Ex-minister Peter Lilley has written a furious piece for the Telegraph in which he lambasts the Whitehall blob for brazenly pursuing its own woke agenda, regardless of the wishes of ministers or the public. He singles out the Messenger Review, a recent report on reforming the NHS by General Sir Gordon Messenger and Dame Linda Pollard, which, according to Lilley, reads like the transcript of a hostage video.
Faced with a dysfunctional NHS — increasingly marred by scandalous clinical failures, intolerable waiting lists, diminishing chances of seeing a GP and escalating costs — Sajid Javid very sensibly called in a soldier to give some brusque, military common-sense advice on leadership. On paper, Sajid could not have made a better choice: General Sir Gordon Messenger — the only man to win the DSO twice, for defeating Saddam Hussein’s forces in Iraq and commanding the Helmand task force against the Taliban. Sajid asked him: “to look at how we can support leaders to drive up efficiency and give staff the space to focus on delivering care for patients”.
But this terror of the Taliban and scourge of Saddam was no match for ‘the Blob’. They reduced him to “the very model of a modern major general” mocked by Gilbert and Sullivan for spouting every fashionable nostrum instead of showing military skills. He signed a report that side-stepped every issue he was asked to address and instead focused almost entirely on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) — which is mentioned three times as often as patients. There was just one cursory mention of efficiency. Not a single mention of ghastly clinical failures at Mid-Staffs, Morecombe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford. No mention of waiting lists, cover-ups, clinical standards or value for money.
Worse still, it states that demonstrating a commitment to EDI is more important than “just technical skills”. Of course eliminating discrimination is important, but when someone we love goes to hospital it is the technical skills of the medical staff we worry about.
Worst of all, it proposes using the Everyday Discrimination Scale (which asks staff to report how discriminated against they feel) as an “objective” tool of management. Yet this is entirely subjective and, published research suggests, completely worthless.
Sajid Javid — one of our most robust ministers — very sensibly kicked this nonsense into touch by pretending that the report’s main recommendation was to reduce the number of full time Equality, Diversity and Inclusion managers (actually it was to make EDI every manager’s top task). But the fact that someone of General Messenger’s calibre can succumb to the prevailing woke ideology proves its potency.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: In a rare victory for common sense, the NHS has reinstated the word “woman” in its miscarriage guidance. The Telegraph has more.
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Just don’t meet up with Van Tam. He’ll infect you with a super-virulent scary- variant of acute cretinism.
And I am a genuine maiden rich in Girton lore!
Worse than that, he might tempt you to sell your soul to the Devil. And he’s probably not fun company.
Van Tam, Bill Gates and Michael Gove, they’ll none of them be missed… they’re going on my list.
It’s getting to be a bloody long list. Are you sharpening your snicker snacker snee, ready for some chippy chippy chop?
How safe were we anyway? Here is the basis I have been working on.
Officially,127,480 covid-19 deaths in the UK. This includes (but may not be limited to) any death within 28 days of a positive pcr test; deaths from people (Muslims for example) who were buried before they could have a proper autopsy but were put as covid-19 to be on the safe side; people who showed one or more of the symptoms associated with covid-19 when they died; people in care homes etc. who were put as covid-19 for reasons of convenience or duplicity.
So obviously the number who have died of covid-19 is significantly less than the official figure – but how much less? I am assuming at least 25% less, and possibly less than half the official figure. Are there any highest/lowest/probable estimates?
Then there is total deaths and total respiratory deaths for the year. My understanding is that total deaths for 2020 were about 68,0000 higher than expected, with the most deaths, adjusted for age and population, since 2008. However, some of those extra deaths were caused by lockdowns and related measures – were there many more respiratory deaths than usual? were there actually significant numbers of respiratory deaths over what would be expected after the Spring outbreak?
150k deaths in around 28mio?
I like the logic you’ve used but I think your rate is out by a factor of 100. Another thing you could say is taking Ioanniddis’s latest estimate of IFR 0.15%, based on 40% of the population being infected, the “real” number of deaths is more like 40k than 150k.
If I have a body and an antibody, will they cancel out?
It was manufactured hysteria right from the word go! There never was a pandemic just a politically motivated one and the gullible people fell for it. We should be maskless and walking around freely, going off on holidays and enjoying our lives, but we are not, which should scream at people that the problem lies with a government hooked on the power buzz and unwilling to release the people from their prison.
There was a ‘pandemic‘ – but only because the severity of the disease had been conveniently removed from the definition.
No pandemic, but there were more deaths than usual in April weren’t there, presumably because of some sort of bug going round?
“– but how much less?”
Best estimates are c. 1/5th are actually from Covid.
Into the risk equation, you have to feed (1) the chances of physically coming across an genuinely infective individual and (2) the chances of catching that infection within the particular circumstances. The chances are minute.
So a lot less! Thinking about it, not that surprising. More deaths than usual in Spring, but for a relatively short period. More deaths than usual going into nAutumn/Winter, but not a huge amount more – and some of those caused by the restrictions (and vaccines?).
