Anyone on here really think ‘the government did all it could’?

[BlackDogBlues]

Re covid and it’s response.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I don't think the government acted with malign intent and even if it acted ineptly that does not mean it was not doing the best it could, especially at the beginning of this. I am not convinced it learned lessons as fast as it might, however. The Christmas mixing shambles was a disgrace.

Hell, no!

They only had to take a look on the AIBU about Coronavirus threads beginning last January to see the tidal wave coming.

This CNN article from yesterday sums up quite a bit of the inaction/mess.

www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/uk/uk-covid-19-pandemic-response-intl-gbr/index.html

No - they totally shafted the working clinically extremely vulnerable people.

They sent out a letter saying do not go out to work as there is a severe risk to your health and we need to protect the NHS. However we've left the choice up to your employer as to if you're getting paid during this.

Mine made a blanket decision not to use the furlough scheme so I've spent months on sickness benefits and faced severe financial difficulties.

I still think they should have made furlough mandatory for CEV workers who can't work from home.

I'm also pissed off at my now ex-employer who kept ringing me and telling me I could ignore the shielding advice and return to work in a public facing role because I was letting them down by choosing to stop off.

No, I think the handling and decision making during the pandemic has been woeful at times.

No. And they know they haven’t either.

This is a government who made controlling our borders central to their messaging for the last 4 years. Then failed to do anything of the sort.

Shambolic.

Is this a trick question?

It’s not a trick question, I was just wondering how he can get away with standing in front of the nation and blatantly lying.

I was working with a company last Feb who were recruiting for extra cleaners to do frequent desk/door knob/computer etc cleaning. These were on 6 month contracts but likely to be extended.
It only hit me a couple of weeks later why they were doing it.
Same company sent it’s staff home to WFH in early March and ‘at least’ until the new year.

The government should have been working like this.

I live in Vietnam (UK expat working as a teacher here). We've had 35 deaths in total. The government closed borders almost a year ago and anyone that enters on business has to stray in strict and secure quarentine units. We have to wear masks when we leave the house and everyone complies. It sounds so simple and it's worked. Absolutely aghast at how Boris has handled this.

There are two ways to interpret this question.

A) did they do all this government could do? Yes, because they are incompetent, lying and corrupt - they were following their natures.

B) did they do all any government could do? Absolutely not. They utterly utterly failed us, Britain will pay for many years, and those with long term health problems will pay for the rest of their lives.

We need a new government 100%, Britain really does deserve the chance to see if someone else could do better.

@BlackDogBlues

It’s not a trick question, I was just wondering how he can get away with standing in front of the nation and blatantly lying.

Lying is his only option, luckily for Johnson it is an area of personal strength.

Those who voted for him will be slow to turn against him as humans hate admitting their mistakes.

But look at Trump - these people can be beaten and hopefully will be here too.

Govt have performed poorly - multiple failures with no joined up plans. Rules, but no enforcement. Did not learn after 1st wave when cases got v low - let lots go on holiday. Delayed closing schools - making lockdown longer.

However - they have been v good with vaccine procurement and roll out. Nhs has done good work with treatment discoveries - eg dexamethasone. I actually think it was quite impressive how they built the nightingales too - though yes, in hindsight they have not been as useful as they thought.

They made some grave mistakes (the care homes debacle being the worst). But they’re doing very well with the vaccine procurement and rollout.

We have to wear masks when we leave the house and everyone complies. It sounds so simple and it's worked.

We “have” to wear masks on public transport, but some selfish people STILL just wear them round their chin whilst chatting away on their phone and not giving a shit that they’re putting elderly and vulnerable people on the bus at risk. That’s not Boris’s fault is it? It’s the selfish British public.

It is boris’ fault for not having a system for authorising mask exemption like disability blue badges for parking - need medical exemption (including psychological and psychiatric conditions and domestic violence). If you had this, then it is 1 step to properly enforcing mask wearing.

But everything is from the top down. Early on Boris was boasting about shaking hands with Covid patients, no one in government seemed to be wearing masks etc. Why would the public wear masks when none of the rule makers wear them?

Anyone on here really think ‘the government did all it could’?

Compared to what?

In Jan/Feb/March, there was too much reliance, across Europe, on the WHO and their "reassurances" that the virus would be contained in Asia but once Italy, and then Spain, major tourist destinations, started to get those huge numbers, the jig was up and the WHO were floundering and no help to any of us

It all happened so fast and Europe, inexperienced in these things, then took matters into their own hands. Locked down at the same rates of infection but it was too late. The people as well as Gov'ts have, more or less, followed the same strategies, some more compliant and successful than others, but we've all made mistakes.

In years to come we will rake over the coals and be better prepared in the future but we are all still in the crisis, still learning, and playing catch up as this scarily adaptable, very infectious virus mutates across our continent

Absolutely not. Each lockdown came too late and you would have thought they would have learnt something along the way. Over 100,000 deaths is horrific, we are living in isolation from family and friends for a prolonged period and it is a stark contrast to New Zealand and Australia at the moment.

However I do feel this new variant has made things more difficult and I am impressed with the vaccine roll out.

Thing is re vaccine rollout, I don’t think a government doing things competently should have to come as a pleasant surprise or as impressive. It should be the minimum standard we can expect.

No they didn't. The defence of Cummings did it for me. Gas lighting us all around that while showing that it is one rule for them and a different for others.

@NorbertMeubles

No they didn't. The defence of Cummings did it for me. Gas lighting us all around that while showing that it is one rule for them and a different for others.

Absolutely. The whole test your eyesight with a little jaunt to ensure you are okay to drive for a longer journey was just ludicrous and an insult to our intelligence. Standing by him made a mockery of all the sacrifices people had made to comply with the rules.

There's a saying, very apt here:

Politicians are like nappies. They should be changed regularly (and for the same reason).

Absolutely not. Mostly been a shit show.