In response to Alistair Miller: Is this really the right way to beat the virus?
DespiteBrexit wrote:
‘But the chilling intent was clear enough.’
Is it? That is quite an accusation and, although I agree it to be possible, cockup is as usual a plausible alternative to conspiracy.
Or perhaps it is not even that? Maybe time will show the UK approach to have been the closest to optimal? For example, under more stringent regimes, what happens if no vaccine is developed? Or the process takes so long that lockdowns become intolerable, with consequences worse than those of the disease.
And do not so lightly dismiss the need to take account of economic consequences. Health is partly a function of wealth so there is a trade-off, not a simple binary choice between lives and the economy. To take an extreme, if we let the economy slip back to that of the Stone Age then the impact on health and and longevity would be much more profound than that of this virus.
Colonel Mustard wrote:
The UK is ageist, not least as a result of government policy and actions. There is so much handwringing about giving offence, sexism and racism but the disgustingly prejudiced term ‘pale, male and stale’ is uttered in Parliament without qualms and glibly mentioned twice in Toby Young’s Spectator article defending Steve Bell (and the Spectator has descended to extraordinary promotion of projectile feminism in everything from book reviews to Deborah Ross’s and Tanya Gold’s feminism-obsessed film and restaurant reviews).
There are almost daily grotesque generalisations and presumptions about ‘baby boomers’, ‘wealthy pensioners’, ‘bed blockers’, ‘elderly Brexit voters stealing the future’, etc, that would never be tolerated if directed at any of the so-called ‘protected groups’. And the finance industry has been allowed to be exempt from the supposedly age protected characteristic in the Equality Act so continues to discriminate on the basis of age.
Dave S wrote:
I emailed my always very complacent Tory MP and suggested that maybe the policy was mistaken as the WHO and the rest of the world seemed to be on another track. The reply was insulting, basically saying the government is right so STFU.
Of course our ruling class do not care about us. Have they ever? It is like the Somme all over again. Enough of you will get through so we will encourage this so-called unproven herd immunity, and tough on the old and the sick. Did not work in 1916 and will not work now.
Compare and contrast the US approach. Like always, slow to get going but my God when they get into gear they really motor. Like in 1941.
We are on our own and that is my family’s belief, and we will look after ourselves and Boris and his nudge chums and the Common Purpose droids can go and get stuffed.
If we begin to suspect that he has put the economy above our welfare then the resulting storm will make 1789 look like a beauty pageant.
They have had the chance to be proactive and convince us that they care for all citizens young and old. They have blown it and the consequences are going to be quite extraordinary. Just look at Israel and what it is doing and weep.
