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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The NHS “army of volunteers” could be a Cummings masterstroke

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  • James_MJames_M Posts: 103
    Beautiful words @SouthamObserver. Thank you.
  • James_M said:

    Beautiful words @SouthamObserver. Thank you.

    Very moving words
  • James_MJames_M Posts: 103
    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868
    Pulpstar said:

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    rcs1000 said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    The fact that much of the US is low population density works massively in their favour. If you drive from Denver to Salt Lake City you'll go 500 miles without passing anywhere bigger than... well, Beford.

    It'd be like going from London to Edinburgh and passing... almost nothing of note...

    But the counter to that is that the US has done bugger all social distancing (outside New York, Washington and California). They have a massive number of people who will go to work whatever, because there's no social system. And there's no public healthcare.

    Put those together with a government that is largely in denial, and I think CV-19 could be the first crisis ever that European countries handle better than the US.
    Hmm. Doesn't that just mean that even in the wide open spaces of the American West and Mountains, that the population is highly urbanised, and at risk?
    To illustrate:
    https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/status/1242700623704817664?s=19

    From this map we see that Wyoming has 29 cases in a population of 577,000, and California 2,500 in 40 million. Per Capita, that is pretty similar.
    New York City is off the charts bad.
    One in ten of the active Corona cases worldwide is in New York State
  • LBC reporting the likes of HSBC and Lloyds charging <12% interest and personal guarantees on government backed business interruption loans.

    Another triumph for HYUFD!
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 21,675
    I was suppose to be in NYC for work this week. Not too sad that was cancelled.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,486

    LBC reporting the likes of HSBC and Lloyds charging <12% interest and personal guarantees on government backed business interruption loans.

    Another triumph for HYUFD!</p>

    He is not having a good war.

    The banks thing is odd, as it is left up to the banks themselves. RBS for example are not asking for personal guarantees. The government needs to clamp down the charlatans ASAP or companies will go to the wall through lack of cash.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,226
    Betting post -

    Very good steer in the Header the other day on "Sleepy Joe" Biden maybe being swapped out by the Dems for "Angry Andy" Cuomo.

    Not 180/1 now. Betfair 2nd fav for the nomination at 25.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,729
    My wife says the advice us to wash all fruit and veg in soap. And wash your hands if you the post in or touch anyyhing prettymuch that has come into you from outside..
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207

    The day after the Olympics were postponed? I’m shocked I tell you, shocked! What an unfortunate coincidence....
    And today Tokyo warns of an "explosion of cases"

    I see Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore also suffering upswings in cases
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,729
    Sorry for typos the mobile app is crap and i cannot correct typos . Of course i mean if you get the post in from the letterbox
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,226

    Just saw a very sweet slice of quarantine life. Two young lovers in jogging gear in Springfield Park, clearly pretending to be doing their exercise for the day so they could steal a moment together. Not ashamed to say I had a slight catch in my throat as I called the police.

    — Séamas It Ever Was (@shockproofbeats) March 25, 2020
  • YorkcityYorkcity Posts: 4,382
    James_M said:

    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.

    Are they all going to be CRB checked ?
    Seems a huge task if so.
    However you have to protect vulnerable people.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,729

    LBC reporting the likes of HSBC and Lloyds charging <12% interest and personal guarantees on government backed business interruption loans.

    Another triumph for HYUFD!</p>

    He is not having a good war.

    The banks thing is odd, as it is left up to the banks themselves. RBS for example are not asking for personal guarantees. The government needs to clamp down the charlatans ASAP or companies will go to the wall through lack of cash.
    RBS had to be rescued once didnt it ... 50 billion ???
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    Jonathan said:

    I was suppose to be in NYC for work this week. Not too sad that was cancelled.

    I keep getting reminders on my phone that “check in is now open” for flights that are no longer flying for trips I won’t take for quite some time. This time last week I had flown out of Jakarta when most flights were flying - today only a handful are and most of the transit airports (DXB, SIN, KUL, AUD, HKG) are closed.
  • Sky reporting figures from Indonesia seem to be underplaying the outbreak and it has been suggested it is suffering worse than Iran !!!
  • Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207

    Sky reporting figures from Indonesia seem to be underplaying the outbreak and it has been suggested it is suffering worse than Iran !!!

    I think we knew they must have had more cases - but worse than Iran would be pretty bad
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    edited March 2020
    ...
  • OllyTOllyT Posts: 5,006
    TGOHF666 said:

    Nigelb said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    I don’t think it will be all that long until they are reporting more new cases than the rest of the world.
    The WHO will confirm the epicentre of the virus has moved from Europe to the USA. When much of the rest of the world is seeing the light, America will still be descending into isolation.

    And then, perhaps, America will ask "How did this happen?"

