On 23rd March, the UK government brought in their lockdown policy, after a period in which there were grim stories about COVID-19 in the media, which the government did nothing to dissipate.
On 2nd April the government added to all this, the slogan:
“Stay at home,” “Protect the NHS,” “Save lives”.
This all contributed to the sense of fear and paranoia, which was being hammered continuously into the population across the full range of media. It was nothing short of emotional blackmail. It was using the name of the NHS to promote the government’s lockdown policy.
Who would not support their NHS?
The government had effectively gone to a PR company with a campaign brief on how to get the public onside. The result of this campaign was that instead of the public questioning whether this lockdown policy had any merit, they were emotionally channelled into “protecting the NHS.”
The reality is that the government (and indeed all the political parties at Westminster) had underfunded and neglected the maintenance of the NHS for so many years so that it was not in a position to deal with a new virus such as COVID-19.
The reality was also that the government itself had participated in a 2016 exercise on preparing the NHS for such a virus, but it had ignored the recommendations. It had not wanted to spend the money.
There was also a virus preparedness conference in October 2019 by a number of global health organisations which as good as predicted the COVID-19 virus. Yet that, too, was ignored by the government. Instead of admitting their lack of preparedness, the government has tried to deflect any potential criticism by making it seem as though any such comments would be an attack on the NHS, and not on them.
So far, this devious plan has worked, to the extent that the nation is regularly applauding the NHS workers, meaning there is less emphasis on the state of the NHS and on the inadequate protection the government was providing for NHS workers.
A check on those countries which have done well on fighting COVID-19 reveals it is those who were prepared to act quickly with medical policies they had prepared if they were faced with a virus attack, which have been most successful. These countries have also not had economic and social lockdowns too. They include Taiwan, with 0.3 deaths per million and South Korea with five deaths per million. This compares with the UK’s 311 deaths per million, which has actually gone up more since the lockdown policy commenced.
Having committed to the lockdown policy, it is interesting that only a few days after this, that the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was tested positive for COVID-19 on 27th March, and had to self-isolate in his Downing Street flat.
Could his thought process have been affected by this? Did he make a decision when he was already ill?
It was on 5th April that his condition worsened to such an extent that he had to be admitted to hospital and apparently was in a life-threatening situation. Boris Johnson has thankfully recovered, but the question needs to be asked, is he fully recovered?
And has his isolation given him a bunker mentality, which means that he will go to great lengths to protect his position on lockdown, at whatever the cost may be to the country?
Boris Johnson’s isolation is unlikely to have helped him have a broader perspective on this coronavirus crisis. He, like a lot of people in the middle and upper echelons of society, have little idea how the rest of the population live. He has not understood the concerns of the older generation and has been slow to give them the protection they need. He has not followed the need of those on lower incomes to be able to work and lead normal lives.
The problem of having had the COVID-19 virus is that he is likely to be fighting his own demons and finding a reason to protect his own reputation, rather than finding the best medical policies to win against the virus. Instead, he has made the virus out to be a much greater danger than it really is.
He stated, “it is the biggest single challenge this country has faced since the war.”
This is simply not the case. There have been many others far worse. Has he made it to be a bigger crisis than it is to deflect attention from other issues?
He has urged people to “not lose patience with the lockdown,” instead of accepting that more and more are questioning the rationality for it.
He has said that he is refusing “to throw away the public’s effort and sacrifice and relax the lockdown too soon.” He went on to thank the public for their “sheer grit and guts.” He omitted to say that he gave the public no choice in this lockdown and simply imposed it on them on penalty of fine or imprisonment!
It is the peoples of other countries who can be thanked for doing things like social distancing because they have not had compulsion, and they have not had economic and social lockdowns.
This lockdown has been an expensive sham, and there it looks like the government is seeking reasons to perpetuate it even longer.
A list of five factors has been given, which have to be satisfied before there is an easing of restrictions.
It has been said that this list is reminiscent of Gordon Brown’s list of five factors that had to be satisfied before the UK joined the Euro (the UK never did as the list was designed to make this a near impossibility).
Boris Johnson has said he does not want the lockdown to end too soon, because it “could lead to a second spike in cases, cause more deaths, economic disaster and restrictions being re-introduced.” This is all based on this policy of lockdown, which has been put across as if it not only works but is the only policy that works. That is a falsehood. The public are being gravely misled.
