Coronavirus - political views - supporting or otherwise...

[Deleted member 27823]

She has to explain why she is having to do what she is doing.

You might as well then say that no Westminster government minister can lay any blame or criticism, or point any finger, at the Labour Party or the Unions for any aspect of dealing with the pandemic. And when PMQs gets going again, Johnson best stop diverting as he does much of what he is asked by Kier Starmer back to Starmer as a criticism, complaint or question about Starmer, Labour or the unions.

Time and a place. The FM can talk about borrowing powers and what she would do with them all she wants at FM questions but she needs to tell her colleagues not to turn the public health briefing into a party political broadcast.

 

[GreiginFife]

Time and a place. The FM can talk about borrowing powers and what she would do with them all she wants at FM questions but she needs to tell her colleagues not to turn the public health briefing into a party political broadcast.

Wasting your metaphorical breath there Karen, Nats will never see the ill being done by the SNP. Whataboutery towards Westminster or the Tories or the "whoever is in power but not the SNP".

You are spot on though, if there is an issue with funding or powers or any other non pandemic matter, the briefings are not the place or time. These are the same people that continually said it was wrong of the UK Govt to use briefings as political vehicles (and you wouldn't catch them doing that!).

 

[GB72]

Time and a place. The FM can talk about borrowing powers and what she would do with them all she wants at FM questions but she needs to tell her colleagues not to turn the public health briefing into a party political broadcast.

I had this issue with the Westminster briefings albeit in that case it was the press looking to use the briefings for scoring points on politicians rather than do what they should and what the briefings are meant for, extract and clarify information that the general public needs directly in relation to the pandemic, how they need to act and what they can do.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Read the entire article!

The phrase unfit for purpose is reported as being said only by BJ and not in the context as inferred.
He says

Asked about the masks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "very disappointed" that "any consignment" of personal protective equipment (PPE) "should turn out not to be fit for purpose".

if being literal ,he is talking in general about any PPE consignment , isn't he?

Could be read how you want really?

 

[Mudball]

Not sure what everyone is bickering about...
1) Unfit PPE were procured ... agree.. this was the case with the Turkish one and widely reported
2) they were detected... just shows that the system works ...

Every cloud has a silver lining

https://www.politicshome.com/news/a...rontline-staff-from-coronavirus-minister-says

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I couldn’t disagree more. They can raise these issues in other settings. It’s wholly inappropriate to use these briefings as party political broadcasts.

I have watched most of them and I really have seen very little 'party politics' coming directly from the First Minister.
She does give some pretty blunt replies to any questions that are politically planted so I can see why some may see that differently.
The quality of many of the press questions put to her are generally very poor, repetitive and politically biased, pretty much what you would expect from a 90% Unionist supporting press and the Scottish BBC.

Nicola's approval rates have her light years ahead of Johnson.
As Hogan said she is building up a fair bit of resistance from Independence supporters for putting Independence on the back burner whilst dealing with Covid.

 

[Deleted member 27823]

I have watched most of them and I really have seen very little 'party politics' coming directly from the First Minister.
She does give some pretty blunt replies to any questions that are politically planted so I can see why some may see that differently.
The quality of many of the press questions put to her are generally very poor, repetitive and politically biased, pretty much what you would expect from a 90% Unionist supporting press and the Scottish BBC.

Nicola's approval rates have her light years ahead of Johnson.
As Hogan said she is building up a fair bit of resistance from Independence supporters for putting Independence on the back burner whilst dealing with Covid.

I agree with all that.

My complaint is with some of the lesser lights, taking their moment in the spotlight. Kate Forbes, just about every time she's on, and Jeane Freeman today. I infer from your careful wording that you accept some truth in that.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I agree with all that.

My complaint is with some of the lesser lights, taking their moment in the spotlight. Kate Forbes, just about every time she's on, and Jeane Freeman today. I infer from your careful wording that you accept some truth in that.

When senior Tory politicians come up to Scotland during the middle of a Covid pandemic to campaign on Scotland staying within the Union surely the SNP have a right of reply.
Especially when they say that Scotland would not have survived Covid without the 'support' of the Union.
The Chancellor did say some positive things the other day, trouble is he is a member of a party that has a long history of lying to the Scots people.
Do I trust his words...no.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Doon
Whatever your political allegiances are, I cannot see how Scotland or Northern Ireland or Wales would have been able to afford the furlough scheme and the other economic measures bought in to help the UK through the pandemic, without central government help.

How can you be so blinkered

Praise where praise is due and where mistakes have been made , and there have been plenty, were they made in good faith with the information available at the time?
Which count as learning points for the future

But if people have been on the take with contracts going to family members and cronyism, then full investigations and the culprits hung out to dry is appropriate.

