[News] Well done boris!!!

[vegster]

Nonsense. What is that based on ? Leadership was required. What was happening in other countries was clear, we were going to be no different. People are not stupid. There are idiots who would have reacted of course but that will always happen.

Precisely, virtually every other country affected by the virus has been forced into a local or national Lock Down of some sort. Anyone with half an eye on the news since January could see the domino effect as one after another took this action.

I think we did not test, track and trace effectively in the early days and then locked down too late. We bungled it in order to struggle through on the cheap as usual.

 

[Grombleton]

People are not stupid. There are idiots who would have reacted of course but that will always happen.

I will quote Men In Black here: "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

While you are dishing out the blame don’t forget the Labour Party under Blair and Brown which gave us a “light touch” regulatory system for the banks and financial services sector............we know how that turned out, albeit the Chancellor did recognise their failings eventually.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14888933

And also PFI contracts, which has tied up billions of pounds of taxpayers money to private companies for decades..........an absolute scandal. Yeah, sure we can trust the fortunes of the NHS in Labour’s hands.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...usts-to-pay-out-further-55bn-under-pfi-scheme

As always too many one eyed views on here.........if the NHS budget in recent years didn’t have enough money to let’s say stockpile PPE we can definitely spread the blame wider than the Tories under the current Govt..

Points taken, but:dishing out blame was not the aim of my post. It was about how political leanings dictate (or don't dictate) how PMs do. So I was trying to illustrate how I thought other recent conservative P.M.s would have dealt with the current crisis.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I think we did not test, track and trace effectively in the early days and then locked down too late. We bungled it in order to struggle through on the cheap as usual.

Actually - in the original Brighton "hotspot" we did track and trace. I was told early on by a doctor closer to the action that the "super-spreader" was identified, all contacts traced and isolated, and the spread was stopped. It seemed over the top at the time to ask all people (and families) who had been on contact to isolate - but that was done and it worked. It was described as "textbook". We knew what worked and what we had to do. It was after this that the herd-immunity idea was placed centre-stage.

On herd-immunity - at the time it seemed plausible to me - but then I am not an expert paid to understand all the implications.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I will quote Men In Black here: "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

I will quote Mary Poppins. "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down".

Look - we will never know. But essentially the great British public are a fairly easy-going bunch who will follow the rules. It's how we are. There are exceptions - but that's what they are - exceptions. Had we had an early lockdown with all explained I think it would have worked fine.

It's an imperfect world and hindsight makes it all easier of course. But as per my post above about the Brighton "super-spreader" - we knew what to do. We had seen it work well.

 

[Grombleton]

I will quote Mary Poppins. "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down".

Look - we will never know. But essentially the great British public are a fairly easy-going bunch who will follow the rules. It's how we are. There are exceptions - but that's what they are - exceptions. Had we had an early lockdown with all explained I think it would have worked fine.

It's an imperfect world and hindsight makes it all easier of course. But as per my post above about the Brighton "super-spreader" - we knew what to do. We had seen it work well.

Tbh I don't disagree, I just wanted to quote Men In Black.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Tbh I don't disagree, I just wanted to quote Men In Black.

Ha ha. It was a good quote!

 

[bhadebenhams]

While you are dishing out the blame don’t forget the Labour Party under Blair and Brown which gave us a “light touch” regulatory system for the banks and financial services sector............we know how that turned out, albeit the Chancellor did recognise their failings eventually.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14888933

And also PFI contracts, which has tied up billions of pounds of taxpayers money to private companies for decades..........an absolute scandal. Yeah, sure we can trust the fortunes of the NHS in Labour’s hands.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...usts-to-pay-out-further-55bn-under-pfi-scheme

As always too many one eyed views on here.........if the NHS budget in recent years didn’t have enough money to let’s say stockpile PPE we can definitely spread the blame wider than the Tories under the current Govt..

EXACTLY which is why people like you and me vote for Boris because he will get virus done and im very happy for him and one of his girlfriends having a baby it gives the nation something to smile about

 

[El Presidente]

But as per my post above about the Brighton "super-spreader" - we knew what to do.

I thought this thread was about Boris Johnson not Katie Price?

 

[vegster]

Actually - in the original Brighton "hotspot" we did track and trace. I was told early on by a doctor closer to the action that the "super-spreader" was identified, all contacts traced and isolated, and the spread was stopped. It seemed over the top at the time to ask all people (and families) who had been on contact to isolate - but that was done and it worked. It was described as "textbook". We knew what worked and what we had to do. It was after this that the herd-immunity idea was placed centre-stage.

On herd-immunity - at the time it seemed plausible to me - but then I am not an expert paid to understand all the implications.

