P.K.

Which is why we're hedging our bets...

Sitting here I definitely went out into the storm and I may be some time. But I knew that at the time and don't regret it of course. Kids, who would have them? Daughter #2 showing no symptoms thank goodness. Niece GP who caught it at the hozzie thanks to inadequate PPE is slowly recovering. We have now passed the 14 days since our flight out. So we didn't get it on the aircraft which was a concern - what goes around comes around! In a few weeks I'll be writing to the Cabinet Office because we're concerned about having our "Go" cards and Sure sims cancelled. That and my legal rights about returning I suppose....

Steady on. The "people" were allowed to choose the direction of the UK. Look how badly that turned out...!

Because it's nice of course. I like MR. Whenever the sirens are sounded I always check that our wireless is tuned into MR. That's the thing about Public Service Broadcasting - the public have to pay for it. (The clue is in the name - Public Service Broadcasting)

That the CS/PS is the largest political lobby on the island?

At least Thatcher's children on here have stopped trying to downplay how serious the situation is. After all, seasonal flu doesn't cause morturies to be stuffed full to overflowing...

Unfortunately "the system" means the CM is ALWAYS a compromise candidate. When the UK wised up to the VAT scam Mr Brown had the perfect opportunity to "rightsize" the CS/PS. He unashamedly ducked it. Now Mr Quayle is in the same position. I don't gamble but even I am willing to risk a £1 that Quayle ducks it too. Any takers? Didn't think so...

Some days I wonder how as a nation we could be stupid enough to vote for BREXIT. And then there are days like today...

True but it's his choice so fair play to the man. It would be good for the country if he can lift parliament's level of debate above the three-word hollow slogans and soundbites that seems to be limit of Johnson's "talent" shall we say. Time will tell...

Don't think so Freggy. Only a complete and utter moron would think that this is something you can run away and hide from. Especially with a government which has criminally failed in it's duty to protect it's citizens by apparently having done nothing to prepare for the levels of testing required to fight the virus. But hey, Thatcher's children will still think totally amoral narcissistic serial philanderer and inveterate liar Boris Johnson is PM material... Believe me they deserve him...

Who cares what alt-right bring back hanging surreal twat Guido thinks? An excellent result as long as your name isn't Len Dinosaur McCluskey. Who probably views himself as an Alpha T-Rex whereas folks like me view him as an Omega Diplodofus. What with the shambles that is BREXIT and now the extreme challenges of Covid-19 the country desperately needs the checks and balances that only an effective Her Maj's Opposition can provide. McCluskey has single-handedly made Labour totally unelectable since 2010. He has a great deal to answer for. Fair shout to Corbyn. Personally I thought he was totally ineffective in that he would never be PM but he managed to energise the young and get them involved in politics which was sadly missing. Can't blame the youngsters though. With Cameron's front bench of some 15 privileged millionaires calling the shots to the impressionable their position must have seemed impregnable. Somehow Corbyn managed to turn that around. All things considered not a bad legacy really. A decent Opposition is sorely needed. Especially with Johnson's Administration lying to us as though we just don't count. I suppose to Johnson et al we clearly don't. But then Johnson's appalling reputation precedes him of that there is no doubt. Labour lost a lot of traditional Labour seats because they were led to believe that BREXIT would mean an end to austerity. More fool them but with the alternative reality right wing press pushing the agenda of the owner it's easy to see how that could happen. The government's lies on testing etc have left them in a vulnerable position. Hopefully Starmer can get them to be more responsive to the real needs and challenges that Covid-19 has brought to which they are appearing to be dreadfully unprepared and ineffective. I wonder if Brenda will abdicate tomorrow? With Phil The Greek out of the game it makes sense. But then the rat-pack press will make accusations of running away as if being shuttered away in Windsor Castle isn't running away enough....

