Boris Johnson, an Apology?
Is it a REAL Apology from Boris Johnson? Is Johnson’s apology real? No, of course not. Here is the text; I want to apologise. I know that millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months. “I know the anguish they have been through – unable to mourn their relatives, unable to live their lives as they want or to do the things they love. “I know the rage they feel with me and with the government I lead when they think in Downing Street itself the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules. And though I cannot anticipate the conclusions of the current inquiry, I have learned enough to know there were things we simply did not get right and I must take responsibility. “No 10 is a big department with a garden as an extension of the office which has been in constant use because of the role of fresh air in stopping the virus. “When I went into that garden just after six on May 20 2020, to thank groups of staff before going back into my office 25 minutes later to continue working, I believed implicitly that this was a work event. “With hindsight I should have sent everyone back inside. I should have found some other way to thank them. “I should have recognised that even if it could be said technically to fall within the guidance, there are millions and millions of people who simply would not see it that way, people who have suffered terribly, people who were forbidden from meeting loved ones at all inside or outside, and to them and to this house I offer my heartfelt apologies. What it Means How can he say that he has now “learned enough to know there were things we simply did not get right” ? He denied any knowledge of parties. Then the photos were leaked. He denied that he knew anything about quiz nights. Then the photos were leaked. Nothing happened on 20th May. Then the truth was leaked and suddenly he remembered the day. He knew, he always knew but always denied and squirmed. He is not apologising for anything more than an oversight. He did not recognise a party when he was there for 25 minutes. He thought that wine, and cheese went along with work meetings. He is not apologising for lying. He is not apologising for appalling judgment. He is not appologising for knowingly expecting the rest of us to do what he thought did not apply to him. Then he went on to say; “I know the rage they feel with me and with the government I lead when they think in Downing Street itself the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules. ” When they think? When They Think? He does not know the extent and depth of the rage and anger. He has no idea. Boris Johnson, An Apology Scorned? Some of his MPs have had enough. William Wragg, a senior MP, has said that he should go. However, he has never been afan of Johnson’s. Looks like the Scottish Conservative party is ditching him, but then, Johnson was always a liabiliy for them at the poles. What will really tip the balance against him is if the Tory MPs begin to feal that he may cost them therir seats. To trigger a confidence vote just over 50 Tory MPs have to write a letter requesting a vote. It was interesting to see members of the cabinet supporting Johnson today. Most of them that is. Sunak had urgent business in Devon and could not get tothe Commons for PMQs. Johnson should not complain. He once dodged a vote about Heathrow by flying off to Afghanistan. (Remember him saying that he would lie down in front the bulldozers when they started work on the third runway?) For now he looks safe. At least until Sue Gray’s report is published. I imagine that any eport that does not directly blame Johnson by name will be presented as vindication by Johnson. He may well survive. The thing that he does not seem to understand is that he has passed the Clegg Point. The Clegg Point is that tipping point when a politician can not regain the public’s trust. For Clegg it was student loans for Johnson it was 20th May 2020. Links; Senior MP joins Scottish MSPs in calling for Johnson to resign (Guardian) Johnson mocked online (Mail Online) Boris Johnson faces calls to resign after he admits attending ‘bring your own booze’ event (Financial Times) I Agree with the Sun (blog about MP Expenses)
Covid – 19. UK Government’s Mistakes and Lies. (part 1)
Covid – 19 (Coronavirus) is on the Rise, Why? Imperial College London published a major report today (29th October). It says that the pace of the covid – 19 epidemic is accelerating. The report estimates that the number of people infected is increasing by 100,000 a day. That figure is doubling every nine days. (You can read the full report here) The Government says that it has “followed the science”, that is has “put an arm round the care sector”, “provided all the PPE that is necessary”. If the government has done all it can and acted in a timely fashion why are we in this mess? Hindsight is a Wonderful Thing. I am always sceptical of those who use hindsite to justify their prejudices and have attempted to avoid hindsight wisdom here. My appologies if I failed, occassionally. You should also be aware that I have written about covid – 19 before and do not claim to be impartial when looking at the this government’s response. (Previous blogs are Here and Here) Covid – 19, Back to the Start The first confirmed fatality from covid – 19 outside China was on 2nd February. There is a feeling that Andy Gill (memebr of The Gang of Four) who died on the 1st of February may have died of Covid – 19 in St Thomas’s hospital in London. Even before that the first confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK came on 31 January when two Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York tested positive. 