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SPOT THE PATTERN: A lockdown that was weeks late, unhindered international air travel, a reliance on self-isolation, chaotic and empty emergency stockpiles, healthcare professionals without basic PPE, a lack of public health expertise on SAGE, modelling full of big assumptions...
... political advisors intervening in SAGE discussions, a Prime Minister altering lockdown rules that were working, a focus on HERD IMMUNITY when this would kill 10000s (and there was no vaccine), efforts to silence NHS staff, the use of unpublished models, without peer review...
... the failure to adopt the World Health Organization's TEST, TEST, TEST mantra from day one, the shutting down of testing centres, the reliance on non-existent apps to trace contacts, the reluctance to set up low-tech CONTACT TRACING networks via GPs and local councils...
... the failure to test everyone who dies for COVID19 so we have to rely on statistics to calculate excess death, EXCESS DEATH estimates for premature deaths caused by COVID19 (by the @ft's @ChrisGiles_) that are almost double the official "all settings" death figure...
... a leadership vacuum at the height of the epidemic, unclear public health messaging such as STAY ALERT, the use of lockdown sub-rules that are ambiguous or rely on "COMMON SENSE" or "INSTINCTS" rather than clarity, enforcement, data and pre-determined thresholds...
... the failure to fire Dominic CUMMINGS after he drove around the country at the height of the lockdown (undermining rules he had helped to develop) and was exposed as a hypocrite who had been assisted by the distribution of elaborate cover stories via the SPECTATOR and BBC...
... the over use of a tiny clique of friendly journalists to ask soft or multi-claused questions at press conferences, the exclusion of critical journalists from press conferences, the refusal to put Ministers up for interview via multiple outlets...
... the rushed determination to reopen SCHOOLS - just before the summer vacation - when there are still 1000s of new COVID19 per week and are often well over 100 deaths per day, allowing people from up to multiple households to meet up...
... the tinkering with lockdown rules, while not listening to the devolved administrations in SCOTLAND, WALES and NORTHERN IRELAND, so that different rules start to apply in different places (adding to confusion)...
... the reluctance to insist on the use of FACE MASKS in public as a way of helping to reduce transmission, the use of proxies, BOTS and TROLLS on social media to attack online critics / smother criticism...
... the use of complex and diverse forms of FINANCIAL SUPPORT in order to keep people under financial pressure and push certain groups back to work prematurely, weak instructions to avoid PUBLIC TRANSPORT when there are no real alternatives...
... the near universal reliance on POLITICIANS with no SCIENTIFIC or MEDICAL training or skills, the rapid rotation of third rate politicians and public health officials in PRESS CONFERENCES who often end up giving weak, unconvincing or inconsistent information in their answers..
... the opening of massive NHS NIGHTINGALE without their own staff or equipment, the hurried discharge from hospitals of infected elderly patients back into poorly equipped and under staffed CARE HOMES without test results...
... the years of FUNDING CUTS and UNDER STAFFING meaning that there is no spare capacity within hospitals that can absorb epidemic patients, the alienation of foreign nurses and doctors during BREXIT and on-going plans to introduce NHS surcharges for foreign NHS staff...
... the lurking suspicion that the UK GOVERNMENT is still obsessed with deliberately infecting a large proportion of the UK population in order to achieve HERD IMMUNITY which may not even be possible (if immunity cannot be established, is short lived or the virus mutates)...
... the handing over of NHS and public health DATA to big tech companies without strict data privacy requirements or limits on data use, so that members of the public remain reluctant to use these apps...
... the OUTSOURCING of TESTING and APP DEVELOPMENT to favoured outsourcing partners without competitive tendering or transparency. Often these partners turn out to have no background in these activities but are DONORS to politicians and/or political parties...
... the side stepping of NHS staff, processes and standards so that data is hard to use or join up within the NHS and it is difficult to ensure VALUE FOR MONEY or successful outcomes, which assist in efforts to fight the COVID19 epidemic in a co-ordinated and unified fashion...
.... the upfront abandonment of the PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE at the start of this epidemic (unusually, because it was applied during the FOOT AND MOUTH and MAD COW epidemics)...
... the strange lack of interest in BIOSECURITY and the poor application of EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONTROLS for many weeks...
... the abandonment of any pretence of FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE once politicians got bored of having to pay attention to the details and listen to experts...
... the transparent attempts to BLAME SCIENTISTS for POLITICAL DECISIONS...
... the failures to say SORRY or APOLOGISE for making mistakes and not being prepared...
... NOT IMPLEMENTING the recommendations of EXERCISE CYGNUS or BLACK SWAN over many years, which looked at the UK health systems preparedness for global pandemics...
... the lack of basic PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT (PPE) for essential medical staff including visors, high quality masks, gowns and gloves, as well the inflation of supply statistics using disingenuous criteria. Rushed orders of expensive and unsuitable PPE from TURKEY...
