So we are predicted to have the highest death toll in Europe, due to systemic errors made by this government. Do you trust the government to get us out of lock down safely?

[ssd]

I don't. They've f**d up too much. NHS managers are begging for PPE, NHS workers are dying.

This government have really really let us down.

We are predicted to have 40,000 deaths by the end of this.

The only silver lining is is that Labour might get its act together now Keir Starmer is in charge. Things can't get any worse.

And if any tory bots start saying 'at least it's not Corbyn'.. Well save your breath. No one could have made a bigger mess than Boris and Co.

Things like accommodation for parents of sick children at GOSH, sensory therapy rooms, comfortable staff rooms. That kind of “nice to have”.

Your 'nice to have' might be my 'core service' though.

Our taxes should be covering things charities are used for now.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-52325713

Anyway, good on the old guy.

No one can take anything away from him, I just hope the government don't use him to their advantage too much.

Those things should be core services. Parents staying with their seriously ill children at hospital a ‘nice to have’? Come on.

You do know patients travel to GOSH from all over the country? And stay months sometimes? How does the NHS find the money for hotels or b+bs? Why should it? That isn’t what it’s for.

Of course I know that. Very very well.

Alsohumana I sincerely pray you never have a severely ill child. And if you do, I pray that being with that severely ill child in hospital isn’t considered a ‘nice to have’.

I don’t make the rules so your hostility to me is displaced. Don’t shoot the messenger.

no hostility at all. What part of ‘i sincerely hope you never have a severely ill child’ is hostile? It was genuine. If you think that is hostile, you have issues.

OK.

Honestly it’s sad that you think that was ‘hostile’. You must have encountered some shitty people in your life.

I pray that being with that severely ill child in hospital isn’t considered a ‘nice to have’

But it is, its "nice to have.... Someone else pay for it"
The NHS simply cannot fund putting people up for months at a time, so it's great that these charities are available to do so.
If that idea is repellent to you, then I suggest you lobby your MP to raise taxes to pay for all the things you think the NHS should fund

Tony Blair was on the BBC news this morning discussing the exit strategy the government might have, or not have. I hope they involve people like him, make it a cross party issue. It needs to be done correctly, we are in enough trouble as it is. We can't get this next bit wrong.

Tony Blair is generally my 'what not to do' bellwether.

This government need all the help they can get. People need to work together. Blair certainly had his faults, but he has experience and that's needed now. The thought of Johnson and his yes men sorting out an exit strategy alone is downright scary.

thread has gone off topic!

But maybe the money raised could go to hospices like St Lukes in Plymouth which have seen funding from govt cut in recent years and now face more cuts as its harder to do local collections for their lottery?

You know EOL care is clearly a "nice to have" but not an essential.
mmm
To me almost all forms of charity just lets the govt of the hook to properly fund services, so an example is Help for Hero's or Poppy appeal - Govt sends its soldiers to war BUT then expects charity to, literally, pick up the pieces.

Tony Blair is generally my 'what not to do' bellwether

Strange thing to say about someone who successfully led the country through a decade of stability and economic growth. I think we need a government of national unity now. Boris’ boys are clearly out of their depth and need all the help they can get.

Alsohuman - Are you serious?

Tony Blair is probably the worst prime minister we've ever had. His time as PM led to extensive and lasting damage to this country.

He was worse than Theresa May, and that's saying something!

Tell me about this damage.

@Alsohuman 150,000 deaths in Iraq and a failed state is damage enough to damn him for eternity in my book.

Why would they involve Tony blair he's not even a current mp and doesn't have a good track record .
Easy for someone to sit in a sofa and say what should and shouldn't be done with part of the info

Where do people still get this we are set to have the highest death rate from as well ? Nobody knows that this could be with us for a while with several waves etc so a country on a stricter lockdown or earlier could have a bigger 2nd wave nobody knows yet . It is a new virus and we are still learning a lot about it . All these demanding to know the exit strategy are ion another planet of course there isn't a full one they will be watching closely how other countries cope when certain measures are lifted , how the virus is still spreading etc as we can't be sure we have hit peak yet . Not going to simply say in this date we will do this just as most other countries haven't done , yet for some reason in this country we think we should have a set plan with dates .

Alsohuman - Where do I even begin, this isn't really the thread but a few things
Iraq war, replacing NHS ward sisters with pen pushers, left UK economy in massive debt, open door policy on immigration......

He should keep out of it.

Also we can't expect the nhs to fund everything there simply isn't enough money there will always be a need for charities etc