Monthly Archives: April 2020

Was Johnson shamed into taking paternity leave ‘later in the year’?

He shouldn’t be taking any at all, of course.

As prime minister of the UK, Boris Johnson helped create the worst public health crisis in decades by failing to ensure that the UK was prepared for the coronavirus pandemic.

Indeed, he weakened the nation’s ability to handle it.

Yesterday (April 29), when he used the birth of his child as an excuse to avoid providing awkward answers in Prime Minister’s Questions, This Site (and no doubt many other people) questioned whether Johnson was going to use this as an excuse to take even more time off, during the emergency.

Today we find that he will indeed be taking time off – later in the year. Was he shamed into coming back?

But paternity leave – which can last up to two weeks, must end within eight weeks of a birth.

What are the chances that this hugely damaging crisis will be over by then?

Even if the current restrictions on movement are fully lifted (an unwise move that would invite a second spike in infections and deaths), a responsible leader would go without his holiday and serve the nation, helping get it back on its feet.

But of course, I forget: Boris Johnson isn’t a responsible person.

And he certainly is not a leader.

The good news is that his income for the two weeks’ leave will be a maximum of £302.40 – much less than his normal salary for the fortnight.

When he realises that, he’ll probably say he can manage without the break.

Source: Boris Johnson to take paternity leave ‘later in the year’ – ITV News

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Coroners told to ignore lack of PPE in coronavirus-related inquests

One more time: PPE provided to UK medical staff is at the bottom right. Coroners are being told not to consider whether a national failure to provide proper equipment contributed to the deaths of medical staff.

Now the coroners’ courts are being told to hide the fatal results of failed Conservative policies to tackle the coronavirus, it seems.

Guidance handed down by Mark Lucraft QC, chief coroner for England and Wales, says “an inquest would not be a satisfactory means of deciding whether adequate general policies and arrangements were in place for provision of PPE to healthcare workers”.

He said that “if there were reason to suspect that some human failure contributed to the person being infected with the virus”, an inquest may be required.

The coroner “may need to consider whether any failures of precautions in a particular workplace caused the deceased to contract the virus and so contributed to death”.

But he added: “An inquest is not the right forum for addressing concerns about high-level government or public policy.”

Isn’t that an attempt to palm off responsibility for a lack of PPE onto “a particular workplace” rather than keeping it where it belongs – with the government that sent all our equipment to China and sold domestic stockpiles to a private, US-owned company?

Source: NHS staff coronavirus inquests told not to look at PPE shortages | Society | The Guardian

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BBC covers up Johnson’s broken coronavirus testing promises; viewers switch to social media

It is any wonder that TV journalists are among the least-trusted in the UK in discussions of the coronavirus.

Today, in a segment on the arrival of the deadline for the government to meet its target of 100,000 coronavirus tests per day, the BBC broadcast part of an interview from six weeks ago in which Boris Johnson promised to reach 25,000 tests a day.

Nothing was said of his original promise, which was 250,000 tests a day – 10 times as many and two-and-a-half times the current target, which is believed to have been missed.

On Tuesday, the government was only managing 52,000 tests.

According to Skwawkbox, the BBC

also framed the whole segment to make it appear that testing has always been the government’s ‘watchword throughout this crisis’ – even though the Tories have been so slow and dismissive on testing that the UK was one of the countries rebuked by the World Health Organisation for ignoring the WHO’s ‘test, test, test’ strategy that has allowed South Korea to reach zero domestic transmission without even having a lockdown.

The reality is that the Tories’ political decision to ignore the WHO’s advice to put mass testing at the heart of the UK’s coronavirus strategy has needlessly cost thousands of lives – we have suffered more deaths than any other country apart from the US – and has inflicted massive and avoidable damage on our economy.

It’s another reason people are switching to the social media in their masses – This Site’s hits during April are nearly double what they were last year.

Source: Video: watch the BBC’s huge omission to cover for Tories’ broken C19 testing promises | The SKWAWKBOX

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So much for Boris Johnson’s big return to work – now he’s off on paternity leave!

Making a poor fist of it: Johnson was all blood-and-thunder when he returned to work on Monday – waving his fist at the cameras. He should have been waving goodbye.

What a lot of fuss over nothing!

Remember when Boris Johnson announced he was finally coming back to work, after an extended period of recuperation from Covid-19, first in hospital and then at Chequers?

The rejoicing from certain Tory quarters was sickening.

“Boris is back!” they exclaimed! “He’ll get a grip on the coronavirus in no time!”

Well, no time is all he had because now he is off on paternity leave after Carrie Symonds gave birth to a boy.

Some might consider it churlish to criticise Johnson’s decision to take even more time off when the country is in the middle of its worst crisis in decades.

Doing the maths, we can see that conceiving the new arrival is what he did to celebrate his election as Tory leader (and default prime minister) back in July last year.

