Thread by @swardley

"£9B went to companies run by friends or associates of the Conservative party" ... in other words, the basic principles of challenge and spend control were thrown out of the window. This needs a full public inquiry ->

https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1339692094525337601

As one of the co-authors of the "better for less" paper, as an advocate for the introduction of spend control in 2010, having seen the hard work that went into savings billions ... I am truly disappointed.

In a crisis, it is important to challenge and not to panic. This is why you need systems like spend control, and G-Cloud rather than "special" processes especially not "VIP processes" - thetimes.co.uk/article/german… - it looks like we've opened the door to corruption and exploitation.

If I think of all the hard work that went into introducing challenge into UK Gov between 2010-2015, then all the idiocy that went into dismantling it in the following five years ... then I am both truly disappointed but unsurprised by what I am reading ...

... I will no doubt be apoplectic when I finally get to read how much UK Gov pissed up the wall with strategy and management consultancy firms during covid rather than listening to civil servants.

As "old Labour", I had no problem working with "One Nation" Tories back in 2010-2015 because we both shared common views on reducing waste, importance of society, of social measures and focusing on needs. There weren't many One Nation Tories left in the party even back then ...

... hence the whole ideological nonsense of austerity. However, it seems "One Nation" is truly gone ... favours for friends, special processes, lack of challenge, lack of fiscal responsibility ... what ever happened to duty?

Not happy, not happy at all.

X : Are you saying Tories are evil?
Me : Of course not. Most have good intentions. The problem is weakness - the failure to challenge, the quickness to reach for ideology without understanding, the panicked reaction, the opening of doors to corruption and exploitation ...

..., the blaming of others rather than reflection on oneself, the inability to stand firm, the failure to adapt when one is wrong, the failure to accept responsibility, to do what is right, that lack of duty ... it's all weakness. There are exceptions.
X : Who?
Me : Matt Hancock.

X : You are kidding?
Me : Nope. He'd make a better PM than the lot of them. Seriously ... Gove, Sunak, Patel or the ever hopeless Rees-Mogg?

X : What do you think to Boris?
Me : Despite the negative comments, it could be worse. He isn't a patch on May or Cameron but c'est la vie. Fortune might still favour him, depends if we get those free ports / FTAs etc. Could you imagine Rees-Mogg or Sunak or Gove or Patel?

For those with an interest, this is what actual leadership looks like -

https://twitter.com/DrZoeHyde/status/1339172996645150725

... to look at a situation, to analyse, to decide a path that is right for the context despite all those around you following a different path, to stick with it, to adapt as needed, to have an ethics of care, of duty, to be frank and earnest ... it's all there ...

... on the other end of the spectrum, this is the pinnacle of what leadership doesn't look like - to fail to adapt, to fail to understand the context, to focus on the self not the wider community, to peddle in misinformation, to blame others -

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1340306154031857665

Tougher lockdown in UK for Christmas - bbc.com/news/live/worl… ... good.

To be reviewed on 30th Dec ... not so good. We need 3+ months of complete lockdown with support structures in place and a view to eradication asap. The vaccine is part of that.

Still, it's something.

Everytime I go to the shops (which is minimal) I see many couples ignoring social distancing with no masks, no screens, usually a St George Cross pin or flag on the jacket and claims of "we have exemption, to ask us is discrimination" when challenged by staff ...

... we need zero tolerance. Either wear a mask or at minimum a full face screen if you have legitimate exemption from a mask - all the time, in public (not just in shops) on penalty of arrest. Ditto gloves. Ditto washing hands. Ditto no non-essential travel. Complete lockdown.

It's about time Boris stops trying to be everyone's chum and realises he has to lead. This should have been eradicated back in March to June. The army should have been on the streets and isolation enforced -

https://twitter.com/swardley/status/1259414048556355585

X : Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Me : That was back in May, You can go back further and see I was equally voiciferous on the need for lockdown. Learn from China.
X : But with vaccine ...
Me : ... we will get people thinking that they're ok, they can go meet people ... doh.

Anyway, despite this lockdown not being enough ... it will be better than nothing.

Don't forget to reach out to others, some will struggle and need help. A phone call, a zoom call, an offer to help can do wonders.

But with all that said, I will also add a thank you to Boris Johnson, our PM.

It can't be easy making these decisions, there must be many trying to push him not to. He deserves our support, across the board, for doing this.

However, I do wish Boris would stop leaving the obvious so late just to appease other members of his party.

On this matter, @ChiOnwurah nails it firmly ->

https://twitter.com/ChiOnwurah/status/1340358898700734464