Current Affairs The next Tory (strong and stable) leader is Boris Johnson

[Tubey]

I reject that. The national interest is not best served by allowing a situation to prevail where a bunch of crazy ideologues need to be constantly dragged kicking and screaming to take best practice on this virus.

Labour and the rest need to be pushing for a coalition, which is the only way to release this government from the hands off approach its adopted and still adopts. Absolute bazookas need to be thrown at this in terms of finances and social resources, and involve the nationalisation of all major sectors to stop the economic tsunami coming in the wake of the virus, and we need to see the bringing in of the trade union movement to decision making, as they represent many of the workers affected by this.

This 'kin lot canty be left alone with theior hands on the controls here. They've already cost us many lives through their utter balls up "modelling" of this so far. Who in their right 'kin minds would want other parties and organisations to simply 'keep pushing' these catastrophic fools to make better decisions. They are incapable.

I agree with this bit. If it wasn't for politically calling them out on it, we'd be looking at a few hundred thousand more deaths here by all accounts.

The "we're led by the science" line doesn't hold water for me, especially when the "science" conveniently correlates with the objectives of a class war.

 

[roydo]

I reject that. The national interest is not best served by allowing a situation to prevail where a bunch of crazy ideologues need to be constantly dragged kicking and screaming to take best practice on this virus.

Labour and the rest need to be pushing for a coalition, which is the only way to release this government from the hands off approach its adopted and still adopts. Absolute bazookas need to be thrown at this in terms of finances and social resources, and involve the nationalisation of all major sectors to stop the economic tsunami coming in the wake of the virus; and we need to see the bringing in of the trade union movement to decision making, as they represent many of the workers affected by this.

This 'kin lot cant be left alone with their hands on the controls here. They've already cost us many lives through their utter balls up "modelling" of this so far. Who in their right 'kin minds would want other parties and organisations to simply 'keep pushing' these catastrophic fools to make better decisions. They are incapable.

Says a bloke on the internet.

I will chance my arm with medical professionals.

 

[roydo]

conveniently correlates with the objectives of a class war.

lol

 

[tsubaki]

I would not be at all surprised to wake up one morning and find he's resigned; they lurch from one crisis to another.

 

[Tubey]

lol

The earlier plan of "let everyone have it and develop herd immunity" conveniently would have resulted in the mass death of many old, poor people in the care system.

They knew it and were ready to proceed - apparently a cost worth paying. An ideological interpretation of the advice given to the government.

That's absolute fact by the way, not just me saying it - the "mitigate" strategy would have knowingly done that.

Only an outcry forced them to backstep, conveniently with "new science".

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, at all, but this is not a conspiracy - it's what they said.

 

[BlueToff]

The earlier plan of "let everyone have it and develop herd immunity" conveniently would have resulted in the mass death of many old, poor people in the care system.

They knew it and were ready to proceed - apparently a cost worth paying. An ideological interpretation of the advice given to the government.

That's absolute fact by the way, not just me saying it - the "mitigate" strategy would have knowingly done that.

Only an outcry forced them to backstep, conveniently with "new science".

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, at all, but this is not a conspiracy - it's what they said.

While I'm glad we're not proceeding down that route, in terms of the quickest, only probably realistic solution to get through the crisis, it's probably the only one that there is.

I am absolutely glad we're exploring all avenues but as I keep saying as it stands the only way to beat it is to get it.

The alternative is the world shutting down completely for the next six months. Which just isn't sustainable.

Give it a few weeks now the schools have shut and watch the crime rates double. God knows what will happen with the London lockdown - I guess a curfew?

I don't envy any government official atm. And while I have no faith at all in BJ or any other politician, I'll at least put some faith in the medical professionals.

They have decided to try and spread out as long as possible and delay rather than go into full lockdown mode for months. Which also isn't 100% proven to work - we'll of course see what happens with Spain and Italy in the coming days.

NZ, US and a lot of other countries are taking a similar route to us.

Anyway, I can't blame this gov for a pandemic. I can - and do - hold them responsible for the NHS not being better prepared for one, mind.

 

[roydo]

The earlier plan of "let everyone have it and develop herd immunity" conveniently would have resulted in the mass death of many old, poor people in the care system.

They knew it and were ready to proceed - apparently a cost worth paying. An ideological interpretation of the advice given to the government.

That's absolute fact by the way, not just me saying it - the "mitigate" strategy would have knowingly done that.

Only an outcry forced them to backstep, conveniently with "new science".

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, at all, but this is not a conspiracy - it's what they said.

I was laughing specifically at the class war comment. Like Johnson gets into power and sets about hoping a virus pops up.

Which ironically will be a threat to more of his voter base than others.

 

[ramacca]

Johnson keeps saying he's 'following the science'. Editor of Lancet.

Scientists have been sounding the alarm on coronavirus for months ...

The country is being led by someone who doesn't know his backside from his elbow/ Johnson just keeps lying through his teeth as was showed today with his '25 000 test' -not for 4 weeks will that amount happen. The Tories announcement politics are found wanting, and the country is paying for, and will continue to pay more for being run by a bunch of idiots who do not live in the real world. Lions led by donkeys spring to mind. Johnson needs to go before him and Cummings inflict more misery.

 

[Rook]

I'm no fan.

But none of the leaders are coming across with any composure atm. This is totally unprecedented.

For once, Johnson seems to be at least giving over to the people who know what they're doing on this – the medical professionals.

I'm finding it hard to criticise the government at this very minute for a global pandemic and one of unprecedented proportions in what, 100 years?

