Why do most threads on here turn in to a Government/Prime Minister bashing exercise? If all people want to do is criticize and force their own agendas onto everyone else then start a separate thread or post in any of the numerous other anti-government threads.
Abstinence from all media info would surely see Haysies virus clear up.đ€ </blockquote
Why do most threads on here turn in to a Government/Prime Minister bashing exercise? If all people want to do is criticize and force their own agendas onto everyone else then start a separate thread or post in any of the numerous other anti-government threads.
Wouldn't that be called censorship?
Usually people debate differing views on forums.
I will often post articles that I don't necessarily agree with, to encourage debate.
There is nothing wrong a bit of scrolling on forums.
When people defend freedom of speech, they usually say, I might not agree with their views, but I absolutely defend their right to voice them.
We don't live in China, and don't have to defend The Government at all times.
I have not personally criticised The Government much on this thread, although I have posted some articles that have.
Isnt it up to other people to respond by defending The Government.
Shouldn't people be entering into debates about what other people post, rather than just whinging about the post itself.
If I was going to criticise them, it would be for their complete failure to provide NHS staff with adequate protection, and putting them at risk.
I watched a Chief Constable on Sky News this morning, he was being interviewed regarding the travel restriction, during which he made it absolutely clear that he was completely unaware of who should be travelling, and who shouldn't.
How do you police it if the rules aren't clear.
I would criticise them for preaching social distancing, then reducing the size, and frequency of trains, and tubes making this impossible.
I would criticise Boris for trying to con people into thinking this may be over and done with in 12 weeks.
How on earth could that be possible?
They said last week they would increase the testing to 25,000 per day.
The maximum they did was 8,000.
Lets say they do get up to the 25,000.
That means 175,000 per week assuming they test 7 days per week.
By my reckoning that would be just over 2 million tests in 12 weeks.
Only 64 million to go.
I don't claim to be a genius, and have just read the coronavirus headlines.
I may be completely wrong, but it seems to me that you can put an end to this in two mays.
You either develop herd immunity or a vaccine.
A vaccine is apparently going to take 12 to 18 months.
You need around 70% of the population to contract the virus to develop herd immunity.
This makes it difficult for the virus to spread, and stops the spread in big numbers.
Their policy is understandable. Social distancing to restrict the spread, and therefore lower the number of cases, so the NHS is able to cope, while protecting the most vulnerable.
The policy makes it impossible to solve in 12 weeks.
If he stopped the lockdown at the end of 12 weeks, we would get another surge.
I dislike Boris because he is dishonest.
If you have access to foreign news stations, they would be well worth viewing.All having the same problem to deal with. Some highly populated poorer nations are likely in for **** on earth. You are too polarized and bitter imo.
Yawn. Two wrongs don't make a right. Are you actually disputing any of the above, or just being your usual self? If you don't agree with any of the above, why don't you just say so? Why don't you put forward an opposing view? You just seem to always want to have a pantomime argument, oh no he didn't, oh yes he did, oh no he didn't, oh yes he did. Instead of just criticising me, why don't you put forward you views, if you have any? There aren't even any questions in the above post. I thought you weren't coming back until they had a vaccine?
Your view always seems to be that my view is wrong, you are never able to say why, or put forward an opposing view.
Well heres an opportunity for you. What exactly is incorrect or untrue in the above post. I wont be holding my breath. Heeeeeeeeeeeees beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehind you.
Just how many of my views do you want? Iâve given my views for months.
Letâs toss a coin on where I said I wasnât going to post. Heads=Brexit thread. Itâs come down a head. FML.</blockquote
"Clap of honour", "applause for heroes" and "a nation's thanks" are just some of the headlines summing up Thursday night's tribute to NHS staff in homes and gardens across the UK. The Daily Mirror says a "grateful nation stood as one" to salute "drained but determined" doctors and nurses. It describes the moment as a "massive thunderclap of support" for NHS staff on the front line. The Guardian says streets that had been "eerily hushed" were filled with the sound of clapping, cheering and children banging on pots and pans.
The lead article in the Times examines whether Chancellor Rishi Sunak's support package for self-employed workers is "perhaps more generous than it needed to be". While the paper acknowledges there will be some who miss out on the scheme, freelancers will be able to claim a grant irrespective of whether their income has actually fallen because of the virus shutdown.
The Sun notes the delay in accessing funds until June will be "borderline impossible for many". It goes on to suggest that cost of funding this emergency package may make the austerity years look like a "golden era of opulence".
