sluggerotoole--2020-03-28--Into the Darkening Sky: Memories of strange Donegal…

Rossnowlagh Beach , Donegal , on the last cusp of summer can give you a tingle of isolation that goes far beyond the blue-grey horizon .
When the tide sneaks in ( beware parked cars ) it is loud and bossy , laying down challenges to trespassers and surfers alike to come and have a go .
It is a place of the bleakest magic .
For others , that equivalence comes from the lure of the North Coast , the Mournes or even just the skittering of birds along the silent Loughshore .
But on the road beyond Belleek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September afternoon : Two ice-cream vans were idling on the cool , hard sand , strategically positioned at about fifty yards apart .
Business was quiet .
The ice-cream men were crouched and hidden , fingers on the trigger .
A creamy ’ 99 was only a tap on the window away .
Further along , Mr. Chips was waiting patiently , without much to do .
His generator hummed , the griddle was hot and the plastic cutlery was out .
Although , he had no napkins left , only blue roll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ queue began to form and the brown bag parade darted back to their cars , clutching their warm wares safely in against their tummies , lest the heat escape .
The empty strand seemed to stretch on for miles that day , the people reluctant to hang about .
My nephew once turned around and asked , ‘ Was Jesus shot in Donegal ?
’ Nope , He dodged that bullet .
Yet there ’ s an ethereal quality to the place , this slice of heaven , that means JC was surely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the strand is an old concrete road .
It falls away from the army of fir trees above and slides neatly down to the sand .
Puffing and panting , a short hike up will find the Franciscan Friary , and a most peaceful paradise .
On that September day , the church stood firm and grand against the gloomy sky , the car park empty .
Suddenly , a priest leapt from the shadows and ushered me inside to confess ( ‘ Jaysus no , don ’ t be kneeling down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chair !
’ ) .
This was no ordinary confession .
This man of nearly ninety ( he surely was ! )
was an inspiration and he had the wild energy of a calf out on the pasture .
A gnarled and bony hand shot up for silence , then settled over his breastbone .
The ancient face of the priest came alive as he leaned in close .
Deep lines and creases came together , holding the secrets of a thousands of sinners who ’ d long since wandered by .
‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response , as a I tried desperately to think of something fancy and profound to say .
‘ In d ’ heart .
God is with us… in our hearts.
’ He blessed himself three-times , genuflected twice , and took off at once !
Sometimes , of course , you need much more than spiritual sustenance .
But Rossnowlagh is not exactly Donegall Place !
Trapped in the house with the rain beating down , no Wi-Fi and the cupboards empty… God , where can you get a packet of fags in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lettuce ?
There is only one solution for the weary traveller : Out on the Wild Atlantic Way , Finnegan ’ s Post Office is an iconic staple of the Rossnowlagh experience .
Imagine being able to buy a bar of chocolate and bag of crisps in a shop ?
But for this simple pleasure , on what feels like the edge of civilisation , we are always truly grateful .
Sure , in a world of bliss like this , you ’ re well out of harm ’ s way , aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still hidden away at the Friary , a friendly spiritual spider .
The waves are still roaring and shouting and threatening up and down that beautiful golden strand , and Mr. Chips is always waiting patiently for your order .
Although , he has no napkins left , only blue roll .

Rossnowlagh Beach, Donegal, on the last cusp of summer can give you a tingle of isolation that goes far beyond the blue-grey horizon. When the tide sneaks in (beware parked cars) it is loud and bossy, laying down challenges to trespassers and surfers alike to come and have a go. It is a place of the bleakest magic.
For others, that equivalence comes from the lure of the North Coast, the Mournes or even just the skittering of birds along the silent Loughshore. But on the road beyond Belleek, Rossnowlagh roars.
Of a late September afternoon: Two ice-cream vans were idling on the cool, hard sand, strategically positioned at about fifty yards apart. Business was quiet. The ice-cream men were crouched and hidden, fingers on the trigger. A creamy ’99 was only a tap on the window away. Further along, Mr. Chips was waiting patiently, without much to do. His generator hummed, the griddle was hot and the plastic cutlery was out.
Although, he had no napkins left, only blue roll.
Later on though, a steady queue began to form and the brown bag parade darted back to their cars, clutching their warm wares safely in against their tummies, lest the heat escape. The empty strand seemed to stretch on for miles that day, the people reluctant to hang about.
My nephew once turned around and asked, ‘Was Jesus shot in Donegal?’
Nope, He dodged that bullet. Yet there’s an ethereal quality to the place, this slice of heaven, that means JC was surely resurrected there.
Down in the corner of the strand is an old concrete road. It falls away from the army of fir trees above and slides neatly down to the sand. Puffing and panting, a short hike up will find the Franciscan Friary, and a most peaceful paradise.
On that September day, the church stood firm and grand against the gloomy sky, the car park empty. Suddenly, a priest leapt from the shadows and ushered me inside to confess (‘Jaysus no, don’t be kneeling down there, take a seat on the chair!’).
This was no ordinary confession. This man of nearly ninety (he surely was!) was an inspiration and he had the wild energy of a calf out on the pasture.
I began. ‘Bless me, Father, fo-‘
A gnarled and bony hand shot up for silence, then settled over his breastbone. The ancient face of the priest came alive as he leaned in close. Deep lines and creases came together, holding the secrets of a thousands of sinners who’d long since wandered by.
‘Where. Is. God?’ he demanded.
‘…I suppose…’, was my brilliant response, as a I tried desperately to think of something fancy and profound to say.
‘In d’ heart. God is with us… in our hearts.’
It was a powerful revelation.
He blessed himself three-times, genuflected twice, and took off at once!
Sometimes, of course, you need much more than spiritual sustenance. But Rossnowlagh is not exactly Donegall Place!
Trapped in the house with the rain beating down, no Wi-Fi and the cupboards empty… God, where can you get a packet of fags in this place? Or a thing of lettuce?
There is only one solution for the weary traveller: Out on the Wild Atlantic Way, Finnegan’s Post Office is an iconic staple of the Rossnowlagh experience. Imagine being able to buy a bar of chocolate and bag of crisps in a shop? But for this simple pleasure, on what feels like the edge of civilisation, we are always truly grateful.
Sure, in a world of bliss like this, you’re well out of harm’s way, aren’t you?
The benevolent priest is still hidden away at the Friary, a friendly spiritual spider. The waves are still roaring and shouting and threatening up and down that beautiful golden strand, and Mr. Chips is always waiting patiently for your order.
Although, he has no napkins left, only blue roll.
That’s my Rossnowlagh.


sluggerotoole--2020-03-27--Watch: Sam McBride on the RHI Inquiry Report #ImagineBelfast

Watch back my interview with Sam McBride – author of Burned – to candidly discuss his impressions of the Renewable @ @ @ @ @ report – the final part of this year ’ s unexpectedly free and online Imagine @ @ @ @ @ and Politics .
Everything that has been broadcast over the last three days is available @ @ @ @ @ Imagine !
website .

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sluggerotoole--2020-03-27--Shining a light into the darkness of the Covid 19 crisis…

We ’ re now living in unprecedented times , sailing in uncharted waters , travelling rudderless to an unknown destination .
Now if you had a quid for every time you or heard this sort of thing over the last couple of weeks you ’ d no doubt be a multi-millionaire several times over .
Ok , slight exaggeration – you ’ d probably be about £74.50 richer .
The weird ( or not so weird as the case may be ) thing about all this is that for many of us who live alone and work regularly from home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t changed that much .
It ’ s like the old French expression “ plus ça change , plus c ’ est la même chose ” .
And the third major cliché I ’ ll use involves clouds and silver linings .
While not wishing to diminish the pain felt by those who have lost loved ones to the pandemic , or suddenly found themselves without a job or having to struggle financially , the positive social changes can not be ignored .
Even in my adopted home , the normally unfriendly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbours can live beside each other for years yet hardly exchange a word , community groups have organised to help the elderly and vulnerable in the local area .
The continental style mass applause for the health service workers we ’ re now seeing from doorsteps and balconies may be typical of the Mediterranean Latin spirit , but witnessing it in this part of the world is a pleasant surprise .
A sense of community spirit and a “ we ’ re all in this together ” attitude perhaps not seen in England @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shape .
From an environmental perspective , the COVID-19 crisis will inevitably have its benefits .
The much-reduced volume of traffic on the roads and lack of aircraft in the skies will no doubt bring about a marked reduction in pollution – for a few weeks at least .
The sudden halt in drunken brawls that would normally be a common feature outside pubs and clubs in every town centre can only be a good thing .
While languishing in the bath this evening I realised that could hear bird song more clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sounds of vehicles , sirens or breaking glass .
And in a few short months the word “ Brexit ” has almost become a relic of ancient history .
This morning I went for a run in my local park , half expecting the empty landscape of a post-apocalytic dystopian sci-fi movie , as has become a familiar sight in the news reports we see from Italy and Spain .
But to my surprise ( and I have to say disappointment – as I was hoping to have the place to myself for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) there were quite a few people around , mostly in twos and threes , joggers , young families , dog walkers all keeping a respectable distance , but enjoying the bright early spring sunshine .
As well as avoiding the unpleasant three hour round trip to and from the office , I ’ m now saving a small fortune that would normally be spent on train fares , petrol and takeaway coffees – not to mention the odd pint at my local .
In a way this pandemic gives us a taste @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For the first time ever this week I chaired a virtual work meeting attended by half a dozen colleagues all of whom were in their own homes at the time .
For those of who work in multinational corporations and other large organisations the concept of working remotely or attending virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams or Skype is nothing new – but this is now rapidly becoming a necessity rather than a luxury .
But the impact of the immense pressure this phenomenon this will put on broadband services remains to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been gleefully pointing out that the government definition of key workers does not include bankers , hedge fund managers , city traders or Premiere League footballers .
It seems that those employed in the health , community care and emergency services are finally receiving the recognition they deserve .
And if pub quizzes are still around in the next 50 years I can imagine popular trick questions like “ who won the Six Nations/Premier League/Tour de France in 2020 ?
” .
I ’ m convinced that we will emerge from this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more considerate , less selfish and less inclined to take the simple pleasures in life for granted .
Well , that ’ s my theory anyway .
To use yet another well-worn cliché -only time will tell… Photo by jplenio is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

