Editor's comment: How did hindsight become our leadership strategy?

The impact of this awful pandemic is incalculable but not taking decisions until it is too late to do anything else is terribly damaging – and utterly avoidable. It makes us angry with everyone, even those who are trying to help.

We are turning on each other because we have been let down by those at the top.

The amount of abuse being thrown at the people who teach our young people is unbelievable. When did asking for safe workplaces, sufficient preparation time and an understanding of what is needed become unreasonable? It is worth remembering that every school has stayed open during the pandemic for the children of key workers and vulnerable families. If you remember the challenges facing your teachers when you were in class, imagine that on tech you aren’t used to, when your pupils are spread out across the city and everything you have planned could change at the click of a finger. Oh, and your pupils are battling through the most stressful circumstances they’ve ever faced – not to mention that you’re a human being with their own worries.

None of this is our teachers fault, just like you can’t blame our nurses for the fact that there are not enough of them.

If you are one of the minority who think nobody could have led our country through this pandemic better and that the situation we find ourselves in was inevitable, my tale of two sisters should open your eyes. My big sis lives in New Zealand with her three children. That is an island that was declared Covid-free quite some time ago and confidence in their Prime Minister is high. Yes, there are lots of varying factors and you can argue over the finer details but take a step back and then try to tell me that England couldn’t have faced a different outcome. Maybe New Zealand has the right man for the job? Excuse my sarcasm but the opposing genders bring different leadership skills – as do different social classes. Would we have hesitated so painfully on schools if we had a mum with young children sitting in the top sit while balancing the demands of family life? Hardly, she wouldn’t have time to dither until it was too late.