I found this 'UK Covid timeline' on Facebook. Not generally the most reliable of sources, I know - but as far as I can see, every point made is verifiable and clearly exposes either incompetence or the fact that the government has been lying. When this business is over, I'd like to think there will be a day of reckoning, not just for Johnson but for the whole Tory party - but, sadly, I won't be holding my breath waiting for it. *December 31st China alerts WHO to new virus. *January 23rd Study reveals a third of China’s patients require intensive care. *January 24th Boris Johnson misses first Cobra meeting. *January 29th Boris Johnson misses second Cobra meeting. *January 31st The NHS declares first ever ‘Level 4 critical incident’ Meanwhile, the government declines to join European scheme to source PPE. *February 5th Boris Johnson misses third Cobra meeting. *February 12th Boris Johnson misses fourth Cobra meeting. Exeter University published study warning Coronavirus could infect 45 million people in the UK if left unchallenged. *February 13th Boris Johnson misses conference call with European leaders. *February 14th Boris Johnson goes away on holiday. Aides are told keeps Johnson’s briefing notes short or he will not read them. *February 18th Johnson misses fifth cobra meeting. *February 26th Boris Johnson announces ‘Herd Immunity’ strategy, announcing some people will lose loved ones. Government document is leaked, predicting half a million Brits could die in ‘worse case scenario’ *February 29th Boris Johnson retreats to his country manor. NHS warns of ‘PPE shortage nightmare’ Stockpiles have dwindled or expired after years of austerity cuts. *March 2nd Boris Johnson attends his first Cobra meeting, declining another opportunity to join European PPE scheme. Government’s own scientists say over half a million Brit’s could die if virus left unrestrained. Johnson tells country “We are very, very well prepared.” *March 3rd Scientists urge Government to advise public not to shake hands. Boris Johnson brags about shaking hands of Coronavirus patients. *March 4th Government stops providing daily updates on virus following a 70% spike in UK cases. They will later U-turn on this amid accusations they are withholding vital information. *March 5th Boris Johnson tells public to ‘wash their hands and business as usual’ *March 7th Boris Johnson joins 82,000 people at Six Nations match. *March 9th After Ireland cancels St Patrick’s day parades, the government says there’s “No Rationale” for cancelling sporting events. *March 10th - 13th Cheltenham takes place, more than a quarter of a million people attend. *March 11th 3,000 Atletico Madrid fans fly to Liverpool. *March 12th Boris Johnson states banning events such as Cheltenham will have little effect. The Imperial College study finds the government’s plan is projected to kill half a million people. *March 13th The FA suspends the Premier League, citing an absence of Government guidance. Britain is invited to join European scheme for joint purchase of ventilators, and refuses. Boris Johnson lifts restrictions of those arriving from Coronavirus hot spots. *March 14th Government is still allowing mass gatherings, as Stereophonics play to 5,000 people in Cardiff. *March 16th Boris Johnson asks Britons not to go to pubs, but allows them to stay open. During a conference call, Johnson jokes that push to build new ventilators should be called ‘Operation Last Gasp’ *March 19th Hospital patients with Coronavirus are returned to care homes in a bid to free up hospital space. What follows is a boom of virus cases in care homes. *March 20th The Government states that PPE shortage crisis is “Completely resolved” Less than two weeks later, the British Medical Association reports an acute shortage in PPE. *March 23rd UK goes into lockdown. *March 26th Boris Johnson is accused of putting ‘Brexit over Breathing’ by not joining EU ventilator scheme. The government then state they had not joined the scheme because they had ‘missed the email’ *April 1st The Evening Standard publishes that just 0.17% of NHS staff have been tested for the virus. *April 3rd The UK death toll overtakes China. *April 5th 17.5 million Antibody tests, ordered by the government and described by Boris Johnson as a ‘game changer’ are found to be a failure. *April 7th Boris Johnson is moved to intensive care with Coronavirus. *April 16th Flights bring 15,000 people a day into the UK - without virus testing. *April 17th Health Secretary Matt Hancock says “I would love to be able to wave a magic wand and have PPE fall from the sky.” The UK has now missed four opportunities to join the EU’s PPE scheme. *April 21st The Government fails to reach its target of face masks for the NHS, as it is revealed manufactures offers of help were met with silence. Instead millions of pieces of PPE are being shipped from the UK to Europe. *April 23rd - 24th Government announces testing kits for 10 million key workers. Orders run out within minutes as only 5,000 are made available. *April 25th UK death toll from Coronavirus overtakes that of The Blitz. *April 30th Boris Johnson announces the UK has succeeded in avoiding a tragedy that had engulfed other parts of the world - At this point, The UK has the 3rd highest death toll in the world. *May 1st The Government announces it has reached its target of 100,000 tests - They haven’t conducted the tests, but posted the testing kits. *May 5th The UK death toll becomes the highest in Europe. *May 6th Boris Johnson announces the UK could start to lift lockdown restrictions by next week.
please log in to view this image Showing our supremacy in the world stats as we irresponsibly flount lockdown to celebrate VE Day in the worst fashion. Glad I’ve had a couple of weeks away from ITU to recuperate as the next wave is going to make this horrific statistic even worse. Things are about to get busy.