Fwiw I thought the chancellor came across well.

Despite being a 1st world country w/ access to money and resources that many counties don't, the British govts response has been appalling.

Jesus wept.

They have bungled it from day one and they hide behind the BS mantra of "we're being led by scientific advice" - as if there was any possible justification of going with the "modelling' of the assembled bunch of nodding dogs at 'SAGE' over and above the World Health Organisation, which has been led by the data and analysis of clinicians on the ground of the most affected countries from day one of the outbreak.

They've failed us all. They're still failing us now.

On Monday, the PM announced a series of new key measures to target the number of coronavirus cases after scientific modelling showed the UK was on course for a "catastrophic epidemic".

BORIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY THE UK IS ON COURSE FOR A "CATASTROPHIC EPIDEMIC" But hell lets give him a pass for most likely thousands dead because look like he gets it just a bit.

Its not better in the US, where our policy is our blessed benevolent CEOs are really thinking about giving us a week or so of paid sick leave for the plague.

The US-UK, its like a World Cup Final disgraceful government.

 

[davek]

Says a bloke on the internet.

I will chance my arm with medical professionals.

The medical professionals who have been thoroughly discredited.

 

[BlueToff]

Despite being a 1st world country w/ access to money and resources that many counties don't, the British govts response has been appalling.



On Monday, the PM announced a series of new key measures to target the number of coronavirus cases after scientific modelling showed the UK was on course for a "catastrophic epidemic".

BORIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY THE UK IS ON COURSE FOR A "CATASTROPHIC EPIDEMIC" But hell lets give him a pass for most likely thousands dead because look like he gets it just a bit.

Its not better in the US, where our policy is our blessed benevolent CEOs are really thinking about giving us a week or so of paid sick leave for the plague.

The US-UK, its like a World Cup Final disgraceful government.

Every countries response has been haphazard. Nobody knows what to do.

The UK gov are following advice from their medical experts, just like Italy have followed advice from theirs.

I'm not defending the government but equally this is unprecedented.

What would Corbyn have done had he got in power? I'm sure he'd have followed the advice of the experts too.

This nonsense about the government wanting people to die en masse needs to stop. They don't. From a purely ego point of view, BJ does not want to be the prime minister which oversaw hundreds of thousands, heck, possibly millions, of deaths.

They are trying. Just like the other countries are trying.

Let's hope what all the countries are trying works. The lockdown results have been iffy so far in Italy and Spain but we'll know more in the coming days.

The only place which has had real success so far has been Singapore.

 

[davek]

I agree with this bit. If it wasn't for politically calling them out on it, we'd be looking at a few hundred thousand more deaths here by all accounts.

The "we're led by the science" line doesn't hold water for me, especially when the "science" conveniently correlates with the objectives of a class war.

The science that amounts to a cull on part of the population. Nowhere else would there be a rolling out of a policy designed to create immunity without medically being able to shield the vulnerable from such a move. Nowhere, that is, other than the Johnson Government and the disgracefully cavalier team of quacks that clinicians all over the world have been queuing up to condemn.

 

[summerisle]

I wonder if 'key workers' will still be recognised as such when the crisis is over. Somehow I very much doubt it.

 

[Harryflashman]

I wonder if 'key workers' will still be recognised as such when the crisis is over. Somehow I very much doubt it.

superb point

 

[ramacca]

Johnson's, 'let it run its course', 'take it on the chin' and the herd immunity comments were a sign that the government planned to do nothing. You can't get 'herd immunity' unless 60% of the population gets infected. That's why Johnson said, 'people will lose loved ones'. If the government were to take action then the UK population may not reach their goal of 'herd immunisation'. This cavalier disregard for human life is typical of these scummy Tories. Debating around with such Mathusian theories, might by fine in the debating soceities of Oxbridge and the Bullingdon club but proposing to carry them out in practice, as Johnson and his experts were going to do, is the sign of loony psychopaths. As the UK burns, Johnson fiddles with his 'let them eat cake' ideology.

Scientists have been sounding the alarm on coronavirus for months ...

"The scientists advising ministers seemed to believe that this new virus could be treated much like influenza. Graham Medley, one of the government’s expert scientific advisers, was disarmingly explicit. In an interview on Newsnight last week, he explained the UK’s approach: to allow a controlled epidemic of large numbers of people, which would generate “herd immunity”. Our scientists recommended “a situation where the majority of the population are immune to the infection. And the only way of developing that, in the absence of a vaccine, is for the majority of the population to become infected.”
Medley suggested that, “ideally”, we might need “a nice big epidemic” among the less vulnerable. “What we are going to have to try and do,” he said, was to “manage this acquisition of herd immunity and minimise the exposure of people who are vulnerable.” Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, suggested that the target was to infect 60% of the UK’s population.

After weeks of inaction, the government announced a sudden U-turn on Monday, declaring that new modelling by scientists at Imperial College had convinced them to change their initial plans. Many journalists, led by the BBC, reported that “the science had changed” and so the government had responded accordingly. But this interpretation of events is wrong. The science has been the same since January. What changed is that government advisers at last understood what had really taken place in China.
Indeed, it didn’t need this week’s predictions by Imperial College scientists to estimate the impact of the government’s complacent approach. Any numerate school student could make the calculation. With a mortality of 1% among 60% of a population of some 66 million people, the UK could expect almost 400,000 deaths. The huge wave of critically ill patients that would result from this strategy would quickly overwhelm the NHS".

It's Johnson that needs to take in on the chin and resign.