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A d for all their light touch (which has been overstated) they have not seen an economic benefit
Q2 2020
Norway -7.1% GDP ex oil
Sweeden -8.6% GDP
UK -19.6%
Germany -9.7% (edit: or -10.1%)
I think the fairest comparison for Sweden is with Germany on both Covid (it's done worse) and economics (it's doen slightly better). Germany also has a high proportion of single households, I linked it a few pages back, but it also has Sonnenallee and the equivelent of in many cities.
The problem is as you lot, and maybe Boris and chums debate how other countries are doing we carry on sleep walking into a disaster. It doesnt matter about then or that country, what matters is here and now and measures to slow the virus do not appear to be working, and yesterdays hospital admissions are deeply worrying.
So on deaths Sweden have done 5x worse than Germany
I'm not sure that's looking too great
Germany also has 10x the population density of Sweden & they were much closer to the epicentre of Italian ski resorts & connected by a great many more transport routes
They did however start checking incoming flights for ill passengers in February and filled out testing among the earliest in Europe
I agree with that, Kimbers, except one detail. As a proportion of the population there were as many Swedes, Danes and Norwegians in Ischgl as Germans.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/24/europe/austria-ski-resort-ischgl-coronavirus-intl/index.html
Edit to save you reading the lot:
The most recent available Danish government figures show that out of more than 1,400 cases in Denmark, 298 contracted the virus in Austria. In comparison, only 61 cases are linked to travel to Italy, so far the hardest-hit country in Europe.
One thing that may interest you AA, is that in Sweden kids with mild symptoms (runny nose, light cough) are expected to stay off school for two days. Part of their measures to try and keep kids in school, and avoid having to send more home. The new measures, including extra testing for kids, started when the new term started. And in Germany they have dedicated walk in test centres for kids, with one hour turn around for results… again, aimed at helping keep infected kids out of schools, and keep schools open.
I’m in 100% agreement with AA here. I had the unfortunate necessity to travel into London on Monday with two observations; people are getting away without wearing masks, distancing or cleanliness wherever they can and there is nowhere near enough people about to touch the service economy in a positive way.
Therefore, continued messaging about freedoms and trust of the public with the added bonus of propping up the economy is a dismal failure.
Kids and teachers are immune Kelvin, we dont need that! My other half only got it because she works at a private school and isnt qualified so therefore the magic didnt work.
And yet as recently as July Institut Pasteur, the US and UK authroites were saying kids don't transmit the virus:
It was bollocks, we knew it was bollocks (read back to July on this thread) and that's one of things that has helped the virus most: disinformation.
In France we were told masks were useless (despite hospital staff protesting about shortages) and now they are obligatory almost everywhere indoors. But kids under 10 stil don't have to wear them. We'll get there eventually.
Edit: A-A spnet less time typing a shorter post and got in quicker.
Or you could have followed a more sensible approach like Sweden has, which will ultimately lead to better results. But then your weird personal obsession with locking down as hard as possible wouldn’t allow that, would it?
Sweden is an awkward one. Their Covid policy is vaguely successful (~6,000 deaths) but must be taken in relation to their developed welfare state. For most Swedes getting Covid doesn't mean a devastating financial blow, hence they're very likely to self-isolate for the full required period. People may wish to bang on about "freedom" from lockdown and masks in Sweden but ultimately what they're celebrating is universal healthcare, job security, childcare, and unemployment benefit. Stick that on the front page of the Daily Express.
Swedish cities are (mostly!) safe for cyclists which means that workers weren't forced onto overcrowded public transport at the peak of the outbreak. Compare this to UK cities where the best that was achieved was a lane or two coned off from traffic.
Interestingly they did experience a very similar problem in care homes that we did along with disproportionate impact on minorities, and that was associated with in part to a gig economy and relative poverty.
The general population in the UK is too stupid (see Brexit, pubs at closing time, beaches in the summer...) to be relied upon to apply social distancing or mask wearing appropriately.
In terms of admissions and deaths, we appear to be getting close to the point in mid-March when we were dithering over restrictions in England and asking people if they wouldn't mind awfully not going to the pub. Any chance the government will have learned anything from our experiences back then?*
*rhetorical question.
