Covid Enquiry - 2

[Hymie]

So the government is refusing to hand over WhatsApp messages to the Covid enquiry – this will not go down well with the electorate.

The BBC article goes on about Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, which he says he is happy to be handed over. But it’s not just Boris’s WhatsApp messages that the enquiry is after.

So why is the government taking this course of action?

Private Eye has been covering the Covid PPE procurement scandal for years – but they have only been able to document what is in the public domain. How a pub landlord with no previous experience of supplying PPE was able to win a multi-million pound contract supplying t PPE to the government is not known – other than he was a friend of a Tory minister.

I suspect that should the Tory government’s corruption in giving PPE contracts to their mates be exposed, while ignoring main stream PPE suppliers – even TTT would not be able to bring himself to vote for them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65782535

[Peter Pedant]

I note the govt unwillingness to hand over docs
I dont think you can jump to that conclusion
I am not sure the voter cares TBH

Savile ( lordy lordy that is! the law lord that ran up £160m bill over the inquiry into Bloody Sunday) was good on R4

He basically said the judge is er the judge and added 'as you might expect'. he went onto to say, litigation was common over this

[Hymie]

Since I’ve cited both the BBC and Private Eye in this post – no doubt there will be calls from the usual suspects for it to be removed.

[Peter Pedant]

Hi ! me again
chrissakes Hymie - you have to be martyred BY someone. You can throw yourself under a bus and then say - Look Look everyone!

even Jesus didnt nail himself to the cross ( but of course knew what was to come - agony in the garding)

[Peter Pedant]

can't throw...... you knew that

[MONEILL45]

Its obviously going to be the usual lying tory cover up .The truth will never out with the right wing media protecting lyer boris, handcock and other ministers involved in potentially ? corrupt dealings.MY rs they knew what they were doing they were lining their own pockets at the taxpayers expense. Time to show all messages and diaries and then prosecute all the scum that ripped the public off.

[New Judge]

//So the government is refusing to hand over WhatsApp messages to the Covid enquiry – this will not go down well with the electorate.//

I think you may find that most of the electorate has little or no interest in the Covid enquiry. It won't report for years (if it ever does at all), any report it might produce will be less than useless, the main protagonists will have long since sailed into the sunset.

I've no intention of defending any politicians regarding their handling of the Covid fiasco. I think it was the most badly handled crisis I have ever witnessed and I will never forgive those handling it for some of the disastrous and callous decisions they took. The handling of it (not the pandemic itself) has caused lasting damage to this country and its people. Most of the damage will take decades to repair, some of it will never be fixed. However, I don't believe any other group of politicians would have managed any better and it is pointless to keep harping on about it. The Conservatives were unlucky - they were in power at the time. The Labour Party - and their supporters - should think themselves fortunate because had they been in power in early 2020 they would have made as big or even bigger cods up of handling it as the Tories did.

[Hymie]

I don’t expect the PPE scandal to be the major exposé of the Covid enquiry – but it could certainly ruin a number of ministers’ careers if they are not already over by the time the facts come out. I’m no Labour supporter, but would they have allowed their mates to profit obscenely from the PPE largess, as the Tories did?

[Ellipsis]

The government called the inquiry. But now they're compromising it.

They say they will send relevant messages and that they would not send messages involving personal conversations.

Which begs a couple of questions:

1) who should really be the one who gets to choose what's relevant?
2) even if the government gets to choose, what would they do if a message was both personal and relevant?

[ClareTG0ld]

I'm not sure it's possible for me to disagree more with NJ's answer. I don't agree that this is the "most badly-handled crisis ever (although, to be sure, there were some seriously poor decisions made, the question is how many of these were poor by the then-available knowledge, rather than with hindsight); the pandemic itself is the primary source of lasting damage; and I *do* think that there's some interest in it, and even if there was not very much then the Government's decision today will make it greater for all the wrong reasons.

I don't get this decision. It looks bad, and it seems difficult to me to see how the Government can possibly expect to win this fight. If NJ is right that there was little interest in the enquiry, then it makes the fight over these messages even more bizarre, because it ends up being a massive own goal.

[fender62]

i often wonder how many enquiries are on going for years, and at what cost, no one seems to get jailed fined (cancelled) etc, as for this covid one erm whats the point, any hue of government would have have done the same more or less, unprepared in the 21 century for something we thought would probably never happen ie a pandemic globally,

[Ellipsis]

The government called the inquiry.

[dave50]

Why all the fuss? Who cares who did what during the stupid lockdown, politicians or mere mortals? I know i broke the idiot rules many times as I'm sure did many people. It's time to move on and just make sure it never happens again.

[douglas9401]

"It's time to move on and just make sure it never happens again."

The disease or the corruption, lies and deceit?

With the former at least we have a slim chance of success.

[Hymie]

One thing everyone should agree on, the contents of the WhatsApp messages related to the handling of Covid are more damning to this Tory government than that they will suffer trying to keep them secret – which will make things all the worse when they eventually see the light of day.

So much for Sunak’s pledges of openness, integrity, professionalism, accountability & honesty.

[Ellipsis]

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/sunlight_is_the_best_disinfectant

sunlight is the best disinfectant

(usually public policy or management) Transparency about the workings of an organization prevents corruption.

[Peter Pedant]

who on earth do you think you are, you and your little mate are just board trolls with a sick obsession..

how do mods miss this type of abuse?

ALTHO' usually a refusal to release documents is NOT on principle but because they disproved something
as a reporter said: "if the answer is OK look at them", then there is nothing to see.

Boris has said that

I have no idea why the gubmint feels the courts have to clarify the judge is the er proper juddge

The Enquiries Act 2006 was passed because Lord Savile ( no relation) topped £150m in legal fees over bloody sunday

[Peter Pedant]

The government called the inquiry.

er I think they are the only ones that can ( call this sort of inquiry, requiring docs and putting oaths).

I wonder if Boris on a high point, thought if he fwobbled his hair and said a few words in Latin - then he cd get away with it

[youngmafbog]

Couldnt have put it better myself NJ.

What we dont know here is what is in the WhatsApp of a personal nature (nothing to do with the COVID).

I actually think they are correct in seeking a legal view on this as it could have ramifications in the future (For Ministers of all colours).

I remember having to get 'evidence' from Teams/Skype chats for tribunals. We had to have authorisation for starters and secondly could only copy out relevant conversations. You would be surprised at what people say on those things that is nothing to do with work. This should remain private.

[Ellipsis]

Hmm, I see that the Government is now going to have an inquiry into the Phillip Schofield affair.

Good luck sorting the relevant from the private with that one ...