Corona Virus main thread

[Bill 1,788]

2 hours ago, ricardo said:

He's on late shift with Nightfly and Joanna Grey😉👍

Let's hope they don't share the same spelling mistakes as barbie cue

or post up reams of info on how it all works, just to prove me wrong 😝

[Barbe bleu 826]

3 hours ago, ricardo said:

He's on late shift with Nightfly and Joanna Grey😉👍

Don't bring me into it. There is a reason I ignore his drivel

[Bill 1,788]

3 hours ago, Barbe bleu said:

Don't bring me into it. There is a reason I ignore his drivel

you need to be up bright and early tomorrow ⏰

(not sure if that is BST though}

[Van wink 2,994]

3 hours ago, Bill said:

you need to be up bright and early tomorrow ⏰

(not sure if that is BST though}

Up at 4am writing  rubbish about fellow posters. 
I feel sorry for you you sad old fool.☹️

[sonyc 5,519]

13 hours ago, Creative Midfielder said:

Even if only out of self interest I'm sure we all all hope that, but the stark reality is that the track record of this government shows that they have absolutely zero ability/interest in anticipating future problems and are totally incompetent in dealing with them when they actually arise. 😟

I hope they are as good as their words CW, but like you I'm unconvinced. Yet Sunak has provided an assured handling so far, with an expected lead-in time for HMRC to get up to speed.

Starmer is calling for a July budget which I sense is the right thing to do. It's good that we now have a serious opposition and you sense that at least they will provide the government guidance through their scrutiny. It's not as if we cannot see the economic problems that might emerge ahead. Italy has always been two weeks or so in front of us in the evolution of the virus and we didn't especially listen to or heed their warnings. An article this morning now indicates social and economic problems emerging there...

'They are the new poor': Covid-19 fuels rising poverty in Italy

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/29/they-are-new-poor-covid-19-fuels-rising-poverty-italy?

 

Infrastructure projects is one positive thing but it won't help maybe up to 90% of folk displaced by redundancies and the C19 fall out, such is the UK's concentration of its economic activity in the services sector.

Rather than merely complaining, I'm of the view we need a large scale national job creation scheme (they are extremely successful in my experience with job retention rates being 83% and better). Large tranches of the population will need re-skilling, certainly a focus on preparing people to develop transferable skills so they can move into other sectors. If the government could get this right, it opens up lots of new opportunities, to properly invest in growth sectors, to really create better resilience in a post Brexit UK.

Get it wrong or not move nimbly and we will see mass unemployment of 2m (could be towards 3m) by the end of 2021, with attendant rising crime numbers and serious civil unrest. In terms of the latter, we are already seeing changes and we have become a far less tolerant society.

All of this presupposes no serious new outbreaks in C19. If the government has learned anything, now is the time to act in a far more assured way than we've seen these last terrible months.

 

 

[sonyc 5,519]

A quick apology for sharing the second article today (there will be no more) yet this is a very full account of what has happened with information direct from the frontline ..

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-testing-lighthouse-labs-nhs-deaths-delay-a9589381.html

Although we could and should have managed better, most importantly, it points the way to what is needed ahead.

[Creative Midfielder 1,996]

5 minutes ago, sonyc said:

I hope they are as good as their words CW, but like you I'm unconvinced. Yet Sunak has provided an assured handling so far, with an expected lead-in time for HMRC to get up to speed.

Starmer is calling for a July budget which I sense is the right thing to do. It's good that we now have a serious opposition and you sense that at least they will provide the government guidance through their scrutiny. It's not as if we cannot see the economic problems that might emerge ahead. Italy has always been two weeks or so in front of us in the evolution of the virus and we didn't especially listen to or heed their warnings. An article this morning now indicates social and economic problems emerging there...

'They are the new poor': Covid-19 fuels rising poverty in Italy

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/29/they-are-new-poor-covid-19-fuels-rising-poverty-italy?

 

Infrastructure projects is one positive thing but it won't help maybe up to 90% of folk displaced by redundancies and the C19 fall out, such is the UK's concentration of its economic activity in the services sector.

Rather than merely complaining, I'm of the view we need a large scale national job creation scheme (they are extremely successful in my experience with job retention rates being 83% and better). Large tranches of the population will need re-skilling, certainly a focus on preparing people to develop transferable skills so they can move into other sectors. If the government could get this right, it opens up lots of new opportunities, to properly invest in growth sectors, to really create better resilience in a post Brexit UK.

