Politics Coronavirus

[Raven]

Fuck'um, frankly. Lock down should mean lock down. If you can afford to fuck off to India to bob about in the river for a bit then you can afford to stay in a hotel for 2 weeks. Or, and this may be controversial, they could have not fucking gone out there in the first place, the Thames is still wet and has the same amount of sky fairy as the Ganges, also less human waste.

 

[Scouse]

what was the criteria for picking the comparison countries?

Countries that did well > Countries that did shit.

Taiwan, which we should be comparing ourself to, to us, which Taiwan compare themselves to.

We're shit. We killed people. Why is this still a challenging concept to you?

 

[Scouse]

Fuck'um, frankly. Lock down should mean lock down. If you can afford to fuck off to India to bob about in the river for a bit then you can afford to stay in a hotel for 2 weeks. Or, and this may be controversial, they could have not fucking gone out there in the first place, the Thames is still wet and has the same amount of sky fairy as the Ganges, also less human waste.

It shouldn't be a choice.

 

[SilverHood]

I think part of the problem is people traveling during lock down because it wasn't expressly forbidden. They just followed the rules, instead of thinking "we're in a pandemic, we should stay at home". I have friends and family who traveled, usually within whatever countries they live in, but Puerto Rico is part of the USA, and so no worries about crossing borders and isolation. There was definetly some mild facepalming. PANDEMIC! STAY AT HOME! WHICH PART OF PANDEMIC IS NOT CLEAR? Another issue is that people's residences just aren't geared for 24/7 living. I was super lucky that I had to move in the middle of 2020, and we purposely picked the largest place we could find within our budget. The extra space saved our sanity. But for friends who live in a studio apartment, yeah, I can kinda see why they had to get out.

 

[Raven]

Covid: France bans non-essential travel from UK

France joins Austria and Germany in introducing restrictions due to the spread of the Indian variant.

www.bbc.co.uk

First (3rd) of many I assume. I bet idiots are glad they booked their holidays now!

 

[Embattle]

Covid: France bans non-essential travel from UK

France joins Austria and Germany in introducing restrictions due to the spread of the Indian variant.

www.bbc.co.uk

First (3rd) of many I assume. I bet idiots are glad they booked their holidays now!

I don't care about the people who get burned trying to take international holidays, I even get slightly annoyed when some news service gives them air time to whine about it.

 

[Scouse]

Countries that did well > Countries that did shit.

Taiwan, which we should be comparing ourself to, to us, which Taiwan compare themselves to.

Again, I don't understand the mental flips and twists you're doing to justify to yourself disagreeing with this @Embattle.

Deaths are a pretty good measure. Taiwan have lost 35 people in total since the start of the pandemic.

We lost 9 yesterday. And that's us opening back up.

 

[Scouse]

I guess you just don't like cold hard uncontrovertable facts then.

 

[gunner440]

We've got tonnes of Irish coming over as it's relatively easier to travel being EU still and whatnot. Most have come over to spend time in family-owned second/holiday homes which is understandable.

So far we're back to quite a high level of freedom all things considered. No more national state of alarm. Clubs and such can now open to 2am as long as they follow guidelines. I'm still in my curfew-at-11pm mode and haven't been out and about past 11 in a while

Infection rates are still being constantly monitored with <1 being the key. Any town reaching 0.5 gets a set of restrictions immediately imposed and 1.0+ gets a further set of restrictions. Touch wood the bigger towns stay very low.

 

[Wij]

Interesting to note some thoughts on the herd immunity strategy from march 2020:

The coronavirus, Boris Johnson, herd-immunity, doubts and questions

Boris Johnson said we should take the coronavirus 'on the chin' and count on 'herd-immunity'. This, he claimed, is what his scientific advisers recommended. I find this very hard to believe and have many doubts and questions. To start with, I doubt that this is what Johnson's scientific advisers...

edzardernst.com

 

[caLLous]

"Right, this wanker has just accused me of lying in about 15 different ways. For the foreseeable, I should try really really hard not to tell any easily provable lies... Come on, Matty, you can do i... oh no I lied again"

 

[Scouse]

Iechyd Da!



*cough*nationalism*cough*

 

[Raven]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57268471

Coming it at 5th worst covid record in the world.

Congratulations Tories, nice job.

If only we could put so much effort into Eurovision.

 

[Wij]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57268471

Coming it at 5th worst covid record in the world.

Congratulations Tories, nice job.

If only we could put so much effort into Eurovision.

@Bodhi and @Embattle are going to whinge at you on this one as deaths per 100,000 is probably the better measure

Poland and Belgium do worse than the UK on that although they are definitely not islands.

 

[Scouse]

Any way you measure it Britain remains right up there on the top of the shit list.

Any way you measure it.

But @Embattle's only got facepalms and another tory vote. To give him the benefit of the doubt - maybe he is is actually rational on covid - and understands that there's no rational argument that paints the tories as anything other than murderously incompetent. So he doesn't even try to argue.

 

[Moriath]

Any way you measure it Britain remains right up there on the top of the shit list.

Any way you measure it.

But @Embattle's only got facepalms and another tory vote. To give him the benefit of the doubt - maybe he is is actually rational on covid - and understands that there's no rational argument that paints the tories as anything other than murderously incompetent. So he doesn't even try to argue.

 

[Scouse]

Yep @Moriath. Any way you measure it. Especially if you actually show the whole dataset. Any measure you like. We're right near the top of every measure.

 

[Raven]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS45xUYiEZY

 

[Hawkwind]

Maybe charging poor migrant families a fortune to isolate in a hotel isn't the wisest idea.

Agree but cost wise it's probably cheaper than the flight ticket they just came in on. Mate of mine had to do this from NZ, relocating to UK for work.