Mr Sunak's performance at Thursday's Downing Street news conference is praised by the parliamentary sketch-writers. Quentin Letts describes him in the Times as "dishy Rishi", delivering details of what was being offered with his "caring eyes" and his "soft, sibilant voice". John Crace in the Guardian says the chancellor was "widely written off" when he took over at the Treasury - but he has since become the "master" with his assured performances, making Prime Minister Boris Johnson look like "the needy lapdog".
"Police take the moral high ground to its upper limit" says the Daily Telegraph as it examines how forces are using new powers to ensure social distancing. Under the headline, "Checkpoint Charlies" the Daily Star is one of a number of papers to focus on the police roadblocks now in place across the UK to check that people are not making unnecessary journeys. It says that the police have got tough on "the morons who still go out".
The Daily Mail features images of police stopping cars in Cornwall and Plymouth. It also carries quotes from an exasperated chief constable of Greater Manchester Police - who says people are still treating the crisis like a holiday and leaving supermarkets with trolleys "full of booze and charcoal". The new police powers have been described as "over the top" in comments made by Big Brother Watch to the Times. The paper highlights how Derbyshire Police used a drone to monitor ramblers, dog walkers and people taking pictures for social media in the Peak District. Drivers in Devon and Shropshire also reportedly returned to their cars to find messages including "Why are you here today?" attached to their vehicles. They were warned that their daily allowance of physical exercise should not involve driving.
"Don't move home," says the Daily Mail on its front page as the government said that all moves should be suspended during the coronavirus crisis. The advice has been described as "unheard of" by a former chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The Financial Times says Lloyds and Barclays are temporarily pulling many of their mortgages - with some banks reportedly only making offers if buyers have a deposit of 40% of the purchase price. Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that the prime minister and Home Secretary Priti Patel became "embroiled in a row" over her wish to close the UK's borders to stop the spread of coronavirus. The home secretary is said to have tried to build a coalition of ministers to make the case to No 10, believing she would have been able to use existing immigration rules to stop planes from landing. But Mr Johnson sided with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who believed such a scheme would stop people returning on repatriation flights.
'As if a storm hit': more than 40 Italian health workers have died since crisis began Majority of those infected during early stages in the north when protective equipment lacking
Forty-one health workers in Italy have died from coronavirus since the outbreak there began, as medics work relentlessly to try to turn the tide in Europeâs worst-affected country. The virus has infected more than 5,000 doctors, nurses, technicians, ambulance staff and other health employees. The majority were on the frontline in the badly affected northern regions and contracted the illness at the start of the outbreak when protective equipment was lacking.
No 10 claims it missed deadline for EU ventilator scheme Government clarifies position after critics accuse Boris Johnson of putting âBrexit over breathingâ
Downing Street has claimed it failed to take part in an EU scheme to source life-saving ventilators to treat coronavirus because it accidentally missed the deadline. No 10 initially said it did not take part because the UK was âno longer a memberâ and was âmaking our own effortsâ. But after critics accused Boris Johnson of putting âBrexit over breathingâ, a No 10 spokesman clarified that it had missed out because of an error and would consider participating in future. It is understood the UK claims not to have received an email from the EU asking it to participate. The mix-up means the UK has missed out on benefiting from the collective buying power of the EU. The bloc is seeking to use its clout to source large numbers of ventilators and protective equipment. A UK government spokesperson said: âOwing to an initial communication problem, the UK did not receive an invitation in time to join in four joint procurements in response to the coronavirus pandemic. âAs the commission has confirmed, we are eligible to participate in joint procurements during the transition period, following our departure from the EU earlier this year.
The government regrets to announce that a chance to procure ventilators somehow ended up in Boris Johnsonâs spam folder Still, we are told that the government will consider taking part in âfuture roundsâ now that weâve missed out on this one
What are the chances? All those âtechnology lessonsâ in that flat with the pole dancing pole in, and still the urgent email from the EU about buying cheap ventilators ends up in Boris Johnsonâs spam folder. The detail we shall come on to shortly, but first thereâs the even more unfortunate matter of the timing.
As emergency plans are activated all over the country, turning crematorium car parks and other such places into temporary mortuaries (when your delayed wedding day eventually comes around, do try not to think too hard about what the marqueeâs been used for), truly it provides no pleasure to wheel out that old phrase about âburying bad news.â
At 5pm, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, strolled out again to face the TV cameras, delivering what, by my count, was his twelfth budget of the last nine days. It is hard not to wonder whether the real news snuck out at 4.57pm.
