Coronavirus - political views - supporting or otherwise...

[Doon frae Troon]

Still the sobering fact is that even if the government had managed to reach 100,000 tests a month it will still take 700 weeks to test every UK citizen once.

 

[Foxholer]

Was it

Absolutely.

 

[Hobbit]

Do you have any proof people are too lazy to travel to a test centre?

Plenty of stories of test centres being nowhere near the people who need them?

Staff in Carlisle needing to do a 200 mile round journey to be tested.

No transport links, reduce bus services, people who don’t have a driving license, people on shift refused time off to go during the day as test centre closed when they are off shift, etc etc

Aren't you just looking for excuses though?

Lazy might, in many cases, be the wrong word.

If someone said to you there's a test centre in Sunderland you wouldn't give it a second thought, but if they said its in Birmingham you most certainly would give it a second thought.

The distance thing is subjective. When working I wouldn't bat an eyelid at driving 100 miles to a job and a 100 miles back. My aunt won't drive 15 miles into Middlesbrough because its too far.

And that's where it becomes a personal thing, to me sitting in a car for 2 hours is a trip just around the corner.

 

[bluewolf]

Still the sobering fact is that even if the government had managed to reach 100,000 tests a month it will still take 700 weeks to test every UK citizen once.

You might want to check this. ???

 

[Hobbit]

Come off it. It's a government press release from his department, don't you think he checks them (or has them double checked) before release? It is explicit, both in the title and the body of the press release, that the target is to carry out 100,000 tests.

The press release was widely quoted in the media. Don't you think if it was so spectacularly wrong, it would have been subsequently corrected?

Do I think he checks them? Quite simply, no. Why doesn't he? I tell you what my days were like prior to retirement.

On any given day I'd speak to the Workshop Manager, the Service Manager, the Operations Manager and, maybe, the Service Director. I'd speak to the Admin Manager and, maybe, the Admin Director. I'd speak to the HR Manager and, maybe, the HR Director. I'd speak to the Sales Manager and, maybe, the Sales Director. The Marketing Manager and maybe, the Marketing Director. The Finance Manager and, maybe, the Finance Director. The Training Manager and the Warehouse Manager and.... Then there's my own work and maybe the odd call with the MD.

If there was an issue I'd call in the relevant Managers, which would include the Marketing Manager for a press release. The Marketing Director would sign off the release, and 99% of the time I wouldn't see it. You don't employ people and then do the job yourself.

Do I think they'd issue a correction? That would look like backtracking on the commitment given on the Gov.uk page.

As I said in post 664, I think he did mean 100k tested but that isn't what he said in that daily brief. If you want to believe otherwise, crack on.

 

[Hobbit]

Not looking for excuses at all, we both agree the Government handling of the figures was a disaster and overshadowed the positivites, you’re the first person I’ve seen possibly shifting some of the responsibility for not reaching the 100k target on to people being lazy or not bothered etc.

If they were that bothered they would have found the time. I appreciate that for some it just wasn't doable but I do believe that for some it was a case of not bothered enough, and if that equates to lazy, then yes that is what I'm saying.

 

[Mudball]

It would not be right if we did not get a view from Piers

 

[chrisd]

Do I think he checks them? Quite simply, no. Why doesn't he? I tell you what my days were like prior to retirement.

On any given day I'd speak to the Workshop Manager, the Service Manager, the Operations Manager and, maybe, the Service Director. I'd speak to the Admin Manager and, maybe, the Admin Director. I'd speak to the HR Manager and, maybe, the HR Director. I'd speak to the Sales Manager and, maybe, the Sales Director. The Marketing Manager and maybe, the Marketing Director. The Finance Manager and, maybe, the Finance Director. The Training Manager and the Warehouse Manager and.... Then there's my own work and maybe the odd call with the MD.

If there was an issue I'd call in the relevant Managers, which would include the Marketing Manager for a press release. The Marketing Director would sign off the release, and 99% of the time I wouldn't see it. You don't employ people and then do the job yourself.

Do I think they'd issue a correction? That would look like backtracking on the commitment given on the Gov.uk page.

As I said in post 664, I think he did mean 100k tested but that isn't what he said in that daily brief. If you want to believe otherwise, crack on.

You could also have stuck a broom up your arse and swept the floor too as you walked round Brian??

 

[Beezerk]

Breaking news, government manage to get huge raise in cv19 testing capability yet some people are still not satisfied ?

 

[patricks148]

the target was a big ask, they did manage to increase testing, but why the need to fiddle the numbers, why not just admit they were overstretched.

these examples, which are not uncommon are the reason many will never trust the tories, if they can fiddle this why not other things, all Gov should be held to account no matter what side of the political div

 

[rudebhoy]

Do I think he checks them? Quite simply, no. Why doesn't he? I tell you what my days were like prior to retirement.

On any given day I'd speak to the Workshop Manager, the Service Manager, the Operations Manager and, maybe, the Service Director. I'd speak to the Admin Manager and, maybe, the Admin Director. I'd speak to the HR Manager and, maybe, the HR Director. I'd speak to the Sales Manager and, maybe, the Sales Director. The Marketing Manager and maybe, the Marketing Director. The Finance Manager and, maybe, the Finance Director. The Training Manager and the Warehouse Manager and.... Then there's my own work and maybe the odd call with the MD.

