Growing disheartened about the political shenanigans around coronavirus.

I’ve just heard on the radio news that they expect London to be relatively clear of Covid-19 sooner than elsewhere in the UK. It’s certainly recovering faster than some other parts of the UK, such as the North East, and indeed the North West. According to this article it is still on the rise in Greater Manchester.

This difference in infection could perhaps lead to a decision to restrict travel from one part of the Uk to another. Other countries, such as Spain, have had this policy in place and are only now beginning to think of lifting the restriction. 

I also wondered if this difference, and especially the prospect of a virus-free capital, affects the decision to relax the lockdown. If your immediate work place is less affected, then you are more likely to say go ahead and open places up. Is Westminster really in touch with the rest of the country. 

However, the London area remains a dangerous place for those who have to travel to work.

Which brings me to two other items in the news which have particularly attached my attention: Transport for London’s situation and the reopening of schools question. We have family working on both those areas.

When we were talking to our son last week, he flagged up the probability, nay, the certainty, that Transport for London was running out of money and needed help from the government. Now comes the news that TfL is getting financial assistance but ...

“there will be substantial conditions attached. Which is odd, because EasyJet did not get any. Nor have any of the one million businesses now furloughing staff had conditions attached. And the bounce back and other loans seem to be remarkably condition free. And yet TfL gets them. TfL have also got to put up fares. That can simply be described as a tax increase on London to pay for coronavirus. And the bailout money is being provided as a loan, not a grant. So it will have to be repaid. Which means that there will be more fare rises in future for an event that was beyond anyone’s control and from which no one gained.”

This article, from which the quote above is taken, suggests that there is a political element to this. What a surprise! Is London being punished for having elected a Labour mayor?

Then there is the reopening of schools question. This is being portrayed as being all for the good of our children. On the radio just now someone from the Sutton Trust went on about our falling behind education-wise in competition with other countries, especially Germany who sent their children back to school a few weeks ago. But Germany is having to rethink its lifting of lockdown as virus cases have gone up again. Also, I am not sure that France, Spain and Italy plan on sending children back to school until September.

The Daily Mail brays that we must “Let our teachers be heroes”. The implication is that teachers are all longing to be back in school but the wicked unions are preventing them from doing so. As if the teachers and the unions were two different groups of people.

Clearly it is important to get the children back to school as soon as it’s safe and appropriate to do so – but is June 1st the right time?  

Is this a reasoned decision based on the science, or a political decision, mainly based on the pressure the government is under to get the economy moving again, with the useful side effect of creating a distraction by setting up the teachers’ unions as public enemy number one (knowing they would resist a premature return – see the headlines in Daily Mail for instance).  

Here are a few items Phil just collected for me:  

simon maginn Retweeted
Ash Sarkar @AyoCaesar  

We’ve got the highest official death toll in Europe, mass testing is still a mess, and contact tracing hasn’t yet been set up. Can someone explain to me why this is a good time for teachers to go back to work?

Kevin Courtney
#NEU NHS @cyclingkev  
6h

The Daily Mail says we are standing in education workers way. NEU had 7.5k new members in last 3 days; 2.4k reps on a call yesterday & 100k response to a survey in 2 days.
Our members want to get back to wider opening. When it’s safe.
Our #FiveTests are responsible & sensible.

 “The Department for Education’s chief scientific adviser admitted he has not assessed whether guidance on reopening schools is effective, adding the current advice is “draft” and “will be developed”. Appearing in front of the Parliamentary science and technology committee today, Osama Rahman also admitted the DfE had done no modelling on the impact on transmission rates of starting to reopen schools after the May half term break.
During a hearing that left some MPs visibly bemused, Rahman also suggested the government guidance issued yesterday on safety is a “draft”, and will be reissued after further consultation with Public Health England.
He also said the decision to reopen schools was made by cabinet, not the DfE.”
Later it seems he’s been “nobbled”:.

 simon maginn Retweeted
Tom London @TomLondon6  
·1h  
WHAT IS GOING ON?
Phase ONE Coronavirus is no big deal  
Phase TWO It's a killer virus! It's a HUGE deal  
Phase THREE Only snowflake treacherous wimps wouldn't expose themselves and our kids to this virus.  

Nothing is as simple as it seems. I grow very downhearted but ...

 Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!