[News] Mr Cummings and the COVID inquiry.

[Bodian]

The goal of this inquiry is not to find guilt or pass judgment (shame) but to learn lessons.

I can think of one pretty f***ing big lesson;

Do not expect a Tory government to help you in a crisis.

But we knew that decades ago.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

So you're saying they should have an enquiry.....

Jesus. We're a f***ing island

An island that cannot control its borders. Especially under this shower.

But, hang on, what's that I see coming over the horizon? Its....its....its the "whatabout Jeremy Corbyn" bus! I think its just parking up, now.....

 

[Baldseagull]

I'm a little confused in my own mind over all this. Losing my wife in Jan 2022, to a heart attack but noted a huge factor was her long term rare lung disease. She had basically been confined to home since March 2020. She and I had attempted to limit our exposure. My company had in December 2021 requested I visit some pubs etc to help with them opening up for Christmas. I caught the worst flu (not Covid) I have ever had, leaving me in bed for 2 weeks. My wife caught it and this I believed is what caused the strain on her heart.

The protesters, of course have a point, especially those of loved ones in retirement homes who were wrongly exposed. But also there are those that want to blame the whole event on the government. With the best knowledge available and the best (if there is such a person currently in politics) PM possible perhaps the death toll would have been a lot lower. We will never know. One thing for certain there would still be huge numbers of us mourning loved ones.

Hindsight is wonderful, if we had locked down earlier and opened up later where would we be now? As it is the economy is trashed, government borrowing mind blowing and waiting lists huge.

The benefit of locking down earlier is you should be able to open up sooner, because the transmission rate will drop faster if starting with a smaller base of infected people, this isn't hindsight.

 

[Motogull]

BJ just swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

That'll be a first...

First lie of his involvement today too.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The benefit of locking down earlier is you should be able to open up sooner, because the transmission rate will drop faster if starting with a smaller base of infected people, this isn't hindsight.

Then it comes back again faster and harder as more people get infected.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Really? OK, I'll bite. Whatabout Germany, then?

Coronavirus death rate in Europe, by country 2023 | Statista

As of January 13, 2023, Bulgaria had the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths among its population in Europe at 548.6 deaths per 100,000 population.

www.statista.com

View attachment 170853

Well well. Johnson sounded plausible and contrite, and everything he did was the best possible thing at the time in his judgement.

I felt sympathy for him as he spoke, and believed him.

And yet it was all lies and spin. The biggest lie was the magical 'factory reset' of his phone, done by persons unknown, that apparently deleted all the key WhatsApp messages. I nodded in sympathy. But it isn't credible. Yet, were I a fanboy I would have swallowed the lot. Coincidence happens and it was all a long time ago.

I am sure his support will surge after his masterful performance.

Beware people who can lie without compunction, and have the skill to blend fact and fantasy into pleasing narrative.

I don't understand how they don't have the power to just take his phone and factory reset it, all the messages will be there, unless he's deleted them for some reason.....

 

[tedebear]

Then it comes back again faster and harder as more people get infected.

How?? It gives you more time to vaccinate....We locked down too late (and possibly opened up too early), the stats the world over have proven that without doubt giving us one of the worst mortality rates....

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

How?? It gives you more time to vaccinate....We locked down too late (and possibly opened up too early), the stats the world over have proven that without doubt giving us one of the worst mortality rates....

So you would have locked down till the vaccine?

Mortality rate was middle of the road for Europe.

 

[Birdie Boy]

All the people that think any other party would have done better is having a laugh! Unprecedented global virus to deal with, every party would have struggled.

And all these people mentioning we should have locked down earlier, I remember many many people moaning that we can't lock down because of jobs etc. And it's only flu...

 

[tedebear]

So you would have locked down till the vaccine?

Mortality rate was middle of the road for Europe.

What? no, we needed to lock down earlier, exactly what I was saying at the time, but then again working for a private health company, we weren't to be listened to by this shambles of a government. Early lockdown gives you a chance to vaccinate more during lockdown. Mortality across the world is what we are talking. We are worse than some third world countries according to the WHO.

 

[nicko31]

The goal of this inquiry is not to find guilt or pass judgment (shame) but to learn lessons.

I can think of one pretty f***ing big lesson;

Do not expect a Tory government to help you in a crisis.

To be fair if we'd had Cameron or May in charge the outcome would have been better. But Johnson was the worse PM at the worse possible time, boosterism doesn't work in a global pandemic.

Even after he nearly died of the virus he was still to have allegedly said "let the bodies pile high".

Thought Johnson looked a total mess yesterday, all part of the act as usual, few fall for the act these days.

