly under control. Only parliament, if they have the courage, can call the executive to account.
For anyone familiar with Gilbert and Sullivan...
Johnson's frequent absences from public view always make me think of the Duke of Plaza Toro:
He led his regiment from behind
He found it less exciting
www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-duke-of-plaza-toro/
He’s practising for tomorrow. Mind you, he has got a dog to blame for eating his homework if it ends up again as a dog’s breakfast.
By the way where is Johnson? He seems to pop up at PMQs, make and idiot of himself then disappear for the rest of the week.
Furret... I do own some pearls, never clutched them though !
I just find myself groaning out loud every time I see Corbyn’s name being trotted out as an argument to support Boris.
Varuna. Inwould live to know a safer European Country, do tell.
Our government, although mistakes were made, have done everything in good faith and have done all they can to help people, tell me another country who has given the financial help we have. When a mistake has been made they have rectified it.
‘Unladylike-like words’?
#@offtofindsomepearlst
The government certainly have made mistakes with COVID-19 but to be fair they could be forgiven since they generally acted in what they perceived was good faith. Lack of testing and shortage of PPE were consequences general government attitudes over many years. Don't plan ahead if it costs and you cannot guarantee a cost benefit whatever the risk.
However pressing on with Brexit and HS2 when both ventures appear to have no good outcome. Brexit was flawed from the start and though voted for by 52% (37% of the electorate) evidence has shown that the promised outcome simply cannot happen; without destroying our economy. Better to admit that, make peace with the EU and seek a way back in.
HS2 will give only marginal benefit to small percentage of the population at great expense too many more.
COVID-19 has forced the country the reaccess many values and to value the NHS. Despite that when this is all over the government does not appear to have changed its long term aim of making the NHS less effective for most of us.
Belief in Boris Johnson and his sinister controller Dominic Cummings is rapidly evapourating. Constant denial of repsonsibilty for mistakes and a total lack ofwillingness to change course away from the cliff edge is alarming.
Parliament which we elected needs to take a vote of no confidence into this dangerous, dogmatic and self interested administration. Country before Party please.
Janpt I feel that all you have to offer to this discussion is insults on others who don't agree with you. An as for me being a bitter and twittered leftie how wrong can you be, your assumption is based on me not agreeing with you and suggesting that JC could probably do better than Boris. To be honest I think the only person who can do worse is Trump so its not hard to find someone who could do better.
So, in a week where we were told that France would be excluded from the 14 day quarantine, but now are going to be included, people training to be contact trainers have now been told that we might not be using the IOW app [the one that only we use] but another one [probably the one that everybody else uses and is proven to work]. You couldn't make it up really 
.
Such inflammatory rhetoric Janpt
I came from a very loving, but deprived background
I never took home notes from school about school trips because I didn't want my parents to feel bad that they couldn't afford to pay
I'm a socialist because I don't want other children to feel that responsibility
I am left of centre, yes
Starblaze. Good points.
I'm a moderate and I don't have a lot of time for the far left or the far right but shutting down people's valid concerns or justified anger with insults, gloating and vitriol has been very much more seen on the right amongst friends and loved ones from my perspective.
Most of those who are deemed "left" are left leaning moderates just as there are right leaning moderates. The actual will of the people is somewhere in the middle of this devide wanting a sensible way forward where people are valued as individuals and compensated fairly for their hard work.
The attitude should never be "you lost, get over it" . This is not football, you do not pick a team and support them no matter how badly they play.
We all have the power to affect real change. That starts with listening to the real concerns and justified anger of others and writing/emailing/petitioning the government about it.
Who is in power is responsible to listen but they gladly let us fight amongst ourselves so they don't have to.
Compromise, not assumptions about what or who people are based on a poor choice of parties.
I would agree with you Starblaze if we lived in a democratic country where the number of members of parliament elected was in proportion to the number of votes that that party had gained.
Unfortunately that is not the case in the UK.
If you think democracy starts and ends in the polling booth and that any criticism for the government makes others bitter and twisted. That they have no right to use their own individual liberty to hold a government to account, just because that is not who they voted for. This despite the "left" also being tax payers and beholden to the laws and regulations of that government.
If you think the simple fact that you voted a party in makes you "wrong" if they are so you must defend them to the point that you are willing to demonise almost half of society and a larger percentage of your younger colleagues and relatives to feel "right".
Then you may as well live in a dictatorship.
I am so glad that half of my family are now living in a much safer EU country.
The other half are in the UK and I worry more about them.
Agree with you Varian. Been and gone. If BJ wants to remain Tory leader/PM, he'd do well to get rid of DC. That man is going to drag BJ down with him.
Quite honestly, GagaJo, the opinion of foreigners just doesn't count because, well, they're foreign... ?
Corbyn etc are now totally irrelevant, but Borias Johnson having his strings pulled by Dominic Cummings is not.
lemongrove, it may well be that a 1st from Oxford is worth more because of the status it gives. Which I totally agree with. It is prestigeous because of its snob value. It does not mean, however, that the QUALITY of the degree from Oxford is any better than a range of other excellent universities in the UK.
And, as Varian said, about 1/3 of their graduates are awarded a 1st. So there will be millions of people floating around with 1sts from Oxford. Our PM just isn't one of them.
I'd like to know, Tory ladies, HOW JC could have done worse than the current government? I have friends in multiple overseas countries asking me weekly, 'What the hell is going on in the UK?' I have British friends overseas saying 'Thank god I got out.'
We are regarded as being a horrific, deadly country, in this whole C19 mess.
You either have missed the point or you’re just obsessed. I’m out.
Lucca. Feel free to use as many unladylike words as you like when referring to Corbyn, McDonnell or any of their Marxist cronies.
Sorry but I forgot to say something...I do try not to use foul language but every time I see corbyn mentioned (totally Academic not to say irrelevant how he would have handled the pandemic ) I use quite a lot of unladylike words. ?
That’s odd because to be really honest I view GN as very much right wing.
I think it would be helpful if the term “lefties” stopped being flung around as an insult.
I myself am neither leftie nor rightie but I get frustrated with right wing supporters (a fair few in my family) who would never hear anything against any government /prime minister as long as they were Conservative.
Barmeyoldbat Corbyn certainly could. Thank goodness he and his cronies didn't get the chance.
Lucca Yes it probably was. I just get increasingly frustrated when the majority on here are lefties and there are not many posting an alternative point of view.
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