In a show advertised as featuring shock revelations from two English professors claiming the UK should have locked down two weeks earlier on 9th March, Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University, had something far more powerful to tell us.
First, she told us that March 9th was ‘quite a late point to be worried about this‘ and that the WHO had declared their highest level of alarm on what coronavirus would do to our population, on the 30th January!
In the light of Boris Johnson’s repeated claims that not enough was known about the virus at that stage, she insists: ‘We knew a lot about this virus already,’ and ‘We didn’t need to wait till March even.’
Second, asked to compare the Scottish and English strategies, she was blunt in the extreme.
Looking at the current loosening of the lock-down planned for England, she saw this as a strategy whereby you allow the virus to pass through the population but control that flow enough so that it does not overload the NHS.
Prof Sridhar did not use the phrases ‘herd immunity’ or ‘take it on the chin old folk’ but that’s what it looks like to me.
Considering the Scottish strategy, she characterised it as a clear one, in contrast to the muddle in England, and one where you do not ‘let anyone be exposed to this virus who doesn’t have to be, to drive down the number of cases, to try to get towards elimination.’
Full interview here:
Talking-up Scotland 
A very welcome vote of confidence in Scottish Government from the clinical community in contrast to the non stop negative ill informed sniping from Labour and Tory branch offices egged on by a craven MSM. That said I do not understand how Scotland can differentiate effectively on policy if UK airports and internal land borders are open. This essential component of an effective strategy is being downplayed presumably because of the constitutional power grab it would be framed as by the Unionists and the their pet media.
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Scotland does not control its own airports or its borders
It’s all controlled by England’s Westminster
Time and time again we see the problems caused by giving another country another government control of important matters
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Asking politely Terence, what solution would you apply to this major problem? Jack Collatin on W.G.D has been advocating border closure for a long time. Should we just take unilateral action?
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I’ve been wondering about this. We have a number of people resident in Scotland who work in England. Presumably these people commute to work each day as England’s easing of restrictions is well ahead of Scotland’s. How should we address this?
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Alex it is a double edged sword (and one the BBC/MSM will categorise as The SG overstepping/abusing its powers)
But:
Policing is devolved therefore checkpoints (think VOSA style) at all rail, road, air, ferry terminals where International or International travellers arrive.
Healthcare is devolved therefore screening at all checkpoints above
Scottish Government can under a devolved Public Health Bill enforce check points, testing and a 14 day quarantine (including travel across internal UK borders into Scotland) the SG can even requisition hotels etc. to put folk up in (owners would almost certainly be glad of the guaranteed income)
On the plus side if managed correctly it would highlight the inability of Scotland and her Government to fully protect the Scottish population for Westminster stupidity and incompetence!
More converts to Independence while the First Ministers stock is high with the public!
The Achilles heel is that the UK Treasury can blackmail Holyrood by withhold funding (like they are doing with furlough funding to push folk back to work too soon as Big Business interests are put before Public Health).
Would involve the Scottish Government growing a titanium spine!
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International
or
Internal travellers
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The police can stop unnecessary travel across the border can’t they? They don’t appear to be doing so. We have a leaky ship just as we get control of the virus.
Watched a couple of minutes on NS on BBC last night. She still doesn’t see that we acted much worse than Denmark and still doesn’t think we locked down late therefore there is no argument that we had no power to do so.
The only thing that redeems her is her admission that mistakes will have been made otherwise she was no different from Hancock. Oh, also that she allows herself to be interviewed, that is a low bar. Every time she repeats the ‘best science’ and ‘too early to compare countries’ mantra she fails any intelligent person. She is not the one to give us Independence.
Denmark had about the same number of cases at the time of their lockdown on 13th March as England. The Danish lockdown on 13th March included flights from high risk areas. Our border with England is still open.
Denmark locked down on 13th March (incl border)
Scotland locked down with England on 25th March (no borders)
Denmark: cases 12,216;, deaths 593; Mortality 5%,
Scotland: cases 15,665, deaths 2,434, Mortality 15.5%
On the date Denmark closed on 13th March they had 801 confirmed cases and 1 death.
On 13th March the UK had about 600 confirmed cases
On 26th March (one day after UK lock down and before the public even had their letters of rules) they had 578 deaths and 11,568 cases
.
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This is what I have been thinking recently re, unlocking in England.
As a herd of mendacious chancers (England’s government) they are taking a punt on the virus
being in retreat and if not,they are completely screwed anyway.
Going down with all guns blazing.
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“Prof Sridhar did not use the phrases ‘herd immunity’ or ‘take it on the chin old folk’ but that’s what it looks like to me.”
She did add, however, that if that is what the UK government has in mind then let them say so and let’s get on with it. Fat chance of that from this bunch of mendacious, posh chancers…..
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What Prof Sridhar didn’t mention in relation to UK’s initial strategy and late lockdown was that the devolved governments were barred from taking part in the initial crucial SAGE meetings. They could submit a written statement/questions and send a delegate/observer, but these delegates were forbidden to speak at the meetings and so the devolved nations were effectively shut out of the crucial processes.
It was a classic example of the devolved “children” being seen and not heard, while the English “grown-ups” did all the talking and decision making. The result was that the devolved nations’ own strategies were in lockstep with England’s until it became obvious that England was on a dangerously wrong track. I’ve got no doubt an independent Scottish Gov would have agreed a sensible strategy with the scientists at an earlier date, got its defences primed and suffered fewer deaths as a result. Instead we got another “Benefit of the Union”.
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Ah, interesting, I’ll read this properly later.
I can’t share on twitter right now, they have suspended my account & won’t reinstate without a mobile number, which is for me not a road I will go down unless I get a cheap second mobile…any ideas let me know anyone in the know re this problem. Btw suspect a Britnat has somehow managed to have my account compromised…it’s been on the cards.
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I have a new twitter account now, so can share posts and fences and stuff. 🙂
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