PM aide Cummings damaged public confidence in UK COVID-19 response: study

[webfact]

PM aide Cummings damaged public confidence in UK COVID-19 response: study

 

FILE PHOTO: Dominic Cummings, special advisor for Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves his home in London, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, May 28, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Dominic Cummings, a top aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, damaged public confidence in the government's coronavirus response by travelling out of London when the city was in lockdown, an academic study published on Thursday said.

 

Cummings was at the centre of a huge public outcry among locked-down Britons when it was revealed he had travelled 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of London to be closer to family for childcare reasons after his wife fell ill.

 

He denied breaking the rules, was backed by Johnson, and resisted pressure to quit.

 

The incident caused a clear decrease of public confidence in the government's ability to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, which started from the day the story broke and has not recovered since, a study by University College London (UCL) found.

 

"These data illustrate the negative and lasting consequences that political decisions can have for public trust and the risks to behaviours," lead author of the study, Daisy Fancourt said.

 

The researchers said they had separated out the effect of the Cummings row on confidence in the British government by comparing data from a large scale survey, with data from the same source on confidence in devolved governments in Scotland and Wales, and in the health service.

 

Confidence in England dropped by 0.4 points on a seven point scale between May 21 and 25, while there was no corresponding drop on the other indicators.

 

The study looked at 220,000 results from more than 40,000 individuals between April 24 and June 11. The findings have not been externally peer-reviewed ahead of their publication, UCL said.

 

(Reporting by William James; editing by Stephen Addison)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-07

 

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[RuamRudy]

I wonder did Johnson expect his corrupt sham government to be exposed quite so quickly. Certainly he and his cronies lost no time in exploiting the COVID situation to benefit their friends (and presumably themselves), but did he really think he could screw up on such a monumental scale without it being disclosed?

 

£252M contract awarded to Ayanda Capital, registered in Mauritius for tax purposes, PPE not delivered;

£116M contract awarded to P14 Medical Supplies (assets of £145 - yes, one hundred and forty five pounds!), PPE not delivered;

£186M contract awarded to Uniserve, PPE not delivered;

£107M contract awarded to Clandeboyne Agencies, a chocolate company, PPE not delivered;

£40M contract awarded to Medicine Box Lt (assets of £6000), PPE not delivered;

£48M contract awarded to Initia Ventures, registered as 'dormant', PPE not delivered;

£28M contract awarded to Monarch Acoustics, who make furniture, PPE not delivered;

£25M contract awarded to Luxe Lifestyles, which has no assets, no employees and no turnover, PPE not delivered;

£18M contract awarded to Aventis Solution, (assets of £332), PPE not delivered;

£10M contract awarded to Medco Solutions, incorporated 3 days after lockdown with share capital of £2 (two pounds), PPE not delivered;

 

However... what are the chances that (a) government ministers will be held to account; (b) the police will actively investigate; (c) there will be a transparent investigation and possible charges brought in relation to deaths that could have been prevented had these contracts been correctly awarded and fulfilled? I am guess not a chance in hell. 

 

The ultimate irony, I read yesterday - lawyers for Ayanda have written to the publicly funded lawyers attempting to challenge the awarding of the contract to them, stating that they will seek to have the case thrown out because they will argue that the latter would be unable to pay costs were they to lose. What sort of a kafkaesque world is it where government ministers can conspire with their friends to steal millions of pounds of taxpayers' money, then when the taxpayers attempt to redress this, the thieves use their stolen money to try to legally prevent the action?

 

The UK is a rotten, corrupt banana republic - the levers of power having been handed to the most mendacious politicians possible by a pliant, dull eyed electorate 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

He has the key to Boris's video stash and there will be no shifting him ????

[Rookiescot]

47 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

I wonder did Johnson expect his corrupt sham government to be exposed quite so quickly. Certainly he and his cronies lost no time in exploiting the COVID situation to benefit their friends (and presumably themselves), but did he really think he could screw up on such a monumental scale without it being disclosed?

 

£252M contract awarded to Ayanda Capital, registered in Mauritius for tax purposes, PPE not delivered;

£116M contract awarded to P14 Medical Supplies (assets of £145 - yes, one hundred and forty five pounds!), PPE not delivered;

£186M contract awarded to Uniserve, PPE not delivered;

£107M contract awarded to Clandeboyne Agencies, a chocolate company, PPE not delivered;

£40M contract awarded to Medicine Box Lt (assets of £6000), PPE not delivered;

£48M contract awarded to Initia Ventures, registered as 'dormant', PPE not delivered;

£28M contract awarded to Monarch Acoustics, who make furniture, PPE not delivered;

£25M contract awarded to Luxe Lifestyles, which has no assets, no employees and no turnover, PPE not delivered;

£18M contract awarded to Aventis Solution, (assets of £332), PPE not delivered;

£10M contract awarded to Medco Solutions, incorporated 3 days after lockdown with share capital of £2 (two pounds), PPE not delivered;

 

However... what are the chances that (a) government ministers will be held to account; (b) the police will actively investigate; (c) there will be a transparent investigation and possible charges brought in relation to deaths that could have been prevented had these contracts been correctly awarded and fulfilled? I am guess not a chance in hell. 