If there was an issue I'd call in the relevant Managers, which would include the Marketing Manager for a press release. The Marketing Director would sign off the release, and 99% of the time I wouldn't see it. You don't employ people and then do the job yourself.

Do I think they'd issue a correction? That would look like backtracking on the commitment given on the Gov.uk page.

As I said in post 664, I think he did mean 100k tested but that isn't what he said in that daily brief. If you want to believe otherwise, crack on.

see you ignored the bit where I said "or has them double checked"

I would imagine high profile press releases like this one would be carefully checked and double checked.

will all due respect, I doubt the press releases your marketing manager was sending out were as important or as high profile as this one

 

[rudebhoy]

It would not be right if we did not get a view from Piers

View attachment 30375

I don't like Morgan, but at least he has had the guts to ask difficult questions.

here's the same 73k figure from a slightly more respected source

Latest coronavirus news as of 6 pm on 1 May
UK government hits 100,000 daily tests target by including unanalysed tests
UK health secretary Matt Hancock said that the government carried out 122,347 coronavirus tests yesterday, hitting his target of performing 100,000 daily coronavirus tests by the end of April. However, according to Health Service Journal, the government changed the count to include tests that haven’t yet been taken or analysed. As many as 52,000 of the tests which the government said happened on 30 April were merely sent out by post.
According to the government’s own numbers, the actual number of people who were tested yesterday was 73,191. The government states that the 122,347 figure includes tests processed through government laboratories, plus tests sent to satellite labs or posted to individuals.


Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/articl...-by-including-unanalysed-tests/#ixzz6LGyJV8Oj

 

[bluewolf]

the target was a big ask, they did manage to increase testing, but why the need to fiddle the numbers, why not just admit they were overstretched.

these examples, which are not uncommon are the reason many will never trust the tories, if they can fiddle this why not other things, all Gov should be held to account no matter what side of the political div

I don’t disagree with this, except where it singles out the Tories. I strongly suspect that a Labour government would’ve done the same thing. I can state, hand on heart, that I’d still have disagreed with it.
The utter tribalism of modern politics is a scourge of society, and even a cursory look at this thread shows just how prevalent it is.

this whole discussion should’ve been over in 20 minutes. Everyone would agree that the significant rise in testing was impressive. Everyone would agree that the subsequent spin on the numbers was unnecessary and unimpressive. Everyone would move on.

 

[rudebhoy]

I don’t disagree with this, except where it singles out the Tories. I strongly suspect that a Labour government would’ve done the same thing. I can state, hand on heart, that I’d still have disagreed with it.
The utter tribalism of modern politics is a scourge of society, and even a cursory look at this thread shows just how prevalent it is.

this whole discussion should’ve been over in 20 minutes. Everyone would agree that the significant rise in testing was impressive. Everyone would agree that the subsequent spin on the numbers was unnecessary and unimpressive. Everyone would move on.

spot on.

 

[SocketRocket]

We've built a new stadium with a capacity for 100,000. No you haven't, only 80,000 turned up.

 

[SocketRocket]

spot on.

???

 

[Swinglowandslow]

the target was a big ask, they did manage to increase testing, but why the need to fiddle the numbers, why not just admit they were overstretched.

these examples, which are not uncommon are the reason many will never trust the tories, if they can fiddle this why not other things, all Gov should be held to account no matter what side of the political div

I agree that he should have said that " we managed to test xxxx amount, and we didn't physically test 100,000. ."
He should then have gone on to explain about the postal testing initiative and emphasised the reason for the 100,000 target- to motivate, etc.
But then , if I were in him giving this explanation, I would have gone on to say that no doubt there will be some of you baying on that we have failed, that we lied, and that I should consider my position . Just in order to make political mischief.
Well,it won't happen. I am staying as long as the PM wants me.
We have done well to test what we have, those test numbers will be able to increase. There is a lot more being done by my team and I , and we are going to get on with it.

 

[rudebhoy]

Breaking news, government manage to get huge raise in cv19 testing capability yet some people are still not satisfied ?

if you look back, you will see that everyone has said that getting to 88k (or 73k, whichever it is) was a great effort and they deserved credit for that. It's the manipulating the figures to get to 122k that people are not happy about.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I don’t disagree with this, except where it singles out the Tories. I strongly suspect that a Labour government would’ve done the same thing. I can state, hand on heart, that I’d still have disagreed with it.
The utter tribalism of modern politics is a scourge of society, and even a cursory look at this thread shows just how prevalent it is.

this whole discussion should’ve been over in 20 minutes. Everyone would agree that the significant rise in testing was impressive. Everyone would agree that the subsequent spin on the numbers was unnecessary and unimpressive. Everyone would move on.

Nobody on the right actually believes your comment in bold.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

if you look back, you will see that everyone has said that getting to 88k (or 73k, whichever it is) was a great effort and they deserved credit for that. It's the manipulating the figures to get to 122k that people are not happy about.

That doesn’t suit the narrative of tory good everyone else bad.