Parliament to meet

I am pleased that Parliament is to meet today and in the following days, with new rules encouragingĀ  participation from remote locations. I had made an early request for our return, and am delighted the Speaker has been so active in securing a way of bringing it about.

In the meantime there have beenĀ various routes to make points to Ministers and to contribute to the policy debate, as I have been doing.

85 Comments

  1. Ian Wragg
    April 21, 2020

    Good. Now we have had a months trial of communism as advocated by Greta the goblin of Thunberg and it has been found wanting, can you let us get on with our lives by lifting house arrest.
    Germany has started to open up no doubt using the same model as for emissions testing so we should follow suit.
    Btw
    If you think we over 70s are going to be locked down for a year, you have a nasty surprise coming your way

    No right minded person thinks this virus was caused naturally

    1. Lifelogic
      April 21, 2020

      I think it was almost certainly “caused naturally” but I agree with the rest of your comment.

      1. zorro
        April 22, 2020

        Hopefully, the penny has finally dropped. The position in which the government has allowed itself to be boxed in is as a result of one person’s need to be loved by everyone (check psychological trait chart) and be popular, and then bottle it when the crisis arrives….

        zorro

    2. Martin in Cardiff
      April 21, 2020

      But what you want has been expertly analysed to be capable of causing typically six hundred thousand dead amongst the UK public over a year or two, perhaps much sooner.

      Knowing of that analysis, would you, as an MP, vote for it?

      When comparable countries kept their fatalities to a tiny fraction of that number, what do you think the inevitable Public Inquiry would say about these MPs?

      1. Anonymous
        April 21, 2020

        There will be a lot more dead than that because of a collapsed economy and therefore a collapsed NHS.

        The Chinese communist government and the WHO should carry that can.

      2. Mike Wilson
        April 21, 2020

        Until and unless an effective vaccine is found, we are going to get those deaths sooner or later. In the meantime, for the 65 million less 600,000 – for the 64.4 million people that will not die of it, their lives are going down the pan. And if you think ‘I work in the public sector, I will be alright’ – you won’t be alright when the tax take is down by 50% and the job cuts start.

        1. Martin in Cardiff
          April 22, 2020

          Rubbish – those deaths will not happen in the many countries which have, or are in the process of having extinguished their national epidemics.

          Inform yourself – or do you simply wish failure upon them?

      3. Anonymous
        April 21, 2020

        Without going into the Oxford research to the contrary we are losing the monetary equivalent of two new general hospitals a day whilst in lock-down. Or 50 or 60 new schools or a squadron or two of fighter planes – that’s each day of lock down.

        The epidemiologists never show us the other side of the equation – that’s how many people are going to die prematurely because of lock-down.

        NICE put a value of each year of extended life at Ā£30,000 before COVID-19 arrived. There were no mass demonstrations against this.

        We must avoid a catastrophic downside at ALL costs it seems. Even if that flushes away our NHS too.

        And let’s not mention the Communist Chinese Government’s culpability in all of this – who have already disseminated their denials much less shown any contrition.

        1. zorro
          April 22, 2020

          And our government’s acquiescence in it….

          zorro

      4. Roy Grainger
        April 22, 2020

        Oh dear, peddling nonsense again Martin, so far the “experts” that the MSM quote to panic the gullible like you have been woefully inaccurate in their predictions.

        1. Martin in Cardiff
          April 22, 2020

          No, they have been spot-on.

          That is why the lock down was imposed in a U-turn, and it is having the effects predicted by the same authorities.

      5. zorro
        April 22, 2020

        Trust me, BB’s dalliance with COVID 19 will have nothing on the grilling he is going to get for the position in which he has put the UK economy unnecessarily….

        zorro

    3. Martyn G
      April 21, 2020

      All of my colleagues over – some like me well over 70 – have the mindset of ‘live free and die, or die a prisoner’. A bit dramatic and hardly original but your penultimate para is undoubtedly correct.

      1. Mike Wilson
        April 21, 2020

        You are well over 70 and still have colleagues? Why not stop working and give someone younger a chance?

      2. Martin in Cardiff
        April 22, 2020

        So where are all you angry over-seventies going to go?

        The Wetherspoons and the rest of the pubs will all still be shut, as will other social venues.

        There’s no General Election for four years or so for you to express your displeasure either.

        But there should be no age-discriminatory measures.

        The country should make itself safe for all, as New Zealand, Greece, S. Korea and many others are doing.