*rhetorical question
The one I wanted to ask. It very much feels like the North of England is already at that point... hence hoping for some regional graphs from TiRed... as I'm hoping a calm rational look at the regional data will show my feelings to be misplaced (or premature). I sure as hell don't want a "lock down" around here... but current measures don't look like enough to prevent that blunt instrument having to be wielded before Xmas. And, yes, any further restrictions need to be paired with financial help from the government for businesses and eduction bodies effected... but so would a lock down... let's act now and avoid the more socially and financially damaging action being needed later.
Government rep* apparently on the telly this morning saying that while the admissions for Covid+ people were rising, perhaps quite a few of them weren't being admitted for Covid problems, but other stuff.
So it seems that a fair chunk of our political elite are desperately twisting the data to fit into whatever delusional bubble they have constructed to avoid lockdown. Cabinet is divided, so the result will be paralysis.
Also it's only happening to northern shitholes, so that's a few more days of not giving a stuff, really.
*Ah, I see that Liz Truss is trending, so that makes sense.
https://twitter.com/EdBish18/status/1313743103707303936
ScotGov announcement coming at 3pm, looking like some further restrictions for central belt, be interesting to see where go with it. Finance minister had previously admitted that they wouldn't/couldn't shut pubs without Westminster support package, we're already not mixing households, it doesn't leave a lot to go on.
Act now, I agree, but how?
I'd mask primary school kids for a start. Because there's still headline bollocks about young kids not being a problem. Even an article correctly claiming only 14.3% of school clusters are in primary schools and 5.9% in pre-school fails to note that in terms of numbers in each age group that's not far off proportional and the difference can easily be attributed to the amount of out of school socialising in each age group:
And I'd ban over 65s from restaurants and pubs, because they're dominant in the restaurants in their large social groups without masks in these parts and they're the ones most likely to clog up the hospitals. Let them eat Uber!
If it's acceptable to ban under 18s from pubs I don't see a problem with banning over 65s form eating on the premises. But is a government with a peer group of old codgers and an ageing electorate prepared to do that? No chance. Measures aren't about pragmatism, they're about pandering to voters.
hence hoping for some regional graphs from TiRed
@kelvin - is there nothing on the travellingtabby site?
I caught 5 minutes of Liz Truss on Radio 4
I dont think she answered a single question in an intelligible way, asking her to justify the 10pm closing was almost as pointless as asking Dyson to square his Brexit stance with the damage it was doing to business 10 minutes earlier
is there nothing on the travellingtabby site
There's lots on there. I can see lots of worrying data for up here... what I'd really like is the man who can put that data into context for us... he's good at taking the edge off people (including me) reading too much into the data.
The problem in the UK is that anything short of a complete blanket lockdown just won't be taken seriously by a lot of people - mixed messaging, no end goal, boredom and frustration after all these months, plus lack of financial support means there is no carrot to encourage people to "do the right thing", and there's no way of enforcing the rules by "the stick" either. Breaking the rules hasn't been effectively punished from the start as the Police don't have the manpower and they were undermined by Cummings.
Short of some sort of "coup" to replace Boris and this shower of a cabinet, I can't see how anyone can stand up and say "right, we've cocked up, we need to tackle this properly and we need to do X,y and z" which is what I think is needed
The problem in the UK is that anything short of a complete blanket lockdown just won’t be taken seriously by a lot of people – mixed messaging, no end goal, boredom and frustration after all these months, plus lack of financial support means there is no carrot to encourage people to “do the right thing”, and there’s no way of enforcing the rules by “the stick” either. Breaking the rules hasn’t been effectively punished from the start as the Police don’t have the manpower and they were undermined by Cummings.
Short of some sort of “coup” to replace Boris and this shower of a cabinet, I can’t see how anyone can stand up and say “right, we’ve cocked up, we need to tackle this properly and we need to do X,y and z” which is what I think is needed
Can't say I disagree with you.
In my opinion, and based on my own experiences apart from the odd rule change / clarification here and there, the Covid regs we have now, are pretty much how things will be until Spring / Vaccinations.
Numbers are rising, but they're numbers the NHS can handle, they're also well below 'worst case' estimates.
Could the UK do more to save lives? Oh yes, we're not nearly making the sacrifices needed to avoid the winter surge and inevitable deaths, but as you say the appetite just isn't there for lock-down anymore.
Even the most vocal supporters of lock down I know, are total hypocrites, they only want restrictions that don't effect them personally, or more likely only stick to the rules they want to. Everyone's got an excuse, everyone's got a reason why they can break the rules, most don't think they're breaking them "really".
