None of the leaders of the UK have done a particularly good job at handling this pandemic

[TitusPullo]

I find it interesting that although the leaders of the nations of the UK have gone out of their way to diverge their nation’s response to the pandemic we are all in broadly the same position. I feel the only impact this devolved response has had is to confuse people who need to move between countries and separate people from their families over borders for a longer period of time.

I respect the devolved nation’s sovereignty to respond how they see fit. I just find it pathetic that 4 leaders couldn’t work out a cohesive plan for the whole of the UK, especially when the current plans are broadly the same with slight tweaks on numbers and dates, not enough to make any serious difference. It feels like at a time the whole country needed to pull together we’ve instead had petty political point scoring to further the divisions between us.

I remember one particularly smug Welsh poster when the Welsh firebreak was announced asking how posters from other nations would feel in however many days when the they were still stuck at home and the Welsh could hug their family and go about their life normally.

What are others thoughts on the devolved response?

Wholeheartedly disagree the FM Ms Sturgeon has overall done a good job and has 55% approval rating
By comparison Johnson has bumbled from catastrophe to catastrophe and recently been found this week to have breached ministerial code. Which I note has been underreported

I dont think people are confused in the respective nations, I think that’s a confection

I think the only confused people live in England lol probably because of all the attention the RW media has given to the devolved responses in the form of continual criticism and scorn.

Scotland in particular though has done a great job in difficult circumstances - the open border to the UK and the limitations of devolved powers made it challenging, but on every measure they've been streets ahead of England.

As for petty political point scoring - hard to look further than Downing street. All of the "politics" has been from the English end - I don't recall any of the devolved politicians ridiculing the English approach ever. As a leader, you do your best for your own do you not?

Sturgeon has been competent and capable. Health and social care workers also given a £500 bonus

Westminster has indicated a 1% pay award is being considered

This time last year I was very impressed with Foster and O'Neill working together and putting the old divide to one side. That didn't last but on the whole I think they've done a decent job. A cohesive UK wide approach wouldn't have worked here in NI. With the open land border it makes more sense to align with ROI (who at many stages have done a better job than any part of the UK) but that wouldn't have been possible politically.

I don’t think Scotland have done a better job than anywhere else, given they have the lowest population density in the UK by some way they have similar case numbers in proportion to population as Wales and NI. I agree Johnson did a terrible job, I don’t think any of them have covered themselves in glory. Can anyone point to what NS did so differently to the other devolved nations?

I agree @MindyStClaire that it makes much more sense for NI to work more closely with ROI but Foster never did make much sense to me.

Can anyone point to what NS did so differently to the other devolved nations?
Yes I most certainly can Ms Sturgeon is
Capable
Calm
Leads by scientific evidence not bluster and bluff
Sacked the medical director Ms Calderwood when she broke lockdown rules, in comparison Cummings faced no sanction for breaking lockdown
Awarded financial bonus to health & social care staff

Talk about stating the obvious, OP! But yes, I agree with you.

They have all been crap

NS talks a good game is all

I mean actual measures to slow down the pandemic. You say she lead by science not bluster and bluff, how? Her measures are no different to Wales and England (sorry I’m not as versed in NI restrictions). I’m not trying to say Scotland bad, England good, I think Johnson is a clown and his whole government a shambles but I don’t think NS or MD have done any better. Cummings should definitely have been fired. I am not trying to throw mud at NS, I’m genuinely interested why people are raving about her approach when it’s left Scotland in no better position than the rest of the UK and didn’t differ very much.

@Dongdingdong not that obvious, so far people have mostly disagreed

A blanket four nations approach wouldn't have worked when the NHS, policing, education etc are all devolved. You couldn't have told schools in Scotland that they weren't to go back after summer until the 1st September when they should go back in the middle of August.

I agree OP.

I'd be seething in anger if I was in Wales who've not been given any dates around unlocking, and the non essential retail sections being taped up was fucking ridiculous (and I don't like swearing normally!)

Scotland trying to reach Zero Covid and following that goal would also freak me out if I lived in Scotland. However I think they've been better regarding children under 12 exempt from rule of 6, playgrounds open etc than England.

A blanket four nations approach wouldn't have worked when the NHS, policing, education etc are all devolved. You couldn't have told schools in Scotland that they weren't to go back after summer until the 1st September when they should go back in the middle of August.

Yes this. Probably obvious to pretty much anyone who doesn't live in England 🤨

@jerometheturnipking - I agree that a blanket approach wouldn’t have worked but they could have all tried harder for a more cohesive plan. For example a standard tier system with the same number of tiers and the same criteria to move up and down them.

Yep I’m from England so obviously can have no opinion at all about what happens in my country as a whole. Where’s that West Lothian question again?

I think Sturgeon did a much better job of inspiring confidence and calmness than Boris, even when her actual actions weren't terribly different. Likewise Varadkar in Ireland. It was easier to put up with the restrictions when they were presented coherently in a human manner with an acknowledgment of the sacrifices being asked. Boris wouldn't inspire you to go to the corner shop.

[quote TitusPullo]@jerometheturnipking - I agree that a blanket approach wouldn’t have worked but they could have all tried harder for a more cohesive plan. For example a standard tier system with the same number of tiers and the same criteria to move up and down them.[/quote]
I may be wrong, but... isn't England the only one of the four nations with a tier system? And also the country with the worst overall record for COVID? Tell me if I've got that wrong...

If that is the case, are you basically saying we should all have tried harder to do what England is doing, even though England's approach is the least effective?

I agree that none of the four nations have done very well. Though the English response from the Prime Minister has been the worst by a long way.

Wales failed to recognise the locality of the high levels in the valleys and act. Scotland likewise with the islands and more rural areas, or effective sanctions. Northern Ireland seems to have had the issue of being sold down the river over Brexit to deal with as well.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan No, Scotland had tiers too. A different number to England but still tiers with different rules.

I know England did a shite job. I give up. I didn’t intend for this to bash any single nation, but yep England bad guy, got it.

None of the leaders of the UK have done a particularly good job at handling this pandemic

When you look over at the EU and the mess they're making, it makes our lot look positively glowing.

I think Boris is doing a great job regarding the vaccination programme. Not sure on the percentage complete for the other nations, will have to have a look. Unless they are all being added together

Initially there was a unitary approach however over time the devolved nations have taken an increasingly different approach. There were variations in the easing of restrictions,the Scottish government was slower in lifting some of restrictions during the summer compared to other parts of the UK.

Scottish government also introduced additional legislation, the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act, to respond to the pandemic. This increased protections for tenants to prevent evictions; allowed participants in court proceedings to appear by video link.

Finally the annual Social Attitudes Survey for Scotland consistently shows relatively high levels of trust in the Scottish government.

@Wishitsnows - I don’t like to give him credit for anything but I can’t deny the success of the vaccine programme. At least the nations could work together on that.

[quote TitusPullo]@JesusInTheCabbageVan No, Scotland had tiers too. A different number to England but still tiers with different rules.

I know England did a shite job. I give up. I didn’t intend for this to bash any single nation, but yep England bad guy, got it.[/quote]
Ah OK, I don't know very much about Scotland's rules as you can tell.

I do agree with you that nobody has done brilliantly, but you're always going to get people's backs up if you say that we should have tried for a unified approach, given England's past form.

@Wishitsnows

I think Boris is doing a great job regarding the vaccination programme. Not sure on the percentage complete for the other nations, will have to have a look. Unless they are all being added together

As I understand it, the NHS is doing a great job, not Boris.