Not so long ago â less than a fortnight, in fact â though it feels like another geological era, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, was issuing a call to arms to every manufacturer in the UK to start producing ventilators. âIf you make one we will buy it,â he said. âNo number is too high.â So there was some confusion over the fact that the UK had chosen not to take part in the EUâs ventilator procurement scheme, to which we had expressly and very publicly been invited, despite having left the EU what feels like several lifetimes ago.
The same old Brexit arguments apply here, which weâll only trot through briefly. All the world wants ventilators; being part of a big bloc, as opposed to being a small country, increases your bargaining power and makes you more attractive to suppliers as youâll be ordering in larger quantities, yada yada yada.
Surely we werenât sitting out of the EU scheme out of sheer Brexiteer ****-mindedness? Actually, it turns out, no, we werenât. The reasoning provided (yes, at 4.57pm), is that the government didnât get the emails.
Yes, thatâs it. Thatâs really it. Thereâs a mad rush for ventilators, no number is too many, and thereâs absolutely no time to lose, but an offer to join a massive ventilator procurement scheme somehow ended up in Boris Johnsonâs spam folder or something like that.
Government sources have explained that there is no blame involved, and that it was just a mix-up. Given that it has somehow become generally accepted wisdom that itâs not OK to criticise the government (although we notice that the moment Johnson does something 93 per cent of the public support â namely bringing in a lockdown â is also the moment the Daily Telegraph withdraws its backing for him), we must take this explanation at face value.
It would be churlish to point out that, well, the 27 countries that are still in the EU all got the email, didnât they?
We are continually told that nowâs not the time to say such tiresome things as, well, Brexit was very obviously always a terrible idea. So weâd best not seek to make cheap political capital about the sad fact that those much-needed ventilators somehow ended up sitting in Johnsonâs junk mail, stuck in grim purgatory somewhere amid the ads for ****-enlargement pills and various scam emails about outstanding child support payments (NB: not all junk emails are actually junk).
Thereâs also the small matter that the EUâs ventilator procurement scheme was announced at a public press conference, and that the UK could take part was said, on camera, on live television. Still, we are told that we will consider taking part in âfuture roundsâ now that weâve missed out on this one.
After all, whatâs the rush? At the time of writing, the government is still insisting that the Brexit transition period will end on 31 December, and that the most severe public health and economic crisis quite possibly of all time will have no bearing upon it. That completely pointless event must be rushed through in about a seventh of the time that any sensible analysis dictates is required.
But getting the ventilators in? Donât panic: thereâll be another boat along in a minute. It has been stressed that this has nothing to do with ideology. Itâs not about Brexit, itâs just a âcommunications mishap.â At this point, the traditional rhetorical method is to point out that theyâre either lying or theyâre incompetent.
Mercifully, such is the accumulated evidence that we arenât required to make that choice. It might very well be a matter of life and death, but itâs certainly not a case of either/or. Both of these options are very much alive. Theyâre practically indestructible.
Why do most threads on here turn in to a Government/Prime Minister bashing exercise? If all people want to do is criticize and force their own agendas onto everyone else then start a separate thread or post in any of the numerous other anti-government threads.
Wouldn't that be called censorship?
Usually people debate differing views on forums.
I will often post articles that I don't necessarily agree with, to encourage debate.
There is nothing wrong a bit of scrolling on forums.
When people defend freedom of speech, they usually say, I might not agree with their views, but I absolutely defend their right to voice them.
We don't live in China, and don't have to defend The Government at all times.
I have not personally criticised The Government much on this thread, although I have posted some articles that have.
Isnt it up to other people to respond by defending The Government.
Shouldn't people be entering into debates about what other people post, rather than just whinging about the post itself.
If I was going to criticise them, it would be for their complete failure to provide NHS staff with adequate protection, and putting them at risk.
I watched a Chief Constable on Sky News this morning, he was being interviewed regarding the travel restriction, during which he made it absolutely clear that he was completely unaware of who should be travelling, and who shouldn't.
How do you police it if the rules aren't clear.
I would criticise them for preaching social distancing, then reducing the size, and frequency of trains, and tubes making this impossible.
I would criticise Boris for trying to con people into thinking this may be over and done with in 12 weeks.
How on earth could that be possible?
They said last week they would increase the testing to 25,000 per day.
The maximum they did was 8,000.
Lets say they do get up to the 25,000.
That means 175,000 per week assuming they test 7 days per week.
By my reckoning that would be just over 2 million tests in 12 weeks.
Only 64 million to go.
I don't claim to be a genius, and have just read the coronavirus headlines.
I may be completely wrong, but it seems to me that you can put an end to this in two mays.
You either develop herd immunity or a vaccine.
A vaccine is apparently going to take 12 to 18 months.
You need around 70% of the population to contract the virus to develop herd immunity.