It is time the government admitted that there are medical policies used by other countries that have been effective in the fight against COVID-19 and that the UK has had a poor record to date ( nearly a tenth of the world’s COVID-19’s deaths).
What has to be addressed is why is the government using this lockdown policy as a distraction from their failure to deliver an effective policy on combating COVID-19? Their failure to be prepared like other countries.
Why have political meetings, gatherings and elections been shut down? Why is it so difficult to have effective political debate and scrutiny on the government’s lockdown policy? The government knows their lockdown policy is nothing to do with sound medical reasons and everything to do with locking down debate on how unnecessary it is.
Every day the lockdown continues, more people are put out of work, more businesses go under, the national debt increases, the 2.1 million cancelled operations increases, the number of deaths from other causes increases, the social and many other consequences have increases, and it becomes ever more challenging to recover.
This lockdown policy is instead of pursuing other more rational medical policies and instead of government ministers and their “scientific advisors admitting they made an horrendous blunder. It seems their reputations are more important than the health and financial security of the nation.
It is such a shame that Boris Johnson did not use coming back to the helm as an opportunity to admit that the government had made mistakes, and to steer the country back onto an even keel.
However, instead of ending the lockdown without delay, the government are manoeuvring the situation so that it ends in such a way that they can claim that their policy worked.
The government’s daily press conferences have been nothing more than attempts to justify the continuance of the lockdown policy while they fathom out a reason to end it without losing their credibility. The lockdown was always a reckless reaction with no medical justification.
The reality is that the COVID-19 virus was going to be defeated anyway, and the lockdown was an appalling abuse of the trust of the British public for cynical political reasons.
The government have called “time” on the pubs and much more, which form part of the fabric of British society.
No enemy in recent history has caused the nation such desolation, and it is now vital to call “time” on this ludicrous lockdown.
Anthony Webber
Independent Political Commentator
I’m sure other commentators here will know better than me but no one, whilst there have been numerous allusions to funding, has mentioned the £13.4 BILLION NHS debt that has been wiped from the slate this month “to help said NHS to deal with the Covid emergency”. Should we not be asking why HM’s Opposition has not been calling for the Government’s head? Or asking when the Royal Commission set up to examine this extraordinary situation will begin taking evidence? Or when those responsible for this “loss” get their collars felt and lose their cosy salaries and pensions?
Hi Roger to Roger.
I am not sure about this debt forgiveness lark.
I know Gordon Brown of infamy sitters on about 3rd world debt forgiveness, but I oud fancy that is a differering kind of debt from that of an internal NHS outfit.
What I am trying to get at is what is the effect on national book keeping.
For instance is there any specific instigator of the debt or is it an accumulation over the years or just one year?
Is the debt on the NHS books? Or does it go on the national books
If it goes on the national books presumably that means we have maybe funded it as some sort of bond and borrowed it internationally -that means it can’t be cancelled internationally
Sorry to appear ignorant, but does anybody else ask about the state of the books and how they work?
BURN THE WITCH ! ….. Yes, and all those who are in anyway connected with the witch ! ….. An ”Independent Political Commentator” has a clear right to make his point, just as I have to disagree with him ! ….. Lets face it, now that J.C. has gone, ( and no, that’s Jeremy Corbyn ), we could be so better served by Sir K.S. with Labour. – After all we can forget his action in bringing no charge against a now dead and unmissed kiddy fiddler !
Welcome to British politics ! – An evil Tory Government was elected only about four months ago, with a large majority, and the leader is now the personification of everything that is bad ! ….. He is berated for not making plans for a pandemic before it happened, ( although very in-depth questions must be asked about why the checks made under a previous Tory PM was not apparently actioned ), and he is again berated for the money used for the Nightingale hospital, that has been under-used, but there if the Coronavirus exploded !
WHY O’ WHEN will the brilliant ‘Hind-sight People’, try getting behind the elected leader ? – If that goes against their DNA, could they perhaps just shut up ? – Would they prefer the British Army to shoot all their officers, and be led by the NCOs instead ? ….. Sorry Anthony Webber, as I have said, you have every right to make your points, but my rant is due to Officer Training from the Navy, many years ago now, and it is ingrained in me as to what constitutes mutiny, and your right of course, mutiny against Government holds no position at all !
