I'dWhat do you think of the English government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic so far?

[Twinklelittlestar1]

Following on from a previous thread I'd really like to know what you think?

Awful.

I think you only have to look at the numbers of deaths and the damage to our economy to know that it's been handled badly.

Awful, weak, dire, sad, self serving, out of touch... you get the gist.

I'm interested in the poster who has no opinion. Why not?

@ImMrsRobinson

The fact is the virus was in the country

Bingo! Yes it was but far longer than we knew about thanks to China. The country was riddled with it. Everything was initially based on the fact it was not widespread but it was.

No it was more widespread than we knew because the government, in their arrogance, dismissed WHO of "Test, test test" as for other countries. So they had no idea what they were dealing with.

The WHO advice

No it was more widespread than we knew because the government, in their arrogance, dismissed WHO of "Test, test test" as for other countries. So they had no idea what they were dealing with.

This

WhyNotMe40 There’s evidence of community spread in Europe late last year when nobody had ever heard of COVID.

What about the failure of Italy to spot an outbreak until a good chunk of UK travellers were infected? I wonder did that have anything to do with their tourism income?

I’d rather focus on preventing another pandemic and have damage management second

Awful No forward planning. Not communicating clearly. Patronising (especially Matt Hancock...have to turn off him off). No focus on the children. Ignoring the stress working parents are under.

Agree why not I have defended the slow following sage advice due to them going on a medal that was activated when community transmission was high. It was modelled on a timeframe from when community transmission began. The papers are published.

But we didn't know because we didn't test. Why didn't we test? What did the government do or not do to make sure we had testing?

They've spent so much time talking about a world leading testing system. But personally I just think using any testing system - maybe one that worked for all other countries - would have probably been preferable.

But I think the honest truth is we didn't have the capacity and importantly the infrastructure to sort this. And that the question. Why not? It's not as if a world wide pandemic happening wasn't ever predicted.

It just amazes me some posters are still trying to defend the governments actions here.

Even their mums couldn't defend them at this stage.

It's terrible the way they have treat shielding people. Here's a letter. Stay at home for 12 weeks (later extended to 14 weeks) and be forgotten about. Apparently we're all old and close to death anyway so we don't need any help.

They don't seem to understand that some of us are working age people and we are struggling to survive with a loss of wages and nothing put in place to help us financially.

The English government?

Interesting.

There's no such thing, but is this what we are calling the UK government now?

@ImMrsRobinson

WhyNotMe40 There’s evidence of community spread in Europe late last year when nobody had ever heard of COVID.

What about the failure of Italy to spot an outbreak until a good chunk of UK travellers were infected? I wonder did that have anything to do with their tourism income?

I’d rather focus on preventing another pandemic and have damage management second

But if we had followed the WHO of Test test test, as the WHO practically begged us to, we would have known a good few weeks sooner how bad the situation was, would have locked down weeks earlier, tens of thousands of lives would have been saved.

Maybe the op said English government, as I see the government as English too, from here in Scotland. We are still on phase 1 and life hasn't changed much. I hear about bubbles, chools going back then not going back, shielded people being allowed out soon, families meeting up, shops all opening on Monday, and it's like another world.

And earlier lockdown means shorter lockdown which means lower economic damage.
By trying to protect the economy (locking down late due to wilful ignorance and arrogance) they have created a much much worse economic situation, which will in itself cost lives.

The only good thing we can say is that Brazil is probably handling it worse.....

WhyNotMe40

Fair point but where were the tests coming from? We didn’t have enough. The WHO knew everyone had been mislead. Within a matter of weeks of the finding out that the virus had only just escaped China countries would have had to have tests hundreds of thousands. I don’t think the biggest damage has been caused by the handling of it but rather by the lack of preparation which is something we already knew this and previous governments had been warned about.

'English government' just because each country has had a different response and very different outcomes

Each country didn't have a different response.

We all locked down at the same time.

Health is devolved, so there were differences in availability of PPE and how testing rolled out, but that was true across different health trusts too.

All 4 "nations" made the biggest mistake of sending infected patients to care homes.

Outcomes seem to vary according to demographics, population health, and population density.

The main difference in response seems to be that devolved governments want to be given control over releasing "their" populations from lockdown.

I guess it must be quite a buzz deciding when millions of people get to visit their families.

Woeful on every count.

I went back into the office for the first time this week and one of the warehouse workers said he thought Boris was doing well based on the furloughing scheme. Plenty of my kids school friends parents & my inlaws family routinely put up pro-Government posts. I can only conclude that they are living in a different country or a different reality to me! I'd really like to know what monumental fuck-up it would take for them to notice that the Government have blood on their hands & are devastating childrens futures??

Mum imo some Tory voters take a slight on the government as a slight on themselves, kind of like defending a family member regardless of their behaviour

I have never voted Tory in my life and never would

I don't get the affection for Johnson like he's a loveable uncle.. The man wouldn't spit on these voters if they were on fire.

He's certainly showing his true colours.

The populist PM who acts like he cares for everyone and wants to be their friend.

Who actually has a concern I g agenda which is being led by his Spad who has questionable morals at best.

vera99
Oh and he left 'this rock' and mother of their 4 children when she had cervical cancer

They announced their divorce in September 2018 - Marina Wheeler was diagnosed with cervical cancer in May 2019 - she received treatment between May and August 2019;

www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/07/boris-johnson-and-marina-wheeler-announce-divorce
www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/11/marina-wheeler-tells-of-cervical-cancer-diagnosis-boris-johnson