Dominic Cummings

[securespark]

It's no good saying we weren't the only country who got it wrong or others had it worse....

What about those who got it right?

[cough]New Zealand[/cough]

 

[Notch7]

It's no good saying we weren't the only country who got it wrong or others had it worse....

What about those who got it right?

[cough]New Zealand[/cough]

New Zealand, run by a left of centre govt.

UK, USA, Brazil.....right wing populist govts and all have worst Covid death rates in the world.

 

[Mottie]

Why do you persist with this conceit? The number of U-turns the Government has done proves that as a false narrative.

It’s called changing your plan as a situation develops. Unfortunately we had no experts with experience on coronavirus pandemics on our team. Some things worked, some things didn’t.

It’s true, many on here just complain after the event and say what should have been done but they never offer up their perfect solution before the event. Galahad, you’re one of them. What’s your suggestion that we should do now then - continue as normal after June 21st or change that? International travel - tighten up or relax the rules? Allow people to go on holiday abroad or stop it? Let people go to major sporting events, restrict attendance or not allow them? Come on captain Hindsight, have a go.

 

[IT Minion]

It’s called changing your plan as a situation develops. Unfortunately we had no experts with experience on coronavirus pandemics on our team. Some things worked, some things didn’t.

We were unprepared for Covid-19 and worse, didn't realize it. But that excuse only covers some of the mess. The bad choices made later cannot be excused by it.

Doms description of the first lockdown run-up was interesting to understand how we got there, but the damming bits for Boris and others were all after that. For the second lockdown we knew what was happening and what was going to happen as a result. We consistently refused to learn from other countries on what worked and what didn't.

There was foresight, but none of it Boris's.

 

[ellal]

We consistently refused to learn from other countries on what worked and what didn't.

So since Sweden's death rate in relation to population is lower than the UK's, should we have followed their lead?

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Cummings is a nasty sociopath

And who employed him as chief advisor to PM?

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

There isn't a problem with u turns though is there?

U turns are a realisation that the direction they were going in hasn't worked.

It can also be a sign that some are running round like headless chickens.

 

[Mottie]

We consistently refused to learn from other countries on what worked and what didn't.

We got our vaccine orders in early. They didn’t learn that from us did they? As I said, it was basically a guessing game and some guesses were right, some were wrong. Boris wasn’t taken on for his foresight and he got the job of listening to the 'experts'. 'Dom' was one of them and now, like many, he's all wise after the event. You or I could have done that.

 

[Mottie]

It’s called changing your plan as a situation develops. Unfortunately we had no experts with experience on coronavirus pandemics on our team. Some things worked, some things didn’t.

It’s true, many on here just complain after the event and say what should have been done but they never offer up their perfect solution before the event. Galahad, you’re one of them. What’s your suggestion that we should do now then - continue as normal after June 21st or change that? International travel - tighten up or relax the rules? Allow people to go on holiday abroad or stop it? Let people go to major sporting events, restrict attendance or not allow them? Come on captain Hindsight, have a go.

See what I mean about those who complain after the event but won’t stick their neck out and predict things before they happen. Nice one Gally.

 

[IT Minion]

We got our vaccine orders in early. They didn’t learn that from us did they?

If you think you'll realise that it's impossible to learn that. We got vaccines right, that doesn't mean we didn't get lots else wrong and that we still are getting wrong.

As I said, it was basically a guessing game and some guesses were right, some were wrong. Boris wasn’t taken on for his foresight and he got the job of listening to the 'experts'. 'Dom' was one of them and now, like many, he's all wise after the event. You or I could have done that.

Why the quotation marks?

By the second lockdown there was all the data needed to know it was needed and delay would result in bodies being piled high. Boris chose to delay it to protect the economy, presumably because he hoped it wouldn't happen despite everyone saying it would. It was a stupid choice as it did more damage waiting but he chose that.

 

[IT Minion]

See what I mean about those who complain after the event but won’t stick their neck out and predict things before they happen. Nice one Gally.

You do say that, you're wrong, but you do keep saying that.

It's not a good thing.

 

[sxturbo]

It's no good saying we weren't the only country who got it wrong or others had it worse....

What about those who got it right?

[cough]New Zealand[/cough]

5 million people in new zealand, compared to 60 million in the uk.

both economies are vastly different and reliant on differing things, and so the effects on each are vastly different.

 

[Mottie]

5 million people in new zealand, compared to 60 million in the uk.

Not forgetting that 450 million people from 26 other countries didn’t have an automatic right to go there on a €1.99 Ryanair flight!

 

[Lower]

So since Sweden's death rate in relation to population is lower than the UK's, should we have followed their lead?

Except no one knew how Sweden's strategy was going to pan out. We only know the results now.

Plus i'm not sure that Sweden's strategy would have worked the same in our much more densely populated country

 

[IT Minion]

Except no one knew how Sweden's strategy was going to pan out. We only know the results now.

Plus i'm not sure that Sweden's strategy would have worked the same in our much more densely populated country

The measures Sweden took aren't well understood in the UK. They went for similar measures but as advice rather than by law and people followed them. In December they also started implementing some of the controls we consider part of lockdown.

Part of the reason we had to have such Draconian lockdowns was because we'd allowed things to spiral so far out of control before we took any action.

The verdict within Sweden is mixed on if it was a mistake or not. But Swedish law has been changed so they can do lockdowns now.