The Daily Mail has this headline today:
The related article says:
But has the Government done everything possible to crack Covid-19? The Mail reluctantly concludes not.
By a country mile, the greatest misstep has been the shambles over mass testing. If Britain is to emerge from this nightmare (relatively) quickly, it is vital we ramp up an expansive screening programme. The failure to order enough testing kits is simply unforgiveable. Let's not beat about the bush: It has left the NHS with one hand tied behind its back.
Early last month, ministers said 10,000 a day would be checked, rising swiftly to 25,000. In fact, the figure stands at a paltry 8,000. One in five doctors and nurses must sit idle because they or a family member have displayed symptoms — even if they're fit as a fiddle.
Mr Johnson says he is exasperated. Welcome to how the nation feels!
In other words, the Mail thinks we have an incompetent government.
A government is tested against its ability in a crisis: this one has failed.
The Mail will need to be reminded of this time, after time, after time in the future.
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Oh, come on Richard. Haven’t you looked at the date?
That’s no joke…..
Are there any about today? I haven’t seen them…but I haven’t been looking either
I made a joke on Off-G this morning – because you must never forget how to laugh. I caught out a few before letting everyone of the hook after midday.
This one in the Groaniad must be one without doubt
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/01/british-american-tobacco-plant-based-coronavirus-vaccine
But I know this one from Chinese media some days ago definitely is not.
‘March 16, the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by Chen and her team entered clinical trials. On March 20, 108 volunteers were injected with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China. Major General Chen Wei, one of the developers of the vaccine, was the first to be injected, reported domestic news site ifeng.com.’
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1183887.shtml
————-
I tried yesterday telling a group of gamers , online, about the massive failure of this government and bozo in not reacting quickly enough, getting a test regime (like S.Korea, etc.
I was told :
It was Chinas fault for keeping it a secret!
Bozo is doing everything he can!
Who would I like in charge? Corbyn?
Etc.
I did shoot them all down with facts and most shut up after a cepting my facts but grumbled ‘we have to get behind the government and bozo now!’
You can imagine my answer to what we should do once we are behind him!
The Parliament is yet again shut. Just how many days has it set in the last year? Seems they been off more than on. The media personalities are doing the state messaging and the public are believing the hype.
Don’t anyone here believe it.
Sorry, Brian, but people usually play April Fool tricks on others, not on themselves!
Or has the Daily Heil looked in the mirror, and at last recognized it is the joke most people have always taken it for? I.e, bog-roll posing as a newspaper.
The UK government is aiming to test 25,000 a day for Covid-19 within a fortnight, housing minister Robert Jenrick has said . only 143,186 carried out to date.
Germany is testing 70,000 a day – now
The Daily Heil supported the election of a clown and clown government. It is now surprised that “events” have tested the clown and his fellow clowns past breaking point.
I wonder if any of the mental deficients that read the Heil remember how it supported the Clown despite there being very good reasons not to.
Here’s another Daily Mail article..
Nearly a FIFTH of UK firms could shut within four weeks
It’s all the banks fault apparently
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8174967/Nearly-FIFTH-UK-firms-shut-four-weeks.html
I pointed that out what seems like a lifetime ago but which was just the day the scheme was announced…
You did indeed.
I only wish the article had been published in the mainstream press for all to see – but the increasing readership of the blog is great news for getting the word out!
It seems a lot of tory voters would not care if firms go to the wall. They think its their fault for spending beyond their means., i kid you not. Still bojo enjoys a good health approval rating. If the NHS has not got enough equipment it is their fault, the tories say, it’s all down to bad management and not using resources properly hence Johnson’s expiration. So the tories lie and distort the truth but really they’re real aim in my view is to infect the majority of the population with covid 19, despite what the hammer and dance article says.
I seen a few post by right wingers who say the old should be left to die. One woman got a letter asking her not phone 999 because it will suck wasteful resources and the benefit of she would be with her family. The letter asked her to sign a do not resuscitate form. My god what type of nation are we if the GPs are sending letters out like that. Yes i know it’s down the tories but its still very shocking. I am just waiting till Johnson gets 140% approval rating and Aliens land out side parliament saying, ” We come in peace and have a cure for covid 19″.
