The awarding of 73 Covid contracts worth more than £3.7 billion by the Government “merits further investigation”, according to an anti-corruption campaign group. Transparency International UK said some companies – vying, as an example, for contracts for the supply of PPE – were referred into a “VIP lane” because of their political connections, adding further weight behind accusations of a “chumocracy” at the heart of Government. The Guardian has the story.
One in five Government Covid contracts awarded between February and November 2020 contained one or more red flags for possible corruption and require urgent further investigation, a respected campaign group has warned…
The group said Boris Johnson’s Government must urgently disclose the identities of companies awarded public money through the VIP lane, which was set up by the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health and Social Care in the early days of the pandemic…
Transparency International UK said its analysis indicated “apparent systemic biases in the award of PPE contracts that favoured those with political connections to the party of Government in Westminster”, contrary to denials by civil servants and Conservative ministers.
The group said it had identified 73 Covid-related contracts with multiple factors that would ordinarily be treated as red flags for possible corruption, such as the company being politically connected. Twenty seven PPE or testing contracts worth £2.1 billion were awarded to firms with connections to the Conservative Party, it claimed.
The group said it had also identified £255 million of contracts awarded to companies that had only been incorporated within the previous 60 days. The figure is surprising because the short lifespan of the companies suggests they cannot have had any track record of actual business.
Many of the contracts were awarded without competitive tender. The Government has acknowledged suspending tender processes for Covid procurement, arguing that the urgency of the pandemic required it to move more quickly than a tender process would allow.
The report, Track and Trace, is compiled by researchers working for the UK chapter of the international organisation Transparency International. The group is respected in anti-corruption policy circles and publishes an annual corruption perceptions index that frequently informs national anti-bribery strategies.
Worth reading in full.
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I think i like this new format…
I think the downvotes are a bit severe for expressing personal preference! We need to give it a few days to see how it goes but so far I like it. The thing I disliked about the old format was that there were just so many comments that it was impossible to scan them all. Now if there is a subject that I am more interested in, I can pay more attention to the comments.
The difference is that the comments section previously contained comments and posts on random topics not just what was in the day’s update. It was a way of sharing information, links, observations, opinions and questions that was independent of what was above the line that day
Why not compromise and have a “Daily Roundup” entry every day which is just a set of links to the actual posts of that day, and whose comments section could be used for non-specific discussion?
Or a communal cumulative ‘Round Up’ that allows the posting of useful information that posters have come across (information rather than ‘opinion I like’ – although there will be some overlap in terms of analysis items)?
water always finds its natural level
Downvotes aren’t indicative of much if not backed up by something more explicit.
if you don’t get first comment-try, try again
I see TY has killed this site, by removing free comment. (presumably in future) posts. I guess it’s easier to ‘CONTROL‘ the narrative, it won’t do for people to say what they wish to say or change the direction of the official narrative.
It seems his definition of free speech is a rather Toby Young nuanced one. Another example of controlled ‘free speech’, but! = Censorship by stealth.
G’bye
If you follow the “Today’s update” link and scroll down, there are free-format comments as there used to be, and plenty of people posting. I preferred the old format as I generally come here for the comments rather than the ATL articles, but I guess the people who produce the ATL content have a different perspective
I don’t know how many people come to this page for news only and don’t comment much or look at the comments – perhaps if there are a lot of them then the changes are a good thing. I doubt it’s been done to control us or anything like that. I’m not a member of the TY fan club and don’t agree with all his positions, but I doubt he has thought much about controlling us commenters, possibly doesn’t even read them
The important thing is that the comments section on the today’s update remains open for general comment on a daily basis.
If so then I guess that enables specific comment on the articles also.
I can understand the reasons for not having one big daily update.
There have been many really good original articles in the daily updates (and some that have been regurgitating weak press stories). But clearly a lot of work has gone into the daily update, and we should thank the above the line writers for what they have been doing.
Sleep in line with our circadian rhythms is important including to the above the line writers!
I think today’s general comment section on today’s update is going to be the last
that will be disappearing
There has been a problem – particularly towards the end of the day – with a surplus of comments that are just echoes in a therapy group : they’ve often outnumbered thoughtful comments by quite a margin.
And no – I’m not knocking the role of sharing frustrations and seeking out reassurance that there are others out there. But the process has too frequently tipped over into column yards of indulgent ‘me too’ repetition rather than new comment.
Then there’s the riding of irrelevant hobby-horses – be it Trump and Biden, obsessive partisan wittering about Marxists, climate change, wokeism etc. etc. – whatever is the obsession of the day. These episodes of the sandwich board debates don’t belong in a site about Covid, no matter what connections may be vaguely posited . They must have 77th Brigade falling about laughing and then putting their feet up as the unity about key issues gets lost in a morass of fragmented partisan wittering.
But that said, the division of comment isn’t a great idea.
