Westminstenders: A test of logistic planning

[RedToothBrush]

We are witnessing a demonstration in Government crisis management.

For the past week journalists have asked the same questions and politicians have said they've already done it / are doing it in the near future. But as time wears on, the inability to produce the answers or demonstrate results is proving illusive.

This will have consequences.

It is a demonstration in how planning has proved to be lacking in certain areas.

With Brexit in mind, the lack of vision, coordination with business and wider capability and capacity this does not bode well.

Wrt to the rent being paid for Nightingale:

Owners have uturned after media reports. Now free to NHS.

Wrt to the rent being paid for Nightingale: Owners have uturned after media reports. Now free to NHS.

That's the headline. Which is all people will remember when the owners slip the NHS the bill in a years time.

UK turns to EU support for repatriation flights.
Britain gets financing from scheme run by bloc to get stranded nationals home.
Britain has quietly obtained EU support to help cover the costs of repatriation flights from Japan, the US and Peru during the coronavirus crisis, taking advantage of a Brussels programme that subsidises efforts to bring back stranded nationals.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/1bf986e6-ae9c-4afe-975c-0e51997ea3c4

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/05/uk-coronavirus-covid-19-live-news-hancock-starmer

See 15:22 - CMO Catherine Calderwood now admits she’s visited her second home last weekend as well! The claim made in public that this was a one off thing to check on her second home is therefore categorically untrue.

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I don't think my family will start Kayaking anyway because they are more socially responsible than Calderwood it turns out.
But a plus point of where they live is almost limitless access to places to do so safely without needing external permission.

I see she isn't going to resign anyway, which I'm not surprised by.
It does highlight some of the issues in the whole process though in the UK.
Lockdown is much more clearly structured in my State with it being clear what can happen and what can't.

So what are the bets on for Queenie's speech later?
Martial Law needs to be enacted?
Some other Royal has developed symptoms?
General speech for patriotic flag waving and "spirit" boosting?
All three?

I agree that her loosing her job isn't necessary, especially given the mammoth fuck ups Bozo has got away with and Hancock for who PPE is meant to be a specialist subject. Does make you wonder why the press was tailing her...

Keep seeing teens loitering on our dog walks - would you be reporting them somewhere? I so far have been giving obvious stink eye whilst loudly saying to dd that "these are the type of people ensuring we will be in lockdown for many more months". I did take a photo of a group sitting about drinking together yesterday but then worried they might follow us.

So what are the bets on for Queenie's speech later?

Fuck all of any substance. And I'll take £5 from anyone who shows otherwise.

The only reason I don't begrudge her 8pm showing is because there's plenty of alternatives available so people aren't unduly inconvenienced by her.

The Queens Speech Bingo thread cheered me up more that the Queens speech ever could, so it's not all doom and gloom.

I read - on MN ! - that the police have an online system where you could report, Poulet
tell them if there are particular hotspots where youths congregate, or specific people who do this.

So what are the bets on for Queenie's speech later?
I'm hoping she at least uses it to say something about staying at home because my MIL may actually listen to her 🤦‍♀️

Um, Queenie would need to give herself and her family a good talking to first, re staying home

Maybe we'll get the gold piano again, if they took it with them or have several

DGR have you seen how Bill Gates is looking for a vaccine. He's ordered the construction of 7 factories and funding for the development and production for the 7 most promising potential vaccines. I've seen it as a manhatten project system development programme where money and resources are thrown at multiple options to speed up finding a solution.

He says they are only likely to use one or two vaccines but in going for all 7 early on they have the project in motion before they know which is the most effective in clinical trials. That means they will be able to start production for any of them quicker rather than waiting to get the outcomes of research first.

"Also, to be consistent, we should be sacking most of the Royal Family for doing this ...."

I think the queen moved before lockdown?

When did Charles move? I don't think we know that......

Plus it may have been official advise ..... worry of riots in London - one less thing to worry about the security of the royal family?

Gates is being superb in this crisis - which he warned about, years ago
Especially good to work on so many lines in parallel
Only the money man can decide that

Umpteen other labs around the world are hunting for a vaccine

(and we need to make sure Trump doesn't invade and highjack the first ones)

Scientists have said that a vaccine for CV shouldn't be a particular problem, because it isn't mutating too rapidly and they now know a fair bit about Coronaviruses

We do however still need the full test and safety program first, despite the time penalty

• remember that human drug trial a few years ago in which the participants suffered death or serious injuries, despite previous cell and then animal tests being OK

So, I'm optimistic we'll have a vaccine within the 18 month estimate, but not much sooner

DGR have you seen how Bill Gates is looking for a vaccine.

