Original Post: 3/4/2020

The World Of Politics. Bleaggggh you may say. But having been a member of the Labour Party all of my life (apart from quitting it twice), I guess I live, breathe, get angry, get delighted, get analytical, pay my taxes, get angry, get even more angry.

I am furious.

As someone in the later period of his life, I’m rather concerned about, well, LIVING. Politicians have a job to do. OK in my opinion, the whole Brexit thing was spun to the British People in the form of dominic Cummings’ lies, good old lies. Remember Nixon, remember Clinton? Remember Weapons of mass destruction? Yup, it’s all parties worldwide. Sure, there’s governments that just become Police States and beat the crap out of you before they can even START lying.

Then there’s hurtful life destroying holding-on-to-their-jobs type lying. Johnson, Gove, Hancock all practice this. Trump is way less complex, he’s an egocentric Dangermouth. But as we’re now potentially going through the biggest disaster worldwide caused by whatever (to be determined) that’s killing more and more, and won’t stop killing for a long while, and that’s going to alter the way the Earth functions in some way, THEN we need to question, question, analyse, question and then demand answers very loudly.

The World Health Organisation left a message over a month ago. Test, test, test. Many people agreed with that. But the UK was not prepared, and we are now in a desperate position. The death rate in this country is rising predictably hugely, and each time this government is asked what the heck it’s up to, the answers are lies, excuses, lies, pathetic ejaculations of intent, then more lies.

The latest is that now “we intend to “ramp up” (that phrase again) testing to 100,000 a day by May 1st 2020.” We currently do under 10,000 “antigen” tests per day (let’s call it Test A) which is a swab test that can say if the person tested actually HAS the virus. After Health Secretary Hancock spouted yesterday, there is still NO certainty that this will rise by anything significant AT ALL by May 1st. He plans to add Private Organisations and Universities to the testing regime IF THEY CAN GET THE TESTING KITS or DEVISE ANOTHER ONE. “We’re going to be working with other companies to try to ramp up the number of testing kits…” Germany is doing 500,000 of these Test A tests WEEKLY. We never bought aenough of them, can’t get hold of many of them, haven’t got them, so won’t know with any speed whatsoever where people have got the virus or not, so we’re vastly short on frontline emergency staff, who are staying away from work until they know they’ve had the virus and recovered (not died, as is happening). Hancock is lying, has lied, and whether it’s incompetence after very bad delaying decisions or simply it’s a disgusting smugness generated by the climate of spin and lies so enjoyed by Cummings, well, I’d say the government has blood on its hands.

AND…before anyone says Oh There’s Another Keyboard Warrior or something like that, do your research, come up with a reasoned different opinion and I’d be very happy to debate it.

Hancock also says that the 100,000 daily tests he’s hoping to do in a month’s time also includes a vast number of “antibody” tests (Test B) which can detect whether someone has already HAD the virus, has recovered, and is probably immune when tested. They could then go back to work, and not infect anyone, or be infected again. Probably. THING IS….small problem, Test B DOES NOT EXIST yet. No Test B actually works. Yet. Spin spin spin spin spin spin spin LIES.

So where does that leave us? In desperate need of testing. In desperate need for full protective clothing for frontline workers. Unfortunately, it appears (TBC) that the EU scheme that would have allowed us to take part in purchasing huge numbers of masks and ventilators at near to cost price was shunned. Civil Servants went to 8 meetings apparently to discuss these matters, then said No Thanks. Getting Tory donors Dyson at the eleventh hour to dream up a ventilator sounds like last minute desperation to me, and what Formula One racing car manufacturers are doing, Heaven knows.

Is there any good news? The country is having a bash at the lockdown & social distancing thing, and making a reasonable fist of it (apart from a few arrogant scum who simply don’t give a damn). This situation could go on for ages…still bunches of people are going to work on the tube, so that isn’t helping…the Brazilian President doesn’t think it’s a problem nor do bunches of senators in certain US States. Marvellous. One of my so called friends says ”it’s just a load of fuss over nothing…listen to the Spiked Podcast, more people die of flu, blah blah…” Right. Glad you’ve understood this all much better than me.

I’m in an Underlying Condition category here, having had a lung thingie since I was 29. Means I get three or four chest infections a year. So I’m a bit worried, rather fancy a few more years on this planet. Things to do, People to see etc…..

My dear pal and correspondent Peter Newman-Legros wrote in response to the April 1st blog piece (below):

Spot on with your a-musings and seriousnesses also. I’m hoping that one outcome will be that the world collectively will be given a hefty knock away from its hitherto direction; that unfettered capitalism and the endless quest for profit are not seen as the remedies for healing the damage done to people and economies. Perhaps a critical mass will finally make the difference and following a humanist path will become the new world « socialism ». We can but hope. Smaller, simpler, kinder.  And if the popularist despots and commentators can be seen for what they are and given the boot, that would be a good result. We know who they are.

Wouldn’t that be nice.

I can tell that people like my pal namesake Chris “Wood” Marshall, a very Pro Establishment figure, will probably disagree and say that they’re probably doing the best they can (which I suppose might be the point here). We never share similar views really, but that’s fine. In this case, I think by finding out rapidly why we’re so drowning with the testing scenario, we could force the government to change course, appeal (to Europe?) for huge numbers of Test A if there’s any spare, and the government could admit that this “absence of reagent” is because they waited so long before acting, they could save a bunch of lives, and help to get out of this heap….would so love to be proved TOTALLY WRONG.

Any comments gratefully received….

xx