You can still freely comment, as you are doing right now. But instead of one place where you can comment, now you have multiple places. Can you even English?
There are still the forums, you know. You can start a thread on any topic you want.
From the previous page:
“Fans and artists must have Covid vaccine before attending music festivals, say organisers”
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/mar/06/fans-and-artists-must-have-covid-vaccine-before-attending-music-festivals-say-organisers
This is going to be a big bellwether for me. Music, festivals and just generally singing and dancing with other people is a very important part of my life.
If the above goes ahead and I can’t attend live music without a vaxxpass then my life is definitely over (because of course it won’t just stop at music festivals…) and my existence will then just be one of total war against the establishment.
Buy tickets for the events, and if they introduce the policy ask for your money back. Hurt them in the wallet.
Also interesting given the ATL about vaccine ‘hesitancy’ in the young.
It looks like it is their insurance company. We will have to have festivals for the unvaccinated. Ian Brown will be there!!!
And Van the Man! Also it says artists must have it too. The ones who don’t want it will still want to perform and the market WILL provide an insurance quote from somebody. A further point is outdoor festivals should be treated differently to indoor ones anyway even under this risk-averse silliness – more room to anti-SD and less chance of transmission for a start. There are more things to worry about than Covid in a festival toilet!
Ian Brown just pulled out of a vaccinated only festival and I’ve seen a vax-free festival being mooted on Telegram so there is hope, especially with young people being more hesitant and (hopefully) rebellious.
It is not “hesitancy” if it is informed refusal. Everyone has the fundamental right to decline when offered medical treatment. No establishment will be able to refuse service or access based on acceptance of these vaccines as it would violate human rights and equality act. Informed consent is required for drugs that are still in trial phase as these are (stage 3 human trials). Please do not spread rumours and disinformation.
Exactly this
“Vaccine hesitancy” implies some kind of wrongthink from those “hesitating”, as if the natural default would be jump at the chance of a covid “vaccine”. The flu vaccine has been established a lot longer, has finished its trials and for most people flu is a lot more dangerous than covid, yet flu vaccine takeup is not that high.
It seems to me that for any rational personal, “hesitancy” in the face of an experiment “vaccine” still in trials, rushed out in the atmosphere of panic and threats of mandates, would be the default position
The government and others have abandoned science and distorted the truth from the start, so why anyone would by default put faith in what they say about the “vaccine” is beyond me
An official poll.
Multiply the numbers by 10 on average, and you’re close to the real picture.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2021/03/brandon-smith/how-the-fight-over-american-freedom-will-probably-escalate/
I’m glad to see there are so many young people expressing scepticism and general distrust – not ”hesitancy”. The ones who are switched on enough to do their own research know full well they are at no risk from this fast-vanishing and mild virus (and that goes for nearly all of us at any age). So why shouldn’t they be ”hesitant” in compromising their health?
I didn’t like the tone of this ”article”.
To be hesitant infers that you are considering it – I didn’t, haven’t and never will consider it, even for a nano-second.
I’m not sure I’ve worked out how things will function now. I too am a fan of the BTL discussions and debates in an open format.
If you follow the “Today’s update” link and scroll down, there are free-format comments as there used to be, and plenty of people posting
This bar chart race shows the number of people and the share of population that are fully vaccinated by country/territory, until the 6th of March 2021.
Notes:
Only countries reporting breakdowns of first and second dose are shown. The second dose is considered fully vaccinated, and the ones shown here.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/LKV8Ul21hZ4F/
Why did so many die in Feb 2021, after 95% of the over 70s were jabbed between Dec and end of Jan?
Curious that. Indicates the jab is useless.
This is interesting. The young have grown up in an intellectual environment in which you must keep your head down, say the right thing, go along to get along.
But what goes along with that attitude is an unspoken recognition that much of what you are being told is bollocks, and an unwillingness to commit oneself.
Of course few young people will want to be identified as ‘antivax.’ But by exactly the same token, forcing them to make the actual commitment of presenting their bodies for sterilisation will be the Devil’s own job.
I read the Mail on Sunday yesterday. Depressing reading. In a one-page article, p. 61, entitled “No jab, no job IS coming” a reporter by the name of Vivienne Parry writes:
“Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison [… said] ‘Forced vaccinations are the wrong way to go, and send out a sinister and worrying message’. I was gobsmacked. Comments such as these are reckless.”
Jesus Christ.
On page 53 Dan Hodges tells us “Every single one of us who can needs to take the vaccine. […] There can be no excuses. […] Because if people try to rationalise and embrace the argument that ‘vaccine hesitancy is legitimate, people are going to die“.
How can these people, the Govt. and the media, speak with such utter confidence? How can they be so 100% sure that, if things go wrong, next winter – or the following ones – the vaccinated won’t start falling ill and dying in their millions? It’s unlikely, but sure is a possibility. At best these pundits’ reputations will be ruined, at worst they’ll be murdered in their beds.