The terrible legacy of Johnson is the long term damage he has done to trust in government, when the next pandemic comes I'm not sure the UK public will be so compliant, most people were really good and did their duty to try and protect public health

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

What? no, we needed to lock down earlier, exactly what I was saying at the time, but then again working for a private health company, we weren't to be listened to by this shambles of a government. Early lockdown gives you a chance to vaccinate more during lockdown. Mortality across the world is what we are talking. We are worse than some third world countries according to the WHO.

It's a virus, it's going to come back every time you open up, unless you believe in zero covid or locking every single person up for months on end.

The advice from the expect was mixed, three different people have been interviewed and three different answers.

I've no time for these ****s, but the advice at the time was mixed

I'm not sure you can compare Most European countries to third world countries due to reporting anyway, if that was the case, most those places didn't really lock down.

What would have saved more lives is not sending sick people back to care homes and looked after those at risk.

 

[armchairclubber]

How?? It gives you more time to vaccinate....We locked down too late (and possibly opened up too early), the stats the world over have proven that without doubt giving us one of the worst mortality rates....

And they knowingly fed our elderly into care homes untested & without vaccine.
Let the bodies pile high.

 

[tedebear]

It's a virus, it's going to come back every time you open up, unless you believe in zero covid or locking every single person up for months on end.

The advice from the expect was mixed, three different people have been interviewed and three different answers.

I've no time for these ****s, but the advice at the time was mixed

I'm not sure you can compare Most European countries to third world countries due to reporting anyway, if that was the case, most those places didn't really lock down.

What would have saved more lives is not sending sick people back to care homes and looked after those at risk.

Of course it is, but if you take the people out of circulation and provide enough time to vaccinate, then you lessen the impact on reopening. And agree with armchairclubber too, releasing the elderly into care homes, was incompetent at least, deliberately deadly at worst.

I suspect of the three people, one was closest to the truth and was ignored.

 

[nicko31]

What? no, we needed to lock down earlier, exactly what I was saying at the time, but then again working for a private health company, we weren't to be listened to by this shambles of a government. Early lockdown gives you a chance to vaccinate more during lockdown. Mortality across the world is what we are talking. We are worse than some third world countries according to the WHO.

Its wasn't not just the lockdown, it was the overall approach.

There were so many things where the approach from the top was laissez faire, I recall facemasks weren't made mandatory in public spaces till July 2020.

 

[tedebear]

Its wasn't not just the lockdown, it was the overall approach.

There were so many things where the approach from the top was laissez faire, I recall facemasks weren't made mandatory in public spaces till July 2020.

Completely agree, but was just addressing the specific point above.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

other poster is refering to vaccine. they were not happy about delays in having that, especially as it was a German biotech that came up with the mRNA vaccine aka Pfizer.

I think most Germans are fine with the way our government handled the crisis, from hospital ICU capacity, testing, quickly developing and distributing the tracing app which was taken up by multiple other countries through to the vaccination program and communication. The only issue was a delay in getting the vaccination program started but once it was underway it went exceedingly fast. In fact it repeatedly broke records for the numbers it was vaccinating per day.

My view is the key to this was a well funded health service, plenty of capacity in the system and the government leaving it to the experts.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Of course it is, but if you take the people out of circulation and provide enough time to vaccinate, then you lessen the impact on reopening. And agree with armchairclubber too, releasing the elderly into care homes, was incompetent at least, deliberately deadly at worst.

I suspect of the three people, one was closest to the truth and was ignored.

I think most Germans are fine with the way our government handled the crisis, from hospital ICU capacity, testing, quickly developing and distributing the tracing app which was taken up by multiple other countries through to the vaccination program and communication. The only issue was a delay in getting the vaccination program started but once it was underway it went exceedingly fast. In fact it repeatedly broke records for the numbers it was vaccinating per day.

Germany ended up over taking The Uk in rates of vaccination, didn't just plough on vaccinating everyone either with Pfizer under a certain age either, which now seems it could be a mistake.

I remember the hold up at the time was met with the normal anti Europe nonsense here.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I don't understand how they don't have the power to just take his phone and factory reset it, all the messages will be there, unless he's deleted them for some reason.....

Deleted his messages? Why on earth would he have done that?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Its wasn't not just the lockdown, it was the overall approach.

There were so many things where the approach from the top was laissez faire, I recall facemasks weren't made mandatory in public spaces till July 2020.

They didn't want the public stockpiling PPE and taking it away from people that actually needed it.

The advice at the time and still now is inconclusive, so rather than have the same situation as the toilet rolls, they didn't bring it in.

Didn't stop people using them if they wanted to?