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Al Fresco at this time of year in this weather. Eh? – politicalbetting.com

“What is the point of them going to all these posh schools if they don’t think?”
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You've got a virus that spreads mainly from people's breath when indoors. If you need to stop it spreading, banning pubs and restaurants from operating *indoors* seems like an obvious move. It also doesn't make sense to ban them from operating outdoors, since it doesn't spread much that way. Making those the rules doesn't mean that you're advocating that everybody go to pubs and restaurants outdoors, and obviously a lot of places will decide there's no point in trying to operate under those conditions, depending on their customers and their climate. But that doesn't mean that those shouldn't be the rules, if (and I know this is somewhat controversial) you think it's important to try to stop the spread.
https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2656067519/
Right now "inside bad, go outside if you like" is something they can implement fast, and if they're going to make a meaningful attempt to stop omicron spreading (I know there's an argument that it's a lost cause) this seems like the kind of only moderately disruptive/coercive thing they should be doing.
Test Match Special is down due to a Covid alert.
This is kind of "moderately disruptive" setting is what's been missing from the UK covid response. It's always too little too late, and that's how you end up with "nobody can leave their house except for their statutorily permitted walk".
Of course these are the same people that think less of people for being "white and middle aged". Such talk belies how much they detest the native British majority, or the thought of these people governing the country. Far better for our fate to be determined by those more sophisticated nationalities in Brussels.
And as we saw during the May government, when even Conservative Eurosceptics think deeply about Europe, they tend to split.
To the tax authorities, Trump said his building was worth [x], and should pay tax based on that figure.
To lenders, Trump said his building was worth [y], and they should loan him money accordingly.
Now... if he said to the tax authorities "we have 80% occupancy, and there's the risk given the economic environment that it could go to 70%, so we don't think it should be valued at more than $[x]", and if said to the mortgage company "we have 80% occupancy, and through the cycle occupancy is usually in the low 90s, so you should value it at [y]", then he's OK. He hasn't lied. He's merely "framed" it in two different ways to two different audiences.
But.
If he said to the tax man: "occupancy is 55%. it's worth [x]. at best". While saying to lenders "man, demand is through the roof. we have 99% occupancy. [y] is a low number, really, should be much higher."
Then he's lying to someone. If he's lying to the tax authorities that's tax fraud. And if he's lying to his lenders, that's wire fraud.
I don't know which it is yet.
People take jury duty pretty seriously. And if the story is a simple one, them he could be in a little bit of trouble.
But yes seriously, irs very sad for businesses this sneaky hint hint wink wink lockdown that isn’t officially a lockdown 🤬 What’s Sunak going to do to help, he is dragging his feet! He wants to lead the country but he is another fuck business twit?
Secondly on topic most people likely argue on here today. I have read through everything on here since Frosty The Go Man happened on our Journey. I think I understand what you are all saying: The Committee for Brexit Purity are going to execute Danton. That’s it?
(Nearly all of you saying this, some, like Big G, still sure resignation got nothing to do with Brexit because not mentioned in resignation letter - which to be fair to Big G I took to mean literally refusing to accept Brexit isn’t done, the sheer horror of the prospect it goes on tearing the Tory Party to shreds🙁 )
I’m very sorry but it has left me with two questions.
Firstly, the high ranking UK official who last week told EU negotiating team our key concession, UK will accept European Court Over ruling UK Democracy and Sovereignty (that is yes, we do wish to start down the slippery slope to being a vassal state of yours) was this, or was this not, Frosty the Go Man?
Secondly, a question for those who voted for Brexit and still support Brexit if I may, does this mean Brexit isn’t over? Brexit is far from done, because from here Brexit means Slash Taxes and Slash Regulation until we are not anything like the European Social Model, or else Brexit is not Brexit and not going to work? 😕
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59715838
Whether you liked his architecture or not, he had a major effect on the built environment of many cities.
(Personally, I think I prefer Foster's architecture.)
Ultimately, the deal that Johnson signed was little different from the deal that May had that was rejected by the DUP. The difference is that Johnson didn't need the DUP, and could say "fuck'em".
Paul Manafort was Trump's campaign manager. And Trump tweeted a lot of support for him. And the Defence counsel said it was all a witch hunt aimed at getting Trump.