Yes, at first it worked well with our local " Super Spreader", however, we gave that up far to fast I'm assuming that was down to manpower combined with the fact that the NHS 111 service was going in to meltdown. The "Herd Immunity " aspect of dealing with the virus is ok when the fatality rate is very low, although not everyone will catch the virus if you crunch the numbers through such as % population who catch it x % of those who subsequently die or need long time care to recuperate = A lot of fatalities.

As it stands I don't think we really have full control of this yet and the scandal of unreported deaths and the continuing threat to maybe hundreds of thousands in care homes isn't going away. At one point the government said that if we keep our total fatalities down to 20,000 we will have done well yet we are already at 26,000 and that number is already being regarded as an estimate. Still worrying times.

 

[cunning fergus]

Points taken, but:dishing out blame was not the aim of my post. It was about how political leanings dictate (or don't dictate) how PMs do. So I was trying to illustrate how I thought other recent conservative P.M.s would have dealt with the current crisis.

I think you are dishing out plenty of blame in post 54, points that may be correct or not only time will tell.

However, what we do know today, as an irrefutable fact, is that the regulatory policies of the Labour Party under Blair/Brown on the financial services sector in the lead up to 2008 (with the collapse of Northern Rock, Bradford & Bingley et al) were negligent. Furthermore, the wholesale use of PFI has saddled the taxpayers with debt to private enterprises for decades, and its effect on the NHS in particular is crippling.

So, spread the blame fairly..........there are plenty of reasons why they have not been in power since.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Nonsense. What is that based on ? Leadership was required. What was happening in other countries was clear, we were going to be no different. People are not stupid. There are idiots who would have reacted of course but that will always happen.

Maybe I'm being unreasonably fair to the government....this was, I suspect, the government's reasoning. If it transpires there was some other nefarious reason for the delay it will become clear in due course.

To reiterate I am no fan of Boris - far from it.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Maybe I'm being unreasonably fair to the government....this was, I suspect, the government's reasoning. If it transpires there was some other nefarious reason for the delay it will become clear in due course.

Hang on my old mate .......

One thing I am sure of - if we had gone into lockdown immediately there would have been chaos and carnage and civil disobedience

That's what I thought was nonsense. I don't think there would have any chaos and carnage. Some idiots would not have liked it of course.

Johnson could have taken great credit for his actions had he shown leadership at that point and shown faith in the country that voted for him. And demonstrated to the naysayers like me that he was stepping up to his office when his country needed it.

 

[Baldseagull]

Do you remember when Ulrika was a weather girl and every man in the country had the hots for her?

I remeber a "letter" in Viz with the writer stating that by Ulrika's current rate of swapping partners, he would be due a shag with her next Thursday.

 

[Baldseagull]

I’ve heard they’ve ruled out discussing potential names for the baby with Rees-Mogg

Eighteenthtus?

 

[sjamesb3466]

Not very becoming of a PM to go around impregnating 4 different women , not even his wives ! Morally not sure how that can be excused by being in 2020 .

The only small excuse is that I presume financially he is looking after all his children . Likely to cost him several thousand a month.

Personally I find his politics and inability to tell the truth less becoming and more morally reprehensible than who he sticks it into.

 

[ozzygull]

I thought this thread was about Boris Johnson not Katie Price?

Thank you for confirming what I was trying to say.

 

[Baldseagull]

Actually - in the original Brighton "hotspot" we did track and trace. I was told early on by a doctor closer to the action that the "super-spreader" was identified, all contacts traced and isolated, and the spread was stopped. It seemed over the top at the time to ask all people (and families) who had been on contact to isolate - but that was done and it worked. It was described as "textbook". We knew what worked and what we had to do. It was after this that the herd-immunity idea was placed centre-stage.

On herd-immunity - at the time it seemed plausible to me - but then I am not an expert paid to understand all the implications.

Herd immunity is still the plan, just that we get it over a longer period so as not to overwhelm the NHS, or by vaccination if one becomes available sooner.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Like somebody mooted in the meedja yesterday, time to draw a firm line under this Boris Soap Opera. It's not all about him. Enough already!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Hang on my old mate .......



That's what I thought was nonsense. I don't think there would have any chaos and carnage. Some idiots would not have liked it of course.

Johnson could have taken great credit for his actions had he shown leadership at that point and shown faith in the country that voted for him. And demonstrated to the naysayers like me that he was stepping up to his office when his country needed it.

It seems you have more faith in our fellow man (well, our fellow Brits) than me. I was quite affected by that nurse who vlogged about shopping some weeks ago after an all day shift, only to find the shops stripped bare, and that was before the seriousness of the situation was clear. We shall never know what might have happened with an abrupt early lockdown. Maybe you are right.