I am keeping a weather eye on it, yes.

Bearing in mind if he's successful then ...

I've seen it as a manhatten project system development programme where money and resources are thrown at multiple options to speed up finding a solution.

I think it's a fair question as to what is the fucking point of our government. Or the US government ? Or indeed any government or collection of governments if they can be outpaced by a geek who really just rolled a few 6s in life ? All I can think of is a chapter from PJ O Rourke that goes (something like) "What is government and why the fuck does it cost so much ?..."

Unfortunately, Gates is far outnumbered by the number of billionaire oligarchs who actively cause harm,
by buying up swathes of poiticians and media outlets,
to run countries by proxy

Calderwood should go.
Her position has become untenable.
Her job is to deliver the voice of authority.
Through her own selfish actions she has blown all credibility.

DGR the difference is vision and creative thought. Gates saw the risk from coronavirus years ago. It's that foresight that's lacking from government particularly in a first past the post electoral system with 5 year terms.

Difficult and expensive long term projects have been fudged badly (pfi), kicked down the road (pension reform), been dogged by controversy due to spiralling costs (hs2) or just been a bit of a car crash (Heathrow expansion). Also see planning for electricity supply and possible new nuclear sites (complete with Chinese investment security concerns).

All that matters has been having a shiny slogan that has mass appeal rather than concentrating on solving problems.

It's massive short termist thinking.

It's a failure of democracy at its heart. The public are not recognising what is important nor willing to pay for those things.

I agree KonTikki, disgraceful and dangerous behaviour from Calderwood, Nicola Sturgeon not coming out of it well either imo. One rule for some ......

Starmer could run rings round Johnson in his sleep,
even if parliament was sitting am not sure this is true - Cameron, May and Johnson simply never answered questions in the past - don't see how starmer could change things, even if he is quicker with the reposte.

Basically the house has no sanction for avoiding questions - if the media won't challenge and select committee findings are ignored then there is no practical mechanism for holding the government to account.

DGR the difference is vision and creative thought. Gates saw the risk from coronavirus years ago.

As did scores of others. James Burke warning about it in 1985 for a start. A warning repeated in 1998 on the 20th anniversary of "Connections".

It's a failure of democracy at its heart. The public are not recognising what is important nor willing to pay for those things.

regarding "democracy", we don't really have that do we ?

"What do you think of Western civilisation ?"
"I think it would be a good idea."

And just to economise on posts, this just in from a very bored DB with far too much time and computer power on his hands ...

New shadow cabinet and it looks like Grandad will have all his mates sat with him on the backest of back-benches.

Interesting point Red. My own view on it is that governments like announcing stuff and they like completing stuff (i.e. the ribbon cutting) they don’t actually seem to like doing the work, and to so extent they aren’t allowed to do the work because of the way our media operates.

Working people give the government a sizeable chunk of the money they go out to work to earn, IMO. If a government misuses what it is given, why should it’s ineptiude be rewarded with more taken from those who already give much?

Basically the house has no sanction for avoiding questions - if the media won't challenge and select committee findings are ignored then there is no practical mechanism for holding the government to account.

No practical official mechanism.....

I wonder what the practicalities of sticking a head on a spike are - assuming a nice clean guillotine cut ? Presumably shove the point into what's left of the windpipe ? It would need to be pretty central to ensure the mounted bonce didn't fall forwards or backwards, which (I fell) would lessen the impact.

Given there are plenty of decent engineering plans on the internet (and a few working examples) I'd be amazed if the wasn't a serviceably national razor already kicking around the UK. (Pretty certain someone asked Mme. Tussauds for a peek at their exhibit a while back). Maybe Dyson would like to direct his skills to that ?

DGR, ah but that wouldn't be profitable enough for the next pandemic or give him the sense of being the next Messiah , I do believe some people close to our govt do possess forward planning skills, when it suits them.

Can't find anywhere to report people in Kent and also not not a single fine has been issued in this county. What a law abiding lot we must be