Raging at Boris Johnson's irresponsible response to Covid 19

[somanydevices]

BJ said I must level with you, I must level with the British public: many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time

How fucking dare he. This kind of phrase belongs in a rousing speech where the public are asked to come together to do what we can to help prevent those deaths. e.g. not going to large events, doing social distancing.

Not one which says "business as usual".

There was a government adviser on the radio saying they've not banned sporting events because they're in the open and in sunlight.

What about those events undercover? Or after dark? If that's the case why aren't they banned?

They're saying they're acting on scientific advice, but they're adding a layer of interpretation which is about what they think is possible.

They lack faith in their ability to communicate what needs to be done to the population and they think we're all idiots who won't do it, basically. So they've taken the decision that they can't help people dying.

I don't know on what basis BJ and his government is making decisions, but it's not with our best interests at heart.

It's a "don't panic"'message from a government scared and disrespectful of the population, not leadership in a time of crisis.

Fucking raging.

@thepeopleversuswork I agree with you, I trust WHO not some people appointed by the government. It's not covid that will kill people its governments lack of response and suitable action.

You can't argue with stupid.

Good night.

I dont think bj is wrong at all. He is right. People will die.

The point isn't that Boris Johnson said people will die. We all know that. It's that he didn't then go on to say what he's going to do about it.

But this cobra meeting took on expert advice. It wasnt just bj in a room alone guessing stuff and deciding on his own

The took on advice then added an extra layer of interpretation. They didn't follow the advice in a way that prioritises saving lives. They could have done. Other countries have done.

Do you think BJ knows something special that other countries don't?

Why are they taking measures and we're not bothering?

He isn't following WHO advice. We should be testing, loads. We're not.

Its not the governments fault people are thick as shit and will continue to go out with virus symptoms to infect everyone as they need to work/go the shop/attend events etc

What do you think the job of government is? They are in a position to make a real difference. People look to them for leadership, and they can, if they want to, initiate a national conversation, listen to peopel on the ground, educate people on health messages, inspire people to take collective action to help their communities, bottom line - make a real difference to how many people live or die.

Today they chose to do none of that but to stand back and let people die.

That's why people are angry.

Then there's the economic cost. How many businesses will go under without customers?

Small business are going to go under when this hits. Much better if the government give out clear messages about a plan, and take action now, or plan to take action so people know where they are and can start planning, than this uncertainty.

My dad is at risk. He has cancer, an acute aortic aneurysm and a faulty heart valve. He's waiting for heart surgery. He's in his early 70s. I was incensed when I heard what Boris had said about family members dying. Cheers mate. Science has kept dad alive for the best part of 5 years by giving him pioneering and experimental cancer treatment, and now I'm just expected to hand him over to a fucking virus? Get in the sea!

It says "introduce control measures". That's exactly what the UK should be doing, but isn't

Yes the graph does say that, because the controlled measures will be introduced some time soon. That's the whole point

I don't see what the govt is doing as being much different to France. Which has much higher numbers than the UK but have only just started closing schools and events

The idea that a deadly virus should be allowed to run rampant now in order to build immunity is fucking stupid. What the vast majority of experts are saying is that we need to put control measures in place to fight it, or at the very least to buy time to prepare.

But the plan is to put control measures in place. That's clear in the graph

I really wish people would actually take notice of what is being planned

but what are people going to do if they don't go to clubs and sporting events and the like? Are they going to sit at home, alone rather than go to the pub or the cinema or whatever? Or even just their friend's house? Where they will be in even closer contact, for longer. Bearing in mind that this situation is expacted to go on for months?

Is it really inconceivable to you that people might not socialise for a few months? It's not going to kill them not to go out of an evening. It might kill a lot of people if they carry on, though.

What should we prioritise, the lives of the vulnerable or the social lives of people who want to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster? Hmm, difficult.

If people go to the same small number of friends' houses that's nothing like mixing with large groups in public venues.

And anyway I'm a mum and I'm skint. Like thousands of others, I don't go to sporting events, clubs, cinemas etc because I can't justify the expense most of the time or I'm at home with the kids. Hasn't killed me yet though.

I think they'll manage.

BoJo has staked his entire political career on one thing (Brexit) and he sees everything, including the Great Pandemic of 2020, through that prism. It is his “legacy” and the biggest threat to his legacy is the UK economy tanking and trade deals with other countries (including China, which begat this Coronavirus) going down the tubes. If he takes the extreme action seen elsewhere, such as closing schools or resorting to lockdown, the economy will suffer extreme damage and his foes will point to that as evidence of Brexit being a misguided folly and failure. So he is steering clear of more extreme action to see if he can avoid the resulting damage to the economy. It is unlikely he ultimately can, but he is trying, and by the time he realises he cannot, it will be too late. The genie is out of the bottle, Coronavirus infection rates are multiplying several fold a week and it is only a matter of time before the UK has no choice but to also lockdown. The public and Prof John Ashton on BBC Question Time tonight very vocally showed all viewers that they know that. Those of us who are still rational, and not obsessed with Brexit, hope for the sake of all that BoJo will come around to this before this weekend is over. The govt here should be seeking every possible way to limit additional viral spread and deaths, not standing up effectively telling all of us that we have to sacrifice some of our citizens. The public strongly support extreme measures and it is time to take them.