    And Trump will blame the WHO - perhaps with some merit.
    Criticism of the WHO pales into insignificance compared to Trump's actions and comments over the last month. Look at the tweets he was making a few weeks ago which were being widely circulated again yesterday. In any other country he would be politically dead by now. Sadly his supporters are mainly low-information (aka thick) and have no real idea of the severity of the problems they are facing. They will shortly.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,102
    edited March 2020
    Burley just now with a doctor

    'Do you have plenty of protective equipment'

    'Yes we do'

    Burley silenced
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    Doc on Sky news

    "we have plenty of protective equipment"

    A doc who has put off his retirement to help out

    God bless them all
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207

    Burley just now with a doctor

    'Do you have plenty of protective equipment'

    'Yes we do'

    Burkey silenced

    Tyson will be along to misquote later
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,752
    Morning PBers,

    Those looking for an amusing diversion from Covid-19 could do worse than contemplate the brewing civil war in the SNP following the Salmond trial.
    There is an extraordinary op-ed in the Aberdeen Press and Journal this morning by Alex Bell, former speechwriter and head of policy for Salmond, which explains the conspiracy theory behind Salmond's protestations and also amounts to a forensic character assassination of his former boss. Summary: "Alex Salmond won't stop, because he can't, his insecurity drives him to never stop."
    See here for the gory details:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/opinion/columnists/alex-bell/2101624/alex-bell-when-your-best-defence-is-im-sleazy-but-not-criminal-its-nothing-to-smile-about/

    Meanwhile on the other side of the fence, this from Jim Sillars, former SNP Deputy Leader and a leading nat dinosaur:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/2101171/former-snp-deputy-claims-compelling-evidence-of-political-set-up-against-alex-salmond/

    It will be a bloodbath.
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 21,675
    edited March 2020
    I still find it bizarre that Heathrow (etc) still have a decent number of departures including internal flights. For example who really needs to take BA1346 from Heathrow to Leeds at the moment? You’d be better off in a car or train. Quite a few flights to NYC, why?
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    edited March 2020
    OllyT said:

    TGOHF666 said:

    Nigelb said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    I don’t think it will be all that long until they are reporting more new cases than the rest of the world.
    The WHO will confirm the epicentre of the virus has moved from Europe to the USA. When much of the rest of the world is seeing the light, America will still be descending into isolation.

    And then, perhaps, America will ask "How did this happen?"

    And Trump will blame the WHO - perhaps with some merit.
    Criticism of the WHO pales into insignificance compared to Trump's actions and comments over the last month. Look at the tweets he was making a few weeks ago which were being widely circulated again yesterday. In any other country he would be politically dead by now. Sadly his supporters are mainly low-information (aka thick) and have no real idea of the severity of the problems they are facing. They will shortly.
    i was watching an on line US news program last night

    Commenting on the situation in New York, which is bad and getting worse by any objective view the host referred to an article about life in a NYC hospital in a mainstream paper

    "fake news" screamed Trump supporter............

    Trump has made the situation in USA worse, there can be no doubt on that.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Sky reporting figures from Indonesia seem to be underplaying the outbreak and it has been suggested it is suffering worse than Iran !!!

    Humid, tropical Indonesia, that would be.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868
    Floater said:

    OllyT said:

    TGOHF666 said:

    Nigelb said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    I don’t think it will be all that long until they are reporting more new cases than the rest of the world.
    The WHO will confirm the epicentre of the virus has moved from Europe to the USA. When much of the rest of the world is seeing the light, America will still be descending into isolation.

    And then, perhaps, America will ask "How did this happen?"

    And Trump will blame the WHO - perhaps with some merit.
    Criticism of the WHO pales into insignificance compared to Trump's actions and comments over the last month. Look at the tweets he was making a few weeks ago which were being widely circulated again yesterday. In any other country he would be politically dead by now. Sadly his supporters are mainly low-information (aka thick) and have no real idea of the severity of the problems they are facing. They will shortly.
    i was watching an on line US news program last night

    Commenting on the situation in New York, which is bad and getting worse by any objective view the host referred to an article about life in a NYC hospital in a mainstream paper

    "fake news" screamed Trump supporter............

    Trump has made the situation in USA worse, there can be no doubt on that.
    When it arrives on these people's doorsteps....
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868
    Jonathan said:

    I still find it bizarre that Heathrow (etc) still have a decent number of departures including internal flights. For example who really needs to take BA1346 from Heathrow to Leeds at the moment? You’d be better off in a car or train. Quite a few flights to NYC, why?

    Aid flights?
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. Burgessian, on the distraction front, I'm enjoying Time of Contempt, the fourth Witcher book.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868
    Yorkcity said:

    James_M said:

    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.

    Are they all going to be CRB checked ?
    Seems a huge task if so.
    However you have to protect vulnerable people.
    It's DBS

    Those who volunteer to transport patients will be checked. Others essentially running errands wont be.
  • TGOHF666TGOHF666 Posts: 2,052
    Jonathan said:

    I still find it bizarre that Heathrow (etc) still have a decent number of departures including internal flights. For example who really needs to take BA1346 from Heathrow to Leeds at the moment? You’d be better off in a car or train. Quite a few flights to NYC, why?

    Dont want to lose those slots..
  • OllyTOllyT Posts: 5,006
    Floater said:

    OllyT said:

    TGOHF666 said:

    Nigelb said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    I don’t think it will be all that long until they are reporting more new cases than the rest of the world.
    The WHO will confirm the epicentre of the virus has moved from Europe to the USA. When much of the rest of the world is seeing the light, America will still be descending into isolation.

    And then, perhaps, America will ask "How did this happen?"

    And Trump will blame the WHO - perhaps with some merit.
    Criticism of the WHO pales into insignificance compared to Trump's actions and comments over the last month. Look at the tweets he was making a few weeks ago which were being widely circulated again yesterday. In any other country he would be politically dead by now. Sadly his supporters are mainly low-information (aka thick) and have no real idea of the severity of the problems they are facing. They will shortly.
    i was watching an on line US news program last night

    Commenting on the situation in New York, which is bad and getting worse by any objective view the host referred to an article about life in a NYC hospital in a mainstream paper

    "fake news" screamed Trump supporter............