We’re now living in unprecedented times, sailing in uncharted waters, travelling rudderless to an unknown destination. Now if you had a quid for every time you or heard this sort of thing over the last couple of weeks you’d no doubt be a multi-millionaire several times over. Ok, slight exaggeration – you’d probably be about £74.50 richer.
The weird (or not so weird as the case may be) thing about all this is that for many of us who live alone and work regularly from home, life on the whole probably hasn’t changed that much. It’s like the old French expression “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”.
And the third major cliché I’ll use involves clouds and silver linings. While not wishing to diminish the pain felt by those who have lost loved ones to the pandemic, or suddenly found themselves without a job or having to struggle financially, the positive social changes cannot be ignored. Even in my adopted home, the normally unfriendly, impersonal city of London where next-door neighbours can live beside each other for years yet hardly exchange a word, community groups have organised to help the elderly and vulnerable in the local area.
The continental style mass applause for the health service workers we’re now seeing from doorsteps and balconies may be typical of the Mediterranean Latin spirit, but witnessing it in this part of the world is a pleasant surprise. A sense of community spirit and a “we’re all in this together” attitude perhaps not seen in England at least since 1966 is now taking shape.
From an environmental perspective, the COVID-19 crisis will inevitably have its benefits. The much-reduced volume of traffic on the roads and lack of aircraft in the skies will no doubt bring about a marked reduction in pollution – for a few weeks at least. The sudden halt in drunken brawls that would normally be a common feature outside pubs and clubs in every town centre can only be a good thing.
While languishing in the bath this evening I realised that could hear bird song more clearly than usual and uninterrupted by the usual sounds of vehicles, sirens or breaking glass.
And in a few short months the word “Brexit” has almost become a relic of ancient history.
This morning I went for a run in my local park, half expecting the empty landscape of a post-apocalytic dystopian sci-fi movie, as has become a familiar sight in the news reports we see from Italy and Spain. But to my surprise (and I have to say disappointment – as I was hoping to have the place to myself for reasons related to both health and aesthetics) there were quite a few people around, mostly in twos and threes, joggers, young families, dog walkers all keeping a respectable distance, but enjoying the bright early spring sunshine.
As well as avoiding the unpleasant three hour round trip to and from the office, I’m now saving a small fortune that would normally be spent on train fares, petrol and takeaway coffees – not to mention the odd pint at my local. In a way this pandemic gives us a taste of the shape of things to come.
For the first time ever this week I chaired a virtual work meeting attended by half a dozen colleagues all of whom were in their own homes at the time.
For those of who work in multinational corporations and other large organisations the concept of working remotely or attending virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams or Skype is nothing new – but this is now rapidly becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. But the impact of the immense pressure this phenomenon this will put on broadband services remains to be seen.
Social commentators on the left have been gleefully pointing out that the government definition of key workers does not include bankers, hedge fund managers, city traders or Premiere League footballers. It seems that those employed in the health, community care and emergency services are finally receiving the recognition they deserve.
And if pub quizzes are still around in the next 50 years I can imagine popular trick questions like “who won the Six Nations/Premier League/Tour de France in 2020?”.
I’m convinced that we will emerge from this crisis as much better people – humbler, more considerate, less selfish and less inclined to take the simple pleasures in life for granted. Well, that’s my theory anyway. To use yet another well-worn cliché -only time will tell…
Photo by jplenio is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-03-27--Day three of #ImagineBelfast’s virtual festival of ideas and politics – finishing at 8pm with an int

Day three of #ImagineBelfast’s virtual festival of ideas and politics – finishing at 8pm with an interview with Burned author Sam McBride

Today ’ s the final day of the virtual Imagine !
Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics .
Having sold out two nights of Sam McBride in conversation with William Crawley at the close of the planned week of face-to-face events , the online broadcast will finish at 8pm with the author of Burned talking last weekend about his impressions of the published RHI Inquiry Report .
Friday ’ s line-up ( below ) runs from 1pm and includes talks about economic growth and community banking , a reprise of Lord Patten of Barnes ’ recent speech in Belfast when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland and his reflections on the Patten report into police reform , thoughts on how COVID-19 has challenged the arts sector and may change political culture , as well as comedy from Stand Up , Speak Out and the Democracy Inspector .
Festival director Peter O ’ Neill had the courage to pivot the festival online in the face of COVID-19 , and much credit is due to the technical skills of Richard and the gang at Accidental Theatre who prerecorded many of the talks and interviews last week in their Shaftesbury Square @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and running for eight hours a day , three days in a row .

Today’s the final day of the virtual Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics. Having sold out two nights of Sam McBride in conversation with William Crawley at the close of the planned week of face-to-face events, the online broadcast will finish at 8pm with the author of Burned talking last weekend about his impressions of the published RHI Inquiry Report.
Friday’s line-up (below) runs from 1pm and includes talks about economic growth and community banking, a reprise of Lord Patten of Barnes’ recent speech in Belfast when he reminisced about his time in Northern Ireland and his reflections on the Patten report into police reform, thoughts on how COVID-19 has challenged the arts sector and may change political culture, as well as comedy from Stand Up, Speak Out and the Democracy Inspector.
Festival director Peter O’Neill had the courage to pivot the festival online in the face of COVID-19, and much credit is due to the technical skills of Richard and the gang at Accidental Theatre who prerecorded many of the talks and interviews last week in their Shaftesbury Square venue and have kept the livestream up and running for eight hours a day, three days in a row.


sluggerotoole--2020-03-26--Boris’s Bonkers Brexit Breathing Bet…

Boris’s Bonkers Brexit Breathing Bet…

So the UK g0vernment needs tens of thousands of ventilators so the obvious solution is to turn to er a vacuum cleaner company ?
?
?
That ’ s what the UK Government think anyway with their plan to get Dyson to make 10,000 ventilators .
Of course in times of crisis , we need creative solutions , but where this story gets weird is the UK Government refused several offers from Ventilator manufacturers and suppliers .
From the Guardian : Several small suppliers of ventilators have said the government has not responded to their offers to make more .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mifsud , told the Nantwich News he had sourced 5,000 ventilators and millions of face masks and personal protective equipment through its United Arab Emirates partners .
He registered the supply on the “ ventilator challenge ” page of the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy website , but after five days he had heard nothing and the supplies went elsewhere .
He is quoted saying the only communication he had from the Department of Health was a “ thank you ” and “ you are in our system ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a nation do not have , ” Mifsud said .
“ This virus does not wait for anyone and every second costs lives .
I am incredibly frustrated with the British government and the current mañana attitude.
” He said his partners in the UAE said they were getting responses from other countries within hours .
Here is Andrew Raynor of MEC Medical , a medical parts manufacturer being interviewed on BBC Newsnight : James Dyson was a big supporter of Brexit and there are accusations of favouritism by the UK Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mix , Gtech is a small British vacuum cleaner company that has come up with a solution that looks simpler to make and likely cheaper , their solution does not even require electric , unlike the Dyson option .
To be fair Dyson does make very nice ( if expensive ) products .
I just bought one of their cordless vacuum cleaners last week , and very nice it is too .
But to ignore existing ventilator companies who could ramp up production and instead go for a new design by a company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very reckless bet .
Photo by kathleenport is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

