There are three arguments being put forward on the right wing by those seeking to excuse the failings of our government on the coronavirus crisis.
The first of these is that size of population matters in this crisis: we're doing badly because we are a relatively big country.
The second is that the density of population matters, and the UK is densely populated.
The third, by implication, is that when lockdown started relative to the time that the crisis emerged in a country does not matter.
The FT's John Burn-Murdoch, who will deserve awards when this is all over, has addressed all these issues in a short series of tweets.
The first issue he dealt with like this:
The second he addressed this way:
And the third was also addressed:
In other words, the data is pretty unambiguous. We're having a worse crisis because the government decided not to act soon enough when the evidence that they should have done was clear. That is the only possible conclusion that the data provides. All the right-wing claims are excuses, and there is no evidence to support them.
And if in doubt, Ed Conway at Sky News looked at the same issue:
This is 'the other non-population adjusted one':
The message is the same for the reasons John Burn-Murdoch notes: population is not an issue; when you acted was.
And our government acted far too late.
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“Take back control”. When this government was required to it failed, and continues to fail. A bit of irony for future historians, but no comfort for the poor and failing business.
Brexit was supposed to be justified by taking back control of our borders. In the event, at this critical time and under a Brexiteer govt, our airports remain open to anyone who chooses to waltz in, no matter where from, with no testing and no period of quarantine either. What does that tell us about real-world Brexiteer priorities?
Yes – too late and also with too little after 10 years of austerity.
But look at this:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/14/scrap-triple-lock-uk-pensions-coronavirus-crisis
Stuff like this really gets me worried.
Me too…
The bring back austerity brigade are out there
This is the important statistic
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/13/half-of-coronavirus-deaths-happen-in-care-homes-data-from-eu-suggests
if the care home/ prison/ in-the-community deaths are about one half then we have already overtaken Italy in numbers of deaths
I am sure we have….
Ben Wray nails it this morning, as I’m sure you’ll have seen
https://sourcenews.scot/international-comparison-is-necessary-and-is-here-to-stay/
I have….just read it
another slight of hand the UK government is using is listed here
https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/are-covid-19-patients-in-hospital-or-admitted-to-hospital/
I am not sure if it is clear competence or deliberate news management or a bit of both
Latest weekly mortality statistics for w/e 3 April. More than 5,000 deaths from COVID-19, but 6,000 more deaths than the 5 year average for that week. NB with delay to registration these numbers are going to be huge next week.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales
Blog done, thanks
Have you seen the ONS figures this morning?
Seriously scary!
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales
Blog out….
Want to know how the UK response to Covid-19 compares with other countries?
Here’s an international ranking. If this doesn’t make you angry, nothing will.
https://www.dkv.global/covid
Agreed re John Burn-Murdoch. Worth following on Twitter, with links to that part of the FT website which is outside their paywall.
Cool clear analysis – and a bucket of cold water over the claims of the government and their ‘scientific advisors’