Don’t make medics pay
The economic damage caused by the coronavirus crisis is predicted to be unprecedented in its size and severity.
If the forecasts are correct, we are braced for the deepest recession in our history. When we start to rebuild the country it is essential we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.
After the 2008 financial crash, the Tories imposed a decade of austerity that saw those with the least bear the greatest burden.
It would be scandalous if the same is done again after Covid-19. The nurses, doctors and carers who have selflessly served their country should not be hit by yet another pay freeze.
The poorest households should not have to shoulder another round of cuts. As we seek to repair the hole in the nation’s finances, tax rises are inevitable, but those with the deepest pockets should bear the brunt of the hardship.
Each week we clap for carers. It’s a hollow gesture if we turn around and cut their pay.
Uncaring MPs
NO wonder Boris Johnson struggled when put on the spot by Keir Starmer over the scandal in our care homes.
There is no defence for leaving thousands of vulnerable residents at the mercy of the virus.
The Government’s initial guidance said it was unlikely that anyone in care homes would be infected. Ministers then allowed infected patients to be discharged from hospital into care homes, they were too slow to bring in testing and failed to get staff essential PPE.
As a result of this negligence, the fatalities in care homes account for nearly 40% of total deaths. MPs claim that care homes have been a priority from the start of this crisis. But these grim figures tell a different story.
Breath of life
BRAVE five-year-old Joseph Nicholson is back home after receiving the UK’s first double lung transplant.
He owes his life to the brilliant surgeons and the kind people who donated their organs. It reminds us why Max and Keira’s Law, which comes into force next week, is so important.