So the UK g0vernment needs tens of thousands of ventilators so the obvious solution is to turn to er a vacuum cleaner company??? That’s what the UK Government think anyway with their plan to get Dyson to make 10,000 ventilators.
Of course in times of crisis, we need creative solutions, but where this story gets weird is the UK Government refused several offers from Ventilator manufacturers and suppliers. From the Guardian:
Several small suppliers of ventilators have said the government has not responded to their offers to make more. The head of Direct Access, Steven Mifsud, told the Nantwich News he had sourced 5,000 ventilators and millions of face masks and personal protective equipment through its United Arab Emirates partners. He registered the supply on the “ventilator challenge” page of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy website, but after five days he had heard nothing and the supplies went elsewhere. He is quoted saying the only communication he had from the Department of Health was a “thank you” and “you are in our system”. “Time is a luxury that we as a nation do not have,” Mifsud said. “This virus does not wait for anyone and every second costs lives. I am incredibly frustrated with the British government and the current mañana attitude.” He said his partners in the UAE said they were getting responses from other countries within hours.
Here is Andrew Raynor of MEC Medical, a medical parts manufacturer being interviewed on BBC Newsnight:
“The government should have given funding to existing ventilator manufacturers, and existing companies like us.” Andrew Raynor of MEC Medical, a medical parts manufacturer, says “nothing” happened when he contacted the govt offering to make #Covid19 ventilators#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/n79KVpENbW — BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) March 25, 2020
James Dyson was a big supporter of Brexit and there are accusations of favouritism by the UK Government.
And just to add to the mix, Gtech is a small British vacuum cleaner company that has come up with a solution that looks simpler to make and likely cheaper, their solution does not even require electric, unlike the Dyson option.
To be fair Dyson does make very nice (if expensive) products. I just bought one of their cordless vacuum cleaners last week, and very nice it is too. But to ignore existing ventilator companies who could ramp up production and instead go for a new design by a company with no experience in this market seems a very reckless bet.
Photo by kathleenport is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-03-26--From abortion to  coronavirus, Westminster rule is still decisive – if they choose to exercise it

The situation is replete with irony .
In the absence of the Assembly a formerly inert Westminster sprung into life to enact three controversial reforms ; on same sex marriage , victims ’ pensions ( pending ) and most controversially of all , abortion .
Sinn Fein which only acknowledges any legal British authority over Northern Ireland with the greatest reluctance warmly welcomed Westminster ’ s imposition of the most radical shift possible from the most restrictive to the most sweeping abortion regulations in these islands ; while the defenders of the Union the DUP remain strongly opposed to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethical grounds and constitutional principle .
The regulations indeed exceed the terms of the GB 1967 Abortion Act .
They enshrine extensions demanded by abortion reformers like the principal sponsor of the NI Act , the Labour MP Stella Creasy .
The regulations allow for access to abortions without conditionality up to 12 weeks gestation ( 11 weeks + 6 days ) , to be certified by one medical professional that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twelfth week .
Abortions beyond 12 weeks gestation ( 11 weeks + 6 days ) are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or girl , greater than the risk of terminating the pregnancy up to 24 weeks gestation ( 23 weeks + 6 days ) ; • Severe fetal impairment and fatal fetal abnormalities without any gestational time limit ; and • where there is a risk to the life of the woman or girl , greater than if the pregnancy were terminated , or where necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or girl , including in cases of immediate necessity without any gestational time limit .
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland will be responsible for commissioning abortion services , as appropriate , in General Practitioners premises , clinics provided by a Health and Social Care ( HSC ) trust , and HSC hospitals , operating under the overall Northern Ireland HSC framework .
For early medical abortions ( up to the end of the tenth week ) , the woman ’ s home in Northern Ireland will be a place where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be carried out , following a medical consultation and the taking of the first stage of the treatment .
Further information on the availability of services in Northern Ireland will be provided by the Northern Ireland Department of Health in due course .
Westminster was taking its revenge on Northern Ireland for its endless failure to self govern and for a more pressing , less elevated reason at the time ; it was one in the eye from Remainers against the DUP for keeping the Leave position just viable in what was then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circumstances were a unique mixture of parliamentary shenanigans and higher principle discreetly aided and abetted by the highly unofficial whipping skills of Julian Smith .
Commons business had to be created to keep the House in session and the Stormont standoff provided a golden opportunity to fill a vacuum .
A cross party group of women MPs united to declare that the need to bring NI human rights into line with the British norm overrode the prerogatives of the suspended Stormont .
This is a controversial claim regardless of the subject and might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Would abortion reform have passed Stormont by simple majority and in the unlikely event that the petition of concern veto power had not been activated ?
It must be doubted .
The DUP against , the SDLP split with a majority in favour , the UUP split with a majority against and Alliance ducking it as an issue of conscience – ( not a good sign for taking tough decisions to come ) .
Who can doubt that if Stormont had stayed shut the present Conservative government would have imposed a Legacy Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local politicians ?
Come to think if , they may do so still .
The coronavirus crisis also confirms where the real power still lies .
Westminster Rules – OK or not .

The situation is replete with irony. In the absence of the Assembly a formerly inert Westminster sprung into life to enact three controversial reforms; on same sex marriage, victims’ pensions (pending) and most controversially of all, abortion. Sinn Fein which only acknowledges any legal British authority over Northern Ireland with the greatest reluctance warmly welcomed Westminster’s imposition of the most radical shift possible from the most restrictive to the most sweeping abortion regulations in these islands; while the defenders of the Union the DUP remain strongly opposed to this imposition of “British values” on ethical grounds and constitutional principle.
The regulations indeed exceed the terms of the GB 1967 Abortion Act. They enshrine extensions demanded by abortion reformers like the principal sponsor of the NI Act, the Labour MP Stella Creasy.
New abortion framework for Northern Ireland
The regulations allow for access to abortions without conditionality up to 12 weeks gestation (11 weeks + 6 days), to be certified by one medical professional that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twelfth week.
Abortions beyond 12 weeks gestation (11 weeks + 6 days) are lawful in the cases where:
the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or girl, greater than the risk of terminating the pregnancy up to 24 weeks gestation (23 weeks + 6 days);
Severe fetal impairment and fatal fetal abnormalities without any gestational time limit; and
where there is a risk to the life of the woman or girl, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, or where necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or girl, including in cases of immediate necessity without any gestational time limit.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland will be responsible for commissioning abortion services, as appropriate, in General Practitioners premises, clinics provided by a Health and Social Care (HSC) trust, and HSC hospitals, operating under the overall Northern Ireland HSC framework.
For early medical abortions (up to the end of the tenth week), the woman’s home in Northern Ireland will be a place where the second stage of early medical abortion may be carried out, following a medical consultation and the taking of the first stage of the treatment.
Further information on the availability of services in Northern Ireland will be provided by the Northern Ireland Department of Health in due course.
Westminster was taking its revenge on Northern Ireland for its endless failure to self govern and for a more pressing, less elevated reason at the time ; it was one in the eye from Remainers against the DUP for keeping the Leave position just viable in what was then a tied House of Commons.
The circumstances were a unique mixture of parliamentary shenanigans and higher principle discreetly aided and abetted by the highly unofficial whipping skills of Julian Smith. Commons business had to be created to keep the House in session and the Stormont standoff provided a golden opportunity to fill a vacuum. A cross party group of women MPs united to declare that the need to bring NI human rights into line with the British norm overrode the prerogatives of the suspended Stormont. This is a controversial claim regardless of the subject and might yet be tested in the Courts.
Would abortion reform have passed Stormont by simple majority and in the unlikely event that the petition of concern veto power had not been activated? It must be doubted. The DUP against, the SDLP split with a majority in favour, the UUP split with a majority against and Alliance ducking it as an issue of conscience – (not a good sign for taking tough decisions to come).
Who can doubt that if Stormont had stayed shut the present Conservative government would have imposed a Legacy Bill that ignored the balance of opinion among local politicians? Come to think if, they may do so still. The coronavirus crisis also confirms where the real power still lies. Westminster Rules – OK or not.


