It’s not just the government I feel let down by over coronavirus – it’s powerful journalists too

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Journalists and opposition leaders are asking the government tough questions on a daily basis. But what questions were they asking in January?

Modern transport and connectedness allowed the coronavirus to spread and take hold around the world in a matter of weeks. But we also have modern communications enabling an idea to “go viral” globally in days.

One doesn’t need a science degree to ask “could coronavirus reach here and if so, what are we doing to stop it?”. But awareness of the threat and a call to action were never going to go viral just from discussions over a pint or even on the letters page.

Achieving that requires endorsement from our “super -spreaders”. The question needed to be asked and asked again from the green benches of parliament and the sofas of morning TV.

If governments and their advisers had felt any inclination at the start to close borders or quarantine arrivals, they would have been met with fierce resistance from those immediately hit by this. It would have taken a groundswell of public opinion demanding action for it to happen.

In our free society, most of the power to influence and form opinion lies outside of government and we wouldn’t have it any other way. But I believe those who hold this power have let us down badly. It is a grotesque irony that they will now be the chief interrogators and judges as we start to investigate what went wrong and whose fault it was. They ought not to absolve themselves of blame but, unlike the government, they may be in a position to censor criticism of their failure.

John Riseley​
Harrogate

Rising debt

According to estimates by the leading think tank the Centre for Policy Studies, UK government borrowing this year is likely to rise from £55bn to around £300bn as a result of the pandemic.

To put that another way, the government is likely to borrow around £4,500 for every man, woman and child in the UK this year.

That is on top of the accumulated government borrowing of around £30,000 for every one of us. These debts will need to be paid for through tax rises, spending cuts and inflation; that unavoidable austerity is a horrifying prospect.

Otto Inglis​​
Fife

Political PPE

Tuesday’s news indicates that the refusal to join with other EU countries in the joint provision and distribution of PPE​ was a political decision, not the feeble, “we didn’t get the email, the dog ate my homework”, excuse originally provided.

Now there’s been yet another U-turn.

We seem to have a government of senior members specifically chosen by their ability to ignore facts.

Is it any wonder we are where we are?

Tim Brook
Bristol

Matt Hancock has denied that the UK’s refusal to join an EU scheme to acquire much needed, life-saving ventilators was politically motivated. It’s difficult to take him at his word (testing figures, PPE supply, working day and night... just no!) but, if we were to make an exception in this instance, that would arguably leave incompetence as an explanation. It’s a tough call.

Beryl Wall
London

Hancock for PM

I’d like to express regard and congratulations to Matt Hancock, the health secretary. His daily calm and lucid BBC briefings on the state of health, particularly on sectors of care, are exemplary.

When we decide we must have a new prime minister, we know where to look.

Betty Davies
Nottingham

Our government’s best?

I keep hearing cabinet ministers telling us in the daily briefing that the government is doing all it can to resolve the issues.

Does this mean the level of government performance that has got us where we are today is not likely to improve?

How depressing.

Ashley Herbert​
Address supplied