
Baroness Heather Hallett: she has made good decisions so far – but can anybody understand her apparent bias against bereaved families?
We all know that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have been making a fuss over whether they will have to give evidence to the Covid inquiry and what it will be.
But what do you make of this?
šØšØ Not a single witness offered up by the UKās largest group for Covid-bereaved families has been called to speak at the official inquiry.@RubyJLL reports šhttps://t.co/jQaiMh62sA pic.twitter.com/CR17mdqceD
— openDemocracy (@openDemocracy) June 5, 2023
The article states:
Not a single witness offered up by the UKās largest group for families bereaved by Covid has been called to speak at the official inquiry, openDemocracy can reveal.
Those representing the voices of the bereaved say they are being āmarginalised by the processā just days before the inquiry is set to begin. It follows aĀ scandalĀ sparked by openDemocracyās revelation that Tory-linked PR firms had been hired to manage the voices of the bereaved.
The inquiry rejected all 20 witnesses volunteered by Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, but has asked the groupās co-founder Matt Fowler to speak. He will now be attempting to represent thousands of members who wonāt be able to give evidence to the inquiryās first module, which focuses on the UKās preparedness for a pandemic.
What’s the story there? Does inquiry chair Baroness Hallett think they’ll all say the same thing? Does she think there won’t be time to hear all theirĀ different stories? Or is she simply not interested in what happened to the little people like you and me?
Here’s something else that might not be mentioned:
Tory billionaire bankrolled āherd immunityā scientist who advised PM against lockdown | openDemocracy @lbc https://t.co/zJEqovTlpd
— mary johnson (@BtMtjohnson) June 4, 2023
And what about this?
Ā£157m Covid Business Loans went to private schools when state schools were SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED.
These private schools Inc that of Tory Sunak, Steve Barclay, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt & more
These schools are 'charitable organisations' which avoid VAT!https://t.co/Sn3Jl5w4gj
— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) June 6, 2023
So private schools that were formerly attended by government ministers received millions of pounds of Covid support loans, while state schools were left to face bankruptcy. And the ministers were responsible for supporting the state schools, not their alma maters.
Will that get a mention? It should.
Meanwhile, the government’s decision to take court action against its own inquiry is still kicking up a huge smokescreen around the whole affair.
Is that a side-issue? Or was it the point?
Whichever, what do you think of this MP’s point?
NEW: Senior Conservative MP says decision to sue Covid inquiry creates impression government has āsomething to hideā šØ https://t.co/dgEVUzGoZz
— Politics.co.uk (@Politics_co_uk) June 6, 2023
Sir Robert Buckland, who served as justice secretary and Lord Chancellor from 2019 to 2021, said that the move by the government was āunnecessaryā, tellingĀ Sky News: āit would have been far better to negotiate and deal with this in a way that would have respected the discretion of the chairā.
Well,
Sir Robert suggested he has been told that the High Court could hear the governmentās challenge to the Covid inquiry āas early as next weekā.
so at least if it is a waste of time, it will be out of the way very soon.
But what will the decision be? Will it be better than that of the inquiry on representatives of bereaved families?
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