3 February There is a modelling group called SPI-M (The Scientific Influenza Pandemic Group on Mocdelling). It produced a report that reviewed the infection in China. One of the comments was that it was “unclear whether outbreaks can be contained by isolation and contact tracing. If a high proportion of asymptomatic cases are infectious, then containment is unlikely via these policies.” Even on 3rd February it was clear that track and trace would not work on its own to contain and control the infection when it reached this country. 27 February Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer) tells the media that mass gatherings such as sports events and concerts may have to be cancelled. That schools closed for more than two months, if the UK is hit badly by coronavirus. Two days later, Health Minister Edward Argar told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “decisions on large events and whether they should go ahead will be taken at the time on the basis of the evidence.” I should point out that, at this point, the SPI-M advice was that closing mass events could drive people into pubs to watch football, for example, and this could be more dangerous that letting events go ahead. I have a problem with this advice. Not many games are televised live, apart from the elite clubs. So cancelling non Premier League club games would not drive hoards of people into the pubs to the watch the games. It seems to me that this advice and the whole approach from Sage and through the government was not, and is not, rooted in the real world. 3 March The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) issued this advice; “There was agreement that Government should advise against greetings such as shaking hands and hugging, given existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene.” The Sage sub-group, the Independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), said. “A public message against shaking hands has additional value as a signal about the importance of hand hygiene.” On the very same day Boris Johnson held a press conference broadcast on national television. He said “I was at a hospital the other night where I think there were a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands.” Prick. The “contain” phase of the government’s response to covid – 19 is launched. The idea is to “detect early cases, follow up close contacts, and prevent the disease taking hold in this country for as long as is reasonably possible”. I wonder how that went. I will cover the next part of the story shortly.
Coronavirus – What The World Thinks of Us
Coronavirus UK – 31,587 deaths, and counting. How on Earth did it Come to This? With a world coronavirus pandemic (meaning; an infection or disease prevalent over a whole country or the world) you would think that it takes a special lack of talent to be the worst in Europe and second worst in the the whole world. However, the UK government insists that it is working “night and day” “24 hours a day” (and any other meaningless phrase that they can conjure up) to defeat this common enemy. So why are the outcomes in this country so bad? The View from Abroad Perhaps we can get a handle on this question by looking at the foreign press. (Yes, I know, we do not usually look at the foreign press – after all, we are British, we can overcome anything by a liberal application of a stiff upper lip. We do not care what foreigners think). I am nonplussed that the British media seem to be so supine. Am I the only person who questions Johnson’s response? Am I being unfair both to the government (entirely possible as I never vote Tory) and the media (possible as I harbour a right wing bias theory about the national papers). So, let’s look at some foreign papers. At the outset I want to say that I did not select the papers, they were the first results of a Google search. In other words, these results are not the result of a self serving selection. They are the first results of my search. The USA – CNN Their Headline – Where did it go wrong for the UK on coronavirus? OK, so the stance of CNN is pretty obvious from the headline, even if you think that it is pretty rich coming from the USA (Coronavirus deaths 80,040). So what did they say? (Follow this link for the full story) A couple of quotes (I urge youn to read the full article to make sure that I am not slanting the tone of this entry); “And, despite ministers’ repeated insistence that they are being “guided by the science” in their coronavirus response, secrecy still shrouds the nature of that scientific advice. The current membership of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE), the government’s main scientific advisory body, which changes depending on the crisis, has not been listed publicly. The group hasn’t published the basis of any of its advice for more than a month. There is, as yet, no published framework for exiting the lockdown that has brought the fifth largest economy in the world to a grinding halt. “ And another; ” Indeed, the next day (March 13th) , Vallance (Chief Scientific Advisor) told BBC Radio 4’s flagship morning news program, in a