Getting harder and harder to excuse a floundering government even in exceptional times. Exhibit 1.
Exhibit 2 - the queue outside my local supermarket 20 minutes before it opens. Twice the length of yesterday at this time. You've just announced school closures and rumours say impending lockdown of London. Logical to stock. Has government responded? 
Exhibit 3 - EU talks from Politico. "Short term blip"?! The greatest global peacetime crisis in living memory is a short term blip. No wonder the pound is tanking. And I gather it is only in recent days that plans to open trade talks with US and Japan have been shelved.
Exhibit 4 - economic response. We know government is working but why is it taking longer than other countries? People are being laid off, or fearing what happens if they have to isolate, and this has not been addressed. There are people with answers e.g. @Frances_Coppola
Exhibit 5 - the Coronavirus Bill. This definitely shouldn't be waved through without scrutiny. Good that its been published, but is government going to be prepared to listen?
Impressed with this - Merkel addressing the supermarket issue directly, like someone who understands. Our government seems to be struggling to understand what is going on, people's lives etc.
So finally to answer the latest @afneil provocation - Brexit extension is the bellwether by which the UK government will be judged. While they continue to refuse we know they are not seriously prepared to do what it takes to beat coronavirus. Simple.
Interesting thoughts on wartime parallels, but ultimately the principle should be simple at this point - normal politics is suspended, and competence replaces partisanship. As yet we haven't seen enough of this from the UK government. /end theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
