“The aim seems to be to show the largest possible number of tests” – but BBC health correspondent waffles until presenter Derbyshire cuts through
The head of the UK Statistics Authority has issued a stinging put-down to Boris Johnson’s and Matt Hancock’s claims of large-scale coronavirus testing, slamming the government’s stretching and confusing of figures and what constitutes a test.
Sir David Norgrove has accused the government of doing everything to maximise the number it can report, while confusing people about what is actually being included as a test. The Tories have previously been exposed counting each test as two – and to create the impression of hitting 200,000 tests before the end of May, Johnson first moved the goalposts from actual tests to the unprovable ‘capacity’ and then added 40,000 new antibody tests that don’t seem to have any basis in reality.
Even so, the BBC’s health correspondent waffled around the issue, obscuring the severity of the government’s wrongdoing and the UKSA’s rebuke – until presenter Victoria Derbyshire cut through with a quote from the letter:
Derbyshire’s daily morning programme was cancelled by the BBC, in spite of representing most of the little frank scrutiny of the government that the BBC News channel puts out. She reminded viewers this morning why she frightened the BBC.
The SKWAWKBOX warned viewers on Sunday that the government was preparing fake news in order to claim Johnson’s 200,000 test promise had been met, including hiding for eight – now ten – days in a row how many people had actually been tested. And so it proved to be.
But now the UKSA has made it official. The government is stretching the truth in every direction it can to mislead and confuse the public about its abysmal performance.
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Well no shocks about the lies then,just the matter of Homicidal criminals to contend with.But what do we do when its both sides of the same coin with the compliant knight led Labour party.
But STILL people keep going on about the number of tests ! It’s not the number of tests that we want, it’s the actual number of PEOPLE tested.
Even the BBC just stated Hancocks target was 100,000 tests a day by end of April.
No it wasn’t ! The target ( proofed vis Boris Johnson’s tweet) was 100,000 PEOPLE to be tested a day. Irrelevant how many were posted off etc etc. Focus on number of people.
The highest number of people tested per day has not moved on from the c70,000 that was the last time we saw any figures posted in the Gov Covid19 website.
Agreed, but it’s what you do on finding a positive result that counts.
Results are just numbers without a determined, intelligent and comprehensive tracing organisation and follow-up.
It’s been obvious from the very beginning in January that this would be needed but the Tories are only now starting to train and ‘organise’ in their usual half-arsed way.
Johnson saw the virus as an opportunity to strut, self-promote, bluster and ‘rouse the nation to battle’ like some clueless Poundshop Churchill.
He saw it as a way to make a pretty package. On April 3rd he made a speech saying he was the person to implement herd immunity, and he would do it and make lots of money from it!
After the catastrophic way this has gone its obvious to anyone that is what he’s done! He’s let it run and is still doing so!
No PPE, no testing and tracing, exactly what every other country has done to keep the deaths down. 20,000 care home deaths, 400 NHS workers dead, god only knows how many others?
Herd immunity is this;Buying up cheap securities and crypto while the markets dropped, and the forethought to know it’s going to happen! They will make billions for themselves , him and Demonic one day! I think Gove and Rees Mogg will be in on it too.
Now this story is correct. The government has been banging on about and exaggerating testing numbers.
However – it’s a side-issue. The whole idea about inaccurate widespread testing as a magic bullet for a fairly ordinary virus with unknown parameters is a pile of diversionary nonsense, as a few minutes’ thought would reveal. It’s a publicity stunt; pure fairy dust in a population of some 60m.
The flaws are obvious, although *focused* testing may have a place – as for other causes of disease.
The best remedy is ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’, with the police telling people to just ‘Move On’ instead of fining people for behaving sensibly.
Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that you might have been misled by the minority view scientists you’ve bet your credibility on.
If they were right there’d be far more of them – enough to convince governments. All their names at the bottom of a full page statement in the Times would convince everyone else.
If you were right that would have happened.
Would your being mistaken be free of consequences to anyone who might believe you and decide not to bother with avoidance or protection measures?
Shouting “There is no danger from CV!” is as criminal as shouting “FIRE!” to cause panic in a crowded theatre.
