Covid Corruption

Says something about how well prepared we were doesn’t it?
Which country was prepared?

You cannot prepare for every possible eventuality at government level. You can run simulations and possible scenarios for anything you like but it then comes down to a probability call as to what you spend your money on.

Can you imagine the outrage on here and other social media if they had spent millions/billions on renewing all of the stocks of PPE and buying in even more and a pandemic hadn't happened?

The same people on here hammering them for not spending the money now would have been apopleptic at the waste of funds that could have been used elsewhere. They would have produced example after example of where the money could have been better used and most likely found some article that 'proved' that 'out-of-date' PPE isn't actually out-of-date and could still have been used if needed, negating the need to replace it.

Governments, no matter the ilk, are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
 
Last edited:


Which country was prepared?

You cannot prepare for every possible eventuality at government level. You can run simulations and possible scenarios for anything you like but it then comes down to a probability call as to what you spend your money on.

Can you imagine the outrage on here and other social media if they had spent millions/billions on renewing all of the stocks of PPE and buying in even more and a pandemic hadn't happened?

The same people on here hammering them for not spending the money now would have been apopleptic at the waste of funds that could have been used elsewhere. They would have produced example after example of where the money could have been better used and most likely found some article that 'proved' that 'out-of-date' PPE isn't actually out-of-date and could still have been used if needed, negating the need to replace it.

Governments, no matter the ilk, are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
You have a point, although it is the job of government to prepare for the future

I can almost get past that one, if the response wasn’t so absurdly bad. Our death rate is appalling
 
You have a point, although it is the job of government to prepare for the future

I can almost get past that one, if the response wasn’t so absurdly bad. Our death rate is appalling

Death rate is appaling but I and many others have stories of Covid being attributed to old folk who were on last legs...

I can personally attribute 3 to this..

As bad as the government have been I think they have been one of the most transparent and possibly over zealous when attributing deaths
 
Death rate is appaling but I and many others have stories of Covid being attributed to old folk who were on last legs...

I can personally attribute 3 to this..

As bad as the government have been I think they have been one of the most transparent and possibly over zealous when attributing deaths
I definitely agree with that. The figures from many other countries are bullshit
 
You have a point, although it is the job of government to prepare for the future

I can almost get past that one, if the response wasn’t so absurdly bad. Our death rate is appalling
Not denying our death rate is bad and that the response has been poor at best but no government can prepare for every future possibility.

It's like saying America should have insisted every skyscraper be able to resist aircraft being flown into them or every country on the sub-continent should have had anti-Tsunami barriers in place.

I'm fairly sure at some point the 'possibility' of such events would have been considered by whichever government 'thinktank' was tasked to look into them but then the 'probability' and 'practicality' aspects would have been taken into account and any recommendations going forward would have been made with all those in mind.
 
Not denying our death rate is bad and that the response has been poor at best but no government can prepare for every future possibility.

It's like saying America should have insisted every skyscraper be able to resist aircraft being flown into them or every country on the sub-continent should have had anti-Tsunami barriers in place.

I'm fairly sure at some point the 'possibility' of such events would have been considered by whichever government 'thinktank' was tasked to look into them but then the 'probability' and 'practicality' aspects would have been taken into account and any recommendations going forward would have been made with all those in mind.
Can’t disagree with that. I’m more irritated by the reaction after it became obvious this was an issue
 
Not denying our death rate is bad and that the response has been poor at best but no government can prepare for every future possibility.

It's like saying America should have insisted every skyscraper be able to resist aircraft being flown into them or every country on the sub-continent should have had anti-Tsunami barriers in place.

I'm fairly sure at some point the 'possibility' of such events would have been considered by whichever government 'thinktank' was tasked to look into them but then the 'probability' and 'practicality' aspects would have been taken into account and any recommendations going forward would have been made with all those in mind.