now-infamous interview, that a “key” aim would be to “build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission.” Government sources have told CNN that herd immunity was never official policy.” CNN claims that the concept of herd immunity was abandoned by the UK government when modelling showed that it would lead to 250,000 deaths. It does pose 3 questions about the UK government’s performance that n eed to be answered; 1. The abandonment of mass tesing. “Abandoning testing gave the virus the green light to spread uncontrollably,” says the Royal Society of Medicine’s Gabriel Scally. “If you don’t have access to testing, you won’t know that you have an outbreak until a lot of people are ill.” (Ill and dying – my comment not CNN’s) 2. Whether the government failed to order a lockdown early enough. March 12th ” On that day Johnson stood before journalists, flanked by his scientific and medical advisers, and admitted that “many more families are going to lose loved ones.” But he didn’t go as far as ordering a lockdown — that would come over a week later. “ 3. The third big question is the pursuit of so-called “herd immunity.” If it was such a good idea why does no one else in the world agree? If it was such a good idea why talk about it in March and then deny that you did 10 days later? Does herd immunity even work with a virus that mutates? The USA – New York Times Their Headline – U.K. Paid $20 Million for New Coronavirus Tests. They Didn’t Work. Read the full story here. Basically, this is the story of incompetence. Someone sidles up to you in a pub and says,”do you want some antibody tests, no questions asked?” You are desperate for good news and so you say “Yes” and give them a huge wad of notes. The tests arrive, but they do not work. Ooops. Sit coms have been written with similar plots. It beggars belief, it really does. Italy – The Corriere della Sera Italy (Coronavirus deaths 30,395 ) Here is the translation; “The country that was the most reluctant in Europe to introduce the closures has become the most cautious in starting the reopening: thanks to the fear that grips the government and public opinion. The data are also worrying: the United Kingdom is now the European country with the highest number of coronavirus deaths, with more than 32,000 registered victims, according to the Independent. The lockdown review is expected on Thursday, and it is obvious that it will be extended for another three weeks. That was also to be the date on which Boris Johnson would present at least one “road map” for phase 2: but the prime minister gave himself until Sunday evening when he will announce his plan in a televised speech to the nation. But what filters through the newspapers does not seem encouraging at all.” It seems odd reading a piece from Italy that sounds so hopeless, about the UK. No trumpeting that the title of “sickman of Europe” has been taken from Italy, just a sad shrug of the shoulders. Says
Coronavirus – It’s the Nurses Fault!
Hancock Continues to Demonstrate His Incompetence Another day another coronavirus briefing in which Hancock showed just how bad he is at his job. You would have thought that the Health Secretary would want to help and support the NHS. However, when he was presented with his own organisational failings he blamed the nurses. They use too much PPE. Dangerous Strategy Even if front line NHS staff were misusing coronavirus PPE blaming the country’s angels for his failings is a dangerous strategy. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is not amused. In a pointed statement of advice for its members it said that “Ultimately, if you have exhausted all other measures to reduce the risk and you have not been given appropriate PPE in line with the UK Infection Prevention and Control guidance, you are entitled to refuse to work. This will be a last resort and the RCN recognises what a difficult step this would be for nursing staff.” The RCN also said that it would help any nurses taking such action defend any court action. Coronavirus PPE – Je Ne Regrette Rien Handed the pefect oppotunity to apologise and admit that the situation could have been handled better in today’s coronavirus briefing Hancock ducked and refused to answer the question. He did not even follow Priti Patel’s style of non apology, she said “sorry if people feel there have been failings” . This non apology was echoed by Alok Sharma the business secretary on the Andrew Marr Show saying “I’m incredibly sorry that people feel they are not able to get this equipment.” At least he had the good grace to also say that there was “clearly a need for more protective equipment”. Seen, by some as a rebuke for Hancock’s performance. The more striking as it came from a junior minister. Avoidance, Not Answers Hancock has the look of a haunted and hunted man. He clearly does not enjoy the coronavirus briefings. He avoids questions, tries to misdirect by answering the questions he wishes were asked. To be fair all politicians do this, it is one of their little tricks. The problem for Hancock is that he is not very good at it. I said “the problem” truth is he has a few problems. With Friends Like These…. Last week Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times said that the cabinet, civil servants, and special advisors were positioning themselves so that they will avoid the inevitable blame when this crisis is over. (Perhaps that is why Patel seems to have been dragged screaming and crying into her first coronavirus briefing). This week The Sunday Times has a piece that denies that there is a rift between Rishi Sunak and Hancock. The interesting question is why they had to deny the rumour, unless there is some prima facia reason to believe it. Last week The Sunday Times reported that Hancock’s minesterial colleagues were refering to him as “Handjob”. Referring to someone as an act of masturbation does not imply any respect at all. Perhaps he is not paranoid perhaps his friends are out to get him. Links Sky News – RCN advice to nurses Independent – Hancock refuses to apologise The Guardian – Patel’s non apology