There are lives at stake – do you seriously think you’re competent to advise people they’re worrying about nothing?
Lucky for you nobody will be able to prove you or the other retarded CV-deniers are guilty of anything, much less that you killed anyone, so go ahead and spread your self-serving bullshit.
And I STILL don’t give a FUCK about your pension fund.
OK David. Now you’ve chucked your rattle from the pram and bolloxed on about my ‘pension fund’, perhaps you’d care to regain a degree of literacy to read what I wrote (which wasn’t ‘There’s no danger from CV’), and also sufficient intelligent curiosity to look at the figures which clearly show that there is minimal risk to those under 65 who are healthy. I’ve given enough references, and done a lot of digging myself.
Have a look at :
https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/covid-19-mortality-over-time-ons-update-2nd-june/
If you prefer just sitting in the pram, in a nappy full of bullshit whilst chucking rattles and pretending to ‘socialism’ whilst endorsing the Tory narrative – carry on. That’s your problem.
The real socialist’s problem is the damage being done to a hell of a lot of ordinary people with this mythology used to support a lock-up and provide a platform for future penury. But you just carry on supporting Mr Toad and the Spivs.
Pretty small readership here on SB for an issue of such global significance – you should write a long letter to all the newspapers, broadcasters and governments explaining in detail how the whole world got it wrong – why tens of thousands of scientists got it wrong but your select half a dozen got it right – why every government on the planet got it wrong but RH’s shining sword of truth cut through the bullshit.
Everyone could use a good belly laugh right about now.
Skwawkbox It is incorrect that the Victoria Derbyshire programme was axed in spite of providing frank scrutiny of the government. The fact is, the programme was axed because it provided some- not a great deal, we are talking BBC here – frank scrutiny of the government and such scrutiny is not permitted in Boris Johnson’s world.
The BBC is totally partial towards the Tories and its commenting is frequently so biased as to be downright untruthful. Its “star” presenter Fiona Bruce shamed herself by her treatment of Diane Abbott both on air and off air when she openly mocked Diane and encouraged the Question Time audience to do likewise. She then presented poll information as factual when it was incomplete and therefore inaccurate.
Following an enquiry Laura Keussenberg was found to have misrepresented Jeremy Corbyn while Emily Maltis tried to misrepresent Dennis Skinner on live TV and got a very red face for her trouble when he called her out there and then.
As I have stated previously I resent funding this pro-Tory channel via my compulsory TV licence – if the Tories want professional cheer leaders they should pay for them themselves.
Smartboy, what you say is true but recently, ie since Starmer, they have been mildly criticising Tories in a way they’d never have done when “Get Corbyn!” outweighed even their own view of themselves as the impartial national broadcaster.
They can still go fuck themselves, obviously 🙂
LOL
A MUST WATCH
Jeremy Corbyn – New in depth 1 hour interview released today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po62Qx3UGFY&feature=youtu.be
“The party bureaucracy was so leaden-footed, it couldn’t appreciate what was actually happening on the ground.”
For the first time since he stepped down as leader of the UK Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn speaks on the antisemitism probe, the role of the media and what led to his historic election loss against Boris Johnson.
Watched it once, going to watch it again.
Thanks for the link!
David – The MEE has shown up how bad the UK media is (particularly the BBC).
Watching it has refreshed my anger at the reprehensible behaviour that was revealed in the leaked dossier.
correction
reprehensiblefucking treasonousPerfectly understandable that Jeremy would see little point in explaining the real agenda of the antisemitism fakers at this late date, but I can’t help a twinge of disappointment.
It could have been done without a denial being dogpiled by the MSM – simply answering the question with “If anyone is interested in the truth there’s a documentary on YouTube that explains it all. It’s called “The Lobby.” It’s conclusive but the MSM chooses to ignore its existence” could have been enough.
I’ve linked to it on Twitter many times but with no following it’s useless – if everyone with a following kept a link prominent the truth would spread I think.
The President of Association for Directors of Public Health disagrees with you.
https://www.adph.org.uk/2020/05/adph-presidential-blog-a-time-for-steady-leadership-careful-preparation-and-measured-steps/
I do wish you’d desist from spreading your dangerous nonsense.
This was intended as a response to RH’s nonsense above