But the plan is to put control measures in place

Please explain "control measures". What exactly is planned?

The WHO says we should be doing widespread testing. We're not. Why not?

Prof John Ashton

Thanks. I didn't catch his name. He was really good. Very clear.

I listened to the BJ press conference and thought it was all well-explained and reasonable. However, now, 6 hours later, I have heard so much that concerns me. I can not understand why so many other countries - France, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Malta, Spain, Lithuania, Italy have closed all schools, universities and colleges, stopped public events, put stringent checks and procedures in place at borders, told people to work from home and yet we haven't. That really worries me.
I sense from our government an unwillingness to act. I wonder if they are scared not only of the economic impact and the effect on public services of closing schools, but of their inability to make the public adhere to any instructions and their worry that we will end up with significant public disorder. I think that is a real possibility- there is a mentality amongst some people of anti-government anger and a feel g of being victimised by this government for the last 10 years. If you add to that the pressure of further suffering, lost earnings, collapsing public services, I could see public disorder being an issue in some places.

Looks like they've decided they want us to catch it.

It's a massive fucking gamble, literally gambling with our lives.

Bet Johnson and Cummings are loving the power trip.

Why aren't more people outraged?

Is it a bit like being in an abusive relationship? Where what they say (reassuring words) and what they do don't line up, and you can't quite believe it's happening as you can't fathom that someone would be that unspeakably awful to someone who doesn't deserve it, so you can't process that it's actually happening?

Please explain "control measures". What exactly is planned?

It's in this topic, the one you started

In the graph/chart info accompanying the post PlanDeRaccordement made at 22:09.

Yesterday 22:09PlanDeRaccordement
Here is a chart of what the U.K. delay strategy will do. It’s not quite nothing, as it is estimated it will cut deaths by a third. It’s about slowing the epidemic so the NHS is not overwhelmed.

It was also in the govenrment statement and it lists all the plans you keep insisting are not going to happen

People do realise that he doesnt make decisions in isolation, right?

So true our lord and master unelect Dominic Cummings makes all the bloody decisions... Johnson appears to be merely his puppet

All the arguments people Use against enforced social distancing like the problems of Childcare and work or small Businesses struggling seem to forget this will happen when more than half the population get the Virus anyway. If your kid gets it they’re off school for a fortnight then you have to factor in you’ll get it too meaning you’re off work even longer and that’s with the assumption you have no complications. Small businesses will struggle whether their workforce is sick or just off to prevent sickeneas. We cannot avoid the disruption this is going to cause. This is not a case of business as normal
Because there is nothing normal about this and it may be that we have to change what normal is. This requires drastic measures that are going to hit everyone. People are going to suffer but to casually play with the lives of the elderly and vulnerable as economically less viable humans Is horrific and symptomatic of what Britain has slowly become over the past 20 years.

@somanydevices so what would be your plan so keep everyone safe without any fatalities? If you were PM what advice would you give the public?

He's gambling with our lives, FFS. We should be rioting.

So you think that thousands of people should crowd into the streets in close proximity to one another in order to protest against the government’s response to coronavirus (while spreading and catching it at the same time). Great idea

The government has other powers it could use to protect people from infection

(List of some possible measures)

And officials in the UK have concerns about how effective they will be.

For example, while school closures could reduce the peak, forcing parents to stay at home would be a problem. It could reduce the number of health workers available, or mean grandparents - one of the at-risk groups - stepping in.

This is fucking pathetic.

If people staying at home means health workers and peopel on other absolutely essential services will miss work, then PAY THEIR FUCKING CHILDCARE. It's not rocket science. And the government have got the money, just take it off some of the vanity projects they just borrowed for.

But no, can't do that. So they'll just have to let everyone get corona virus and the vulnerable will die instead.

I bet Boris has a plan to keep himself safe from Covid 19. He'll be checking his private plan covers it.

So you think that thousands of people should crowd into the streets in close proximity to one another in order to protest against the government’s response to coronavirus (while spreading and catching it at the same time)

Well, a government adviser said on Radio 4 today that they didn't cancel large sporting events as they're in the fresh air and people will be getting UV light, which lowers the risk, apprently.

So we'll riot outside in the daytime and we'll be just fine. I know, because the government said so. Must be true.

Or, are you saying you think their advice is dodgy and they dont' give a fuck? If so, see you at the barricades. Bring your mask.

But you haven’t said what you would do you make it a better alternative?

to suffer but to casually play with the lives of the elderly and vulnerable as economically less viable humans Is horrific and symptomatic of what Britain has slowly become over the past 20 years

Absolutely.

Possibly even more worrying is the people taking it lying down. Who can't see what is being said directly to them.

This isn't a joke now. Boris is playing chicken with our lives.

You are criticising but offering no alternative

Pay who for childcare? Surely all childcare settings are also closed then if school etc are closed? Where Is all this mysterious childcare that is going to appear?