sluggerotoole--2020-03-31--Busting the Historical Myths – The Siege of Derry…

As Coronavirus dominates the airwaves I thought it may be interesting to explore a few historical myths as a means to divert our attention from the pandemic sweeping the Word .
In Northern Ireland there is a tendency for Unionists and Nationalists to view certain historical events in a partisan and inaccurate way often driven by erroneous historical interpretations which have become main-stream , but which are based primarily on propaganda .
As every historian knows the complexity and nuances of human nature and history in general are often conspicuously absent from such interpretations .
I thought for interest I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most high profile historical events which fall foul to misinterpretation and myth .
I will start with the earliest in what I hope is a series of maybe four articles covering these different events .
I will start with The Siege of Derry : The Siege is often painted as a story of salvation and deliverance for the Protestant people .
Figures such as Governor Walker and John Michelburne are treated with an admiration and deity for their actions whilst Robert Lundy is still viewed as the archetypal traitor whose name lives on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ betray the Protestant cause .
Of course the history of the Siege itself and the subsequent events certainly paint very different pictures to the simplistic one many have become accustomed too .
Class and intra- religious conflict were at the forefront of a fractious , bitter and complex relationship within the Protestant colonial community .
This tension between what became a popular mobilisation ( primarily Presbyterian and Dissenter ) and the ruling class ( Anglican ) deeply uneasy about opposing the state ’ s authority was no more apparent than after the shutting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 7th December 1688 .
This act was taken when the ‘ Redshanks ’ ( The Earl of Antrim ’ s Regiment ) had appeared across the river throwing the city completely into panic .
Despite this the Apprentice Boys were described as the ‘ little cabals of the city ’ s youths ’ .
This shutting of the gates is celebrated to this day in the annual Apprentice Boy ’ s Lundy ’ s Day Parade although the Apprentice Boy ’ s actions that day were an act of treason against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act and set up a group to begin negotiations with the Crown ’ s forces .
This resulted in the Articles of Agreement being signed on 21st December 1688 almost ten days after Lord Mountjoy was initially refused entry to the city .
The articles saw Mountjoy promise to publish a pardon within fifteen days ; two companies of men commanded by Lt-Colonel Robert Lundy admitted to the city , half of the companies ’ men were to be Protestant and no soldiers of the Earl of Antrim ’ s regiment were to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today we view the Siege almost as a continuous event it would be almost four months before the Siege would begin after the events in December .
Robert Lundy began a military withdrawal from Derry in April believing defence of the city to be strategically untenable after a series of Jacobite victories in Ulster in the early months of 1689 .
The inhabitants of the city overthrew the Governor and Council of War with Henry Baker appointed as Governor of the city .
He had agreed only on the basis that George Walker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city stores .
A large scale riot would ensue in June after food shortages and Walker ’ s house was ransacked .
Inside was found a private stock of ‘ beer , mum and butter ’ .
Walker was pursued through the streets by an angry mob , some threatening to shoot him for hoarding food as the overseer of the city ’ s stores .
He was only saved by the personal intervention of Governor Baker himself .
Negotiations for surrender began on July 13th 1689 .
The inhabitants of Derry had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought a 14lb cannonball flung through Bishop ’ s Gate killing a man standing in the street .
After 10,000 or so deaths within the walls the negotiators offer to surrender on 26th July if a series of proposals are met by the Jacobite side .
Eventually all but three are agreed to and this is conveyed to the Council of War in the city .
Walker who had been implacably opposed to any surrender did an about turn and advocated signing .
Walker and his colleagues eventually decided to surrender but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city could not fall until 26th July and the Jacobite Hostages must remain on Kirke ’ s boat .
This led to negotiations falling apart .
The city would eventually be relieved on 28th July .
The aftermath certainly did not represent salvation for those who had suffered during the Siege and did not even represent salvation to Presbyterian ’ s in general .
On relieving the city the Williamite Military authorities issued a number of proclamations which prevented people from leaving with either weapons or goods .
The Colonist Militia which had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city was largely disbanded and officers who criticised this were threatened with execution .
One Militia Man remembered , “ We have lost our blood , our estates and our friends in the service of our country and have nothing to show for it but Royal Promises ” .
Indeed there were many rejected claims of recompense which saw many Siege survivors to debtors ’ prison .
One of those was John Mitchelburne- the key instigator of the Siege myth .
He had been appointed by Governor Baker from his death bed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the people trapped in the town and had in fact spent a few weeks under house arrest before Baker appointed him as successor .
Michelburne would be a key proponent of the Siege myth and would even write a play which would become one of the most popular of the 18th century .
‘ Ireland Preserved ’ .
The Test Act of 1704 excluded Presbyterians as well as Catholics from Political power .
One of those forced to resign from the Derry Corporation was one of the original Apprentice Boys and David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not lead to the salvation many celebrate today and in fact at the time there was huge resentment against what emerged .
It seems the Siege and its aftermath had a much more social dynamic than many care to admit .
That is something the Unionist community is still grappling with to this day .

As Coronavirus dominates the airwaves I thought it may be interesting to explore a few historical myths as a means to divert our attention from the pandemic sweeping the Word. In Northern Ireland there is a tendency for Unionists and Nationalists to view certain historical events in a partisan and inaccurate way often driven by erroneous historical interpretations which have become main-stream, but which are based primarily on propaganda. As every historian knows the complexity and nuances of human nature and history in general are often conspicuously absent from such interpretations. I thought for interest I would go through a few of the most high profile historical events which fall foul to misinterpretation and myth. I will start with the earliest in what I hope is a series of maybe four articles covering these different events. I will start with The Siege of Derry:
The Siege is often painted as a story of salvation and deliverance for the Protestant people. Figures such as Governor Walker and John Michelburne are treated with an admiration and deity for their actions whilst Robert Lundy is still viewed as the archetypal traitor whose name lives on as an example of those who would betray the Protestant cause. Of course the history of the Siege itself and the subsequent events certainly paint very different pictures to the simplistic one many have become accustomed too.
Class and intra- religious conflict were at the forefront of a fractious, bitter and complex relationship within the Protestant colonial community. This tension between what became a popular mobilisation (primarily Presbyterian and Dissenter) and the ruling class (Anglican) deeply uneasy about opposing the state’s authority was no more apparent than after the shutting of the gates by 13 Apprentice Boys on 7th December 1688. This act was taken when the ‘Redshanks’ (The Earl of Antrim’s Regiment) had appeared across the river throwing the city completely into panic. Despite this the Apprentice Boys were described as the ‘little cabals of the city’s youths’.
This shutting of the gates is celebrated to this day in the annual Apprentice Boy’s Lundy’s Day Parade although the Apprentice Boy’s actions that day were an act of treason against the Sovereign. Prominent citizens immediately denounced the act and set up a group to begin negotiations with the Crown’s forces. This resulted in the Articles of Agreement being signed on 21st December 1688 almost ten days after Lord Mountjoy was initially refused entry to the city. The articles saw Mountjoy promise to publish a pardon within fifteen days; two companies of men commanded by Lt-Colonel Robert Lundy admitted to the city, half of the companies’ men were to be Protestant and no soldiers of the Earl of Antrim’s regiment were to be quartered in the town.
Although today we view the Siege almost as a continuous event it would be almost four months before the Siege would begin after the events in December. Robert Lundy began a military withdrawal from Derry in April believing defence of the city to be strategically untenable after a series of Jacobite victories in Ulster in the early months of 1689. The inhabitants of the city overthrew the Governor and Council of War with Henry Baker appointed as Governor of the city. He had agreed only on the basis that George Walker be appointed his Deputy to oversee the city stores. A large scale riot would ensue in June after food shortages and Walker’s house was ransacked. Inside was found a private stock of ‘beer, mum and butter’. Walker was pursued through the streets by an angry mob, some threatening to shoot him for hoarding food as the overseer of the city’s stores. He was only saved by the personal intervention of Governor Baker himself.
Negotiations for surrender began on July 13th 1689. The inhabitants of Derry had suffered horrendously and even as negotiations were sought a 14lb cannonball flung through Bishop’s Gate killing a man standing in the street. After 10,000 or so deaths within the walls the negotiators offer to surrender on 26th July if a series of proposals are met by the Jacobite side. Eventually all but three are agreed to and this is conveyed to the Council of War in the city. Walker who had been implacably opposed to any surrender did an about turn and advocated signing. Walker and his colleagues eventually decided to surrender but they held firm on two points, the city could not fall until 26th July and the Jacobite Hostages must remain on Kirke’s boat. This led to negotiations falling apart. The city would eventually be relieved on 28th July.
The aftermath certainly did not represent salvation for those who had suffered during the Siege and did not even represent salvation to Presbyterian’s in general. On relieving the city the Williamite Military authorities issued a number of proclamations which prevented people from leaving with either weapons or goods. The Colonist Militia which had been the mainstay of the defence of the city was largely disbanded and officers who criticised this were threatened with execution. One Militia Man remembered, “We have lost our blood, our estates and our friends in the service of our country and have nothing to show for it but Royal Promises”.
Indeed there were many rejected claims of recompense which saw many Siege survivors to debtors’ prison. One of those was John Mitchelburne- the key instigator of the Siege myth. He had been appointed by Governor Baker from his death bed. Michelburne had actually been very suspect to the people trapped in the town and had in fact spent a few weeks under house arrest before Baker appointed him as successor. Michelburne would be a key proponent of the Siege myth and would even write a play which would become one of the most popular of the 18th century. ‘Ireland Preserved’.
The Test Act of 1704 excluded Presbyterians as well as Catholics from Political power. One of those forced to resign from the Derry Corporation was one of the original Apprentice Boys and David Cairnes. In the end the Siege did not lead to the salvation many celebrate today and in fact at the time there was huge resentment against what emerged. It seems the Siege and its aftermath had a much more social dynamic than many care to admit. That is something the Unionist community is still grappling with to this day.


sluggerotoole--2020-03-31--As pressure mounts over the delay on UK testing, potential solutions seem neglected by the UK govern

As pressure mounts over the delay on UK testing, potential solutions seem neglected by the UK government. Peston asks: Why did Michael Gove lie?

