Dominic C Covid evidence 2

[Newtonianmechanics]

New thread for if old fills up.

CW also confirms he and PV was not consulted about lthe Eat Out To Help Out scheme.

On a break.

Oof, this is full on from CW.

I think the lawyers representing the other groups will be asking their questions after the break.

What is damning is the contrast. You have these public servants who are really trying and the political leadership is nowhere near as good. Which results in this awful decision making.

Worst government of my lifetime. By miles

So Johnson lied in his witness statement but might have been "under the impression" it was discussed

I want it all out there names and all.

Sorry for the late reply but I'm trying catch up and juggle a lot of other things.

This is my comment on Patrick Vallance's evidence from the previous thread, I think? It was when he was talking about the politicians and structural inequalities and the impressions they frequently gave of vulnerable people being expendable; and the lack of structure & resource around preparation in residential homes. (The same with a lot of the 'shielding programme' tbh.)

And then I have a strong personal opinion on the fuck-up made of creating the 'clinically vulnerable' categories during covid, and how many patients slipped through the net over and again again for shielding, services, resources, vaccinations, boosters and treatment. The JCVI had, since 2019, already had a sub-committee looking at the definition of 'immunecompromised' for the purposes of the shingles (shingrix) vaccination roll-out, and all this seems to have become invisible. Leo Varadkar talked about 'the most vulnerable and the most precious in our society'. The UK government seemed to be aiming for an approach that was more, 'most vulnerable and most expendable'. For the parents of children and adults with Down syndrome in residential settings, I understand it was upsetting and frightening.

Questions are now being asked by Pete Weatherby KC on behalf of Core Participant: Covid Bereaved Families for Justice

I am a bit behind the live stream

There really is a spark difference.

The public servants are intelligent, considered, know their area of expertise, exceptional decision making thought processes, articulate.

Whereas the government ministers, the ones who have given evidence so far, are the exact opposite. They essentially struggled with basic science and maths.

A thought just occurred - is this why Rishi tried to introduce the policy that everyone had to study maths to 18?
He looked round at his colleagues, who didn't understand "doubling" and thought, fuck.

@minou123 - it's not just COVID, it's a general problem with this particular government. It's not a coincidence they are often in crisis or publicly criticizing each other. They came into government with the D team, and they still act like they are campaigning for office.

I do understand to an extent why Johnson was elected. But the remaining people who support this absolutely incompetent mess are just beyond reason. If any of these ministers faced a basic appraisal for the work, they would all be subject to performance management or be sacked. Politics is about delivery. They haven't done that. They are good at claiming they have. And that is where I part company with people who still support the Tory Party. They haven't delivered.

If only Sunak's maths had included the cost of human lives.

A tiered system could have worked according to Whitty but thanks to eotho spike we ended up with a second lockdown

Sunak's just started PMQs now. I'm trying to watch both, with sound and subtitles ... wondering if it's too soon for Sunak to get a question about EOTHO/his veracity.

I completely agree.

I'm trying not to bring other issues onto this thread, but to me, the handling of bexit, immigration, NHS, benefits, education - all culminate to the absolute shit show handling of Covid.

The crazy thing is, they've not learnt a thing. They are still at it.

The toxic culture, not listening to experts, not listening to public servants, not listening to the public.

They can't deliver anything, because they lack the ability to recognise they don't know what they are talking about.

It goes back to the line - mainly aimed at Matt Hancock, but I think it applies to all of them they have a habit of saying things, which they don't have a basis for......saying things that are not true

Here is a potential weakness over disabled groups / learning disabled groups.

People with Down syndrome (who have respiratory vulnerability) not added to the shielding list till November 2020. Chris Whitty says it wasn't in their interests to be isolated. 'Balance of harm' decision.

But in June 2020 people with DS were identified as clinically vulnerable by Nervetag. Why the delay?

CW sticks to his answer - the size of the effect on people with DS couldn't be justified.

Now on to long covid.

CW had to convince Boris Johnson that it existed. CW knew it existed by November 2020.

(I hope the DWP are watching this.)

I'm glad Whitty was so unequivocal about herd immunity as a strategy being simply nonsense.

Although the answers on long COVID are annoying me!

To me it seems clear those with long COVID would have been supported more effectively if the problem was more widely discussed, accepted and understood.

Well he has to be doesn't he?

He can equivocate about a lot of things but some things are unequivocal.

Gosh, and that's the end for CW....Well for Module 2, he'll be back for other modules.

Lunch now. And then JVT

Where are you watching JVt? Switched sky news on and it's the autumn statement. I'm looking forward to JVT as he was the only one very clear on DC and his jaunt to the castle

YouTube channel

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

JVT is not on yet. 2pm the inquiry is back and he'll be next.

Thank you, will leave it burbling away then

It's a shame the barristers at the end of the morning for the special interest groups were rather hurried along.

That seems to be the case throughout the Inquiry, they are also barely mentioned in live blogs and twitter threads.

Yes, marginalised in the original decision-making, and marginalised in the inquiry too. Not good.