Covid Inquiry

I was only four when Asian flu hit and I have no memory of it. But as Maizie
says, they were very different times.

I think Theresa May would have taken her responsibilities very seriously if Covid had hit under her watch. Not sure about Cameron to be honest. Gordon Brown would definitely have done, Blair? Who knows, might have depended on which way the wind was blowing.

As I recall very little was done by government about 'Asian flu' under MacMillan. It was quite virulent and at one point over 20 pupils in my class were absent.

Different times, Grantanow.

Interesting though:

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31201-0/fulltext

( I wasn't in your class, but I got it... I was only 7, I've never had flu since...)

MayBee70

What exactly is Boris Johnson’s skill set?

Getting elected which is why the Tories chose him even though his faults were known to them.

MaizieD

Reading Dicken's recent post, and thinking about other posts on this thread, I don't think that any PM, or opposition leader, in my lifetime (and I'm thinking of perhaps from MacMillan onwards) would have ignored the onset of a global pandemic (and the evidence from China and Italy of the deadly nature of the new virus) in order to sort out their divorce settlement and to, allegedly, start writing a book.. fail to attend the meetings of COBR, the body for dealing with emergencies, and suggest that as other countries were panicking unnecessarily the UK could ignore the pandemic to take the opportunity to corner a large chunk of global trade...

I think that every single one of them, up to and including Theresa May and the current LOTO, would have taken a highly responsible stance right from the start...

As I recall very little was done by government about 'Asian flu' under MacMillan. It was quite virulent and at one point over 20 pupils in my class were absent.

Wenmore

Apologies if this has been posted before.
The COVID Inquiry has the facility on its website for anyone to contribute their story.
The link is www.everystorymatters.co.uk/share?locale=en-gb
There is also a link to the Scottish Inquiry if that's preferred.

Thank you for that info. I was expressing regret today to my DH that I hadnt' contributed to the Scottish one.

MaizieD Sat 04-Nov-23 12:59:16

I agree, his total abdication of any responsibility or to take the crisis seriously is without precedence, think.

Casdon - I have to agree with you.

From the moment Theresa May exited - tearfully - there was a transformation. Dissenters were ousted to be replaced by ambitious (ambitious in the personal sense) yes-men. Their capabilities and talents mattered little beside the requirement that they be totally 'on message'.

A perfect-storm of the rejection of Corbynite-ism, new Red-Wall voters clamouring to get-Brexit-done, a mop-haired 'lovable clown' promising the dawn of a new era for the UK unshackled from the stultifying EU with an ability to 'get down' with the people he professed to champion... yep, we got our populist government. And it was all going swimmingly, until - COVID. A damned great fly-in-the-ointment which would scupper all the ambitions of the Leader and his men.

Apologies if this has been posted before.
The COVID Inquiry has the facility on its website for anyone to contribute their story.
The link is www.everystorymatters.co.uk/share?locale=en-gb
There is also a link to the Scottish Inquiry if that's preferred.

No Casdon I don’t think we’ve seen anything like it before.
I’m don’t think Sunak would have done any better either. He tends to go missing in action rather than deal with things.

Dickens

M0nica

There's always a kernel of truth in these conspiracy stories which is what makes them so enduring. They are a cabal of back-stabbers, jostling to keep their positions - or vault them. The last thing on their minds is the wellbeing of the nation and its inhabitants. We are a means to an end, that is all.^

Does anyone think that the Labour party is any different?especially when you think back to the Corbyn era, ro when Peter Mandelson was running free in the party?

Does anyone think that the Labour party is any different?especially when you think back to the Corbyn era, ro when Peter Mandelson was running free in the party?

... I don't know, frankly.

However, Tony Blair and his "spin doctors" manipulating and deceiving the public? MPs being 'warned' not to mention the word "socialism"? All part of the "new Labour" , erm, spin. Springs to mind immediately.

And he's made a small fortune since leaving Downing Street.

But is this on the same level as the chaotic last few years under the present government?

There is of course the 'machinations' which propelled us into the Iraq War. The apparently non-existent WMDs. Blair's buddy-buddy relationship with Bush. And, the late David Kelly - has his death ever been satisfactorily 'explained'?

