Thread 31 Sunak: Court, Conflicts and Complications

[DuncinToffee]

Previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4898118-thread-30-sunak-no-trains-no-drains-no-point?page=40&reply=129806274

The outcome of this is going to be Choose Your Liar. Which one will the public choose to believe? Labrador or Weasel?

The Covid Inquiry has the strap line "Every story matters".

I believe in that. I do think every element of what happened needs to be investigated - that includes but isnt limited to the impact of lockdown on young people. We do need to know what happened in hospitals and care homes (for the elderly and the disabled) and in Downing Street. I think the Inquiry should be much bigger news all of the time not just when the big names pop up.

If we don't have a clear vision of what went well and what was handled badly and why we are doomed to repeat mistakes. My faith in Government is already stretched at least provide me with evidence they are prepared to review everything and fix it. That might mean never implementing another lockdown - but I want to see the fullest picture possible first, I will not take their assessments on trust. I feel foolish enough for trusting them in 2020, I am not going to repeat that mistake.

Complaining that the Inquiry isn't investigating something (which it is) is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention.

Everyone knows Cummings has his own spin. That doesn't make every element of his evidence useless. And it bears reminding who put him in that position of power and influence in the first place.

https://twitter.com/Dominic2306/status/1719659385863987481

’Accidental copies’ Dom? Presumably a bit like Trump having a bathroom full of ‘accidental documents’.

WTF is going on with data security at the centre of government?

Helen MacNamara on Hancock

Matt Hancock, the then health secretary, told cabinet “time and time again” shortly before the pandemic struck that the government had plans in place to deal with Covid, MacNamara said in her witness statement to the inquiry. In her oral evidence, she says she heard Hancock say this in person, and assumed he was right, but that these plans never materialised.

That John Crace article is one of his best.

The casting for C4 Party Gate was spot on for the role of MacNamara

Helen MacNamara confirms DC's account of what she told the Prime Minister on 13th March 2020:

"There is no plan. I think we are absolutely f**ked. I think this country is heading for a disaster. I think we are going to kill thousands of people."

https://x.com/BestForBritain/status/1719673497281077456?s=20

Shouldn’t laugh but…

The idea that they were laughing at the action taken by the Italian government is bloody awful. It was watching the coverage of the Italian health service buckling that put me (and I'm sure lots of other people) on notice that COVID could have a catastrophic impact here.

The Italian health service was ranked higher than the UKs at the time

x.com/bestforbritain/status/1719668666013245576?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

An accurate assessment.

My first ‘oh shit it’s here and it’s going to be bad’ moment (after weeks of thinking we weren’t doing enough) was sitting outside at lunch and watching the morgue trolleys arrive. Just trolley after trolley being wheeled off the van.

The idea that the government were laughing at the Italians who were running out of body bags is horrendous.

Oh my - yes that would have definitely worried the crap out of me Rafa.

There’s a paper somewhere from May 2020 I think that traces the genomic sequences of covid samples back to their origin. Virtually all samples in the U.K. traced back to lines introduced in the period we’re talking about of early March 2020. In those couple of weeks covid was introduced into the U.K. something like 1300 times.

If we’d had a vaguely competent government that prevented that imagine what that would have meant for the length of lockdown? We had the collapse of healthcare systems in areas China, Italy, Spain and France to warn us. All of whom were better funded and had more bed capacity/staff per capita.

When Johnson gives evidence he’s going to do some sort of macho, misogynistic it wasn’t me bullshit and Hallet’s going to wipe the floor with him isn’t she?

I can’t wait. Not that he will be shamed by it.

Johnson petulant whine noise incoming

I think MacNamara's evidence is far more damning than Cumming's

The people in government all seem to have been fantasists.

Overweening confidence in themselves which was utterly, fatally misplaced

Cummings was too filled with points to score. Too much "I was aware of all the problems immediately" All the swearing became headlines and distracting to the rest

All the swearing became headlines and distracting to the rest

Which he knew full well would happen. Weasel that he is, he knows how to manipulate.

Johnson will say. "It wasn't me, I wasn't there when I didn't do it". Mantra since schooldays.

But Dido had to have her horse festival.

At risk of going off on a tangent, to be so successfully misogynistic one presumably have to be expert in knowing what a woman is?

Oh good lord, MacNamara saying Cummings wanted to put Frost in charge of civil service and national security!
They settled on putting Frost in the Lords!

Absolute madness.

x.com/implausibleblog/status/1719702212803178526?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

Email from McNamara to Cabinet Office outlining the lack of thought given to the impact on women (pregnancies, abortions, fertility treatments, failure of PPE to fit workforce that's predominantly female)

x.com/tamcohen/status/1719719820105482482?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

'there wasn't a single day where the rules were completely followed in No 10.'