Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The Charleston debate: The betting verdict

1235

Comments

  • GideonWiseGideonWise Posts: 1,123
    OK so collective brains PB. Here is my starter for ten.

    1) Education program quickly informing everyone in society that this is serious and it is going to impact on their lives. But if we work together we can beat this.

    2) Work quickly on finding solutions to home-school teaching. Get the software, get the equipment and distribute it.

    3) Generate some emergency legislation protecting workers who need to self-quarantine. Dust off the legislation for society lock-down, check that it is fit for purpose.

    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    5) Scale up the production of masks, hand sanitizers, soaps. If we don't make them, start doing it.

    6) Generate a public health campaign with a slogan encouraging hand washing, social distancing, the sheer god-damned rudeness of travelling about if you are ill in anyway. Just stay at home. Get Cummiings on the slogan, he's good at that.

    7) Pump money into diagnostics, treatments, vaccines in the public sector. Liaise with the private sector to see how they can be incentivised to move quickly on this.

    8) Cancel all public events, football, cinema the lot. Create a fund to support those in the leisure industry who are going to be stuffed.

    9) Close universities but encourage online learning (2).

    10) Buy everyone in the UK a subscription to Netflix.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876
    geoffw said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    Your conspiracy nonsense is just rambling garbage.

    Why would the Chinese let the disease spread unquarantined outside of Hubei? For shits and giggles? To save face? And then what? They know better than anyone how serious this is, the idea they'll deliberately let it spread elsewhere is just bullshit.
    They’re not letting it spread. Their policies are severe.

    But no one is able to explain the remarkable low number of cases outside Hubei. 11 in a day out of 1.3bn people, with a disease this contagious? Do you believe that?

    America, a land of 340m people, also has remarkably few cases. That’s probably because they aren’t testing yet.

    Current FDA regulations mean that only the CDC can currently run the test, even though many hospitals with decent diagnostics capability could do so quite easily.
    I can't see the Trump pushing hard to change that any time soon.
    The American health industry is the best funded in the world but it seems peculiarly ill placed to deal with this. It's troubling.
    Isn't that because it's much more reactive than other systems?
    It's because they are not that much interested in curing poor people.
    Poor and old people..... both apply ..... are likely to be more susceptible to Convid-19. As in 1919-20 it's a more serious condition if the patient already has something else.
    Which could be the common cold.
    Coinfection with the common cold will almost certainly multiply your likelihood of passing on the Coronavirus.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 80,424
    edited February 2020


    9) Close universities but encourage online learning (2).

    Given they are currently on strike for about a month, I am not sure anybody will notice.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,321


    9) Close universities but encourage online learning (2).

    Given they are currently on strike for about a month, I am not sure anybody will notice.
    My university isn’t!
  • MysticroseMysticrose Posts: 4,688
    malcolmg said:

    malcolmg said:

    I didn't call this right and have apologised to Eadric. However, I did warn a good friend of mine two months ago to sell out of his over-exposure on the stock market. When he asked me why, I said I had a hunch we were about to hit a big correction. I met up with him three or four weeks ago and he told me it didn't matter as TESLA shares were holding up and making him a nice profit. Oh dear ...

    No oh dear, he's right, so long as he's in no hurry to sell his shares. If you're investing for the long term, say for your retirement in decades, then holding on to your shares through corrections and slumps is a better technique than second guessing everything.

    People over analyse losses but they don't matter unless they're realised by selling the shares, unless they become worthless by the company going broke or incapable of recovering.
    Exactly , it is always best to ride it out, it will go back up as fast or faster as it came down. I have lost a lot this week but it will come back for sure. Bit like your house , the value is only a concern if you have to sell it.
    Sorry but this is really crap advice. Do you guys actually share trade?

    Of course, in one sense, it's right. Always buy long term if you're an amateur investor. But if you buy at the top of a bull run and hit a massive slide then you will be wasting money. It's much better to call the market, sell and re-buy. If my friend had listened to me he'd have made a small fortune although we are nowhere near the bottom of this crash.

    For crash it will be. A long, long, long bear run. IF coronavirus continues the current trajectory then the global stock markets will not return to pre-Christmas levels for a very long time. And I mean years.
    You obviously know nothing about buying shares whatsoever. Trying to guess the market almost always loses you money.
    Errr ... wow ... you really aren't a trader are you?! Lol.

    Despite my comments to Eadric previously, I chatted to my friend two months ago based on good stock market analysis. I was watching a number of trends and bubbles and I caught wind of the rumours about Wuhan. I told him to sell. It was very good advice. He should have taken it and held. And still held. We are nowhere near the bottom of this. In fact, I did tell him to invest in gold for a while.

    I have only ever made money on stocks and shares.

    The 'paper losses' trope is for people who don't have a clue what they're doing.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,622

    By the way, the 'paper losses' trope is as old as the houses and pretty-much nonsense.

    Its not nonsense, its tried and tested and long term true. Paper losses (like paper gains) are immaterial until you sell.

    .
    It's absolute rubbish. It's the Dennis Healey argument. Junk. It's not how markets work and it particularly comes unstuck when you have a prolonged bear run.

    As I say, I've never lost money on the stock market. I get some things wrong but tying up investment at the top of a long bear run is sheer stupidity.
    If you're a professional stock trader who can spot the top of a bear run maybe.

    If you're an amateur saving for your retirement? Absolutely not the case! And people who hold on through the drop and the following recovery won't lose money either.

    If you're a day trader who's never lost money then that doesn't say very much, either you don't trade much or you've held on for long enough to recover, or you've just been very lucky. Most amateurs trying to out trade the professional day traders are on a hiding to nothing and simply gain because the market gains in general, little evidence they outgain those who simply invested then held on.
    Generally, you are right. Specifically, you are wrong. Since the weekend I have been sharing here the financial positions I have been taking, and so far at least it has gone very well. Certainly had I been wrong you'd all be able to see it.
  • I didn't call this right and have apologised to Eadric. However, I did warn a good friend of mine two months ago to sell out of his over-exposure on the stock market. When he asked me why, I said I had a hunch we were about to hit a big correction. I met up with him three or four weeks ago and he told me it didn't matter as TESLA shares were holding up and making him a nice profit. Oh dear ...

    No oh dear, he's right, so long as he's in no hurry to sell his shares. If you're investing for the long term, say for your retirement in decades, then holding on to your shares through corrections and slumps is a better technique than second guessing everything.

    People over analyse losses but they don't matter unless they're realised by selling the shares, unless they become worthless by the company going broke or incapable of recovering.
    The only day the price matters is the day you want to sell.

