The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
Money will be the only language they understand.
China is integral to so many supply chains in so many industries. Huawei is going to be central to our 5G infrastructure. It’s going to be impossible to avoid. But we need to see it for what it is. No-one should think The Chinese government has any interest in mind but its own.
Yes, it will be a hard road and won't change overnight but the world needs to reduce its dependency on China.
I'm shocked at the number of apologists for China on here this morning.
Markets seem a bit more resilient this morning, perhaps in anticipation of a resolution to the political impasse over the US rescue package today. The resistance levels of FTSE 5000/Dow 20000 are still exercising a pull.
Personally I don't want my kids being shot to death in school but Americans keep voting to preserve the rights of the shooter. Not my choice but I sincerely believe in their right to make their own democratic choices. If they want to die of Coronavirus and that's their choice shouldn't we respect that as well?
Somehow we have to avoid the Trumpian blaming foreigners phase.
I have seen very little of that here. Farage tried, but failed spectacularly. Immigrants are playing a central role in keeping things together right now. The vast majority of people can see that.
Like some on here I had started to wonder if a sudden pivot to massive government largesse would save Trump come November but the last 2 days with the ludicrous Senate bill (half a trillion dollars to be handed out by Minchkin with no oversight and not even recipients reported until 6 months later) plus now the stated desire to sacrifice people to pump up the stock market is gob snakcingly dumb.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
Money will be the only language they understand.
China is integral to so many supply chains in so many industries. Huawei is going to be central to our 5G infrastructure. It’s going to be impossible to avoid. But we need to see it for what it is. No-one should think The Chinese government has any interest in mind but its own.
Yes, it will be a hard road and won't change overnight but the world needs to reduce its dependency on China.
I'm shocked at the number of apologists for China on here this morning.
I despair.
That is a psychological side effect of the shutdown; it says nothing about the real world. You are just seeing pushback against your nationalistically informed misdiagnosis of a problem and prescription of a wholly unworkable cure.
The death of the high street, at least in big cities, is grossly exaggerated in my opinion.
A vast majority of establishments are already clubs, bars, cafes, and restaurants. They are not going anywhere.
That's social interaction. The key point was made already upthread - the hateful Currys PC World has been closed but Amazon still deliver. If Dixons Hatephone still have Stanley Palms level of business savvy they'll be looking at how they can offload their expensive out of town barn stores and switch to a virtual model. Not something as piratical as Amazon, something with people interaction.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
This is a terrible day. It shouldn't have been allowed to get this stage.
As soon as it became apparent there was a virus epidemic in China and other countries the borders should have been closed completely, with a very strict quarantine regime for people wishing to return to the UK. Other countries should have done the same.
But @Andy_JS if you look back over your own posts from the last few weeks on the subject you will see that there would have been huge resistance to such a move. Governments should lead but ultimately they govern by consent, especially on something like this where the authorities need widespread cooperation. Could the government have moved faster? Yes, but only by a maximum of a week or so. Even that would have been hugely controversial.
Exactly. There is no way a government could impose measures like this without the public being primed to accept them. Even now some wont and direct enforcement is impossible. The idea it could have happened a lot sooner, and from those objecting to moving too quick to boot, is just plain silly, even if with a slight range.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
Money will be the only language they understand.
Ebola came from West Africa, HIV from Central Africa, MERS from Saudi, Swine Flu from the USA and BSE from the UK. These viruses jump species everywhere that people eat meat.
As the worlds biggest producer of PPE, I would be very glad of some massive imports from China.
Or it has nothing to do with eating meat and is simply a function of a globalised world where the more we travel across continents the easier it is for species to establish themselves elsewhere. There are enough examples of species jumping continents eg Asian hornets on shipping to say its just a downside to a smaller world. This is happening to other species on the planet its just they don't get to shout about it.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
Money will be the only language they understand.
China is integral to so many supply chains in so many industries. Huawei is going to be central to our 5G infrastructure. It’s going to be impossible to avoid. But we need to see it for what it is. No-one should think The Chinese government has any interest in mind but its own.
The supply chains will get re configured
All the Brexit downside is now in the market and companies will pay more attention to supply chain robustness rather than just price. We will shift to more regionalism at the expense of globalism.