I really don't know.

But my comment about the current government and it's initial PM was not an attempt to recommend, condone or justify anything the past or present Labour party has done, or will do!

I'm not a Labour voter.

I do actually think the Labour government will be different, and I also think the Tory governments of the past were different too, in that the post 2019 self serving cronyism at the heart of the government was unlike anything we have seen before. They clearly thought they could do whatever they liked and get away with it, I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that before.

Reading Dicken's recent post, and thinking about other posts on this thread, I don't think that any PM, or opposition leader, in my lifetime (and I'm thinking of perhaps from MacMillan onwards) would have ignored the onset of a global pandemic (and the evidence from China and Italy of the deadly nature of the new virus) in order to sort out their divorce settlement and to, allegedly, start writing a book.. fail to attend the meetings of COBR, the body for dealing with emergencies, and suggest that as other countries were panicking unnecessarily the UK could ignore the pandemic to take the opportunity to corner a large chunk of global trade...

I think that every single one of them, up to and including Theresa May and the current LOTO, would have taken a highly responsible stance right from the start...

PS. Sorry the picture is too small to read - that's why I posted the link too.

This is the covid-19 decision support tool which was issued to clinicians in 2020:

prod-upp-image-read.ft.com/765d3430-7a57-11ea-af44-daa3def9ae03

M0nica

There's always a kernel of truth in these conspiracy stories which is what makes them so enduring. They are a cabal of back-stabbers, jostling to keep their positions - or vault them. The last thing on their minds is the wellbeing of the nation and its inhabitants. We are a means to an end, that is all.^

Does anyone think that the Labour party is any different?especially when you think back to the Corbyn era, ro when Peter Mandelson was running free in the party?

Does anyone think that the Labour party is any different?especially when you think back to the Corbyn era, ro when Peter Mandelson was running free in the party?

... I don't know, frankly.

However, Tony Blair and his "spin doctors" manipulating and deceiving the public? MPs being 'warned' not to mention the word "socialism"? All part of the "new Labour" , erm, spin. Springs to mind immediately.

And he's made a small fortune since leaving Downing Street.

But is this on the same level as the chaotic last few years under the present government?

There is of course the 'machinations' which propelled us into the Iraq War. The apparently non-existent WMDs. Blair's buddy-buddy relationship with Bush. And, the late David Kelly - has his death ever been satisfactorily 'explained'?

I really don't know.

But my comment about the current government and it's initial PM was not an attempt to recommend, condone or justify anything the past or present Labour party has done, or will do!

I'm not a Labour voter.

I understand why that decision was made from a clinical perspective, it doesn't mean I was happy with it!

I did catch Covid after sheilding for two years from my asymptomatic DGD, who had also been shielding.
I was fortunate to be in hospital within twenty four hours of testing positive and an an infusion of anti virals was administered, because anti virals in tablet form were unsuitable for me.
That is one part of the strategies, which worked and I have nothing but praise for everyone who facilitated it. It was very slick.
You can criticise the Scottish Government all you wish, but that and priority online deliveries made my life much easier and bearable.
The treatment prevented me from becoming critically ill.
I am fortunate to live within the Greater Glasgow Health Board area which meant I did not need to travel far for treatment.
However, I do wonder how those in more rural areas fared.

However, it does impact on one's self worth to know taht you are deemed disposable dispensable

Marydoll

^She was told that no one of 60 years of age would get a ventilator should they become ill enough to need one, because there simply weren’t enough^.
That probably explains why a DNR notice was put on my file. 😪

Yes.

Marydoll
I’m so sorry your health conditions have deteriorated as a result of lockdown. I know you are CEV and you needed the care your physicians normally gave to you. It was never right to prevent people with ongoing conditions, or new conditions, to be neglected the way they were neglected.
We need a plan for how it would be managed should such a serious new illness emerge again. But as Monica says all the people being interviewed are jostling for position and trying to whitewash anything they were involved in during lockdown. And so many of them simply ignored the rules blatantly, including people in the media (Kay Burley) and advisers and government ministers, not caring a jot for the damage being done because of lockdown. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have had a lockdown, but it went on for two years with the rules constantly being changed so half the population didn’t understand them anyway.