    The rest is noise.

    After a major correction I told my father "You know all that money I haven't got? Well, I've got a lot less of it now..." In the end it came good...
  • Pulpstar said:

    Will Trump suspend the Nov election for the virus :p ?

    Does he have the power?

    IIRC the power to change the date of an election rests with Congress and then the states have to ratify that decision by two thirds.
    Better to have the election, but prevent people at high risk of voting Democrat spreading the virus from voting in it. This would be similar to an action previously taken by President Frank Underwood, so it would be in line with established constitutional norms.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 41,276

    I didn't call this right and have apologised to Eadric. However, I did warn a good friend of mine two months ago to sell out of his over-exposure on the stock market. When he asked me why, I said I had a hunch we were about to hit a big correction. I met up with him three or four weeks ago and he told me it didn't matter as TESLA shares were holding up and making him a nice profit. Oh dear ...

    I got out of shares (mostly at least) a few months back but can claim no prescience for this. In my mind it was to do the general feeling that economies (especially the US) are being artificially propped up by debt and money printing. That plus a bit of Sinosceptia and a bit of Brexit angst.

    As to this Covid thing. Yes, I think I agree with your bearish sentiments as regards the financial hit.
  • GideonWiseGideonWise Posts: 1,123
    edited February 2020
    eadric:

    In the end we might have to do that. But as a last resort where the economy has tanked so badly we are all eating grass to survive. In the short-term it is an extremely bad idea.

    Contain this for as long as possible. We need TIME. To get time we need to act swiftly now.

    I hope Hancock has got some of Cummings misfits working for him and doing this thinking.

  • By the way, the 'paper losses' trope is as old as the houses and pretty-much nonsense.

    Its not nonsense, its tried and tested and long term true. Paper losses (like paper gains) are immaterial until you sell.

    .
    It's absolute rubbish. It's the Dennis Healey argument. Junk. It's not how markets work and it particularly comes unstuck when you have a prolonged bear run.

    As I say, I've never lost money on the stock market. I get some things wrong but tying up investment at the top of a long bear run is sheer stupidity.
    If you're a professional stock trader who can spot the top of a bear run maybe.

    If you're an amateur saving for your retirement? Absolutely not the case! And people who hold on through the drop and the following recovery won't lose money either.

    Normally your advice would be sound. Ride out the downs and ups and play the long game.

    However, this doesn't work with the once-in-a-generation bear run. Coronavirus has the potential to wipe out stock values for 5 to 10 years. Quite seriously. We could have a situation where we don't see the pre-Christmas peaks this side of 2025.

    If this were Betfair Exchange, Mike Smithson and Robert and the other savvies on here would absolutely NO WAY tie up losses on that basis.

    It's only because most people don't really know how to work stocks and shares that they get into this 'paper loss' mentality. As I say, fine in normal circumstances. But coronavirus MAY take us well outside the experiences of most of us.

    As indeed Eadric has been telling us.
    Sorry but this is silly and makes numerous logic errors.

    Firstly we're talking specifically about long term investments for eg retirement - if you're doing that and are not retiring until the 2030s, 2040s or later then whether it recovers by 2021 or 2025 is moot.

    Secondly if you're retiring before 2025 typical advice would have already been to start diversifying your portfolio.

    Thirdly you've already missed the "pre-Christmas peak". Its gone, no TARDIS, can't get back to it.

    Fourthly nobody knew Christmas was the peak and trying to speculate about that would again take you back to being an amateur day trader who will lose more over the long term than stable investing.

    Finally this is the stock market not Betfair! Betfair is inherently about gambling and short term bets and making predictions and day trading. Its not remotely comparable to stable long term investing in the market.
  • MangoMango Posts: 1,014
    Gabs3 said:

    Why is no-one talking about the anti-Muslim pogroms in India right now? Police standing by while innocent victims are beaten. This could easily spiral into genocide.

    HYUFD will be along in a jiffy with a poll showing how popular Modi is...
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,536
    Nigelb said:

    geoffw said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    Your conspiracy nonsense is just rambling garbage.

    Why would the Chinese let the disease spread unquarantined outside of Hubei? For shits and giggles? To save face? And then what? They know better than anyone how serious this is, the idea they'll deliberately let it spread elsewhere is just bullshit.
    They’re not letting it spread. Their policies are severe.

    But no one is able to explain the remarkable low number of cases outside Hubei. 11 in a day out of 1.3bn people, with a disease this contagious? Do you believe that?

    America, a land of 340m people, also has remarkably few cases. That’s probably because they aren’t testing yet.

    Current FDA regulations mean that only the CDC can currently run the test, even though many hospitals with decent diagnostics capability could do so quite easily.
    I can't see the Trump pushing hard to change that any time soon.
    The American health industry is the best funded in the world but it seems peculiarly ill placed to deal with this. It's troubling.
    Isn't that because it's much more reactive than other systems?
    It's because they are not that much interested in curing poor people.
    Poor and old people..... both apply ..... are likely to be more susceptible to Convid-19. As in 1919-20 it's a more serious condition if the patient already has something else.
    Which could be the common cold.
    Coinfection with the common cold will almost certainly multiply your likelihood of passing on the Coronavirus.
    Everyone in the TV reports appears to be wearing facemasks. But we have also been told they don't work. However, picking up your point, they may have some value for others if you have the infection, especially with a cold, because they inhibit the already affected spreading the disease.
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,053
    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    If Coronavirus continues as is, within two months most international travel will basically cease. As nations quarantine themselves and prohibit arrivals from other infected regions.

    The logic of that doesn't quite work. If there's a global pandemic then travel and quarantine, surely, serve little or no purpose?
    Logically it does "work" provided the virus prevelence is not uniformly spread around the world. At the moment it is clearly not spread evenly around the world. The best way to get uniform coverage is ironically to encourage as much travel as possible.

    P.S. I am not using this to say I am unconditionally pro-lock-downs,
  • IanB2 said:

    By the way, the 'paper losses' trope is as old as the houses and pretty-much nonsense.

    Its not nonsense, its tried and tested and long term true. Paper losses (like paper gains) are immaterial until you sell.

    .
    It's absolute rubbish. It's the Dennis Healey argument. Junk. It's not how markets work and it particularly comes unstuck when you have a prolonged bear run.

    As I say, I've never lost money on the stock market. I get some things wrong but tying up investment at the top of a long bear run is sheer stupidity.
    If you're a professional stock trader who can spot the top of a bear run maybe.

    If you're an amateur saving for your retirement? Absolutely not the case! And people who hold on through the drop and the following recovery won't lose money either.

