ANGER

I don’t actually care who chaired the COBRA meetings, our government is made up of a Cabinet and ministers in charge of the various ministries and Cabinet takes collective responsibility. There was a woeful lack of urgency shown by all involved and after advisers recommended herd immunity I’m surprised Chris Whitty is still in position.

I’ve just read this article, my daughter sent it to me. It confirms exactly what I thought all along, that is that we were far too slow off the mark, and absolutely complacent about this pandemic. The advice from the scientists, including the Chief Medical Adviser, Mr Chris Whitty, to allow the population to acquire herd immunity, was in my opinion nothing short of immoral. Now it’s being denied that herd immunity was ever an option, but I watched the press update which was on national television and herd immunity was what we were told was the strategy. Within a couple of weeks that was changed thankfully, but it makes me cross that it is now being denied.

GrannieIggle PMs do not attend every COBRA meeting, they are chaired by the appropriate Secretary of State, but hey ho let’s not spoil a good spin story with facts!!

Coronavirus: 38 days when Britain sleepwalked into disaster

BORIS JOHNSON SKIPPED FIVE COBRA MEETINGS ON THE VIRUS, calls to order protective gear were ignored and scientists’ warnings fell on deaf ears. Failings in February may have cost thousands of lives
April 19 2020, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/coronavirus-38-days-when-britain-sleepwalked-into-disaster-hq3b9tlgh

_"Mr Johnson was absent from one meeting, yet found the time to join in a lunar new year dragon eyes ritual to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

The other meetings were understood to have been skipped in order to prioritise his personal life and other domestic issues, such as Brexit and his cabinet reshuffle.

The Prime Minister then spent two weeks of the half-term break with his pregnant fiancée, Carrie Symonds.

The first cobra meeting attended by Mr Johnson was on March 2, when the outbreak had already started to grip the country.

As a result, one senior Government adviser has heavily criticised Mr Johnson for lack of leadership.

They told the newspaper: “There’s no way you’re at war if your PM isn’t there.

“And what you learn about Boris was he didn’t chair any meetings. He liked his country breaks. He didn’t work weekends.

"It was like working for an old-fashioned chief executive in a local authority 20 years ago.

"There was a real sense that he didn’t do urgent crisis planning.

"It was exactly like people feared he would be.” "_

The country was without effective leadership for almost 6 weeks, crucially at the beginning of the worst crisis this nation has faced since WW2. The pandemic was already foreseeable during this time.

The man should be immediately suspended and indicted for dereliction of duty in public office and replaced by someone for whom this country's health and well-being come first.

No, a little search on Mr Google reveals Burberry are making PPE gowns and are planning to begin making masks in the very near future.

lemongrove Sat 18-Apr-20 23:11:34
Experience of years on Gransnet ?

??? Wot?! You've been in lockdown all that time!?!

Maizie

Re your post of 9.50 this morning, that’s very disappointing, I understood that Burberry had started the manufacture of PPE. I hope they get the go ahead quickly.

Chewbacca Sat 18-Apr-20 18:31:14

Sarah said as people stood on their doorsteps and clapped for the NHS she felt overwhelmed. I feel proud of myself...but I feel most proud for my friends and my colleagues that I stand beside every day and every night,"

I am so very happy to know that Sarah and her colleagues feel so proud of themselves - as well they should.

I think it's amazing how these frontline people continue to keep the NHS running in extremis when all they get from gvts in normal times are knockbacks, undermining, jeering even and very low wages.

In this respect, as in so many others, no gvt represents me.

Experience of years on Gransnet ?

lemongrove Sat 18-Apr-20 22:30:52
Some people pull together in times of national crisis, and some just sit and moan about it.

The liberty to voice criticism does not exclude pulling together! And vice versa.

How did you come to the assumption that all those of us who exercise our independent thinking skills and our rights to speak are doing nothing but 'sitting and moaning'?!

There are many experts, and as usual say differing things.
No matter what is done and at what rate, nobody in any country is safe until there is a proven vaccine that is distributed to everyone.

And some LG, will defend to the hilt, regardless of the consequences of poor decision.

If I was just opinionated, fair enough. But if THE EXPERTS say it, who are we to disagree?

GagaJo Sat 18-Apr-20 22:10:18

Thank you for that link to Prof Helen Ward's illuminating article.

I am astonished that so many people seem willing to give gvt a free pass on all their mistakes and dithering - even temporarily.

Surely the time to speak up is now rather than shout at the telly when the reports of the Public Inquiry come out in a couple of years' time? Now is exactly when there is a chance to change things for the better!

Some people pull together in times of national crisis, and some just sit and moan about it.

Yes Gaga armchair critics, and you are one of them.
Also I believe, a staunch LP supporter, from what you have stated this past six months on here.So party politics does indeed form your opinions and criticisms.
It’s so very easy to sit and complain about what ‘the government’ is doing wrong.All the governments of all the affected countries have done their best, in their own different ways ( and some in similar ways)and if their best wasn’t perfect that’s because they are human beings dealing with an impossible situation.

People have every right to criticise politicians who are responsible for us - the people. Remember the "will of the people"? Or doesn't yesterday's slogan apply when it matters?

Evoha16 Sat 18-Apr-20 19:21:52
Everyone involved in working in the current crisis - at the government’s behest or not - will be completely forgotten - viz maltreatment of war veterans - the whole thing is being stage managed to divert attention from the realities of the situation

I believe this is closest to the reality of what will happen. It's all a diversion. Bread and circuses.

BTW without looking it up, does anyone remember the date of the annual Veterans' Day? Invented by Gordon Brown in another distracting moment....now known as Armed Forces Day. What were you doing last Armed Services Day...?

For all those saying those attacking the government's policies are 'armchair critics' and playing 'party politics' see the link. What we have said. The ignoring of advice. Not testing. Not locking down soon enough. Not locking down hard enough. STATED by a professor of public health, Imperial College London.

It isn't the critics who are wrong. It is those defending incapable politicians who ignored and continue to ignore the experts.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/15/uk-government-coronavirus-science-who-advice

Did the person actually claim they were better people? Or is this something you've assumed?

It is true that, IN GENERAL, people in white collar and senior jobs have been able to work at home, whereas those doing front line jobs, such as caring, cleaning and retail have to be physically present in the workplace.

Everyone involved in working in the current crisis - at the government’s behest or not - will be completely forgotten - viz maltreatment of war veterans - the whole thing is being stage managed to divert attention from the realities of the situation

I don't like that sort of thing at all. Nobody is any better than anyone else in my way of thinking. They may have better jobs but it doesn't mean that they're better people.

My firefighter SIL sent me a message a few weeks ago to say he was working from home. I was puzzled till I opened this photo and realised he was pulling my leg

Didn't he just mean he thought they had a better, probably higher paid job?

Ilovecheese, yes he'd inferred they were of a better class of person. The cheeky dog.

Ellanvannin did this person say he thought people who worked from home were better people? That is not what you described in your previous post.