O/T:- Are we over-reacting to COVD19?

[Elite_Pie]

Read this from the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh.

A damning analysis of how the Government has fcuked this up.

I think it's still too early to make a definitive judgement on the way the government has handled this. Looking at other countries, if we can keep the daily fatalities at or close to double figures as the peak, they have done a decent job. If in the coming weeks the death rate rises to similar numbers as Italy and Spain, they have failed big time. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the big mistake so far was 'advising' rather than 'enforcing'. Even if 90% of people take the advice on board, it still leaves millions who don't. My concern is that the actions we are now taking are a couple of weeks behind when they should have been taken.

[forwardmagpie]

I think it's still too early to make a definitive judgement on the way the government has handled this. Looking at other countries, if we can keep the daily fatalities at or close to double figures as the peak, they have done a decent job. If in the coming weeks the death rate rises to similar numbers as Italy and Spain, they have failed big time. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the big mistake so far was 'advising' rather than 'enforcing'. Even if 90% of people take the advice on board, it still leaves millions who don't. My concern is that the actions we are now taking are a couple of weeks behind when they should have been taken.

A fair analysis Elite.

[upthemaggies]

Going by the graphs, it looks as though we'll be very similar to Italy, the hardest hit will be Spain. USA will likely be the worst hit of all in the developed world.
Seeing the pictures still being tweeted from passengers on the tube trains, I can't understand why those haven't been closed altogether. You'd expect London to be the hardest hit but the tube situation is madness.

[jackal2]

I think it's still too early to make a definitive judgement on the way the government has handled this. Looking at other countries, if we can keep the daily fatalities at or close to double figures as the peak, they have done a decent job. If in the coming weeks the death rate rises to similar numbers as Italy and Spain, they have failed big time. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the big mistake so far was 'advising' rather than 'enforcing'. Even if 90% of people take the advice on board, it still leaves millions who don't. My concern is that the actions we are now taking are a couple of weeks behind when they should have been taken.

An interesting hypothetical question is how a Jeremy Corbyn government would have handled the same situation?

The obvious thing to say is that a Corbyn Government would have thrown a lot of money at it, but then again Rishi Sunak has done that too and surprised a lot of people, so it's a question of whether Corbyn would have thrown even more at the problem.

The other question I suppose is whether he would have restricted civil liberties to a greater degree than the current Government. Corbyn isn't exactly a 'police state' guy to say the least, but would he have been hardline or softly softly? Would he have had the nation in lockdown already, or would he be trying to sit down and negotiate with the virus?

[BigFatPie]

An interesting hypothetical question is how a Jeremy Corbyn government would have handled the same situation?

The obvious thing to say is that a Corbyn Government would have thrown a lot of money at it, but then again Rishi Sunak has done that too and surprised a lot of people, so it's a question of whether Corbyn would have thrown even more at the problem.

The other question I suppose is whether he would have restricted civil liberties to a greater degree than the current Government. Corbyn isn't exactly a 'police state' guy to say the least, but would he have been hardline or softly softly? Would he have had the nation in lockdown already, or would he be trying to sit down and negotiate with the virus?

I think a Corbyn government would have been terrible. Probably quicker to address economic need, but even more incompetent.

This crisis is an illustration of the truly awful choice the public has been faced with at the last 2 elections.

[Elite_Pie]

An interesting hypothetical question is how a Jeremy Corbyn government would have handled the same situation?

He would have made all the right decisions in the interest of the public rather than business, and kept fatalities to an absolute minimum.

While I don't believe that for a minute, it's no less valid than any claims that it would be ten times worse if he was in charge.

[forwardmagpie]

He would have made all the right decisions in the interest of the public rather than business, and kept fatalities to an absolute minimum.

While I don't believe that for a minute, it's no less valid than any claims that it would be ten times worse if he was in charge.

Again a fair assessment Elite.

[countygump]

Again a fair assessment Elite.

Agree with most of the above. While Boris has followed the medical advice, asking rather nicely is not the same as ordering people to follow recommendations or else. Seems he's done that now, ought to have been done a week or so ago.

[jackal2]

He would have made all the right decisions in the interest of the public rather than business, and kept fatalities to an absolute minimum.

While I don't believe that for a minute, it's no less valid than any claims that it would be ten times worse if he was in charge.

To be fair I think most British Governments in recent history would have had a big dilemma, because the "big stick" approach isn't really compatible with western liberal democracies, and especially not the British mentality.

When China gave out strict instructions to their public, they did so in the knowledge that their people are trained from birth to do as they are told, but the western culture is different. It will be interesting to see how the new measures just announced are enforced.

[upthemaggies]

In this situation, Corbyn would have been battling against the media as well as the virus, he wouldn't have stood a chance because the public and businesses wouldn't have been encouraged, or worse been actively discouraged, to comply with the governments advice until it was too late. I can see the Sun headlines now, "Corbyn-19 wants to close our pubs" with his face superimposed onto a graphic of the virus.