Incredibly safe?
It’s completely, totally, perfectly, absolutely safe for 67 million vaccinated and unvaccinated people to meet up!!!!
I’d never heard of Joe Rogan but looking at that Twitter thread … really, really depressing.
There is Twitter, and then again there is reality.
Joe Rogan is is great, a bit shouty for me and his podcasts are too long but he is as far removed from woke as you can imagine.
The only reason snowflakes would view his site would be to find something to be offended about.
If widespread antibody testing had taken place this time last year, I wonder what the results would have been?
suppressed by now.
Driving isn’t safe either.
used to be, back when they had a 4mph speed limit. I’m with the London to Brighton peo0ple though!
It’s like well safe innit.
In other news… The Director of Communications of the World Health Organization, Gabriella Stern (https://twitter.com/gabbystern), was formerly Director of Media and External Relations at — wait for it — the Bill & MelindaGates Foundation (https://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/6118/2016-01-12/wsjs-stern-gates-foundation-pr-slot.html)
Time for a judicial review of the Secretary of State’s view that there is a public health situation justifying any measures, seeking an order to quash (invalidate) any restrictions as unreasonable and ultra vires.
But that assumes that the judiciary aren’t fully signed up to tyranny.
Can’t they just do what they want since they started that politicised “supreme court” nonsense? Thank you very much, Mr. Blair.
why I can’t emphasise enough, be careful what you say on here. Remember the film of 1984? They tried to join the resistance, but found they’d been had by the state. No doubt in years to come, it will turn out that the state were up to all sorts (perhaps details about the 77th will come out one of these days!). Though I have a nasty feeling they already know quite a lot about us.
So pleased by the Robert Dingwall piece. I am so glad he keeps trying to cut through the hysteria, he’s been trying for so long and I am thankful he hasn’t given up. Every day I come to this site looking for hope and sometimes if find it.
“The ZOE Study’s analysis of vaccine efficacy and side-effects based on data from 627,383 ZOE contributors. They learned that around one in four people experience mild side effects, the most common being headaches, fatigue and tenderness around the injection site”
Well – I obviously haven’t done proper sampling, but the opportunity sample that I have knowledge of has side effects nearer 2 to 3 in 4, and severe fever has been a large proportion.
This may be due to the fact that the Zoe figures, too, are derived from a non-random sample of younger individuals.
You last sentence reminded me to update readers of the progress in La Belle Francaise.
Nothing, nada, that is the number of positive tests ( cases) have peaked a fallen a smidgen, the number of hospitalisations/ ICU beds after positive test have peaked and fallen a smidgen, its still concentrated on Paris and the N East.
But this has prompted the Govt to announce ending restrictions on time for the May month of ‘bridging’ holidays. No geographical restrictions from 3 May, restaurants/cafes open for terraces 16 May and end of month for internal use. Vax certificates etc ruled out for any of this, possible use for large concerts in the summer. Border controls waiting for the Schengen/EU ‘green card’. Which means in practice that Antigen and PCR tests will apply for reentry from countries that allow you to get there in the first place. Emergency Legislation probably not renewed from 3 May , but for 6 months a sort of muddle, sorry middle path which would allow govt to take ‘measures’ if things ‘get out of hand’.
Re your Zoe comment, the French PCR tests have been concentrated on the 20-40 yr old group, and so that age group so now the most infected. Its just a testademic.
The all cause death rate for 2021 is mapping along the 2019 line almost exactly, indeed weirdly following monthly ‘bumps’. Obviously disease/deaths in France follows the monthly holiday pattern like the rest of the economy.
Do infections stop between midday and 2 p.m. while the virus has lunch?
Its a very polite and well behaved virus, so I think you will be correct. In the same way it doesn’t infect when you are sitting down and eating or drinking, only when walking to or from the table. There are many other examples.
Ah yes, the region where they are still “vaccinating” over-75’s (by my calculations).
“Let us pray the Christian ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ saves us from sinister science”
I reckon the Dunkirk spirit went out the window ages ago. To extend the analogy – the inhabitants have been standing on the dockside welcoming the invaders with tea and homemade cakes.
There was a national day of prayer before the miracle of Dunkirk. Any common enterprise that would unite the nation these days? (Don’t tell me – panic buying?). The Gerries were said to be welcoming our D-Day Dodgers with tea in Italy!
. I tell you, their generation would have sorted this out.
He’s been told he appeals to the ‘Corrie-watching’ set, so he tries to use what he thinks are their idioms, just makes him look and sound like an idiot.
Britain is “well on the way to herd immunity”?? I am convinced we reached herd immunity back in the peak of infections a year ago.
I hate this safetyism in our society – it’s driving me crazy! Message in Asda: “if you have any concerns about safety, please speak to a member of our staff.” Sainsburys: “we are doing all that we can to keep you safe.” On the tube: “wear a covering over your nose and mouth. It’s there to protect us all.” In the toilets: “Please do not use this hand basin for everyone’s safety.” ararghghghghghgh!!!!