This has been a difficult year. We all know that. Almost all of us will be wishing 2022 might be better. That, though, requires a competent government. We do not have one. The clearest evidence comes from their actions as we approach the New Year.
The government is saying there was no evidence of a need for more Covid restrictions only a few days ago. However, that same evidence was apparently sufficient to require the building of overflow wards in car parks. But that is happening just at the time that the NHS has a major crisis in staffing existing wards. Where staff for the overflow units will come from is anyone's guess. At the same time, pubs are still open and people are told they can party so long as they have tested themselves, but Covid tests are unavailable.
There is nothing coherent about this, at all.
What we can say for certain is that cases are rising at present, exponentially, as some of us always expected.
What we also know is that the number of cases in older people is rising fast now, and that is what was also expected as Christmas became the super spreader event to move this from children and their parents, where it was prevalent, to older generations where previously it was not. So, things are going to get much worse as older people always suffer worse.
And so far, not much suggests that this version of Covid is mild. It is just different, with some evidence that it might have much greater long term impact on some of those who get it.
If I could work all this out on the basis of the evidence that scientists were producing then why couldn't the government? That is the question that needs answering, except there will never be a reasonable answer to that. Only wilful blindness can explain the government's inaction.
There are 2,300 admissions a day now in England, with a seven day doubling with the peak not expected for another 10 to 14 days. That is sufficient to crash the NHS. This was always foreseeable but apparently this was acceptable, as will the resulting deaths be accepted by the government.
As bad, the basis for the next mutation might be being laid by this course of action.
This is the government we have as 2022 arrives. It is unable to appraise data. It cannot assess risk. It is reckless in the face of warnings. Its policies are utterly uncoordinated. They do not take real constraints into account. And they are indifferent to the deaths and suffering that will flow from this.
Am I optimistic for 2022 with this government in charge? No, I am not. Not at all.
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I don’t think gov is unable to assess data and associated risk. They just don’t want to act. Their approach is entirely fatalistic….it’s all meant to happen. Once a party for business they are now also turning their backs on the economic mayhem that inaction creates. All opening the way for BIG business to swoop in and profit.
Hi Richard,
Have you come across Dr. Richard Lyons, Chief Economiist of Netwealth? For turbo charged economic illiteracy see today’s Guardian. He does include a statement that the Bank of Englands “owns” £875 billion of government debt without further comment other than to say so in a context to show how irresponsible the Bank has been!
Just a couple of points.
Covid – With London likely to be at maximum infections – who knows? It was 1 in 10 at the beginning of Xmas week and 10 days later …
The government didn’t test for days before and over Xmas. The strategy is herd mentality! Heck we are making sure that Welsh and Scots come to have a party in England so that the Union can get to collective max exposure.
350 deaths reported today. Yes it could be worse but still that’s a plane load!
BoE/ Inflation/ The Guardian:
Here is just about all we need to know if the neoliberal agenda of that media with an article by ‘ Dr Gerard Lyons is chief economic strategist at Netwealth ’ a ‘wealth manager economist’ , no comments open at the moment, talking the biggest load of bollocks about debt, inflation and why he demands the BoE ‘control’ inflation which has been manufactured so that it leads to more inflation!
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/dec/30/the-bank-of-england-has-underestimated-the-risk-inflation-poses-to-stability
Nope ain’t seeing any semblance of truth and understanding breaking out in the MSM anytime soon as our emperors without cloths stomp around making war noises over Ukraine. The only good news is via South Africa. Fingers crossed.
The man supported Brexit – and now they give him a platform on interest rates….
My counterattack was on Twitter…
These Netwealth people are a rum bunch – plenty of big bankers by looks of their founders and board.
This government is in a dilemma. Do nothing and let the figures of sick, hospitalised and dead climb, or impose restrictions and fund the loss of business.
They don’t want to do the latter because 1) they really do think it adds to the national debt or 2) it would reveal that MMT is a viable option. Neither is acceptable so, it seems to me, they will just issue cautions, hope that other countries do no better and try to blame the public when figures rise and the NHS can’t cope.
It is not leadership. It is about staying in power.
The typo gremlin is active. The government is in a dilemma
And it is NOT leadership. (last line)
Edited…
I have to say I was feeling this myself this morning.
But another way of looking at it is that if you give any extremist group enough rope to hang itself with, it usually self harms in some way. The Tory party does have a habit of getting above itself. They just can’t help themselves, like their hinterland in the City.
That will have to keep me going for now and I’d commend it to anyone.
After all, most if not all the Government are totally self-delusional aren’t they? They will not last forever.
Re “Only wilful blindness can explain the government’s inaction”
We have to stop believing that some how they’re jut not seeing the data. They see and they know. They just do not care. As with climate change, so COVID, this bunch of rightwing libertarians do not give a monkeys. They can afford to minimise their risk, socialise the cots and even profit from the misery of the majority (wasn’t it ever thus). You recent venn meme was a better explanation – the zero intersection of conservatism and empathy.
There’s nothing hidden here.
He said he was for “Cakeism” and here it is – have a good time but be careful.
Ambiguity is where it’s at.