Get it wrong or not move nimbly and we will see mass unemployment of 2m (could be towards 3m) by the end of 2021, with attendant rising crime numbers and serious civil unrest. In terms of the latter, we are already seeing changes and we have become a far less tolerant society.

All of this presupposes no serious new outbreaks in C19. If the government has learned anything, now is the time to act in a far more assured way than we've seen these last terrible months.

 

I completely agree with most of that, especially with regards to having an effective opposition - we have gone without one for nearly 10 years now and our Parliamentary system, poor as it is even with a good opposition, is completely hopeless without an effective opposition as we have seen through the many failures of the last ten years and the total shambles of the May Government. Having an effective opposition is essential, whichever is the governing party, and already in only a few weeks Starmer has demonstrated the truth of that and has forced the government to significantly up their game. He is also right that we need a July budget and for an actual plan to be implemented immediately, not more world beating waffle from Johnson which he has not slightest clue how implement even in the unlikely event of him actually meaning any of it.

Whether the infrastructure projects are a positive or not I think will depend very much on what they are - so far Johnson's track record is full of vanity projects which deliver little and indeed sometimes no benefit whatsoever. His decision to go ahead with HS2 being the latest example where he appears to be far more interested in the grand gesture than the economic case (or the environmental impact!). It seems pretty clear now, to almost everyone I would suggest apart from the Tory party, that the much needed infrastructure projects should entirely based around decarbonising the economy and for the most part distributed and local projects all over the country, hopefully generating employment across the country as an extra bonus.

[Bill 1,788]

5 hours ago, Van wink said:

Up at 4am writing  rubbish about fellow posters. 
I feel sorry for you you sad old fool.☹️

wcockcanary

I was working and hardly old, but with your supposed trace and track work I have to wonder why you are trawling this website at such an hour only to be so concerned about my 'rubbish'..... then taking the time to post the detailed reply

[Van wink 2,994]

Obsession is posting about other posters at 4am Billy. Sad life you have. Anyway just to let I know I had a good shift this morning, a few referrals and was good to help.👍

[Bill 1,788]

3 minutes ago, Van wink said:

Obsession is posting about other posters at 4am Billy. Sad life you have. Anyway just to let I know I had a good shift this morning, a few referrals and was good to help.👍

sounds like there is an f too many

and of course you were phoning people, I mean it's not as if you ever make up stuff is it..............😝

 

and some might wonder why you get so excited when I mention Barbie girl, and visa versa

[Van wink 2,994]

All the talk of lies, making stuff up, posters having multiple log ins, people being obsessed with you, people following you around the message board, you always being right and never ever wrong etc etc...............they all come out of your head Billy, nobody else buddy, just in your head. We all see it everyday............it has a novelty value and maybe for you some therapeutic value but in the end, it’s just in your head Bill. Try getting a bit of sleep at night, you might wake up with a better grasp on reality.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Van wink

[Bill 1,788]

1 minute ago, Van wink said:

 people being obsessed with you, people following you around the message board,

no evidence of that, is there HC 😜

[Van wink 2,994]

Very little compared to what you do👍  Trying to make yourself out to be a victim is just another facet of your character.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Van wink

[Uncle Fred 526]

Has anyone had the virus like myself and seen there gentlemen’s sausage shrink as a result? 

[Van wink 2,994]

Sometimes it shrinks first, a classic symptom.

[Van wink 2,994]

Panorama 7.30 will hopefully give an insight into why some are less than happy with our testing regime.

[Barbe bleu 826]

4 hours ago, Uncle Fred said:

Has anyone had the virus like myself and seen there gentlemen’s sausage shrink as a result? 

An unexpected turn!

[Van wink 2,994]

14 minutes ago, Barbe bleu said:

An unexpected turn!

