Should There Be An Inquiry Into The Government's Covid Response?

[Untitled]

The Resolution Foundation has estimated in its report on the first year of the pandemic in the UK that the delay in introducing the winter lockdown caused 27,000 extra deaths and that delays to introducing lockdowns meant that when they were introduced that had to go on for longer:

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/the-12-month-stretch/

It is obvious that the government wasted precious time in March 2020 when the threat was visible... then there is the travesty of Tory allies being given contracts without competition despite being inexperienced and unqualified to meet them.

I personally think an inquiry is an excellent idea and well justified.

[jno]

untitled, I believe an inquiry would be acceptable to most on condition that it proved Covid was all Corbyn's fault.

[Khandro]

//126,000 British people are dead Khandro...//

and 75,000 !!! & counting, are dead in similarly sized Germany & I can't even get a vaccine appointment for a vulnerable 84 year old woman here.

Much to their chagrin, Britain's achievement is the envy of all EU countries.

[woofgang]

I don't think that anybody has said that there won't be. What has been said is that it needs to wait until the pandemic is over, or at least almost over. As has been said, hindsight is a wonderful thing. When it does happen though there won't be just one aspect that has to be considered, there will be the other facets, viz the economy and managing public compliance.

[Ken4155]

Khandro, the vaccine roll out is just about the only thing our lot have got right. They've dithered and dallied, hummed and hawed throughout, all the while cherry-picking which particular bits of science to follow. 10/10 for the vaccinations, 7/10 for the financial assistance, 1/10 for the management of the virus.

[gulliver1]

When Covid was first announced in the UK, Boris said ignore it. ( He had bigger fish to Fry ).
He never attended the first Covid Cobra meetings he was to busy with Brexit and cabinet reshuffles, he was going to celebrate Brexit for all it was worth. Then he went around the hospitals shaking hands with patients to prove covid was nothing to be concerned about, we all know what happened next. He became a covid patient.

[Untitled]

Then perhaps germany should have an inquiry too khandro... why are you so desperate to downplay the uk government's failures? Why don't you want them held accountable?

[teacake44]

I've just had my own inquiry, Government response, a big fat nil. Regardless of them watching China's immediate action of shutting down. And then they stood by and watched what was happening in Italy. You don't need a 4 year inquiry.

[Untitled]

Indeed gulliver... a year ago boris was joking about shaking hands with people and not observing distancing... the UK was going to pursue a "herd immunity" strategy (i.e. let the weak perish) and didn't use any of our precious time to prepare.

[woofgang]

untitled "the UK was going to pursue a "herd immunity" strategy (i.e. let the weak perish) and didn't use any of our precious time to prepare."

Link please? or any kind of objective proof of this?

[Peter Pedant]

yeah woofie - I recollect one COBRA/SAGE meeting saying that they were going for herd immunity
that is just wait until 60% had had it and then
wait some more ....

60% is easily given as one minus the reciprocal of the Ro. R number early in the epidemic. take it as three, recip is 1/3
and 1- 1/3 is 2/3 or ... 60% thereabouts
and I remember thinking - yeah and then what?

[Peter Pedant]

It was a minister because as ever - - he didnt seem to know what it meant

greats graduate from Oxford or someone

[gulliver1]

18.24 Peter, and we all know about the great things that have come from Oxford this week.

[woofgang]

yes PP I remember it being in the paper that "someone" had said it at a private dinner or something but i don't think it ever passed the the Whitty/Van Tam/Vallance test.

[Vagus]

No, I don’t think there should be an enquiry.
Lessons have been learned but decisions were taken at the time, I believe, for the best.
Wast of time and money, not justified and will achieve nothing worthwhile.b

[mushroom25]

// It was a minister because as ever //

err, PP, was Dom Cummings a minister and nobody told us? it was Dom, who said "“herd immunity, protect the economy and if that means some pensioners die, too bad”.

it's in a report in the times. paywalled of course, but you can download a copy here:-
https://cfts.co/27-coronavirus-ten-days-that-shook-britain-and-changed-the-nation-forever-the-sunday-times

[gulliver1]

Wonder which on of Boris's Cronies would get the odd couple of million £s to head the inquiry ?.

[fender62]

inquiry within inquiries and then...nothing comes of any of it
except the inquirers payday, proverbial..s@it happens
and no one had a clue, next time we will know and be prepared
after all britain is leading the world in vaccinations eu anyway.

[burlyshirley]

Agree with Vagus at 18:59.

[Untitled]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51892402

[Untitled]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-04-24/coronavirus-uk-how-boris-johnson-s-government-let-virus-get-away?utm_source=url_link