The pandemic inquiry has shattered illusions about former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon’s handling of the Covid crisis and revealed a hidden agenda, says Iain Martin in the Times. Here’s an excerpt.
The Covid inquiry is sitting in Edinburgh on the Scottish leg of its U.K. tour, and what have they been putting in Baroness Hallett’s porridge? When the inquiry Chairwoman intervenes to question witnesses there’s a magnificent steeliness, tempered at times by playfulness, about her approach. This is a revelation for those of us who have criticised the hearings in London, where too often the inquiry team seems to assume wrongheadedly that the only problem with lockdown was that it wasn’t stricter.
On tour, they have acquired some real grit. Jamie Dawson KC, Counsel to the Inquiry in Scotland, has a precise, unflouncy style. Think Dr. Finlay making a citizen’s arrest. It makes for a welcome contrast to the somewhat theatrical style of Hugo Keith KC, lead counsel in London (think Nigel Havers mildly annoyed at receiving a parking ticket). Next week, Nicola Sturgeon is up before Hallett and Dawson, and I for one cannot wait.
Sturgeon has a great many questions to answer: about the deletion of evidence, the decision-making process over which she presided and her real aims in establishing a Covid policy that was so much more draconian — tougher curbs on movement, for longer.
The point, incredibly given this was a global pandemic, was to emphasise the contrast with supposedly dirty England and use the emergency as an opportunity to sow further division between the constituent parts of this United Kingdom. To use the disease to create a comparison between shambolic Boris Johnson, unpopular in Scotland, and St. Nicola. To present Scottish voters with such a contrast that they would decide to make the break. Documents revealed by the inquiry show Scottish ministers were discussing early in the pandemic how to exploit it to get the independence campaign going again. A senior official, Ken Thomson, scribbled “Indy is back” in his notes of meetings with senior ministers.
This is not to exonerate those in charge in Whitehall. All sorts of mistakes were made on both sides of the border. But the carefully constructed nationalist myth of the pandemic — that the Scottish Government under Sturgeon was handling the Covid emergency so much better than anywhere else in Britain, and certainly much better than the beastly English — is being exploded in these hearings.
Worth reading in full.
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In what way did he fail? Nobody has been held to account for the Covid scam and most people still accept that the actions taken were the best choice given the “knowledge” at the time.
I recall that in December 2021 just before he was knighted Professor Whitty in one of the Government’s regular early evening Covid update broadcasts was asked about the rising Omicron variant. He replied that we didn’t know much about it at that stage but what we did know was not good news. This statement of his was made a few weeks after South African medical experts, who had been analysing the new variant, deemed it more contagious than earlier variants but far less lethal. The South African view proved correct and the turning point in the so-called Covid crisis and the ending of lockdowns and other restrictions. Following Whitty’s ‘rubbish’ statement on Omicron he was awarded a few weeks later with a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List!!
Witty and the rest should be hanged by the hoo-has and treated like a pinata.
Keep hitting – no sweeties yet!
Those who understood he was wrong were punished. I was threatened with formal complaints,referral to the GMC and losing my job as a doctor.
When I questioned the policies I was told:’ You’re only an Ophthalmologist not an Immunologist.’
Whitty, Valance and Hancock as well as all the others should be in jail.
What a disgusting thing for a police officer to say. Just wait till their sight goes, they might not be so sneering then. But then again., once a patronising [supply your own expletive] ……..
Police? I think you misread and misunderstood the comment!
Whitty has been Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019.
Wikipedia states he has the following qualifications:
And he still got it wrong.
Surely there needs to be some lessons learnt!
It’s not that he made mistakes, we all do from time to time; it’s that he can never have listened to his critics, or discussed the issues. But then, participating in informed discussion is a critical part of being a Scientist and, instead, the country had ‘the Science’.
Dr Farr showed that epidemics don’t grow exponentially in 1840. The Common Cold Unit showed that masks make things worse in, perhaps, the 1960s.
Lessons were learnt and then idiots were employed.
Idiots or traitors?
But you were courageous and spoke up, you are in a minority, those who threatened and tried to silence you are the ones who should have their license removed.
Well said Hester.
“Whitty, Valance and Hancock as well as all the others should be in jail.”
At the very least.
The hounding of doctors who dared to speak the truth is a disgrace that is still playing out in the U.K. and around the world. The GMC is in my view entirely culpable for conspiring to destroy ethical medical practice.
Whitty, Vallance and Van Tam stood at the podium and blatantly LIED to us for two years.
They should be charged with Malfeasance in Public Office; be stripped of their completely undeserved “honours” and be jailed.
As I have said before, crime pays in the U.K. Murder, rape, steal (the latter you can do freely as many times as you like), you might do a bit of jail time, but after a couple of months you will be out to make way for political prisoners, be in Government take all the freebies you want and that’s ok in fact its part of the benefits package, force people to take the experimental injections of your friends thus making them billions, destroy childrens lives by locking them up (I mean we let paedophiles off with suspended sentences,) ruin an economy, and receive, honours. dare question, protest, then as a good guy you get to go to prison. So join the society of lies, deceit, cruelty and avarice, you will enjoy all its fruits and never have to pay. From the Prime minister to the illegal immigrant they all get a free pass.
Couldn’t agree more. Again well said.
And it’s taken him all this time to realise the multiple serious errors in the advice he helped formulate! A bit slow on the uptake then! Failing upwards seems to be richly rewarded in the ivory towers of the Establishment!