I think if Westminster or local Gov tried to take us back to where we were in April with deserted roads, closed schools, pubs, shops etc there would be wholesale social disobedience, especially now the economic costs are starting to show.
Back in April there was the idea the virus could be errdicated as SARS1 had been and as the Chinese were seen to be doing, sort off. I don't think anyone believes in erradiacation without a vaccine now and many don't even believe in that given the probability of mutation.
People now know that lockdowns reduce numbers but don't eliminate the virus because there are still people moving around to maintain spread. So many people are invloved in essential services that even the most severe lockdown has littel chance of eliminating the virus.
At best we'll maintain the virus at a manageable level, and the higher the level of normality we allow the more the virus will circulate.
Measures that people will accept need to demonstrably limit spread without unacceptable economic damage. Which is why I fail to see the problme with masking young school kids. Zero economic cost to mask them, very easy to enforce, kid takes mask off, parents called.
Numbers are rising, but they’re numbers the NHS can handle
Can you show your working out on this?
Back in April there was the idea the virus could be errdicated as SARS1 had been and as the Chinese were seen to be doing, sort off. I don’t think anyone believes in erradiacation without a vaccine now and many don’t even believe in that given the probability of mutation.
Was SARS ever eradicated? My understanding is that it just evolved to be a better virus, aka one that doesn't kill it's host and is still 'doing the rounds' as a minor illness.
As for COVID19. I personally don't think it will ever be eradicated, even when the vaccine comes. my believe is that we'll vaccinate our way out of more deaths by early next year. We'll vaccinate for it again Winter 21/22 but only vulnerable people, by then they might even be able to roll it into the flu vaccine. It will continue to kill people, but at a much lower level, like Flu and others cold-like virus do now and we'll have to learn to accept that as part of 'Life and Death' as we do now.
Can you show your working out on this?
Not really, I occasionally read my Wife's NHS daily covid report thing, we're not concerned about running out of beds, here anyway, like we were back in March.
Local testing centre here has closed, lack of use!.
Was SARS ever eradicated?
Yes.
I’m starting to feel that I’m expected to get it & take my chances.
I’m too young for a flu jab or vaccine (46) fit(ish) and Otherwise healthy.
My job is considered Key Worker when they want me to work, but not important enough to qualify for vaccination.
So come the spring, after doing all the right things to get us through winter to a hopeful vaccine, I won’t be allowed a jab. As everything opens up I’ll be the most at risk age not to get a vaccine.
Marvellous.
Can you show your working out on this?
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
/blockquote>How does any of that show that the nhs isnt going to be overwhelmed this winter?
500 admissions yesterday, two-week doubling time (or less) puts us at 2000 admissions/day in a month. Sadly, about 1/7 of those admissions will die, so 300 deaths/day. I can't see past a lockdown come half-term. Maybe for two weeks as a circuit-breaker to help get us to Christmas.
I’m starting to feel that I’m expected to get it & take my chances.
I’m too young for a flu jab or vaccine (46) fit(ish) and Otherwise healthy.My job is considered Key Worker when they want me to work, but not important enough to qualify for vaccination.
So come the spring, after doing all the right things to get us through winter to a hopeful vaccine, I won’t be allowed a jab. As everything opens up I’ll be the most at risk age not to get a vaccine.
Marvellous.
You can mitigate some of the risk by paying for a Flu jab, if only to remove the risk of having Covid and Flu at the same time, which sounds like a recipe for disaster if I ever heard one.
I have one every year, I've had Flu twice and it's horrible.
Mine was £13, Lloyds near me are doing walk-ins at the moment.
Is it me, or has Sunetra Gupta been on Radio4 every single day? There must be someone else who can offer the "balance" position of letting the virus rip for them? Or perhaps some nuanced discussion occasionally might be preferable.
Back in April there was the idea the virus could be errdicated as SARS1 had been and as the Chinese were seen to be doing, sort off. I don’t think anyone believes in erradiacation without a vaccine now and many don’t even believe in that given the probability of mutation.
People now know that lockdowns reduce numbers but don’t eliminate the virus because there are still people moving around to maintain spread. So many people are invloved in essential services that even the most severe lockdown has littel chance of eliminating the virus.
Australia has gone from a 7 day average of 500 to 15 in 2 months, using the strict lockdown imposed in Victoria. Will be interesting to see what happens there as the restrictions are relaxed.