Whilst I agree, I do believe that the prospect of a global pandemic has been on the govt's radar for several years, and successive govts under Cameron, May and Boris didn't want to hear it.
 
Whilst I agree, I do believe that the prospect of a global pandemic has been on the govt's radar for several years, and successive govts under Cameron, May and Boris didn't want to hear it.
By that measure, global pandemics should have been on every government's radar, worldwide, since Spanish flu.

Nobody, anywhere, was properly prepared for Covid-19.

Singling out the last three UK Tory governments is being selective. Why stop there? Why not go back to Tony Blair? Or John Major? What about Ted Heath or Harold Wilson?

They will all have all been briefed on 'possible' but, on the balance of probability, unlikely scenarios that they may or may not have needed to be prepared for.

It's a balancing act and they can't be expected to get it right every time.
 
By that measure, global pandemics should have been on every government's radar, worldwide, since Spanish flu.

Nobody, anywhere, was properly prepared for Covid-19.

Singling out the last three UK Tory governments is being selective. Why stop there? Why not go back to Tony Blair? Or John Major? What about Ted Heath or Harold Wilson?

They will all have all been briefed on 'possible' but, on the balance of probability, unlikely scenarios that they may or may not have needed to be prepared for.

It's a balancing act and they can't be expected to get it right every time.
Yet when warned they decided to ignore the advice.
 
By that measure, global pandemics should have been on every government's radar, worldwide, since Spanish flu.

Nobody, anywhere, was properly prepared for Covid-19.

Singling out the last three UK Tory governments is being selective. Why stop there? Why not go back to Tony Blair? Or John Major? What about Ted Heath or Harold Wilson?

They will all have all been briefed on 'possible' but, on the balance of probability, unlikely scenarios that they may or may not have needed to be prepared for.

It's a balancing act and they can't be expected to get it right every time.

I'm referring to this specifically: Exercise Cygnus uncovered: the pandemic warnings buried by the government

A pandemic drill found loads of gaps that needed sorting, otherwise when a real pandemic hit, we'd have major issues. They didn't plug the gaps. They didn't publish the findings.
 
Yet when warned they decided to ignore the advice.
Warned when?

Two years ago, when it was only a possibility? No country prepared for this pandemic on that basis.

Or when it started to take hold in Europe? I agree that they should have acted quicker and more decisively.
I'm referring to this specifically: Exercise Cygnus uncovered: the pandemic warnings buried by the government

A pandemic drill found loads of gaps that needed sorting, otherwise when a real pandemic hit, we'd have major issues. They didn't plug the gaps. They didn't publish the findings.
All comes down to probability, though. You can't cater for everything that might happen.

How many other similar exercises were carried out that we don't know about, and may never know about, unless the very scenario they were simulating actually happens?
 
Last edited:
Warned when?

Two years ago, when it was only a possibility? No country prepared for this pandemic on that basis.

Or when it started to take hold in Europe? I agree that they should have acted quicker and more decisively.

All comes down to probability, though. You can't cater for everything that might happen.

How many other similar exercises were carried out that we don't know about, and may never know about, unless the very scenario they were simulating actually happens?

I'm sure there's a finite list of large scale emergencies, and you'd expect a govt to be transparent on the gaps and to address them when it was going to happen sooner or later.

Pandemics are inevitable, the world got a lucky break with SARS. I understand completely what you're saying and you're right nobody can plan for every eventuality but pandemics are inevitable - as are a range of other emergencies, like floods, earthquakes, mass blackouts, terrorist attacks, plane crashes etc...it is the responsibility of govt to plan for these and to mitigate them and I think we were caught napping.

We weren't the only country caught napping, but I think we were caught napping.

FWIW I myself did not think this pandemic would be even a fraction of the size it is.
 
Warned when?

Two years ago, when it was only a possibility? No country prepared for this pandemic on that basis.

Or when it started to take hold in Europe? I agree that they should have acted quicker and more decisively.

All comes down to probability, though. You can't cater for everything that might happen.