  2. Alan Jutson
    April 21, 2020

    Good to see government moving quickly over the las couple of months, shame that all of this quick thinking is not paying off in application and practice when reliant on the usual controllers of policy.

    Perhaps for Government this is a wake up call that it needs to get many of its systems and departmentsup to speed, so that they get action faster in many areas where time seems to be of no consequence to many of those working in them.

    1. Alan Jutson
      April 21, 2020

      Policy should read, policy implementation

    2. Mike Wilson
      April 21, 2020

      Maybe they just need some competent people involved.

  3. Mark B
    April 21, 2020

    Good afternoon

    This is good news Sir John. šŸ™‚

    Through parliament the people have an opportunity to express their voice. Perhaps the government will hear you out and you can make them see reason. The lockdown has not been 100% effective and we are placing under house arrest the wrong people – ie those least at risk but economically most active.

    Psychologically this sends a positive message that things will be returning to normal. Let us hope ?

  4. Alan Jutson
    April 21, 2020

    Thought Government had asked all Councils to open the recycling centres over a week ago.

    Looked on Bracknell RE3 web site, it says its open, but thought I would check with the Council before making a journey, and they say its still closed.

    I am informed by the Councils customer services, they have had no instruction from the Government to open it.

    Now have 20 bags of grass cuttings and hedge trimmings on the drive after 4 weeks !

    1. Original Chris
      April 21, 2020

      Bracknell plus local councils seem to have closed all open spaces/parks – those areas created as “breathing spaces” both within the massive housing developments between Wokingham and Bracknell and surrounding Wokingham and Bracknell. Madness as it is the only place that people can go to get a breath of fresh air.

    2. czerwonadupa
      April 21, 2020

      Apparently people are disgarding their used masks & gloves in the streets (I’ve had to remove with my pick a stick a mask & glove from my front garden) & the increase in fly tipping is worst now the recycling places are closed to residents than when councils like Brent started charging for removing items. They are now paying more to contractors to remove fly tipping than they are taking in bulk removals.

    3. Anonymous
      April 22, 2020

      Bonfires around here. Imagine trying to fight off illness in isolation and you can’t open a window to get fresh air in your lungs on a hot day.

    4. davews
      April 22, 2020

      Alan, there is a suggestion that they will be re-opening the Bracknell tip but you have to phone and reserve a slot. Doorstep gardening collections have resumed for the moment if you can get it into brown bin or the expensive bags.

    5. Roy Grainger
      April 22, 2020

      People like that on the public payroll won’t be going back to work any time soon, why would they when they can sit at home on full pay ?

    6. Iago
      April 22, 2020

      Compost heaps seem to be a thing of the past as are the smoky fires when people (foolishly) set fire to them at the weekend, often ruining a summer evening.

    7. Fred H
      April 22, 2020

      I can beat that – raise you by 3 big bin bags and I’m still lowering the long hedges….
      and I filled the wheelie 2 minutes after it was emptied.
      Now how to get the large bags to the tip if it ever opens.

    8. RebuttalToFalseClaim
      April 22, 2020

      1 – Stop the unnecessary garden work.

      2 – Create a compost heap. See Monty Don for details.

      1. Fred H
        April 22, 2020

        I inherited an enormous compost heap size of an average van…..finally got it rotted down, spread etc.. didn’t add to it.
        Now refuse to have bonfires- tell me how to compost a few tons of oak leaves, 20+ large sacks of laurel and hedges cuttings( up to an inch thick).
        Used to take 4 at a time to Bracknell Re3 – – closed for why?

  5. Everhopeful
    April 21, 2020

    Very good news!
    Lovely!!

  6. Lifelogic
    April 21, 2020

    Indeed let us hope they can persuade the government to treat us like adults and get a plan to get us back to work while making sure the NHS can cope.

    A great relief that we have a new speaker, he seems a pleasant enough chap. Though you clearly have to be rather deluded and daft to join the Labour Party. Perhaps he has grown rather wiser in old age.

    Unlike Corbyn who seems to have the same views all his life. With the sole exception of the one thing he was initially right on but then changed his mind – The EU.

  7. Iain Moore
    April 21, 2020

    As I pointed out the online system Parliament is using is a Chinese company, that has been routing online meetings through Chinese servers, whose security is dodgy. Looks like President Xi Xi Jinping will get the Commons votes before the Speaker will.

    1. oldtimer
      April 21, 2020

      Security cameras have a similar feature of connection to the internet I have just discovered. If you have one installed perhaps your Chinese Big Brother is watching you. I wonder if that is the reason they are so exercised about Huawei continuing to supply the 5G network so that there links are preserved?