But not to be confused with restricted vision over the balcony

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

I hadn't looked at this thread for two days until now. Perhaps I should have done before saying today on the Poster of the Year thread that this thread had very helpfully demonstrated some 'collective expertise'...🤩

[BigFish 1,987]

Seems like Leicester are rejecting a localised lockdown. Government policy in chaos, Hancock humiliated and Johnson's "cluster busting" looks just like a lot of hot air (again)

[Van wink 2,994]

6 minutes ago, BigFish said:

Seems like Leicester are rejecting a localised lockdown. Government policy in chaos, Hancock humiliated and Johnson's "cluster busting" looks just like a lot of hot air (again)

The Panarama program was a fair reflection, sadly

[Herman 9,765]

What was the score? I heard that testing had been ramped up meaning more cases being reported rather than simply a rise in cases. Was this the gist?

[sonyc 5,519]

9 minutes ago, Herman said:

What was the score? I heard that testing had been ramped up meaning more cases being reported rather than simply a rise in cases. Was this the gist?

Quite a shambles. Yet, nothing we have not spoken about on this thread. Still, it's damning.

Reminds me of a tweet I saw a few months ago.....

 

[Van wink 2,994]

25 minutes ago, Herman said:

What was the score? I heard that testing had been ramped up meaning more cases being reported rather than simply a rise in cases. Was this the gist?

More about failure to test for asymptomatic carriers in health settings, poor QA at testing stations, large numbers of tier 3 contact tracers recruited by private sector having shifts with few or no referrals, I can confirm a similar story for tier 2 clinical tracers recruited for NHS bank. The crowning glory being that the majority of the tracing that Dido is claiming credit for so far actually being undertaken by local DPH, PHE and LA’s.

Having said all that when this does kick off again, my personal view is that we will be better prepared but how the system will actually perform when it’s put under some pressure is questionable imo. Time will tell.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Van wink
That refers to panarama program

[Herman 9,765]

[sonyc 5,519]

25 minutes ago, Van wink said:

More about failure to test for asymptomatic carriers in health settings, poor QA at testing stations, large numbers of tier 3 contact tracers recruited by private sector having shifts with few or no referrals, I can confirm a similar story for tier 2 clinical tracers recruited for NHS bank. The crowning glory being that the majority of the tracing that Dido is claiming credit for so far actually being undertaken by local DPH, PHE and LA’s.

Having said all that when this does kick off again, my personal view is that we will be better prepared but how the system will actually perform when it’s put under some pressure is questionable imo. Time will tell.

Made me feel angry....which will pass. Yet, what will actually happen? What might change? No possibility of the government being held to account for it all (until 4 years time).

[Herman 9,765]

Sorry last question about the programme but did it explain how the lockdown will be enforced or are they still relying on "common sense"?

[Van wink 2,994]

2 minutes ago, Herman said:

Sorry last question about the programme but did it explain how the lockdown will be enforced or are they still relying on "common sense"?

No Herman panarama was about testing and tracing, not the outbreak n Leicester

Edited June 29, 2020 by Van wink

[Van wink 2,994]

28 minutes ago, sonyc said:

Made me feel angry....which will pass. Yet, what will actually happen? What might change? No possibility of the government being held to account for it all (until 4 years time).

Wasn’t there talk of repealing the fixed term parliament act?

[sonyc 5,519]

1 hour ago, Van wink said:

Wasn’t there talk of repealing the fixed term parliament act?

I don't think there is any groundswell of public opinion though for change. Of course those on the left would wish for a change. But my point is to question when (or perhaps, if) those that are Conservative supporters sense that this government has not acted in their best interests. There must be some who have serious doubts about such a populist government?

Just what do you have to do in public life now to have any serious repurcussions for you? I mean, this test & trace system, the PPE affair, Jenrick, Cummings, the schools fiasco, the horror of the care sector, the excess death figures, the quality of the cabinet and their appalling utterings and behaviour (which I admit is highly subjective). There is more isn't there. I'm not going to touch on Brexit as this pulls away from my point about the management of the pandemic.

Such gilded lives. This is not some crude party political point either because  posters have their views and these will rarely change. I'm trying to stand apart and have some independent mind... I'm talking of behaviours in a government, the standards of public discourse, the matter of statesmanship. I guess I try and turn a blind eye but then a week goes by etc. and suddenly one awakens, gets dismayed. That is what that kind of Panorama programme does, it jolts you back into reality.

I suppose there is no point in anger and personally I just have to revert to the antidote that is music. I just wish I suppose that supporters of this government might come along one day and say "do you know, things aren't quite right". But they don't. 

Sorry for the late evening rant VW! Scala or R3 calls.