How many other similar exercises were carried out that we don't know about, and may never know about, unless the very scenario they were simulating actually happens?
We have had warnings recently,we got lucky with sars and Asian flu.
If and when we get over this should we be prepared in future or just take our chances ?
That idiot Mr cock was claiming we had nothing to worry about in January despite the warnings and flights arriving in to Heathrow daily from the infected area.
 
We have had warnings recently,we got lucky with sars and Asian flu.
Every country in the world had those same warnings and 'got lucky' - nobody was prepared for Covid-19.
If and when we get over this should we be prepared in future or just take our chances ?
We will have a better idea how to deal with things like this but will have to accept that if we throw millions/billions of pound into those preparation then something will have to give elsewhere. Would you be happy to divert those funds from cancer research or infant mortality? Or would you just divert your ire onto whichever government made those decisions, regardless of which side of the political spectrum they hail from?
That idiot Mr cock was claiming we had nothing to worry about in January despite the warnings and flights arriving in to Heathrow daily from the infected area.
Totally agree - absolute incompetence on his part.
 
Would you be happy to divert those funds from cancer research or infant mortality? Or would you just divert your ire onto whichever government made those decisions, regardless of which side of the political spectrum they hail from?
That’s pure Daily Mail logic you are using there - “spend the international aid budget on British people instead” type rhetoric.
A government budgets for many things and appropriate provision needs to be made for each essential element. If pandemic planning and preparation is deemed essential then we need to spend the money required - no further discussion required.
Whatever is needed for health research, prevention etc. will be discussed, argued and agreed separately. At the end of the day both can be achieved if we do any of the following - tax more, borrow more, spend carefully, corrupt less. At no point does it come down to a divisive “sorry we can’t cure your cancer/ save your baby because we blew our budget on masks, gloves and bog roll.”
 
Which country was prepared?

You cannot prepare for every possible eventuality at government level. You can run simulations and possible scenarios for anything you like but it then comes down to a probability call as to what you spend your money on.

Can you imagine the outrage on here and other social media if they had spent millions/billions on renewing all of the stocks of PPE and buying in even more and a pandemic hadn't happened?

The same people on here hammering them for not spending the money now would have been apopleptic at the waste of funds that could have been used elsewhere. They would have produced example after example of where the money could have been better used and most likely found some article that 'proved' that 'out-of-date' PPE isn't actually out-of-date and could still have been used if needed, negating the need to replace it.

Governments, no matter the ilk, are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

A pandemic was rated as likely on the national risk register alongside heatwaves and terrorist incidents, I read.
Only with a much worse outcome if it did occur, putting it top of the list when likelihood was added to consequence - the government should have had the U.K. better prepared, imo.
 
I'm referring to this specifically: Exercise Cygnus uncovered: the pandemic warnings buried by the government

A pandemic drill found loads of gaps that needed sorting, otherwise when a real pandemic hit, we'd have major issues. They didn't plug the gaps. They didn't publish the findings.
Yet when the findings were finally published/leaked (Start of May?) a lot of them had actually been implemented.
A pandemic was rated as likely on the national risk register alongside heatwaves and terrorist incidents, I read.
Only with a much worse outcome if it did occur, putting it top of the list when likelihood was added to consequence - the government should have had the U.K. better prepared, imo.
I don’t think that’s debatable at this stage, we should have been better prepared, we shouldn’t have had a stockpile of out of date ppe for a start. Nobody could have been well prepared for this outbreak, I think that’s unrealistic, but we should have had a better starting position.
 
Last edited:
I totally agree however there was extremely animated people in this board who were shouting about giving huge contracts for ventilators to companies whose expertise were in providing access ramps to people.

The company offering 500 ventilators at short notice.

The whole lot was the wild west
Yet plenty were refused and deemed not suitable.....whereas others were OK, like this..... Saying that, no idea of the detail about what did and didn't get awarded.
 

Back
Top