After all, one of Astra Zeneca’s senior executives, Rudd Dobber, on explaining why they’d demanded immunity from prosecution and lawsuits said:
“This is a unique situation where we as a company simply cannot take the risk if in … four years the vaccine is showing side effects”
I believe these journos’ assuredness stems from their confidence in the Govt.’s and the media’s ability to dictate the narrative and manipulate public opinion. After all, it’s been so easy up to now during the panpanic (to use T. Blair’s neologism).
If things go wrong with the vaccines, and serious medium or long-term effects do show up, they can hide it, blame it on variants, or even put the blame on us, the non-vaccinated.
They have all the aces up their sleeve. Or have they? For sure they can manipulate the British public, but they can’t manipulate the public abroad. They’re powerless to dictate the narrative in France, Germany and others, where ‘vaccine hesitancy’ is stronger.
That’s why we should all lend our support to international groups, such as Reiner Fuellmich’s Corona Investigative Committee. That’s where salvation lies – abroad.
People are going to die if other people get in their cars and drive. Tell that to idiot Hodges. And, while we’re at it maybe Hodges can write an article about us selling arms around the world because ‘people will die.’ Simultaneously idiotic and hypocrites, not a brain cell amongst them.
Statistically if under the age of 60, you have far more chance of dying in a road accident, or even choking to death….than from the Rona.
As I say to people like Hodges and Parry who blithely shout off their ill-informed mouths about enforced (or pressured) vaccination:
“You’re either on the side of the Nuremberg Protocols and other fundamental international codes of civilized behaviour – or you stand with Hitler, Goebbels and Mengele. There’s no half-way house.’
Not much of a surprise given that the younger you are, the less danger the virus poses to you.
Hundreds dead and injured of all ages. The young have more to fear from the experimental genomic changing drugs than from a flu with 0.3% death rate. But how many of the brainwashed know this?
i said one thing w e can do is smile at peole wearing masks [a few weeks ago ] that was not what i really think i realize and ever since i wrote that i hate the masked zombies even more if thats possible and i mutter things when walk by them instead of smiling ..
i cannot believe how many fools are out there wearing masks. i despise them and the stores
that wont let you in unless are wearing a mask. would very much like some form of revenge and soon
p s i cant find the general comments
It’s because of them we will be forced to have the jab, too.
i will never be forced to get any vaccine , there’s more of us out there than we know who will never submit so dont give up or give in , i wont for sure
although it ‘s frustrating to see so many zombies at the moment.
i wonder if thats why the normal comments is gone to stop all of us form giving any ideas to zombies thinking of leaving the fold and not getting a vaccine
Understood – let me put it another way – it’s because of them we will suffer enormously, often at the hands of our own social group(s) for saying ‘no’.
very true maybe more so those of us who refuse their vaccine . i have hope though that we will prevail over this evil attempt at control just like in world war 2, they lost , hitler etc – we won, they’ll lose .
looking forward very much to a new nuremeburg trial
Not being able to get a second/PCR test if tested positive with the unreliable LFT tests at school is just another clear indication of the true intent behind all this.
NOTHING ever was, is or will be about (public) health since March 2020.
Fake tests, then you need to sit in a cage for 10 days…..no appeals, no proof offered why you are sick or have something, when you are not ill, perfectly healthy. Coronatards call this ‘science’ and ‘saving others’. I call it idiotic and fascistic.
https://sports.yahoo.com/no-covid-vaccine-mandate-nba-233100012.html
thank you NBA players for refusing vaccine ! a great example to us .
This new structure is horrible; I am starting to fear, deliberately so.
I have to say that I think the comments suggesting that the editors and writers of this site have engaged in some sort of conspiracy to stop us members from reaching the great unwashed and (some comments suggest) stop the plebs from taking the vaccine are facile and ridiculous. There isn’t a conspiracy on every corner and I say this as someone who subscribes to a Covid conspiracy of convergent opportunism. The editors are just trying a new format. I happen not to like it because I can’t see at a glance my favourite contributors. I’ve no idea what they might be commenting on so I fear I’ve lost them in the woods,. Old friends, now gone. But it ain’t a conspiracy nor an attempt to curtail free speech. Get a grip.
Old friends have upped sticks and moved to Reddit where Mabel Cow has set up an alternative site, https://www.reddit.com/r/LockdownSceptics. After Toby Young’s rationale for altering the layout of this site on the basis that the current General Comments section is turning into “a toxic swamp that is damaging the site’s reputation and putting off respectable contributors,” many have taken offence and reluctantly departed. Since the exodus began last evening, Mabel’s site has gained 119 members. As soon as I can think of a new username, it’ll be 120.
Unfortunately, my tablet doesn’t support the reddit app….
why oh why didn’t Oprah ask Harry and Meghan if they’ll take the jab?