You are aware that the entire reason that the last peak wasn't the size of the previous one was Northampton?
Referring to the gradual increase which doesn't seem to be stopping.
Without Northampton, it is levelling off.
It`s worth knowing that the Northampton outbreak is largely a result of one company`s staff, Greencore, and 73% of those that that tested positive had no symptoms and were found positive via private company testing. If Northampton goes into lockdown because of this many residents will be mighty angry with Greencore.
They might have been infected weeks ago and still have the virus kicking around in their system. We really should be keeping half an eye on hospitalisation statistics since the new case figures on their own are potentially misleading now that most countries have finally got their testing arrangements into top gear.
Frankly if the criticism of the Government is that they should have seen this coming a week or so ago, and acted to head it off, then i can only conclude that people don't set very high standards for the Government.
Because i do not think it too much to expect that a vaguely competent government (and, frankly, opposition, Scottish Govt, Welsh Executive etc etc) should have seen this coming several months ago and acted to put robust processes in place. Because acting a week or so ago might have headed up the absolute worst of the damage that is now to come as the problems transfer to Universities. But let's not pretend that it would have been an almighty sh*tshow anyway by that time.
There's a reason why we have multiple Government departments and it should be because they should be able to focus on their own specific areas and put in place plans specific to their areas. The DfE and its ministers has failed at every level.
Hasn´t the DfE been purged of all its competentent and critical elements by the Cummings-Gove-Johnson dictatorship? They just do whatever they are instructed to these days.
Johnson has to bear the ultimate responsibility.
No, because it never had any competentent (sic) or critical elements. It was always filled with useless shits.
That’s not to say those three haven’t made it worse.
You are very harsh on the DfE and its quangos. Some staff are useless. But some are very able.
Really? Name three.
Not one of your most noble responses to a comment I made in good faith and which you then chose to edit down to a sentence. Oh well.
Truthful though.
I am afraid the elephant in the room at Education is that for forty years it has not attracted talented civil servants. It is seen as a backwater by the powers that be and therefore anyone earmarked for promotion is kept away from it, while anyway being quietly sidelined has been sent there. Sometimes, they force their way out - Wormald springs to mind - but are not noticeably successful elsewhere either.
This doesn’t stop them being incredibly arrogant, but it does stop them knowing anything about the subject they are meant to be administering.
Coupled with how few politicians or special advisers have any sort of link to education other than having had one, and unfortunately that means most education policy is made from a position of ignorance.
Gove and Cummings made this worse. You would be surprised at how many ex Civil Servants now run academy chains. Heck, there’s even one in charge of OFSTED who embarrassed herself by admitting she did not understand the concept of safeguarding. But since at least the time of Mark Carlisle, education has been a shambolic department.
Who was the last education secretary you thought did a good job ?
Frankly if the criticism of the Government is that they should have seen this coming a week or so ago, and acted to head it off, then i can only conclude that people don't set very high standards for the Government.
Because i do not think it too much to expect that a vaguely competent government (and, frankly, opposition, Scottish Govt, Welsh Executive etc etc) should have seen this coming several months ago and acted to put robust processes in place. Because acting a week or so ago might have headed up the absolute worst of the damage that is now to come as the problems transfer to Universities. But let's not pretend that it would have been an almighty sh*tshow anyway by that time.
There's a reason why we have multiple Government departments and it should be because they should be able to focus on their own specific areas and put in place plans specific to their areas. The DfE and its ministers has failed at every level.
Hasn´t the DfE been purged of all its competentent and critical elements by the Cummings-Gove-Johnson dictatorship? They just do whatever they are instructed to these days.
Johnson has to bear the ultimate responsibility.
No, because it never had any competentent (sic) or critical elements. It was always filled with useless shits.
That’s not to say those three haven’t made it worse.
You are very harsh on the DfE and its quangos. Some staff are useless. But some are very able.
Really? Name three.
Not one of your most noble responses to a comment I made in good faith and which you then chose to edit down to a sentence. Oh well.
Truthful though.
I am afraid the elephant in the room at Education is that for forty years it has not attracted talented civil servants. It is seen as a backwater by the powers that be and therefore anyone earmarked for promotion is kept away from it, while anyway being quietly sidelined has been sent there. Sometimes, they force their way out - Wormald springs to mind - but are not noticeably successful elsewhere either.
This doesn’t stop them being incredibly arrogant, but it does stop them knowing anything about the subject they are meant to be administering.
Coupled with how few politicians or special advisers have any sort of link to education other than having had one, and unfortunately that means most education policy is made from a position of ignorance.
Gove and Cummings made this worse. You would be surprised at how many ex Civil Servants now run academy chains. Heck, there’s even one in charge of OFSTED who embarrassed herself by admitting she did not understand the concept of safeguarding. But since at least the time of Mark Carlisle, education has been a shambolic department.
Who was the last education secretary you thought did a good job ?
Williamson; "problems only became apparent at the weekend".
You what???
Williamson "hopes BTECs will be Teacher assessed too".
Well why don't you ask you useless piece of Turd? These are BTECs that are now 4 days late in being released...