And the jury convicted.
I agree the bar is higher - much higher - with Trump himself. But I always find that people take jury service a lot more seriously than one might expect.
I’m York City anyway, as that is where Dad took me to football for first time when a was small. I know they are snug in National League North table not threatening to go anywhere last time I looked. 🙂
The big question now, is how many other Cabinet members would side with Frost over Johnson, over the general direction of travel? There’s certainly an awful lot of backbenchers holding Frost’s view.
Some anti-5G pendants release minor levels of ionising radiation. One gave off the equivalent of five dental X-rays in a single day.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12/anti-5g-quantum-pendants-are-radioactive/
Johnson has lost the support of the nutter press. Game soon over.
Liz Truss declares an end to the age of introspection
A new foreign secretary seeks to reshape British diplomacy" (£)
https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/12/18/liz-truss-declares-an-end-to-the-age-of-introspection
Rishi Sunak planned to spend Christmas in California with his family until omicron cases began surging in the UK, The Telegraph can disclose. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/12/19/rishi-sunak-drops-californian-christmas-holiday-plans-tackle/
Time to remove all restrictions on contact including isolation. Stop trying to prevent the spread of this virus and just allow the vaccines to do their job.
Destroying businesses to save the lives of antivaxxers isn't OK.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/my-twitter-conversation-with-the-chairman-of-the-sage-covid-modelling-committee
Which is why it’s not really helpful to frame it int he way you did about ‘no service indoors.’ There’s much more to it than that.
Of course the Treasury is full of crooks, liars and morons - the IRP is their creation and proved it past all doubt - but even by their low standards this is deeply cynical and unedifying.
And it’s even worse as it is totally useless in the fight against Covid, where hospitality is not a significant vector of transmission compared to schools, offices and medical settings. They’re being sacrificed to government attempts to ‘control the narrative.’
Surprisingly cold this morning, though I suspect the frost won't last for long.
Who was it that was writing the brief?
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/lord-frost-s-resignation-is-a-brutal-blow-to-boris-johnson
I'm sure I read that somewhere...
What you are missing is an important point of principle.
In shutting down the hospitality sector (regardless of whether de jure or de facto) government is taking a massive step beyond the usual bounds of its authority.
It is important to preserve the principle that this is limited to the minimum necessary. I’m not arguing that what they are doing is right or proportionate, but it is clear that no case can be made for restricting outside activity from a public health perspective.
It may not be economically rational, in practice, for hospitality to operate but it is important that the private sector makes that decision rather than government bans it
Do we think that’s enough for them to win by 350 or will they need a couple more?
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/unloved-by-the-voters-and-his-own-party-boris-johnsons-very-blue-christmas-jxsvpxtfk
Frost is the 47th ministerial resignation related to Brexit
A revolution devouring its children
https://twitter.com/Andrew_Adonis/status/1472458428538839042
Having to get an export license and complete customs paperwork to "export" from one part of the UK to the other really is us sticking our newly found sovrinty up the Euro arse. Huzzah!
Light a fire even in winter. It's lovely.
p.s. we obviously need tighter restrictions asap.
On the possible Tory successors, as mentioned below, Jeremy Hunt does indeed look a very plausible candidate for the Tories, to me - the anti-Boris.
That they won't acknowledge that wholesale deregulation - which is why they wanted to leave the EU - is not the Brexit that was sold to millions of Leave voters and not a viable political strategy for the Conservative Party 2/4
And that they won't face up to the fact that we can walk away from the Northern Ireland Protocol or we can have a zero tariff deal with the EU + good relations with the Biden administration but we can't have both 3/4
Sooner or later, someone is going to have to face up to these choices rather than resigning when confronted with them 4/4
https://twitter.com/GavinBarwell/status/1472352176940929026
I usually agree with Ms Cyclefree, but it is not only hospitality which has been dealt a hammer blow; those retailers for whom Christmas provides a considerable amount of their takings are, am I certain, suffering severe hardship as well. Pictures of empty High Streets tell a gloomy story.
I appreciate that for her and her daughter the pain is real, immediate and severe, but I suspect (fear) that we shall see many smaller retailers, especially for example, jewellers going to the wall in the next few months.
