If you were in any doubt as to how much of an utter dickhead Laurence Fox was
I met him once a lot of years ago and I've never been in doubt.
If you were in any doubt as to how much of an utter dickhead Laurence Fox was after his previous outburst then this should finally allay those doubts
If he's so against it why not just stay at home. He's a classic exponent of the right wing victim mentality - 'I want all of the rights but none of the responsibilities, poor me, waaaah'
MCTD - true up to a point but why is lockdown working so much better in Scotland? A government that appears to have a clue must be a big factor. The Dominic Cummings episode was a total disaster for people's adherence to lockdown guidance.
It's unfair to just blame certain communities. Basically lots of people have not followed the rules from day 1 regardless of ethnicity, creed or social class.
neighbour 1 has had grandparents visiting on an almost daily basis all the way thru this. They wore masks but were clearly not following the rules.
neighbour 2 has had their kids and grandkids around all the time. It's been business as usual for them.
Neighbour 3 has been having BBQs aplenty. Easter weekend was a loud noisy one.
For the record they are all white.
On the other hand we've been very careful as have our nearest neighbours
It’s unfair to just blame certain communities
Absolutely but the timing of this stinks of getting it in before Eid in all of these boroughs and nearby ones that have large Asian populations.
Wonder if on Christmas eve they'll impose the same lockdown 😉
why is lockdown working so much better in Scotland? A government that appears to have a clue must be a big factor.
I would say "better" not "so much better" Clear messages that everyone can understand is a factor along with a leader who (at least) appears to tell the truth, treat the people like adults, explains the reasons for the decisions. I know a number of unionists who trust Sturgeon over this and one an ex tory candidate who will now vote SNP and for independence on the back of this
The other reason is we have a track and trace system up here that is actually fit for purpose. I would think that a factor
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/31/outsourcing-england-test-trace-nhs-private
😳
but we can be indoors in a pub with strangers
It’s struck me that they can’t go to a pub with say, their grandparents in another household, yet someone forgot about the chances of someone else - from another household - being at a public house?
I agree up thier that really it’s about individual common sense now because our government can’t provide clear guidelines. We all just need to do the best we can. Unfortunately thiers a great deal of numptys, conspiracy theorists, Laurence Fox and media driven people that will carry on regardless.
A friend of mine is retiring to Cyprus permanently in September - assuming there continues to be a flight. So we decided to have a real life get together mid August. We’ve booked separate rooms at a premier inn and will have a meal and a few beers in the adjoining pub. Our - and the restaurants - anti Covid measures are making it quite a strained arrangement, because essentially we all need to social distance, despite being in a beer garden hoping for fair weather We’ll be wearing masks, and our eating arrangement seems to be 3 x tables for 2 distanced. Card readers only and at table service for beers of course.
What’s the betting when we get there we are the odd ones out?
MCTD you clearly don't live in the North West. This is firmly targeted at the Asian communities here where transmission rates are high and increasing again on the eve of one of the most important Muslim festivals of the year. Thats kind of the point, these communities are not going out to the pub but tend to socialise a lot in their own communties with strong family interaction. Look at it another way, if this was Christmas eve and this was announced how many people would still meet up the following day for Christmas lunch. A lot of other people have been caught up in this such as the western end of Calderdale and Rossendale where case levels are low and have been all the way through.
People in Rossendale are numerate enough to read the data and seem to be pretty much saying you can stuff your new rules, we've behaved, the stats for us are good, you couldn't enforce the proper lock down when it was needed, the rules are unclear, basically the government has lost any last vestiges of respect.
This is all going to be completely unenforceable and generally ignored. If it was that serious pubs, restaurants, Costa coffee and non essential shops should have been closed again, that is enforceable and takes away the reasons many leave home.
As I read it, there’s been no increase in numbers linked to pubs, restaurants, returning to work etc. In all those places, social distancing, 2 metres, facemasks etc still apply, and from my experience, in an area which isn’t a problem yet, those measures are generally being respected.
The cynic in me thinks that's what they want you to believe. But where does it say that? Most of the outbreaks I'm aware of HAVE been through those places.
Does anyone know if it means we can't visit people in other places?
E.g. I live in Manchester can I go and see a friend in Cheshire?
Common sense would say no but it's not really clear in any of the information I've read.
And actually, more than being cynical, I'm calling bullshit. So people were perfectly behaved for 6 weeks, then just as pubs restaurants and workplaces started to open up, they began to take more risks at home but not in any of those places that the government has just allowed to re-open. What an amazing coincidence. I mean, it's almost perfectly in line with the government having no responsibility or effect on rising cases. Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.
I think they know full well that people will not obey this given the randomness of not allowing folk to meet in houses but pubs still are open - thus they then have a scapegoat in those funny brown folk who did not obey the rules.
Edit: they also ( the tories) do not want to upset the big pub owners who give them money
I see it around here, with friends and families going into each others houses, teenagers meeting up in the park
Sorry … but why would those people think that they can’t do those things? Have I been listening to different government messaging?
