Thread by @D_Raval

1/ Memory test - do you remember..
- Dyson ventilators?
- Nightingale hospitals?
- Putting "a ring around care homes" to keep them safe?
- The "world beating" test and trace app?
- Laptops for all the kids who don't have one to school at home?

2/
- The instant testing "moonshot"?
- The volunteer army?
- Some sort of programme to help abuse victims during COVID?

Depending on how you look at them these are either distractions or failures of the Tories during the pandemic. They were typically..

3/ launched at a press conference to distract from bad news on the battle against COVID. They either never took off or failed spectacularly. They're exactly the sort of tactic I expect from Tories. This is what a government does when it is failing..

4/ ..and/or doesn't have a clue how to manage the crisis in front of it. What I don't expect is the free ride the mainstream media have given them over these failures. Each time they bought the distraction hook, line and sinker. They didn't challenge the wisdom or..

5/ ..practicality of these ideas when first launched. They never followed up when these ideas failed or were simply forgotten by the government. I did the list above from memory, I'm sure there's more. But the full set of failures isn't..

6/ documented, hasn't been analysed and picked over by the mainstream media.

The consequences of the media's failings are:
- They've helped perpetuate the narrative the Tories want, ie they're doing stuff and it'll be fine.
- This has politically propped up the Tories..

7/ ..so even though they have the worst COVID performance of the most developed countries, only the US has been worse, the public isn't aware of this and the Tories are holding up in the polls.
- It has the enabled the Tories to get away without having an effective plan..

8/ or strategy to deal with COVID.The media have never effectively questioned why we don't have a plan. They're too occupied with the distractions.

The mainstream media are failing us and are contributing to the severity of the crisis. They're not capable..

9/ ..of change so there's no point complaining to them. I suggest we can do two things to counter this:
a) Don't fall for the distractions, don't analyse them etc. The volume of media spinning will drown out the counter view.

10/
b) Focused relentlessly on the Tories record of what they've *actually* done not what they said they might do etc. The facts speak for themselves, be it the stats or the accounts of frontline professionals. Share and push those. The media aren't. Make sure people know those.

11/ To help that, I've set up this list with some of the accounts the post the most on the pandemic. All valid and reliable sources, some part of Independent SAGE. Keeping checking this list and sharing their posts.
twitter.com/i/lists/134386…

This Thread as a blog post for easier reading and sharing outside of Twitter dravalblog.wordpress.com/2020/12/30/the…