The problem is with them going to families with multi generations in the same household. It is a really difficult situation, politically and morally.

Worst time to be in govt since WW2.

 

[Scouse]

Worst time to be in govt since WW2.

Best time to be in government.

If you're competent, really have people's best interests at heart and want to make a difference to people's lives that really means something then when the shit hits the fan is the time to be at the forefront.

If you're competent.

 

[Gwadien]

Just went up to have my vaccine but didn't.

Was queueing for an hour and didn't move, a volunteer said that the guy running it is basically power tripping and interviewing everyone as they go in, she even told me to tell him I was a carer before I told her I live with over 50 year olds, and it's taking way longer than it should be.

Why the fuck do people decide now is a good time to power trip? Probably the only responsibility he's had in his pathetic life.

 

[Wij]

Just went up to have my vaccine but didn't.

Was queueing for an hour and didn't move, a volunteer said that the guy running it is basically power tripping and interviewing everyone as they go in, she even told me to tell him I was a carer before I told her I live with over 50 year olds, and it's taking way longer than it should be.

Why the fuck do people decide now is a good time to power trip? Probably the only responsibility he's had in his pathetic life.

What a wanker.

 

[Raven]

Just went up to have my vaccine but didn't.

Was queueing for an hour and didn't move, a volunteer said that the guy running it is basically power tripping and interviewing everyone as they go in, she even told me to tell him I was a carer before I told her I live with over 50 year olds, and it's taking way longer than it should be.

Why the fuck do people decide now is a good time to power trip? Probably the only responsibility he's had in his pathetic life.

Sounds like the reception staff at our doctors.

 

[Scouse]

Apparently usually it is very quick but if they have an issue - someone who is squeamish with needles or a fainter, or some twat has kicked off, then it disrupts the chain and take a fair time to get back to how it should be.

Me? I'd stand around for a few hours reading the internet on my phone for a jab that could save my or someone else's life. Especially as a) I was already there and b) it takes time to get there, and back, and there and back again.

I was asked a series of short questions before I was allowed in. They were mostly about transmissability and whether I'd been ill or not. Funnily enough the bloke behind me who'd turned up a little late for his 2:06pm appointment (there was a 2:06pm queue and 2:12pm queue - run with military precision by the actual military) objected loudly to being asked these questions and tried to walk in after me anyway. When he was halted he mentioned the words "power trip".

Do not underestimate the number of un-rationally angry (or scared) asshats can have on queue length. But get the bloody jab anyway. What's a few hours in 15 months?

 

[Gwadien]

I don't think it's NHS it seems like these local ones are ran by the council which probably explains it.

 

[Gwadien]

Apparently usually it is very quick but if they have an issue - someone who is squeamish with needles or a fainter, or some twat has kicked off, then it disrupts the chain and take a fair time to get back to how it should be.

Me? I'd stand around for a few hours reading the internet on my phone for a jab that could save my or someone else's life. Especially as a) I was already there and b) it takes time to get there, and back, and there and back again.

I was asked a series of short questions before I was allowed in. They were mostly about transmissability and whether I'd been ill or not. Funnily enough the bloke behind me who'd turned up a little late for his 2:06pm appointment (there was a 2:06pm queue and 2:12pm queue - run with military precision by the actual military) objected loudly to being asked these questions and tried to walk in after me anyway. When he was halted he mentioned the words "power trip".

Do not underestimate the number of un-rationally angry (or scared) asshats can have on queue length. But get the bloody jab anyway. What's a few hours in 15 months?

I plan on it, but I don't see the point in queueing in the rain when my house is a 2 minute walk away and I can just go check what the queue is like whenever I want.

Or go another day when this guy isn't about, when staff are bitching about their bosses Infront of you know it must be bad.

 

[Raven]

My wife has quite serious depression, which for the most part is down to anxiety. She has her ups and downs but for the most part is pretty stable. When she has bad patches, like a couple of weeks ago, trying to get her in to see someone is horrendous. She does not want to talk to the dickhead at reception, it's none of their business, she wants to speak to her doctor, that she trusts. It's pathetic. We have actually started an official complaint over it.

 

[Gwadien]

My wife has quite serious depression, which for the most part is down to anxiety. She has her ups and downs but for the most part is pretty stable. When she has bad patches, like a couple of weeks ago, trying to get her in to see someone is horrendous. She does not want to talk to the dickhead at reception, it's none of their business, she wants to speak to her doctor, that she trusts. It's pathetic. We have actually started an official complaint over it.

I get that receptionists need to be the first layer of queries to save GPs time but as soon as you say I want to speak to a doctor that should be done.

It's like they're taking inspiration from bullshit automated customer service where they do everything in their power to stop you talking from the relevant people.

 

[Scouse]

I get that receptionists need to be the first layer of queries to save GPs time but as soon as you say I want to speak to a doctor that should be done.

The first words out of most peoples mouths are literally "I want to speak to a doctor". That's the reason why you call or turn up to a doctors. So some level of triage is necessary as we don't have enough doctors to go around.

This is a political and economic choice - whilst I agree it's a pain the problem isn't really with the receptionist, who'll be a minimum wager based on his or her capability, but the system.

In Cuba, where they can't get access to or afford medicines or diagnostic treatments they instead trained and educated tens of thousands of doctors. Your doctor knows you and your family by name and focusses on healthy prevention than treatment after the fact. They have better health outcomes than many countries (your child is more likely to live to 5 in Cuba than Canada, for example).

But yeah. It sucks.

 

[Scouse]

@Raven - just a suggestion - does your wife do a fair bit of exercise? It's the single most effective treatment for severe depression.

If not, buy her a bike to join you on gentle rides?