They can shove their hand clapping and pot banging Thursdays up their arses for me, now.

[TheLadyAnneNeville]

I’m disgusted with Mr Hancock and our Govt.’s stance on there being no “likely” direct link to COVID19 deaths and lack of PPE.

They’re clearly shitting themselves at the prospect of having NOT shifted themselves soon and reacted by trying to get the equipment necessary to protect those in the frontline. As a retired nurse I’m f***g furious on my colleagues behalf.

Typical Tory “run away!” reaction.

AIBU to think that when this is over, political heads should roll? That under no circumstances should the “heroes” of this debacle, end up sitting in the Lords?

The hand clapping, etc is for the NHS workers and other hard working people keeping the country running, not the politicians?

You're right about the politicians squirming out of their responsibilities regarding PPE, but the clapping is a different thing altogether.

How about we all stand outside and play Vossi bop instead

What???

What has Clapping for the NHS & other networkers got to do with the shit show of the GOVT?!?

No ones clapping for the Govt!!

Heads should roll re PPE etc, but whose? It's not a recent fuck up, it's been glossed over for a bloody long time.

Another rant. perhaps you should sit in a room with the scientists and the advisory team before you start a political rant. As and ex nurse of course I am also concerned but you may not have loticed the PPE problem is also an issue in Italy France and Spain.
Your language is not helpful to any discussion

I'm not gonna let my local nhs workers think I don't give a toss by not clapping just because I disagree with the government

I know they need PPE and funding, but I also want to show my appreciation and admiration. And I've always voted for NHS favouring parties so at least I've done my bit that way too.

I think OP means people like Matt Hancock posting pictures of himself on twitter clapping the NHS and then saying thay. Maybe he shouldnt clap untol the PPE is sorted.

It was originally Mr Gove’s idea, I think. I may be wrong. Yes, they’re clapping for the nhs I get that when I heard Gove talking about the 8pm “clap” I remember thinking “never mind that... where’s the PPE?!”

Some of you are missing the point. It’s NOT the clapping...it’s the fact that this Govt. will now try to distance itself from criticism and more importantly accountability for deaths of NHS workers.

We can clap and support with rainbows from now til Christmas, it doesn’t get away from the fact that PPE supply was badly ignored/mishandled and workers are dying. And there will be more. And not just health workers. And OUR Govt. Are starting the process of wriggling out of responsibility.

Aren’t you seething? I am. But then I spend 3 decades working the NHS.

As a lot of posters on various threads have pointed out - the clapping is used politically as a smokescreen to mask the failings of the government and their weird herd immunity programme before it was kicked into touch. Them being filmed clapping is saying "look! we DO care!"

I totally agree with you about what the government has said about the deaths.
Absolutely disgusting OP makes me very angry too.

Miss the point, if you want. I for one am disgusted.

The dr who wrote to Boris Johnson begging for PPE distribution, at a time when our PM was boasting of hand shaking COVID19 patients, is now dead.

Imagine how they feel today? To hear Matt Hancock say there’s no link.

Please yourselves.

@TheLadyAnneNeville completely agree.

Do you have the name of the doctor please ?

@TwentyViginti and @PinkCrayon thank you! I really thought I was losing it!

"their weird herd immunity programme before it was kicked into touch." Our current plan relies on herd immunity otherwise there'd be no end to this before the vaccine is developed - if ever.

@Bellyfullofbiscuits ...

Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, 53, made a direct plea to the prime minister in a Facebook post last month, when he asked Mr Johnson to “ensure urgently personal protective equipment (PPE) for each and every NHS worker”

He has been all over the news. His family were talking last night on the news hoping his death wouldn’t be in vain.

Completely agree with you too. Thinking about the fucking Torie's standing clapping on their doorsteps when they've been destroying the nhs for years makes me sick. Then now with what Hancock's said it's even worse.
Don't know why the media aren't holding them to account, it's terrible.

I’m pretty certain they appreciate the support of the general public. Protective equipment would have been better.

This thread isn’t about deriding the support of the public. It’s about the statement by Matt Hancock where he starts to put forward the Govt. stance of distancing themselves from responsibility for possibly preventable deaths due to non existent PPE.

If you can’t get the gist of that, just carry in clapping. To an extent that too is very useful, but I’d rather have a mask.

Yes the clapping for the NHS has nothing to do with the government, BUT how is a government of any colour going to magic up PPE out of thin air?

Thank you @marmitepasta. You get it. It’s not that hard really, is it?

Agree op

It wasn't Gove's idea, people on social media organised the clapping after being inspired by people doing the same in Spain. The rainbow thing was started by a kid in Norfolk who wanted other children to see rainbows as they went for their daily walk, it wasn't originally anything to do with the NHS. The government have since encouraged both things and co opted them, as they do for anything positive and community-spirited, because they want anything positive to reflect well on them. I don't think we should have to stop doing things if they bring us together, just because the government are awful. We have NHS workers on our street who have said the clapping means a lot to them.

But yes, fuck Gove and fuck the government for putting our healthcare workers in this awful position in the first place. The decisions of this government over the last decade combined with their lack of urgency in preparing us for the epidemic have resulted in the high death toll we have now, as well as the needless deaths of healthcare workers without adequate PPE. There are people who have died who wouldn't have died if it weren't for the government's lack of preparedness, lack of action and stripping of the NHS. I hope they are held accountable in the end, but somehow I doubt they will be.

@ExD1938... they did a pandemic response exercise in 2016. Learned much. Did nothing.
We watched the tragedy of China... then the spread unfold, on our TV screens. They did nothing much.
They were warned about lack of equipment and were slow off the mark.
They were asked to join the EU procurement of equipment. Lost the memo. Sat through meetings and did... nothing.

There’s more but those few basics will have to do for now.

I'm with you OP.

My son is a nurse in a&e. All the time Matt Hancock has been telling us they've had PPE he was telling me they didn't. It was only a few days ago that he got the correct mask and last weekend he was still sharing a visor, which was being washed in bleach during his shift.

I have been, still am really, genuinely fearful for his life. I'm tearful and can't relax. Each time I've seen a Govt minister on the TV telling me they're doing all they can I've wanted to punch it in because it's all lies.

I do hope that the families of every health care professional who dies of this sues the Govt because they've been completely let down and the planning was woeful. They knew it was coming but they absolutely gave no shits.

It's a complete and utter disgrace

I’m NOT saying don’t bang your saucepans. I’m saying let’s get angry on behalf of our frontliners. Those who are doing the job; those who’ve died and those who are yet to die due to lack of PPE.