This post is lengthy but I make no apologies .
Scroll through it if you will .
I concentrate on the vexed issue of “ test , test test.
” First a caveat .
We must accept that western countries were much less prepared than eastern countries for another plague because they unlike the east they were barely affected by SARS .
Nevertheless this fails to explain the still mystifying reasons why the UK in particular has failed to mobilise the resources that are actually available .
There is either a fierce dispute raging quietly among experts or a systemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the most insignificant of observers , I was glad to give them the benefit of the doubt Now the doubts are deafening .
But first.. any sign of breakthrough from today ’ s little north-south hookup ?
I thought not .
The chief medical officers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will sign a Memorandum of Understanding formalising co-ordination and cooperation between the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive this week .
Big deal .
It would be expecting far too much for the south to share out their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look on with envy .
…the Health Service Executive says it hopes to have all its testing centres open again today as supplies of testing kit are replenished .
A number of testing centres , including one of the largest at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork , closed at the weekend due to equipment shortages .
Since Sunday , testing capacity has been “ constrained ” due to limited stock of testing kits , according to the HSE .
In addition , the agency says it has had challenges obtaining sufficient supplies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a global challenge with major suppliers having to ration provision across the world .
We are making every effort to procure new stocks.
” By Sunday , about 38,000 people had been offered appointments for testing in community testing clinics established across the country in mid-March .
However , the criteria for testing were changed on March 24th to ensure the service was targeted on high-risk groups and those at risk of exposure to Covid-19 , such as healthcare workers .
This has had the effect of reducing the number of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total number of people requiring testing reduces , there will be a change in the number of locations required to offer testing , ” the HSE told The Irish Times in a statement .
The statement did not say how long the current backlog for testing and processing samples is .
It said stock were replenished stocks on Monday “ and while not all centres had sufficient supplies to recommence testing yesterday , we hope to be fully operation across all sites today ” .
In addition to the National Virus Reference Laboratory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also testing for coronavirus , as is a HSE public analyst lab and one in the Department of Agriculture .
“ Discussions are ongoing with other laboratories to increase capacity .
However provision of reagent and extraction kits will remain a major challenge for the foreseeable future until the major suppliers ramp up production.
” A solution along Irish lines for the UK from Julian Peto an English statistician and epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , writing in the FT. … countries can gradually relax lockdowns and let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which China and Taiwan have done and the UK seems to be planning .
This “ flattens the curve ” and prevents overload of health services .
But by the time herd immunity is developed , at least one in 300 people are likely to die ( about 200,000 in the UK ) .
A far better approach would be weekly testing of whole populations , with immediate quarantine of infectious people and their contacts .
This would allow the lockdown to be released while protecting lives and controlling the epidemic .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But Britain may be one of the few countries that could do it immediately .
Every household would receive and return self-sample nasal and throat swabs every week in barcoded tubes pre-printed with their names and date of birth .
These self-administered tests would result in some inaccuracies .
But this would not matter .
The tests are not for the benefit of infected patients .
They are to quarantine infected households earlier and so reduce the infection rate in the whole population .
To test everyone weekly in the UK , about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a hundred times the government ’ s eventual target and 600 times more than Germany is now doing .
This seemingly impossible feat may be possible if every polymerase chain reaction machine in the country is diverted to 24-hour testing .
PCR is an amazing technology that locates a particular coronavirus gene sequence and creates multiple copies that can then be easily detected .
They are inexpensive .
One 96-sample PCR machine , which costs well under £1,000 , can test almost 5,000 people a week if it runs continuously .
Globally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a capital outlay of about £1 a head : 20p for PCR machines and 80p for reagent production and other facilities .
The UK , with a population of 66m , needs about 14,000 machines .
My hunch is that the UK already has that capacity .
Every biology department in every university has dozens of PCRs ; the genome project at the Wellcome Sanger Institute has thousands .
Most academic labs have machines that can make the PCR primers that the test requires .
The limit then would be mass production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step , the government should ask every biotech firm what they can make .
Recruiting every little lab in Britain with a PCR machine to do Covid-19 testing would see old PCR machines chugging alongside modern automated systems .
If processing 10m tests a day can ’ t be achieved immediately , the programme should start in selected cities — and then expand as capacity increases .
If successful , it would be a wonderful achievement .
Stopping the epidemic and the lockdown would save about 200,000 lives .
That is 1 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population — the eventual number predicted to become infected under current policy .
It would also save the UK billions from otherwise lost economic activity , at little cost .
I believe it promises to be at least as good , if not a better , system than South Korea ’ s , which has been praised for its use of intensive contact tracing , often via cell phone tracking , to control the epidemic .
In Daegu , where the virus in that country originated , lockdown reduced the daily number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning of March to about 20 last week .
But an upward trend may now be emerging elsewhere in South Korea .
By contrast , weekly testing of whole populations would detect new infections more rapidly and completely , and then be extended to biweekly and then monthly testing as virus prevalence falls .
It would also be less intrusive than contact tracing , and guard civil liberties better .
Can more be extracted from those increasingly frustrating Downing St briefings ?
A tweet from former arch spin doctor Alistair Campbell Suggestion to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why can ’ t you deliver more tests for NHS workers ?
Q2 .
You didn ’ t answer that question .
Why can ’ t you deliver more tests for NHS workers ?
Q3 .
You ’ re still not answering the bloody question .
Why … till we get a bloody answer The gist of the UK government ’ s reply to criticisms is twofold .
Lockdown is a quicker way to reduce infection than waiting for enough testing equipment ; and there is a time lag between the manufacture of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distribution to the front line .
Michael Gove says thousands of new ventilators will begin “ rolling off the production line ” this weekend , manufactured by a group of businesses including GKN and Mercedes .
That ’ s the good news .
The bad news he says is that he UK had a lack of domestic manufacturing capacity for mechanical ventilators – vital for treating the poorest coronavirus patients – before the pandemic .
These will be “ rapidly distributed ” to the NHS front line early next week .
Why is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of much more equipment being distributed and the repeated claims of inadequacy from the front line , asked Robert Peston .
Michael Gove said just now that the difficulty in increasing number of # COVID19 tests was due to a shortage of the relevant “ chemical reagents ” .
Well I ’ ve just talked to the Chemical Industries Association , which represents the UK ’ s very substantial chemicals industry .
It..has contacted its members , and they ’ ve said there is no shortage of the relevant reagents .
So the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gove ’ s office to find out what he means , because it is stumped .
The Association also points out there was an industry chat with… business minister today , who made no attempt to find out if there was a supply problem for the vital ingredients of Covid19 testing kits .
So this question of why there aren ’ t enough tests for the virus is an even bigger mystery .
Also , if it turns out there is a shortage…These manufacturers are more than happy to increase their production .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has not happened .
So tomorrow , will you ask the government why Michael Gove lied ?
No long winded monologue containing several questions , just hit them with this info followed by a short , straight-forward question ?
This morning the Times had an English critic of the UK government ’ s strategy to match Scally ’ s about Northern Ireland .
A former director of the World Health Organisation has claimed that existing resources weren ’ t being properly used .
Anthony Costello , professor of global health and sustainable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , criticised efforts to increase testing and said that moving to mass testing was the key to lifting sanctions on people ’ s lives .
Speaking to Radio 4 ’ s Today programme , Professor Antony Costello said a policy of mass community testing was essential to detect hotspots and eventually end the lockdown .
“ In answer to ‘ can we do it ?
, we have 44 molecular virology labs in the UK .
If they were doing 400 tests a day , we would be up to Germany levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Public Health Englandwere slow and controlled and only allowed non-PHE labs to start testing two weeks ago , but that was after the strategy shift to end community tests.
” He said the UK needed to be “ more like ” South Korea , adding : “ If you look at Korea , they have done 490,000 tests .
Their death rate is three per million and they have suppressed the virus.
” Asked whether Britain had capacity , he said : “ I don ’ t see why we can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running , finding cases and testing .
“ We must go to mass testing and when we remove the lockdown — I don ’ t think it will take six months , in all the Asian states it was six to eight weeks , even in Wuhan — then we will have a control mechanism which will enable us to wait , without socially distancing the whole country , and wait until we can get drugs or a vaccine for herd immunity .
“ We do need a national lockdown for now but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon as we can .
Mass testing will be a way to do that.
” Public Health England was forced to apologise to Matt Hancock , the health secretary , after giving him incorrect information over the weekend , as they , the government and the NHS sought to dodge responsibility for slow progress .
It also became clear that not all the tests that could be carried out were being conducted despite huge demand from frontline staff .
Fewer than 5,000 people were tested according to most recent figures , with about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially standing at 11,000 .
Some people were tested more than once in order to confirm a result .
There is also so far no sign of a second test , which would show whether people have had the infection , despite official claims last week that it was in the “ last stages of evaluation ” .The antibody test has been described by Mr Johnson as a “ game-changer ” but it remains unclear whether it will be cleared for use by an Oxford University team that is evaluating it for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for PHE and the NHS to answer detailed questions over the roll-out of testing .
However , both agencies have passed on requests to the Department of Health .
NHS chiefs told hospitals at the weekend to start using 15 per cent of their testing capacity to check staff and their families , to avoid the need for all doctors and nurses to isolate for 14 days if their partners or children had a cough or fever .
Pressed on what the government was doing to address the shortages of test components the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the industry over how to access more chemicals and swabs .
The highly absorbent swabs are made principally by two companies , Copan in Italy and Puritan in the US , which are both operating at capacity .
More than ten days ago , President Trump sent a military plane to bring back more than half a million testing kits from Copan .
Testing in the UK has largely focused on hospital patients after a shift in strategy on March 13 when ministers accepted the virus could no longer be contained .
Critics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretary , have urged the government to test all suspected cases to help bring the epidemic under control , but the government has deemed this a “ low priority ” .
Photo by padrinan is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

