COVID-19

While in America Trump approval gone up to record high.

Boris still not sorted out car parking charges or council tax payments. NHS workers and key helpers getting parking tickets when rushing to help the elderly. Disgusting!

 

They wouldn't have even started to address the situation by now...

 

But the point you seem to be missing is that they have put themselves in this position by their inaction during February. Everyone could see this was coming. Lessons were there to be learned from other countries like China and Italy, who already had it, and there was concensus in the global scientific community about what should be done.
But instead of getting Cobra meetings together and making detailed plans based on the best available knowledge, they chose to put their energies into picking Cummins' ideological fights with the BBC, judiciary and the civil service. And Johnson then buggered off to his country retreat for a week.

I accept that any government would be struggling in these circumstances. But they wasted a months planning time and are now playing catch up. Even The Times, which backed Johnson all the way to get him elected, is highly critical of his failure to plan and his mixed messages, which have given the twats you talk about the impression that this isn't as serious as it is. Agreed, some selfish dickheads would ignore any advice, but slow response and lack of clarity has certainly not helped.

 

Are these car parks not privately owned and managed? Which is wrong in itself but that would suggest why there is a delay if they are looking at it. Probably negotiating?

 

Trump now finds himself in the same position in America. Knew about it and could have probably locked it down to an area immediately in February but chose to ignore it and now has a crisis unfolding

 

No argument, as such. Although I think the Chinese have a LOT to answer for, as they deceived the world and that undoubtedly impacted our approach. Personally, I think the bigger failing was the systemic underfunding of the NHS over many years.

 

Americans are thick Fordy. His approval rating has gone up, because he's taken to the podium and basically said, 'We're in control and all will be well in a couple of weeks'.

Read the statements of the New York Governor and Mayor.

Lets see where Trump's approval rating is in a couple of months.

 

A great summing up. Note whether it be on here or elsewhere on the media ones who i would expect to criticise and put the boot in straight away haven't let me down. Folk talking about too much reaction, i'm not sure what they expect with something that has been unprecedented. Yes we could all debate about where certain things could have been done differently, again easy to do in hindsight. What no government can legislate for is something so unprecedented in scale and the gross stupidity of a large percentage of the community. Trying to pick holes for the sake of political point scoring is as cheap shot as you will get.

 

Your bottom paragraph is a fair summary. Any lessons to be learned should and can be used when something like this happens again. I'm not Johnsons biggest fan but i've heard far too many people use this to strengthen their personal vendetta against the prime minister, which in times like this is pathetic. Even Andy Holt whose comments i enjoy reading referred to him as a dopey Twit before one of his updates the other night.

 

London, New York and Madrid are tracking ahead of Lombardy which was one of the worst hit regions on earth.

Yet we continue to let visitors and workers in and out of London and bringing the virus to the rest of the UK. London should be no one in or out until it’s under control. However probably too late

 

London will never shut down, full of selfish money orientated twats.

 

Should stop all flights in and out, except for extreme cases. Total lock down with only a very limited number of business allowed to trade that have to be authorised and for specific tasks eg supermarkets open but only food and toiletries

 

Certainly no argument from me on that point.

 

Certainly the gross stupidity of many people is mind boggling. Which is why the messages needed to be clearer.
However, if a relatively moderate, responsible, but resolutely Tory newspaper like The Times is castigating Johnson for his inaction during February, I don't see why the rest of us are supposed to stay silent and say he's doing a grand job.

He's doing most of the right things now (help for the self-employed excepted) but the fact is that he's behind the curve because he sat on his hands during February. That's not what national leaders are required to do. Johnson has plenty of form for kicking awkward issues into the long grass if he doesn't like them. But with power as PM comes responsibility for necessary actions, however unpalatable, and he ducked that in February. And it's perfectly ok to call him out for that. It's not political point-scoring at all, it's simply pointing out facts.

 

However, I can't have people like @Faithful Bantam or anyone else praising Boris because failure to act is seeing plenty of people die and lose their jobs.

He failed the country last month and people are paying for it in the future.

Lancet editor says UK failed to heed early warnings

Pallab Ghosh

Science correspondent, BBC News

The editor of prominent medical journal The Lancet has told UK MPs that the government’s scientific advisers failed to take into account early warnings of the seriousness of the epidemic in China.

Dr Richard Horton told the Science Select Committee that this led to them adopting a “pedestrian approach” in preparing for the epidemic.

Dr Horton said papers from Chinese researchers published in the Lancet at the beginning of the year showed that the NHS was likely to be overwhelmed by cases. He said February was a “missed opportunity” to buy protective equipment and increase NHS capacity.

 

Sam Coates Sky
‏Verified account @SamCoatesSky


There were 477,000 new universal credit claims in the last 9 days, the DWP permanent secretary just told a select committee.

- the 80% of 2.5k clearly isn't working. Boris needs to act again before many more lose their jobs and homes.

 

Let's face it, Johnson could single handedly cure the Corona Virus and some would find fault. I agree that he should be accountable, I just find it quite sad that plenty choose to point score at this particular time. No prime minister in a couple of generations has had to deal with anything like this. Dammed if he does, damned if he doesn't.

 

Hypocritical, once again. Yesterday, your narrative was about how 'this won't kill millions mate' and how the priority needs to be the economy. Now you're saying he should've acted earlier!! Maybe if the Chinese had been more open and transparent - instead of silencing their own doctors and destroying testing samples, we wouldn't face the mess we now do and more appropriate action could've been taken earlier. EVERY government around the world has been taken completely aback by the speed and severity of this thing.

For the record, I'm not particularly a Johnson fan. But there's a difference between praising him and sticking the boot in at a time on unprecedented crisis. I think he's made mistakes and he's been pretty open in admitting that when this is over, we'll look back and wish things were done differently. I just despair at the selfishness and virtue signaling that's now rife in our society. People like you are focusing entirely on the bits we haven't had chance to do yet, or which haven't been done quite right. And there's room for discussion on at least some of that score. But you offer nothing in terms of practical solutions and you change your mind constantly just so you can throw stones. Don't pretend your arsed about the lives that'll be lost here Fordy, you were pretty clear about that yesterday.

 

And the fiscal support - and manner of Rishi Sunak - has been outstanding. More to be done in some areas, but they're working to do that and have said today that a support package for Self Employed workers is coming (likely within 48 hours)