This makes it difficult for the virus to spread, and stops the spread in big numbers.
Their policy is understandable. Social distancing to restrict the spread, and therefore lower the number of cases, so the NHS is able to cope, while protecting the most vulnerable.
The policy makes it impossible to solve in 12 weeks.
If he stopped the lockdown at the end of 12 weeks, we would get another surge.
I dislike Boris because he is dishonest.
If you have access to foreign news stations, they would be well worth viewing.All having the same problem to deal with. Some highly populated poorer nations are likely in for **** on earth. You are too polarized and bitter imo.
Yawn. Two wrongs don't make a right. Are you actually disputing any of the above, or just being your usual self? If you don't agree with any of the above, why don't you just say so? Why don't you put forward an opposing view? You just seem to always want to have a pantomime argument, oh no he didn't, oh yes he did, oh no he didn't, oh yes he did. Instead of just criticising me, why don't you put forward you views, if you have any? There aren't even any questions in the above post. I thought you weren't coming back until they had a vaccine?
Your view always seems to be that my view is wrong, you are never able to say why, or put forward an opposing view.
Well heres an opportunity for you. What exactly is incorrect or untrue in the above post. I wont be holding my breath. Heeeeeeeeeeeees beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehind you.
Just how many of my views do you want? Iâve given my views for months.
Letâs toss a coin on where I said I wasnât going to post. Heads=Brexit thread. Itâs come down a head. FML.
Delete
That was a well thought out plan.
To re-post a large number of idiotic, senseless posts, with the word delete added, was a master stroke.
Well done.
Nobody will notice them if you type delete underneath.
The USA will have millions of total cases. IMO, they will have far more than any other developed nation, by a street, or two, or three or............
No response, as usual.
lucy4 said: Why do most threads on here turn in to a Government/Prime Minister bashing exercise? If all people want to do is criticize and force their own agendas onto everyone else then start a separate thread or post in any of the numerous other anti-government threads. Wouldn't that be called censorship?
Usually people debate differing views on forums.
I will often post articles that I don't necessarily agree with, to encourage debate.
There is nothing wrong a bit of scrolling on forums.
When people defend freedom of speech, they usually say, I might not agree with their views, but I absolutely defend their right to voice them.
We don't live in China, and don't have to defend The Government at all times.
I have not personally criticised The Government much on this thread, although I have posted some articles that have.
Isnt it up to other people to respond by defending The Government.
Shouldn't people be entering into debates about what other people post, rather than just whinging about the post itself.
If I was going to criticise them, it would be for their complete failure to provide NHS staff with adequate protection, and putting them at risk.
I watched a Chief Constable on Sky News this morning, he was being interviewed regarding the travel restriction, during which he made it absolutely clear that he was completely unaware of who should be travelling, and who shouldn't.
How do you police it if the rules aren't clear.
I would criticise them for preaching social distancing, then reducing the size, and frequency of trains, and tubes making this impossible.
I would criticise Boris for trying to con people into thinking this may be over and done with in 12 weeks.
How on earth could that be possible?
They said last week they would increase the testing to 25,000 per day.
The maximum they did was 8,000.
Lets say they do get up to the 25,000.
That means 175,000 per week assuming they test 7 days per week.
By my reckoning that would be just over 2 million tests in 12 weeks.
Only 64 million to go.
I don't claim to be a genius, and have just read the coronavirus headlines.
I may be completely wrong, but it seems to me that you can put an end to this in two mays.
You either develop herd immunity or a vaccine.
A vaccine is apparently going to take 12 to 18 months.
You need around 70% of the population to contract the virus to develop herd immunity.
This makes it difficult for the virus to spread, and stops the spread in big numbers.
Their policy is understandable. Social distancing to restrict the spread, and therefore lower the number of cases, so the NHS is able to cope, while protecting the most vulnerable.
The policy makes it impossible to solve in 12 weeks.
If he stopped the lockdown at the end of 12 weeks, we would get another surge.
I dislike Boris because he is dishonest.
You could ask the 5 million self employed people how they think Boris is looking after them? Then there is the 500,000 new claims for Universal Credit from desperate people that have gone in during the last 9 days. I wont be holding my breath until they are processed.