    Trump has made the situation in USA worse, there can be no doubt on that.
    Therein lies the problem, Trump has conditioned his core to believe that anything other than Fox News is Fake News. I think we are about to find out just how dangerous a man he really is.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695
    edited March 2020
    Re New York, Cunard have yet to cancel our May 6th westbound transatlantic crossing.

    I guess they are just trying to guess how many months' sailings to can.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695

    Morning PBers,

    Those looking for an amusing diversion from Covid-19 could do worse than contemplate the brewing civil war in the SNP following the Salmond trial.
    There is an extraordinary op-ed in the Aberdeen Press and Journal this morning by Alex Bell, former speechwriter and head of policy for Salmond, which explains the conspiracy theory behind Salmond's protestations and also amounts to a forensic character assassination of his former boss. Summary: "Alex Salmond won't stop, because he can't, his insecurity drives him to never stop."
    See here for the gory details:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/opinion/columnists/alex-bell/2101624/alex-bell-when-your-best-defence-is-im-sleazy-but-not-criminal-its-nothing-to-smile-about/

    Meanwhile on the other side of the fence, this from Jim Sillars, former SNP Deputy Leader and a leading nat dinosaur:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/2101171/former-snp-deputy-claims-compelling-evidence-of-political-set-up-against-alex-salmond/

    It will be a bloodbath.

    SNP split looming?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,153

    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. Burgessian, on the distraction front, I'm enjoying Time of Contempt, the fourth Witcher book.

    I read the first one yesterday. It's almost weird to see some elements for the third time, having played the games and seen the show.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868

    Re New York, Cunard have yet to cancel our May 6th westbound transatlantic crossing.

    I guess they are just trying to guess how many months' sailings to can.

    They're actually still selling tickets, which is very naughty.

    It's cash flow. They are doing everything they can to turn bookings into future credit rather than refunds. And cancelling as late as they can, currently just up to April 11th. I believe there's an April 12 Australia cruise still open.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,250
    edited March 2020
    Lock-ins can volunteer for the "phone them at home" role.

    On the NHS volunteers, I missed it initially, but those instructed to stay at home due to vulnerability can volunteer for the "ET" role - phoning people at home to see they are OK and chat to them.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208

    Mother-in-law’s funeral yesterday. What an amazing thing it was. Just us and our kids, and my wife’s brother’s immediate family, in attendance. We met the hearse outside the cottage she had lived in for 70 years - the one where my wife was born and in which she grew up - and because there was no traffic of any kind we were able to walk to the graveyard. Brother’s family in front of the hearse, us behind. Not a cloud in the sky. You could hear the birds singing, the baaing of the lambs. It’s a tiny graveyard and when we got there, four of us donned gloves and carried the coffin to the graveside. Two at the back, two at the front. The coffin itself a barrier to our mouths. Then we joined our respective family groups. One at the top of the cemetery, the other at the bottom. The priest formed the third part of the triangle and delivered a short, but entirely on point, service for a woman he had known for 20 years. And all the time the sun, the birdsong and the lambs. At the end she was lowered into the grave where her husband of 58 years already lay. Each family took a turn to drop flowers and earth onto the coffin, then we waved to each other and headed home. And the sun shone and the birds sang and the lambs had their fun. I cannot imagine anything more special or more peaceful or good. What a way to bring down the curtain on a 92 year life, so very well lived. We’ll do a memorial service once this is all done and it will be a party, not a wake. What a blessing.

    Rest in peace.
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 21,675
    IanB2 said:

    Re New York, Cunard have yet to cancel our May 6th westbound transatlantic crossing.

    I guess they are just trying to guess how many months' sailings to can.

    They're actually still selling tickets, which is very naughty.

    It's cash flow. They are doing everything they can to turn bookings into future credit rather than refunds. And cancelling as late as they can, currently just up to April 11th. I believe there's an April 12 Australia cruise still open.
    After all this, will cruises be a thing for a while? I fear Cunard et al. have a brutal new reality ahead of them.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    Mr. kle4, I've played the third game, not seen the TV series.

    Whilst I liked the first one, think the second picks up a bit more (from memory). The game's had something of a resurgence due to the TV show.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,729
    IanB2 said:

    Yorkcity said:

    James_M said:

    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.

    Are they all going to be CRB checked ?
    Seems a huge task if so.
    However you have to protect vulnerable people.
    It's DBS

    Those who volunteer to transport patients will be checked. Others essentially running errands wont be.
    How the hell are they going to check everyone. Strikes me as impossible in the timeframe
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695
    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    rcs1000 said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    The fact that much of the US is low population density works massively in their favour. If you drive from Denver to Salt Lake City you'll go 500 miles without passing anywhere bigger than... well, Beford.

    It'd be like going from London to Edinburgh and passing... almost nothing of note...

    But the counter to that is that the US has done bugger all social distancing (outside New York, Washington and California). They have a massive number of people who will go to work whatever, because there's no social system. And there's no public healthcare.

