Politics Coronavirus

[Scouse]

Me too. We can claim back a load of stuff for home working.

As you should be able to. It's something that should be encouraged on environmental grounds if nothing else.

Governments have been so short sighted - we should have been preparing for this obvious eventuality for decades now.

 

[dysfunction]

You can claim in the UK too:

The Questionnaire here says asks about working at home due to Covid and allows for some tax relief:

Claim tax relief for your job expenses

Claiming tax relief on expenses you have to pay for your work, like uniforms, tools, travel and working from home costs

www.gov.uk

And you can claim for Equipment bought for working at home:

Claim tax relief for your job expenses

Claiming tax relief on expenses you have to pay for your work, like uniforms, tools, travel and working from home costs

www.gov.uk

 

[Gwadien]

I know a German chap who works for a massive train company and he was saying they all just randomly got 1k Euros from the company.

Would never see that shit in the UK.

 

[Raven]

I get a nice fat tax deduction for working from home

Ours is so small I can't be arsed to look into it, £25 a month or some shit.

I suppose I should do if we can back date it but I was one of those fools who thought this shit would last a couple of months, not what is looking like a year.

 

[dysfunction]

Ours is so small I can't be arsed to look into it, £25 a month or some shit.

I suppose I should do if we can back date it but I was one of those fools who thought this shit would last a couple of months, not what is looking like a year.

Yes you can back date it. And it's better than nothing!

 

[Scouse]

I suppose I should do if we can back date it but I was one of those fools who thought this shit would last a couple of months, not what is looking like a year.

A year?

You'll be lucky. September next year at the earliest I reckon.

 

[Gumbo]

I know a German chap who works for a massive train company and he was saying they all just randomly got 1k Euros from the company.

Would never see that shit in the UK.

I only have two lads who I furloughed at the end of March and then brought back beginning of July. We had a decent period of work then, so in September I gave them back the 20% that they'd lost during those three months. Employers shouldn't be dicks.

To add, I'd have loved to give them 100% during furlough, but it really did look for a while like it might be the death of the company, had we not had a summer at all, so we had to go 80% pending what transpired, the lads were on board with that and knew that I'd look after them if I could.

 

[Bodhi]

No they're not.


We tried other stuff. Then we used a (weak) lockdown when other stuff hadn't worked.

Words @Job. You use them to understand what other people mean.



Instead of whining about lockdowns being used - why aren't you pummeling the tory government for STILL not having a robust track and trace system (never mind a "world beating" one) up and running in NOVEMBER?

Not sure if you've noticed but everyone in Europe is struggling with Track and Trace:

Germany - Germany Loses Control of Contact-Tracing for Covid-19
France and Spain - France and Spain Fail the Coronavirus Test
Scotland - Scotland's 'shambolic' virus contact tracing system blasted over new failures

You'd almost think Track and Trace was quite a difficult prospect when you're talking about an endemic respiratory virus with such a high level of asymptomatic carriers.

Probably why the countries which have made a success of it have gone for a completely different approach - focusing on clusters and "super spreaders" rather than chasing every infection, for eg Japan

Japan’s contact-tracing method is old but gold

Talk about swerving Armageddon. Mere weeks ago, media and pundits worldwide saw Japan, with its minimalist testing regimen, teetering on the brink of a coronavirus catastrophe. Massive outbreaks we…

asiatimes.com

Clearly worked a treat given how lightly affected Japan have been considering the age of their population, even though there's other factors in play (low obesity, heavy use of BCG Vaccine to combat TB)

So lots more to it than just blaming THE TOARIES!"!""!

 

[Gwadien]

I only have two lads who I furloughed at the end of March and then brought back beginning of July. We had a decent period of work then, so in September I gave them back the 20% that they'd lost during those three months. Employers shouldn't be dicks.

To add, I'd have loved to give them 100% during furlough, but it really did look for a while like it might be the death of the company, had we not had a summer at all, so we had to go 80% pending what transpired, the lads were on board with that and knew that I'd look after them if I could.

I don't expect small employers to foot the bill for Covid, but when you have massive corporations who have blokes at the top upset that they might not be able to buy their super yacht this year whilst people at the bottom are struggling to make ends meet...

 

[Moriath]

You just need to go somewhere to see that this second lockdown hasn't actually changed all that much and is setting us up for full lockdown over Christmas, I am sure Bojo will be out at his podium telling us all about the sacrifices that we need to make at this troubled time though.

Kids are dropping like flies at schools atm, the wife is off for another test today which means I have to stay at home until she gets the result but cannot get a test myself.

Silver lining though, it was pretty easy for her to get a test booked in today, unlike last time when they wanted her to drive 100 miles for a test in a town that she has never been to before in her life...so progress, I guess.

For me a lockdown xmas would be lovely. No pressure to travel and see family. Just a couple weeks off with yummy food and crimbo tv. Some good films and a nice fire in the hearth.

 

[Moriath]

I know a German chap who works for a massive train company and he was saying they all just randomly got 1k Euros from the company.

Would never see that shit in the UK.

Except john lewis who regularly share profits with its staff.

 

[Ormorof]

Ours is so small I can't be arsed to look into it, £25 a month or some shit.

I suppose I should do if we can back date it but I was one of those fools who thought this shit would last a couple of months, not what is looking like a year.

Its about €1000 a year plus further deductions for home internet if you use it for work

 

[Job]

One thing that rarely gets mentioned and I cant find any actual official small print.

Are they logging our DNA with all these swabs , I certainly didnt see any options for permission when booking tests.
The question gets immediately labelled conspiracy theory which rings alarm bells.

Ch4 fact check
Give me a minute to stop laughing.