You can mitigate some of the risk by paying for a Flu jab
No Flu "jabs" available up here for at risk kids. Once again this year, we got the letter, booked, turned up, and were turned away from the GP provided clinic. Then chased after a pharmacist provided one... no joy. On the Boots waiting list, and keep checking back with Lloyds and GP... weeks away at best, they say.
I can’t see past a lockdown come half-term.
Damn. Succinct but clear.
I still think it'll be more local restrictions only... despite that clearly not working (whether that is because the "unfair" local rules aren't taken seriously, or because we are a highly mobile population)... and despite the government not having the data or means to succeed with that kind of flexible approach that they're trying to pursue. I think they'll stick to it as long as they can, with a national "lockdown" being avoided at all cost. North of England hospitals are going to be much busier than people expect in two weeks time... but the government won't go for a national response unless London is hit in a similar way.
I can’t see past a lockdown come half-term.
English half term I presume? Some Scots schools (East coast) have been off since last friday.
No Flu “jabs” available up here for at risk kids. Once again this year, we got the letter, booked, turned up, and were turned away from the GP provided clinic. Then chased after a pharmacist provided one… no joy. On the Boots waiting list, and keep checking back with Lloyds and GP… weeks away at best, they say.
That's crazy, here in Wales there was a mad rush at the end of Sept, that passed. I got a same-day appointment in Lloyds last week. My daughter is having her nasal spray today, Wife had hers yesterday (but she's NHS frontline so they do it in work).
Sorry I made it sound easy, but it was no issue at all for me last week.
I can’t see past a lockdown come half-term.
Kenneth Clarke was interviewed this morning and stated that it was now inevitable
Will it make any difference though?
The areas with local lockdowns in the north west have all got infection rates going through the roof.
We gave up in late December last year P-Jay. Fingers crossed it’ll happen this year…
There are no local lockdowns binners… people aren’t supposed to go into each other’s homes… but that restriction* doesn’t mean lockdown, far from it. And it clearly isn’t the effective restriction that the gov were hoping for… but hard for them to be sure of what to do instead, given how behind they are as regards getting tracking and testing schemes ramped up ready for May or June 2020, or whenever they originally said these tools would be needed for.
[ * referring to the areas I know of ]
Australia has gone from a 7 day average of 500 to 15 in 2 months, using the strict lockdown imposed in Victoria. Will be interesting to see what happens there as the restrictions are relaxed.
Based on our own 'success' in the UK in Spring / Summer and our current position. Maybe it's the seasons that do the work? who knows Anymore.
P-Jay - normally both myself and my wife get Flu jabs through work. This year we've both been informed there aren't any spare. Ive tried to book locally to pay but all outlets are only booking NHS approved, not self pay. Despite it being obvious demand would increase, we are short of supply. Imagine that!!
After banning two to a van since late March, now Covid is definitely on the rise again, Royal Mail are trying to get us posties to van share again... Unbelievable.
I think they are more worried about Xmas chaos than the lives of posties and their family/social circles.
Announcement expected from Nichola Sturgeon shortly regarding the hospitality sector.
Worth everyone listening too as Boris will probably do the same thing in a week or two's time
Not really, I occasionally read my Wife’s NHS daily covid report thing, we’re not concerned about running out of beds, here anyway
Yet. See TiReds comment about doubling time.
2 weeks till half term here. Very much expecting a lockdown around then, maybe an extra week of home learning.
The Beeb are suggesting European countries are seeing admissions level off rather than continue rising, but that's with restrictions in place. We need to get better at protecting the vulnerable - though the physical and mental health impacts of that are a risk in themselves - and properly locking down flare up clusters, like unis, factories etc.
Announcement expected from Nichola Sturgeon shortly regarding the hospitality sector.
Worth everyone listening too as Boris will probably do the same thing in a week or two’s time
Yep, it'll be interesting. She can close Pubs, but she can't provide any financial support for them, that has to come from Westminster. (I believe).
English half term I presume?
Apologies, yes English half-term plus possibly an extra week for those with one-week half-term. Private schools have two weeks anyway.
An important element here is not the focus on pub restrictions, but the encouragement to get outdoors....
There must be someone else who can offer the “balance” position of letting the virus rip for them?