Only successful tracing I’m aware of around here we’re staff at schools, visitors to pubs and people in their places of work.
Admittedly, we still don’t have the means in place to trace contacts in parks etc… but that isn’t the fault of the public.
I think this is a conspiracy to get muslims going into pubs, eid out to help out.
We arrived in Kirklees from Scotland last night to stay with my parents for 4 days. The news was announced 3 hours into our 5 hour journey, but because this isn't the USSR and we're not forced to listen to government radio, we had no idea til we arrived and my folks were in a flap.
What the flip are we supposed to do? We're here now, we weren't going to make an unsafe drive back north having arrived starting to feel tired (or maybe we should, unsafe driving during covid lockdown is a precedent set by the government itself).
If there had been any hint of "we are considering a lockdown in Kirklees" in the news during the week obviously we'd not have come but, just like when they announced the original lockdown, there was no information beforehand, no treating people like adults and an instant "you've misbehaved, get on the naughty step" response from a government that doesn't seem to like telling it's citizens what the heck is going on or planning ahead.
We stopped at Tebay services and I've been at Euston station for work this week and despite the guidance being officially keep 2m apart unless you absolutely can't they had both latched onto the 1m+ bit and were only telling you to stay 1m apart.
I've only been here 10 hours and by God did I feel a hell of a lot safer back in Scotland where we know where we stand and what we're supposed to do.
If you were in any doubt as to how much of an utter dickhead Laurence Fox was
He's even starting to put me off his cousin!!
He’s even starting to put me off his cousin!!
His sister was really very lovely as I recall
@chambord - I think no. I was going to visit family in N Wales next week but alas we can't.
The full details are on Govt website
The full details are on Govt website
Got a link to that? It would useful.
Remind me why we don’t need daily briefings anymore?
Are people shielding for serious medical reasons still supposed to go back to work from tomorrow?
I think this is a conspiracy to get muslims going into pubs, eid out to help out.
Nice 🙂
A mate runs a bar in Rossendale. He's tearing his hair out this morning. They've spent a fortune on Covid measures with screens between tables and removing tables for social distancing. We've been in and you have to book a time slot for a table. He's been through his bookings for the weekend, and he reckons that under the new rules only about 20% of them will meet the new guidelines of all being from the same household. I'm surprised it's that high
He is understandably totally *ing livid as he only found out about this at 10 o clock last night.
But if all his bookings turn up, what does he do? If he lets everyone in knowing they're breaking guidelines, is he responsible legally? Is he essentially responsible for policing this?
Its a total *ing shambles!
Thanks Jon…
According to those… socialising with strangers is just as prohibited as planning to meet up with people you know but don’t live with. This is basically shutting pubs, but not shutting pubs… like they tried to do the week before national “lock down”… pretty much leaving pubs to rely on people ignoring the rules to scratch an income.
Edit:
socialise with people you do not live with in other indoor public venues – such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions.
Is he essentially responsible for policing this?
Doubt it. Hope not anyway. He can’t plead ignorance as he should have all their contact details, I presume.
Edit: hang on…
If you run such a business, you should take steps to ensure people do not interact with people they do not live with, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidance.
So we're back to where we were in March, where people were told don't go to the pub, but pubs were allowed to stay open so the govt didn't have to support them. This is no different. I guess we can kiss goodbye to the hospitality sector. My sympathies to the millions who are about to lose their jobs because of government cowardice and incompetence.
They've just put this statement out and emailed all their bookings
In response to the latest measures restricting two households from meeting indoors, including in pubs, we are asking anyone booked in this weekend to consider whether their party complies with this now. If not, please let us know.
We WILL be adhering to the rules, even though it will affect us commercially very significantly, and we won’t be turning a blind eye to any attempts to bypass it. If we don’t believe your party is from one household, we won’t be able to seat you, unless you can provide evidence that it is.
Small parties occupying a larger table will be allocated a minimum of an hour, after which they may be asked to leave if a larger party is waiting to be admitted. We hate imposing this, but we fear that our already reduced takings will be badly hit by the new regulations and we need to squeeze every penny out of each seat wherever possible.
All this is under constant review. Hopefully the regulations will be removed very soon and things can return to normal, whatever that is!
Thanks for your support.
I can't even begin to imagine how frustrated they are. We went out for a (socially distanced) beer with them on Monday. They run a great place that they've invested their lives in and is a real asset to the local community. Its a real ale place (CAMRA pub of the year since they opened) - you lot would love it!
They've now burnt through all their savings, they've opened again obeying all the guidelines (which has cost a fortune), and now this. It'll probably finish them off if it goes on for long. How many other businesses will be in exactly the same boat this morning? How many bar and restaurant owners are now also going to go under. Who's going to be left? Wetherspoons? 🙁
So… can teenagers meet up in the park?