Book of the Week, 1 – The Death of Grass
The Death of Grass by John Christopher Each week I want to highlight what I am reading at the moment. To start with is a great book. The Death of Grass. The Death of Grass An easy choice this week. I first read this years ago, it must have been in the 60s. It was ahead of its time. An infection starting in China watched with amused detachment in the West that becomes a world wide issue. Society disintegrating told by focusing on one family and their struggle for survival. In this case the infection is a rust virus that affects rice but then jumps species and come to infect and kill all grasses. Think about it, no grains, no fodder for animals, there would be mass starvation and society would fail. What I find chilling is that there are infections that are spreading through our cropsright now, Coronavirus just happens to be another virus but one that affects humans directly. Written in the mid fifties the tone of this book can appear stilted to our eyes. I know some people can find this a problem. I do not find it a problem at all, in some ways it makes the book more affecting. It reads a bit like John Wyndham (a good thing to me). It has that old British tone that is of sensible Sci Fi that is not Sci Fi at all. I can imagine it being read by a 60s BBC continuity announcer in a standard English voice and that only making the book more apocalyptic. Prescient is a word that describes this quietly chilling book exactly. I am so glad that I found this book again, and so sorry that it is so apposite now. you can find it at Amazon by following this link; The Death of Grass
Hello ET, Not the Flying Bicycle Type….
Essential Thrombocythaemia is such a mouthful, ET is easier Since my stroke I have been a pretty regular visitor to the doctors’ surgery and have had a series of bloods taken for tests. It would appear that I have a problem, Essential Thrombocythemia. For some time my white platelet count has been high, outside of the normal range which is between 150,000 to 450,000 per microliter of blood. It went up to about 700,000. So I was referred to the Haematology Deprtment of the local hospital. What are Platelets and What do they do? For a start these thingies are small, really small. I believe that they are the smallest of all the types of blood cells. Platelets are shaped like plates in their dormant state. They float about in the blood vessels waiting to be called into action. When the body is injured, say a cut, the platelets make their was to the wound. There they change shape becoming larger and growing tentacles. Using them they all clump together to seal the cut. All in all platelets are a Good Thing. They are produced by the marrow in bones and the problem (well, mine) started when my marrow started to produce more and more platelets. The issue is that with loads of platelets the chance of them forming a clot in an organ liker you heart or brain increases. My stroke was the result of a blood clot so it is probable that the high platelet count caused my stroke. The question is whether the high platelet count, over a long period of time, should have been flagged up earlier -before my stroke – by my GP. Ideally, yes, of course. However, as there are about only 500 cases of Essential Thrombocythemia diagnosed a year why would he spot it? I often think that we have too many expectations of our doctors. The chances are that mine was the first case that my GP had come across. Why should he be expected to recognise every rare condition unerringly? Completely unreasonable. The Good Type of a Stroke and now – The Good Type of Cancer…… I am such a lucky bugger. No one has more luck than me. My stroke was an unusual, “good” sort. That is short hand for an unusual type of stroke and it did not kill me. Now the “good” type of cancer. That is short hand for an unusual type of cancer that will not kill me – unless it gives me another stroke. The Good News Essential Thrombocythemia can be controlled, that is the good news. I have to take a low level chemotherapy drug for the rest of my life. It has all the usual chemotherapy side effects, or may have. So far, several months on, I have not noticed any dramatic side effects. Now the Bad News A good stroke, and a good cancer, what could be “bad” after those two? Bloody coronavirus, that’s what. As a result of having Essential Thrombocythemia (why is it called “Essential”? No idea) I am in the high risk group for Covid-19. 12 weeks self isolation here I come………. For more information about Stroke go Here, for more information about Essential Thrombocythemia go Here. More about my stroke Here, and Here, and Here, and Here, and yet again (I do go on a bit, don’t I) Here . Oops, and another blog here.
