ONCE the current pandemic is resolved, if it ever is, it is important that a thorough forensic examination is carried out into how our governments, both Westminster and Holyrood, reacted to the emergency. Viruses come and go and how an individual will respond to an infection will vary but it is incumbent on the Government to make every effort to minimise the consequences of an epidemic to those who elect them. It is patently clear that Westminster at least has and is continuing to fail this basic requirement.

Daily televised briefings by Cabinet ministers and others have turned into exasperating masterclasses in obfuscation and the economical use of the truth. It may well be that the true impact of the pandemic is being underplayed by officialdom so as not to “scare the horses” but what is happening and could be interpreted as the Establishment being less than open simply to protect itself and certain individuals who have deliberately chosen to ignore repeated warnings by experts and the findings of their own “buried” Cygnus exercise report. All of the operational and equipment problems currently being experienced by our NHS staff were predicted and could have in the main been avoided. Why other than to save money do we import PPE and not manufacture it here? Why do our hospital ICU staff not have a laundry service or decent changing and showering facilities? Those of us who have any NHS experience are aware that it is suffering death by a thousand cuts yet we can afford to start HS2. The country can stockpile atomic weapons but not masks and gowns. Stupid.

It’s again worth reminding ourselves that those in the know calculate that 10 years of austerity caused the premature deaths of 130,000 individuals in the main from the same backgrounds as are being felled by Covid-19. It may seem simplistic, but we live in an “us and them” society where “them” still have the power and history and current events clearly demonstrate they don’t give a damn about us. For the sake of our increasingly elderly population we need to make sure that this never ever happens again, as if we don’t make fundamental changes it’s just a matter of time till it does. Heads need to roll.

David J Crawford, Glasgow G12.

WHEN, in face of the failure of PPE provision and the roll-out of testing (remember 100,000 by the end of April), Matt Hancock is fired by the Prime Minister or steps aside quoting the standard formulaic reasons of stress or family pressures, can we be clear on the key attributes his replacement must dis-play?

These must be truth and accuracy on the stock levels locally and the restocking of PPE, test kits, oxy-gen, and essential drugs acknowledging at all times pressure points and shortages before the press or frontline medical staff bring these to light. Direct answers to briefing questions. Transparency at all times so that the public is aware that 84 tonnes arriving whenever it does arrive from Turkey represents only three days supply of gowns. Then an acceptance in all public briefings that the Government was not prepared at the outset for this Tier 1 emergency and was slow to react while showing a new willingness to be open in spelling out the detail of the steps being taken to catch up and make progress in a crowded marketplace where worldwide demand is unparalleled.

There can be no repeat of the slippery Hancock approach that the public and front-line staff cannot be trusted with the truth. The brave alternative, of course, is to come to the podium in humility with a genuine apology and an undertaking that he will seek, going forward, to adopt these key attributes all before his sacking becomes inevitable as Boris Johnson on his return seeks to deflect the growing criticism of his Government.

Anthony Ireland, Glasgow G46.

WHEN Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, stated at the UK Government Corona-virus briefing on Sunday that “different countries may be experiencing slightly different rates” (of deaths due to Covid-19), she was guilty of grossly misrepresenting comparative UK death rates. The only “international chart” exhibited at this briefing was seemingly a crude attempt to hide numbers of UK deaths in “hospitals only among numbers for countries in Europe which sustained the earliest im-pact of the pandemic, Italy, Spain and France (which includes deaths in the community such as those in care homes, in its figures).

There are many countries around the world, from our near neighbours Ireland, Norway and Denmark, to Poland and Greece, as well as to Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, that appear to have much low-er Covid-19-related death rates than the UK. If Dr Harries and the UK Government were truly being transparent on a fundamental aspect of the current health catastrophe this chart would include a clearly visible best estimate (dotted line) of all deaths where Covid-19 was the cause, or suspected to be a factor, so that the general public could better assess for themselves the UK figures in comparison with other countries. Across Europe the estimates of deaths in care homes appear to range from 25 per cent to 75 per cent and while such estimates may not be directly comparable from country to country, a resultant calculation that total deaths in the UK may be around 50 per cent higher than the numbers of deaths in “hospitals only” does not appear unrealistic.