Not everyone can set up an on-line business, and few on-line businesses make money immediately!
@£y auto-correct!
It isn't the government doing this, it's Covid.
Does that make me a bad person?
"Many people who are positive aren't sick. So they could go out and party. So it's all a lie"
Hi Piers!
Not that I actually think you should shut things done as if something is that infectious nothing is going to significantly reduce numbers
More Mr Benn, than PM.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/762b6e8e-6009-11ec-8ca2-4e56f587e18b?shareToken=82eea8d78622fd66b61cfd67f3e5c3f7 https://twitter.com/pmdfoster/status/1472471908633526277/photo/1
(Incidentally, I would choose Northallerton. I didn’t much enjoy my time in California because I’m highly vulnerable to skin cancer so I was (a) nervous and (b) well covered up. But I’m not altogether surprised others feel differently.)
It’s a simple question of capacity. We’ve seen mass cancellations of medical appointments to provide capacity for treatment of Covid.
If you want to preserve the principle that the NHS serves all citizens free at the point of need, then that is the necessary step.
So it makes sense to try and slow down the rate at which people will become infected. Otherwise demand will exceed capacity and people will suffer.
The only thing they may not have allowed for is the imminent Christmas breather (although a counter-argument would be that Xmas is a time when families are gathered around the TV with lots of time to discuss the news - previous events during the holiday period - the fall of Ceausescu, the Air France hijack, the Indonesian tsunami - have got lots of attention).
Under May’s proposal no one in the UK had that ability
He seems particularly to have something in common from the character of "Being There" at the moment, possibly his most interesting film and greatest legacy , from the late '70s.
I don’t know [what] is worse, the frame of reference from ministers that the models have to model worse case scenario for decisions making or said ministers/advisers not understanding that.
https://mobile.twitter.com/ThatRyanChap
But in general the government should not underwrite equity risk.
The return of IDS !!!
Sorry if that wasn’t clear
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-thrives-airways-not-lungs-new-data-asymptomatic-cases-2021-12-15/
“Infected people who show no symptoms might be contributing significantly to transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, given that they account for 40.5% of confirmed infections worldwide, according to a study published online Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The researchers pooled data from 77 earlier studies involving a total of 19,884 individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections. They found that among infected people in the general community, about 40% were asymptomatic, as were 54% of infected pregnant women, 53% of infected air or cruise travelers, 48% of infected nursing home residents or staff and 30% of infected healthcare workers or hospitalized patients.”
Note the use of language. Not “mild symptoms”, or “like a cold”. Asymptomatic.
I cover up well in SoCal too.
I spend much of my time outdoors.
Really and truly, whilst I know this is people's businesses there's a hierarchy of needs here. Life and Death (covid) takes priority over making money. Temporary assistance during December for the hospitality industry would have been a better response than letting the pandemic run riot which is going to lead to many unnecessary deaths and knock-on effects on other public services including the NHS.
You can't expect the hard right people (incl. on here) to understand this. They don't believe in society or helping others.
That's also what this lot have been trying to wriggle out of one way and another pretty much since the start.
Scientific advisers say the Government cannot delay restrictions if it wants to stop the NHS from being overwhelmed" (£)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/12/18/sage-seeks-immediate-curtailment-indoor-mixing-putting-christmas/
People aren't stupid. Anecdotally most people can now see Covid somewhere near them. They have it, or someone they know has it - this is different to a month ago even with the months of 30-40k new cases a day. That was background noise, Covid is now front and centre in people's lived experience.
Yes there are still the "fuck Covid, I don't care, lets do this" people. An old mate of mine really upset that his team keeps having PL games cancelled because other teams have too many players off. A minority though, and the brainier Corbyn brother saying "burn the MPs" is really helping, as who wants to be associated with that?
But most people get it. They want Christmas - *need* Christmas. So even if they and theirs aren't sick they are pulling the plug and hiding away so that Christmas happens. Because only a Philip is going to still do Christmas whilst infected to try and kill off Granny.
England are going to end up backwards in the WTC points given all these negative over rates.
And I suspect Root's captaincy is finished.