Thread by @PandaScottish

[thread] There is a common refrain

What would Labour have done differently / better (or any party for that matter) in managing coronavirus

Now first I approve of the question

Because it admits that things could have been done better

So I am going to list some things now

These will not all focus on the government of Boris Johnson because well

He is not the origin story

He is only one chapter in a sorry saga

Of austerity, brexit and now covid

I will try and keep brexit as far as possible out of this list

1. When you carry out an exercise into pandemic preparedness. Learn from it.

2. When you carry out an exercise into pandemic preparedness. Don't suppress it.

3. Don't cut pandemic preparedness/disaster stocks.

4. Don't do a political project of austerity. Don't deflect from the knowable consequences of austerity across health, education, local gov, policing, everything really with lies and racist xenophobia.

5. Don't discredit experts as being people you don't need or smear them as traitors, enemies of the people, liberals, metropolitan elitets (other insults are available).

6. Don't do herd immunity as a strategy - but if you are going to do it can you at least be honest and admit it.

7. When you lose control of your herd immunity strategy - lock down. Lock down quickly. Rather than slowly.

8. Don't choose your lockdown date to allow sports events such as Cheltenham or football to go ahead.

9. When you do lockdown - be honest about the date you lockdown - don't attempt to lie 9 months later about the date that you actually did lockdown.

10. When you say in January 2020 you are well prepared - define what that means.

11. Don't allow a man who was found in contempt of Parliament to sit in on an independent advisory scientific body.

12. Don't attempt to hide and lie about a man who was found in contempt of Parliament sitting in on an independent advisory scientific body.

13. Do cooperate with neighbours on programmes to rapidly develop new ventilators that can be mass produced to aid ICU provision.

14. Better still look at giving massive support to existing ventilator producers to ramp up their infrastructure and production capabilities.

15. If you aren't going to cooperate with neighbours at least be honest about it (see ventilators email excuses) - don't invent weeks of lies and deflections as to why you didn't take part

16. Don't joke about visiting a hospital and shaking hands with covid patients

17. Don't lie about visiting a hospital and shaking hands with covid patients

18. At daily briefings don't muzzle the scientists.

19. At daily briefings don't muzzle journalists.

20. When you do do a lockdown plan for what the impact is for schools in terms of key worker physical schooling, virtual/online schooling and the impact to home/family/wfh life and to vulnerable families.

21. When you do do a lockdown plan for what the impact is for "normal" NHS/medical services so that as best you can these can resume some form of service.

22. Don't allow ANY hint of nepotism or cronyism to enter into procurement contracts done at pace for essential pandemic provision. You can procure at pace openly, honestly and transparently.

23. If you are going to claim something as an "apparent success" define what that is

24. If you are going to claim something as a "great success" define what it is

25. If you are going to claim something as a "massive success" define what it is

26. Be open with the minutes of your independent SAGE advisory committee

27. Do not allow or encourage (deliberately or by lack of action) to foster discrediting of scientific experts or debate. Play the ball whether that be SAGE or Great Barrington Declaration on facts and data

28. If you as PM catch the disease be open and up front about your condition and its management

29. Don't claim the country only treated coronavirus seriously when the PM was infected

30. If you are a senior government minister don't use your position to get a test for a family member just so you don't have to isolate and work from home for 2 weeks

31. Don't exploit a pandemic to hide a brexit within.

32. When you put in a lockdown - the financial package you put into support different types of businesses and employees - be open about doing so. Don't claim just that it's brilliant.

33. When you say you are going to take international lessons - stick to that. Don't then hide from making international comparisons or being able to say what those lessons are.

34. The MOST important resource in a crisis is the credibility of a government. This is a value resource. Do not spaff it away.

35. Dominic Cummings - fleeing London. His eye sight test. Just no. Fuck off with the defence of that. See the previous point on credibility.

You spaffed it away to protect one man.

36. School exam results - consider what you're going to do. When Scotland becomes first home nation to balls up its response - learn from it.

37. Care homes - be honest about what was chosen to be done for trying to clear hospital space and why and when. Do not lie and claim you wrapped them in a "protective ring".

38. Nightingale hospitals - be honest about how capable and useful these are to cater in terms of staff/equipment if needed to be used.

39. Do not insult nursing or medical staff who raise PPE concerns.

40. Do not insult any person raising concerns about coronavirus - if you are doing your best explain what you are doing. Don't insult their tone or call them captain hindsight

41. When the death toll does go over a "symbolic figure" eg. 1000 per day or week or other metric - do try and be sympathetic and open about this

42. When victims groups of coronavirus families raise concerns with the PM - if you promise to meet them (which you should) - honour that promise.

43. Don't try and deflect concerns or criticism with cries of "be optimistic" or "be patriotic". Play the ball.

44. Don't try and pander to a culture war around libertarian/KBF/anti-mask/anti-science peddlers - this again is a test of a government's credibility and its ability to communicate during a public health emergency.

45. Be open and clear to parliament and to devolved and local government's across the nation at decisions in terms of when, how they are agreed and how to do so at a pace that is responsive.

46. Don't suggest putting your national flag on the vaccine. (Even if you were justified in doing so)

47. Don't crow about being the first country to approve a vaccine for political purposes to smear regulators in any other country or bloc

48. Be open and honest about testing capability and the target to increase provision on it. Don't lie about targets. Don't deliberately game hitting targets with lies.

49. If a report is done into disease effects by ethnicity don't tamper with it

50. Test & trace - be open about challenges and how a system is being built up to deliver this

51. Contact tracing app - again be open about challenges and delivery of

52. If you do lockdown in spring then as you ease the lockdown explain clearly the how and why and the "5 tests" you satisfy to do so

53. If you are going to do Eat Out to Help out don't let it become a branding exercise for a Chancellor

Oh and be open about the risk it poses to transmission in restaurants

54. Do try and feed hungry children without smearing a football player.

55. If your easing of lockdown enables some semblance of summer holiday season - be clear at the opportunity that also gives for coronavirus to exploit

56. When asked during summer if you have read the autumn/winter plan - fucking READ it

57. As various UK region's or home nations suffer challenges as the summer causes the inevitable increase in covid deal with this openly and honestly

58. When a new strain is discovered be open about it and how it plays into autumn decisions or evaluation

59. Christmas bubbles if you are going to pander to one specific religious festival explain why and how and how this fits in (or doesn't) with scientific advice

60. If a global pandemic is not a situation that would benefit from a government of national unity - what is?

61. Do try and elect a Prime Minister who is not an amoral cheating lying racist nativist nationalist jingostic simplistic fantasy peddling incompetent charlatan

62. No one likes lock downs

No likes tier restrictions

But as a government if you believe these are justified you need to defend and present them clearly and with clarity

Now I wrote this short list of 62

And I say short

Because I was angry

Angry at this

https://twitter.com/DehennaDavison/status/1340581245881884675

No one is expecting a "perfect pandemic"

And no one is expecting us not to learn lessons from this strain of a disease

But at least try and be able to do your best

I could accept a government who did their best

Even if they make mistakes or get it wrong

To have nothing more to fling at Her Majesty's Opposition or indeed any political party raising concerns

Or even your *own* political party raising concerns

Is to play the person

And not the ball

Well Thatcher put it best on that

I will end with one thread

Ask yourself one question

A man and a cult who are desperate to sell you build back better, level up & mightily prosper

Ask them to explain from whom and what and for their evidence

That's all

https://twitter.com/PandaScottish/status/1298934733813014528

@threadreaderapp unroll please