Alexander Johnson (to use his real name since he prefers we use something innocent and jocular sounding) may sustain that rating a while longer. He’s even enjoyed an uptick, despite carnage that could have been reduced with appropriate planning and response.
If his/their rating doesn’t tank when voters aren’t affected – directly or indirectly – by the consequences of Tory inaction then he’s obviously made of Teflon.
I have my first connection to someone who has died of coronavirus, albeit a step removed, and I can assure you the entire network of people touched by this persons passing (from health care workers to extended family and friends and beyond) are, to put it very mildly indeed, ‘not impressed’.
Mass graves are being prepared.
Businesses are teetering on the brink.
Early days yet.
Indeed…..
The Mail WILL forget and revert to type, especially if there is ever a half-decent HM Opposition anytime soon.
Will their readers though?
The tone in comments is turning.
Well I hope they do Richard, but to think that it has to take this much pain for people to see exactly what they have been supporting all these years is very, very sad indeed and I get no satisfaction from it at all.
I expect you don’t either.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8174967/Nearly-FIFTH-UK-firms-shut-four-weeks.html
“Britain’s ‘greedy’ banks are threatening the future of up to a million coronavirus-hit firms who could go bust in the next month after being refused one of the Government’s interest free loans, it was revealed today.
Victims have told MailOnline the Treasury’s ‘approved’ lenders are ‘taking advantage’ of the crisis and offering interest rates of between seven and 30 per cent on emergency loans – even though the current UK base rate is now at 0.1 per cent.
Irate business owners claim they are being ‘stitched up’ and one told MailOnline today: ‘Banks being the gatekeepers of this scheme is like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank’. Another fearing for his future said: ‘Britain’s banks are an absolute disgrace. I contacted them over 9 days ago without any reply’.”
And the complaints go on and on. How can this government survive in this state is beyond me.
I, of course, pointed this out immediately, but it’s good that the Fail has noticed it, even if belatedly
Was anyone else perturbed to see the news in the Guardian today that Johnson is re-hiring Isaac Levido, who ran the Tories general election campaign…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/johnson-rehires-election-chief-to-sharpen-coronavirus-messaging
Ostensibly under the guise of sharpening up the public health campaign communications (and boy, do they need it), but a couple of lines in the report state:
“Boris Johnson’s revamped communications strategy to combat coronavirus will be run like a “political campaign” ”
and
“the government is now looking to bring in more experienced campaigners to sharpen the message — with the aim of boosting both public health and the prime minister’s standing.”
I suspect we can look forward to dumbed-down slogans repeated ad nauseam and lots of blame-shifting!
I am already worried about children being asked to repeat government slogans in drawings and out them in their windows….
It’s called working towards Der…. Great Leader.
It’s not just the Heil and the Torygraph that are changing their tune. I note that my MP Jeremy Hunt has started to be more critical of the government. As Health Secretary he presided over the starving of the NHS of resources and ignored the warnings of its inability to respond to a pandemic. Perhaps it is just dawning on him that he will be in the front of the dock when the enquiry comes to ask why so many unnecessary deaths occurred in the U.K.
He should be….
He has one of those massive Tory majorities though it has been dented in recent years first by Dr Louise Irvine and then by the LibDems.
The next election should see a gloves off campaign against him. I’m envisaging posters of those who have died in his constituency, noting that Surrey is one of the worst hit areas.
Hunt competed with Johnson for the Tory leadership. He is positioning himself as an alternative leader should those in charge (Rothermere, Murdoch, Lebedev, Barclay brothers et al) lose confidence in Johnson as their tool. They were all happy to repeat Hunt’s claim, as health secretary, that his focus was on patient safety though he happily presided over staff shortages and bed closures that negatively impacted on safety. They will trot out the same line for him now if needed. I don’t imagine a change of leadership would result in any change in policy or delivery, but it would help greatly with spin.