Dominic Cummings Covid evidence

[Newtonianmechanics]

Is anyone going to watch this man give evidence today?

Apparently there is a vigil in Barnard Castle ahead of this.

The shopping trolleys emoji seems to mean they think Carrie was controlling Boris from the last few days. Wonder if this will feature.

@EasternStandard Save The Children don't recommend it

Duncin asks what is it?

*Eastern replies it is a top level voice

Eh?

You're going to need to clarify @EasternStandard

Reading your post you actually seem to be saying they didn't recommend masks and ventilation. I'd like evidence.

I am not convinced you have read this report.

Since you all keep asking the same questions the information you want from a in my first post on the report. It was clear, scroll back.

Children already have a voice at the top level of Govt.

The PM etc chose to ignore it, cabinet collective Govt?

Few argued to harm children or women, the Govt did though, they voted to keep children hungry, freeze benefits and offer very poor rates of sick pay... and the Tories on here cheered.

Its only now, when diversion is needed, we see pseudo concern for kids.

Nothing from Tories on a collapsed NHS, funding cuts in childrens MH or the cuts in special educational support.... thats all good.

I am not convinced you have read this report.

Well since you are asking me for a link I’d say the opposite is true.

Yes I’ve read it and I’m pleased the top line recommendations include two that I wanted during the pandemic

From a respected, expert organisation for children who is involved in the inquiry.

There’s a better chance it will be spoken about as evidence and hopefully implemented

Link please.

I know this is the bit you want

• Pass a new law to make schools essential infrastructure so MPs have more oversight before schools can be closed

But I am utterly bamboozled by this. I can't find anywhere who STC think made the decision to close schools...

Go to their website it’s easy to access.

Here are their conclusions I agree with

CONCLUSIONS Our report makes it overwhelmingly clear that lessons need to be learned and better systems put in place to protect children if we are ever to suffer a pandemic again. The experience of Covid-19 can serve to equip the UK government with an effective blueprint for a future response if it makes structural changes now.

Three places to start would be for the UK government to appoint a Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People, and make sure in times of crisis that they are involved in key decisions. They should pass a law to make schools "essential infrastructure" so MPs have more oversight before they can be closed

Last one is recovery fund which is fine but if you limit damage in the first place it’s far better

Luckily for me their conclusions mirror my views as they were during the pandemic. Unfortunately too late for that one but good for the next. And no it’s not focussing on ‘masks and ventilation’ because that’s specific to Covid not any pandemic.

This relates to the obvious gap that became clear during Covid and the structure that downplayed risks to dc. As a parent I don’t get the prioritising of adults that I saw on here and even now it surfaces, unions are not the answer as they represent their members not children.

Since someone put STC in the list of those present at the inquiry I’m feeling better about the chance these recommendations will be evidenced and put in place.

If you really can’t find it, it’s here and recent 27th Sept 2023

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/blogs/2023/our-covid19-inquiry-report

Yes.

But also, as much as I don't think a good job was done during COVID, this inquiry is a farce. It may be good theatre but ultimately that shows the problem the UK has in its political leadership and the poor choices that were made. I am not a fan of Johnson. He was incompetent from the start. He is an oaf. But with advisers like these and Cummings, I do wonder whether he was finished before he even started. I hope the inquiry gets on and makes useful recommendations quickly because this is more public money being spent and ultimately it is to make recommendations and improve civil contingencies preparation. The ghost in the room is another Conservative policy of austerity which Johnson was never responsible for, but ensured public services were in a poor state when COVID hit. I don't think this inquiry will tell us very much that we don't already know, or, if anyone could be bothered, what a few civil servants with responsibility could not in considerably shorter time. The UK has already paid the price of failure during COVID because it's inevitable that the relatively poor health of the UK population will have contributed to poorer outcomes. The common denominator is public services stretched into a "doom loop" where they crash and cannot deliver long term needs. The person who should be at this "inquiry" is George Osborne.

I have found it and read it. I still can't find who they think had oversight of school closures.

Give them a call and ask

Oh right o.

STC were at the inquiry yesterday, according to the PP.

Essential infrastructure went down badly here.

It’ll help dc not union members that is true

Hence coming from STC not the latter

This isn't the report .

The problem we have is that what the inquiry is showing is that any system is only functional if well maintained. We had a series of structural changes and deteriorations, which were then seriously exacerbated by deeply unsuitable personalities being in key roles at key times.