    Put those together with a government that is largely in denial, and I think CV-19 could be the first crisis ever that European countries handle better than the US.
    Hmm. Doesn't that just mean that even in the wide open spaces of the American West and Mountains, that the population is highly urbanised, and at risk?
    To illustrate:
    https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/status/1242700623704817664?s=19

    From this map we see that Wyoming has 29 cases in a population of 577,000, and California 2,500 in 40 million. Per Capita, that is pretty similar.
    A nine-fold increase in a week? Wow, that's scary!

    Re: the US low population density. To support @Foxy's point, the US urbanisation rate (which is surely the significant factor) is almost identical to the UK's... and higher than Italy, Spain and France's.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization_by_country
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,153

    Mr. kle4, I've played the third game, not seen the TV series.

    Whilst I liked the first one, think the second picks up a bit more (from memory). The game's had something of a resurgence due to the TV show.

    The leap in improvement from first game to second is pretty steep as I recall. Graphically, narratively, characterisation and gameplay all improved.

    The show gets better as it goes along but is confusingly structured to start with, to the point many including me did not notice stuff was happening in different times. Worth it though.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424

    IanB2 said:

    Yorkcity said:

    James_M said:

    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.

    Are they all going to be CRB checked ?
    Seems a huge task if so.
    However you have to protect vulnerable people.
    It's DBS

    Those who volunteer to transport patients will be checked. Others essentially running errands wont be.
    How the hell are they going to check everyone. Strikes me as impossible in the timeframe
    Some (e.g. teachers, taxi drivers) may already have DBS clearance of course. You can make it portable.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609

    Morning PBers,

    Those looking for an amusing diversion from Covid-19 could do worse than contemplate the brewing civil war in the SNP following the Salmond trial.
    There is an extraordinary op-ed in the Aberdeen Press and Journal this morning by Alex Bell, former speechwriter and head of policy for Salmond, which explains the conspiracy theory behind Salmond's protestations and also amounts to a forensic character assassination of his former boss. Summary: "Alex Salmond won't stop, because he can't, his insecurity drives him to never stop."
    See here for the gory details:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/opinion/columnists/alex-bell/2101624/alex-bell-when-your-best-defence-is-im-sleazy-but-not-criminal-its-nothing-to-smile-about/

    Meanwhile on the other side of the fence, this from Jim Sillars, former SNP Deputy Leader and a leading nat dinosaur:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/2101171/former-snp-deputy-claims-compelling-evidence-of-political-set-up-against-alex-salmond/

    It will be a bloodbath.

    SNP split looming?
    Will the Salmondistas amount to much?

    On one side of the divide, a party for paranoid sex-pests. On the other.....
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,932
    OllyT said:

    Floater said:

    OllyT said:

    TGOHF666 said:

    Nigelb said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    I don’t think it will be all that long until they are reporting more new cases than the rest of the world.
    The WHO will confirm the epicentre of the virus has moved from Europe to the USA. When much of the rest of the world is seeing the light, America will still be descending into isolation.

    And then, perhaps, America will ask "How did this happen?"

    And Trump will blame the WHO - perhaps with some merit.
    Criticism of the WHO pales into insignificance compared to Trump's actions and comments over the last month. Look at the tweets he was making a few weeks ago which were being widely circulated again yesterday. In any other country he would be politically dead by now. Sadly his supporters are mainly low-information (aka thick) and have no real idea of the severity of the problems they are facing. They will shortly.
    i was watching an on line US news program last night

    Commenting on the situation in New York, which is bad and getting worse by any objective view the host referred to an article about life in a NYC hospital in a mainstream paper

    "fake news" screamed Trump supporter............

    Trump has made the situation in USA worse, there can be no doubt on that.
    Therein lies the problem, Trump has conditioned his core to believe that anything other than Fox News is Fake News. I think we are about to find out just how dangerous a man he really is.
    Arguably we are now suffering from the same problem here, albeit on a smaller scale. Remember the annual warnings that the NHS is under pressure "this" winter; the rising excess death figures? Invariably dismissed as Labour propaganda or BMA shroud-waving; never as signs of insufficient capacity. And here we are now trying to make ventilators out of vacuum cleaners or some such while the nerds who killed the badgers argue about spreadsheets because that is what happens, here and in America, when spin trumps facts.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609
    Jonathan said:

    IanB2 said:

    Re New York, Cunard have yet to cancel our May 6th westbound transatlantic crossing.

    I guess they are just trying to guess how many months' sailings to can.

    They're actually still selling tickets, which is very naughty.

    It's cash flow. They are doing everything they can to turn bookings into future credit rather than refunds. And cancelling as late as they can, currently just up to April 11th. I believe there's an April 12 Australia cruise still open.
    After all this, will cruises be a thing for a while? I fear Cunard et al. have a brutal new reality ahead of them.
    They will be niche travel - for those who have a certificate to show they have had - and are clear of - Covid-19.

    The norovirus will still get them though.....
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695
    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,003

    Will the Salmondistas amount to much?

