Planning

For six years I worked on major construction projects.

We had plans for everything.

We also had to have good risk management, and mitigate any risks we identified.

Projects, like the Government response to COVID, was split into sections, and before leaving one stage for the next, there was a gate meeting to review the pre-requisites to ensure it was all under control.

Planning took place sometimes years before the events planned for.

So, looking on at the events of the last 36 hours, where Johnson and Raab could not agree on which day of this week people could and couldn't go back to work fills me with alarm.

I also am alarmed at the lack of any data or planning beyond the speech and round of media interviews. The paper on guiding employers was supposed to be published yesterday, and how to control social distancing is due to be published today.

Let me be clear, there should have been a plan for all stages of the pandemic response, including what actions the Government needed to have done, and plans in place, before relaxing the lockdown.

I cannot see there is any of that.

IN my job I look for documented evidence, the data released each evening at the media briefing is sometimes a month old. Any good Government should not be basing what actions to take now on deaths registered 30 days ago.

There is no mass testing in place. Without that, and tracing contracts of those who met with people who tested positive, and then ensuring they isolate, there is no control. The Government is resorting to fate. If Johnson gets lucky, then the outbreak fades. If he gets it wrong, a second more deadly wave of infections will sweep over the country from the beginning of June.

Instead of having actuals plans and guidance, Johnson calls on every one to use Common Sense. Thing about common sense is that it isn't that common. I'm sure those on zero hours contracts when they contact their employers will be able to negotiate a month further on 80% because they fear infection and death. Because every employer so bloody reasonable. Common sense will sweep through the country, people will self isolate, no go down to the beach for a bbq. Oh....

If the country is let out of lockdown tomorrow without a plan, without testing, packed onto commuter trains to go to the office or coffee shop or factory, thousands more will die. Possibly tens of thousands will die. Johnson had a week to come up with a plan, and all he had was common sense.

We knew Johnson was lazy, never read his briefs in dispatch boxes, but turns out he is crap too. Lazy and crap, and maybe he knows that too.

But as a nation, we will all pay.

And the realisation will be, maybe if Johnson was this shot with the pandemic, maybe he is just as shit with Brexit too. But too late for that, now.