Covid Corruption

[The King of Um]

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.

This is true. So any government would be wise to maybe focus its attention on say, the issue which is top of its civil contingencies risk register, both for likelihood and impact.

Which is global pandemic. While you might not prepare for every possible eventuality, you might thinking about preparing for what successive governments' own planning have identified as the biggest risk to the UK.

 

[raindog]

Beggars belief how the down trodden former Labour voters got them in to do whatever they wanted. We have now got another 1980s situation of high unemployment and high inflation on top of a Pandemic for good measure. The worst affected will be those morons who baught into the Brexit bullshit. Britain will probably now end up being a country at war with itself.

 

[roppa]

Beggars belief how the down trodden former Labour voters got them in to do whatever they wanted. We have now got another 1980s situation of high unemployment and high inflation on top of a Pandemic for good measure. The worst affected will be those morons who baught into the Brexit bullshit. Britain will probably now end up being a country at war with itself.

“At war with itself” is a bit dramatic mind, but generally agree m8

 

[Gaggoears]

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.

Why do we spend trillions on trident ? More chance of a pandemic than a bloody nuclear war.

 

[Frijj]

Yet when the findings were finally published/leaked (Start of May?) a lot of them had actually been implemented.

According to Matt Hancock. Perhaps you have greater trust in him to tell the truth than I do.

The paper would have been leaked by Downing Street only after they felt assured they could bluster their way saying the recommendations had been met.

 

[Jap Stammer]

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.”

Never read the Daily Mail in my life so can't comment.

You've basically made my point for me - they will have discussed it and a decision will have been made based on probability.

 

[raindog]

“At war with itself” is a bit dramatic mind, but generally agree m8

Just think that Ireland, Scotland and maybe even Wales will want out of the UK at some point.

 

[DoctorMick]

According to Matt Hancock. Perhaps you have greater trust in him to tell the truth than I do.

The paper would have been leaked by Downing Street only after they felt assured they could bluster their way saying the recommendations had been met.

It was a newspaper report that covered what had and hadn’t been implemented, nowt to do with Hancock. I can’t remember which paper it was in but it was the same day or the day after the report had been leaked.

 

[Jap Stammer]

This is true. So any government would be wise to maybe focus its attention on say, the issue which is top of its civil contingencies risk register, both for likelihood and impact.

Which is global pandemic. While you might not prepare for every possible eventuality, you might thinking about preparing for what successive governments' own planning have identified as the biggest risk to the UK.

Fair point.

But we're now speaking with the benefit of hindsight. What if a pandemic had not happened and some investigative journalist discovered that billions had been spent on PPE and other equipment now gathering dust?

You know yourself that social media would have been awash with comments accusing the government, any government, of wasting money that could have been better spent elsewhere - with countless examples of where.

I'm not defending their handling of this situation. I've said many times on other threads that it's been crap - I'm pointing out that no government can win in these kind of situations because someone, somewhere will find fault and produce an argument to back up their point.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[roppa]

Just think that Ireland, Scotland and maybe even Wales will want out of the UK at some point.

Spose so m8, but northern Irish catholic’s have wanted unification since 1922, the scots are harping on about a second referendum and will do for the foreseeable, and Wales is happy with the current situation but none of this is as a result of anything happening now, it’s all historical

 

[Frijj]

It was a newspaper report that covered what had and hadn’t been implemented, nowt to do with Hancock. I can’t remember which paper it was in but it was the same day or the day after the report had been leaked.

Well I guess we’ll have to take your word for it, this newspaper article which may or may not exist and may or may not include details of which points may or may not have been addressed sufficiently

God forbid anyone criticise the govt in DoctorMick’s presence!

 

[Shandy drinker]

This should be the main story on every news channel really. Stealing from the public. Yet they will pursue small business owners over pennies in unpaid tax.

Jenrick should know all about this

 

[DoctorMick]

Well I guess we’ll have to take your word for it, this newspaper article which may or may not exist and may or may not include details of which points may or may not have been addressed sufficiently

God forbid anyone criticise the govt in DoctorMick’s presence!