Some have been released - my son got worse results than predicted. I guess they're more difficult as they are continuous assessment rather than examined at the end. However, all pupils no matter which course will have been affected by the Covid-19 disruption. If 'A' and 'O' Level students are to be assessed by teachers why should BTECs be different?
Williamson; "problems only became apparent at the weekend".
You what???
Williamson "hopes BTECs will be Teacher assessed to".
Well why don't you ask you useless piece of Turd? These are BTECs that are now 4 days late in being released...
Well, in fairness his personal problems, i.e. his impending disgrace and sacking, were only apparent from the weekend.
The fact that they are not really significant compared to the utter shambles that caused them probably struck him as irrelevant.
Williamson is useless and should never have held any cabinet position.
When the dust settles I expect he will be replaced promoted to a more suitable position for his talents
FTFY as I suspect uselessness isn't a problem in this cabinet. If it is the Government is going to quickly run out of suitable candidates.
Time for a reshuffle
Three problems there.
First is the instability we've had in the cabinet already.
There were huge changes when BoJo took over (fair enough, even if you don't like the details), then the February reshuffle, now another one? In a lull in the Covid crisis, with the fun'n'games of an uncertain Brexit transition to come? It hardly makes for good government.
Second, plenty of people should have gone in disgrace already, and haven't. Rees-Mogg should have carried the can for the prorogation fiasco (at a very minimum); Jenrick should have gone for the Docklands thing. That's before you get on to the list of retreads. What's WIlliamson done that's so bad compared with the rest of them?
Finally, where are all the junior ministers who are both deserving promotion and able to pass the loyalty test?
For the record, I am impressed with the UK's numbers.
1. The concentration on hotspots and local lockdowns seems to be workng 2. Having avoided opening up really high risk activities (like nightclubs) helps 3. People seem to be obeying the 14 day quarantine, which is also great
I still think it's unlikely the UK will avoid seeing case numbers rise, simply because everywhere else that has relaxed them has seen numbers increase.
Sure but new cases are 1% of those at the peak.
If it goes up to 2% or 3% its no disaster and also adds a little to herd immunity.
Spent the last three hours on a lovely walk on one of the Scottish islands. I expect I had a better time than Gavin Williamson did this afternoon.
Which one?
Arran. Really beautiful, not been before.
God's country , I am just across the water.
Which side? We were on another island to the west of the Kintyre peninsula last week, came over to Arran on a couple of ferries then over to Loch Lomond via Ardrossan next weekend before a few days in Fife. Proper Scottish road trip, so good to be home.
Are we now in a situation where whenever the Govt announces anything which will adversely affect anyone then there will be a media storm such that there will have to be a U-turn?
Suppose Rishi Sunak announces any specific tax rise affecting a subset of the population - will it be possible to actually get it through? I fear not.
So Govt will simply become impossible.
We've been heading that way since the Budget of March 2017.
Justine Greening, Estelle Morris and Jim McGregor all meant well. However, none were in office long enough to do any real good.
Shirley Williams was undoubtedly capable, but like Gove, was very dogmatic.
So I think you have to go back as far as Edward Boyle under Macmillan and Home to find a capable education secretary who actually knew what he was about.
Spent the last three hours on a lovely walk on one of the Scottish islands. I expect I had a better time than Gavin Williamson did this afternoon.
Which one?
Arran. Really beautiful, not been before.
God's country , I am just across the water.
Which side? We were on another island to the west of the Kintyre peninsula last week, came over to Arran on a couple of ferries then over to Loch Lomond via Ardrossan next weekend before a few days in Fife. Proper Scottish road trip, so good to be home.
@OnlyLivingBoy I am 4 miles or so south of Ardrossan, outskirts of Kilwinning.
Comments
* runs and hides *
NEW THREAD
I guess they're more difficult as they are continuous assessment rather than examined at the end.
However, all pupils no matter which course will have been affected by the Covid-19 disruption. If 'A' and 'O' Level students are to be assessed by teachers why should BTECs be different?
First is the instability we've had in the cabinet already.
There were huge changes when BoJo took over (fair enough, even if you don't like the details), then the February reshuffle, now another one? In a lull in the Covid crisis, with the fun'n'games of an uncertain Brexit transition to come? It hardly makes for good government.
Second, plenty of people should have gone in disgrace already, and haven't. Rees-Mogg should have carried the can for the prorogation fiasco (at a very minimum); Jenrick should have gone for the Docklands thing. That's before you get on to the list of retreads. What's WIlliamson done that's so bad compared with the rest of them?
Finally, where are all the junior ministers who are both deserving promotion and able to pass the loyalty test?
If it goes up to 2% or 3% its no disaster and also adds a little to herd immunity.
Justine Greening, Estelle Morris and Jim McGregor all meant well. However, none were in office long enough to do any real good.
Shirley Williams was undoubtedly capable, but like Gove, was very dogmatic.
So I think you have to go back as far as Edward Boyle under Macmillan and Home to find a capable education secretary who actually knew what he was about.
I am 4 miles or so south of Ardrossan, outskirts of Kilwinning.