And if I can do the maths, so can he.

He would have known that the baby would be due around now.

I wonder whether he timed his return to work with it in mind, reasoning that he could pretend to be busy for a few days, a week or so, and then baby would come and he’d have a reasonable excuse to go back on holiday.

And how many breaks has he had, since becoming prime minister? Is he trying to take the record for the least amount of work done in the role?

Some might say it is churlish to criticise Johnson’s decision to take even more time off.

I say it is irresponsible of Johnson to abandon his responsibilities yet again.

We will remember him as the prime minister who created a catastrophe, waved his fist at it, and then ran away.

I am reminded of an old comment about people who make such a fuss and palaver about being in charge that nobody realises they aren’t.

And in the shadows – who?

Who is pulling the strings of power while Johnson is off playing mummies and daddies?

Source: Boris Johnson will not take part in PMQs after birth of son with Dominic Raab expected to face Sir Keir Starmer | London Evening Standard

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Coronavirus deaths: ‘sorry’ is the hardest word for Hancock

Matt Hancock: he couldn’t even follow his own government advice against spreading the coronavirus and now he is refusing to apologise for failures in containing it.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is refusing to take responsibility for his mistakes – even after being confronted with the evidence.

When Intisar ​Chowdhury, the son of a consultant who died earlier this month, asked the health secretary live on LBC radio whether he regretted not taking his father’s warnings over vital medical kit seriously enough, Hancock repeatedly avoided making an apology.

He said he was saddened by the death of Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, who had warned Boris Johnson about the lack of protective gear for frontline NHS workers, and asked him to secure equipment “urgently” in a social media post.

Pressed to acknowledge that there have been mistakes in handling the virus, especially to Mr Chowdhury (junior) and other families that have lost loved ones as a result of this virus and probably as a result of the government not handling it seriously enough, he evaded.

He said: “I think that it is very important that we’re constantly learning about how to do these things better and I think listening to the voices on the front line is a very, very important part of how we improve.

“Of course this a very complicated logistical effort but I don’t want to play down the enormous efforts of many thousands of people who are working every hour that there is trying to solve the problem.”

Yesterday (April 28) Hancock refused to apologise to relatives of elderly residents who have died of coronavirus in care homes, after figures showed 5,000 such deaths in England alone.

He said during the daily Downing Street briefing that it was “unreasonable” to ask if he would apologise to the families of those who have died.

“Making sure that care homes have the support they need has been absolutely at front of mind right from the start,” he said.

“We’ve been testing in care homes right from the start and right through the crisis.”

If that were true, then why did it take the government until yesterday to provide daily tallies of deaths in care homes, alongside the statistics on hospital fatalities, rather than releasing them on a weekly basis, 10 or 11 days after the event?

If testing was taking place from the start, then the figures would have been available immediately.

It seems that – like the whole Tory government – Mr Hancock is simply trying to avoid responsibility for mistakes, omissions and policies that have caused thousands of needless death. Perhaps he fears the inquiry that must take place after the crisis is over.

Source: Coronavirus: Matt Hancock repeatedly refuses to accept PPE failures after being confronted by dead doctor’s son | The Independent

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Cabinet Office inquiry expected to clear Patel of bullying. But what will the courts do?

Priti Patel and Boris Johnson: allies against the civil service?

Read this – it’s not a good thing:

Priti Patel is expected to be cleared this week of bullying senior civil servants in three separate government departments, Whitehall sources have confirmed.

The home secretary had been accused of breaching the ministerial code by mistreating staff at the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for International Trade.

Reports of her impending clearance have prompted condemnation of the Cabinet Office inquiry process, which is conducted in secret and offers no recourse for complainants. Boris Johnson has already been criticised for compromising the process by insisting, before the inquiry had concluded, that he would continue to support Patel.

It is not acceptable that Boris Johnson compromised a major inquiry into the behaviour of his Home Secretary by announcing his continued support for her before it had finished.

But here’s why it could turn out well – and embarrassing for Johnson:

She is still to face claims from her former Home Office permanent secretary, Sir Philip Rutnam, who is using whistleblowing laws to take her to an employment tribunal for constructive dismissal.

The courts won’t accept any interference from Johnson – that’s one reason he has already said he wants to restrict their ability to overrule political decisions that contradict the law.

(And you should be thinking about that very hard.)

If the courts find against Patel, it will throw the whole Cabinet Office inquiry process into question.

Source: Priti Patel expected to be cleared of bullying by Cabinet Office inquiry | Politics | The Guardian

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Poll shows public trust in Tory handling of coronavirus pandemic has plummeted

How interesting that this came out the day before Boris Johnson traipsed back to work.

Yes, the latest poll says the public has lost faith in the way the Tory government has handled the coronavirus response in the UK.

