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.

I agree all evidence is evidence.
Maybe more will come out with stats in the next modules.

By mud slinging I meant Sarah Vine in the DM saying Gove was impressed with Johnson, which of course is not the inquiry itself.

I suspect it was a financial cut off. Older people like his wife-beating dad deserve knighthoods, the plebs who cost the taxpayers money in care home fees should be culled.

Maybe more will come out with stats in the next modules.

And harms to young people, damage to mh and livelihoods

Otherwise how to learn from it for next one

I was hoping for an answer to the big question of at what point is the damage from lockdown and harms to all age groups is it worth it for the risk

@EasternStandard - surely this is what will (hopefully) come out of the Inquiry's conclusions once all the evidence from the individuals involved has been heard.

Today, we will hear from two witnesses: Helen MacNamara and Dr. David Halpern.

Watch live from 10:00 (with a three minute delay) on our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@UKCovid-19Inquiry

The inquiry at the moment is dealing with the early months of 2020, it’s imperative the country actually knows what was happening so we can make sure the same shit show isn’t replicated next time we have an emergency.

@BeadedBubbles I hope so. As long as things like the advice from Save the Children overview makes it’s way in via people giving evidence

Mh impact, increase DV, poor health, loss of livelihood. So much stuff

1. Active modulesResilience and preparedness
2. Core UK decision-making and political governance
3. Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare systems in the 4 nations of the UK
4. Vaccines and therapeutics
5. Procurement
6. Future modulesCare sector

Further modules will be announced in the coming months, at which point key information will be uploaded on this page. Each module will investigate issues across the UK as a whole, including in the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This will cover both ‘system’ and ‘impact’ issues across the UK including:

• Testing and tracing
• The Government’s business and financial responses
• Health inequalities and the impact of Covid-19
• Education, children and young persons
• Other public services, including frontline delivery by key workers

We’re on module 2 at the moment.

It's a multi-stage inquiry, divided into 'modules'. The current one is focusing on what was going on in government in 2020. I'm finding it grimly fascinating.

Hugo Keith KC to be played by Robert Lindsey in the film version.

Sorry Hedda, x-posted with you and your detailed post there!

@EasternStandard - yes it's good to hear the questions from interest groups. Good also to know that there are members of the public at the inquiry (not shown on tv) holding up photos of loved ones who died as a result of Covid.

Helen MacNamara being walked through her Civil Service background by an Inquiry KC, working up to 2020 and the 'tumultuous period' of the pandemic.

Boris Johnson had an "unbelievably bullish, we're great at everything" attitude at the start of the pandemic, which involved "laughing at the Italians" for locking down their country, the former Deputy Cabinet Secretary Helen MacNamara tells the Covid Inquiry

'squashing the sombrero' is really starting to grate!

The thing is that hindsight is a wonderful thing- I hate this gvt with a vengeance and the individuals and their attitude , but do think they were in a no win position- if they hadn't locked down can you imagine the reaction of the right wing press , particularly with their older readership- and if they had just locked down over60ssay, again those papers would have been saying 'outrageous' - at the time it was bloody frightening, especially seeing the videos out of Italy and Spain and no vaccines and a very big chance of NHS not coping.

Personally in hindsight I think Sweden had it right, but it's a different kind of population and lots of space and we couldn't have known at the time what policy would actually give the best outcome.

Where I think the gvt got it badly wrong- was one rule for plebs, one rule for them- the obsession with nightly updates on TV, the lack of pre planning and PPE, the corruption involved and the ludicrous charges involved for testing when travelling resumed. It seemed they used it as a money making opportunity for their donors and friends. We were in Denmark post October 2020. It was handled so much better, not alarmist - when places opened up such as cafes and bars for 5 months we had to test twice a week if we wanted to use them and had it on an app on the phone. All tests were free and as many as you wanted - the gvt were only on TV if there were any changes to rules - business was better supported too- I think a lot of people forget that for business here any support at all was purely 'loans' that are having to be paid back.

It's all very well saying though that just locking down older people made more sense-the outcry would have been huge, whilst some older people would agree, many are not selfless souls thinking only of the young- plenty are not that way minded. The Tory's on the whole have a more elderly support base too , I think they knew it would be political suicide.

Andrew O'Connor, "Lee Cain said yesterday there was no plan, he thought it was a communications document"

Helen MacNamara" There was a detailed plan for a no deal Brexit"

AO, "But there was nothing for you to start with from the department of health?

HM, "No"

https://x.com/implausibleblog/status/1719670814197313732?s=20

@DuncinToffee to be frank Johnson was far too up his own backside sorting out bing bong bangs for Brexit etc and celebratory festivals (whatever happened to that) to actually bother turning up for cobra meetings- he did have a ski holiday to fit in after all. Whether you like him or not can anyone imagine Starmer acting like this or even Theresa May??

It's hard to imagine anyone else acting like this.

Maybe the likes of Trump, Bolsonaro.....

More evidence

Andrew O'Connor, "We've seen evidence from Patrick Vallance's diaries that he any others were frustrated that Prime Minister Boris Johnson didn't understand the science, would get it wrong. And they would have to repeatedly explain basic points about infection rates, modelling, and so on. Did you experience that to?"

Helen MacNamara, "Yes. Did I witness that? Yes"

https://x.com/implausibleblog/status/1719674477598916754?s=20

Laughing at the Italians. Terrible.

I think the plan for Brexit and none for a health pandemic are stark.

@DuncinToffee Vote in a clown and that's what you get. Far too many voted based on flag waving rule Britannia isolationism plus mass xenophobia rather than 'is this man suitable to run the country' etc- mind you in my personal view the opposition didn't help by having a potential PM who for various reasons wouldn't appeal to middle England at all - you can't get in power under our current system by just appealing to old union lefty's and students. I know many don't like that fact but unless the system changes you need the centre ground vote

Bravo, Helen Macnamara!

Death rates rocketed once you got in to ones 60/70ss, way before most would be in a CH, personally, i don't think any age group should be sacrificed for the economy...

Its quite unbelievable that BJ thought this was a good idea, i ve always thought he should be on trial, just reinforced now.

Had the govt funded the NHS correctly & by Govt i mean over the last 40/50 years, we'd have a health service able to treat its population.

Just look at the numbers of beds, nurses, scanners, doctors we have per capita compared to almost any other EU country.

My 20yo DD was a P/T community carer in 2020, some of the things she saw and was unable to treat/help will stay with her for the rest of her life, all to do with lack of resources & its still happening now, one reason she quit the NHS, people can only take so much shit.

Harms to young people, mh and livelihoods were all made much worse by having a shopping trolley as PM who was not capable of making a decision until all that were left were bad options. The decision making in January and February 2020 to do nothing being particular important in that regard.

If I were Boris' parents I would be asking for my money back on his education, clearly utterly wasted.