... a ridiculously bodged procurement exercise for obtaining urgently needed RESPIRATORS which relied on half-baked planning and an assortment of mates...
... the FAILURE TO LEARN BEST PRACTICE from other countries that have successfully controlled their COVID19 epidemics by closing their borders, applying strict lockdowns, and setting up well co-ordinated TESTING and CONTACT TRACING systems (see GERMANY and SOUTH KOREA)...
... the apparent obsession with deal making and protecting INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS over problem solving and sharing reliable data, ideas and funding with others...
... the serious degradation in Britain's reputation as a centre of scientific and medical excellence through the MANIPULATION, SELECTIVE USE and DILUTION of scientific information and data for political purposes by our politicians, during a national emergency....
... the POSTPONEMENT of difficult, but time-sensitive decisions in order to appease business interests, donors or others, rather than PROTECT THE PUBLIC (and NHS) or defend NATIONAL SECURITY...
... the deliberate FRAGMENTATION, PRIVATISATION and OUTSOURCING of increasingly important NHS SERVICES, FUNCTIONS and STAFF (often to mates or companies linked to politicians) in ways that complicate chains of command, accountability, decision making, procurement and logistics...
...allowing horse racing events such as the CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP to go ahead although the Government knew that this airborne killer virus was in the UK, that without a vaccine, LIMITING TRANSMISSION was our best line of defence. This helped to spread the disease nationwide...
... the early and repeated juxtaposing of ECONOMIC GROWTH with fighting this disease, as though it was going to be TOO EXPENSIVE to control this disease (see the success of many other countries); implying that we should let COVID19 spread, unhindered, and kill the vulnerable...
... the bizarre relaxation of the lockdown rules for CLEANERS and NANNIES...
... the failure to prepare for a SECOND PEAK in COVID19 deaths...
... the use of POSTAL TESTING KITS, which rely on ordinary people to self-administer technically challenging and uncomfortable swabs, resulting in many FALSE NEGATIVES, unreliable data on whether individuals are infected and the prevalence of the disease locally / nationwide...
... an IDEOLOGICAL emphasis on protecting ANCIENT AND BASIC FREEDOMS over the implementation of an EARLY, STRICT AND EFFECTIVE LOCKDOWN which could have squashed this epidemic at the outset. Instead we started with a late and partial lockdown, which has been prematurely weakened.
... the use of PUBLIC RELATIONS and POLITICS to guide the handling of this deadly epidemic, rather than SCIENCE...
... the failure to protect the SELF EMPLOYED from financial difficulties. Now is not the time for the Government to complain about subsets of taxpayers and settle grievances. Especially, as they set up and administer the tax system...
... the impulse to bail out BILLIONAIRES and POLLUTING INDUSTRIES with £100 millions, while penny pinching elsewhere (see care worker pay and conditions)...
... the sneaking through of EMERGENCY POWERS and EXEMPTIONS FROM PROSECUTION at the start of the epidemic, without detailed and complete Parliamentary scrutiny...
... the apparent indifference to 10,000s of PREMATURE DEATHS, especially in CARE HOMES, with political attention being split with on-going BREXIT NEGOTIATIONS which should have been set to one side and postponed until after the epidemic had been brought under control (see NZ)...
... the frequent and blatant lying by senior politicians, which undermine confidence in the GOVERNMENT and sometimes even threaten the RULE OF LAW. Early indications that police investigations are being limited or shut down for political purposes...
... the reliance on an unbelievably weak CABINET, packed full of YES MEN and WOMEN, appointed for their loyalty to BREXIT rather than their abilities or competence. The breakdown in CABINET RESPONSIBILITY and high quality internal debate...
... the PRIME MINISTER'S dependence on UNELECTED POLITICAL ADVISORS with close ties to THINK TANKS funded by. DARK MONEY from an opaque combination of vested interests, billionaires, foreign governments and oligarchs...
... the EXTENDED FAILURE of journalists, newspapers, TV channels and media owners to hold the Government and politicians to account until 50,000+ people had died and Dominic CUMMINGS got exposed for travelling to a SECOND HOME hear Durham and visiting BARNARD CASTLE...
... the excessive use of favoured journalists by ANONYMOUS SOURCES close to the Government, in order to soften the impact of bad news or spin criticism of the rich + powerful. Often acting as DE FACTO SPOKESPEOPLE for government insiders, and undermining claims of IMPARTIALITY...
... almost no interest in what BAT / ZOONOSES / BUSH MEAT experts might be able to tell us about diseases in wildlife (Hey! I'm a zoologist and can't help notice we have more data guys sitting in on SAGE meetings than ecologists)...