    On one side of the divide, a party for paranoid sex-pests. On the other.....

    https://twitter.com/paulhutcheon/status/1243092828198023168
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,385

    Mother-in-law’s funeral yesterday. What an amazing thing it was. Just us and our kids, and my wife’s brother’s immediate family, in attendance. We met the hearse outside the cottage she had lived in for 70 years - the one where my wife was born and in which she grew up - and because there was no traffic of any kind we were able to walk to the graveyard. Brother’s family in front of the hearse, us behind. Not a cloud in the sky. You could hear the birds singing, the baaing of the lambs. It’s a tiny graveyard and when we got there, four of us donned gloves and carried the coffin to the graveside. Two at the back, two at the front. The coffin itself a barrier to our mouths. Then we joined our respective family groups. One at the top of the cemetery, the other at the bottom. The priest formed the third part of the triangle and delivered a short, but entirely on point, service for a woman he had known for 20 years. And all the time the sun, the birdsong and the lambs. At the end she was lowered into the grave where her husband of 58 years already lay. Each family took a turn to drop flowers and earth onto the coffin, then we waved to each other and headed home. And the sun shone and the birds sang and the lambs had their fun. I cannot imagine anything more special or more peaceful or good. What a way to bring down the curtain on a 92 year life, so very well lived. We’ll do a memorial service once this is all done and it will be a party, not a wake. What a blessing.

    At a time of darkness and despair a glimmer of light shines through. Very uplifting, thank you.
  • ChrisChris Posts: 11,751
    MattW said:

    Lock-ins can volunteer for the "phone them at home" role.

    On the NHS volunteers, I missed it initially, but those instructed to stay at home due to vulnerability can volunteer for the "ET" role - phoning people at home to see they are OK and chat to them.

    Unfortunately one has to have a mobile and be able to receive text messages even for that. My initial reaction was that that was fair enough and it won't be worth their while to cater for the weird minority who don't have mobiles. But talking to an elderly neighbour it seemed no one she knew had a mobile. Perhaps they are in fact missing out on telephone volunteers among elderly people, who could help others and might also find it helpful themselves to talk to people.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424

    Morning PBers,

    Those looking for an amusing diversion from Covid-19 could do worse than contemplate the brewing civil war in the SNP following the Salmond trial.
    There is an extraordinary op-ed in the Aberdeen Press and Journal this morning by Alex Bell, former speechwriter and head of policy for Salmond, which explains the conspiracy theory behind Salmond's protestations and also amounts to a forensic character assassination of his former boss. Summary: "Alex Salmond won't stop, because he can't, his insecurity drives him to never stop."
    See here for the gory details:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/opinion/columnists/alex-bell/2101624/alex-bell-when-your-best-defence-is-im-sleazy-but-not-criminal-its-nothing-to-smile-about/

    Meanwhile on the other side of the fence, this from Jim Sillars, former SNP Deputy Leader and a leading nat dinosaur:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/2101171/former-snp-deputy-claims-compelling-evidence-of-political-set-up-against-alex-salmond/

    It will be a bloodbath.

    SNP split looming?
    Will the Salmondistas amount to much?

    On one side of the divide, a party for paranoid sex-pests. On the other.....
    If there was a split - which, I am honest, I do not expect there to be - the more dangerous scenario would be the two sides splitting the Nationalist vote (which let us not forget, is a minority of the overall electorate) and letting Unionist candidates through the middle.

    But my suspicion is all that will happen is a lot of damaging mud slinging, which may topple Sturgeon and cost the SNP ten seats next year but would not be fatal to it. Ultimately, there are huge policy differences over just about everything in the SNP - Europe, Education, Health, Policing - but because they all want independence everything else is secondary. This will just be another sore.
  • Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    To be honest Ben it just runs in the background all day and it is good for breaking news

    Fortunately, my blood pressure is controlled even when listening to Burley
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208
    Nigelb said:

    Nigelb said:

    Nigelb said:

    MikeL said:

    If the last 24 hours are repeated then the US will go top of the table (for cases) above China and Italy in 24 hours from now.

    Re Trump approval - I do get the sense that most people in the US currently have no idea of the scale of the virus. It is surely going to be a very big moment and a shock to most Americans when they hear the US is top of the table.


    Obviously deaths trail cases, but USA is still at 3 deaths/1M, which is the same as South Korea, half the UK rate, and 1/40 of the Italian figure.

    Daily deaths are around 0.75/1M. Italy has had more than 10 deaths/1M for the last six days, also 10+ in Spain since 3 days.

    Countries closer to Spain/Italian levels than the US include the Netherlands (5/1M daily) and France (4/1M).

    Some parts of the US are at similar levels, notably Louisana (4/1M/day), and I believe New York City (where the cases are concentrated, not the rural regions) is close to 10/1M/day, although clearly still short of Lombardy levels.

    So at the moment the US is far from top of the table, and attention still focused on blue New York. Time will come, but the virus is a way behind Europe in the US.
    I don’t think it will be all that long until they are reporting more new cases than the rest of the world.
    The WHO will confirm the epicentre of the virus has moved from Europe to the USA. When much of the rest of the world is seeing the light, America will still be descending into isolation.

    And then, perhaps, America will ask "How did this happen?"

    And then, perhaps, Donald Trump will be the lightning rod. It will ask itself "If this thing, or something similar, hits us again, who do we want in control?"
    The role of the insurance companies is also going to be an issue in November.
    https://twitter.com/wendellpotter/status/1242969838126911488

    https://twitter.com/wendellpotter/status/1242969841528537088
    To be fair, that is the fundamental business model of all insurance companies. You offset your exposure and make your money through the premiums. Normally the system works well because the world does need insurance companies it can trust to be solvent and pay out when required.

    But agree the optics look terrible. The reputation of American life insurance companies is probably a bit better than paedophiles. But not much.
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 13,677



    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Watching Sky News and getting angry or upset over it seems to be the predominant activity chez Grand_G_Galles_du_Nord.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,729
    ydoethur said:

    IanB2 said:

    Yorkcity said:

    James_M said:

    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.

