By the way, if anyone still has access to today's Sunday Times then Tim Shipman's piece on page 11 is well worth a read. If you want to know why Johnson probably doesn't dare take his hand off the tiller, it's because there are a dozen wannabe skippers on board who are at one another's throats. I particularly enjoyed the account of how Michael Gove ripped Matt Hancock apart in Cabinet over ventilators. It sounded pure Gove: on top of all the facts. And pure Hancock: vacuous.
I don't think there is a problem of ventilator capacity, not yet anyway.
If we needed a new PM at very short notice would HM call Raab as First Secretary of State?
The only one I'd have any confidence in while the 'plague' lasts would be Hunt. He knows how the Far East dealt with SARS-COV-1, i.e. 2002-04 and now SARS-COV-2 off by heart. He said in public weeks ago that the UK response was wrong. If one still has leadership ambitions, one doesn't do that unless one knows one's subject better than the government does.
Also Hunt looks a healthy weight. Obese MPs should speak to Tom Watson ex-MP on how he regained his health and cured his diabetes. It's not rocket science and diabetes is a major risk factor with COVID-19. I hope Johnson recovers but I think Macmillan ended his career as PM because of a health scare.
You do the monarchy a disservice trying to capture it for political gain.
I never said I was trying to 'capture it for political gain', I just made the factual point Tory voters are significantly more likely to support the monarchy than Labour voters, even if a majority of both still support the monarchy
This conservative supports the Queen but has big doubts after she passes about the monarchy
Why? He wants a negative test. What other tests are there?
What has this got to do with testing? He's clearly going in because he has not improved.
The tweet breaking the news mentions tests. But there isn’t any treatment. You are sedated, put on a ventilator to manage your breathing, lied face down, and hopefully your own immune system deals with the virus. The only test is the antigen test.
Edit/ or a lung x-ray to judge condition, I guess.
No there is more to it than that. There is a need to measure inflammatory markers, renal function, blood oxygenation, CT scans of chest etc etc. Specific therapy is speculative and experimental but supportive therapy is more than hot broth.
Many more people are going into hospital than will go into intensive care or die.
If we needed a new PM at very short notice would HM call Raab as First Secretary of State?
That would seem likely, given that he is the designated successor.
Deja Vu. We had a long discussion on this around 7.30 ish this morning. It's complicated and not as simple as Raab assuming power.
Anyway, let's hope Boris is okay.
I missed that conversation, and the context has changed since. The PM could be dead by the time 24 hours have passed since then. Appointing a successor quickly would be critical.
I do so hate people surmising what ifs if someone were to die.. its nasty.
To be fair all those of us to discuss this have expressed our good wishes. Nevertheless we surely have to look at the possibilities?
When I asked this morning if there was a market on his successor I did so very carefully and I haven't betted myself as I couldn't bring myself to.
I wish him speedy and full recovery. And Carrie and their child.
You do the monarchy a disservice trying to capture it for political gain.
I never said I was trying to 'capture it for political gain', I just made the factual point Tory voters are significantly more likely to support the monarchy than Labour voters, even if a majority of both still support the monarchy
This conservative supports the Queen but has big doubts after she passes about the monarchy
This conservative supports the monarchy even if the crown passes to Prince Andrew (though preferring it ultimately goes to Wills and Kate)
Why? He wants a negative test. What other tests are there?
What has this got to do with testing? He's clearly going in because he has not improved.
The tweet breaking the news mentions tests. But there isn’t any treatment. You are sedated, put on a ventilator to manage your breathing, lied face down, and hopefully your own immune system deals with the virus. The only test is the antigen test.
Edit/ or a lung x-ray to judge condition, I guess.
No there is more to it than that. There is a need to measure inflammatory markers, renal function, blood oxygenation, CT scans of chest etc etc. Specific therapy is speculative and experimental but supportive therapy is more than hot broth.
Many more people are going into hospital than will go into intensive care or die.
The mystery on the UK figures is why so tiny a number of recoveries. Are we that short of testing capacity now?
Spare a thought for Carrie. She must be going through the ringer right now.
Agree 100% with the sentiment but I do think it needs to be "wringer", I had a horrible vision of her being transformed into electrical signals and sent down miles of copper telephony wire which might be even more ghastly than the mangle itself.
Daft thing to be pedantic about, I know. Sincerely hope she is doing okay.
Sir, you should know that on pb.com, there is nothing too daft to be pedantic about!
Why? He wants a negative test. What other tests are there?
What has this got to do with testing? He's clearly going in because he has not improved.
The tweet breaking the news mentions tests. But there isn’t any treatment. You are sedated, put on a ventilator to manage your breathing, lied face down, and hopefully your own immune system deals with the virus. The only test is the antigen test.
Edit/ or a lung x-ray to judge condition, I guess.
No there is more to it than that. There is a need to measure inflammatory markers, renal function, blood oxygenation, CT scans of chest etc etc. Specific therapy is speculative and experimental but supportive therapy is more than hot broth.
Many more people are going into hospital than will go into intensive care or die.
The mystery on the UK figures is why so tiny a number of recoveries. Are we that short of testing capacity now?
Comments
Speaking of JackW... when did we last hear?
--AS
NEW THREAD
Also Hunt looks a healthy weight. Obese MPs should speak to Tom Watson ex-MP on how he regained his health and cured his diabetes. It's not rocket science and diabetes is a major risk factor with COVID-19. I hope Johnson recovers but I think Macmillan ended his career as PM because of a health scare.
But yes, probably the most senior member of the legal sector to die so far.
When I asked this morning if there was a market on his successor I did so very carefully and I haven't betted myself as I couldn't bring myself to.
I wish him speedy and full recovery. And Carrie and their child.
There are a significant amount of people who are really unwell for 3 weeks and make full recoveries....
https://twitter.com/Historic_Ally/status/1246753288181166081?s=20