06-01-2020, 02:07 PM
The government is, in some respects damned if they do and damned if they don't. Every country was woefully under prepared and have made mistakes along the way.
I'm sure people are following the science but the interpretation of the science is not straightforward. Like in any scientific discipline good science is basically the accretion of many years of refinement by multiple scientists always building on the last iteration. That's a good thing, but in a completely new case there's no way the science can always be right. The interpretation is what's key along with: agility of decision making and in covid's case the other factors around protection, testing, etc...
The big question is whether the number of deaths could have been lower if alternative actions were taken. For me this is not about finger pointing but absolutely critical to the next hit - because that will be coming sooner than we think given that the planet is boiling in terms of heat, people, pollution. What gets my goat is that as an Island we have an advantage. Close the borders. We never did. Govt is culpable for that in my book.
But to finish.... the science and those advisors will inevitably be the fall guy in the inquiry/review of what has happened. Politically astute to have them at every briefing - not just because they should be there, but because that will be Boris's get out of jail card. A bit like "Get Brexit Done" and "£350m for the NHS", "Following the Science" is just another phrase that can be parroted out to keep the populus under control and make it look like the govt has control
I'm sure people are following the science but the interpretation of the science is not straightforward. Like in any scientific discipline good science is basically the accretion of many years of refinement by multiple scientists always building on the last iteration. That's a good thing, but in a completely new case there's no way the science can always be right. The interpretation is what's key along with: agility of decision making and in covid's case the other factors around protection, testing, etc...
The big question is whether the number of deaths could have been lower if alternative actions were taken. For me this is not about finger pointing but absolutely critical to the next hit - because that will be coming sooner than we think given that the planet is boiling in terms of heat, people, pollution. What gets my goat is that as an Island we have an advantage. Close the borders. We never did. Govt is culpable for that in my book.
But to finish.... the science and those advisors will inevitably be the fall guy in the inquiry/review of what has happened. Politically astute to have them at every briefing - not just because they should be there, but because that will be Boris's get out of jail card. A bit like "Get Brexit Done" and "£350m for the NHS", "Following the Science" is just another phrase that can be parroted out to keep the populus under control and make it look like the govt has control