This post is lengthy but I make no apologies. Scroll through it if you will. I concentrate on the vexed issue of “test, test test.”
First a caveat. We must accept that western countries were much less prepared than eastern countries for another plague because they unlike the east they were barely affected by SARS . Nevertheless this fails to explain the still mystifying reasons why the UK in particular has failed to mobilise the resources that are actually available. There is either a fierce dispute raging quietly among experts or a systemic failure within government. Up to now as the most insignificant of observers, I was glad to give them the benefit of the doubt Now the doubts are deafening.
But first.. any sign of breakthrough from today’s little north-south hookup? I thought not.
The chief medical officers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will sign a Memorandum of Understanding formalising co-ordination and cooperation between the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive this week.
Big deal. It would be expecting far too much for the south to share out their scarce resources equally. We can only look on with envy.
…the Health Service Executive says it hopes to have all its testing centres open again today as supplies of testing kit are replenished.
A number of testing centres, including one of the largest at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork, closed at the weekend due to equipment shortages.
Since Sunday, testing capacity has been “constrained” due to limited stock of testing kits, according to the HSE.
In addition, the agency says it has had challenges obtaining sufficient supplies of reagent for testing laboratories. “This is a global challenge with major suppliers having to ration provision across the world. We are making every effort to procure new stocks.”
By Sunday, about 38,000 people had been offered appointments for testing in community testing clinics established across the country in mid-March.
However, the criteria for testing were changed on March 24th to ensure the service was targeted on high-risk groups and those at risk of exposure to Covid-19, such as healthcare workers.
This has had the effect of reducing the number of people referred for testing.
“As the total number of people requiring testing reduces, there will be a change in the number of locations required to offer testing,” the HSE told The Irish Times in a statement.
The statement did not say how long the current backlog for testing and processing samples is. It said stock were replenished stocks on Monday “and while not all centres had sufficient supplies to recommence testing yesterday, we hope to be fully operation across all sites today”.
In addition to the National Virus Reference Laboratory in UCD, 12 hospital labs are also testing for coronavirus, as is a HSE public analyst lab and one in the Department of Agriculture.
“Discussions are ongoing with other laboratories to increase capacity. However provision of reagent and extraction kits will remain a major challenge for the foreseeable future until the major suppliers ramp up production.”
A solution along Irish lines for the UK from Julian Peto an English statistician and epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, writing in the FT.
… countries can gradually relax lockdowns and let the pandemic run its course slowly, which China and Taiwan have done and the UK seems to be planning. This “flattens the curve” and prevents overload of health services. But by the time herd immunity is developed, at least one in 300 people are likely to die (about 200,000 in the UK).
A far better approach would be weekly testing of whole populations, with immediate quarantine of infectious people and their contacts. This would allow the lockdown to be released while protecting lives and controlling the epidemic.
Many say it cannot be done. But Britain may be one of the few countries that could do it immediately. Every household would receive and return self-sample nasal and throat swabs every week in barcoded tubes pre-printed with their names and date of birth. These self-administered tests would result in some inaccuracies. But this would not matter. The tests are not for the benefit of infected patients. They are to quarantine infected households earlier and so reduce the infection rate in the whole population.
To test everyone weekly in the UK, about 10m tests per day would be needed, a hundred times the government’s eventual target and 600 times more than Germany is now doing. This seemingly impossible feat may be possible if every polymerase chain reaction machine in the country is diverted to 24-hour testing.
PCR is an amazing technology that locates a particular coronavirus gene sequence and creates multiple copies that can then be easily detected. They are inexpensive. One 96-sample PCR machine, which costs well under £1,000, can test almost 5,000 people a week if it runs continuously.
Globally, that translates into ending economic disaster for a capital outlay of about £1 a head: 20p for PCR machines and 80p for reagent production and other facilities.
The UK, with a population of 66m, needs about 14,000 machines. My hunch is that the UK already has that capacity. Every biology department in every university has dozens of PCRs; the genome project at the Wellcome Sanger Institute has thousands. Most academic labs have machines that can make the PCR primers that the test requires. The limit then would be mass production of other reagents. As a first step, the government should ask every biotech firm what they can make. Recruiting every little lab in Britain with a PCR machine to do Covid-19 testing would see old PCR machines chugging alongside modern automated systems. If processing 10m tests a day can’t be achieved immediately, the programme should start in selected cities — and then expand as capacity increases. If successful, it would be a wonderful achievement.
Stopping the epidemic and the lockdown would save about 200,000 lives. That is 1 per cent of about a third of the population — the eventual number predicted to become infected under current policy. It would also save the UK billions from otherwise lost economic activity, at little cost.
I believe it promises to be at least as good, if not a better, system than South Korea’s, which has been praised for its use of intensive contact tracing, often via cell phone tracking, to control the epidemic. In Daegu, where the virus in that country originated, lockdown reduced the daily number of new cases from about 500 at the beginning of March to about 20 last week. But an upward trend may now be emerging elsewhere in South Korea.
By contrast, weekly testing of whole populations would detect new infections more rapidly and completely, and then be extended to biweekly and then monthly testing as virus prevalence falls. It would also be less intrusive than contact tracing, and guard civil liberties better.
Can more be extracted from those increasingly frustrating Downing St briefings? A tweet from former arch spin doctor Alistair Campbell
Suggestion to journalists re tomorrow briefing. Q1. Why can’t you deliver more tests for NHS workers? Q2. You didn’t answer that question. Why can’t you deliver more tests for NHS workers? Q3. You’re still not answering the bloody question. Why … till we get a bloody answer
The gist of the UK government’s reply to criticisms is twofold. Lockdown is a quicker way to reduce infection than waiting for enough testing equipment; and there is a time lag between the manufacture of personal protection (PPE) and its distribution to the front line.
Latest from today’s Downing St briefing.
Michael Gove says thousands of new ventilators will begin “rolling off the production line” this weekend, manufactured by a group of businesses including GKN and Mercedes. That’s the good news.
The bad news he says is that he UK had a lack of domestic manufacturing capacity for mechanical ventilators – vital for treating the poorest coronavirus patients – before the pandemic. These will be “rapidly distributed” to the NHS front line early next week.
Why is there is a mismatch between the claims of much more equipment being distributed and the repeated claims of inadequacy from the front line, asked Robert Peston.
Michael Gove said just now that the difficulty in increasing number of #COVID19 tests was due to a shortage of the relevant “chemical reagents”. Well I’ve just talked to the Chemical Industries Association, which represents the UK’s very substantial chemicals industry. It..has contacted its members, and they’ve said there is no shortage of the relevant reagents. So the Association has now been in touch with Gove’s office to find out what he means, because it is stumped.
The Association also points out there was an industry chat with… business minister today, who made no attempt to find out if there was a supply problem for the vital ingredients of Covid19 testing kits. So this question of why there aren’t enough tests for the virus is an even bigger mystery. Also, if it turns out there is a shortage…These manufacturers are more than happy to increase their production.
But they need to be asked, which has not happened.
So tomorrow, will you ask the government why Michael Gove lied? No long winded monologue containing several questions, just hit them with this info followed by a short, straight-forward question?
This morning the Times had an English critic of the UK government’s strategy to match Scally’s about Northern Ireland.
A former director of the World Health Organisation has claimed that existing resources weren’t being properly used. Anthony Costello, professor of global health and sustainable development at University College London (UCL), criticised efforts to increase testing and said that moving to mass testing was the key to lifting sanctions on people’s lives.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Professor Antony Costello said a policy of mass community testing was essential to detect hotspots and eventually end the lockdown.
“In answer to ‘can we do it?, we have 44 molecular virology labs in the UK. If they were doing 400 tests a day, we would be up to Germany levels of testing and that is perfectly feasible.“Public Health Englandwere slow and controlled and only allowed non-PHE labs to start testing two weeks ago, but that was after the strategy shift to end community tests.”
He said the UK needed to be “more like” South Korea, adding: “If you look at Korea, they have done 490,000 tests. Their death rate is three per million and they have suppressed the virus.”
Asked whether Britain had capacity, he said: “I don’t see why we can’t get these 44 labs up and running, finding cases and testing.
“We must go to mass testing and when we remove the lockdown — I don’t think it will take six months, in all the Asian states it was six to eight weeks, even in Wuhan — then we will have a control mechanism which will enable us to wait, without socially distancing the whole country, and wait until we can get drugs or a vaccine for herd immunity.
“We do need a national lockdown for now but we want to get that lifted as soon as we can. Mass testing will be a way to do that.”
Public Health England was forced to apologise to Matt Hancock, the health secretary, after giving him incorrect information over the weekend, as they, the government and the NHS sought to dodge responsibility for slow progress.
It also became clear that not all the tests that could be carried out were being conducted despite huge demand from frontline staff. Fewer than 5,000 people were tested according to most recent figures, with about 9,000 daily tests carried out despite capacity officially standing at 11,000. Some people were tested more than once in order to confirm a result.
There is also so far no sign of a second test, which would show whether people have had the infection, despite official claims last week that it was in the “last stages of evaluation”.The antibody test has been described by Mr Johnson as a “game-changer” but it remains unclear whether it will be cleared for use by an Oxford University team that is evaluating it for the government.
Downing Street said it was for PHE and the NHS to answer detailed questions over the roll-out of testing. However, both agencies have passed on requests to the Department of Health.
NHS chiefs told hospitals at the weekend to start using 15 per cent of their testing capacity to check staff and their families, to avoid the need for all doctors and nurses to isolate for 14 days if their partners or children had a cough or fever.
Pressed on what the government was doing to address the shortages of test components the spokesman said it was in discussion with the industry over how to access more chemicals and swabs.
The highly absorbent swabs are made principally by two companies, Copan in Italy and Puritan in the US, which are both operating at capacity. More than ten days ago, President Trump sent a military plane to bring back more than half a million testing kits from Copan.
Testing in the UK has largely focused on hospital patients after a shift in strategy on March 13 when ministers accepted the virus could no longer be contained.
Critics including Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, have urged the government to test all suspected cases to help bring the epidemic under control, but the government has deemed this a “low priority”.
Photo by padrinan is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-03-31--How are we really doing compared to the south and GB? The public health and economic positions of co