 

The ultimate irony, I read yesterday - lawyers for Ayanda have written to the publicly funded lawyers attempting to challenge the awarding of the contract to them, stating that they will seek to have the case thrown out because they will argue that the latter would be unable to pay costs were they to lose. What sort of a kafkaesque world is it where government ministers can conspire with their friends to steal millions of pounds of taxpayers' money, then when the taxpayers attempt to redress this, the thieves use their stolen money to try to legally prevent the action?

 

The UK is a rotten, corrupt banana republic - the levers of power having been handed to the most mendacious politicians possible by a pliant, dull eyed electorate 

 

 

Not long ago this would have resulted in resignations and even a collapse of the government.

Not now though. The UK has become so right wing that democracy is no longer functioning. 

This kind of corruption and things like Johnsons friends and family promotions to the house of Lords would be worthy of someone like Robert Mugabe.

[evadgib]

The study seems to have omitted the fact that Cummings successfully neutered a remainer-orchestrated coup while Boris languished in ICU.

Edited August 7, 2020 by evadgib

[from the home of CC]

and after giving the green light to bars opening they're blaming Muslims for the latest outbreaks, lol..

[Nigel Garvie]

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

The study seems to have omitted the fact that Cummings successfully neutered a remainer-orchestrated coup while Boris languished in ICU.

Come on Evangib, get a grip. That is absolutely nothing to do with the topic whatsoever. I expect Cummings did many things in the past both good (To you anyway) and bad, but totally irrelevant to this survey.

[evadgib]

6 minutes ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Come on Evangib, get a grip. That is absolutely nothing to do with the topic whatsoever. I expect Cummings did many things in the past both good (To you anyway) and bad, but totally irrelevant to this survey.

'Another stick' an' all that.

[grumpy 4680]

    If all the above figures are to be believed, then all the UK conmen must of come out the cupboard to take advantage of the Governments desperate attempts to supply PPT, I very much doubt that such sums were paid without supply's being produced, so I would say its rather rash to blame the Government at this stage, its easy for armchair critics to lay blame with hindsight.

     As for Cummings, I would of believed many High So;s flouted the laws in some way, but he was one to be caught, and the media loves a scapegoat, but he had reasonable cause to get home at the time.

    And as for the people blaming the Government for everything, why not vent your anger at the ignorant selfish English for ignoring the rules, and spreading the virus around. A second wave is likely to be coming, and there are still many being so ignorant and selfish.

    No matter what Government had been in power, it would of still been a no win situation, with all the armchair critics around.

[OneMoreFarang]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

an academic study published on Thursday said

Anybody who follows the news knows that without any study.

[grumpy 4680]

5 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

The UK is a rotten, corrupt banana republic - the levers of power having been handed to the most mendacious politicians possible by a pliant, dull eyed electorate 

     That's one angry pro European candidate, with a picture to suit.

[twocatsmac]

1 hour ago, from the home of CC said:

and after giving the green light to bars opening they're blaming Muslims for the latest outbreaks, lol..

My son works full time at testing facilities in northwest England.

Recent outbreaks are attributed to family gatherings and not bars as is the case in Aberdeen. 

Muslim festivals are the reason for the revised regulations in this area of the UK. 

The truth just isn’t palatable for the media and a few libs here.

[flossie35]

6 minutes ago, grumpy 4680 said:

     That's one angry pro European candidate, with a picture to suit.

So all this corruption is OK with you?

[3NUMBAS]

left wing media tosh who cannot accept uk left so keep muck raking ,bojo will be relected at the next GE as starmer is a wooden tosser controlled by the unions

[grumpy 4680]

19 minutes ago, flossie35 said:

So all this corruption is OK with you?

     Corruption is not ok with me, but its a question of who's doing it, if the Government put out contracts, and the suppliers don't full fill the contract because they are not capable, then one can't blame the Government for corruption, if one cannot back up the facts.

[twocatsmac]

21 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

left wing media tosh who cannot accept uk left so keep muck raking ,bojo will be relected at the next GE as starmer is a wooden tosser controlled by the unions

Starmer will be rejected for his lack of effort in apprehending Muslim rape gangs in the UK.

Edited August 7, 2020 by twocatsmac

[puipuitom]

6 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

I wonder did Johnson expect his corrupt sham government to be exposed quite so quickly. Certainly he and his cronies lost no time in exploiting the COVID situation to benefit their friends (and presumably themselves), but did he really think he could screw up on such a monumental scale without it being disclosed?

.

.

.

The UK is a rotten, corrupt banana republic - the levers of power having been handed to the most mendacious politicians possible by a pliant, dull eyed electorate 

I am since 1977 an international purchaser for a EU based supermarket organisation and since 1994 owner of a trading co. When I could not get ... gherkins.. from a "local" source in NL/B/D/F, I look further... to the Balkans, Gujarat ( India ) or even Vietnam. I contact a cannery there, maybe a specialised trading co, check their financial data, or even get in a reference from somebody I know and trust .. but give me one reason - not a whatever ??? like Ayanda company here.