This cannot happen in this way ever again.

She was told that no one of 60 years of age would get a ventilator should they become ill enough to need one, because there simply weren’t enough.
That probably explains why a DNR notice was put on my file. 😪

We went into lockdown a week early, ironically at the insistence of our daughter, who had attended GP/doctor training in our area. She was told that no one of 60 years of age would get a ventilator should they become ill enough to need one, because there simply weren’t enough. She was terrified we would die, especially so because I have asthma that can be difficult to control. As it happened, this scenario never became true, but national lockdown was brought in the following week. And when I was admitted to hospital with Covid I received exemplary care. However whilst we were on a cruise to Norway in September we met a lovely lady whose 60 year old, very fit, no health conditions, husband died from Covid. They lived in Liverpool and the care her husband received sounded almost, if not, negligent, certainly compared to my care. Six months later her 63 year old sister died in the same hospital. This begs the question, were there regional differences in quality of care? If so why? What was Mike Hancock and government doing to ensure the same quality of care across all regions?

There's always a kernel of truth in these conspiracy stories which is what makes them so enduring. They are a cabal of back-stabbers, jostling to keep their positions - or vault them. The last thing on their minds is the wellbeing of the nation and its inhabitants. We are a means to an end, that is all.^

Does anyone think that the Labour party is any different?especially when you think back to the Corbyn era, ro when Peter Mandelson was running free in the party?

Maddyone. 💐
My cardiologist told me that no-one had anticipated the detrimental effects of shielding on those who were CEV or vulnerable.
My own physical health has deteriorated greatly because I was unable to have treatment for my comorbidities during lockdown, which consequently affected my mental and emotional health.
There must be so many in the same position and should never be allowed to happen again.

Hopefully some answers and possible solutions will come out of this Inquiry.

Callistemon21

DiamondLily

Ah well, it's all clear now. Johnson was set up by a "dark arts" cabal, led by Cummings and Gove.

According to Nadine Dorries...🙄

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12708657/Sex-parties-ruthless-Tory-clique-secretly-make-break-Prime-Ministers-Revealed-Nadine-Dorries-bombshell-book-assassins-wanted-Boris-No-10-straight-landslide.html

According to Nadine Dorries ...🙄

There's probably a element truth in that but what it means in fact is that they were all working against each other, undermining one another and not as a team for the good of the country.

Exactly Callistemon21.

There's always a kernel of truth in these conspiracy stories which is what makes them so enduring.

They are a cabal of back-stabbers, jostling to keep their positions - or vault them.

The last thing on their minds is the wellbeing of the nation and its inhabitants. We are a means to an end, that is all.

I’ve no wish to derail the thread, but coming back to it this morning I absolutely have to thank the kind posters who responded to my post about how lockdown affected our family. MaizieD, LizzuDrip, MerylStreep, and SheepyIzzy I just want to say thank you for your kind words, and SheepyIzzy the children are all UK born as are both their parents. We keep in very close contact with our daughter and grandchildren and visited for nine weeks last winter and will be going again for six weeks this winter. Also we paid for our daughter and the children to come home for a three week visit in October, so they’ve only just returned to NZ. She had a fight to get him to agree even to a three week visit but was eventually successful. Lockdown affected us all in so many different ways, my elderly mother was left alone in her flat for three months ( we got her food and delivered it), other people lost loved ones, family breakdown was common, children were left in homes where they were abused and sometimes killed, education was seriously neglected although I think the teachers did their best, people with other illnesses were not treated or diagnosed, one of my grandsons is an only child and lives with his parents in a house that has no view even over the road and was completely isolated for months in a house that shielded them from a view even of passers by, no children and no family to mix with, and then the loss of his cousins to NZ.

This must never happen again.

DiamondLily

Ah well, it's all clear now. Johnson was set up by a "dark arts" cabal, led by Cummings and Gove.

According to Nadine Dorries...🙄

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12708657/Sex-parties-ruthless-Tory-clique-secretly-make-break-Prime-Ministers-Revealed-Nadine-Dorries-bombshell-book-assassins-wanted-Boris-No-10-straight-landslide.html

The GN detectives knew about this three years ago:

www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/1281633-WHAT?pg=2