This is a terrible day. It shouldn't have been allowed to get this stage.
As soon as it became apparent there was a virus epidemic in China and other countries the borders should have been closed completely, with a very strict quarantine regime for people wishing to return to the UK. Other countries should have done the same.
But @Andy_JS if you look back over your own posts from the last few weeks on the subject you will see that there would have been huge resistance to such a move. Governments should lead but ultimately they govern by consent, especially on something like this where the authorities need widespread cooperation. Could the government have moved faster? Yes, but only by a maximum of a week or so. Even that would have been hugely controversial.
Exactly. There is no way a government could impose measures like this without the public being primed to accept them. Even now some wont and direct enforcement is impossible. The idea it could have happened a lot sooner, and from those objecting to moving too quick to boot, is just plain silly, even if with a slight range.
Modern life was a car that was continuously breaking the speed limit for a long journey, and now it’s crashed. Unnatural things that destroy the world like flying planes should be expensive rarities, not cheap entitlements.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
Money will be the only language they understand.
China is integral to so many supply chains in so many industries. Huawei is going to be central to our 5G infrastructure. It’s going to be impossible to avoid. But we need to see it for what it is. No-one should think The Chinese government has any interest in mind but its own.
The supply chains will get re configured
All the Brexit downside is now in the market and companies will pay more attention to supply chain robustness rather than just price. We will shift to more regionalism at the expense of globalism.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
Money will be the only language they understand.
China is integral to so many supply chains in so many industries. Huawei is going to be central to our 5G infrastructure. It’s going to be impossible to avoid. But we need to see it for what it is. No-one should think The Chinese government has any interest in mind but its own.
The supply chains will get re configured
All the Brexit downside is now in the market and companies will pay more attention to supply chain robustness rather than just price. We will shift to more regionalism at the expense of globalism.
Personally I don't want my kids being shot to death in school but Americans keep voting to preserve the rights of the shooter. Not my choice but I sincerely believe in their right to make their own democratic choices. If they want to die of Coronavirus and that's their choice shouldn't we respect that as well?
We’re unlikely to be hit by stray bullets from a school shooting is the US in this country.
However, if the US becomes a major reservoir of this virus, it’s going to be a right bastard to either contain or eradicate it. The effects on the world economy would also be to put it mildly suboptimal.
Employees have a role to play. Why drag the workforce in right now? It is not BAU.
The Govts half baked announcement won't trigger force majeure in contracts as currently stated
In Spain - those whose jobs can continue or are necessary are still working with appropriate measures in place. This is common sense. The economy is massively disruted as it is without making it worse than necessary.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
China must be made to change. Their domestic environmental, sanitary and hygiene regulation is appalling.
That isn't about revenge; it's about avoiding a future repetition.
SARS, Bird Flu/H5N1.. Covid-19. There's far too much of a pattern there.
Enough. I won't be buying anything Made in China unless they change.
Money will be the only language they understand.
China is integral to so many supply chains in so many industries. Huawei is going to be central to our 5G infrastructure. It’s going to be impossible to avoid. But we need to see it for what it is. No-one should think The Chinese government has any interest in mind but its own.
Yes, it will be a hard road and won't change overnight but the world needs to reduce its dependency on China.
I'm shocked at the number of apologists for China on here this morning.
I despair.
That is a psychological side effect of the shutdown; it says nothing about the real world. You are just seeing pushback against your nationalistically informed misdiagnosis of a problem and prescription of a wholly unworkable cure.
Bollocks. You're a shit-stirring twat of a poster this site would be far better off without.
Full tubes would be ok. No tubes could work. Reduced tubes + no actual lockdown is an absolute fucking disaster
Bloody moronic of Khan to force people onto fewer tubes in order to encourage social distancing.
Pictures of Waterloo Station being empty but the trains being full - this is entirely due to what Khan has done, not Londoners.
It’s actually due to a lot of people feeling they have no choice but to go to work. That will include many who are self-employed and on zero hours contracts. Khan and the government both need to look at this as a matter of extreme urgency.
Any way, off to work, or dining room table as it used to be known. Wonder how many of my Year 11s are going to log on to my words of wisdom about revising for an exam they will not have to sit...
