Coronavirus

For instance, we're practically the only country in the world where most of the tests themselves aren't carried out or even directed by people with formal medical training. Makes me wonder just how many of the (mostly) self-administered tests don't return a testable sample.

This has been a major problem. I was told (by my surgeon when having my post op check up)that 30% of tests give a possible false negative on the self testing and drive through schemes.
It perhaps the only test ever that has been done on a large scale without any requirement for medical training or medical supervision. Many people struggle to even wear a face mask properly.
The track and trace system is failing badly with only 68% of contacts being traced and people not trusting the app, the personal contents of which have now been given to the police despite assurances on anonymity and confidentiality.
We should be looking to countries who have done things better and copying their systems as much as possible, instead we have contracts for party donors with little or no medical expertise. We have a head of track and trace who has failed upwards with unerring regularity who was completely taken by surprise by the second wave everyone else saw coming and a mixture of nonsensical measures that change on a whim with no attempt to show the science or strategy behind them.
We are not the only country to have failed badly and probably not the only one to see such blatant corruption in the awarding of tender free no lose contracts but we should expect much better.
There seems to be no long term national plan but perhaps even worse there is no international plan which is needed unless you are prepared to close your border and enforce strict controls as New Zealand has done

Is anyone surprised? It's what Tories do; giving money from the public coffers to their backers, their mates and family. That wouldn't be so bad if the people trusted with these staggering amounts of money actually knew what they were doing, but invariably they don't. Management consultancies given billions of pounds to run what should be handled by people from a medical and logistical background.

Mind you, if Labour were in charge, they would probably have given the job to some binmen or something....

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Burnham made a very good point this morning. The issue of support for people’s wages and businesses is a national one, not specific to those areas currently in tier 3 or soon to go into it. There’s a very good chance it could happen everywhere at some point.

Analysis on Manchester's hospital situation.

Quoted from ginnywings

Is anyone surprised?dical and logistical background.

Mind you, if Labour were in charge, they would probably have given the job to some binmen or something....

Can’t even do that anymore -




Don’t want any binmen getting ideas above their station! Those cushy jobs are for Tories and their kids only.

Why does Robert Jenrick look like he’s just spent the morning gurning in his greenhouse over the centre(right)fold of ‘Teenagers In Tweed’? I hope one day he finds his sweaty face behind bars in Strangeways

It’s very bad luck that everyone the government negotiates with is intransigent and unreasonable

They've already politicised what was a legitimate request for support in the event of city wide restrictions and they've now turned it into a dirty war.
Jenrick has said Andy Burnham, had been "unwilling to take the action that is required to get the spread of the virus under control".

When de Pfeffel speaks to the nation at 5pm today and inevitably blames northerners for everything, from obesity fuelling pie production to whippet cradling, remember that if Dom had paid his backdated council tax and Jenrick was kept away from the envelopes and other stationery, the Govt might have been able to bridge the £5m gap in funding for Greater Manchester.

Got my Boris bingo card ready:

Alas
Great British common sense
Alas
Channel the spirits of the Knights Templar
Alas, alas
Alas, alas, alas

“Shovel ready”. I was shovel ready with you six months ago, alas...

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

“Shovel ready”. I was shovel ready with you six months ago, alas...

Aaaahhh...maybe when the PM for the Southern Elite said ‘Shovel Ready’, it was a reference to his shovel ready Brexit deal. Can’t Greater Manchester just have a down payment on the £350m a week we will be showering ourselves with from 1 Jan?!

It’ll be interesting to see what our two local nodding dog MPs do when this inevitably hits us in 3 or 4 weeks time. Not expecting anything great.