    If you're a day trader who's never lost money then that doesn't say very much, either you don't trade much or you've held on for long enough to recover, or you've just been very lucky. Most amateurs trying to out trade the professional day traders are on a hiding to nothing and simply gain because the market gains in general, little evidence they outgain those who simply invested then held on.
    Generally, you are right. Specifically, you are wrong. Since the weekend I have been sharing here the financial positions I have been taking, and so far at least it has gone very well. Certainly had I been wrong you'd all be able to see it.
    That's gambling. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, we all on this site know that. And some people can win more via gambling than they lose.

    But on average, over the long term, avoiding gambling is what works for the average person who can't beat the market.
  • MonkeysMonkeys Posts: 756
    edited February 2020
    re: Covid, If you're investing I would think you should be looking at hedges for more quantitative easing should there be a downturn - which is gold, really. I'm a degenerate gambler too and would be looking for opportunities to buy stonks as countertrading is cool and fun.

    Everything typed is an expression of pure unchecked degeneracy and is in no way advice.

    EDIT: Plus, if I'm dead, I'm dead.
  • geoffw said:

    Nigelb said:

    geoffw said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    Your conspiracy nonsense is just rambling garbage.

    Why would the Chinese let the disease spread unquarantined outside of Hubei? For shits and giggles? To save face? And then what? They know better than anyone how serious this is, the idea they'll deliberately let it spread elsewhere is just bullshit.
    They’re not letting it spread. Their policies are severe.

    But no one is able to explain the remarkable low number of cases outside Hubei. 11 in a day out of 1.3bn people, with a disease this contagious? Do you believe that?

    America, a land of 340m people, also has remarkably few cases. That’s probably because they aren’t testing yet.

    Current FDA regulations mean that only the CDC can currently run the test, even though many hospitals with decent diagnostics capability could do so quite easily.
    I can't see the Trump pushing hard to change that any time soon.
    The American health industry is the best funded in the world but it seems peculiarly ill placed to deal with this. It's troubling.
    Isn't that because it's much more reactive than other systems?
    It's because they are not that much interested in curing poor people.
    Poor and old people..... both apply ..... are likely to be more susceptible to Convid-19. As in 1919-20 it's a more serious condition if the patient already has something else.
    Which could be the common cold.
    Coinfection with the common cold will almost certainly multiply your likelihood of passing on the Coronavirus.
    Everyone in the TV reports appears to be wearing facemasks. But we have also been told they don't work. However, picking up your point, they may have some value for others if you have the infection, especially with a cold, because they inhibit the already affected spreading the disease.
    My understanding is they don't work, not because of the mask itself, but for a number of reasons related to their usage by non-medically trained individuals

    Basically using the same mask for an extended period of time in combination with not following proper procedure e.g. people will touch it with their face with their hands, readjust the mask etc and basically spread germs around their exterior.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876

    geoffw said:

    Nigelb said:

    geoffw said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    Your conspiracy nonsense is just rambling garbage.

    Why would the Chinese let the disease spread unquarantined outside of Hubei? For shits and giggles? To save face? And then what? They know better than anyone how serious this is, the idea they'll deliberately let it spread elsewhere is just bullshit.
    They’re not letting it spread. Their policies are severe.

    Current FDA regulations mean that only the CDC can currently run the test, even though many hospitals with decent diagnostics capability could do so quite easily.
    I can't see the Trump pushing hard to change that any time soon.
    The American health industry is the best funded in the world but it seems peculiarly ill placed to deal with this. It's troubling.
    Isn't that because it's much more reactive than other systems?
    It's because they are not that much interested in curing poor people.
    Poor and old people..... both apply ..... are likely to be more susceptible to Convid-19. As in 1919-20 it's a more serious condition if the patient already has something else.
    Which could be the common cold.
    Coinfection with the common cold will almost certainly multiply your likelihood of passing on the Coronavirus.
    Everyone in the TV reports appears to be wearing facemasks. But we have also been told they don't work. However, picking up your point, they may have some value for others if you have the infection, especially with a cold, because they inhibit the already affected spreading the disease.
    My understanding is they don't work, not because of the mask itself, but for a number of reasons related to their usage by non-medically trained individuals

    Basically using the same mask for an extended period of time in combination with not following proper procedure e.g. people will touch it with their face with their hands, readjust the mask etc and basically spread germs around their exterior.
    If you have a cold, they certainly stop you spraying droplets of infected fluid all around you, though.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 80,424
    edited February 2020
    Nigelb said:



    If you have a cold, they certainly stop you spraying droplets of infected fluid all around you, though.

    Yes, but I think what happens if people go to re-adjust their mask, touch their face and the mask itself and then start touching surfaces around them and spread it that way.
  • nunu2nunu2 Posts: 1,453
    Bernies rival are mad.

    They keep trying to attack him from the left and going on about some essay he wrote like 45 years ago when he is proposing mad policies *right* now that poll badly.

    What are they doing?
  • I didn't call this right and have apologised to Eadric. However, I did warn a good friend of mine two months ago to sell out of his over-exposure on the stock market. When he asked me why, I said I had a hunch we were about to hit a big correction. I met up with him three or four weeks ago and he told me it didn't matter as TESLA shares were holding up and making him a nice profit. Oh dear ...

    If he is overweight Tesla he may well be up over the last two months, unlikely to be significantly down.
    Yeah I've been following Tesla carefully and they're down 10% in 3 days. It looks grim because a number of analysts were already suggesting it's a bubble about to burst. After all, Tesla was still posting losses through 2019. Considering their Shanghai manufacturing base I reckon they're in big trouble. They out sank the Dow yesterday by a factor of 2x.
    If it weren't for the fact that Tesla was already overvalued and probably due a correction, I would suggest now would be a good time to consider investing in Tesla.

    There's every chance the market is overreacting given the Shanghai base - if its true that the Chinese have contained this in Hubei (and if anyone can contain it with draconian measures its the Chinese) then Shanghai could very, very rapidly recover economically from this. China is nearly a thousand kilometres from Wuhan. Wuhan is further from Shanghai than Prague is from London.

    There's every chance this will cease to be a predominantly Chinese illness before long.
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,053

    OK so collective brains PB. Here is my starter for ten.

    8) Cancel all public events, football, cinema the lot. Create a fund to support those in the leisure industry who are going to be stuffed.