    2. Original Chris
      April 21, 2020

      IM, they are stupid, and apparently will never learn.

    3. Mike Wilson
      April 21, 2020

      Do you have a link for what seems to be an astonishing state of affairs. As a software developer I could build a completely secure system to facilitate a ‘remote parliament’ – with on-line voting etc. – in a couple of weeks. On my own.

      1. zorro
        April 22, 2020

        Do certain establishment figures have shares in your company? Thought not…. šŸ™‚

        zorro

      2. Martin in Cardiff
        April 22, 2020

        Have a Smartie.

    4. hefner
      April 22, 2020

      If Parliament uses Zoom, the whole Zoom system appears to have been developed by an American company in San Jose, California. This company is quoted on the NASDAQ, hardly a place for Chinese companies. So please can you provide your references. Thanks a lot in advance.

      1. hefner
        April 22, 2020

        And, yes, Zoom has shown problems, one of the worst for privacy was that it was sending log-in information not to the CPC but to Facebook… The encryption assumed to be at the AES-256 standard was also shown to be simpler at the AES-128 level. But anybody with a bit of tech (not sure it covers most MPs) could have asked the Parliament authorities to follow the 8 or 10 safety recipes that have been discussed on a number of tech platforms, like ZDNet.com for example.

        1. hefner
          April 22, 2020

          And (finally) does anybody here really think that topics debated at PMQs are of national importance, security speaking?

  8. ukretired123
    April 21, 2020

    We need to get smarter and more focussed on moving forward intelligently on many fronts as millions of us have been sitting ducks unable to contribute.

    Sir John has done his level best to bring intelligence and common sense to bear on many logistical points and should be a great champion on these urgent matters.

    I would like him to raise the question concerning the forgotten 2 million self-employed folks who are staring down a barrel right now as an urgent priority as they are key to how this unravels well or not for everyone’s future – they are never on the Civil Servants radar except HMRC and IR35.

    As for Sir Philip Rutnam taking Priti Patel to court shows the chasm and gulf between the planets of work, woke and ineptitude!

  9. Freeborn John
    April 21, 2020

    Why complete silence from you in the face of the ongoing Remain campaign to extend the transition period from December for up to two more years?

    Has the government silenced Conservative MPs on brexit?

    Reply. No. I see no need for an extension and the government has said there will not be one.

    1. Martin in Cardiff
      April 21, 2020

      No, and the Government couldn’t see any need to accept the European Union’s offer for masses of PPE either.

      They passed it over not once, but thrice, we read.

      So much for “vision”.

      1. Edward2
        April 21, 2020

        Yet Germany failed to share.

      2. Mike Wilson
        April 21, 2020

        You believe what you want to believe. It is nonsense, of course, the whole ‘we missed out on the EU’s offer’. Utter balderdash. Next it will be ‘we missed out on the EU’s vaccine.’

        1. Margaret Howard
          April 22, 2020

          Mike

          What have WE offered to share with other EU countries? Or are we really so much behind other countries that we had nothing of value to offer?

      3. Roy Grainger
        April 22, 2020

        Once again total rubbish Martin.

      4. a-tracy
        April 22, 2020

        Oh give over Martin, France held back masks intended for delivery to the UK in case they needed them, Germany declared they were holding back exports, Germany didn’t send us a load of test kits did they! These lower-cost ppe products aren’t produced in the EU, if other Countries we usually buy a lot of these products from let us down, they’ll be losing a very large customer in the future and the more recyclable ppe we design and manufacture for ourselves with our home made specialist fabrics at a higher degree of safety and security for our nation the better.

        1. Martin in Cardiff
          April 22, 2020

          I am writing about supplies through European Union institutions, not about individual nations, who have their own emergency laws to follow and specific problems to address.

          1. Fred H
            April 22, 2020

            where are they ordering from, in what quantities and delivery dates, and Euro priced?. Do tell!

          2. a-tracy
            April 22, 2020

            They havenā€™t organised anything yet! 3 months into the crisis, theyā€™re slower than the national Countries like the UK who are finally getting into 5th gear after dawdling along with pettifogging bureaucracy and in my view one over large central organisation in charge of too big an area.

      5. zorro
        April 22, 2020

        What has that offer practically provided anyway?

        zorro

      6. Know-Dice
        April 22, 2020

        Apparently it was a “Yes Minister” moment by our wonderful “World Class” Civil Servants withholding information from their Minister…

  10. Cheshire Girl
    April 21, 2020

    I chuckled when Jacob Rees Mogg said that ,even he, had moved on from the 13th Century. A moment of levity. Much appreciated.