    Are they all going to be CRB checked ?
    Seems a huge task if so.
    However you have to protect vulnerable people.
    It's DBS

    Those who volunteer to transport patients will be checked. Others essentially running errands wont be.
    How the hell are they going to check everyone. Strikes me as impossible in the timeframe
    Some (e.g. teachers, taxi drivers) may already have DBS clearance of course. You can make it portable.
    The law says it cannot be portable afaik. Yiu need a separate check for each job.. ludicrous i know.
    They should be time based.. I am volunteering in the tea shop at the local.hospital post retirement... but its been impossible to meet the guy who does the check paperwork and i am in limbo at the moment. I hope he diesnt have to check 5000 applicatoons...
  • IshmaelZ said:

    Sky reporting figures from Indonesia seem to be underplaying the outbreak and it has been suggested it is suffering worse than Iran !!!

    Humid, tropical Indonesia, that would be.
    I believe they are not practising safe distance
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609
    Scott_xP said:
    And that's when the cases are still in five figures.....

    America's misfortune - even greater than President Trump - was to have Covid-19 in an election year when President Trump was running for re-election.

    Nothing can get in the way of that.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207

    IshmaelZ said:

    Sky reporting figures from Indonesia seem to be underplaying the outbreak and it has been suggested it is suffering worse than Iran !!!

    Humid, tropical Indonesia, that would be.
    I believe they are not practising safe distance
    They also decided informing the population would cause panic.......


    Wonderful.........
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    In that case, I'll Napoli carry on with the free service.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    Dear god, now we know what hell looks like.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    To be honest Ben it just runs in the background all day and it is good for breaking news

    Fortunately, my blood pressure is controlled even when listening to Burley

    Fair enough - I do worry for you though!
  • logical_songlogical_song Posts: 9,914

    Morning PBers,

    Those looking for an amusing diversion from Covid-19 could do worse than contemplate the brewing civil war in the SNP following the Salmond trial.
    There is an extraordinary op-ed in the Aberdeen Press and Journal this morning by Alex Bell, former speechwriter and head of policy for Salmond, which explains the conspiracy theory behind Salmond's protestations and also amounts to a forensic character assassination of his former boss. Summary: "Alex Salmond won't stop, because he can't, his insecurity drives him to never stop."
    See here for the gory details:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/opinion/columnists/alex-bell/2101624/alex-bell-when-your-best-defence-is-im-sleazy-but-not-criminal-its-nothing-to-smile-about/

    Meanwhile on the other side of the fence, this from Jim Sillars, former SNP Deputy Leader and a leading nat dinosaur:
    https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/2101171/former-snp-deputy-claims-compelling-evidence-of-political-set-up-against-alex-salmond/

    It will be a bloodbath.

    SNP split looming?
    I guess they need an opposition.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    There was no market for it....
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424

    ydoethur said:

    IanB2 said:

    Yorkcity said:

    James_M said:

    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.

    Are they all going to be CRB checked ?
    Seems a huge task if so.
    However you have to protect vulnerable people.
    It's DBS

    Those who volunteer to transport patients will be checked. Others essentially running errands wont be.
    How the hell are they going to check everyone. Strikes me as impossible in the timeframe
    Some (e.g. teachers, taxi drivers) may already have DBS clearance of course. You can make it portable.
    The law says it cannot be portable afaik. Yiu need a separate check for each job.. ludicrous i know.
    They should be time based.. I am volunteering in the tea shop at the local.hospital post retirement... but its been impossible to meet the guy who does the check paperwork and i am in limbo at the moment. I hope he diesnt have to check 5000 applicatoons...
    No, you can make them portable. You have been able to do so for four years.

    The snag is, as it costs extra most people don't bother to.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,729

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    To be honest Ben it just runs in the background all day and it is good for breaking news

    Fortunately, my blood pressure is controlled even when listening to Burley
    Sky breaking news?? Isn't it euphemistically described as "never wrong for long"
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609
    Floater said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    Dear god, now we know what hell looks like.
    Indeed. A place with no puns.
  • ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    To be honest PB is a first class news medium

    And I think you queried re a covid 19 vaccine. Dr Foxy confirmed one will be available sometime in the future but when is a different question
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,385
    edited March 2020

    Burley just now with a doctor

    'Do you have plenty of protective equipment'

    'Yes we do'

    Burley silenced

    Come on BigG. With the total absense of an opposition someone has to question Boris' judgement.

    By and large people are on board with Boris, even those who normally would not be in the tent. That isn't to say criticism where it is due and justification for decisions made should be off limits.

    One doctor saying things are fine, does not mean others are not having difficulties.

    Please curtail the partisanship. If all constructive dissent from Boris' decision making is seen to be unacceptable, we are in the realms of Donald Trump-land.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,225
    felix said:

    Nigelb said:

    We’ve all been wondering what next in Japan.

    https://twitter.com/RamyInocencio/status/1243036560049741824

    Yup - not so long since it and others were hailed as so much better than the UK efforts.
    Not so much - there have always been questions about Japan.
    The exemplars in prompt response have been Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea. And possibly China, once they realised what they had (though everything reported from there has to be treated with a degree of caution).

