Haphazard lockdown easing is further proof that for this government, planning is for the little people

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The opening up of pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and so on is another example of our leaders operating without a plan. From 2016 onwards it has been increasingly clear that Boris Johnson has no idea what it means to plan ahead. Furthermore, he has gathered around him ministers with no experience of planning and no propensity to do so.

Anyone who has run an organisation, no matter how small, understands that any long or medium-term goal needs to be backed by a clear, doable and flexible plan. As a result of the ignored National Security Risk Assessment, a contingency plan should have been ready to be taken from the bottom drawer in January. For most government ministers – and Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, is the most woeful example – it seems enough to simply state the end goal without having thought through the requisite steps that will ensure this can be achieved successfully.

Whether it’s exiting from the EU, the response to Covid-19, the reopening of schools or the restarting of social and economic activity, it is evident that thinking through the implications and planning ahead is unheard of to Johnson and his acolytes. For Johnson, planning is for the little people; government is just about making expansive gestures that pay minimal heed to the consequences of his and others’ grandiosity.

Graham Powell
Cirencester

The latest distancing advice from the government of one metre-plus seems like a blatant attempt to avoid any legal liability. The subtext is: you are on your own!

A note of Cummings is in the air. As far as I’m concerned, that cold-blooded pair need a visit to The Hague asap. Nothing more, nothing less.

Tony Tugnutt
Eythorne

The unsackables

Dominic Cummings, Robert Jenrick, Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab, Gavin Williamson, Priti Patel, Helen Whately, Alok Sharma. In normal times they would all be long gone by now. In the hands of our illustrious prime minister, however, they are the unsackables. Of course, scapegoats can come in handy, but inevitably the reckoning will come and no matter how many scapegoats are put in the way, Boris Johnson alone must be held to account for the gargantuan mess we now find our nation mired in.

Paul Morrison
Address supplied

Driving accidents

In response to the terrorist killings in Reading, Priti Patel said: “We have to look at all aspects of what happened on Saturday, and the individual as well, to ensure, yes, that justice is served, but also we make sure that we learn the lessons from what has happened over the weekend, to prevent anything like this happening again.”

Doesn’t it beg the question: With over 120 years of innocents being killed by motor vehicles, (first pedestrian in 1896) why is it still happening?

We’ve learnt that seat belts, airbags, and crumple zones, can help save the lives of drivers, so why haven’t we learnt that speed limiters can help save all lives, and thereby, protect the NHS? They would also prevent the need for police chases, time and resources needed to tackle terrorism.

We use smart meters to stop people stealing gas and electricity, so why not speed limiters to stop drivers “stealing” lives?

Allan Ramsay

Radcliffe

Brexit regrets

“Four years ago, I voted for Brexit. If only I’d known then what we all know now,” laments Sean O’Grady (Voices, 23 June). Would it not be better if in addition to your claim that The Independent “employs reporters around the world to bring you truly independent journalism”, you employed some with the ability to foresee the likely results of their actions?

Eddie Dougall
Bury St Edmunds

Black lives for all lives

While Premier League footballers admirably displayed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter cause, someone saw it fit to pay for a banner to be flown above the match between Burnley and Manchester City with the phrase “White Lives Matter”. Similar chants echoed in Trump rallies. Of course white, brown, black and all the skin shades in between matter. All lives matter. That is precisely why black lives matter. This is not about tribalism based on skin colour. It is about justice and equality for all.

When disabled people are given dedicated parking space, this is to ensure that they are not disenfranchised. That’s precisely why those with racist instincts are disingenuous and missing the point altogether. Black people have been mistreated and marginalised for centuries, with slavery and colonialism the darkest episodes. This has poisoned our culture and normalised the killing of black people at the hands of the police, indiscriminate incarceration and workplace discrimination. That’s why they deserve our attention and support now in their fight for justice. If one of your children is taken ill, you will devote your attention to them. That doesn’t mean you don’t care about the others. You simply want to make sure they are all well.

Ali Abbas
London NW10