I don’t do meeja, but there is a scientific debate to be had about the relative roles of contacts and immunity as drivers of infection rates (and control strategies), not to mention COVID19 morbidity and mortality. At the moment it seems a political debate.
NHSTT needs to focus on prospectively reducing transmission, rather than retrospectively getting people back into circulation faster. Until then it will be on the back foot, and “letting rip” will not help the unprotected.
Agreed. But it's the need to represent opposing views, rather than find consensus, that is keeping her on the air, every day, I feel. You can easily find people who will discuss using track/trace/isolate effectively, along with a working testing system, to avoid needing any form of "lock down"... but instead they'd rather have her on, again and again, wibbling on about getting out of the way of the virus, to be seen to be "balanced". To be fair, they do tend to ask her how she intends to protect the vulnerable, but she's well practised at batting that away in the short slots they have her in.
In the future everyone will be famous for five minutes. She’s having her five minutes. The coming mortality statistics will make the decisions. Sadly.
Gupta is a hack and history will end up viewing her in the same category as Peter Duesberg.
I think they are more worried about Xmas chaos than the lives of posties and their family/social circles.
I think you'll discover that almost every large company sees its employees as an irritating but necessary expense.
While infection rates of students (and staff) in secondary schools are known locally, there's very little information being reported on the national picture. In N. Yorks and Teesside it seems most schools have reported multiple confirmed cases.
While infection rates of students (and staff) in secondary schools are known locally,
I know a of two local cases that local news assume are pupils but are actually teachers, so the picture might not be as clear as you think locally
My lad is at an 1800 strong 6th Form College, with a catchment of 25 mile radius, and it's on the edge of Nottingham, which is due to get a lockdown later in the week. So far one teacher and one student have tested positive.
As far as I'm aware, there's been no positive tests at any of the three secondary schools in Ilkeston. A friend works at a very big secondary in North Notts and they've had no positives yet.
I am, frankly, amazed by all this, and at the same time wondering how much asymptomatic transmission may be going on.
Nottingham cases are all quite condensed geographically at the moment, yes? Expect measures to come soon to try and keep it that way…
Royal Mail are trying to get us posties to van share again… Unbelievable.
Don't give it up to be a binman then! Still it's keeping a roof over my head while the industry I've spent 25 years in is being destroyed.
Nottingham cases are all quite condensed geographically at the moment, yes?
Yes, very concentrated in the main uni areas, but beginning to spread. Apparently Nottingham Uni are running their own testing centre, including asymptomatic, which they say is accounting for the big numbers
Tory Spokesperson Kuennsberg new article on the BBC website is hinting at some tiered tighter restrictions across England from Monday
That Mash article made me laugh. If you want to see into future, deaths in six days time will be today's admissions divided by 7. Plus or minus 8 deaths.
That Mash article made me laugh.
Pah, that's nothing. I can see at least two weeks into the future by watching TV5 Monde. 🙂
I see our glorious leader is letting us have one more covid-packed weekend of boozing before he closes the pubs. One last super-spreader event to keep us going through the cold months ahead.
Tory Spokesperson Kuennsberg new article
This weeks private eye had a column commenting on how when johnson was declaring we will fight them on the beaches how most of the media were amazingly accurate in their predictions of what was going to mentioned. They cynically suggested that despite the start time over running the email to them giving the key points was delivered at the original planned time.
I’m sitting in dismay at this mornings headlines “Boris expected to announce pub closures...” it’s so repetitively boring Cummings and predictably mistaken. he’ll announce tomorrow, pubs will be packed over the weekend, they’ll close a Monday and cases/admission will go up as a result.
ffs
Why do they keep trailing all the moves in advsnce, whats the reasoning for the incompetence?
It's the old trick of let's "leak" what's coming next and if nobody objects too strongly, we'll stick with the plan. If there is uproar we'll tweak the message to make it look like we know what we're doing
Get the media to announce bad news, so that when you speak about it, you are just confirming things. Or alternatively, walk away from it or water it down if poorly received. It's how they have been 'governing' since July last year on everything.
This morning is "herd immunity by exposure take two" in the media, isn't it. This second rising period is going to be like a slow motion repeat of the first one as regards the media and political chatter.
Don’t give it up to be a binman then! Still it’s keeping a roof over my head while the industry I’ve spent 25 years in is being destroyed.
Would I be right in thinking you stick to the same working teams everyday, under normal circumstances?