    They were, of course, countries directly affected by the SARS outbreak, and planned accordingly.
  • SockySocky Posts: 404
    IanB2 said:

    <

    The Great Depression? Hardly the US’s finest hour. Not only did it start in the Us, but it took a long time for the US to shake off, if because they were last to rearm.

    The UK was a bit slow on the re-arming front as well.

    I have read that the main difference was that the US went for grand projects and state control - which failed, where the the UK went for free markets and laissez faire - which succeeded. Might be an on-topic lesson there...
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    To be honest PB is a first class news medium

    And I think you queried re a covid 19 vaccine. Dr Foxy confirmed one will be available sometime in the future but when is a different question
    No one has "confirmed" any such thing.
  • eggegg Posts: 1,749
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    You are rarely shy to use the c word doctor, the most special c word, so what is your prognosis for the English cricket season?

    Here’s my thoughts to set discussion rolling.
    No cricket till end of May, eight rounds of the championship was meant to be complete then. Revenue will be an issue, so if any cricket it will emphasis on the tv contracts, very short games like T20 and 100.
    Even 28 of May seems optimistic, surely the 4 day season will need to be rolled over till next year as there will be no time for that competition be anything realistic or fair? However there could be time, and some crowds, for local 4 day friendlies? York’s v lancs, Surrey v Kent, glos v som, wors v Warwick etc, to keep the 4 day hand in for a proper resumption next year.

    Situation might not even allow cricket in June or July?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    To be honest PB is a first class news medium

    And I think you queried re a covid 19 vaccine. Dr Foxy confirmed one will be available sometime in the future but when is a different question
    Thanks. That is some comfort. However, time frames with vaccines are likely to be pretty long as I understand it.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,729

    Floater said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    Dear god, now we know what hell looks like.
    Indeed. A place with no puns.

    Floater said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    Dear god, now we know what hell looks like.
    Indeed. A place with no puns.
    Hell is a place with no hot cross buns.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Not while the Cornyvirus Pundemic is still raging, no.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,373

    Floater said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    Dear god, now we know what hell looks like.
    Indeed. A place with no puns.
    We need a vote on the whole Pineapple Pizza thing. Now obviously, the first thing to decide is the voting system....
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,148

    LBC reporting the likes of HSBC and Lloyds charging <12% interest and personal guarantees on government backed business interruption loans.

    Another triumph for HYUFD!</p>

    What loans do not come with guarantees?
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    edited March 2020
    Yeah, great

    ‪We are part of something much bigger alright! ‬


  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695
    HYUFD said:

    LBC reporting the likes of HSBC and Lloyds charging <12% interest and personal guarantees on government backed business interruption loans.

    Another triumph for HYUFD!</p>

    What loans do not come with guarantees?
    Er, let me have a stab at that... unsecured loans?
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868

    IanB2 said:

    Yorkcity said:

    James_M said:

    On topic, my understanding from a skim read of the volunteer scheme documents is that recipients who will pay for food will potentially be called from the supermarket to pay via telephone using a code word to reassure individuals there is no fraud going on. There was also reference to cash payments, keeping distance, and sanitising cash also.

    Are they all going to be CRB checked ?
    Seems a huge task if so.
    However you have to protect vulnerable people.
    It's DBS

    Those who volunteer to transport patients will be checked. Others essentially running errands wont be.
    How the hell are they going to check everyone. Strikes me as impossible in the timeframe
    How much patient transport is there going to be, when people are under orders to stay home?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,226
    ydoethur said:

    If there was a split - which, I am honest, I do not expect there to be - the more dangerous scenario would be the two sides splitting the Nationalist vote (which let us not forget, is a minority of the overall electorate) and letting Unionist candidates through the middle.

    But my suspicion is all that will happen is a lot of damaging mud slinging, which may topple Sturgeon and cost the SNP ten seats next year but would not be fatal to it. Ultimately, there are huge policy differences over just about everything in the SNP - Europe, Education, Health, Policing - but because they all want independence everything else is secondary. This will just be another sore.

    It will be interesting what becomes of the SNP once the goal of independence is achieved. At the moment they are able to secure the votes of people with very different politics - e.g. our own @malcolmg and @Theuniondivvie who I sense from their posts are right and left (of centre) respectively - drawn together by a shared belief that Scotland does not belong in the UK. Such people, and there must be loads, will probably not be voting for the same party post indy.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,385
    HYUFD said:

    LBC reporting the likes of HSBC and Lloyds charging <12% interest and personal guarantees on government backed business interruption loans.

    Another triumph for HYUFD!</p>

    What loans do not come with guarantees?
    Whereas in reality you have a point, I still think you are deliberately missing the point that is being made here.
  • Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    To be honest Ben it just runs in the background all day and it is good for breaking news

    Fortunately, my blood pressure is controlled even when listening to Burley

    Fair enough - I do worry for you though!
    That is so nice of you but I am fine and truely blessed
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695
    IanB2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Not while the Cornyvirus Pundemic is still raging, no.
    Nice one!
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,373
    HYUFD said:

    LBC reporting the likes of HSBC and Lloyds charging <12% interest and personal guarantees on government backed business interruption loans.