Full tubes would be ok. No tubes could work. Reduced tubes + no actual lockdown is an absolute fucking disaster
Bloody moronic of Khan to force people onto fewer tubes in order to encourage social distancing.
Pictures of Waterloo Station being empty but the trains being full - this is entirely due to what Khan has done, not Londoners.
It’s actually due to a lot of people feeling they have no choice but to go to work. That will include many who are self-employed and on zero hours contracts. Khan and the government both need to look at this as a matter of extreme urgency.
Personally, at 1805, I, and two colleagues, had two days to get our labs closed down safely. At 0800, everything was shut down - I'm inside the building trying to get a straight answer from someone higher up. Brilliant.
Full tubes would be ok. No tubes could work. Reduced tubes + no actual lockdown is an absolute fucking disaster
Bloody moronic of Khan to force people onto fewer tubes in order to encourage social distancing.
Pictures of Waterloo Station being empty but the trains being full - this is entirely due to what Khan has done, not Londoners.
Yes but the corollary of this is HMG's lockdown might have been an overreaction if (and there is a medium-sized assumption that drivers remain healthy) the problem could have been fixed merely by resuming a normal timetable.
The Chinese government is probably the most damaging force in the world today - widespread human rights abuses, repression of religious minorities, Hong Kong, Tibet, and now barbaric animal welfare standards causing a viral outbreak and government cover-up delaying a global response. Pointing this out and wanting said government to be held to account is clearly not hating or blaming the ordinary Chinese population and it's daft to claim otherwise.
Some time ago I met a friend at a cafe for a chat. It was really hot and normally I'd get myself a coke but they were sold out, so I grabbed any old cold drink. Only when I opened it did I realise it was Kopparberg cider (rather nice, although it's pretty much a fruit drink unlike other ciders I've tried which were lagery). And then I realised the checkout lady hadn't even batted an eye or considered asking me for ID (just as well, I didn't have any).
It's almost as if baldness and stubble makes a man look old...
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
Any way, off to work, or dining room table as it used to be known. Wonder how many of my Year 11s are going to log on to my words of wisdom about revising for an exam they will not have to sit...
For me, the Year 11 figure was 40%. Year 13 was around 30%.
No idea what Year 12 will be like, but they should be doing coursework anyway.
The Chinese government is probably the most damaging force in the world today - widespread human rights abuses, repression of religious minorities, Hong Kong, Tibet, and now barbaric animal welfare standards causing a viral outbreak and government cover-up delaying a global response. Pointing this out and wanting said government to be held to account is clearly not hating or blaming the ordinary Chinese population and it's daft to claim otherwise.
Quite so. Bravo.
Unfortunately, there are some posters on here who are far more interested in virtue-signalling and condemning others on here than taking any action.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
When all this is over, those on the green-left will be thinking that if all this can be done to tackle the virus, surely we can do a hell of a lot more to tackle the climate emergency.
This is a terrible day. It shouldn't have been allowed to get this stage.
As soon as it became apparent there was a virus epidemic in China and other countries the borders should have been closed completely, with a very strict quarantine regime for people wishing to return to the UK. Other countries should have done the same.
But @Andy_JS if you look back over your own posts from the last few weeks on the subject you will see that there would have been huge resistance to such a move. Governments should lead but ultimately they govern by consent, especially on something like this where the authorities need widespread cooperation. Could the government have moved faster? Yes, but only by a maximum of a week or so. Even that would have been hugely controversial.
Which is why better preparation and better communication would have afforded this measure more consent. And saved lives in fact. We are where we are. This is the right step to take.
The Chinese government is probably the most damaging force in the world today - widespread human rights abuses, repression of religious minorities, Hong Kong, Tibet, and now barbaric animal welfare standards causing a viral outbreak and government cover-up delaying a global response. Pointing this out and wanting said government to be held to account is clearly not hating or blaming the ordinary Chinese population and it's daft to claim otherwise.
Indeed - but at least in Britain it’s lapdogs are confined to the BBC.
When all this is over, those on the green-left will be thinking that if all this can be done to tackle the virus, surely we can do a hell of a lot more to tackle the climate emergency.
The Chinese government is probably the most damaging force in the world today - widespread human rights abuses, repression of religious minorities, Hong Kong, Tibet, and now barbaric animal welfare standards causing a viral outbreak and government cover-up delaying a global response. Pointing this out and wanting said government to be held to account is clearly not hating or blaming the ordinary Chinese population and it's daft to claim otherwise.