    1. Edward2
      April 21, 2020

      Agree CG
      Jacob is a real star.
      That’s why the left target him.

      1. Original Chris
        April 21, 2020

        I think he has been a damp squib, Edward 2. He seems to be comfortable out of the limelight, but when real focus is on him he seems to fold up. He has been hugely disappointing, in my view, over the last couple of years. People placed such hope in him, but they were sorely disappointed.

      2. Martin in Cardiff
        April 22, 2020

        Like anyone else, he is to his sycophants.

        Some people are very easily impressed, clearly.

        1. Edward2
          April 22, 2020

          Well you like the Labour so that “very easily impressed” comment can be easily fired back to you Martin.

    2. Mike Wilson
      April 21, 2020

      A moment of levity. Well I suppose you’ll either laugh or cry at the way the government is handling this. Who, I wonder, is actually in charge of responding to those companies that can make PPE who are not even getting a reply? Mr. Redwood – why don’t you jump in and take over this area?

  11. Domino Sue Narmy
    April 21, 2020

    “A third were linked to coronavirus, but deaths from other causes also increased, suggesting the lockdown may be having an indirect impact on health.”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52361519
    ‘An indirect impact on health’ You know JR, this ‘indirect’ is the most important word about ALL to do with this lockdown.

    Does government need to have explained to them that human interactions are very complicated and the ‘indirect;’ effect of our economy going down along with other advanced nations will have obvious ‘ indirect’ deathly consequences here and certainly abroad.?. Are they Adults?We could be killed by ‘indirect’ impacts now and for years. My view is we will, though we may not recognise the ‘indirect’ initial cause. We will not wish to too.

  12. Fred H
    April 21, 2020

    The truth about the flawed testing is finally coming out which I warned about.

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/exclusive-nhs-using-flawed-covid-19-test-missing-25-of-positives/

    I also hear Newsnight is likely to show what has been going on in the testing debacle.

  13. agricola
    April 21, 2020

    Stay safe. Maybe the restrictions will lead to a well thought out much more efficient way of conducting parliamentary business. Just as it could in a significant part of the workforce throughout the country.

    1. rose
      April 21, 2020

      There are some things – advocating and judging in a court of law, and debating in the Houses of Parliament, which really do have to be done in the same room. Seeing the doctor must be another for many conditions.

      1. Know-Dice
        April 22, 2020

        Rose,
        Judging by the standard of Parliamentary debating which seems to be 95% point scoring party political posturing that I have seen on TV for the last few years it probably will not make a difference if UK Parliament is face to face of via a Chinese conferencing system šŸ™

  14. M Brandreth- Jones
    April 21, 2020

    I think it is too early to get things going again, however looking at the worst scenario is needed now. We are told that vaccines may not work and if they do will not be distributed to everyone in time If we cannot kill this ba***** we have no option but to let it share our space and then it will be survival of the fittest. The many prophecies in the past have talked about human kind being wiped out with a virus.

    Pollution at least must be down considerably

    1. Mike Wilson
      April 21, 2020

      The many prophecies in the past have talked about human kind being wiped out with a virus.

      Which particular nutjobs prophesised that? Did they suggest increasing stocks of PPE? Did they have a date in mind.

    2. Martin in Cardiff
      April 22, 2020

      Rubbish.

      What do you think a long list of countries from New Zealand to Iceland are doing?

      They are eradicating it, by simple, logical, albeit demanding methods.

      Inform yourself – properly.

  15. a-tracy
    April 21, 2020

    Iā€™m glad Parliament is getting back even if a limited form, the tv news is very confusing. I wonder if we could get answers on PPE in Care Homes in England:

    1. do the care homes usually buy their ppe from the NHS Providers using the NHS discounts or not?
    2. Is there an overarching organisation that liaises with Government that the care homes are members of?
    3. I thought most care homes were private businesses so why are their sourcing problems now the governments, did they ask for governments help three weeks ago to get ppe and were they ignored?
    4. I read the ons figures total deaths per weekend, week by week the number of deaths caused by respiratory disease and then separately Covid 19, there has been a steady stream of 2000 deaths by respiratory disease since the beginning of January in total then reported Covid all deaths went up from 13 March when there were 5 noted and on 10 April Covid deaths were noted as 6213 (including all hospital deaths and all care home deaths) why donā€™t the journalists provide accurate information. If you listen to them they say there was a spike up over 800 deaths today but they fail to break that down (as Ms Harries said at the weekend deaths over the weekend arenā€™t fully reported), deaths recorded yesterday were 136 – that will go up because it can take 3-4 days to report but there werenā€™t over 800 today!

