O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Geoff Parkstone]

Yes I would have been perfectly happy to have seen Cummins and the other M's who chose to ignore lockdown being buried! But telling joe upblic that they can ignore the lockdown at such a crucial stage of lockdown enforcement was as irresponsible journalism as were the actions. Some things are best not known.

The health secretary might well say "he didn't' know" but he wasn't health secretary at the time of the appointment and may never have bothered to ask. if you were to tell me that "the powers that be" collectively didn't know I would be flabberghasted, shocked and awed. Basic disclosure of interests such of this are mandatory for any significant appointment, let alone senior appointment.

[Ram59]

He wasn’t ‘headhunted last year’. He’s been in post since March 2018...and I’m saying that it doesn’t fit well with me for those most influential in the area of government decision making to have obvious possible vested interests.

Perhaps you don’t recognise the possibility of a clear conflict of interest, but you’re an intelligent guy so I really don’t understand why.

That's the nicest you've ever said to me RA, but you do have a point.

But in national and regional government and businesses, you're frequently going to get conflicts of interest whether personally or through friends and relations. You can't expect all these people to withdraw investments and /or get friends or relatives to leave jobs. It's a complicated matter, but the person involved needs to declare an interest.

[Andy_Faber]

We aren’t still going on about Cummings are we? Jesus wept, what next? OJ Simpson? George Hanratti?

[ramAnag]

That's the nicest you've ever said to me RA, but you do have a point.

But in national and regional government and businesses, you're frequently going to get conflicts of interest whether personally or through friends and relations. You can't expect all these people to withdraw investments and /or get friends or relatives to leave jobs. It's a complicated matter, but the person involved needs to declare an interest.

Which he clearly hadn’t...or I suspect the Health Secretary wouldn’t have had to find out through the newspapers.

...and yes Andy...the Cummings thing still resonates, but I don’t ‘go on’ about it half as much as you do about the BBC.

[swaledale]

We aren’t still going on about Cummings are we? Jesus wept, what next? OJ Simpson? George Hanratti?

Cummings' breaking of the lockdown and the PM's lack of action , indeed actual support for it has IMO wrecked public trust over the Governments handling of this pandemic and is therefore relevant wouldn't you say?

[Geoff Parkstone]

"Which he clearly hadn’t...or I suspect the Health Secretary wouldn’t have had to find out through the newspapers."

How on earth do you conclude that! If I told you that I didn't know we were 0-3 down to Blackburn after 15 minutes, would you assume that we weren't. Jesus, talk about one eyed......

FFS, he is a PEP, he will have been subject to the usual AML and FATF requirements and disclosures

Read this, then tell me what evidence you have that he has been in breach of it.

https://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf...P-Rec12-22.pdf

Yes its French, but we were in EU back then. We will have the same procedures, I just cant find them

[Andy_Faber]

Cummings' breaking of the lockdown and the PM's lack of action , indeed actual support for it has IMO wrecked public trust over the Governments handling of this pandemic and is therefore relevant wouldn't you say?

No I wouldn’t, most folk either a) don’t follow the news that closely, b) have forgotten about it by now or) like me didn’t believe a word of his excuses, thought his bosses response was weak, but expected things to end up how they did and just moved on. only those with an Unusually blunt axe to grind about HMG anyway are Still polishing away.

[swaledale]

No I wouldn’t, most folk either a) don’t follow the news that closely, b) have forgotten about it by now or) like me didn’t believe a word of his excuses, thought his bosses response was weak, but expected things to end up how they did and just moved on. only those with an Unusually blunt axe to grind about HMG anyway are Still polishing away.

Well most people haven't forgotten about it judging by responses in media interviews I've seen!

I don't think most people expected things to end up as they have, many have acted as if it had gone away.

Blunt axe? We are talking about a special advisor who by all accounts wields an enormous amount of power at the heart of this government and whose actions led to a number of high profile and experienced Civil servants leaving rather than work under his influence.

His continued presence behind the scenes is of concern to those who can see where the dice is being rolled on Covid, Brexit and many other issues. In fact the signs are it is him and his cohorts who are determining the direction of policy which any sane person would be concerned about surely?

[ramAnag]

"Which he clearly hadn’t...or I suspect the Health Secretary wouldn’t have had to find out through the newspapers."

How on earth do you conclude that! If I told you that I didn't know we were 0-3 down to Blackburn after 15 minutes, would you assume that we weren't. Jesus, talk about one eyed......

FFS, he is a PEP, he will have been subject to the usual AML and FATF requirements and disclosures

Read this, then tell me what evidence you have that he has been in breach of it.

https://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf...P-Rec12-22.pdf

Yes its French, but we were in EU back then. We will have the same procedures, I just cant find them

Sorry...I really don’t know what you’re talking about and no...I haven’t read your 36 page dossier.

How do I conclude what? That Hancock only knew of PV’s shareholding via the newspapers? Because I heard him say so on the News.

Consider this for a moment...our Health Secretary - that’s the bloke in charge of our nation’s Covid response - didn’t know that the government’s chief science adviser - the guy who stands next to and advises the PM (and Government) when addressing the Covid crisis - has a £600,000 investment in one of the pharmaceutical companies engaged in finding a vaccine.

If that’s okay with you, so be it. To me it’s wrong...and a potential clear conflict of interest.

To me it’s also wrong that Dominic Cummings was allowed to get away with the way he behaved too. Both are symptomatic, imo, of the current state of British politics.

The fact that otherwise intelligent folk like you, Andy and Ram59 continue to belittle responses that challenge this government’s lack of integrity depresses me even more than this afternoons result...and yes...that was ‘kin Johnson’s fault too.

[swaledale]

Sorry...I really don’t know what you’re talking about and no...I haven’t read your 36 page dossier.

How do I conclude what? That Hancock only knew of PV’s shareholding via the newspapers? Because I heard him say so on the News.

Consider this for a moment...our Health Secretary - that’s the bloke in charge of our nation’s Covid response - didn’t know that the government’s chief science adviser - the guy who stands next to and advises the PM (and Government) when addressing the Covid crisis - has a £600,000 investment in one of the pharmaceutical companies engaged in finding a vaccine.

If that’s okay with you, so be it. To me it’s wrong...and a potential clear conflict of interest.

To me it’s also wrong that Dominic Cummings was allowed to get away with the way he behaved too. Both are symptomatic, imo, of the current state of British politics.

The fact that otherwise intelligent folk like you, Andy and Ram59 continue to belittle responses that challenge this government’s lack of integrity depresses me even more than this afternoons result...and yes...that was ‘kin Johnson’s fault too.

I'd say those that voted for this shower are refusing to acknowledge reality! Also apparently whereas i was being harsh for suggesting the average person hasn't a clue whats going on, apparently most people will have forgotten about Cummings little escapade, so which is it, clueless or short memories?