I have just finished reading The COVID-19 Catastrophe: What’s Gone Wrong and How to Stop It Happening Again by Richard Horton.
Despite the title, I still don’t know what went wrong. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the UK response has been among the least competent in Europe.
I found this passage from the book both tragic and pathetic:
Indeed, those of my colleagues within the medical community who did raise their voices to comment on (and, indeed, to criticize) the UK government’s response were frequently “hammered” by more senior colleagues who urged silence, fearing perhaps retribution in the form of loss of government grant income, or future exclusion from powerful and prestigious leadership roles and committees.
I think this is the result of many years of government reform. Concentration on metrics, and money, has created a crony culture in academia. That culture is, of course, magnificently unsuitable when we need fast and effective action in an uncertain environment.