Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think spending money on enquiries is a waste…

30 replies

IDoWonderWhat · 18/01/2026 07:14

Just that really. The Covid enquiry the Manchester arena enquiry.

Covid was a National pandemic. It’s unlikely we will have another pandemic like it. If we do have another medical pandemic the needs will not be the same and how we respond will depend on the rapid changing then current medical needs.

What happened in Manchester was awful. Terrorism is bigger than this one event.

The government has spent a significant amount on the enquires. What is the outcome though? How can we prepare for a pandemic we know nothing about? How can we fight terrorism that we can’t see coming?

Would this money not be better spent support people living with the impact of these events. For examples those struggling with long Covid or life changing medial conditions from the arena attack.

OP posts:
Serencwtch · 18/01/2026 08:00

Very important to have inquiries for both of those very serious incidents.

COVID was unprecedented in recent times & agencies were guessing. Thousands of lives could have been saved if decisions were made differently but weighed up against the impact of millions of lives impacted by lockdown & isolation - many are still suffering the consequences of poor mental health, lost childhood years, education etc.

It's important to go through all the decisions (good & bad) and look at where decisions could have been made sooner/later or differently so that lessons can be learned.

No improvements will come from political fighting & social media keyboard warriors. - A systematic in depth view through an enquiry is absolutely needed.

HelenaWaiting · 18/01/2026 07:59

Firstly you cannot have a "national pandemic" as a pandemic is, by definition, global. Secondly we are extremely likely to have another pandemic. Even if the circumstances are not identical, there are lessons to be learned from the mistakes made with covid. YABVVVU

IDoWonderWhat · 18/01/2026 07:52

Mumsknot · 18/01/2026 07:45

For Manchester, we need to learn lessons about how they evaded security and bombed an area teeming with police and security personnel. Those enquiries are really important. And why it took so long for ambulances to arrive. The security guard actually had a bad feeling about one of the terrorists but didn’t call it out for fear of being labelled a racist. All sorts of lessons need to be learned and if your child died, I think you would also want to know that this had happened.

I did not know this about the security guard. Thank you for taking the time to reply. All your pouts you have made are really valid and I can see why an enquiry is needed.

If you don’t mind me asking, what are your views about Covid?

OP posts:
Silvertulips · 18/01/2026 07:49

We do need to understand the impact.

The government had a pandemic protocol - probably based on the last pandemic - but things change.

If mistakes were made, then we need to learn from them. It’s our best source of information gathering real fact from real events.

Mumsknot · 18/01/2026 07:45

For Manchester, we need to learn lessons about how they evaded security and bombed an area teeming with police and security personnel. Those enquiries are really important. And why it took so long for ambulances to arrive. The security guard actually had a bad feeling about one of the terrorists but didn’t call it out for fear of being labelled a racist. All sorts of lessons need to be learned and if your child died, I think you would also want to know that this had happened.

Swipe left for the next trending thread