    Another triumph for HYUFD!</p>

    What loans do not come with guarantees?
    Given the rates the banks have been trying to charge small business - secured against property! - 12% is a massive cut. Which says more about the banks than the rate....
  • eggegg Posts: 1,749
    Floater said:

    Burley just now with a doctor

    'Do you have plenty of protective equipment'

    'Yes we do'

    Burkey silenced

    Tyson will be along to misquote later
    It looks like a patchy picture across country, and patchy in type of equipment. Goggles seem to be the issue now.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    To be honest Ben it just runs in the background all day and it is good for breaking news

    Fortunately, my blood pressure is controlled even when listening to Burley

    Fair enough - I do worry for you though!
    That is so nice of you but I am fine and truely blessed
    Well, I hope you are having similar weather ours. Yet another glorious day here in Dorset.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424
    egg said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    Is there a premium subscription that comes without the puns? :wink:
    Yes, but it comes instead with extra posts from @TSE on AV and pineapple pizza.
    You are rarely shy to use the c word doctor, the most special c word, so what is your prognosis for the English cricket season?

    Here’s my thoughts to set discussion rolling.
    No cricket till end of May, eight rounds of the championship was meant to be complete then. Revenue will be an issue, so if any cricket it will emphasis on the tv contracts, very short games like T20 and 100.
    Even 28 of May seems optimistic, surely the 4 day season will need to be rolled over till next year as there will be no time for that competition be anything realistic or fair? However there could be time, and some crowds, for local 4 day friendlies? York’s v lancs, Surrey v Kent, glos v som, wors v Warwick etc, to keep the 4 day hand in for a proper resumption next year.

    Situation might not even allow cricket in June or July?
    Until we know more, it's impossible to judge. The ECB will try and salvage the Hundred if they can because they will need the money pretty desperately. Even before this, there was well-informed speculation suggesting that if it wasn't a sell out at every match they might go bust.

    If there is no T20 blast it's even money that several counties will collapse, and it may not be the ones you expect either. For example, Derbyshire and Gloucestershire both make their money largely from renting residential properties, but Yorkshire are heavily in debt and have an enormous wage bill. They survive on international ticket sales and corporate hospitality. If neither of those go ahead, they might be in big trouble. Middlesex so far as I know have no assets at all and survive on handouts from the ECB and MCC.
  • eggegg Posts: 1,749
    Having talked up the great resumption, can Trump actually back track and flip flop on it now? Without paying huge in credibility?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,385
    edited March 2020
    egg said:

    Having talked up the great resumption, can Trump actually back track and flip flop on it now? Without paying huge in credibility?

    The answer to that is bizarrely- yes! On both counts.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868
    edited March 2020
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Floater said:

    So I turn Sky on - they telling me that Labour has labelled the government "a disgrace"

    Then they play an interview from Ashworth saying that certain employers are a disgrace......

    I'm begining to hate our media

    Kay Burley is a disgrace. Full of her own importance and crass questions

    I honestly struggle to understand why you ever watch Sky @Big_G_NorthWales; it cannot be good for your blood pressure.

    Other news outlets are available - switch from Sky and do your health a favour! :wink:
    Just get the news from PB like the rest of us. It has a wide variety of intelligent, well-informed people, a constant link to the latest updates from Twitter frequently courtesy of ScottP, and comes with free awesome punning from me.

    What more could anyone want?
    To be honest PB is a first class news medium

    And I think you queried re a covid 19 vaccine. Dr Foxy confirmed one will be available sometime in the future but when is a different question
    Thanks. That is some comfort. However, time frames with vaccines are likely to be pretty long as I understand it.
    And success isn't guaranteed. People have been searching for a vaccine for the common cold for a lifetime.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,424
    kinabalu said:

    ydoethur said:

    If there was a split - which, I am honest, I do not expect there to be - the more dangerous scenario would be the two sides splitting the Nationalist vote (which let us not forget, is a minority of the overall electorate) and letting Unionist candidates through the middle.

    But my suspicion is all that will happen is a lot of damaging mud slinging, which may topple Sturgeon and cost the SNP ten seats next year but would not be fatal to it. Ultimately, there are huge policy differences over just about everything in the SNP - Europe, Education, Health, Policing - but because they all want independence everything else is secondary. This will just be another sore.

    It will be interesting what becomes of the SNP once the goal of independence is achieved. At the moment they are able to secure the votes of people with very different politics - e.g. our own @malcolmg and @Theuniondivvie who I sense from their posts are right and left (of centre) respectively - drawn together by a shared belief that Scotland does not belong in the UK. Such people, and there must be loads, will probably not be voting for the same party post indy.
    More than once, they have both hinted they would expect a split in the SNP after independence, with the right absorbing some unionists and the left the remains of Labour, to form two new parties. Bit like the in Sinn Fein from 1922-28 once independence was de facto achieved, but hopefully without the thousands of deaths.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,226
    egg said:

    You are rarely shy to use the c word doctor, the most special c word, so what is your prognosis for the English cricket season?

    Here’s my thoughts to set discussion rolling.
    No cricket till end of May, eight rounds of the championship was meant to be complete then. Revenue will be an issue, so if any cricket it will emphasis on the tv contracts, very short games like T20 and 100.
    Even 28 of May seems optimistic, surely the 4 day season will need to be rolled over till next year as there will be no time for that competition be anything realistic or fair? However there could be time, and some crowds, for local 4 day friendlies? York’s v lancs, Surrey v Kent, glos v som, wors v Warwick etc, to keep the 4 day hand in for a proper resumption next year.

    Situation might not even allow cricket in June or July?

    It's easy to practice social distancing at a county cricket match. So perhaps it will be back before most other sports?
This discussion has been closed.