âA few daysâ pay lost is catastrophic for them. And time and time again Government ministers have told us that workers affected by the crisis could get help via Universal Credit. âLast night there were queues of over 110,000 people trying to get on to the DWP system in order to register to apply for Universal Credit. âWill the Prime Minister now put extra resources and funding to boost the DWP capacity and relax the often quite draconian requirements on people claiming so that money gets where itâs needed quickly to those people who have got to feed the kids, got to pay the rent, got to survive somehow?â
Coronavirus: British nationals stranded abroad in 'dire' situation
British nationals unable to return home due to the coronavirus pandemic are in a "dire" situation, a former minister has warned. Tory MP Caroline Nokes said many were stranded as countries closed their borders and airlines cancelled flights. The government's call for people to return home as quickly as possible were like "empty words" to them, she added.
They have been absolutely battered tonight on NewsNight. Matt Hancock has been lying about the number of ventilators that we have. He is saying 12,000. when we only have 8,000. Nine days ago, Boris said we are ramping up testing to 25,000 per day. At the time we were doing around 5,000 per day. We did a total of 6,400 today. NHS staff are still not being tested. NHS staff are using bin bags for aprons. They are using their kids school goggles. The virus is due to peak in the next 2 or 3 weeks. The extra ventilators will not be available before then. They are creating confusion in many areas, particularly in defining key workers. Self employed people with symptons are working.
Peter Kyle brought to light the following at PMQs yesterday.
A 94 year old resident of a care home in his constituency developed the symptons of the virus. A test finally arrived 10 days later. By which time 14 of the 20 residents were exhibiting symptons. Seven of the staff were off sick self isolating. These were agency staff. They had been working in other care homes. None of the protective equipment they had ordered, had arrived. There are 80,000 care homes in the UK.
Boris could only say that testing kits would be available asap. A common theme to the many questions he has been asked.
He seems very short of specifics in many cases.
They have made a big fuss about ordering three and a half million tests. You have to wonder how long these will last with a population of over sixty million. However there is a caveat. They will not be distributing them until they are certain that they work properly.
I can imagine the conversation, We have got the tests, but we are not sure they work properly. Ok we will just order three and a half million then.
You couldn't make it up.
I was just using Madrid as an example, as its the worst area in Spain for cases of the virus.
We do not currently test anyone arriving at our airports.
A lot of it seems to be ridiculing the UK position....
Example:-we choose not to avail ourselves of the considerable protections of EU purchasing of ventilators. For purely political reasons. Forget whether we should be leaving the EU-we are. Next year. No reason to miss out on an incredible offer this year.
A lot of it seems to be ridiculing the UK position....
Example:-we choose not to avail ourselves of the considerable protections of EU purchasing of ventilators. For purely political reasons. Forget whether we should be leaving the EU-we are. Next year. No reason to miss out on an incredible offer this year.
This thread is getting a little hysterical. Various people are to blame, including me.
So-let's try a little balance.
@chilling IF you want to delete your posts, provided it is within 1 month, it is easy. Hover over the top right of 1 of your posts-you will see "options" then an edit button. click on it, delete post, save and the post has gone. However, regardless of the fact that i personally disagree with some of them, many make valid points, which a lot of people agree with. And I loved the pilot one.
Boris Johnson. It is easy to point out bits he is getting wrong. Boris is like that. Not capable of hiding his faults. Doesn't necessarily make him worse than, say, Tony Blair, who was brilliant at hiding his.
Boris may be Marmite, but it is important to point out the many good things he has done. The 80% pay is a masterstroke-anyone think the current Labour leadership could have acted so decisively? The rules for the self-employed seem as fair as possible (there will ALWAYS be people hard done by there), and the speed was commendable, other than the actual pay.
And Boris is very good at "talking the talk". A lot like Churchill. Massive character flaws, questionable ideals, etc. but probably better suited to being our PM in 2020 than 2019.
Comments
"Clap of honour", "applause for heroes" and "a nation's thanks" are just some of the headlines summing up Thursday night's tribute to NHS staff in homes and gardens across the UK.
The Daily Mirror says a "grateful nation stood as one" to salute "drained but determined" doctors and nurses.
It describes the moment as a "massive thunderclap of support" for NHS staff on the front line.
The Guardian says streets that had been "eerily hushed" were filled with the sound of clapping, cheering and children banging on pots and pans.
The lead article in the Times examines whether Chancellor Rishi Sunak's support package for self-employed workers is "perhaps more generous than it needed to be".
While the paper acknowledges there will be some who miss out on the scheme, freelancers will be able to claim a grant irrespective of whether their income has actually fallen because of the virus shutdown.
The Sun notes the delay in accessing funds until June will be "borderline impossible for many". It goes on to suggest that cost of funding this emergency package may make the austerity years look like a "golden era of opulence".
Mr Sunak's performance at Thursday's Downing Street news conference is praised by the parliamentary sketch-writers.
Quentin Letts describes him in the Times as "dishy Rishi", delivering details of what was being offered with his "caring eyes" and his "soft, sibilant voice".