I ask for the producers' certifications and verify these via their auditer(s), ask an international surveyor like Bureau Veritas, Det Norske Veritas, SGS, TUV etc, who do this job already over a century to check the production and finished product. When o.k. pay and ship to here.

From 18 March I already got info from my Chinese (food) suppliers since 25+ years for face masks etc, not per carton, but.. if I wanted ... per full Jumbo 747, not once, but.. one full plane a day.

All brought me direct in contact with the manufacturer, which I advised to contact the Dutch governmental "Middelen Corona". NONE of them ever got a reply. And every medic... MUST buy via Muiddelen Corona, or did not get his invested money back. Better let a 5,000 expensive care-oldies die.

And some complain about the Thai government's "commission paid "? Here they do it on much larger scale OR.. too stupid and too lazy .

Edited August 7, 2020 by puipuitom

[puipuitom]

5 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Not long ago this would have resulted in resignations and even a collapse of the government.

Not now though. The UK has become so right wing that democracy is no longer functioning. 

This kind of corruption and things like Johnsons friends and family promotions to the house of Lords would be worthy of someone like Robert Mugabe.

Some problems:

1) it is OR  "us" OR.. "the mortal enemy" in the UK and USA

2) The winner takes it all, so no chance to bring in a 3rd of 4th power to form a coalition, today via nr 3, next time via nr 4 does not exist

3) career politicians, selected on their 100,000 % loyalty to the political leader.  Brains and decency not an asset, Party interests far and far about nation's interest. 

4) Politicians are selected and elected because of speeches, with which they won in their constituency "Three-Cottages-upon-Ditch", not so often because of knowledge and skills.

5)  Ministers are selected because they speeched a seat together, never because skills and knowledge of the subject of their ministry. Can you imagine such an appointment of a CFO at any company ( does not know anything of accounting, but .. speeches....) ? A "nurse" as minister of Roads, Canals, Dikes etc in the Netherlands... 

6) very few times a politician is questioned under oath, with some attorneys with power enough to dig to the bottom. And with REAL punishments possible.

[7by7]

56 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

left wing media tosh who cannot accept uk left so keep muck raking ,bojo will be relected at the next GE as starmer is a wooden tosser controlled by the unions

 Johnson and his puppet master are already seen as electoral liabilities by a growing number of Tories; from MPs down to ordinary members.

 

They wont be around come the next GE. Probably not much longer after 31/12/20.

[sawadee1947]

It's not only Cummings but all Govt. Members who damage confidence and recommendation of a whole nation.!!! ????

[7by7]

44 minutes ago, twocatsmac said:

Starmer will be rejected for his lack of effort in apprehending Muslim rape gangs in the UK.

 As he was never an employee of, let alone in charge of, any of the police forces and social services involved in that atrocious scandal, please explain your remark.

 

He did become DPP in 2008, 9 years after these scandals had started to be exposed and prosecutions of those involved had begun. But the CPS can only decide whether or not to prosecute based on the evidence submitted by the police. If the police do not refer a case to the CPS then there is nothing the CPS nor the DPP can do.

[Thingamabob]

An 'academic study', highlighted in the Guardian and the Mirror. 'Nuff said. Best ignored.

[Rookiescot]

17 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

An 'academic study', highlighted in the Guardian and the Mirror. 'Nuff said. Best ignored.

Thats the spirit mate.

Ignore anything which does not suit your agenda.

What could possibly be wrong with that?

[Lormak]

Dominic is a national hero and has quite literally saved the UK. He masterminded the Leave vote and a landslide Election victory. He overturned an attempted coup by Remainers.  Genius is not too strong a word.  At the very least he should get a knighthood and then a seat in the Lords.

Its wonderful to see the liberal-left-Remainers and their MSM puppet-masters gnashing their teeth and wailing as democracy prevails and Boris and Dominic enact the Will of the British People!

[lungbing]

Didn't Kinnock junior break the same rules when visiting his parents?  But there again he's Liebour so  the press won't follow up on thaht.

[dunroaming]

7 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Not long ago this would have resulted in resignations and even a collapse of the government.

Not now though. The UK has become so right wing that democracy is no longer functioning. 

This kind of corruption and things like Johnsons friends and family promotions to the house of Lords would be worthy of someone like Robert Mugabe.

Part of the problem is the size of Johnson's majority in the house (not be confused with the size of his Johnson).  He can ride rough shod over everything and consequently is pretty much untouchable.

[twocatsmac]

43 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

 

Indeed I do. Your remark contained no truth.

Really?  Try a search of this title if anyone’s interested.

 

 

 

 

 

[Rookiescot]

1 hour ago, twocatsmac said:

Really?  Try a search of this title if anyone’s interested.

 

 

 

 

 

Thats a reputable source?

Yeah right.

[evadgib]

1 hour ago, Rookiescot said:

Thats a reputable source?

Yeah right.

....& the content?

[Scott]

Off-topic posts reported and removed.