OFH you have somehow omitted Belgium from your graph. Whilst the UK has little to celebrate about its handling of COVID-19 if you research Worldometer Coronavirus Update (live) you will see the UK has the awful position of 4th in deaths per million population, Belgium is top. Every death has left a void in other peoples lives whichever Country they occur in. Stats and figures can be twisted to meet any agenda, lives are irreplaceable. There are so many questions COVID-19 raises about its spread. How is it in a country like India with such a dense population and lack of sanitation for many of its citizens has it not spread anywhere near the levels of other countries. Why does it appear to affect BAME in England and Wales so much more than their white counterparts? How has Russia so many more cases daily but the death rate appears so low? These are not political questions but ones that show COVID-19 needs to be looked at with open eyes and not one-dimensional political ones which seems to be the norm on this forum. For those of you who search the internet etc, for articles, graphs and so on to slate the British government and the Prime Minister please remember they will have to live for the rest of their lives knowing that mistakes they made with the benefit of hindsight have caused the death of their fellow citizens. Citizens that will be mourned by family, friends etc, There are those of you on this site that have gone from using Brexit to COVID -19 and will whatever follow continue to slate the Tories. For those that have lost their lives, there is no tomorrow, their days are over. Three deaths are too many, thirty thousand plus is a tragedy of an unbelievable magnitude. Whatever your political standing, be humble those lives are far more important than your political view.
Your point is well taken and the people responsible for govt will have to live with this .. I think the criticism in here is in the main about the government.. And any government would get it . One poster who was banned and recently returned has brought in the inflammatory posts and has sought to inflame the political divide. I was derided for saying we needed a govt of national unity by that, Tory, poster. You are right.. this is way beyond party politics, Brexit, one up man ship and the like. The greatest disaster of our generation...
Well it wasn't a chart that I prepared Flitton but one that is cropping up all over the internet, and being commented on. The comment below the chart is one from a serving frontline doctor who anticipates a second wave. There were more comments from other doctors that were quite overtly political that I didn't post. There have been people looking into the BAME situation in England and Wales, and their early studies of figures give answers that are highly political about the inequality that exists, but I have not quoted those as it is too early to be fair. Are we not to be critical of what we see about the handling of affairs by the Tories. They have after all been in power for ten years. Not being aligned to any party I would be just as critical about any that was running the country in the way that it is now. You only need to look at the timeline above and see the mistakes and errors. Finally, I would put human lives above any cost. Look at my posts around the site and you will find that to be true. Should we be bystanders seeing failed policies costing people their lives without saying anything? I don't think so. If it seems hard on whatever party is in power then hard luck.
Answering for the apparently low death figures for Russia is problematic - they have a surplus on breathing apparatus which is not surprising for a country geared up for coping with biological warfare. On the other hand the question of deaths in relation to sufferers is not calculated uniformly Worldwide - if the Coronavirus was not actually listed as the 'cause of death' then it doesn't appear on the figures, and in Russia many have been listed as dying of pneumonia. There have been cancer sufferers in Germany where it can safely be said that without cancer they may have survived the Cornavirus - but they have been classified as Corona deaths, which wouldn't have been the case in Russia.
Trump was correct in withholding funding from the WHO until the Chinese sponsored lackey is removed from office. It is well reported the Chinese communist state severely sanctioned a number of medical staff for attempting to warn the wider public on the severity of the outbreak. This gave the Chinese longer to organise the suspension of normal supply chains of PPE, including bound for the UK. By this action it also greatly facilitated the spread around the world. Was this simply a nation state acting in its own interest or something much more sinister? It has certainly crippled much of the West whilst almost back to full production. Long term I expect it will result in a huge loss of business for Chinese companies.
Yet here’s Trump praising the Chinese handling of the virus outbreak on 15 different occasions. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/15/trump-china-coronavirus-188736 Funny how it was only after his complete failure in handling the problem in the US lead to a World leading death toll, that he suddenly changed his tune and decided to scapegoat the WHO. Amazing that gullible mugs have fallen for it as well.
Trump was playing a very dangerous game in withholding funding to the WHO.. (But I guess who cares about a few tens of thousands of deaths in the poorer countries, we can still screw them with our trade deals) This has never happened before.. And for the leader of the so called free world to act in this way STINKS of bullying (I use the word bullying as some one on here keeps using that pejorative word about the EU.. Which is frankly ridiculous) Sure the Chinese govt have acted disingenuously and in their own interests,..... just like Trump.. . But you don't reduce the influence of China by punishing the WHO. I cannot stand much of the policy of the Chinese regime but really all Trump has done and with some success with his electorate is to project the object of blame elsewhere..
He obviously thought China would naturally behave in a proper civilised manner. When evidence emerged to the contrary, including the collusion with the WHO lackey, Trump was left with no alternative but to call out these criminals.