John Crace in the Guardian says the chancellor was "widely written off" when he took over at the Treasury - but he has since become the "master" with his assured performances, making Prime Minister Boris Johnson look like "the needy lapdog".
"Police take the moral high ground to its upper limit" says the Daily Telegraph as it examines how forces are using new powers to ensure social distancing.
Under the headline, "Checkpoint Charlies" the Daily Star is one of a number of papers to focus on the police roadblocks now in place across the UK to check that people are not making unnecessary journeys.
It says that the police have got tough on "the morons who still go out".
The Daily Mail features images of police stopping cars in Cornwall and Plymouth. It also carries quotes from an exasperated chief constable of Greater Manchester Police - who says people are still treating the crisis like a holiday and leaving supermarkets with trolleys "full of booze and charcoal".
The new police powers have been described as "over the top" in comments made by Big Brother Watch to the Times. The paper highlights how Derbyshire Police used a drone to monitor ramblers, dog walkers and people taking pictures for social media in the Peak District.
Drivers in Devon and Shropshire also reportedly returned to their cars to find messages including "Why are you here today?" attached to their vehicles. They were warned that their daily allowance of physical exercise should not involve driving.
"Don't move home," says the Daily Mail on its front page as the government said that all moves should be suspended during the coronavirus crisis.
The advice has been described as "unheard of" by a former chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The Financial Times says Lloyds and Barclays are temporarily pulling many of their mortgages - with some banks reportedly only making offers if buyers have a deposit of 40% of the purchase price.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that the prime minister and Home Secretary Priti Patel became "embroiled in a row" over her wish to close the UK's borders to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The home secretary is said to have tried to build a coalition of ministers to make the case to No 10, believing she would have been able to use existing immigration rules to stop planes from landing.
But Mr Johnson sided with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who believed such a scheme would stop people returning on repatriation flights.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-52058049
'As if a storm hit': more than 40 Italian health workers have died since crisis began
Majority of those infected during early stages in the north when protective equipment lacking
Forty-one health workers in Italy have died from coronavirus since the outbreak there began, as medics work relentlessly to try to turn the tide in Europeâs worst-affected country.
The virus has infected more than 5,000 doctors, nurses, technicians, ambulance staff and other health employees. The majority were on the frontline in the badly affected northern regions and contracted the illness at the start of the outbreak when protective equipment was lacking.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/as-if-a-storm-hit-33-italian-health-workers-have-died-since-crisis-began
No 10 claims it missed deadline for EU ventilator scheme
Government clarifies position after critics accuse Boris Johnson of putting âBrexit over breathingâ
Downing Street has claimed it failed to take part in an EU scheme to source life-saving ventilators to treat coronavirus because it accidentally missed the deadline.
No 10 initially said it did not take part because the UK was âno longer a memberâ and was âmaking our own effortsâ.
But after critics accused Boris Johnson of putting âBrexit over breathingâ, a No 10 spokesman clarified that it had missed out because of an error and would consider participating in future. It is understood the UK claims not to have received an email from the EU asking it to participate.
The mix-up means the UK has missed out on benefiting from the collective buying power of the EU. The bloc is seeking to use its clout to source large numbers of ventilators and protective equipment.
A UK government spokesperson said: âOwing to an initial communication problem, the UK did not receive an invitation in time to join in four joint procurements in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
âAs the commission has confirmed, we are eligible to participate in joint procurements during the transition period, following our departure from the EU earlier this year.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/no-10-boris-johnson-accused-of-putting-brexit-over-breathing-in-covid-19-ventilator-row
Still, we are told that the government will consider taking part in âfuture roundsâ now that weâve missed out on this one
What are the chances? All those âtechnology lessonsâ in that flat with the pole dancing pole in, and still the urgent email from the EU about buying cheap ventilators ends up in Boris Johnsonâs spam folder.
The detail we shall come on to shortly, but first thereâs the even more unfortunate matter of the timing.
As emergency plans are activated all over the country, turning crematorium car parks and other such places into temporary mortuaries (when your delayed wedding day eventually comes around, do try not to think too hard about what the marqueeâs been used for), truly it provides no pleasure to wheel out that old phrase about âburying bad news.â
At 5pm, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, strolled out again to face the TV cameras, delivering what, by my count, was his twelfth budget of the last nine days. It is hard not to wonder whether the real news snuck out at 4.57pm.
Not so long ago â less than a fortnight, in fact â though it feels like another geological era, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, was issuing a call to arms to every manufacturer in the UK to start producing ventilators. âIf you make one we will buy it,â he said. âNo number is too high.â
So there was some confusion over the fact that the UK had chosen not to take part in the EUâs ventilator procurement scheme, to which we had expressly and very publicly been invited, despite having left the EU what feels like several lifetimes ago.
The same old Brexit arguments apply here, which weâll only trot through briefly. All the world wants ventilators; being part of a big bloc, as opposed to being a small country, increases your bargaining power and makes you more attractive to suppliers as youâll be ordering in larger quantities, yada yada yada.
Surely we werenât sitting out of the EU scheme out of sheer Brexiteer ****-mindedness? Actually, it turns out, no, we werenât. The reasoning provided (yes, at 4.57pm), is that the government didnât get the emails.
Yes, thatâs it. Thatâs really it. Thereâs a mad rush for ventilators, no number is too many, and thereâs absolutely no time to lose, but an offer to join a massive ventilator procurement scheme somehow ended up in Boris Johnsonâs spam folder or something like that.
Government sources have explained that there is no blame involved, and that it was just a mix-up. Given that it has somehow become generally accepted wisdom that itâs not OK to criticise the government (although we notice that the moment Johnson does something 93 per cent of the public support â namely bringing in a lockdown â is also the moment the Daily Telegraph withdraws its backing for him), we must take this explanation at face value.
It would be churlish to point out that, well, the 27 countries that are still in the EU all got the email, didnât they?
We are continually told that nowâs not the time to say such tiresome things as, well, Brexit was very obviously always a terrible idea. So weâd best not seek to make cheap political capital about the sad fact that those much-needed ventilators somehow ended up sitting in Johnsonâs junk mail, stuck in grim purgatory somewhere amid the ads for ****-enlargement pills and various scam emails about outstanding child support payments (NB: not all junk emails are actually junk).
Thereâs also the small matter that the EUâs ventilator procurement scheme was announced at a public press conference, and that the UK could take part was said, on camera, on live television.
Still, we are told that we will consider taking part in âfuture roundsâ now that weâve missed out on this one.
After all, whatâs the rush? At the time of writing, the government is still insisting that the Brexit transition period will end on 31 December, and that the most severe public health and economic crisis quite possibly of all time will have no bearing upon it. That completely pointless event must be rushed through in about a seventh of the time that any sensible analysis dictates is required.
But getting the ventilators in? Donât panic: thereâll be another boat along in a minute.
It has been stressed that this has nothing to do with ideology. Itâs not about Brexit, itâs just a âcommunications mishap.â At this point, the traditional rhetorical method is to point out that theyâre either lying or theyâre incompetent.
Mercifully, such is the accumulated evidence that we arenât required to make that choice. It might very well be a matter of life and death, but itâs certainly not a case of either/or. Both of these options are very much alive. Theyâre practically indestructible.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/coronavirus-boris-johnson-ventilator-eu-scheme-nhs-a9429196.html
Thatâs enough of that.
Mark Blum death: YOU and Desperately Seeking Susan actor dies of coronavirus complications
The 69-year-old actor played Mr Mooney in âYOUâ
To re-post a large number of idiotic, senseless posts, with the word delete added, was a master stroke.
Well done.
Nobody will notice them if you type delete underneath.
What about the really interesting posts about ventilators?
lucy4 said:
Why do most threads on here turn in to a Government/Prime Minister bashing exercise? If all people want to do is criticize and force their own agendas onto everyone else then start a separate thread or post in any of the numerous other anti-government threads.
Wouldn't that be called censorship?
Usually people debate differing views on forums.
I will often post articles that I don't necessarily agree with, to encourage debate.
There is nothing wrong a bit of scrolling on forums.
When people defend freedom of speech, they usually say, I might not agree with their views, but I absolutely defend their right to voice them.
We don't live in China, and don't have to defend The Government at all times.
I have not personally criticised The Government much on this thread, although I have posted some articles that have.
Isnt it up to other people to respond by defending The Government.
Shouldn't people be entering into debates about what other people post, rather than just whinging about the post itself.
If I was going to criticise them, it would be for their complete failure to provide NHS staff with adequate protection, and putting them at risk.
I watched a Chief Constable on Sky News this morning, he was being interviewed regarding the travel restriction, during which he made it absolutely clear that he was completely unaware of who should be travelling, and who shouldn't.
How do you police it if the rules aren't clear.
I would criticise them for preaching social distancing, then reducing the size, and frequency of trains, and tubes making this impossible.
I would criticise Boris for trying to con people into thinking this may be over and done with in 12 weeks.
How on earth could that be possible?
They said last week they would increase the testing to 25,000 per day.
The maximum they did was 8,000.
Lets say they do get up to the 25,000.
That means 175,000 per week assuming they test 7 days per week.
By my reckoning that would be just over 2 million tests in 12 weeks.
Only 64 million to go.
I don't claim to be a genius, and have just read the coronavirus headlines.
I may be completely wrong, but it seems to me that you can put an end to this in two mays.
You either develop herd immunity or a vaccine.
A vaccine is apparently going to take 12 to 18 months.
You need around 70% of the population to contract the virus to develop herd immunity.
This makes it difficult for the virus to spread, and stops the spread in big numbers.
Their policy is understandable. Social distancing to restrict the spread, and therefore lower the number of cases, so the NHS is able to cope, while protecting the most vulnerable.
The policy makes it impossible to solve in 12 weeks.
If he stopped the lockdown at the end of 12 weeks, we would get another surge.
I dislike Boris because he is dishonest.
You could ask the 5 million self employed people how they think Boris is looking after them?
Then there is the 500,000 new claims for Universal Credit from desperate people that have gone in during the last 9 days.
I wont be holding my breath until they are processed.
âA few daysâ pay lost is catastrophic for them. And time and time again Government ministers have told us that workers affected by the crisis could get help via Universal Credit.
âLast night there were queues of over 110,000 people trying to get on to the DWP system in order to register to apply for Universal Credit.
âWill the Prime Minister now put extra resources and funding to boost the DWP capacity and relax the often quite draconian requirements on people claiming so that money gets where itâs needed quickly to those people who have got to feed the kids, got to pay the rent, got to survive somehow?â
Coronavirus: British nationals stranded abroad in 'dire' situation
British nationals unable to return home due to the coronavirus pandemic are in a "dire" situation, a former minister has warned.
Tory MP Caroline Nokes said many were stranded as countries closed their borders and airlines cancelled flights.
The government's call for people to return home as quickly as possible were like "empty words" to them, she added.
They have been absolutely battered tonight on NewsNight.
Matt Hancock has been lying about the number of ventilators that we have.
He is saying 12,000. when we only have 8,000.
Nine days ago, Boris said we are ramping up testing to 25,000 per day.
At the time we were doing around 5,000 per day.
We did a total of 6,400 today.
NHS staff are still not being tested.
NHS staff are using bin bags for aprons.
They are using their kids school goggles.
The virus is due to peak in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
The extra ventilators will not be available before then.
They are creating confusion in many areas, particularly in defining key workers.
Self employed people with symptons are working.
Peter Kyle brought to light the following at PMQs yesterday.
A 94 year old resident of a care home in his constituency developed the symptons of the virus.
A test finally arrived 10 days later.
By which time 14 of the 20 residents were exhibiting symptons.
Seven of the staff were off sick self isolating.
These were agency staff.
They had been working in other care homes.
None of the protective equipment they had ordered, had arrived.
There are 80,000 care homes in the UK.
Boris could only say that testing kits would be available asap.
A common theme to the many questions he has been asked.
He seems very short of specifics in many cases.
They have made a big fuss about ordering three and a half million tests.
You have to wonder how long these will last with a population of over sixty million.
However there is a caveat.
They will not be distributing them until they are certain that they work properly.
I can imagine the conversation,
We have got the tests, but we are not sure they work properly.
Ok we will just order three and a half million then.
You couldn't make it up.
I was just using Madrid as an example, as its the worst area in Spain for cases of the virus.
We do not currently test anyone arriving at our airports.
So-let's try a little balance.
@chilling IF you want to delete your posts, provided it is within 1 month, it is easy.
Hover over the top right of 1 of your posts-you will see "options" then an edit button. click on it, delete post, save and the post has gone. However, regardless of the fact that i personally disagree with some of them, many make valid points, which a lot of people agree with. And I loved the pilot one.
Boris Johnson. It is easy to point out bits he is getting wrong. Boris is like that. Not capable of hiding his faults. Doesn't necessarily make him worse than, say, Tony Blair, who was brilliant at hiding his.
Boris may be Marmite, but it is important to point out the many good things he has done. The 80% pay is a masterstroke-anyone think the current Labour leadership could have acted so decisively? The rules for the self-employed seem as fair as possible (there will ALWAYS be people hard done by there), and the speed was commendable, other than the actual pay.
And Boris is very good at "talking the talk". A lot like Churchill. Massive character flaws, questionable ideals, etc. but probably better suited to being our PM in 2020 than 2019.
https://www.facebook.com/david.giles.3745/videos/10157717400466321/?fref=gs&dti=124081691532748&hc_location=group