FactCheck: conspiracy theory about DNA from Covid tests makes no sense

There is simply no connection between this change in the law - which is all about relieving pressure on police investigating terrorism - and the NHS Test and Trace programme.

www.channel4.com

They are basing the fact it doesnt happen solely because its unlikely and pointing the extension of dna retention by the police is just a coincidence, which it probably is.
Still no hard evidence or denial.

The bbc fact check
Another minute please.
Just kind of straw mans the question by saying the new extension isnt a law to allow it.

Redirect Notice

www.google.com

Has the government come out and denied it?

 

[dysfunction]

You do know what a conspiracy theory is right?

 

[Job]

As you should be able to. It's something that should be encouraged on environmental grounds if nothing else.

Governments have been so short sighted - we should have been preparing for this obvious eventuality for decades now.

They dont want it because it decentralises their power.
I worked on BTs first homeworking systems back in the late 90s, they had some pretty impressive stuff even by todays standards using multiple isdn lines, they even sold quite a bit of it.
But no one..I mean no one was offered it properly the company , it was given as a perk to the very highest performers, but only on a max few days a month.
Middle management killed it at birth and its only their use of it as they are given wider patches to cover over the decades that has let it surface again.

It actually took a fucking pandemic to force their hand.

 

[Job]

Yes one mans reasonable concern is another mans conspiracy theory when he needs to shut someone up.

 

[dysfunction]

Yes one mans reasonable concern is another mans conspiracy theory when he needs to shut someone up.

Where is the proof of this other than the usual social media scaremongering.

There are laws preventing this sort of thing from occurring ( 2006 Human Tissue Act):

Stealing People's DNA: Why You Need Consent | International Biosciences UK

Paternity Test without consent now illegal: the 2006 Human Tissue Act means you cannot take a person's DNA for a paternity test without proper consent.

www.ibdna.com

means you cannot take or test a person’s DNA without proper consent. The Human Tissue Act means it is illegal to:

• Take, store or use human tissue without consent
• Steal DNA without consent
• Traffic organs

So yes I say conspiracy theory...but you can call it a concern if you like.

And on top of that I would have thought the GDPR regulations would also fall into this category:

Guide to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

The Guide to the UK GDPR explains the provisions of the GDPR to help organisations comply with its requirements. It is for those who have day-to-day responsibility for data protection.

ico.org.uk

 

[Embattle]

One thing that rarely gets mentioned and I cant find any actual official small print.

Are they logging our DNA with all these swabs , I certainly didnt see any options for permission when booking tests.
The question gets immediately labelled conspiracy theory which rings alarm bells.

Ch4 fact check
Give me a minute to stop laughing.

FactCheck: conspiracy theory about DNA from Covid tests makes no sense

There is simply no connection between this change in the law - which is all about relieving pressure on police investigating terrorism - and the NHS Test and Trace programme.

www.channel4.com

They are basing the fact it doesnt happen solely because its unlikely and pointing the extension of dna retention by the police is just a coincidence, which it probably is.
Still no hard evidence or denial.

The bbc fact check
Another minute please.
Just kind of straw mans the question by saying the new extension isnt a law to allow it.

Redirect Notice

www.google.com

Has the government come out and denied it?

The government is having problem with testing all over the place, I think you can guarantee it is too incompetent to manage to keep a list of DNA etc.

 

[Gwadien]

The government is having problem with testing all over the place, I think you can guarantee it is too incompetent to manage to keep a list of DNA etc.

I dunno, testing for covid isn't profitable, having a DNA database is I'd imagine.

 

[Job]

I find it unbelievable that it takes a sage 'expert' in a guard article to point out the absofuckinglutely obvious, like he woke up one morning with a eureka moment and rang the editor.

Sage expert:'flip-flopping' on Covid restrictions unwise

Prof John Edmunds calls for consistent UK government strategy and warns against relaxing measures

www.theguardian.com

 

[Scouse]

I find it unbelievable that it takes a sage 'expert' in a guard article to point out the absofuckinglutely obvious, like he woke up one morning with a eureka moment and rang the editor.

Sage expert:'flip-flopping' on Covid restrictions unwise

Prof John Edmunds calls for consistent UK government strategy and warns against relaxing measures

www.theguardian.com

Still not ready to criticise the Tories eh @Job?

It's THEIR strategy, not Sage's.

 

[Job]

Its the world strategy except for Sweden.

 

[Job]

Im not sure what parameters where used... but still.
Unbelievable.

Whole pandemic's coronavirus would 'almost fit on teaspoon', statistician claims

TV mathematician Matt Parker claims in a podcast that the microscopic size of coronavirus means that its total volume is a minuscule 8ml - which a typical teaspoon holds 6ml of liquid

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[dysfunction]

Its the world strategy except for Sweden.

So if it's a world strategy why are you blaming Sage?

 

[Scouse]

Its the world strategy except for Sweden.

Twat.

So, the one world government is at fault, eh?

 

[Embattle]

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been told to self-isolate through the NHS track and trace app after coming into contact with someone who tested positive.

 

[Raven]

Well, that keeps him away from awkward questions...

 

[Scouse]

Covid-19: Normal life back next winter, says vaccine creator

Prof Ugur Sahin also raises hopes the vaccine, developed with Pfizer. could halve Covid transmission.

www.bbc.co.uk

I think there'll be a point before then when people will hit fuck it.

Two years out of your life is a lot!

 

[dysfunction]

I'm thinking summer and people will be really fed up. They wont be waiting for winter

 

[Scouse]

I'm thinking summer and people will be really fed up. They wont be waiting for winter

Judging by the amount of young people out and about with zero social distancing in the local town when I drove through it on Saturday night I think we'll be done pretty quickly.