So, six months on....

I'm just very disappointed that so many people either seem to think that people that were pro-lockdown wanted the NHS to cancel appointments or that we thought it was necessary to - or they know that nobody wanted that and frame it as such anyway.

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that a lockdown of non-essential business and recreation should have impacted the NHS at all and I'm going to continue to call it out when I see people say that I caused people to have their cancer screenings cancelled.
That was a result of NHS policy. Nothing whatsoever to do with lockdown. NHS policy which, by the way, was horrific. That's what needs calling out for all these extra deaths, not people that wanted recreational activity stopped.

The ONLY things that should have caused the NHS to cancel appointments is if hospitals were overloaded or if too many Doctors and Nurses caught the virus and had to isolate. Both of which the lockdown was designed to prevent happening.

 

Exactly this. 100%. We wanted a proper lockdown to prevent the NHS being overrun. What was the effing point of them locking half of things down whilst treating the NHS as if it was overran anyway? It completely went against the whole point of it and then the people who supported lockdown are now being blamed for this stupid policy of this inept government when no one apart from Cummings ever thought it was a good idea.

 

The NHS wasn't over run was it?

 

No, so why did this government act like it was and cancel appointments left, right and centre?

 

I have a few theories...

None of them good.

 

A very good question.

 

I don't get why Boris isn't taking notice of the growing discontent at the rules he's got in place. Take for example what's happening in New Zealand with Jacinda Ardern. She was seen quite rightly as one of the best leaders during this pandemic. However her popularity is shrinking all the time in the polls and the upcoming election there she could actually lose or at best have to put together a coalition government. A lot of the country hate her for locking up millions of people like they are criminals in prison and closing the border which is ruining business.

 

Her lead is a slender 31%, down from 34% a month ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opini...and_general_election#Preferred_Prime_Minister

 

The New Zealand Labour party is currently the largest party in a coalition with the Greens and NZ First (National won the most seats in 2017) and have increased their vote share in opinion polls from 41% in February - 5% below the National Party - to a high of 59% in May and a recent fall back to 47%. This gives them a lead of 14% over the National Party - their nearest rivals.

47% might seem like a big drop from the high point, but it is nearly double their share of the vote in 2017 (25%).

 

It's reduced our cancer treatment bill significantly for the next few years anyway. "Sorry mate it's terminal, there's no point treating you".

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54371559

A vaccine by March and then maybe a year to get through the population before restrictions like social distancing can end.

Roll on March 2022.

 

Finally had time to read this.

Not seen anyone agree with the shutting down of the NHS. To pin that on people who advocated lockdown when the virus was killing several hundred on a daily basis is bang out of order.

 

I’d agree with this view, except for the fact that when some of us tried to argue against lockdown there were some (and definitely not all, by the way) who were plenty ready to claim we were advocating letting people die

 

Just have a read back of your opening post and you’ll see that you’re a massive hypocrite.

 

No, I’m just giving back a bit of what I’ve had sent my way. Petty maybe yes.

 

Two wrongs don't make a right I'm afraid.

Nobody has advocated reducing NHS services during lockdown.

 

You didn’t say they’d been restricted or reduced though - you said that hospitals were non-operational.

Of course services had to be reduced and restricted. Nothing was closed down though.

 

Except dentists.

Oh, and routine screening services in a huge number of GP surgeries around the country.

Oh yeah, and a number of sexual health clinics around the country.

Oh, and for three months they stopped producing cervical screening reminder letters.

Oh, and community physiotherapy was totally stopped in this area.

Donny was right, I’ve already agreed it was wrong of me to describe the NHS as ‘shut down’; but to say nothing was closed down is just denying what’s happened.

 

I remember everyone pro-lockdown vociferously protesting for Sexual Health Clinics and Cancer screenings to be closed. You’re absolutely right.

 

You are directly responsible for itchy and scratchy paying a visit to thousands.

You. Are. Unforgivable.

(To be fair the lockdown also stopped folk having sex, so swings and roundabouts...)