    Professional sports events and concerts could still take place but without the live spectators. Only 100 or so people have to absolutely be there like the football players, match officials, coaches/medics and a couple of technicians to set up all the remote controlled cameras and floodlights, and they could all be tested daily.
  • oxfordsimonoxfordsimon Posts: 5,840
    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?
  • GideonWiseGideonWise Posts: 1,123

    geoffw said:

    Nigelb said:

    geoffw said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    Your conspiracy nonsense is just rambling garbage.
    They’re not letting it spread. Their policies are severe.

    But no one is able to explain the remarkable low number of cases outside Hubei. 11 in a day out of 1.3bn people, with a disease this contagious? Do you believe that?

    America, a land of 340m people, also has remarkably few cases. That’s probably because they aren’t testing yet.

    Current FDA regulations mean that only the CDC can currently run the test, even though many hospitals with decent diagnostics capability could do so quite easily.
    I can't see the Trump pushing hard to change that any time soon.
    The American health industry is the best funded in the world but it seems peculiarly ill placed to deal with this. It's troubling.
    Isn't that because it's much more reactive than other systems?
    It's because they are not that much interested in curing poor people.
    Poor and old people..... both apply ..... are likely to be more susceptible to Convid-19. As in 1919-20 it's a more serious condition if the patient already has something else.
    Which could be the common cold.
    Coinfection with the common cold will almost certainly multiply your likelihood of passing on the Coronavirus.
    Everyone in the TV reports appears to be wearing facemasks. But we have also been told they don't work. However, picking up your point, they may have some value for others if you have the infection, especially with a cold, because they inhibit the already affected spreading the disease.
    My understanding is they don't work, not because of the mask itself, but for a number of reasons related to their usage by non-medically trained individuals

    Basically using the same mask for an extended period of time in combination with not following proper procedure e.g. people will touch it with their face with their hands, readjust the mask etc and basically spread germs around their exterior.

    There is a review in the BMJ here:

    https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h694

    Not a great deal of evidence but face-mask plus hand-washing in the community setting provides some reduction in risk. The reason it is not perfect is likely for the reasons you highlighted.
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,053


    9) Close universities but encourage online learning (2).

    Given they are currently on strike for about a month, I am not sure anybody will notice.
    Because in a global epidemic only the UK universities count.
  • Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Because nobody could force him to go and he wanted to try and stay on because he won...
  • GideonWiseGideonWise Posts: 1,123
    eristdoof said:

    OK so collective brains PB. Here is my starter for ten.

    8) Cancel all public events, football, cinema the lot. Create a fund to support those in the leisure industry who are going to be stuffed.

    Professional sports events and concerts could still take place but without the live spectators. Only 100 or so people have to absolutely be there like the football players, match officials, coaches/medics and a couple of technicians to set up all the remote controlled cameras and floodlights, and they could all be tested daily.
    Yes I agree. There we go, that's slightly better. At least we can all be entertained at home.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,012

    I didn't call this right and have apologised to Eadric. However, I did warn a good friend of mine two months ago to sell out of his over-exposure on the stock market. When he asked me why, I said I had a hunch we were about to hit a big correction. I met up with him three or four weeks ago and he told me it didn't matter as TESLA shares were holding up and making him a nice profit. Oh dear ...

    If he is overweight Tesla he may well be up over the last two months, unlikely to be significantly down.
    Yeah I've been following Tesla carefully and they're down 10% in 3 days. It looks grim because a number of analysts were already suggesting it's a bubble about to burst. After all, Tesla was still posting losses through 2019. Considering their Shanghai manufacturing base I reckon they're in big trouble. They out sank the Dow yesterday by a factor of 2x.
    They are up 85% over last 6 months though so your position is pure bollox.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,321

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Agreed. There is absolutely no need for the voting process to take a month. Everyone has already made up their minds.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,622

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Because nobody could force him to go and he wanted to try and stay on because he won...
    Wasn’t it for lack of left wing replacement and/or confidence they could fix the succession?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876
    Like influenza, this thing also seems to be associated with vascular events:

    (Guardian live coverage)
    French authorities are urgently trying to trace the source of the coronavirus infection that claimed the life of a 60 year old French citizen who died over night in the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris as five new infections were reported in the country.

    According to officials the individual had travelled to neither China or northern Italy.

    The French fatality was identified as a teacher from L’Oise region in northern France who suffered a massive pulmonary embolism as the result of the virus. The teacher is the second infection identified in the L’Oise region....
  • May on the back benches after her overnight flight from Vegas....
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,622

    IanB2 said:

    By the way, the 'paper losses' trope is as old as the houses and pretty-much nonsense.

    Its not nonsense, its tried and tested and long term true. Paper losses (like paper gains) are immaterial until you sell.

    .
    It's absolute rubbish. It's the Dennis Healey argument. Junk. It's not how markets work and it particularly comes unstuck when you have a prolonged bear run.

    As I say, I've never lost money on the stock market. I get some things wrong but tying up investment at the top of a long bear run is sheer stupidity.
    If you're a professional stock trader who can spot the top of a bear run maybe.

    If you're an amateur saving for your retirement? Absolutely not the case! And people who hold on through the drop and the following recovery won't lose money either.

    If you're a day trader who's never lost money then that doesn't say very much, either you don't trade much or you've held on for long enough to recover, or you've just been very lucky. Most amateurs trying to out trade the professional day traders are on a hiding to nothing and simply gain because the market gains in general, little evidence they outgain those who simply invested then held on.
    Generally, you are right. Specifically, you are wrong. Since the weekend I have been sharing here the financial positions I have been taking, and so far at least it has gone very well. Certainly had I been wrong you'd all be able to see it.
    That's gambling. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, we all on this site know that. And some people can win more via gambling than they lose.

    But on average, over the long term, avoiding gambling is what works for the average person who can't beat the market.
    Of course it is gambling. But, like everything we discuss here, it’s not random gambling - there is experience and judgement that can be brought to bear that we hope will give us an edge. Whether politics, sport or financial markets. Every now and again something comes along where we are particularly certain, and for me this weeks financial markets are one such.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 121,106

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Agreed. There is absolutely no need for the voting process to take a month. Everyone has already made up their minds.
    Howard stayed on 7 months after he lost the 2005 general election until Cameron was elected the new Tory leader
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 50,644
    HYUFD said:

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Agreed. There is absolutely no need for the voting process to take a month. Everyone has already made up their minds.
    Howard stayed on 7 months after he lost the 2005 general election until Cameron was elected the new Tory leader
    That’s because if it had been a quick contest, David Davis would have won.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876

    I didn't call this right and have apologised to Eadric. However, I did warn a good friend of mine two months ago to sell out of his over-exposure on the stock market. When he asked me why, I said I had a hunch we were about to hit a big correction. I met up with him three or four weeks ago and he told me it didn't matter as TESLA shares were holding up and making him a nice profit. Oh dear ...