Boris is doing a press conference at 12.
That should clear everything up a treat. These things are always such professional and informative affairs
I wonder what new 3 word slogan Dom will have dreamt up for this one
GET BACK INSIDE!
From the 2nd bullet point in Local Restrictions section
If you live in one of the affected areas, in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, you should not:
- visit someone else’s home or garden <span style="text-decoration: underline;">even if they live outside of the affected areas</span>.
So… can teenagers meet up in the park?
Yes, if they socially distance. As per the point I made earlier but someone cherry picked the sentence after.
I must have missed the bit where people from two households were allowed to sit with each other for a meal in a pub or restaurant. Can anyone tell me when the "two households meeting up" lost the requirement to be 2 metres apart?
Our delightful MP, Craig Shittaker is at it again:
Craig Whittaker, MP for the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, told LBC: 'If you look at the areas where we've seen rises and cases, the vast majority - but not by any stretch of the imagination all areas - it is the BAME communities that are not taking this seriously enough'. When asked he was referring to the immigrant population, he said: 'Immigrant and Asian population.'
(Apologies for the Daily Fail quote but sometimes you have to snoop on the enemy to see what they're up to).
For anyone interested, here was Monday's outliers by local authority - I estimate Z-score of deviance from exponential decline. I also look at second derivative for "up and coming" areas at both Upper Tier and Lower Tier Local Local Authority levels.
Blackburn with Darwen, Rutland, Calderdale, Sandwell, Rochdale, Trafford, Oldham, Bradford
Leicester, Kirklees, Hackney and City of London, Herefordshire County of
Swindon, Salford, Manchester, Birmingham, Tower Hamlets, Torbay, Peterborough, Luton
People tend to take a very local and short-term view of what is really happening on the large-scale. I've been providing this analysis for weeks. Top Lower Tier Local Authorities for next wave of local lockdown are Bassetlaw, Bury, Cheshire West and Chester.
"Hands, Space, Face. I think that's pretty punchy?"
Can't beat a another good three word slogan for the masses to interpret.
I don't know many of those areas very well but I'm pretty sure Rutland hasn't got much in the way of a BAME community.
I really do feel for all those that now have restrictions, I know how you feel ☹️
Our delightful MP, Craig Shittaker is at it again:
And "Johnson" Johnson conspicuously doesn't say he disagrees.
I liked how the punchy 3 word slogan evolved into a rambling mess by the end.
"Hands, face, space"
"Hands, face, space, oh and get a test if you show symptoms"
"Hands, face space. Get a test if you show symptoms. Oh and self isolate if required to do so"...
Insert Monty Python Spanish inquisition gif here
You had three words!
THREE!!
Its like bad performance art, a self referential parody. I'm half convinced its a piss take and they will all go and have a jolly good guffaw at the plebs now.
Like they sat down and went through a list of the daftest slogans they could come up with:
"Get Covid Done?"
No a bit too obvious even for the Daily Express readers
"Take Back Inside?"
No sounds a bit weird and creepy
"Hands, Face, Space?"
Ha Wozza! a nice play on "Man Woman Camera", should I add some Cicero, something about gardens?
No Boris just stick to the slogan.
Relax - johnson says he'll be working flat out during the summer hols.
So that will make everything OK; I'm re-assured.
I prefer James O'Brien's version,
Heads... Shoulders...Knees and Toes...Knees and Toes....and repeat....
Tired, how can you just pick a Monday for cases, surely it’s over a few days?
Hackney has had 3 blips of 4.5/100k cases on certain days over the last 2 weeks but nowhere near the rapid increases seen elsewhere. One to watch definitely but that’s not to say it will increase enough for lockdown intervention (yet).
So Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale & Hyndburn not on Tired's list yet slapped with restrictions.
As Binners has pointed out though there's a lot of politicking going on in selecting the areas, Rossendale has low cases despite being surrounded by areas with big rises, western Calderdale is pretty rural but the other end borders Bradford and includes Halifax.
ElShalimo you may not like what he's saying but there is a some truth to what he's said, most of the northern areas mentioned by Tired do have large Asian populations living in terraced housing and it's been reported locally that the rate of rise in cases is higher in these communities than others. It's wrong though to label the whole BANE community like he did, it's specific groups within that community in specific locations.It's also wrong to call them immigrants, they are British citizens and many are second, third and fourth generation.
Tired, how can you just pick a Monday for cases
I report on Mondays the result of a weighted mean over the previous week (which is why the higherst Z score threshold is not 2, btw, for anyone who noticed). Where there are too few reports for that week (missing days), then I remove that region as the data is too sporadic for calling a trend.
ElShalimo you may not like what he’s saying but there is a some truth to what he’s said, most of the northern areas mentioned by Tired do have large Asian populations living in terraced housing and it’s been reported locally that the rate of rise in cases is higher in these communities than others.
Indeed but it's not because those communities have not been taking the matter seriously.