Deteriorations since 2010: cuts to NHS, cuts to civil service, CAMHS, schools budgets, LA budgets, ICU beds, PHE budgets, decision not to update PPE stocks, police cuts, increased poverty generally. Plus the lack of adequate scenario preparedness planning prior to the pandemic.

Then we have a PM who is not up to the job, supported by a senior advisor who openly thinks the entire civil service, the cabinet, the NHS leadership are all stupid and not to be listened to. The people around the cabinet table were not focused and their motivations were not right.

Factions abound, in-fighting, inappropriate conversations, no single source of truth/data, no single decision-making body, no respect for expertise at home or abroad, a dogmatic opposition to NPIs, and a desire not to provide financial resources to low paid people to mitigate COVID impacts. Plus an obsession with the Mayor in Jaws. Plus a desire to deal with BREXIT rather than the coming threat.

If you compare the UK response to other nations it was poor because we were scrabbling. Even the fairly OK bits like furlough - was designed in a rush, has been very wasteful and gave out more money than was needed whilst leaving 3m outside the scheme and some became destitute. Germany's was much better because it was properly designed and ready to go as part of their pandemic preparedness.

I agree The Thick of It feels sane compared to what we actually watched.

Come on you have the info, use your google skills

This is what the report actually says

Classify schools and early years settings as essential infrastructure for future health emergencies. Ensure that the decision to close schools cannot be made by ministers alone and is considered only as a last resort.

Government support for children stuck at home was slow and restricted – replacements for learning, food provision and emotional support were largely provided by charities, fought for by celebrity campaigners or reliant on individual teachers.

^Headteachers were “blindsided” by the government announcement for the public to avoid non-essential contact on 16 March, asking, “What about teachers?”19
• There was a ‘clear steer’ from the Prime Minister not to make contingency plans for schools closing in winter 2020, even though there was no vaccine.^
Here is a link to the full report . Pages 15 - 17 are illuminating.

Unions are not mentioned - far less blamed- anywhere. In fact the blame is squarely placed at government feet.

It’s not about ‘blaming the unions’ it’s you lot that keep bringing them up as a solution

They are not, their remit isn’t right.

The conclusions the STC reach are ones I agree with. I’ll be happy if they speak about them at the inquiry and it’s implemented.

Essential infrastructure

And

and is considered only as a last resort.

Fine by me

Osborne did appear at the beginning, Module 1 'Resilience and Preparedness'. 20th June if you want to watch his evidence. Cameron was the day before I think.

I agree the roots of the situation stretch back to the auterity decisions from 2010, but the chaos at the heart of government is also important.

I think Module 1 is very important though as austerity has such deep and longlasting impacts and we need to assess as a nation if we want to run so close to the wire on an ongoing basis, or if we want to invest in our collective security - because 'security' goes beyond just defending us against military threats.

Thanks @MidnightOnceMore I will look at what Osborne said. I think he does bear a lot of responsibility for the tattered UK state.

I am just pretty cynical because Johnson was unsuited fundamentally to being Prime Minister and so the chaos he brings to any moment was guaranteed imo. He set the tone, along with the number of gargoyles like Cummings whose whole mentality was to disrupt and despise the top levels of the civil service. Well, it does not take a genius to understand that perhaps having a political idea that there is a blob which must be defeated and that public services should be cut to the bone would guarantee chaos at the point when the UK would absolutely need to use the power of the state to address COVID. It was moronic, but it didn't start with COVID. This chaos existed before it ever arrived.

This inquiry has cost 100 million so far. Given the state of public finances I think quicker and cheaper might meet the case. We had enough expense during the event itself.

Who are you lot ?

And when did I specifically do this?

Anyway, moving on.

I agree with nearly everything in the entire STC report. I am not sure the bowdlerised headlines in the blog really capture the full impact of the report which lays bare the government incompetence. Any suggested Minster for Children (which would not be a senior role) would only be as competent and ideological as the government in charge , and that is my issue.

@bombastix I was unaware of the cost of the Inquiry so far. The criminal trial of Mr Johnson and others would have cost less.

On the question of schooling, one of the worst aspects of the Covid response being delayed because of Mr Johnson's indecision and laziness was that schools did not re-open at least part time before the 2020 summer holidays. Even a couple of days a week schooling in June and July would have made a real difference to children and their parents. It shows the government of the time in a bad light that opening pubs and half price fast food came before schools re-opened.

Better than not giving a voice to dc in government at a cabinet level.

A shame we didn’t have it at the time given damage. But there was low reception to same arguments due to fear and prioritisation of adults. Unfortunately