    If he is overweight Tesla he may well be up over the last two months, unlikely to be significantly down.
    Yeah I've been following Tesla carefully and they're down 10% in 3 days. It looks grim because a number of analysts were already suggesting it's a bubble about to burst. After all, Tesla was still posting losses through 2019. Considering their Shanghai manufacturing base I reckon they're in big trouble. They out sank the Dow yesterday by a factor of 2x.
    If it weren't for the fact that Tesla was already overvalued and probably due a correction, I would suggest now would be a good time to consider investing in Tesla.

    There's every chance the market is overreacting given the Shanghai base - if its true that the Chinese have contained this in Hubei (and if anyone can contain it with draconian measures its the Chinese) then Shanghai could very, very rapidly recover economically from this. China is nearly a thousand kilometres from Wuhan. Wuhan is further from Shanghai than Prague is from London.

    There's every chance this will cease to be a predominantly Chinese illness before long.
    I can’t speak to the market valuation of Tesla, which is a matter of investor psychology, but economic disruption is IMO more likely to benefit them than not.
    The legacy carmakers have much more extended supply chains (as we saw, for instance, with the coronavirus forced closure of the S Korean Nissan plant), and employ far more people in any given plant.
    Any financial struggles will inhibit their capacity to develop new lines to compete in the EV market.

    Meanwhile, Tesla’s new Chinese plant is back up and running.
  • Here’s a thought - ‪Trump has exactly the profile of someone who could be susceptible to a bad dose of coronavirus - old, in public spaces a lot and unhealthy. Same applies to Sanders and Biden, maybe Bloomberg, too, I guess.‬
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 41,276

    Firstly we're talking specifically about long term investments for eg retirement - if you're doing that and are not retiring until the 2030s, 2040s or later then whether it recovers by 2021 or 2025 is moot.

    Secondly if you're retiring before 2025 typical advice would have already been to start diversifying your portfolio.

    Thirdly you've already missed the "pre-Christmas peak". Its gone, no TARDIS, can't get back to it.

    Fourthly nobody knew Christmas was the peak and trying to speculate about that would again take you back to being an amateur day trader who will lose more over the long term than stable investing.

    Finally this is the stock market not Betfair! Betfair is inherently about gambling and short term bets and making predictions and day trading. Its not remotely comparable to stable long term investing in the market.

    You are correct, Philip.

    If you hold shares passively for the long term, and are nowhere near needing to liquidate to access the cash, you just carry on holding them.

    Big unlucky "losers" would be those who entered the market with a lump sum last week, and those who were planning to liquidate their long term portfolio next week.

    If OTOH you are trading the market for profit, times such as this represent a great opportunity to gain (or lose) from speculative short term longs and shorts.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,321
    HYUFD said:

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Agreed. There is absolutely no need for the voting process to take a month. Everyone has already made up their minds.
    Howard stayed on 7 months after he lost the 2005 general election until Cameron was elected the new Tory leader
    That may be true, but with the local elections being in early May, it would have been much better to allow the new leader to have more time to find their feet. Especially as the elections are concentrated on Labour heartlands.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,622

    malcolmg said:

    malcolmg said:

    I didn't call this right and have apologised to Eadric. However, I did warn a good friend of mine two months ago to sell out of his over-exposure on the stock market. When he asked me why, I said I had a hunch we were about to hit a big correction. I met up with him three or four weeks ago and he told me it didn't matter as TESLA shares were holding up and making him a nice profit. Oh dear ...

    No oh dear, he's right, so long as he's in no hurry to sell his shares. If you're investing for the long term, say for your retirement in decades, then holding on to your shares through corrections and slumps is a better technique than second guessing everything.

    People over analyse losses but they don't matter unless they're realised by selling the shares, unless they become worthless by the company going broke or incapable of recovering.
    Exactly , it is always best to ride it out, it will go back up as fast or faster as it came down. I have lost a lot this week but it will come back for sure. Bit like your house , the value is only a concern if you have to sell it.
    Sorry but for a very long time. And I mean years.
    You obviously know nothing about buying shares whatsoever. Trying to guess the market almost always loses you money.
    Errr ... wow ... you really aren't a trader are you?! Lol.

    Despite my comments to Eadric previously, I chatted to my friend two months ago based on good stock market analysis. I was watching a number of trends and bubbles and I caught wind of the rumours about Wuhan. I told him to sell. It was very good advice. He should have taken it and held. And still held. We are nowhere near the bottom of this. In fact, I did tell him to invest in gold for a while.

    I have only ever made money on stocks and shares.

    The 'paper losses' trope is for people who don't have a clue what they're doing.
    While I agree with the line you are taking, I am always sceptical of anyone who claims never to have lost money.

    I have certainly lost money on investments, and forgone gains - indeed for months now I have been positioned defensively, expecting the correction to come, and missed out on a chunk of the upside, particularly in US markets where dislike for Trump coloured my judgement, as a consequence. No-one is ever right all the time, but we all hope to be on the right side of the average. Or at least the median.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876
    edited February 2020

    Here’s a thought - ‪Trump has exactly the profile of someone who could be susceptible to a bad dose of coronavirus - old, in public spaces a lot and unhealthy. Same applies to Sanders and Biden, maybe Bloomberg, too, I guess.‬

    Depends on the state of their lungs, though. Not all old geezers die from this.
    And, of course, they have access to the very best medical care.
  • LennonLennon Posts: 1,769

    Here’s a thought - ‪Trump has exactly the profile of someone who could be susceptible to a bad dose of coronavirus - old, in public spaces a lot and unhealthy. Same applies to Sanders and Biden, maybe Bloomberg, too, I guess.‬

    Although Trump is a known germaphobe so obsessively washes his hands etc. which presumably mitigates some of that risk (although I'm not sure to what degree)
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876

    Nigelb said:



    If you have a cold, they certainly stop you spraying droplets of infected fluid all around you, though.

