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This is the bit that sticks out for me in the Iranian report:
the opening of 40,000 mosques, as well as shops and offices.
There's been a lot of talk of lower contagion in open spaces, maybe this is the prevalence. London's huge spike caused by the Tube & air travel, Birmingham kind of next as another transport hub?
Johnson has no track record in getting difficult things done well. He has bullshitted his way through Brexit so far because he hasn’t actually had to deal with any of the difficult stuff yet.
He won't do any difficult stuff on Brexit, he'll swerve all the discussions, claim the nasty foreigners made him do it, and go straight to no deal without passing go and without collecting a trade deal.
He has no track record of getting even easy things done at all, let alone done well, before you even go near difficult stuff done badly and through that onto the dizzy heights of difficult stuff done well.
Peter Hitchens: "The Lockdown is a Catastrophe"
Why post a one hour video yet make no comment on it? If you’ve got an opinion of your own on the subject post it.
Why post a one hour video yet make no comment on it? If you’ve got an opinion of your own on the subject post it.
Good point!
Didnt get past 6 minutes of that.
While some of the points were worth thinking about, there were so many contradictory themes running side by side in a Double Think style that it was a mess.
Another chance to apologise to Jon. Sorry Jon…
Weekend press briefings, apparently, are to end '....due to low ratings'.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/downing-street-press-conferences-weekend-low-ratings_uk_5ed63cf6c5b6ef31834e37bc?e5g&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvL0J2NGFYQURBN3U_YW1wPTE&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABaLAWQ4aqE2XvgIFf9N_ehr58ldRYpviXRoTQp7kJDC87idM4ku62viQYGve8OZKQg_PgtAfS9M5wd0K6uOZKka3zZR_0kUvfYda5FsZthBRHCch610Ezalua_P9zc2-Nc1fJvjXATKkXQvg5M1yIW9twgMnZG_E7QMIu1wDd3w
So johnson and his crew see this as a ratings game? Shades of trump.
Another example of their clear disdain for the public and dismissive attitude to the little people.
What about the public's right to know? This has been described by johnson as a public health emergency.
Surely, if we're moving to a better situation, the gov would wish to share the continuing good news with the public on a daily basis?
Moving on from that, letter from Sir David Norgrove to hancock criticising the use/mis-use of statistics, absence of some key ones and deliberate lack of clarity must be a gift to media for today's presser; let's hope that they use it.
I forecast no follow-up Qs allowed today.
frankconway
SubscriberMoving on from that, letter from Sir David Norgrove to hancock criticising the use/mis-use of statistics
Aye, Boris £350m-To-The-EU Johnston will take that very seriously.
It's making public the fact that information being presented by gov is incomplete and wrongly interpreted deliberately.
Whether or not johnson and his acolytes take it seriously is only one consideration; it's making the wider public aware of the duplicity and inconsistencies.
It should be used by journos and Keir Starmer to ask pointed questions.
Is it not the case that the more effective the lockdown and the sharper the fall in cases, the more likely a second wave is and the more severe it'd be? Would it still result in lower cases overall?
There is simply no clarity at all on what the endgame is here. SAGE were adamant as recently as 13 March that there will be a second wave following the lifting of any suppression. Yet the govt talks as if the inadequate and dysfunctional TTI system is going to do all the heavy lifting for them. None of it makes any sense and I have zero confidence in any of them.
Not happy on the weekend briefings ending, the virus doesn't care whether it's a weekday or a weekend. It's almost like they're saying we can have the weekends off from worrying about social distancing etc, it's less important.
Did notice today that around Cardiff this afternoon there were a lot of people in the parks, busier than normal and very little social distancing going on. People swimming in the river, congregating on the rock islands and jumping off the weirs like it was completely normal. Spoke to the police who have been sitting in their van in Blackweir and Pontcanna Fields (behind the castle) pretty much constantly every evening and they essentially said they've given up enforcing things as it's now impossible. They're just on the lookout for any antisocial behaviour now. Considering Wales is meant to have the toughest lockdown restrictions it's a bit worrying.
the virus doesn’t care whether it’s a weekday or a weekend.
No but the parasites we call a government do
The absolute state of this reporting is a joke:
https://twitter.com/EdConwaySky/status/1267856088449323010
Did notice today that around Cardiff this afternoon there were a lot of people in the parks, busier than normal and very little social distancing going on. People swimming in the river, congregating on the rock islands and jumping off the weirs like it was completely normal.
Same in the Peak District. Goyt Valley was rammed the other day, people swimming in the reservoirs, picnicking and sunbathing, big groups out walking.
This evening, Stanage Edge was almost as busy as a normal weekend, loads of groups of both walkers and cyclists, cars everywhere (and a thoroughly appalling standard of driving). Lots of cars parked up, the owners sitting around on camping chairs, BBQs on the go (mostly on the gravel car parks rather than in the hills from what I saw but there was a moorland fire up there just a couple of days ago).
Honestly, it's as though lockdown never happened.
If true, deeply concerning - and another reason why Sir David Norgrove's letter to hancock is so important.
200k tests a day you say? Hmmm....
https://twitter.com/tobyhelm/status/1267796086401503232?s=20
I’m still trying to compute that with the level being dropped in line with that Joint Biosecurity body that isn’t up and running/ doesn’t exist yet.
Unicorns again.
Last two mornings, ministers on BBC Breakfast completely evading the question of how many people actually being tested. Official line is that number of tests and capacity is more important for people to know.
yourguitarhero
Member
As far as I can tell, I’m not going to be able to **** my girlfriend until the very final stage of lockdown easings
Surely if we've learned anything from the last week or so, it's that Cummings are allowed.
I'm surprised that anyone expects this Government to be anything other than awful. They were rubbish before a global pandemic hit us, hardly confidence inspiring. Their unsuitability for any role in Govt is widely documented.
