Frightening figures are not scaremongering

Des Morgan’s argument that the Government has scaremongered around COVID completely misses that, from the start, the Government has failed to take drastic measures called for by medical experts in the field and has only acted when smacked in the face by the numbers.

So, Prime Minister Johnson laughed off the idea of a circuit break lockdown earlier in the year only to be faced with the escalating numbers predicted.

His move to more lockdown then was too late and forced by the newly escalating numbers of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.

For Des, if a Government gives frightening information, they are scaremongering.

There are many genuine reasons to hold the Government to account for its handling of the crisis. Too much action certainly isn’t one of them.

Des reinforces his argument with the claims that the Government told us that “500,000 would die unless extreme measures were taken.”

Actually, this figure was one from a group of projections about what could happen as the result of different courses of action. 500,000 could die, it said, if no action were taken. ie Not, as Des wrongly suggests, unless extreme measures were taken.

Des here has transcribed frightening into scaremongering.

Peter Smith

Woodside Avenue

Hope for a happier 2021

Swindon Guide Dogs would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This has been a very hard year for us all especially charities like ours but lets hope that 2021 will be a much happier and a more positive year.

Alan Fletcher

On behalf of Swindon Guide Dogs

Police precept presumption

As ever when a politician speaks or writes it’s always best to check very carefully what they say.

In the case of Justin Tomlinson’s recent column (SA, December 18) the claim that Wiltshire Police will receive a further £7.3 million of funding for 2021 needs to be considered against the fact that it presupposes the Police and Crime Commissioner will increase the police precept by the maximum allowed.

Something I’m sure he will do; after all he isn’t standing for office and there is no reason why he wouldn’t levy the full £15 per household per annum.

Des Morgan

Caraway Drive