That absent ring of protection around nursing homes

Matt Hancock has had his private WhatsApp messages released despite an NDA agreement by Isabel Oakeshott, the partner of Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, a party which has campaigned against the lockdown's that saved so many lives.

I learned this thanks to Twitter and while I do think that a person should not be judged on who they are in a relationship with most of the time, I would have to disclose such a relationship in my Wednesday job.

After PMQ's the capacity issues that were faced were raised by the Conservatives in urgent questions.  To put it simply, there was not enough capacity to test all those entering nursing homes and the priority was to test as many as could be tested as they left hospitals.  Sadly, this was not enough as some were not tested and of those who were, results came too late to stop infections spreading.  

What was not asked was why we did not have enough testing capacity (the reason is NHS cuts before the pandemic) and why the lessons of Exercise Alice and Exercise Cygnus were ignored.  

If anyone needs a reminder of how funeral homes were overwhelmed, this is the words of a lady in the US who runs one.

PMQs and answering the question

Quick post on PMQs, I will post on the nightmare that is Matt Hancock later this week if possible.  It was good to see Rishi Sunak getting taken to task on not answering a question.  It is a shame that this has not happened on the other occasions questions have not been answered.  

While Starmer has asked searching questions, this performance today was not good for headlines and soundbites, his questions being detailed, but not short and to the point, like the answers the Sunak gives (even though inaccurate).  

Dishoom Shoreditch

My wife and I travelled to London with two friends for an indulgent breakfast. We had intended to come with our children and Leia for lunch over half term, but COVID ruined that.

The children wanted to stay behind as my son wanted to de clutter his room and my daughter had been out late and wanted to catch up on sleep, college work and also her household chores.

Breakfast was great and after we had a little walk which took in Brick Lane. It is always great going back to where my wife and I have memories, though the area has changed a lot and is a lot nicer than it used to be before. Getting back I wound down getting ready for work next week, and I hope to be fresh and ready for what the week holds.

Sharper

That was an enjoyable film. My wife and I watched it together with Leia. My daughter was away at a friends house and my son, who had watched some Grey’s Anatomy with me earlier today, watched his own things.

We had tried to go for a walk in Brightlingsea in the morning, but it started to rain once we got there, and it stopped once we left.  My daughter had taken Leia for a walk before then, but a family walk, admittedly without my son, would have been good.

As for the film, it was good to watch and it did keep me guessing until the end. I loved how it kept us engaged so well even though there were a few minor plot holes.

Finally Arsenal won. We are still top of the league but with The Team That Rhymes With City winning by an even bigger margin, goal difference will be against us.

Negotiating with the Russians

The second invasion of Ukraine started a year ago.  Many have called for negotiations with Russia to end the war.  With this in mind, I think that it is fair to mention the previous negotiations that have taken place.

In 1994, The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was signed where Russia, the US and the UK confirmed their recognition of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine becoming parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and effectively abandoning their nuclear arsenal to Russia, and that they agreed to the following: 

    - Respect the signatory's independence and sovereignty in the existing borders.

    - Refrain from the threat or the use of force against the signatory.

    - Refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by the signatory of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind.

    - Seek immediate Security Council action to provide assistance to the signatory if they "should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used".

    - Refrain from the use of nuclear arms against the signatory.

    - Consult with one another if questions arise regarding those commitments.

We saw what happened with that in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea and likewise, invaded and supported an insurrection in The Donbass.  

The Minsk Protocol, was drafted in 2014 and was not followed and with the aid of Russian volunteers, the DPR captured the Donetsk Airport. Minsk II, which was signed on 12 February 2015 and bought Russia time to prepare to invade again.

Also, before the invasion last year, it appeared at a meeting, that the decision to annexe Ukrainian territory had already been made, but not officially.

Normally, negotiation is needed to end conflict.  However, Putin appears to see it as a way to regroup, rearm and invade again.  If we have a negotiated peace in Ukraine, we need to decide if it is worth enforcing it when Russia finds a reason to break it again.

Get on your bike

Today I was told at work, that walking the dog has not helped me by someone who looked pointedly at my stomach and told me that I needed to start cycling again.  Honesty is the best policy, I guess I had better listen.

When you regain control of your destiny

First of all, family. My son seems to be be coping much better than my wife and I with his COVID infection, my daughter though maybe developing symptoms. My wife is regaining her energy levels faster than me, but Leia is now showing signs of fatigue which make us think that she may have picked it up from us.

Second of all, Arsenal are top of the league again. I try not to hear the scores until I watch Match Of The Day, but I heard that we were 2-1 down at half time. Needless to say I was in ecstasy when I found out that we won, even more so when The Team That Rhymes With City drew.