The Opinium poll for The Observer showed:

57 per cent of people believe the government has handled the key issue of coronavirus testing poorly; only 15 per cent thought it had been handled well.

71 per cent think the level of testing was not enough – while only seven per cent thought it was adequate.

63 per cent say they government did not act fast enough to stop the spread of coronavirus; only 30 per cent thought it acted in good time.

In comparison with other countries, only the United States was believed to have made a much worse response to the pandemic. The UK was seen to be roughly on a par with Italy, Spain and France.

Notably, China was perceived as making a better response than the UK, with Australia better than China and South Korea better than Australia. Germany was considered the furthest ahead of the UK – but New Zealand wasn’t included in the results This Writer has seen.

The Observer‘s report says nothing about the UK’s record on PPE.

Source: Public trust plummets in Britain’s handling of pandemic, new poll reveals | World news | The Guardian

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Coronavirus: Outrage follows revelation that Dominic Cummings attended SAGE meetings (oh yes he did)

Not a scientist: Dominic Cummings.

What was the point of Dominic Cummings attending SAGE (the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies) meetings if not to influence them?

And, considering his right-wing, eugenicist, economy-first, “if a few pensioners die, too bad” views, is it any wonder Boris Johnson is facing cross-party demands for Cummings to be barred from any further meetings?

Former Brexit secretary, David Davis, is among those calling for Dominic Cummings and Ben Warner, an adviser who ran the Tories’ private election computer model, to be prevented from attending future meetings.

He voiced the concerns of many when he said Cummings’s presence could alter the advice offered in meetings.

And he added: “We should publish the membership of Sage, remove any non-scientist members, publish their advice in full, and publish dissenting opinions with the advice.”

Other people who attend SAGE meetings have also said the Downing Street advisor’s presence made them uneasy.

According to another Guardian report, one said they felt Cummings’ interventions had sometimes inappropriately influenced what is supposed to be an impartial scientific process.

A second Sage attendee said they were shocked when Cummings first began participating in Sage discussions, in February, because they believed the group should be providing “unadulterated scientific data” without any political input.

Tends to indicate that Cummings is affecting what’s said at these meetings, doesn’t it?

And how can we trust the “science” that the Tories say they’re following if it come from him?

Downing Street has been (rather desperately) trying to claim that political “advisors” don’t make any difference, but then why would these two SAGE attendees say the following?

“When a very senior civil servant or a very well-connected person interrupts, then I don’t think anyone in the room feels the power to stop it. When you get to discussing where advice might be going, there have been occasions where they have been involved, and a couple of times I’ve thought: that’s not what we are supposed to be doing.”

“He was not just an observer, he’s listed as an active participant… He was engaging in conversation and not sitting silently.”

Another Downing Street claim was that it is “entirely right” for its political advisers to attend meetings of the group, implying – one may expect – that they have been at SAGE meetings from the start.

No!

Sage was first convened to advise on swine flu in 2009, and there had been almost 50 meetings between then and the start of the coronavirus crisis.

And guess what? “There is no evidence in the publicly available minutes of those meetings of any Downing Street officials or political advisers attending.”

Coming back to Cummings’s remarks about pensioner deaths, it should be clear that neither SAGE nor the “science” the Tories say they’re following will have any credibility until that committee is given back to the scientists.

Source: Top Tories join calls to bar Cummings from scientific advisory group | Politics | The Guardian

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Priti Patel takes herself too seriously and that’s why this blunder is so satisfying

Gone is the trademark smirk: perhaps Ms Patel doesn’t think it’s funny when she makes a stupid mistake.

This is so funny I can’t let it pass by.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, announced over the weekend…

Without the slightest hint of self-consciousness, This Writer should add…

That shoplifting in the UK has fallen, when compared with the same time last year.

It seems she had forgotten a small detail:

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DWP accused of ‘discriminating’ against ESA-claiming disabled people in coronavirus pandemic

This is probably what the UN poverty rapporteur, Philip Alston, has been talking about recently.

He said the Tories spent 10 years insisting that austerity was vital when it only harmed the poor, but when the coronavirus put the country into lockdown they suddenly turned on the taps and had cash flowing like water.

But he said countries like the UK were still finding ways to harm the poorest – and this seems to be one of them:

Tory ministers raised Universal Credit by £20 a week in 2020/21 to help people cope with the costs of the virus. Tax Credits were due to rise too.

But the same rise was not applied to “legacy” benefits Jobseekers’ Allowance, Income Support and Employment Support Allowance.

Now a campaign by 100 organisations, including charities, argues this is discrimination against the disabled.

The most recent official figures last August show there were still 1.98million people on ESA, which is worth £74.35 a week for the sick and disabled.

Mrs Mike is on ESA. I think she’ll be writing to our MP about this in the very near future.

Source: DWP accused of ‘discriminating’ against disabled people in coronavirus pandemic – Mirror Online

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