When Dr Harries also declared on Sunday that the UK was an “international exemplar in preparedness” (for a pandemic) one must start to question the professional objectivity, if not the political independence, of "expert advice" provided, and on which, at this time, many lives across the UK depend.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry.

SO Michael Gove believes that the lifting of lockdown will require “balanced judgment”.

Eh, Houston, we have a problem…

John NE Rankin, Bridge of Allan.

WHEN I was about 10, my mother showed me how to thread a needle. Now a man of 80, I am happy to sew on the occasional shirt, jacket or coat button. With a small stone egg cup in the toe or heel, I darn a sock adequately. That is however the full extent of my tailoring abilities.

As a past work study and production engineer, I see a surgical gown as a large rectangle of material, scalloped on one edge for the neck and two holes for arms. Two other rectangles are stitched into tubes for arms, in turn stitched into the body. Three Velcro ties are added to complete. It is probably hemmed to prevent fraying. The material will be a specified weight and weave. Am I missing something?

Is there really nowhere in the UK that can mass-produce this item? The fashion industry must be on its knees presently. Do we need to go to Turkey and China for this?

Is it time for NHS and government procurement organisations to draft in a team of experts from Amazon, Marks & Spencer and Boots, all under one roof with Army logistics people in charge. What is needed is someone who can shout loud, swear and kick ass to “get things done”.

Robert Wolfenden, Biggar.

IT is a sad state of affairs that our dedicated nurses, doctors and carers are desperately short of PPE while we wait for consignments from Turkey. Why can sewing and alterations shops that are closed in Britain due to the lockdown not start sewing gowns and the Government pay them a rate for doing so? That would provide an income for struggling businesses and PPE quickly. Remember the effort of the last war? Everyone was at the helm. It is time for everyone to come together.

Gordon Kennedy, Perth.

LAST Friday’s news stands (April 17) were an eye-catching and colourful array with each title carrying a wrap-around with a message from the Government urging the public to follow the advice and “stay at home for the NHS, your family, your neighbours, your nation, the world and life itself”.

That’s a big ask, but there is widespread support for this policy among the public as the quiet streets and empty buses and trains testify; and getting this message out prior to a weekend of fine spring weather was a sensible public awareness exercise – but what possessed the Government department responsible for the text to include the exhortation to “clap our carers 8pm every Thursday”?

The weekly national phenomenon of the public coming together on doorsteps, at their windows and on street corners to express their collective support and thanks for the work NHS staff and carers do is heart-warming and emotional, but was born of a spontaneous public reaction. For the Government to appropriate this movement and incorporate its message in its own publicity, was a cheap attempt to suggest that it is a part of a Government-sponsored programme.

There is a sense that, when the public turn out in such large numbers to clap and cheer, they are making up in emotional terms for what the Government has failed to do in the provision of resources. This insensitive tagging on of a public movement to an official Government publication appears opportunistic, and may risk the danger that the public will treat future Government pleas to moderate their behaviour as cynical manipulation.

The Government’s job is to ensure that the NHS and the carers have the resources necessary to carry out their work, not to attempt to ingratiate itself with the public by acting as a cheerleader for a cam-paign in which it had no part in generating.

Ian Hutcheson, Glasgow G11.

WHY is the press having to assume the role of effective opposition to the Government and hold it to account? Where are Labour and the SNP?

Ian Johnstone, Connel, Argyll.

TO give a balanced picture during the lockdown, the government should publish weekly figures for lost GDP, lost tax revenue and the increase in unemployment. We should also know how many patients have had cancer and other vital treatment delayed or cancelled. Each week the increase in the national debt, which is already a horrifying £2 trillion, should also be announced.

Health statisticians will then be able to estimate how many extra deaths there are likely to be as a result of the lost growth, extra unemployment and untreated patients. Very quickly ending the lockdown would become a priority.

Otto Inglis, Crossgates, Fife.

WITH regard to the "Do not Resuscitate’’ furore during the present coronavirus crisis, may I say as a member of one of the so-called vulnerable groups, that I welcome the opportunity to be left to die should the case be hopeless.

Hopefully the situation may never arise, but having the choice gives me a comfort of sorts.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh EH6.

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