Normally, the "duty holder" driver and passenger have different days off in Royal Mail, who have their day off covered by someone who covers the day off of multiple duties each week. Before a postie shows syptoms and responsibly self-isolates, Covid can very easily and quickly spread between posties; their freiends; their family; "random" interactions out and about etc.
Question for anyone who has had covid. What's a continuous cough typically like. The reason I ask is the guy I was playing golf with the other day had somehow developed a cough. I wouldn't say it was continuous, probably 3 quick coughs every 10 minutes or so which he claimed were phelmy. Obviously I kept my distance but when I suggested he may want to get tested he just laughed, said he was fine and that he felt great with no other symptoms and it was brought on from being outside. Hed had it for 2 or 3 days apparently.
I came home from work to my better half dry coughing practically non-stop back in March, with brief respites of "a few seconds" inbetween coughs. I can't recall the exact typical duration, but it was far more frequent than any cold either of us have had in the ~15 years we've been together and between us we've had plenty of colds.
A day or so later, her coughing was replaced by severe breathing difficulties when she simply walked between rooms in our small flat, that lasted for two periods of ~2 weeks.
He was certainly nothing like that!
I developed a more tickly, annoying cough that would recur every couple of hours. My wife had the same. Certainly wasn't debilitating. I did hit the wall with fatigue after a couple of days though. Reactions seem to be quite variable,
Why do they keep trailing all the moves in advsnce, whats the reasoning for the incompetence?
You see focus groups, that's how it used to be done, put a few people in a room and test their reactions.
You see the entire public, that's the focus group now.
I developed a more tickly, annoying cough that would recur every couple of hours. My wife had the same. Certainly wasn’t debilitating. I did hit the wall with fatigue after a couple of days though. Reactions seem to be quite variable,
Posted 6 minutes ago
I didn't realise you'd had it scotroutes. Do you think it was a contributing factor in your subsequent TIA you posted about on here?
Why do they keep trailing all the moves in advsnce, whats the reasoning for the incompetence?
Its kite flying. We, as the countries population, are now just a huge focus group fo Dom.
Just read the code. 'A Downing Street Source' means it's come direct from Cummings. This is invariably where the 'leaks' come from. He's just testing the waters to gauge reaction to see if he needs to tweak it, leave it as it is or scrap it completely.
And I'm sure we're all used to Nicola Sturgeon announcing something, for Boris to follow and announce the same a week later
All this 'Downing Street Source' bullshit is really testing my patience of the whole thing. Why should the response to the virus be guided by what the great unwashed think? It just leads to the idiotic 10pm pub curfew and things like everyone seemingly piling in to pubs for one last weekend binge before they shut (again). I'm really, really trying to follow the rules, do the right thing for the greater good and protect my loved ones but when this bunch of morons are leading by leaks, treating us as a giant social experiment and feathering their own nests I'm sorely tempted to just do what I please and just look after me. It's what they are doing after all.
Of course I won't do that though. Mainly as I have morals but I can't help thinking that that's exactly what they want me to do and that I'm being 'played'.
Of course I won’t do that though. Mainly as I have morals but I can’t help thinking that that’s exactly what they want me to do and that I’m being ‘played’.
Correct. That way the Govt can avoid the blame.
Question for anyone who has had covid. What’s a continuous cough typically like. The reason I ask is the guy I was playing golf with the other day had somehow developed a cough. I wouldn’t say it was continuous, probably 3 quick coughs every 10 minutes or so which he claimed were phelmy. Obviously I kept my distance but when I suggested he may want to get tested he just laughed, said he was fine and that he felt great with no other symptoms and it was brought on from being outside. Hed had it for 2 or 3 days apparently.
I had pretty much this, 3-4 dry coughs every 10 to 15 mins for 2 days. Very brief temperature spike and lost sense of smell a few days later. Wife and son had similar but worse symptoms 8-9 days later. All recovered OK and I've since had a negative antibody test but convinced that was it.
It just leads to the idiotic 10pm pub curfew and things like everyone seemingly piling in to pubs for one last weekend binge before they shut (again).
They might has well have just put a press release out saying 'hey everyone! We're shutting the pubs on Monday, so if I were you I'd get together with all your mates and go out on a massive bender this weekend. Make sure you remember to give everyone a big hug when you're leathered!'
Strangely I'd have preferred them saying that, at least it would have been honest!