The reason for lockdown was to avoid NHS being overrun. Lockdown continues but reason now changed to avoid 2nd spike. 1st reason a lie, or 2nd reason?. BoJo comes back and …no change. He has lost his bottle.
Britain is being run by a bunch of unelected ‘scientists’
The PM and all Cabinet Ministers are surplus to requirements.
Hear, hear. This third lockdown without a time limit even is one of the cruellest, most inhumane acts committed by a UK Government against the isolated elderly. Solitary confinement with no parole. The NHS has plenty of capacity now so at least give them the choice of balancing the risk of getting the virus with that of dying of loneliness, stress, anxiety, mental illness and earlier dementia. A lot are in their final years. I see some convenient device has been found to lock up schools longer called Kawasaki disease.
To be fair, Parliament had other things on its plate towards the end of last year. I would nickname this whole charade a PANICDEMIC! This is leading to totalitarian government with the enviro-fascists waiting in the wings to enforce the obscene Climate Change Act which will drive us further into poverty without having the slightest effect on the world’s climate.
I’m surprised the Independencedaily publish such drivel. If anything the NHS is over funded but the funds go to overpaid managers who are useless at their job .
This article is spot on. The continuation of the lockdown is a cover up for the epic incompetence of this government. Yes, the NHS is over funded and over staffed of managers and non-jobs, but the lockdown is now a government fig leaf.
Mike, which part of the article is “drivel.”
Do you actually know any NHS managers.?
To blandly say they are useless at their jobs is something you need to prove.
How would you like it if someone said you were useless at your job ?
It is up to politicians to ensure that the NHS is run effectively and efficiently and you cannot blame the staff if any systems need changing.
My article focuses on the government mismanaging the NHS and under funding it too.
It is politicians who did not ensure that the NHS was prepared for as virus attack.
Other countries have been more fortunate, as countries like Sweden, South Korea and Taiwan are amongst the many countries who were prepared.
Yes, I have worked in hospitals. The level of mgmt is pathetic.
Managers, oh yes. One of the hospitals had three operating theatres. One was kept for emergencies – OK. But the two in use, worked 0800 hrs to 1700 hrs. Zero use at night unless emergencies. ‘Managers’ could not get the Gods to work beyond five with a gun at their heads.
Why not? One: we keep the ins just slightly less than the outs. (Bit like german cars to keep the price up). And two: we would have to find beds for them – how awful.
Part of the rest of the conversations always drifted to the enormous turn over of nurses. Do your research on how many percent get to year two – I dare you.
Tony Mate, if you are in a hole (and you are) stop digging.
The Gods I have worked with (= surgeons and I lived next door to one for many years) only worked the hours that suited them. Stan was a nice guy, but always home by six. ‘Managers’ could not get the Gods to work beyond five with a gun at their heads.
Waste is endemic. Give the International NHS a million face masks they will all be gone – poof, just like that. Give them five million a bit longer.
The mentality seems to be there are so many they must be dirt cheap (no loss if I pull one out and five fall on the floor – then into the bin), and they must be used whether needed or not.
And yes I have had the virus and hence am a sole survivor (sky news speak) in this rerun of the 14th century Black Death. Proving it and getting a Blue Peter Badge to say survivor is something else.
Here is some advice chummy:-
Never ask: have you met one?
Never say: within living memory.
The former is used by politicians attempting to shut down unwelcome discussion, until someone one like me names several I have known personally.
The latter is typified by the bbc – the most corona virus deaths/snow/rain/leaves on the line** since records began (omitting those particular records are how long?).
**delete as appropriate
As they say in Glasgow – awahenboyleyeheed.
Is there any chance we could all be right. ? After all , We have a lot of money floating around here, alot of ‘interests’. Like an overtrained ( 7 years someone said ) protected profession, Nobody paying, political ( Power) interests, Unions often thoughtless, Poorly trained and incompetant priesthood ( IT ), Unnecessary bottom feeders like Agendies., and uneducated, thoughtless and often terrified customers and a last resort.
I’m afraid it’s just another badly exploited nationalised industry.
Anthony,
You say Mike needs to prove his “bland” assertion that NHS managers are useless at their jobs.
Yet you provide no proof to your “bland” assertion that the NHS has been underfunded by the present and previous governments for many years. And NHS managers constantly saying they need more money is not proof.