    Yes, but I think what happens if people go to re-adjust their mask, touch their face and the mask itself and then start touching surfaces around them and spread it that way.
    Limited utility, of course.
    And if you have a cold when this thing is widespread, stay at home.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 121,106

    HYUFD said:

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Agreed. There is absolutely no need for the voting process to take a month. Everyone has already made up their minds.
    Howard stayed on 7 months after he lost the 2005 general election until Cameron was elected the new Tory leader
    That’s because if it had been a quick contest, David Davis would have won.
    Same might have applied to Long Bailey
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 121,106

    HYUFD said:

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Agreed. There is absolutely no need for the voting process to take a month. Everyone has already made up their minds.
    Howard stayed on 7 months after he lost the 2005 general election until Cameron was elected the new Tory leader
    That may be true, but with the local elections being in early May, it would have been much better to allow the new leader to have more time to find their feet. Especially as the elections are concentrated on Labour heartlands.
    The new leader will be in place and elected a month before the local elections, so will get their first electoral test in May
  • OK so collective brains PB. Here is my starter for ten.

    1) Education program quickly informing everyone in society that this is serious and it is going to impact on their lives. But if we work together we can beat this.

    2) Work quickly on finding solutions to home-school teaching. Get the software, get the equipment and distribute it.

    3) Generate some emergency legislation protecting workers who need to self-quarantine. Dust off the legislation for society lock-down, check that it is fit for purpose.

    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    5) Scale up the production of masks, hand sanitizers, soaps. If we don't make them, start doing it.

    6) Generate a public health campaign with a slogan encouraging hand washing, social distancing, the sheer god-damned rudeness of travelling about if you are ill in anyway. Just stay at home. Get Cummiings on the slogan, he's good at that.

    7) Pump money into diagnostics, treatments, vaccines in the public sector. Liaise with the private sector to see how they can be incentivised to move quickly on this.

    8) Cancel all public events, football, cinema the lot. Create a fund to support those in the leisure industry who are going to be stuffed.

    9) Close universities but encourage online learning (2).

    10) Buy everyone in the UK a subscription to Netflix.

    The supermarket shelves and petrol stations would be empty within a few hours of your press release. There are some good practical ideas within it but the package as a whole is way over the top.

    Get a warm April like we have had in some recent years and it may not even be an issue beyound the fear.
  • WhisperingOracleWhisperingOracle Posts: 8,850
    edited February 2020
    nunu2 said:

    Bernies rival are mad.

    They keep trying to attack him from the left and going on about some essay he wrote like 45 years ago when he is proposing mad policies *right* now that poll badly.

    What are they doing?

    Warren is the only real opposition from the left, but she seems to be keeping her powder dry in the hope of a VP position. His only real remaining challenge comes from Biden, who's siightly to the left of Buttigieg, but to Sanders' right.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876
    edited February 2020

    OK so collective brains PB. Here is my starter for ten.

    1) Education program quickly informing everyone in society that this is serious and it is going to impact on their lives. But if we work together we can beat this.

    2) Work quickly on finding solutions to home-school teaching. Get the software, get the equipment and distribute it.

    3) Generate some emergency legislation protecting workers who need to self-quarantine. Dust off the legislation for society lock-down, check that it is fit for purpose.

    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    5) Scale up the production of masks, hand sanitizers, soaps. If we don't make them, start doing it.

    6) Generate a public health campaign with a slogan encouraging hand washing, social distancing, the sheer god-damned rudeness of travelling about if you are ill in anyway. Just stay at home. Get Cummiings on the slogan, he's good at that.

    7) Pump money into diagnostics, treatments, vaccines in the public sector. Liaise with the private sector to see how they can be incentivised to move quickly on this.

    8) Cancel all public events, football, cinema the lot. Create a fund to support those in the leisure industry who are going to be stuffed.

    9) Close universities but encourage online learning (2).

    10) Buy everyone in the UK a subscription to Netflix.

    The supermarket shelves and petrol stations would be empty within a few hours of your press release. There are some good practical ideas within it but the package as a whole is way over the top.

    Get a warm April like we have had in some recent years and it may not even be an issue beyound the fear.
    6) is sensible, though.
    Panic building of intensive care facilities is a bit silly, but we are undeniably undersupplied compared to (say) the rest of Europe, so some building program would not go amiss.
  • Better speech from Javid than he ever made as CoE.....
  • Missed this week's PMQs and just joined in seeing Javid giving what looks like his post-resignation speech in Parliament. Sounds interesting and thoughtful what he has to say, hopefully he'll be back before too long.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 47,777
    edited February 2020


    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    The problem with ICU is not beds themselves, it is trained staff. These cannot be trained quickly.

    Leicester has 55 ICU beds, slightly above average for a million people because of regional speciality units such as cardio thoracic surgery.

    The back up plan is to stop elective surgery, and use operating theatre recovery areas and anaesthetic staff (who have the right skill set) as ICU expansion.

    As around 10% of Corvid 19 cases require ICU, once we pass 1000 locally infected, there will be no room and mortality will spike. Obviously people requiring surgery or ICU for other conditions will be adversely impacted too. Most likely this would be for 3 months minimum.

    You cannot just magic up extra capacity in a system straining at the limit already.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1231368774311464963?s=19
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,321
    Foxy said:


    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    The problem with ICU is not beds themselves, it is trained staff. These cannot be trained quickly.

    Leicester has 55 ICU beds, slightly above average for a million people because of regional speciality units such as cardio thoracic surgery.

    The back up plan is to stop elective surgery, and use operating theatre recovery areas and anaesthetic staff (who have the right skill set) as ICU expansion.

    As around 10% of Corvid 19 cases require ICU, once we pass 1000 locally infected, there will be no room and mortality will spike. Obviously people requiring surgery or ICU for other conditions will be adversely impacted too. Most likely this would be for 3 months minimum.

    You cannot just magic up extra capacity in a system straining at the limit already.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1231368774311464963?s=19
    As someone who is supposed to be having elective surgery in June/July, don’t do this to me!!
  • I know it always happens at the end of PMQs but its not a good look seeing the whole Commons empty as the Health Secretary gets up to speak on COVID19.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 121,106

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
  • Hancock statement - 7,132 in UK tested for Covid-19 - 13 positive.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,321
    HYUFD said:

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
    That’s the next person’s problem?
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,023
    "The comings and goings" - good line from Saj in his resignation speech.
  • I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    I'm happy to do both, but I won't take food into the bathroom. I'll eat my pineapple pizza downstairs before going to the bog, hope that's enough of a compromise for you.
  • Missed this week's PMQs and just joined in seeing Javid giving what looks like his post-resignation speech in Parliament. Sounds interesting and thoughtful what he has to say, hopefully he'll be back before too long.

    It was an excellent speech and a shame he has not spoken so well before

    I expect he will be back in cabinet in due course
  • Better speech from Javid than he ever made as CoE.....

    Did he ever make a speech to the Commons as Ch/Ex? (Or is that your point?)
  • By the way, the 'paper losses' trope is as old as the houses and pretty-much nonsense.

    Its not nonsense, its tried and tested and long term true. Paper losses (like paper gains) are immaterial until you sell.

    .

    Sorry but this is silly and makes numerous logic errors.

    Firstly we're talking specifically about long term investments for eg retirement - if you're doing that and are not retiring until the 2030s, 2040s or later then whether it recovers by 2021 or 2025 is moot.

    Secondly if you're retiring before 2025 typical advice would have already been to start diversifying your portfolio.

    Thirdly you've already missed the "pre-Christmas peak". Its gone, no TARDIS, can't get back to it.

    Fourthly nobody knew Christmas was the peak and trying to speculate about that would again take you back to being an amateur day trader who will lose more over the long term than stable investing.

    Finally this is the stock market not Betfair! Betfair is inherently about gambling and short term bets and making predictions and day trading. Its not remotely comparable to stable long term investing in the market.
    The way to look at this is for investment you are correct. But you can make money out of investing in shares and/or betting on shares.

    Most people win investing and most people lose betting. So to a normal audience I would be completely behind your advice.

    On this website however, where we have a mix of people with expertise in betting, politics and societal trends, sometimes even all three, there are a disproportionate number who can win by betting on the stock market. I am keen to hear the tips and positions of posters on the ftse just as I would be on the presidential election or sports. A small minority of tips I might follow in, but a much higher proportion feel like they are good value.

    Just because you invest in shares doesnt mean you shouldnt gamble on them in parallel. Most people shouldnt gamble for anything beyond small stakes entertainment because they lose, but money can be made by the judicious.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876
    Foxy said:


    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    The problem with ICU is not beds themselves, it is trained staff. These cannot be trained quickly.

    Leicester has 55 ICU beds, slightly above average for a million people because of regional speciality units such as cardio thoracic surgery.

    The back up plan is to stop elective surgery, and use operating theatre recovery areas and anaesthetic staff (who have the right skill set) as ICU expansion.

    As around 10% of Corvid 19 cases require ICU, once we pass 1000 locally infected, there will be no room and mortality will spike. Obviously people requiring surgery or ICU for other conditions will be adversely impacted too. Most likely this would be for 3 months minimum.

    You cannot just magic up extra capacity in a system straining at the limit already.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1231368774311464963?s=19
    Is there any merit in the suggestion that in the event of a massive outbreak which overwhelms hospital facilities, CPAP machines might have some limited utility ?
  • Lennon said:

    Here’s a thought - ‪Trump has exactly the profile of someone who could be susceptible to a bad dose of coronavirus - old, in public spaces a lot and unhealthy. Same applies to Sanders and Biden, maybe Bloomberg, too, I guess.‬

    Although Trump is a known germaphobe so obsessively washes his hands etc. which presumably mitigates some of that risk (although I'm not sure to what degree)
    But he does like to frequently surround himself with tens of thousands of cheering sycophants in indoor arenas.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876

    Missed this week's PMQs and just joined in seeing Javid giving what looks like his post-resignation speech in Parliament. Sounds interesting and thoughtful what he has to say, hopefully he'll be back before too long.

    It was an excellent speech and a shame he has not spoken so well before

    I expect he will be back in cabinet in due course
    He is perhaps one of those politicians somewhat inhibited by holding office ?
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 121,106
    edited February 2020

    HYUFD said:

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
    That’s the next person’s problem?
    By which time germs have festered in the waste leaving the next person at risk to pick them up
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 41,276

    But he does like to frequently surround himself with tens of thousands of cheering sycophants in indoor arenas.

    Mmm. And a lot of them don't look the most pristine.
  • Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Classic angry jezza. Too many seem willing to attribute the heavy rains and storms we have had over the last few weeks to ‘climate change’. It might be, it might not. But they don’t know if it is and neither does anyone else.
  • GideonWiseGideonWise Posts: 1,123
    Foxy said:


    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    The problem with ICU is not beds themselves, it is trained staff. These cannot be trained quickly.

    Leicester has 55 ICU beds, slightly above average for a million people because of regional speciality units such as cardio thoracic surgery.

    The back up plan is to stop elective surgery, and use operating theatre recovery areas and anaesthetic staff (who have the right skill set) as ICU expansion.

    As around 10% of Corvid 19 cases require ICU, once we pass 1000 locally infected, there will be no room and mortality will spike. Obviously people requiring surgery or ICU for other conditions will be adversely impacted too. Most likely this would be for 3 months minimum.

    You cannot just magic up extra capacity in a system straining at the limit already.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1231368774311464963?s=19
    Of course but we are going to have to work differently aren't we? The patient to staff ratios will have to change dramatically. Get working on the training now. What we need is a mindset change to do our best to prevent that mortality spike. We certainly need to be slightly more ambitious and creative than just stopping elective surgery.
  • HYUFD said:

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
    You monster.

    You flush with the lid down then once the flushing has finished you then lift the lid up to check.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 47,777
    Nigelb said:

    Foxy said:


    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    The problem with ICU is not beds themselves, it is trained staff. These cannot be trained quickly.

    Leicester has 55 ICU beds, slightly above average for a million people because of regional speciality units such as cardio thoracic surgery.

    The back up plan is to stop elective surgery, and use operating theatre recovery areas and anaesthetic staff (who have the right skill set) as ICU expansion.

    As around 10% of Corvid 19 cases require ICU, once we pass 1000 locally infected, there will be no room and mortality will spike. Obviously people requiring surgery or ICU for other conditions will be adversely impacted too. Most likely this would be for 3 months minimum.

    You cannot just magic up extra capacity in a system straining at the limit already.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1231368774311464963?s=19
    Is there any merit in the suggestion that in the event of a massive outbreak which overwhelms hospital facilities, CPAP machines might have some limited utility ?
    An interesting thought. There are 10 000 Obstructive Sleep Apnoea patients in Leics, so a lot of machines.

    I think though little advantage over the oxygen at every bedside. CPAP is not a substitute for ICU, and often these patients need intensive multi system support.
  • Or just #continuitycorbyn
  • Coronavirus precautions have forced Radio 4’s Nick Robinson and the Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow to self-isolate, raising concerns that the spread of the virus could threaten the ability of journalists to do their jobs.

    Sky News has told staff that guests entering any of its properties must give a formal declaration that they have not recently been to any infected area, a move which could limit the number of guests available to the channel.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/26/nick-robinson-jon-snow-self-isolating-coronavirus-precaution?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876
    Foxy said:

    Nigelb said:

    Foxy said:


    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    The problem with ICU is not beds themselves, it is trained staff. These cannot be trained quickly.

    Leicester has 55 ICU beds, slightly above average for a million people because of regional speciality units such as cardio thoracic surgery.

    The back up plan is to stop elective surgery, and use operating theatre recovery areas and anaesthetic staff (who have the right skill set) as ICU expansion.

    As around 10% of Corvid 19 cases require ICU, once we pass 1000 locally infected, there will be no room and mortality will spike. Obviously people requiring surgery or ICU for other conditions will be adversely impacted too. Most likely this would be for 3 months minimum.

    You cannot just magic up extra capacity in a system straining at the limit already.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1231368774311464963?s=19
    Is there any merit in the suggestion that in the event of a massive outbreak which overwhelms hospital facilities, CPAP machines might have some limited utility ?
    An interesting thought. There are 10 000 Obstructive Sleep Apnoea patients in Leics, so a lot of machines.

    I think though little advantage over the oxygen at every bedside. CPAP is not a substitute for ICU, and often these patients need intensive multi system support.
    I realise that, but I was talking about the most pessimistic of scenarios where there are no free beds at all for a period. Hence “limited”.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 68,876

    HYUFD said:

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
    You monster.

    You flush with the lid down then once the flushing has finished you then lift the lid up to check.
    And then wash your hands !
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,622
    This date last year saw the warmest Feb day on record, over 20 C in London. This year Snow is forecast tomorrow for areas north of the M4
  • Just popped into my local council and they’re carrying out a “mass fatalities training programme”.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 121,106

    HYUFD said:

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
    You monster.

    You flush with the lid down then once the flushing has finished you then lift the lid up to check.
    By which time your hands are likely to pick up germs
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 47,777
    Nigelb said:

    Foxy said:

    Nigelb said:

    Foxy said:


    4) Immediately, with every resource we have, get building intensive care units with thousands of beds for these patients. Ideally away from normal hospitals.

    The problem with ICU is not beds themselves, it is trained staff. These cannot be trained quickly.

    Leicester has 55 ICU beds, slightly above average for a million people because of regional speciality units such as cardio thoracic surgery.

    The back up plan is to stop elective surgery, and use operating theatre recovery areas and anaesthetic staff (who have the right skill set) as ICU expansion.

    As around 10% of Corvid 19 cases require ICU, once we pass 1000 locally infected, there will be no room and mortality will spike. Obviously people requiring surgery or ICU for other conditions will be adversely impacted too. Most likely this would be for 3 months minimum.

    You cannot just magic up extra capacity in a system straining at the limit already.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1231368774311464963?s=19
    Is there any merit in the suggestion that in the event of a massive outbreak which overwhelms hospital facilities, CPAP machines might have some limited utility ?
    An interesting thought. There are 10 000 Obstructive Sleep Apnoea patients in Leics, so a lot of machines.

    I think though little advantage over the oxygen at every bedside. CPAP is not a substitute for ICU, and often these patients need intensive multi system support.
    I realise that, but I was talking about the most pessimistic of scenarios where there are no free beds at all for a period. Hence “limited”.
    This is why containment matters even in a pandemic situation. It spreads the disease out in time as well as reducing numbers. From the CDC, as posted previously by me:




  • eekeek Posts: 27,536

    Just popped into my local council and they’re carrying out a “mass fatalities training programme”.

    That's cheery. Where exactly in the northern powerhouse are you?
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 77,453
    Some of my friends are wondering about a certain mass participation event on the 26th April where bodily fluids are going to be errm … everywhere.
  • eekeek Posts: 27,536
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
    You monster.

    You flush with the lid down then once the flushing has finished you then lift the lid up to check.
    By which time your hands are likely to pick up germs
    You wash your hands after picking up the lid.
  • Nigelb said:

    HYUFD said:

    I tell you who are super spreaders of viruses and lurgies.

    1) People who take their phones to the bog.

    2) People who flush with the lid up and not down.


    I’m quite happy to suspend my opposition to the death penalty for these people.

    Who does not flush with the lid up, how else do you check it has been flushed away?
    You monster.

    You flush with the lid down then once the flushing has finished you then lift the lid up to check.
    And then wash your hands !
    Repeatedly. I also have disposable gloves in the bathrooms.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 77,453
    HYUFD said:
    His numbers must be looking very good indeed to be spending that sort of internal political capital within Labour already.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,321
    HYUFD said:
    These love island esque endorsements are getting out of hand.
  • Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    If you mean after the election, because Watson stood down and it would have been impractical to put a temporary leader in place as there's no-one the various factions could have agreed on given how that leader could have influenced the leadership election.

    The election itself could have been cut down a little but not much. Maybe a week could have been trimmed off each of the three stages but that's all.
  • Pulpstar said:

    HYUFD said:
    His numbers must be looking very good indeed to be spending that sort of internal political capital within Labour already.
    Is what I thought. RLB really could finish third.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,321

    Pulpstar said:

    HYUFD said:
    His numbers must be looking very good indeed to be spending that sort of internal political capital within Labour already.
    Is what I thought. RLB really could finish third.
    At various Labour leadership events I’ve been to, I’ve had complete strangers coming up to me to tell me they simply want to “stop Becky”, and asking me who I’m voting for.
  • Pulpstar said:

    HYUFD said:
    His numbers must be looking very good indeed to be spending that sort of internal political capital within Labour already.
    Good point.
  • justin124justin124 Posts: 11,527

    Corbyn has given up. His performance just now was petulant and pathetic. Johnson does bluster but he isn't put under pressure by Corbyn making ad hominem attacks and not asking serious questions.

    Why was he allowed to stay on do long?

    Agreed. There is absolutely no need for the voting process to take a month. Everyone has already made up their minds.
    The process is no longer than was the case in 2010 and 2015 - and indeed the Tory leadership election in 2005.
  • justin124justin124 Posts: 11,527
    Pulpstar said:

    HYUFD said:
    His numbers must be looking very good indeed to be spending that sort of internal political capital within Labour already.
    I would hope that Gisela Stuart has been shown the red card.
  • Pulpstar said:

    Some of my friends are wondering about a certain mass participation event on the 26th April where bodily fluids are going to be errm … everywhere.

    World Intellectual Property Day?
  • AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670
    edited February 2020
    55% of Scots believe a referendum should be held within the next 5 years. (17% now, 23% after Holyrood election, 15% within the next 5 years)

    https://twitter.com/WhatScotsThink/status/1232314228674969601

    The Right Direction/Wrong Direction question is ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING and totally non-intuitive result on the cross tabs.
This discussion has been closed.