NHS workers don’t want your applause Boris – we want a pay rise

Tonight Johnson and other Tory MPs will clap the NHS. They gave themselves £10,000 each for work at home equipment but will not give nurses a pay rise. Hypocrites, we don’t want you clapping us. Johnson, stay inside Number 10 and don’t show your face. I wouldn’t stand next to you.

Terry Maunder
Leeds

Too little, too late

Sir Patrick Vallance said: “Our advice has been clear that quarantine makes the most sense and can be used effectively when people are coming from countries with higher infection rates than the ones we have here. That’s where quarantine is a measure that would make a difference.”

Tragically, our incompetent government has not appreciated this fact. Sir Patrick’s statement has confirmed what so many of us suspected: quarantine was the wrong measure at very much the wrong time – in direct contradiction of that tired, boring and banal government statement (you know, the right thing at the right time). Since we were hit later than, for example, China, Iran, France, Spain and Italy (other countries are available), we should have imposed travel quarantine measures at the beginning of March, if not in February.

Let’s have that enquiry as soon as possible, so we can learn the lessons.

Beryl Wall
London

Kanye West wing

I gather that Kanye West wishes to stand for president of the United States. Let’s see, we had the most experienced candidate for president ever, Ms Clinton, biting the dust. So yes, I suppose it makes sense: we need somebody who can chant rhyming slang.

Bye bye Trump, your rating’s gonna slump (sorry).

Cole Davis
Norwich

Master of the dark arts

For magicians and illusionists to succeed, they have to be masters in the art of distraction, and the manipulation of our expectations. It is obvious that those in positions of command during political campaigns use similar “dark arts” in the advancement of any opportunity that furthers their cause.

It was really heartening to see how two separate readers, Robert Boston and Steve Lawrence (Letters, Saturday 4 July), could provide such distinctive yet valid insightful responses to Mr Keith Jacques’ letter the previous day.

Parties from all sides of the political divide readily acknowledged that the detrimental economic fallout has already caused a hugely negative impact to the UK’s GDP, and that this crisis will deepen before it begins the process of recovery. It is also recognised that this crisis is far more severe than the one posed by the worldwide financial crash of 2008. That the Conservative government chose to adopt stringent fiscal controls that hamstrung the public services, known as “austerity measures”, is now well known and understood.

Last week in a bullish announcement, Boris Johnson announced on several occasions, in an attempt to reassure the nation, that there would be no return to the austerity measures programme in response to balancing the nation’s books.

What was missing, however, was any acknowledgement that either the ideologically created response (austerity) was a failed model – in which case, an apology is due – or that the austerity measures were (by chance or design) instrumental in creating the “smoke and mirrors” debilitating factor that stretched and squeezed the lack of amenities, facilities and housing blamed on a system of uncontrollable EU immigration, that was deemed to be unacceptable.

Either way, this would have had a conscious or, in many cases, subconscious bearing on the way significant numbers of people voted in the EU referendum. The additional fact that we still await the publication of a report that investigated the potential for Russian interference in the referendum – that was apparently nearly ready for publication 10 months ago – merely adds to the suspicion that the contents are also potentially embarrassing to those who benefited from a successful Leave campaign.

The question is, that when eventually there is a significant and serious investigation into our nation’s woeful response to the Covid-19 pandemic, will these contributory factors be included in that analysis?

Nigel Plevin
Ilminster, Somerset

Covidiot pubs

Just need to comment on pubs openings. I think it’s ridiculous what I saw last night on TV. Are people thick? We were all on lockdown for months and as soon pubs open, what happens? You get a load of people acting like idiots, more or less on top of each other .

Well done Boris! He wants revenue from pubs but the industry will be shut down again because the virus is going spread like wildfire.

A big well done to the pub industry and government for killing us all.

Mark Naylor
Address supplied

Joyrider PM

Joyrider: someone who breaks into your car to get to the controls, then drives wildly, noisily and irresponsibly, veering all over the place, with no particular goal in mind beyond the thrill of the ride, treating caution with contempt, with no respect for either the car, the rules of the road or other people, and wilfully putting countless lives at risk… Before inevitably, at some point, getting bored and abandoning the now clapped-out vehicle and doing a runner, leaving someone else to retrieve it, repair it, and pay for it.

The perfect analogy for Boris Johnson? The joyrider PM?

Paula Kirby
Inverness

Resign please Shapps

I am a great fan of Simon Calder – his excellent travel advice for consumers and his tireless campaign to get the travel industry up and going again. His passion for travel is palpable and I have really enjoyed his coverage of the crisis most recently with his “Greek tragedy” article.

The government’s approach on the other hand, led by the blundering transport secretary Grant Shapps, have been totally incompetent throughout. The constant dithering and U-turns are just what we have come to expect from them.

The toothless 14-day quarantine policy, openly mocked by both industry experts and the travellers themselves, is just not going to cut it. We seriously need to deal with how to handle travellers arriving from highly infected regions during this global crisis. Something we have never seriously addressed throughout.

The United Kingdom desperately needs a long-term strategy – one to be respected not ridiculed. A strategy to support the economic necessity of rebuilding a ravaged aviation industry. Supporting travel for business and leisure balanced against the need to manage the dynamic nature of the virus. How about the government engage the services of real industry experts? Simon Calder are you available to help sort this out? Mr Shapps, can you please resign?

Paul Morrison
Address supplied