Quite so. Bravo.
Unfortunately, there are some posters on here who are far more interested in virtue-signalling and condemning others on here than taking any action.
But we have to live in the real world. China's national pride is HUGE. Taking a public pop is fine, but the commercial consequences on certain industries need to be fully appreciated. It is the same as the 'special relationship' we've had with America for several decades. In case you hadn't noticed, we don't step out of line there much either.
I would prefer to channel what will be China's obvious underlying guilt about coronavirus in a more positive way, trying to secure benefits for the UK in so doing.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
How do you know they're not all key workers? You can't tell from just their faces what work people are going to, especially if they're getting changed into uniforms on site and not on the commute (as I know some have been told to do to reduce risk of transmission from transport onto clothes).
If you slash the frequency of trains you will end up cramming the key workers onto a few trains. Not a smart move!
This is far from over, as Salmond made clear on the steps of the court. Key evidence he had been prevented from airing in court would be made public, he said: “At some point, that information, facts and evidence will see the light of day.” His rage and clear thirst for revenge will not be deflected.
When all this is over, those on the green-left will be thinking that if all this can be done to tackle the virus, surely we can do a hell of a lot more to tackle the climate emergency.
Some of it will happen anyway with much less flying in the future I expect. Other green objectives may take more of a battering: single use plastics may see a resurgence for instance.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
We just might have changed shopping for ever. Can't go down to PCWorld for electrical, but can buy them from Amazon (etc). Cafe's, restaurants might re-open but will many shops?
Working from home, preference for being out of the city, and shopping online will all endure afterwards.
And the move to a cashless society is being jet-propelled as people prefer to pay contactless.
I was looking back at my predictions as to what Covid-19 might do to society from what I thought was ages back. Then realised I only wrote this a fortnight ago:
When all this is over, those on the green-left will be thinking that if all this can be done to tackle the virus, surely we can do a hell of a lot more to tackle the climate emergency.
How much is this costing the economy again?
How much has the Earth recovered in just a few weeks? A massive reduction in pollution, in garbage in the oceans, etc. It demonstrates that we can save the planet.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
How do you know they're not all key workers? You can't tell from just their faces what work people are going to, especially if they're getting changed into uniforms on site and not on the commute (as I know some have been told to do to reduce risk of transmission from transport onto clothes).
If you slash the frequency of trains you will end up cramming the key workers onto a few trains. Not a smart move!
Why would they all be key workers ? There is a large economy that exists outside shops and key workers
Grandpa Smithson, I feel your pain. It's almost as if baldness and stubble makes a man look old...
Mr Dancer - are you sure you are shaving correctly? My understanding is that the razor scrapes the chin, neck and cheeks. The top of the head should, however, not be touched.
The interesting bit is not what happens now, but what happens afterwards. It’s hard to see how we go back to where we were domestically and internationally. How the aftermath is handled is what will truly define this government. We are all going to be paying more tax - but who will pay and how much, will services be cut at the same time? What role will the state have in controlling our infrastructure? Internationally, can we still do business with an increasingly crazed Trump presiding over an increasingly divided US, is China a country we can ever trust, will the EU and UK find common cause as they deal with these two challenges, could that see both sides become more realistic as they negotiate an FTA? And so on and so on. Currently, the government has very few choices. It is doing what has to be done. Looking at Trump and the other populists, we should be grateful for that, of course. However, once the crisis has past there are going to be huge calls to make where there are plenty of choices. That’s when we’ll find out more.
We just might have changed shopping for ever. Can't go down to PCWorld for electrical, but can buy them from Amazon (etc). Cafe's, restaurants might re-open but will many shops?
Working from home, preference for being out of the city, and shopping online will all endure afterwards.
And the move to a cashless society is being jet-propelled as people prefer to pay contactless.
I was looking back at my predictions as to what Covid-19 might do to society from what I thought was ages back. Then realised I only wrote this a fortnight ago:
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
How do you know they're not all key workers? You can't tell from just their faces what work people are going to, especially if they're getting changed into uniforms on site and not on the commute (as I know some have been told to do to reduce risk of transmission from transport onto clothes).
