RECENTLY Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, decided it would be advantageous for children to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

His thinking was that it would prevent less disruption to a child’s education and well-being if they had the vaccine.

If only Mr Whitty had this kind of foresight before advising the government for lockdowns, under which the country has suffered immensely.

He can now see the damage that has been done to many individuals’ mental health and well-being, also people waiting for cancer treatment who now learn that chemotherapy is to be rationed.

We can see the result of shutting down the economy, resulting in shortages due to lorry drivers not being trained up and tested.

We see the same in the NHS with doctors and nurses not being trained, which means in many instances we must employ nurses from other countries which really need them themselves.Tony Blair advocated more pupils going to university, all well and good, but we can now see the result, as older people retire and young graduates reluctant to fill the jobs which do not necessarily need a degree.These positions used to be filled by less academic pupils leaving school and doing apprenticeships.

Therefore, we now find ourselves in the enviable position of there being plenty of vacancies, but not enough people trained to do the work that is available.

COLIN MOYES