Don’t be such a gaping f***ing fanny! You said I believed Matt Hancock, I don’t, so I told you where my information came from. A lot of what’s gone on is indefensible but that doesn’t mean people should give the government shit about anything and everything.

I’ll try and find the article at some point.

 

[monolithic baby]

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.

No they decided to keep cutting the NHS and look for ways for their mates to make a cheeky few quid when possible. Oh and don’t forget the same bastards who were where also out clapping the NHS for the press also clapped when a vote to give our frontline workers a pay rise was rejected.

 

[Frijj]

Don’t be such a gaping f***ing fanny! You said I believed Matt Hancock, I don’t, so I told you where my information came from. A lot of what’s gone on is indefensible but that doesn’t mean people should give the government shit about anything and everything.

I’ll try and find the article at some point.

No you didn’t. You said a newspaper article, with no link, no details, you couldn’t even remember the paper it was in man.

 

[DoctorMick]

No you didn’t. You said a newspaper article, with no link, no details, you couldn’t even remember the paper it was in man.

I’ve had a look for it and I can’t find it, I’m sure it was in the Guardian article when they published the document but it isn’t there now. Interesting tho, there isn’t a lot of media coverage about the document and there certainly isn’t much detailing which of the findings weren’t implemented which I find odd.
Just had a quick look at my posts from when it was leaks and I’m not going mad (or I was lying at the time!).

Operation Cygnus

http://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-leaked-report-reveals-government-was-warned-pandemic-plans-were-not-sufficient-11984773

www.readytogo.net

And that’s finally helped me find the bit I was looking for.

Some of the Cygnus recommendations, such as preparing legislation to relax certain laws and regulations, can be clearly seen in the government’s handling of Covid-19. A Department of Health spokesperson also mentioned excess deaths as an area where additional planning had been carried out.

There are questions as to whether other recommendations were followed in full.

 

[Frijj]

I’ve had a look for it and I can’t find it, I’m sure it was in the Guardian article when they published the document but it isn’t there now. Interesting tho, there isn’t a lot of media coverage about the document and there certainly isn’t much detailing which of the findings weren’t implemented which I find odd.
Just had a quick look at my posts from when it was leaks and I’m not going mad (or I was lying at the time!).

Operation Cygnus

http://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-leaked-report-reveals-government-was-warned-pandemic-plans-were-not-sufficient-11984773

www.readytogo.net

And that’s finally helped me find the bit I was looking for.

So some of the recommendations were eventually carried out, several weeks too late.

Had the govt not dropped the ball, I wonder how many lives could have been saved

 

[DoctorMick]

So some of the recommendations were eventually carried out, several weeks too late.

Had the govt not dropped the ball, I wonder how many lives could have been saved

I’m not sure how you’ve read it like that mind but each to their own.
My take on it is that the recommendations didn’t go far enough but it’s other decisions that have led to the excess deaths (attributable to the government so I’m not trying to get them off the hook here) but not Cygnus. As I said, once the document was leaked there was virtually no reporting on the failure to address issues raised which tells you everything.

 

[Frijj]

I’m not sure how you’ve read it like that mind but each to their own.
My take on it is that the recommendations didn’t go far enough but it’s other decisions that have led to the excess deaths (attributable to the government so I’m not trying to get them off the hook here) but not Cygnus. As I said, once the document was leaked there was virtually no reporting on the failure to address issues raised which tells you everything.

Failure to address the recommendations was already heavily reported on.

Acting on them after the recommendations were leaked is like saying sorry because you were caught doing something, not because you’re actually sorry.

Successive Tory govts dropped the ball acting on the recommendations when they had time and didn’t get into gear until the horse had not only bolted from the stable, but ended up in a frozen lasagne.

 

[joemcdokes]

Has everybody got more masks than toilet rolls now?

Let’s get the economy going, PPE is the saviour.