The Pain In Spain

The Government’s emergency Spanish quarantine: decisive action, poor planning or a failure to understand what working life is really like? With the inevitable Public Inquiry into Coronavirus now confirmed, special guest Sir Lawrence Freedman – emeritus professor of War Studies at Kings College London and a former member of the Iraq War inquiry – tells us how to run an effective inquiry. And is No.10’s proposed US-style spokesperson designed to help Boris Johnson dodge real scrutiny? “The Government is desperate to be seen to react quickly to combat the perception that in the early days of COVID they were slow off the mark.” – Alex Thomas “Any inquiry shouldn’t just ask why we reacted slowly but why we had outbreaks across the country, not just in one epicentre.” – Lawrence Freedman “We won’t get conclusions from a COVID inquiry in time for a second wave. The learning has to happen right now.” – Emma Norris Presented by Bronwen Maddox with the IfG’s Alex Thomas, Jill Rutter and Emma Norris. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices