Is it just coincidence that the PM and the health secretary have been infected and therefore virtually disappeared from public scrutiny on the same day the government were proved to be lying about the invite by the EU to purchase proven ventilators together.
How many deaths will their lies and incompetence cost?
Convenient?
Don't worry. Boris's mate Dyson has been given millions instead.
Britain’s 5 million self-employed face a looming tax hike, after chancellor Rishi Sunak agreed to bail them out during the coronavirus economic shutdown. Sunak on Thursday 26 March announced that Britain’s self-employed would be eligible for up to £2,500-a-month in state grants for the next three months. The support package comes amid a government-ordered economic shutdown and is estimated to be worth around £9bn (£11bn), according to the Financial Times. The scheme will help everyone from gigging musicians and Uber drivers to consultants and lawyers. However, Sunak hinted that the grants would be part of a trade off and the self-employed will likely face higher tax rates after the coronavirus crisis abates.
I appreciate his honestly and lack of stealth and good accountancy.
You might appreciate him less if you were one of the many that will not qualify for any assistance, yet still affected by the tax increases that will follow, in order to repay the money. It will be a bit like me getting a bank loan, and expecting you to help repaying it.
I'm affected and due to my pension be more than 50% of our profit I won't receive a penny- my accountant has said my wife will receive ÂŁ350 a month so ÂŁ1050 I accept that for the greater good, the country has to be pragmatic once this is over...tbf he told us now, not dropped it into a budget in a year or so....
I'm pleased those people who were self employed but under the radar, ie not running proper books, not using accountants or not self assessing honestly, mean they will not get nowt
Italy becoming impatient with lockdown - and social unrest is brewing The strain is showing in the south of the country where one man in Apulia reportedly called police after the bank closed and they couldn't withdraw his mother's pension - their only income.
Footage shows him shouting at officers, telling them the family has no money, his mother begging them to go to their home so she could show them they have no food. It's hard to watch. It's what desperation looks like. Another video has been shared around the country showing a father with his young daughter addressing the Italian prime minister, saying: "It's already 15-20 days that we've been inside and we're at our limit."
He gestures to his little girl who is eating a piece of bread and says: "Like my daughter, other children in a few days won't be able to eat this bit of bread. Rest assured, you will regret this because we're going to have a revolution." 'We're at our limit,' the father said
Why Germany has such a low COVID-19 death rate Images have also emerged of police descending on supermarkets in Palermo in Sicily after reports people have started stealing to feed themselves. And groups have been set up in the last few days on social media to organise raids of supermarkets.
Sky News was sent a video message of a man in Sicily with a gun even offering to kill.
The mayor of Palermo told Sky News crime gangs are exploiting people's hardship and inciting violence - he warns a social emergency is next.
Italy has been in lockdown now for three weeks "Discomfort and malaise are growing and we are recording worrying reports of protest and anger that is being exploited by criminals who want to destabilise the system," said Leoluca Orlando.
"The more time passes, the more resources are exhausted. The few savings people have are running out. This tells us socio-economic issues will erupt."
Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has made €25bn available to support families and businesses affected by lockdown. Some say they're still waiting for that help.
Others don't qualify because their employment is not officially recorded. Italy has a big cash economy of unregistered workers - the large majority of this in the south.
The further south you go, the higher the level of deprivation and the higher the unemployment.
While the virus hasn't reached the same crisis levels in southern Italy, hunger and hardship threaten to be even bigger problems.
Italy is ahead of other countries in this outbreak and unrest threatens to be the next chapter in this crisis.
As the country struggles to bring the virus spread under control, the government has extended lockdown from 3 April with no new deadline.
Lockdown is the only solution to save lives.
But in southern Italy, for many, it feels like it's threatening their very survival.
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.
Coronavirus: UK could stay in partial lockdown for six months, senior medical officer says 'If we stop then all of our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak'
Britain has been braced to expect a partial lockdown of society “for six months or longer”, after another sharp rise in the number of coronavirus deaths. Only “some” of the harsh restrictions will be lifted in the weeks to come, the deputy chief medical officer warned – even if a review after Easter judged they are working.
“Three weeks for review, two or three months to see if we've really squashed it,” Dr Jenny Harries told a Downing Street press conference,
“But three to six months, ideally – but lots of uncertainty in that – to see at which point we can actually get back to normal. And it is plausible it could go further than that.”
In a bleak message – on the day a further 209 deaths were announced, taking the UK total to 1,228 – the deputy chief medical officer warned it would be “dangerous” to revert to normal too quickly.
“If we stop, then all of our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak,” she urged the public to recognise.
The comments came as Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, said all parts of the UK were now on an “emergency footing”, a status unprecedented in peacetime. The likely turning on and off of restrictions – not “a complete lockdown” for six months, Dr Harries stressed – was set out as:
* Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, suggested the current lockdown would be needed for "at least 13 weeks" to stop the spread.
* The government agreed to investigate a blunder that may have seen the UK miss out on an offer of 25,000 life-saving ventilators.
* Michael Gove was accused of “feeble excuses” – and of putting Chinese people in the UK at risk – after blaming Beijing for the failure to curb the spread of the disease.
Clothes makers said the government had “dragged its heels” in ordering desperately-needed personal protective equipment for NHS staff.
* Nothing was heard from the self-isolating Boris Johnson – although Mr Gove insisted he was still fully in charge.
* Tony Blair called for “a very large proportion of the entire population” to be tested, in order to truly conquer coronavirus.
When Mr Johnson announced the lockdown last Monday, he said it would last for three weeks before a review was carried out.
The cabinet office minister also swerved a question about a top scientist’s new prediction that the peak of the outbreak will be in mid-April, rather than late May or early June as originally expected.
Comments
How many deaths will their lies and incompetence cost?
Convenient?
Don't worry. Boris's mate Dyson has been given millions instead.
I accept that for the greater good, the country has to be pragmatic once this is over...tbf he told us now, not dropped it into a budget in a year or so....
I'm pleased those people who were self employed but under the radar, ie not running proper books, not using accountants or not self assessing honestly, mean they will not get nowt
Still, with a declaration of that amount, he's probably be getting some form of 'support' already....I bet he'll also be moaning as well...
Footage shows him shouting at officers, telling them the family has no money, his mother begging them to go to their home so she could show them they have no food. It's hard to watch. It's what desperation looks like.
Another video has been shared around the country showing a father with his young daughter addressing the Italian prime minister, saying: "It's already 15-20 days that we've been inside and we're at our limit."
He gestures to his little girl who is eating a piece of bread and says: "Like my daughter, other children in a few days won't be able to eat this bit of bread. Rest assured, you will regret this because we're going to have a revolution."
'We're at our limit,' the father said
Why Germany has such a low COVID-19 death rate
Images have also emerged of police descending on supermarkets in Palermo in Sicily after reports people have started stealing to feed themselves. And groups have been set up in the last few days on social media to organise raids of supermarkets.
Sky News was sent a video message of a man in Sicily with a gun even offering to kill.
The mayor of Palermo told Sky News crime gangs are exploiting people's hardship and inciting violence - he warns a social emergency is next.
Italy has been in lockdown now for three weeks
"Discomfort and malaise are growing and we are recording worrying reports of protest and anger that is being exploited by criminals who want to destabilise the system," said Leoluca Orlando.
"The more time passes, the more resources are exhausted. The few savings people have are running out. This tells us socio-economic issues will erupt."
Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has made €25bn available to support families and businesses affected by lockdown. Some say they're still waiting for that help.
Others don't qualify because their employment is not officially recorded. Italy has a big cash economy of unregistered workers - the large majority of this in the south.
The further south you go, the higher the level of deprivation and the higher the unemployment.
While the virus hasn't reached the same crisis levels in southern Italy, hunger and hardship threaten to be even bigger problems.
Italy is ahead of other countries in this outbreak and unrest threatens to be the next chapter in this crisis.
As the country struggles to bring the virus spread under control, the government has extended lockdown from 3 April with no new deadline.
Lockdown is the only solution to save lives.
But in southern Italy, for many, it feels like it's threatening their very survival.
Is factory farming to blame for coronavirus?
Coronavirus: UK could stay in partial lockdown for six months, senior medical officer says
'If we stop then all of our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak'
Britain has been braced to expect a partial lockdown of society “for six months or longer”, after another sharp rise in the number of coronavirus deaths.
Only “some” of the harsh restrictions will be lifted in the weeks to come, the deputy chief medical officer warned – even if a review after Easter judged they are working.
“Three weeks for review, two or three months to see if we've really squashed it,” Dr Jenny Harries told a Downing Street press conference,
“But three to six months, ideally – but lots of uncertainty in that – to see at which point we can actually get back to normal. And it is plausible it could go further than that.”
In a bleak message – on the day a further 209 deaths were announced, taking the UK total to 1,228 – the deputy chief medical officer warned it would be “dangerous” to revert to normal too quickly.
“If we stop, then all of our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak,” she urged the public to recognise.
The comments came as Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, said all parts of the UK were now on an “emergency footing”, a status unprecedented in peacetime.
The likely turning on and off of restrictions – not “a complete lockdown” for six months, Dr Harries stressed – was set out as:
* Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, suggested the current lockdown would be needed for "at least 13 weeks" to stop the spread.
* The government agreed to investigate a blunder that may have seen the UK miss out on an offer of 25,000 life-saving ventilators.
* Michael Gove was accused of “feeble excuses” – and of putting Chinese people in the UK at risk – after blaming Beijing for the failure to curb the spread of the disease.
Clothes makers said the government had “dragged its heels” in ordering desperately-needed personal protective equipment for NHS staff.
* Nothing was heard from the self-isolating Boris Johnson – although Mr Gove insisted he was still fully in charge.
* Tony Blair called for “a very large proportion of the entire population” to be tested, in order to truly conquer coronavirus.
When Mr Johnson announced the lockdown last Monday, he said it would last for three weeks before a review was carried out.
The cabinet office minister also swerved a question about a top scientist’s new prediction that the peak of the outbreak will be in mid-April, rather than late May or early June as originally expected.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-uk-lockdown-end-latest-boris-johnson-a9432666.html