It’s because, rather than approach the crisis as an existential threat to our people and our way of life, they’re treating it like they’re contestants on The Apprentice.
Bear with me here…
-Really well. We delivered 30 new ventilators within six weeks.
-But you needed 30,000. That was the target, yes?
-Eh… Yes.
-Yes. That was my idea. A Great British Technology Triumph. We got great publicity.
-But you didn’t go to the Ventilator manufacturers.
-No.
-And you didn’t get any ventilators.
-Eh… No.
-Yes. It was a great success.
-Yes. We delivered millions of items of PPE. Masks, gloves, gowns. Millions.
-But I’m reading reports that doctors and nurses and care workers don’t have enough.
-There were some small problems with logistics but we sorted them out.
-Yes. The whole world was buying this stuff. It was difficult to get hold of.
-But hang on a minute. Folk all over the country have been raising charity money and buying PPE. They don’t find it difficult to get hold of.
-Succeeded, you say?
-Yes. Millions and millions of items. Billions if you count fingers on gloves
-But I’m reading reports that frontline workers died. Doctors, Nurses, Care Workers. Died.
-Eh… Yes
-Because they didn’t have any PPE, did they.
-Eh…No
-Brilliant. We built a brand new hospital in only 10 days.
-10 days? Impressive.
-4000 beds? Wow.
-Yes. It was a great success.
-Success you say? Well, let’s look at that.
-How many patients did you treat at the new hospital?
-Eh… not many.
-Why not?
-Well, we didn’t need it.
-Why not?
-Nursing homes?
-Yes.
-And how did that work out?
-It was very successful.
-Successful you say?
-Yes.
-Well, let’s look at that.
-Yes.
-Covid patients?
-Yes.
-You tested them first?
-Eh… No
-You didn’t test them?
-No
-And you put them in nursing homes?
-Yes
-Covid patients.
-Yes
-In nursing homes.
-Eh… Yes
-Yes. It was a great success. We made sure hospital capacity wasn’t overwhelmed.
-But you didn’t test the patients before discharging them?
-No.
-Eh… No
-And the nursing homes didn’t have enough PPE, did they?
-Eh… No
-And people died.
-But we stopped the hospitals from being overwhelmed.
-But people died.
-Yes
-Thousands. Died.
-Eh… Yes
-It was a great success. I set a target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.
-100,000 test a day?
-Yes.
-Yes. It was a great success.
-Was it? Let’s look at that. How many tests did you do?
-We did 122,000
-Yes.
-How many people were tested?
-eh… About 70,000
-Eh… No
-It’s not even 100,000 is it?
-Eh…No
-What about the rest?
-Well, we counted the number of tests posted out
-Posted out?
-Yes. And the number of tests sent to mobile testing stations.
-Sent?
-Yes
-But not tested.
-Eh…No
-Eh… Yes. But it was just a Bee Hag.
-A Bee Hag?
-Yes. A Big Hairy Audacious Goal.
-But you didn’t hit the target. You missed the goal.
-Eh… Yes
-And how many people are being tested each day now?
-Eh…About 60,000
-Not 100,000?
-Eh…No
-That’s Hairy
-It’s been a great success.
-Thank Goodness. Now, I put you onto the Tech giants, the global experts. Apple. Google. How did you get on with them? Have you got a Tracing App?
-We decided to do it ourselves.
-Yourselves?
-Eh… Yes
-No. Dominic knows this guy who helped him with some Apps previously.
-Dominic?
-Yes
Not Google?
-No
-Or Apple?
-Eh… No
-Dominic.
-Yes. He says the data will be really valuable.
-Does it work?
-We’re running tests.
-Not more tests!
Ends.