For an organisation like the WHO to operate effectively it cannot be in the pay of a large hostile nation. China put pressure on the WHO to withhold information, this action has caused tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths. Australia has sensibly called for an investigation into the pandemic. China has now threatened Australia with 80% import duty rates if it dares to put any blame China. This is a level of bullying that even the EU would be proud of.
Perhaps BB can answer. Does the Telegraph in Scotland operate a different editorial policy to that in England? Just heard a journalist asking the First Minister how to stop Johnson's confusing message getting shown north of the border. The answer of course was no it couldn't be stopped, but for the Telegraph to even think about it doesn't seem normal.
My post was to highlight the onesidedness of the comments on here. You say the graph is one that is widely circulating on the internet. I can not be the only one not to have noticed Belgian for whatever reason fails to appear on it. You make no comment to highlight that the attached comment is because of that fact somewhat misguided. The timeline you wish to point out is very one-sided and paints a very negative picture of the government. However, I am not overtly political and am certainly not a Tory but I have heard for whatever relevance for example, reasons given in interviews by ministers for why Boris was or was not present at Cobra meetings for example. if the reasons are true or not I have no way of knowing but I for one would not presume that because it has been brought to our attention that he was indeed absent at meetings it was a failure of his or the government when there may be a valid reason for his absence. I have also had to listen to ministers say that they acted on the scientific data that was made available to them and in hindsight may have acted differently or have indeed changed direction because the data and knowledge have been gained to warrant a different approach. I have also noticed that the main opposition parties have been very subdued throughout much of this and surely it is their duty to call into question any major failings of a ruling government rather than keep their heads in the sand? Strangely this has not been raised in posts that I have read because sorry the posts on here are not neutral but have one very underlining objective to them which unfortunately make many valid points that they may actually contain somewhat irrelevant. I did not vote Tory in the last election and certainly shall not vote Tory in the next one, but I will not slate them for the sake of slatting. Lives have been lost that could and should have been saved. Lessons need and must be learned. This is a situation that no one has experienced before and the modern world has made worse. Being anti-Tory at this time will not save a single life. This country should have a united front with all pulling together in times of crisis and there is no bigger crisis than this.
One moment Flitton - you say that being anti-Tory at this time will not save a single life and that we need a united front in a crisis yet when the opposition parties actually act on both these recommendations you accuse them of being subdued. Opposition at times like this is very difficult because they do not want to appear to be undermining the Government's efforts - Keir Starmer certainly took over his post at a very difficult time in which it is impossible for an opposition leader to create much of a role for himself. The same is happening in Germany - the government slips fully into the limelight at times like this and the opposition takes very much of a back seat. The judging will come afterwards.
With regards to opposition parties in this sorry affair, they are all in a difficult situation. It seems to me that they have tried to be constructive, but with the main opposition party only just sorting out who should be their spokesman, weeks have been lost. I watched the First Minister in Scotland this afternoon taking questions, and she neatly sidestepped outright criticism, but did point out that it was not great to learn of things for the first time from the newspapers. I agree that there should be a united front, and have said that in such serious times there have been governments of national unity. I would be happy if one was formed and Yorkie has suggested it more than once. This has been rejected by SH as he doesn't seem to want a joint approach. I would accept anything that would save lives, which is why I am not convinced that the football season should restart.
No Cologne, what I mean is some posters on here are stating maybe rightly that the Tories are costing lives by their actions. If they are indeed making such a hash of things then surely the opposition does need to be seen to try and make a difference by making positive suggestions on ways forward to save lives now. I did not mean them to take a party approach and criticise anything and everything that the government does as was the case in Brexit. I know it is very difficult and perhaps an impossible task and maybe just wishful thinking on my behalf. I fully agree the judging should most definitely come, I am not confident that it has been handled in the best possible way by any means. Also, that politicians are elected and so not educated or trained in their roles it means at times like this they can easily be found wanting at the cost of us all. Not a confidence-building thought.
OFH, I would support a government of national unity and agree at times of national importance such as now it would be far more beneficial and liked Yorkie's comment earlier when he raised it. I think it is obvious at least to me a singular approach can not be in the best interests of the country given what we are going through. Sorry Football to me is of an irrelevance right now and it is almost insulting to those that we have lost that it should even be considered whilst lives would be still be at risk if it were in any form to recommence just to complete the season.
The electorate gave a clear message at the recent general election who they wanted to govern, at the same time thoroughly rejecting the ideas in the opposition party's manifestos. There is a responsibility for all politicians to put party politics to one side but this does not means we need any kind of coalition. Starmer asking difficult questions is quite sufficient. He is vastly superior to the previous bod.
Things have moved on since the election SH. The policies that all parties talked about then are out of the window. What you are advocating is that party politics should be put aside as long as they only agree with the Tories. It would make sense for all parties and the devolved governments to act as one, but as I said above the First Minister in Scotland is finding out what is happening from the newspapers. The world economy is going to be in tatters after this and will have to be just as slowly rebuilt as coming out of a lockdown will have to be. We will all be living wherever we are in a very different world, and to try and hang your coat on a peg which by that time will be several years out of date will seem then to be quite silly.