If you slash the frequency of trains you will end up cramming the key workers onto a few trains. Not a smart move!
I don’t know. Neither do you. That’s the point. Right now the self-employed and zero hours workers have no choice but to carry on as normal, while a lot of businesses are not yet sure whether they are essential or not. Until there is clarity on these things, people will continue to travel. It could be that Khan did make a mistake in believing such clarity would be provided. It’s clear now, though, that the government must now get involved - either to order, and subsidise, additional transport, or to be much clearer about what is essential and what help will be available to the self-employed and those on zero hours work.
Employees have a role to play. Why drag the workforce in right now? It is not BAU.
The Govts half baked announcement won't trigger force majeure in contracts as currently stated
Forget half-baked. The real issue is timing. Scheduling announcements for newspaper deadlines means it is too late for people to react.
If HMG makes an announcement at 8.30 pm, when does Boris think employers will tell their staff they should not come in? Let's see what things look like tomorrow.
I'm going to spend a decent of chunk of today with my Head of Marketing hat on looking at social media approaches to this crisis. Some companies will enhance their reputation in this. Others couldn't do themselves more harm if they curled one out live on Facebook.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
How do you know they're not all key workers? You can't tell from just their faces what work people are going to, especially if they're getting changed into uniforms on site and not on the commute (as I know some have been told to do to reduce risk of transmission from transport onto clothes).
If you slash the frequency of trains you will end up cramming the key workers onto a few trains. Not a smart move!
Why would they all be key workers ? There is a large economy that exists outside shops and key workers
Why wouldn't they all be key workers?
There is a large economy that exists within key workers. Train transport numbers are said to be down 80%, the pictures from the train concorses shows them to be empty - yet the trains are packed. Why are the trains packed when passenger numbers are down 80% and concorses are empty? Possibly because the number of trains made available to those key workers have been slashed.
Put on the number of trains you'd normally have (subject to availability of train drivers) and trains would be largely empty based on the 80% reduction in passengers. It doesn't help reducing passengers by 80% if you reduce trains by 80% too!
My work is trying to stay open (research labs, engineering type testing facilities). Lot of people who had been OK with that in the last week (with >>50% of us WFH) are now not OK with that. Suspect we will have to close and frankly i sympathise with the workers.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
How do you know they're not all key workers? You can't tell from just their faces what work people are going to, especially if they're getting changed into uniforms on site and not on the commute (as I know some have been told to do to reduce risk of transmission from transport onto clothes).
If you slash the frequency of trains you will end up cramming the key workers onto a few trains. Not a smart move!
I don’t know. Neither do you. That’s the point. Right now the self-employed and zero hours workers have no choice but to carry on as normal, while a lot of businesses are not yet sure whether they are essential or not. Until there is clarity on these things, people will continue to travel. It could be that Khan did make a mistake in believing such clarity would be provided. It’s clear now, though, that the government must now get involved - either to order, and subsidise, additional transport, or to be much clearer about what is essential and what help will be available to the self-employed and those on zero hours work.
You're right we don't know, but the passenger numbers are down dramatically and train stations and concorses (where you can make comparisons) are empty. So why aren't trains? Probably because they slashed the numbers of trains available.
Given overall passenger numbers are down 80% I think its safe to say many non-essential businesses are doing the right thing.
Is there a worse journalist on the media than Kay Burley
Full of her own importance, asking idiotic questions including trying to get Gove to admit hundreds of thousands could die
Perhaps it would help things if Mr Gove stated that hundreds of thousands could die... "That is what we are trying to avoid - stay in your homes..." etc.
It is handing out half-hearted statements and fuzzy guidance that confuses people.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
This is not good. We are going to need more clarity on what essential working is and on what help will be given to the self-employed and zero hours workers. People getting up this early and heading to work are not metropolitan avocado eaters or good time Charlies. They are people who have no choice currently.
How do you know they're not all key workers? You can't tell from just their faces what work people are going to, especially if they're getting changed into uniforms on site and not on the commute (as I know some have been told to do to reduce risk of transmission from transport onto clothes).
If you slash the frequency of trains you will end up cramming the key workers onto a few trains. Not a smart move!
