Apr 21, 2020
As lockdown continues, despite the growing murmurings from some
quarters that it should end, the UK Parliament is set to amend its
arcane procedures to allow remote working.
We ask if the way Westminster works is fit for purpose,
and the very nature of , what passes for, debate and
governmental scrutiny, derived from public school and Oxbridge
debating societies, has been shown for the sham it is during the
crisis.
Lesley hones in on trust in the Conservative government,and the
sheer hypocrisy of the likes of Jeremy Hunt, in creating a bankrupt
and privatised, by stealth,English NHS, while ignoring the alarm
bells rung by health and social care professionals during the
Tories tenure in power.
The focus is increasingly turning both on an exit strategy and
how and what a return to “normality” will look like. Will it be
business as usual with turbo charged austerity to pay off the
“debt” or will lessons be learned as to how we can create a
greener, fairer society?
A significant part of any exit strategy will be developing a
system to cope with the ongoing fight against Covid 19. I had a
look at how South Korea created a robust system of contact tracing
and what resources the Scottish government needs to put in place to
do this. We also ask if we would be prepared to accept the
“invasion” of privacy, South Koreans have taken on board.
Lesley was at the centre of a bit of Twitter storm over her
retweet of a Robert Peston piece on the use and staffing of the
London Nightingale Hospital. She clarifies her position, for those.
like George Foulkes, who decided pile in without reading the whole
thread.
There’s also been a notable upsurge in articles, from
journalists, both on the right and left of politics,making the case
that the Covid 19 crisis has significantly diminished the case for
Scottish independence.We beg to differ.
There’s, as always,other stuff and nonsense, including a
gratuitous advert for Ronseal, and a guest appearance by Harry
Styles.