How are we really doing compared to the south and GB? The public health and economic positions of coronavirus for  Northern Ireland need more searching inquiry

North -south differences of approach to Covid 19 are hampering the chances of saving lives , according to an epidemiologist Prof Gabriel Scally .
He brings apparent authority to differences which have been aired politically but not as far as I ’ ve seen among other experts .
These differences should surely be resolved at a north-south ministerial meeting today .
Scally writes in the Irish News..
The advice to someone in Lifford with symptoms of the disease is to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days – a stone ’ s throw away in Strabane the advice is isolation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempting to limit spread and terminate the outbreak as rapidly as possible .
They aim is to identify people developing the disease through widespread intensive community testing .
They then trace close contacts of those testing positive for the virus and ensure that both patients and contacts are isolated .
In the north community testing and contact tracing was abandoned on March 13 and , as in the rest of the UK , testing will be largely be reserved for hospital inpatients and health service staff .
In the south , with its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the aim is to reach 100,000 tests per week by the end of April , whereas the north has set a goal of performing just under 8,000 tests per week .
These very different policies get to the heart of the north/south differences .
The south has watched and learnt from the experience of countries , including South Korea and China , that have controlled the disease successfully… Indeed , at a recent press conference the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England assured journalists that WHO advice was only relevant to low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Orwell ’ s 1984 , Whitehall does not want people learning about the views of WHO and the successful efforts to control the virus in other countries in case it undermines their novel and unevidenced approach .
The UK government was told on March 4 by their ‘ scientific advisors ’ that media reports of successful public health strategies in other countries could spark public concern if those interventions were not being applied in the UK .
The approach taken in the north is essentially the one promulgated from Whitehall .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the north have shown little sign of challenging or deviating from that strategy .
The unified approach held firm even when it was revealed by the small coterie of senior officials guiding policy that their actual aim was for the population to actively develop ‘ herd immunity ’ .
The concept roughly being that when the proportion of the population that have had the disease is high enough , then there will not be enough uninfected people left for the virus to continue to spread .
It is an approach that is regarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerously flawed .
But Prof Scally ’ s scathing criticisms ignore the fact that any reliance on “ herd immunity ” was abandoned for “ suppression ” a fortnight ago in the UK .
Without doubt “ test , test , test ” is the ideal ; and this is precisely what the former English Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is calling for , for the entire UK population .
But are there enough testing kits north or south to go around even for medical staff , never mind the population in general ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Its no surprise that there are problems , over community testing in the south , as the Irish Times reports .
First we were too restrictive with testing , denying people tests simply because they had not been abroad .
Then we were too liberal , and the system was flooded by the “ worried well ” .
So we changed the criteria again , and thousands had their tests cancelled .
All along the process has been marred by delays in getting a test , having it processed and reported back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still reduce the likelihood of compliance , and are likely to lead to more false negatives .
So the reason Ministers told us last Friday not to go more than 2km from our house , and not at all if we are over 70 , is because we can ’ t say with certainty where the disease is .
The finance minister Conor Murphy has said the North will receive a share of the personal protection equipment flown in from China by the Dublin government .
Is this happening ?
If the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contrasting the state of the crisis and how to cope with it , why aren ’ t we getting more of this from the media who have access to them ?
Or have I somehow missed it ?
On the mere politics of the situation the Executive has been maintaining basic unity despite differences over school closures and the extent of lockdown .
It would be better not to make too much of this unless they affect the real situation .
Unless malign characters chose to stage provocative incidents which break the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PSNI will use force to obey the rules .
There is some good news of the financial front .
The Northern Ireland Executive has so far received an additional £912m to deal with the Coronavirus crisis ... About 70 % of that money , £639m , has already been allocated .
Finance Minister Conor Murphy has also announced a cut in business rates and a freeze in domestic rates .
Rates are the property taxes paid by businesses and households… Mr Murphy said he would cut Stormont ’ s portion of business rates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will save businesses £56m .
Overall , the amount of cash available to Stormont departments will increase by more than 8 % .
That is the biggest annual increase in more than a decade .
the executive has tried to be flexible , so if money is not used by departments for tackling coronavirus issues it can be reallocated at a later date… The increase to departmental budget includes some significant one-off allocations from the New Decade , New Approach ( NDNA ) deal .
It was the deal which led to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NDNA money allocated is £350m to deal with immediate pressures in public spending .
The Department of Finance is not publishing a detailed budget document .
It wants to give ministers time to consider their funding needs and possibly reallocate some money between departments .
It hopes to publish a detailed document in May In the Westminster budget three weeks ago , Stormont was allocated an additional £200m .
The majority of that money , £138m , was for infrastructure spending , with the remaining £77m for day-to-day spending .
At that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was inadequate to tackle public spending pressures in Northern Ireland .
Ministers from the executive and the Irish government are to discuss the coronavirus crisis later .
BBC News NI Political Editor Mark Devenport said there was no firm “ cast list ” for the meeting , but it would likely be a continuation of the North-South Ministerial Council meeting earlier in March .
Let ’ s hope they do better this time .
There ’ s a lot to do all round .
These warnings by Neil Gibson and colleagues in EY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graded for timing and mitigation factors such as those announced today .
But clearly they won ’ t be enough to avert recession or worse .
With 910,000 total workforce jobs in Northern Ireland , the worst-case scenario of 132,000 job losses could mean that one in seven posts is at risk .
No way could the Executive cope with such outcomes .
The best they can do is to make sure Northern Ireland position is well flagged up with the UK government .
The latest subvention is just a start .

North -south differences of approach to Covid 19 are hampering the chances of saving lives, according to an epidemiologist Prof Gabriel Scally. He brings apparent authority to differences which have been aired politically but not as far as I’ve seen among other experts.
These differences should surely be resolved at a north-south ministerial meeting today. Scally writes in the Irish News..
The advice to someone in Lifford with symptoms of the disease is to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days – a stone’s throw away in Strabane the advice is isolation for seven days.
One difference stands out.
The south is attempting to limit spread and terminate the outbreak as rapidly as possible. They aim is to identify people developing the disease through widespread intensive community testing.
They then trace close contacts of those testing positive for the virus and ensure that both patients and contacts are isolated.
In the north community testing and contact tracing was abandoned on March 13 and, as in the rest of the UK, testing will be largely be reserved for hospital inpatients and health service staff.
In the south, with its network of over 40 community testing facilities, the aim is to reach 100,000 tests per week by the end of April, whereas the north has set a goal of performing just under 8,000 tests per week.
These very different policies get to the heart of the north/south differences.
The south has watched and learnt from the experience of countries, including South Korea and China, that have controlled the disease successfully…
Indeed, at a recent press conference the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England assured journalists that WHO advice was only relevant to low and middle income countries.
In shades of Orwell’s 1984, Whitehall does not want people learning about the views of WHO and the successful efforts to control the virus in other countries in case it undermines their novel and unevidenced approach.
The UK government was told on March 4 by their ‘scientific advisors’ that media reports of successful public health strategies in other countries could spark public concern if those interventions were not being applied in the UK.
The approach taken in the north is essentially the one promulgated from Whitehall. So far, devolved governments in Scotland and the north have shown little sign of challenging or deviating from that strategy.
The unified approach held firm even when it was revealed by the small coterie of senior officials guiding policy that their actual aim was for the population to actively develop ‘herd immunity’.
The concept roughly being that when the proportion of the population that have had the disease is high enough, then there will not be enough uninfected people left for the virus to continue to spread.
It is an approach that is regarded by many senior public health physicians as dangerously flawed.
But Prof Scally’s scathing criticisms ignore the fact that any reliance on “herd immunity” was abandoned for “suppression” a fortnight ago in the UK.
Without doubt “test, test, test” is the ideal; and this is precisely what the former English Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is calling for, for the entire UK population.
But are there enough testing kits north or south to go around even for medical staff, never mind the population in general? We need a proper analysis of this.
Its no surprise that there are problems , over community testing in the south, as the Irish Times reports.
First we were too restrictive with testing, denying people tests simply because they had not been abroad.
Then we were too liberal, and the system was flooded by the “worried well”. So we changed the criteria again, and thousands had their tests cancelled.
All along the process has been marred by delays in getting a test, having it processed and reported back. These delays were understandable, but still reduce the likelihood of compliance, and are likely to lead to more false negatives.
So the reason Ministers told us last Friday not to go more than 2km from our house, and not at all if we are over 70, is because we can’t say with certainty where the disease is.
The finance minister Conor Murphy has said the North will receive a share of the personal protection equipment flown in from China by the Dublin government. Is this happening?
If the two governments on this islands are not comparing and contrasting the state of the crisis and how to cope with it, why aren’t we getting more of this from the media who have access to them? Or have I somehow missed it?
On the mere politics of the situation the Executive has been maintaining basic unity despite differences over school closures and the extent of lockdown. It would be better not to make too much of this unless they affect the real situation. Unless malign characters chose to stage provocative incidents which break the regulations, there is no way the PSNI will use force to obey the rules.
There is some good news of the financial front.
The Northern Ireland Executive has so far received an additional £912m to deal with the Coronavirus crisis... About 70% of that money, £639m, has already been allocated.
Finance Minister Conor Murphy has also announced a cut in business rates and a freeze in domestic rates. Rates are the property taxes paid by businesses and households… Mr Murphy said he would cut Stormont’s portion of business rates by 4p in the pound, which will save businesses £56m.
Overall, the amount of cash available to Stormont departments will increase by more than 8%.
That is the biggest annual increase in more than a decade.
the executive has tried to be flexible, so if money is not used by departments for tackling coronavirus issues it can be reallocated at a later date…
The increase to departmental budget includes some significant one-off allocations from the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal.
It was the deal which led to the restoration of devolution in January.
Among the NDNA money allocated is £350m to deal with immediate pressures in public spending.
The Department of Finance is not publishing a detailed budget document.
It wants to give ministers time to consider their funding needs and possibly reallocate some money between departments.
It hopes to publish a detailed document in May
In the Westminster budget three weeks ago, Stormont was allocated an additional £200m.
The majority of that money, £138m, was for infrastructure spending, with the remaining £77m for day-to-day spending.
At that time Mr Murphy said the additional spending was inadequate to tackle public spending pressures in Northern Ireland.
Ministers from the executive and the Irish government are to discuss the coronavirus crisis later.
BBC News NI Political Editor Mark Devenport said there was no firm “cast list” for the meeting, but it would likely be a continuation of the North-South Ministerial Council meeting earlier in March.
Let’s hope they do better this time. There’s a lot to do all round . These warnings by Neil Gibson and colleagues in EY on the impact on the economy are graded for timing and mitigation factors such as those announced today. But clearly they won’t be enough to avert recession or worse.
With 910,000 total workforce jobs in Northern Ireland, the worst-case scenario of 132,000 job losses could mean that one in seven posts is at risk.
In their report, also covered in the Irish News, business advisers EY (Ernst & Young) have researched the potential economic impact of the pandemic in separate ‘Base Case’ and ‘Prolonged Disruption’ scenarios. The less severe projection would see a high level of disruption until end of May before business begins to return to normal, but Northern Ireland gross domestic output for the year is estimated to be 6.7 per lower, 78,000 people would lose their jobs and 100,000 be furloughed before a bounce back period later in the year. But in a prolonged period of the virus, there would be a high level of disruption until end of August, GDP plunges 10 per cent and up to 257,000 people will either lose their job or be furloughed. That is in stark contrast to pre-Covid-19 figures which forecast an additional 1,000 jobs to be created in the north this year.
No way could the Executive cope with such outcomes. The best they can do is to make sure Northern Ireland position is well flagged up with the UK government. The latest subvention is just a start.
Useful sit. rep. on BBC News NI website.


sluggerotoole--2020-04-01--In the wake of Covid 19 the Orange Order releases plans for a virtual Twelfth…

The Orange Order has been given a £300k grant from the Ulster-Scots Agency for their ambitious plan to create a virtual Twelfth .
Due to the Covid-19 , all Orange parades have been cancelled .
But the Order is hoping to use the latest Virtual Reality technology to give at-home members the experience of parading .
The project is the brainchild of Banford Abernathy , founder of PurePet , a company that creates VR systems for training vets .
Banford said : Three generations of my family have been in the Orange Order .
The idea that the 12th of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I realised we could use the same technology we use for training vets to create a virtual 12th .
Amadán Aibreáin , a Sinn Fein councillor and chair of the Cyberspace residents committee , was not as enthusiastic about the plans : We believe Cyberspace should be a neutral space for all , and we strongly resent Orange feet on Cyberspace streets .
We intend to use our civic rights to virtually protest these Orange Marches .
We dislike any displays of digital triumphalism , no matter how pixelated .
The App @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the end of April .
To use it , Loyal Orange Order members just need to buy a low-cost head-mounted phone holder .
To add to the experience , a walking treadmill can also be used .
Most of the App development cost will be funded by the Ulster Scots grant .
But Banford does expect the App to have a small yearly subscription price of £16.90 to cover running costs .
The App will initially launch with the main Twelfth routes .
But Banford said that over time they plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Maybe the App will finally let us walk down Garvaghy Road , ” Banford added .
Photo by Sound On is licensed under CC0

The Orange Order has been given a £300k grant from the Ulster-Scots Agency for their ambitious plan to create a virtual Twelfth.
Due to the Covid-19, all Orange parades have been cancelled. But the Order is hoping to use the latest Virtual Reality technology to give at-home members the experience of parading.
The project is the brainchild of Banford Abernathy, founder of PurePet, a company that creates VR systems for training vets. Banford said:
Three generations of my family have been in the Orange Order. The idea that the 12th of July would not go ahead horrified me. I realised we could use the same technology we use for training vets to create a virtual 12th.
Amadán Aibreáin, a Sinn Fein councillor and chair of the Cyberspace residents committee, was not as enthusiastic about the plans:
We believe Cyberspace should be a neutral space for all, and we strongly resent Orange feet on Cyberspace streets. We intend to use our civic rights to virtually protest these Orange Marches. We dislike any displays of digital triumphalism, no matter how pixelated.
The App for iPhones and Android should be available by the end of April. To use it, Loyal Orange Order members just need to buy a low-cost head-mounted phone holder. To add to the experience, a walking treadmill can also be used.
Most of the App development cost will be funded by the Ulster Scots grant. But Banford does expect the App to have a small yearly subscription price of £16.90 to cover running costs.
The App will initially launch with the main Twelfth routes. But Banford said that over time they plan to add additional walking routes to the App. “Maybe the App will finally let us walk down Garvaghy Road,” Banford added.
Photo by Sound On is licensed under CC0


sluggerotoole--2020-04-01--Widespread Covid-19 testing needs to happen NOW!

It is imperative that testing is extended to the community at large .
The British government was totally at variance in stopping testing , in the first place .
WHO recommendations amplified by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus , whose mantra was “ Test Test Test “ , likened the position the Government took to “ fighting a fire blindfold ” , or as Prof. Gabriel Scally stated on BBC Radio – “ letting it rip ” .
The absolute tenants of modern epidemiology are absolutely clear , in that gathering the evidence of spread by testing , then contact tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fighting an epidemic , never mind the worldwide pandemic we are facing now .
Doing any less borders on the irresponsible .
In countries who have employed rapid and widespread testing , we have already seen a marked reduction in the number of cases .
North Korea and Germany are forging ahead in this regard .
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Heisn Loong interviewed in CNN outlined how these lessons had been learnt in the SARS outbreak .
They were prepared for rapid testing and intervention which has suppressed the number of cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date .
A country of 5.6million , 300 , 000 tests by 21th March , 1 In 19 of the population tested .
Germany began testing in January !
The HSC in Northern Ireland is a separate entity .
The Department of Health can make independent decisions and failure to implement a rapid widespread testing programme is untenable .
Twenty miles from Belfast we have companies Randox ( PCR ) and AMS labs – ( antibody -testing ) who are currently producing the test kits required to quantify the number of cases .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on our doorstep… action is required now .
“ State Public Health Laboratory in Exton Tests for COVID-19 ” by governortomwolf is licensed under CC BY

It is imperative that testing is extended to the community at large. The British government was totally at variance in stopping testing, in the first place. WHO recommendations amplified by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus, whose mantra was “Test Test Test “, likened the position the Government took to “fighting a fire blindfold”, or as Prof. Gabriel Scally stated on BBC Radio – “letting it rip”.
The absolute tenants of modern epidemiology are absolutely clear, in that gathering the evidence of spread by testing, then contact tracing and subsequent isolation are the gold standards in fighting an epidemic, never mind the worldwide pandemic we are facing now. Doing any less borders on the irresponsible.
In countries who have employed rapid and widespread testing, we have already seen a marked reduction in the number of cases. North Korea and Germany are forging ahead in this regard. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Heisn Loong interviewed in CNN outlined how these lessons had been learnt in the SARS outbreak. They were prepared for rapid testing and intervention which has suppressed the number of cases and resulted in only 3 deaths to date. A country of 5.6million, 300, 000 tests by 21th March, 1 In 19 of the population tested. Germany began testing in January!
The HSC in Northern Ireland is a separate entity. The Department of Health can make independent decisions and failure to implement a rapid widespread testing programme is untenable.
Twenty miles from Belfast we have companies Randox ( PCR ) and AMS labs – (antibody -testing) who are currently producing the test kits required to quantify the number of cases. The tools to tackle this outbreak are on our doorstep… action is required now.
Dr Kevin McFerran is a GP in Belfast
“State Public Health Laboratory in Exton Tests for COVID-19” by governortomwolf is licensed under CC BY