Why would they all be key workers ? There is a large economy that exists outside shops and key workers
Why wouldn't they all be key workers?
There is a large economy that exists within key workers. Train transport numbers are said to be down 80%, the pictures from the train concorses shows them to be empty - yet the trains are packed. Why are the trains packed when passenger numbers are down 80% and concorses are empty? Possibly because the number of trains made available to those key workers have been slashed.
Put on the number of trains you'd normally have (subject to availability of train drivers) and trains would be largely empty based on the 80% reduction in passengers. It doesn't help reducing passengers by 80% if you reduce trains by 80% too!
Timpsons will surely be open; they're all key workers.
Comments
I'm shocked at the number of apologists for China on here this morning.
I despair.
A vast majority of establishments are already clubs, bars, cafes, and restaurants. They are not going anywhere.
Edit he would have got more buy in with better communication earlier.
https://twitter.com/WestminsterWAG/status/1241072153228910592?s=20
All the Brexit downside is now in the market and companies will pay more attention to supply chain robustness rather than just price. We will shift to more regionalism at the expense of globalism.
However, if the US becomes a major reservoir of this virus, it’s going to be a right bastard to either contain or eradicate it. The effects on the world economy would also be to put it mildly suboptimal.
Pictures of Waterloo Station being empty but the trains being full - this is entirely due to what Khan has done, not Londoners.
There's also a big risk of a cop out - because people are far too worried about being *seen* to blame foreigners to take any action.
Chinese sanitary and welfare standards are woeful. There's a pattern of outbreaks there.
Time to change.
Alastair Meeks was right about you.
But I was pretty flattered last time given I was 36 at the time.
Some time ago I met a friend at a cafe for a chat. It was really hot and normally I'd get myself a coke but they were sold out, so I grabbed any old cold drink. Only when I opened it did I realise it was Kopparberg cider (rather nice, although it's pretty much a fruit drink unlike other ciders I've tried which were lagery). And then I realised the checkout lady hadn't even batted an eye or considered asking me for ID (just as well, I didn't have any).
It's almost as if baldness and stubble makes a man look old...
No idea what Year 12 will be like, but they should be doing coursework anyway.
Unfortunately, there are some posters on here who are far more interested in virtue-signalling and condemning others on here than taking any action.
Last week, Elisha Nochomovitz, a 32-year-old furloughed restaurant worker, ran the length of a marathon (26.2 miles) -- on his 23-foot long balcony.
And he did it in six hours and 48 minutes, a personal record nearly double that of his previous finish time.
Social distancing will be observed by me and the pup at all times
I would prefer to channel what will be China's obvious underlying guilt about coronavirus in a more positive way, trying to secure benefits for the UK in so doing.
If you slash the frequency of trains you will end up cramming the key workers onto a few trains. Not a smart move!
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2020/03/alex-salmond-trial-sexual-assault-acquitted-snp
Divorced parents being selfish shock..
FFS
I got 2 emails from my local car dealer yesterday.
The first said they were open for repairs.
The second said they were not open for repairs after BoZo's statement.
Now Gove says they should be open.
The barman said "No, but it's the rules. The young people don't like being discriminated against."
"Shall we ask them?" I said. "I suspect they'll take our word for it in this case."
He smiled and backed down.
Happy lock down day to everyone.
There is a large economy that exists outside shops and key workers
Full of her own importance, asking idiotic questions including trying to get Gove to admit hundreds of thousands could die
I wish to nominate it as word of the year.
It is over Scott - we have left
If HMG makes an announcement at 8.30 pm, when does Boris think employers will tell their staff they should not come in? Let's see what things look like tomorrow.
There is a large economy that exists within key workers. Train transport numbers are said to be down 80%, the pictures from the train concorses shows them to be empty - yet the trains are packed. Why are the trains packed when passenger numbers are down 80% and concorses are empty? Possibly because the number of trains made available to those key workers have been slashed.
Put on the number of trains you'd normally have (subject to availability of train drivers) and trains would be largely empty based on the 80% reduction in passengers. It doesn't help reducing passengers by 80% if you reduce trains by 80% too!
Given overall passenger numbers are down 80% I think its safe to say many non-essential businesses are doing the right thing.
It is handing out half-hearted statements and fuzzy guidance that confuses people.