Starmer is political points scoring and yes he is in the main raising the PPE issue now for ‘future enquiry’ . This is where the political points scoring comes into play.
The ‘unity’ thing is a smoke screen. On the whole the Government are doing a good job on what is a massive job and at least Starmer is right in saying these are unprecedented times.
Nightingale London was put together at incredible speed and I don’t think I have heard any praise for the Government from the opposition of the media who need to be more responsible and less pedantic in their questioning, especially Sky who are more left wing than the BBC. All labour could offer was criticism of the alleged price being paid to ADNOC (Abu Dhabi owners) but nothing about the fact that the Birmingham equivalent has been offered for nothing.
Finally, every Country in the World is trying to buy PPE and in huge volumes which, has and still is making our procurement difficult and with it the probable extortionate prices having to be paid.
It’s easy to be the opposition not having to make the big decisions.

Good post,but I did read somewhere that the abu Dhabi owners have given the exel centre rent free for the duration.
Not 100% sure but think I heard or read it.

Found the link below.
For avoidance of doubt, I do not read 'The Guardian' !

[Link]

Edited by Willo (12 Apr 2020 9.44pm)

'Sky are even more left wing than the BBC'????? .... thank you for cheering up my bank holiday Monday, a welcome comic boost, but Sky aren't as left wing as Fox News!?! And the NHS is full of left wing activism? in other words full of overworked underpaid staff who get justifiably pissed off. The tribal, knee jerk reactions on here are laughable - I think a certain way which makes me more sympathetic to Labour, but I don't think a certain way because I am Labour, it doesn't work in reverse guys, you don't have to slavishly put on and take off your rose tinted specs depending on which party people belong to, there is a mischaracterisation of Starmer's dealing with the situation here which is pure fantasy.

*Citation needed

Naturally assume that if a Labour government were in this position and the U.K. were on route to potentially have the most deaths in Europe you would afford them this kind of generous wiggle room...

The ‘unity’ thing wasn’t raised by me initially, and I agree it is a smokescreen, one that is used as a way of saying ‘don’t criticise us at the moment, the country needs to be together’
There’s a reason the government didn’t send any representatives to the press this morning and it’s because they have questions they can’t provide answers to and it’s easier to hark back to a sort of Dunkirk spirit we should all be pulling together. It’s as if to say, scrutiny makes the governments role harder in some way...

You can’t raise these things without being political unfortunately, people dying, people losing jobs, the economy tanking, these are all political. It’s literally the leader of the opposition’s job to do this.

Over the course of the next few years (or however long he lasts) I will undoubtedly have serious complaints about Starmer, just as a did with Corbyn, May, Milliband, Cameron, Brown and Blair. The current infallible treatment Johnson’s government receives from sections of the press and some posters on here is somewhat astounding. Your post offers criticism of the media, the opposition, PPE manufactures / sellers price gauging, but no critical view at all at what the governments role in this might be.

I’m not suggesting anyone should be a cheerleader for the Labour Party, but evaluate what is going on in the world with some form of objective view and our governments role so far, why is it we are receiving donations of PPE and ventilators from Turkey and Germany respectively, why are these nations in a position to do so while we are scratching around for everything we can get?

I appreciate this is a thread on Starmer and I have gone off track into a more general Corona post but it’s Easter Monday so allow me to indulge.

Hope all are safe out there, that is the most important of all!

I always make sure to put my rosy specs on b4 I read your posts Stirling - the alternative would be too painful