I think that Thatcher's children, particularly the Woolster, need to explain what could possibly be excusable about this litany of obfuscation, incompetence and downright lies. The first UK fatality due to Covid-19 took place on the 28th February so never forget that for every day of this shabby timeline the casualty list was growing... Britain’s coronavirus testing scandal: a timeline of mixed messages UK government accused of over-promising and under-delivering on a variety of claims in the past few weeks Three weeks ago, the World Health Organization told countries battling Covid-19 to “test, test, test” for the virus. Since then, the UK government has been accused of issuing mixed messages, of over-promising and under-delivering – the UK’s daily testing rate has only just passed 10,000. 11 March: Tests to be expanded The health secretary, Matt Hancock, insists the government is “rolling out a big expansion of testing” but declines to give a specific timetable. NHS England says there are plans to increase coronavirus testing to 10,000. The UK-wide death toll stands at eight – 1,215 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK. 12 March: Tests to be restricted The UK moves from the “contain” to the “delay” phase of its plan to tackle coronavirus. Boris Johnson announces that health workers will no longer test people for the virus in their homes, but will continue to test people already in hospitals. 16 March: WHO says ‘test, test, test’ The WHO urges countries to “test, test, test”. 3,826 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK. 18 March: ‘Test 25,000 a day’ – but no timetable Boris Johnson announces the ambition of carrying out 25,000 tests a day, but provides no detail. 5,779 tests are carried out that day. 19 March: ‘Antibody tests coming soon’ – but no timetable The prime minister says mass testing to see if people have already contracted the virus, and are probably therefore immune, will take place relatively soon, which he says would be a game-changer. The UK death toll from coronavirus stands at 144. 24 March: ‘UK has 3.5m antibody tests’ – but no timetable Matt Hancock announces the government has bought 3.5m antibody tests, which can determine if someone has had coronavirus. He repeats that general testing will be ramped up, but with no timeframe for deployment. 6,491 tests are performed. 25 March: ‘UK aiming for 250,000 tests a day’ – but no timetable Johnson tells the daily Downing Street press conference: “We are going up from 5,000 to 10,000 tests per day, to 25,000, hopefully very soon up to 250,000 per day.” 6,583 tests are carried out. 25 March: ‘Antibody tests within days’ – then denied Earlier that day, Prof Sharon Peacock, the director of the national infection service at PHE, says mass antibody testing in the UK will be possible within days. The government later takes a more cautious line, saying the tests will not be available so quickly. 27 March: ‘Dramatic increase planned’ – but no timetable Michael Gove announces that a “new alliance” of businesses, research institutes and universities will boost antigen testing capacity (which checks if someone has the virus) for frontline workers. He says hundreds of people will receive the tests over the weekend and that there will be a “dramatic” increase in testing the following week. 31 March: ‘Testing hampered by chemical shortage’ Only 8,240 people are tested on this day. Gove says the availability of certain chemicals is limiting the ability to rapidly increase testing capacity. 1 April – Ministers admit only 0.4% of NHS staff have been tested Despite its 27 March announcement, Downing Street confirms that only 2,000 people out of 500,000 frontline NHS England workers had been tested for coronavirus so far. Public Health England’s Prof Yvonne Doyle appears to confirm that the UK’s strategy is now to increase testing for the virus in the general population. A total of 9,793 tests are carried out. 2 April: Government sets new target – and admits 3.5m antibody tests don’t work Testing passes 10,000 a day for the first time since the start of the crisis, with 10,215 carried out. Hancock sets a new government target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April – including both antibody and antigen tests. He says the UK wants to buy 17.5m antibody tests, “subject to them working”, and that early tests had been “poor”. None of the 3.5m tests bought by the government – and announced on 24 March – have been found to work so far. 3 April: 100,000 target clarified Hancock tells broadcasters that the prime minister’s 25 March commitment to get to 250,000 tests a day “still stands”, but that he wanted to “put a very clear timeline” on the goal to get to 100,000 by the end of the month. He says it is “frustrating” that the first antibody tests have not worked. The prime minister’s spokesman is forced to clarify that the 100,000 target is for England only....

Beat me to it. As to this: Honest, hardworking, reliable - none of these words apply to Boris Johnson. You have made the pretty much perfect "Pass the sick-bag Alice" post. Well done indeed....!

Personally I think Thatchers tenure was absolutely dreadful for exactly the same reason Johnson's is absolutely dreadful as well - total lack of any kind of empathy. Sure the lack of empathy is for very different reasons but the disastrous result for the country is the same.... I answered your question. Now answer mine: "Add to that the fact that he just can't be taken seriously and a further weekend and more was unnecessarily added to the spread of the infection. Isn't that right Roger...?"