  16. glen cullen
    April 21, 2020

    Oil price 2020 $20 per barrel ā€“ petrol pump price Ā£1.10p per litre

    Oil price 2002 $20 per barrel ā€“ petrol pump price Ā£0.67p per litre

    Somebody is ripping somebody off and the government doesnā€™t care

    1. Original Chris
      April 21, 2020

      Exactly, gc. Apparently a huge fiddle.

    2. Mike Wilson
      April 21, 2020

      It’s the government! That’s why. 57p is duty – then there is VAT.

    3. Richard1
      April 21, 2020

      Good stat. The difference must mainly be green taxes.

    4. Anonymous
      April 21, 2020

      Lots and lots of tax. Get used to it.

    5. Lifelogic
      April 22, 2020

      It is largely the government that is doing most of this ripping off – with high fuel duties, carbon taxes and 20% vat on top.

    6. Glenn Vaughan
      April 22, 2020

      Glen

      It’s the government that is ripping us off and it’s called “fuel duty”.

    7. Roy Grainger
      April 22, 2020

      That rise matches exactly the inflation effect from 2002 to 2020 (2.9% per year) so no-one is ripping anyone off.

      1. glen cullen
        April 22, 2020

        Oil price and therefore petrol pump price isn’t factored by inflation its factored by supply & demand in world markets ( UK inflation could go up while petrol pump price goes down)

  17. Iain Gill
    April 21, 2020

    Got to be said I agree with Trump on immigration.

    I really dont see why the outsourcers are still flying in plane loads of cheap IT workers from India right now, when there are masses of Brits on the jobs market with the correct skills, or who would take less than a month to retrain to some obscure tech.

    It is madness in the extreme to allow this to continue.

  18. Mike Wilson
    April 21, 2020

    Who is lending the government all the money it is spending on paying 80% of wages etc?

    How is it going to be paid back? 20 years of austerity?

    Any chance of some sort of answer?

    There was a bloke on the box earlier – runs a company that can make PPE – standing in his empty (of people) factory – he has offered to make it – no-one has replied. This is getting more like Fred Karno’s army every day.

  19. Mike Wilson
    April 21, 2020

    If I had the capacity to make PPE, who would I contact in the government? I mean, where would you start. Any time I want to contact the government I am invariably told to do it online. I have more logins that you can shake a stick at. One to change my driving licence address. Another for VAT. Another for HMRC. None of them ever seem to work twice. Is it too much to just simply use one’s national insurance number, an email address and a password. Oh and there is a voice recognition one too – that works sometimes – after you have pressed 1 for this, 2 for that and 4 for the jackpot.

  20. Newmania
    April 22, 2020

    Hallelujah..we are saved .

  21. Sea Warrior
    April 22, 2020

    A question for a minister: why is the BBC running CBBC as an entertainment channel when children should be learning? Kindly take a look at the CBBC schedule.

  22. Ian Pennell
    April 22, 2020

    Dear Sir John Redwood

    I totally agree. Accountability is important to keep a Government on its toes and it is healthy for democracy.

    I note that Keir Starmer will have his first PMQ’s today and he will be facing Sir Dominic Raab- you cannot expect it to be comfortable for the Conservative Party. Although the problems in securing PPE for hospitals and care homes, getting enough Coronavirus testing capacity, half-empty planes returning from Turkey, etc. are largely down to Whitehall, Labour will small blood and probably have some success in portraying the Conservative Government as Incompetent in the eyes of the Public (The Conservative lead in Opinion Polls will drop sharply).

    The question for you, Sir must be what you should do to forestall such a “Narrative of Conservative Incompetence in a Crisis” from taking hold. I would be writing to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to Dominic Cummings and Dominic Raab demanding that they give the entire Cabinet a serious “Shape Up or Ship Out” pep- talk – with the threat of Sackings by next week if the Government is not seen to “Get a Grip”.

  23. ed2
    April 22, 2020

    There are only two explanations for all the extra deaths on the ONS stats.

    1. Someone has been collecting deaths and registering them all at one time to make it look like theirs a tiny pandemic (*the ONS seems to allow this) or…

    2. The lockdown is killing far more than this alleged virus.

  24. Lindsay McDougall
    April 23, 2020

    Still awaiting moderation?

Comments are closed.