The Times story about the dramatic last gasp virtual slide show in no 10, with Gupta and Heneghan and Edmonds presenting, Johnson and Sunak listening, are a great illustration of how not to do policy.

Done in private. No disclosure. No open process to determine who gets to present. Only 2 of many theoretically responsible MPs actually listening.

Not even any clear rules or terms of reference. Was the goal of suppression up for discussion? Quite probably.

You can see where this thread is going! Systematize the presentation of policy options and integrated forecasts of the virus and the economy, and make it all open, and open source.

One way to do it is like this. A quango. With a Virus Policy Committee on top of it. Marshalling dissenting views too. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/30/covid-economy-britain-guessing-eat-out-policy

If Gupta and Heneghan had been operating in the open in such a body, the unrelenting bollocks that they have talked throughout could be easily countered.