How to Make Your Own Hand SanitiZer
Not All My Own Work! This is copied from Healthline.com a site that is well worth reading. I thought that anything that helps us all keep safe and well is worth promoting. Besides, making your own hand sanitiser is remarkably easy. Why did we ever pay for it? (oh yes, I am sorry about the american spelling of sanitizer)…… Ingredients How to make How to use Effectiveness Washing vs. sanitizer Bottom line When it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, nothing beats good old-fashioned hand washing. But if water and soap aren’t available, your next best option, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, is to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Unless you have a stockpile of store-bought hand sanitizer, you’ll likely have a hard time finding any at a store or online right now. Due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, most retailers can’t keep up with the demand for hand sanitizer. The good news? All it takes is three ingredients to make your own hand sanitizer at home. Read on to find out how. What ingredients do you need? Making your own hand sanitizer is easy to do and only requires a few ingredients: isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent alcohol volume) aloe vera gel an essential oil, such as tea tree oil or lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead The key to making an effective, germ-busting hand sanitizer is to stick to a 2:1 proportion of alcohol to aloe vera. This keeps the alcohol content around 60 percent. This is the minimum amount needed to kill most germs, according to the CDCTrusted Source. How do you make your own hand sanitizer? Dr. Rishi Desai, chief medical officer of Osmosis, and a former epidemic intelligence service officer in the division of viral diseases at the CDC, says that the hand sanitizer recipe below will kill 99.9 percent of germs after 60 seconds. Hand sanitizer recipe What you’ll need: 3/4 cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent) 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (to help keep your hands smooth and to counteract the harshness of alcohol) 10 drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead Directions: Pour all ingredients into a bowl, ideally one with a pouring spout like a glass measuring container. Mix with a spoon and then beat with a whisk to turn the sanitizer into a gel. Pour the ingredients into an empty bottle for easy use, and label it “hand sanitizer.” Jagdish Khubchandani, PhD, associate professor of health science at Ball State University, shared a similar formula. His hand sanitizer formula combines: two parts isopropyl alcohol or ethanol (91 percent to 99 percent alcohol) one part aloe vera a few drops of clove, eucalyptus, peppermint, or other essential oil. If you are making hand sanitizer at home, Khubchandani says to adhere to these tips: Make the hand sanitizer in a clean space. Wipe down counter tops with a diluted bleach solution beforehand. Wash your hands thoroughly before making the hand sanitizer. To mix, use a clean spoon and whisk. Wash these items thoroughly before using them. Make sure the alcohol used for the hand sanitizer is not diluted. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly until they are well blended. Do not touch the mixture with your hands until it is ready for use. For a larger batch of hand sanitizer, the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source has a formula for a hand sanitizer that uses: isopropyl alcohol or ethanol hydrogen peroxide glycerol sterile distilled or boiled cold water How to use hand sanitizer Two things to be aware of when using hand sanitizer is that you need to rub it into your skin until your hands are dry. And, if your hands are greasy or dirty, you should wash them first with soap and water. With that in mind, here are some tips for using hand sanitizer effectively. Spray or apply the sanitizer to the palm of one hand. Thoroughly rub your hands together. Make sure you cover the entire surface of your hands and all your fingers. Continue rubbing for 30 to 60 seconds or until your hands are dry. It can take at least 60 seconds, and sometimes longer, for hand sanitizer to kill most germs. What germs can hand sanitizer kill? According to the CDCTrusted Source, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that meets the alcohol volume requirement can quickly reduce the number of microbes on your hands. It can also help destroy a wide range of disease-causing agents or pathogens on your hands, including the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. However, even the best alcohol-based hand sanitizers have limitations and do not eliminate all types of germs. According to the CDC, hand sanitizers won’t get rid of potentially harmful chemicals. It’s also not effective at killing the following germs: norovirus cryptosporidium (which causes cryptosporidiosis) clostridium difficile (also known as C. diff) Also, a hand sanitizer may not work well if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy. This may happen after working with food, doing yard work, gardening, or playing a sport. If your hands look dirty or slimy, opt for hand washing instead of a hand sanitizer. Hand washing vs. hand sanitizer Knowing when it’s best to wash your hands, and when hand sanitizers can be helpful, is key to protecting yourself from the novel coronavirus as well as other illnesses, like the common cold and seasonal flu. While both serve a purpose, washing your hands with soap and water should always be a priority, according to the CDC. Only use hand sanitizer if you soap and water isn’t available in a given situation. It’s also important to always wash your hands: after going to the bathroom after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing before eating after touching surfaces that could be contaminated The CDC lists specific instructionsTrusted Source on the most effective way to wash your hands. This is what they recommend:
Phil’s British Heart Foundation Donation – you know it makes sense