He could be correct Mike. Logic would tell us that managers cannot be any good. As I said, An ever expanding customers,ever expanding product, an ever anticipatory customer base, a total leck of understanding of product ( Unless Medics, in which case I should say limited not lack ), and a ” Know it all,” or at least informed, workforce .,In this situation the only meaningful measure of a Manager will be his ability to get more money, by any means.
The whole incredible situation, then and now, aggravated by Socialist Ignorance and Dogma.
And he is given no budget to educate the population.
The lockdown looks more and more like a political decision but what for? To make Johnson look like saviour? Probably far worse. There is now a precedent for a massive suppression of civil liberties outside war. All done by statutory instrument.
”government had underfunded and neglected the maintenance of the NHS”
Not from what my pay packet says. (Plus a greater amount of Employers contributions).
As to maintenance, specialists working one day a week – never a weekend, never an evening, rarely a Friday. Get some managers in.
I remember John Harvey-Jones walking around a factory making the comment ‘nothing much productive in this part . . .’.
Then I look around at staff at my hospital. I am the first person on the ‘List’ at 8.30 a.m. (bankers hours). I’ve been there since 8.00 a.m. and a 9.10 I watch the dame walk in and no doubt fixes her hair, and other things (like lunch?) and I get called at 9.35 a.m. These punters stop at noon, so all those following patients, just like me, are rushed through with perfunctory attention. So much for dedication of the angels and so much for management. One ‘eye appointment’ I had was for 12.45 p.m. Seen at 6.15 p.m. (yes 18.15 hrs). Lunch or what? Get some managers in and not that Ponsenby-Smyth chappie (good egg, he used to fag for father at Eton dontcha know). It is not supposed to be a sinecure.
Next the call will be for all these idle Nightingale Hospitals (more waste but I wish I had had the Contract) to be used to import and to treat the Third World at my / our expense, and then be allowed to stay to cure all their ills before swelling the ranks of spongers.
Yes, Minister The Empty New Hospital
Surely your point is proving mine- that the government has been mismanaging the NHS.
I am sure a lot of the NHS is inactive at present because the government have cancelled 2.11 millions operations.
Indeed Biscotte; the NHS despite having many competent and hardworking staff is let down by too many who are not and systems which are simply not fit for purpose.
I remember years ago visiting relatives in hospital where the nurses had their desks on the wards where they could observe those patients. More recently I have seen them chin-wagging in their separate office whilst patients needs are being neglected. Add to that the aggressive attitude of some non-medical staff, the involvement of private companies run by government cronies, IT systems not fit for purpose and we see a true picture of an NHS long overdue for reform.
The NHS already enjoyed sacred cow status before Covid but now with millions of people out clapping for the NHS every Thursday it will now be doubly so. The Tories daren’t even whisper the word ‘reform’ and especially now the hapless Corbyn has gone.
The NHS may now be doubly insulated against meaningful reform for a decade or more.
Indeed that is worrying.
What a load of self promoting drivel.
These comments are worthless from a person with no qualifications or technical knowledge whatever and should be completely ignored.
Tell us the facts Harry.
The facts are that these are completely unprecedented times.
The government is working in a vacuum, there are so many unknowns (and expert opinions).
However doing nothing is not an option.
Whether or not the correct decisions are being taken right now can only be properly assessed in five or ten years time.
Hindsight is a jolly fine thing.
Ill-educated, idiot journalist’s/politician’s opinions are worthless. The best advice available comes from scientists and technocrats who are working from a knowledge/ experience base however small it is right now,
The last thing we need right now is wannabe celebrities/ politicians putting their worthless fillings in to further their career.
Do something even if you don’t know what you are doing? For show? Anyway the knowledge about the virus is much greater than a few weeks ago. The death rate is very small and in the flu region. Destroy the economy for that when you don’t know it will even help (taking your don’t know thesis as a model).
What about the 2016 thing ?
“He stated, “it is the biggest single challenge this country has faced since the war.””
No no that was getting rid of Treason May obviously.
1st Lockdown: Save the NHS!
2nd Lockdown: We can’t make decisions when our boss is off sick!
3rd Lockdown: The Second Wave ™ caused by our first two lockdowns means we have to have a 3rd one or it will ruin our optics.