But criticism for criticism’s sake is petty

 

[chrisd]

Doon
Whatever your political allegiances are, I cannot see how Scotland or Northern Ireland or Wales would have been able to afford the furlough scheme and the other economic measures bought in to help the UK through the pandemic, without central government help.

How can you be so blinkered

Praise where praise is due and where mistakes have been made , and there have been plenty, were they made in good faith with the information available at the time?
Which count as learning points for the future

But if people have been on the take with contracts going to family members and cronyism, then full investigations and the culprits hung out to dry is appropriate.

But criticism for criticism’s sake is petty

Fair comment I'd say, but in the case of Doon's postings for many a year I'd say this Phil has come a little too late ?

 

[harpo_72]

The Chancellor did say some positive things the other day, trouble is he is a member of a party that has a long history of lying to the Scots people.
Do I trust his words...no.

think it’s not just the Scots, pretty much the U.K. and some people have not even realised they have been lied to... just let it play itself out and see whether the level of lying is picked up by the public. What I would prefer is any campaign comments that are not true then they should be identified as a lie or an attempt to misguide.

 

[Foxholer]

The phrase unfit for purpose is reported as being said only by BJ and not in the context as inferred.
He says

Asked about the masks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "very disappointed" that "any consignment" of personal protective equipment (PPE) "should turn out not to be fit for purpose".

if being literal ,he is talking in general about any PPE consignment , isn't he?

Could be read how you want really?

That's certainly true, but somewhat irrelevant to the discussion. and the question was, as per your quote 'Asked about the masks'!

These 50M masks were purchased specifically for use in the NHS. Will they be used there? No! Why not? Because they are not up to the standard required for use there!
FWIW, there are 'up to standard' masks that will, presumably, be used in NHS in the same order/consignment.

 

[bobmac]

These 50M masks were purchased specifically for use in the NHS. Will they be used there? No! Why not? Because they are not up to the standard required for use there!

Says who?

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Says who?

The Government, they recalled them:

In response to judicial review proceedings issued by Good Law Project, the Government has admitted that the 50 million FFP2 masks they purchased from Ayanda Capital – for a price that we calculate to be between£156m and £177m – “will not be used in the NHS” because “there was concern as to whether the[y]… provided an adequate fixing.”

But it may not be the end of it either:

So, unless Government finds another use for, or seeks to sell, those unsuitable masks, that money has been wasted. And as for the remaining 150 million Type IIR masks purchased from Ayanda Capital? Government has admitted they also require further testing and have not been released for use in the NHS.

 

[Foxholer]

Says who?

Read the flaming article! Specifically the 1st 3 paragraphs and the by-line!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Watching Sky Golf - Tom Lewis being interviewed in UK on practice hole ( I guess at Hanbury Manor) and I'm not really understanding how the player and interviewer can be standing together almost touching, and not wearing masks. I know in the overall 'numbers game' of infection this sort of scenario is rare - and so risk of infection one to the other and onward spread into the community is very low. Now that's my subjective risk assessment - but I am not clear as to how it in the rules of today i.e what rule allows it.

 

[Foxholer]

...
So, unless Government finds another use for, or seeks to sell, those unsuitable masks, that money has been wasted. And as for the remaining 150 million Type IIR masks purchased from Ayanda Capital? Government has admitted they also require further testing and have not been released for use in the NHS.

As there are millions of folk using this type of mask, I don't believe 'the money has been wasted' completely. It's highly likely that these masks are entirely suitable for 'general' use, just not for use in the NHS. So resale is definitely an option imo.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Doon
Whatever your political allegiances are, I cannot see how Scotland or Northern Ireland or Wales would have been able to afford the furlough scheme and the other economic measures bought in to help the UK through the pandemic, without central government help.

How can you be so blinkered

Praise where praise is due and where mistakes have been made , and there have been plenty, were they made in good faith with the information available at the time?
Which count as learning points for the future

But if people have been on the take with contracts going to family members and cronyism, then full investigations and the culprits hung out to dry is appropriate.

But criticism for criticism’s sake is petty

The furlough money is not actual money but money borrowed.
If the Scots Government had equal borrowing powers do you not think that they would do the same.
An example of this would be of me and my friends buying you a Rolls Royce then expecting you to pay me back the purchase price at enhanced interest rates.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

The furlough money is not actual money but money borrowed.
If the Scots Government had equal borrowing powers do you not think that they would do the same.
An example of this would be of me and my friends buying you a Rolls Royce then expecting you to pay me back the purchase price at enhanced interest rates.

But they haven’t

??

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

But they haven’t

??

Indeed - though why would central UK government borrow money to fund a furlough scheme and other measures for the UK, and not distribute a proportion of it to the Scottish government as it would surely be bound to do under it's reserved powers responsibilities?