Authors Electric

witness chair & lawyer's desk I walk up the shallow steps into the oddly anonymous building for the last time. For the last time the doorman opens the big glass door, smiles and greets me and I smile back, embarrassed and grateful for one last time. He’s the staff. He works here along with the friendly lady who hands me my badge and the cheerful people who see me through security and volunteer to look after my extra bag until the session’s over. They are all Black whereas most of us, arriving now, are white. This makes me feel awkward as if we’re playing out some unchosen stereotype. I’m invariably grateful to them for their kindliness and reassurance, for their welcome.  Several people are arriving with suitcases. This is the last day of hearings for Module 6 (social care) of the UK-COVID 19 Inquiry and lawyers from across the UK are poised to hurry away to catch their trains or planes home. Before they go they'll be offering their closing submissions. These are summarie...

  By the time you read this … Baroness Heather Hallett Chair of the UK COVID INquiry  I’ll be on my way to attend the opening session of module 3 of the COVID Inquiry. Unlike some previous massively long-running public inquiries this one, chaired by Baroness Hallett, is sub-divided into smaller, subject-specific sections called modules. Module 1, 'Resilience and Preparedness', has already been concluded and a report has been published. It will come as little surprise to hear that Baroness Hallett did not consider Britain well-prepared for a pandemic. Hearings for Module 2 – Core UK Decision-making and Political Governance -- have also been completed but there’s no report as yet. John’s Campaign (or Ymgyrch John as we become when we cross the border) was asked to speak for patients / care home residents and their family carers in Wales. This made it just about manageable for a small organisation and it was often unexpectedly interesting to see how the situation in a differ...