Nathan Oswin

Five years on from the pandemic - the workers who kept us going and the fight they still face There are moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life. One of those for millions of people across our country occurred five years ago this Sunday, March 23.

There are moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life. For millions of people across our country, that was five years ago this Sunday, March 23.

"From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home"

www.tuc.org.uk/blogs/five-y...

No possible better choice of outfit for post swimming lessons.

Trade Unions - good for my generation, good for his generation.

Happy #HeartUnions week to all, and here's to a future that will #MakeWorkPay

'I'd rather die than fight this' - a Covid survivor remembers On the fifth anniversary of the first case of Covid in the UK, a Bradford teen recalls her personal battle.

Today marks five years since the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the UK.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Very proud to have been elected as the Vice-Chair of @teamlabouruk.bsky.social National Policy Forum (NPF) representing CLP's and members across the country.

To deliver a decade of national renewal we will ensure our members, communities and affiliates experiences are at the heart of the NPF.

NO MORE DEATHS CAMPAIGN Join INQUEST's No More Deaths campaign to end preventable state related deaths.

The best solution to the issue in my eyes is the National Oversight Mechanism as called for by @inquest-org.bsky.social which you can learn more about on the link below.

www.inquest.org.uk/no-more-deat...

There's also been 24 previous inquiries established under the act.

That's a lot of expense, time and process.

Surprisingly there is no body in existence who has the job of tracking recommendations, seeing if government implement them and hold government’s to account.

🧵

Of those 18, 6 were established by the devolved Scottish Government and 3 by the devolved NI Executive office or NI office.

4 are now commissioned by the Home Office.

🧵

With the Home Office setting up a Public Inquiry into the Southport attack, there's now 18 ongoing inquiries set up under the 2005 act.

Something you would only be able to find out through Wikipedia or too much knowledge as the UK Government doesn't keep a publicly available list of them.

🧵

Last call for tickets to live podcast recording on disinformation and campaigning www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/campaignin...

featuring @charleskriel.bsky.social @nathanoswin.bsky.social

sponsored by @38degrees.bsky.social & @smkcampaigners.bsky.social and univ

At our event yesterday, Kate Bell argued that international evidence suggests there doesn't need to be a trade-off between job quantity and job quality.

🚨 Hugh Grant’s discusses the human cost of press abuse are a powerful reminder of why the Leveson Inquiry is needed to hold those responsible to account. Abigail Witchalls, who was left a quadriplegic after a brutal stabbing. Her medical records were stolen and splashed across tabloids.

Bizarre echange between Hancock and the chair when MH claims the NHS was available to all according to need. Chair highlights cancer treatments delayed, hip operations cancelled etc and MH doubling down to suggest he is right and was still available to all according to need.

🧵

Hancock is like the mayor in Nightmare before Christmas, seemingly suggesting "I'm only an elected official here, I can't make decisions by myself"

A quintessential politician where everything that goes well is his glory to claim but everything wrong is someone else's fault.

🧵

Wow.

"My job was to protect the NHS from some of that" meaning Interference from 10 Downing Street.

That's a pretty incredible statement for the health secretary during a pandemic to say.

🧵

Hancock says that some of the political appointments made by No 10 caused "incredible difficulties" with the testing programme.

Something that will no doubt be revisited in module 7.

🧵

It's been a very different start to his previous appearances, with Counsel to the Inquiry (CTI) asking Hancock to set out his general position in numerous areas.

Hancock seems relatively rattled and feeling the strain more than previous appearances but still some classic political type answers.

🧵

UK Covid inquiry live: Ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock returns to give evidence Hancock was in charge of restrictions during the pandemic, including lockdowns and social distancing. He quit his position in June 2021 after breaking his own rules.

The press have engaged more with today however, and the BBC has live coverage of Hancocks appearance which you can find on the link below:

🧵

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...

By and large this module has attracted less press interest than previous modules, perhaps caused a little by the "yesterday's man" syndrome we see around ex-ministers as well as the deep dive nature into structures.

🧵

In press this morning @the-tuc.bsky.social Asisstant General Secretary Kate Bell called on Hancock to be up front with the inquiry saying "Mr Hancock must explain the political decisions he and other ministers took before and during the virus".

🧵

It seems the modular approach is having some benefits and there is evidence the inquiry is learning as it goes about the issues workers faced during the pandemic.

🧵

It's been promising to see the amount of questions that Counsel to the Inquiry has asked about the HSE and processes such as RIDDOR, something which felt absent in earlier modules.

🧵

This module has felt like a significant deep dive into several areas such as NHS structures, PPE for healthcare staff, how the virus transmitted between people and, crucially for us @the-tuc.bsky.social, the role of the Health and Safety Executive.

🧵

Module 3 has felt different to the previous modules that the inquiry has held.

Module 1 into pandemic preparedness and resilience felt very much like a scene setting module whilst Module 2, into Government decision making, was very much the most political module we will see.

🧵

This will be the third time Hancock has appeared before the inquiry and it's unlikely this will be the last time given module 6 is investigating Social Care and Module 7 will be a deeper dive into the test and trace and isolate policies than we've had in previous modules.

🧵

So today at rhe Covid-19 Public Inquiry, Matt Hancock once again takes the stand.

This time it's for module 3, the Inquirys investigation into healthcare.

Hancock faces a day and half of questions.

I'll do my best to update people as to what he's said.

Britain's Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story The story of Britain’s postwar atomic weapons programme, its devastating legacy for the thousands of service personnel who took part and the impact on their families and indigenous communities.

A stunning documentary that shows why the Nuclear Testing scandal is such a stain on our country.

Impossible to pick which bits are most saddening, sickening or anger inducing.

MOD need to release records or govt should call an inquiry to force them to.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00257rk

As ever you're far too kind!

First task seems to be compiling a Covid Inquiry starter pack (or whatever they are called) - and persuading the Inquiry needs to come onto BlueSky as well.