The reality is that any of us would struggle in this situation but the total absence of humility, empathy and honesty is an absolute disgrace.
I hope Starmer gives them a rough ride today at PMQs
I hope Starmer gives them a rough ride today at PMQs
I want to watch this more than I’ve ever been involved on politics before.
Although the numbers might be misleading to a degree, the important thing is that those who need a test are getting access to one and the results are quickly nproduced.
So even if its 40k per day so what, the government cant force people to come forward to get tested, dont know why they dont just say that's the case of it is.
So even if its 40k per day so what, the government cant force people to come forward to get tested, dont know why they dont just say that’s the case of it is.
So why dont gov say that rather than post much more bigly numbers to impress the easily led?
I was listening to Radio Scotland yesterday morning and a resident from Peebles was complaining about the cars and vans with English reg plates being parked round the town. So if it was anyone on here please follow rule number 1, thanks.
That's ridiculous. I live in Peebles and there are loads of English number plates on residents cars. Newcastle is less than 90 mins drive away, and sells second hand cars at lower prices than Edinburgh or Glasgow, for a start.
The Nimby Beltane Locals are in moany-face overdrive looking for a reason to hate incomers.
(And for translation purposes - Beltane is code for inbred.)
Surely if we’ve learned anything from the last week or so, it’s that Cummings are allowed.
👏👏
The Nimby Beltane Locals are in moany-face overdrive looking for a reason to hate incomers
IME it's very rarely ever actual 'locals' that moan about this sort of thing, it's always folk who move there, and then moan like **** about others coming to visit. On so many occasions in the last few years we've had folk on the radio and TV complaining about the traffic on the likes of Skye, very rarely if ever do they have a local accent.
Although the numbers might be misleading to a degree
No - it's completely misleading, and intentionally so
the important thing is that those who need a test are getting access to one and the results are quickly nproduced.
So even if its 40k per day so what, the government cant force people to come forward to get tested, dont know why they dont just say that’s the case of it is
I agree with you on this. I don't understand why they aren't just open about it. They'll bare-faced lie about some stuff but in the real world it's exactly as you say - you can't test people who aren't presenting themselves to be tested, why gloss over it?
So if we have capacity, how come you can still only get a test if you have symptoms, but not if you've been contacted by track and trace?
I understand that if you get tested too soon you might get a false negative? But rather than isolate everyone contacted for 14 days, why don't we get them tested after 5-7 days, whatever the lead infection time suggests?
IME it’s very rarely ever actual ‘locals’ that moan about this sort of thing, it’s always folk who move there, and then moan like **** about others coming to visit
Nailed it! True too in my twee little hometown and I find myself doing it here about all the tourists...
@morecashthandash this morning’s More Or Less covered all your questions…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08fvs16
Looking at the stats by local government area this morning. Grim news for Wales, holding nearly all the top places in terms of cases per head of population.
IME it’s very rarely ever actual ‘locals’ that moan about this sort of thing, it’s always folk who move there, and then moan like **** about others coming to visit
This was (largely) the same in the Peak District too, the handful of signs going up about GO HOME COVIDIOT CYCLISTS and the ranting on local Facebook groups - it's from people who've moved/retired to the twee countryside and want it exactly as the rose-tinted pictures and stories promised them about "unspoilt wilderness, beautiful scenery, relaxed way of life".
While still wanting to drive off to Sheffield or Manchester every day for their conveniences.
Before coronavirus, the common one was people who move in within 200m of the village church and then moan about bell-ringing upsetting the peaceful Sunday morning.
Grim news for Wales
Is there a Rugby link perhaps? Wales v Italy?
That would have produced an earlier peak. This looks more like sustained community transmission - perhaps lockdown beginning to fail from a few weeks back in the more densely populated towns.
Although the numbers might be misleading to a degree, the important thing is that those who need a test are getting access to one and the results are quickly nproduced.So even if its 40k per day so what, the government cant force people to come forward to get tested, dont know why they dont just say that’s the case of it is.
BIGLY NUMBER SOUNDS BIGLY AND IMPRESSIVE!
They're not saying because it's a total epic disaster. They've deliberately hidden numbers within numbers, counted tests twice, counted tests "mailed out to be done at home" as a completed test in the same way that a clinical test is counted, there's no record of HOW MANY PEOPLE have been tested and what the reliability of those tests are, it's simply giving a big number that sounds like they're Doing Things.
The Office of National Statistics wrote a lovely letter to the useless Mr Hancock effectively telling him to stop lying. It's made it incredibly difficult to actually track virus rates, R0, and so on because they've changed the way the figures are gathered and counted on a near daily basis.
You could look at it in a couple of ways:
They know they've screwed up big time and are trying to hide it.
They're too incompetent to count properly.
I genuinely don't know which of those it is.
Thanks Kelvin, will try and get time to listen
The Office of National Statistics wrote a lovely letter to the useless Mr Hancock effectively telling him to stop lying. It’s made it incredibly difficult to actually track virus rates, R0, and so on because they’ve changed the way the figures are gathered and counted on a near daily basis.
One of the only figures I look for now is hospital admissions with suspected Covid 19. While you're always a hostage to accurate reporting to some degree, at least that figure should provide a snapshot of infections in the area about 7-10 days or so before that.
Agree with admissions as the most likely to be accurate. Deaths also looks quite reliable, with a bigger lag.
Anything else is just bullshine from the muddy funsters in power.
That would have produced an earlier peak. This looks more like sustained community transmission
Torfaen was a hotspot straight away. I seem to remember there was some link to an Italian event..? But once there are more people in an area, then continued transmission is also going to be higher.
yeah, we knew they were lying
kimbers - good story, if true; there are questions about its veracity.