COVID: Why won’t the Government learn?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Institute for Government

News, Politics, Government

4.6 • 252 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2021

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If now is not the time to learn lessons from the COVID crisis, when is? We’re joined by writer, broadcaster and host of the Rock’n’Roll Politics podcast Steve Richards to discuss No.10’s painful learning curve and ask if Boris Johnson’s promised public inquiry ever actually happen. Plus, what have the extraordinary 12 months we’ve just lived through meant for the efficacy of government? The latest edition of the IfG’s annual Whitehall Monitor has all the answers. “The lessons, frankly, are obvious even if Boris Johnson repeatedly refuses to learn them.” – Steve Richards “This is a government that finds it hard to admit mistakes… They say ‘we’ll do the right thing at the right time’ without ever admitting when the right time is.” – Tom Sasse “Boris Johnson doesn’t do context or consequences. He didn’t do consequences as a journalist and it’s a really serious flaw.” – Steve Richards “Even if you can’t start an inquiry in the middle of a crisis, there’s merit in getting the ball rolling fast – because these things take a vast amount of time.” – Emma Norris “The Prime Minister seems incapable of learning lessons. The same mistakes are repeated over and over.” – Steve Richards Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Emma Norris, Sarah Nickson, Tim Durrant and Tom Sasse. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome back to Inside Briefing, the podcast from the Institute for Government.
0:15.1	I'm Bonwin Maddox. We truly did everything we could. That's what Boris Johnson said when he addressed the nation to give the desperately bleak news that more than 100,000 lives have been lost COVID-19 in the UK.
0:28.6	The Prime Minister also insists that now is not the time to learn lessons from the government's handling of the crisis.
0:33.6	So we're going to ask if that's the right approach after a long list of mistakes,
0:38.1	though a success or two as well, over the last year. The government's decided to tighten border
0:43.6	controls and introduce hotel quarantine. Other countries have had systems in place for months.
0:49.1	We'll dial up the IFG's Australian expert. She's at the moment in Australia to find out how
0:54.1	things have worked over there and what could be done to make this work.
0:58.6	And as ministers, and indeed all of us hope for a brighter 2021, we'll look back at how 2020 has changed the way the government made decisions and spent money.
1:09.1	The latest edition of our annual Whitehall Monitor Report is out
1:12.1	and it's got all the answers. So joining me in search of answers today are a terrific
1:17.0	IFG duo Emma, Emma, Emma. Hi, Norman. And Tom Sasse, Associate Director, who's leading
1:23.9	our work on science and vaccines, among other things. Hi, Tom. Hi, Bromon.
1:32.8	I'm also delighted to be joined by Steve Richards, writer, broadcaster and star of the one-man show,
1:38.7	rock and roll politics. Steve, how are you? How's the show going? It's being streamed live these days,
1:46.8	and it's a great alternative, a virus-defying alternative, along with a weekly podcast, which, as you know,
1:52.7	is a very stimulating experience. Well, come on to that. Let's start with that awful 100,000 milestone, added to by another 1725 COVID deaths recorded in the UK yesterday. The Prime Minister
2:00.1	struck a somber tone,
2:03.8	but insists that now is not the time to learn lessons. Emma, back in the summer, you called for a
2:09.3	rapid review ahead of any second wave, as well as a full review in retrospect. Well, we've
2:14.5	had the second wave, but no rapid review. What could that have done?
2:18.6	Well, I think at a basic level, it could have ensured government actually learned lessons
	...

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