... the breakdown of TRUST between POLITICIANS and CIVIL SERVANTS following the summary firing of an aide (preceding the squeezing out of the CHANCELLOR OF EXCHEQUER) by ideological opponents + the resignation of a widely respected Permanent Secretary over bullying allegations...
... the creeping normalisation of ONE RULE FOR ONE, and ONE RULE FOR ANOTHER... HOSPITAL CLEANERS expected to work on the minimum wage, on zero hour contracts and without proper work protections... MPs immediately given £10,000 to work from home...
... rampant HYPOCRISY and COWARDICE from the leaders we have elected to run the country on our behalf, not on behalf of themselves or their mates / donors...
... the creeping fear that our Government is using the opportunity provided by the COVID19 crisis to implement a SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM which will fundamentally + permanently undermine our "BASIC AND ANCIENT FREEDOMS", with assistance from BIG TECH companies + DEFENCE contractors..
... the use and abuse of PSYCHOLOGICAL INSIGHTS and TECHNIQUES to bamboozle and confuse the public for political ends, in order to blame them for not understanding the vague and/or conflicted information they are being cynically fed by the Government...
... the mainstreaming of PROPAGANDA, DISINFORMATION + MISINFORMATION by senior politicians. All techniques historically used by AUTHORITARIAN, CORRUPT and FASCISTIC governments....
... the hiring of an actual EUGENECIST...
... the use of an ACCOUNTING FIRM and to undertake COVID19 TESTING (they have list test results!) and a favoured OUTSOURCING company to roll out CONTACT TRACING (staff have been given 1 hour of face-to-face training and given nothing to do for days at a time)...
... the need for a retired military VETERAN to raise money to help HEALTHCARE workers get the support they need to do their jobs...
... growing and legitimate concerns about how BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES, containing COVID19 and DNA, and the associated data will be stored, combined and/or utilised by third parties...
... asking a company that makes DIGGERS to make VENTILATORS...
... asking a company that makes VACUUM CLEANERS to make VENTILATORS....
... NOT asking companies that MAKE (or supply) VENTILATORS to send them to British HOSPITALS or CARE HOMES...
... not asking UK MANUFACTURERS to send urgently needed PPE to to BRITISH HOSPITALS or CARE HOMES, so it ends up being sold on the world market on a first come, first served basis...
... the TWISTING of LANGUAGE and the TRUTH to obscure failure and under achievement. Using the word TEST to describe SWAB TESTS (which reliably detect viral genetic material early in an infection) AND to describe different ANTIBODY TESTS (which detect later immune responses)...
... the failure to STOCKPILE ESSENTIAL MEDICINES despite claiming that this was being done during the BREXIT negotiations in case of import / export restrictions or delays...
... the stacking of REGULATORS and GOVERNANCE BODIES with PARTY LOYALISTS, BREXITEERS and/or ETON / OXBRIDGE chums who see and hear no evil...
... the erosion and undermining of vital national INSTITUTIONS such as BBC NEWS, which need to be seen to be free from political interference and partisanship; through a combination of financial cuts, politicised editorial decision making and existential threats over many years..
... the failure of the UK GOVERNMENT to do ANYTHING of note the moment it became clear that a new killer, airborne pneumonia that killed 2% - 5% of those infected in CHINA. The PM went on holiday to MUSTIQUE and missed 5 COBRA emergency planning meetings....
... at the start of the COVID19 OUTBREAK in the UK, the PRIME MINISTER publicly went against basic scientific advice by SHAKING HANDS with people on hospital wards full of COVID19 patients. He then went on to infect himself, colleagues, co-workers and probably others...
... the UK still lacks a scientifically robust STRATEGY for escaping the COVID19 epidemic and suffering from years of uncontrollable outbreaks. There's still not been a strict + organised attempt to eliminate the disease from the UK population. This seems to be an early choice...
... day-to-day TACTICS have been all over the place with little to no scientific coherence in political decision making. Many statements appear to be based on reactions to events or political expediency rather than factual evidence, objective criteria or rational thought...
... the implied suggestion that we are all being deeply unfair and unreasonable, and should simply MOVE ON, when we are lied to by politicians who know exactly what they are doing... The lack of public ACCOUNTABILITY for political advisors...
... the tolerance of political advisors who have been found in CONTEMPT OF PARLIAMENT in SAGE meetings, No. 10 DOWNING STREET and elsewhere across WHITEHALL...
... the flawed and blinkered assumptions about COVID19, a new virus for humans that had recently crossed over from other species. False parallels were rapidly drawn with flu, rather than with SARS and MERS and things went downhill from there...
... the lack of FLEXIBLE THINKING and IMAGINATION when dealing with this new zoonotic disease has been staggering. The failure to consider CHILDREN as VECTORS OF INFECTION, even if the majority are not obviously or immediately harmed by the disease, has been reckless + foolish...
