Diamonds Are Forever and Die Another Day were diabolical. The Man with the Golden Gun isn’t far behind - could have been great (and I love the location shots) but ruined by so many things.
A View to A Kill is saved by Christopher Walken.
There is, potentially, a good plot hiding away in Die Another Day.
"The pre credits are good and the scenes in Hong Kong decent. And where does that leave us?
UK think he cracked and gave away state secrets, you've got Micheal Madsen as a US agent who thinks Bond cracked, a Korean general who lost his son and Bond trying to find who set him up in Korea (you need to make it slightly clearer in that scene that he got set up by *someone*). And, Bond isn't 100 % sure if he did give away secrets under pressure.
Rewrite Toby Stephens character as UK trying to keep track of what Bond is actually doing, keeping a rivalry between them (friendly turning to deadly - he's there to take Bond out if UK fears turn out to be correct). Keep Ros Pike as the actual traitor - maybe she met the Korean at University or on a fencing tournament or something. The General wants to get revenge on UK/Bond so there's your over-arching plot.
And Madsen? Keep his role ambivalent. He has no friends, only interests. Halle Berry might be the equivalent of Toby Stephens character in this for the US - they're not sure what Madsen is doing either. Or just cut her altogether.
No DNA malarky, no ice castles, no invisible cars. Just a grief stricken old man trying to avenge his son, Bond trying to work out if he is the liability and three or four characters that you just don't know if you trust or not.
If you can't write that into a decent film, then you're useless, frankly."
My wife loves Die Another Day.
I think its also Brosnan's favourite - his commentary of the film is a delight.
Then he's an idiot. It is not worthy to buff Goldeneye's shoes.
The Madonna theme tune is much maligned but I think it works as a Bond theme. Less said about the cameo the better.
Goldeneye is by far his best film.
I think that’s mainly because of Martin Campbell - he got him to act.
It is a wonderful Bond film, they made sure to add every ingredient that made the films great. By the time the current iteration had worked up to adding all the ingredients, they had gone off. Leading to the stinker that was Spectre.
To much woke nonsense ruined Bond in the last film. Next one looks worse.
Poor Hancock - very close to calling Toenails a twat on R4.
That'd normally be the truth. Is it this time?
He did reveal that in order not to confuse the message there would be no details of post lock down revealed at this time.
More likely no-one can decide whether the cream or jam goes on first until Boris is fully recuperated. Dom did not appoint the Cabinet to think for themselves. The government's failure to get a grip will be ruthlessly exploited by Starmer unless Sir Keith Kieth started by announcing he did not want to criticise the government. Oh.
If our treatment of Covid-19 becomes more effective over time (As it should as medics learn more), deaths will no longer have the constant probability to determine infection rates ?
Something to take care of when looking to see if we're past the peak.
Poor Hancock - very close to calling Toenails a twat on R4.
That'd normally be the truth. Is it this time?
He did reveal that in order not to confuse the message there would be no details of post lock down revealed at this time.
More likely no-one can decide whether the cream or jam goes on first until Boris is fully recuperated. Dom did not appoint the Cabinet to think for themselves. The government's failure to get a grip will be ruthlessly exploited by Starmer unless Sir Keith Kieth started by announcing he did not want to criticise the government. Oh.
He probably didn’t want anyone who was his intellectual superior around. Certainly that’s what his treatment of Javid and various SPADS indicates.
This naturally severely limited his choice, as moss is not eligible to serve in the cabinet.
- which is fair enough, since they actually seem to have cracked the virus without doing anything more intrusive than app-tracking. I think British voters would opt for that in a heartbeat.
The Prof seems to have decided for the government.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling has guided Downing Street’s crisis strategy, this morning told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that when the UK lockdown does eventually end, social distancing measures are likely to remain in place “indefinitely” until a coronavirus vaccine can be rolled out.
Ferguson warned that it would not be possible to relax the lockdown until a significant infrastructure was in place.
He said the UK’s ability to come out of lockdown would “depend on how quickly case numbers go down”. But it would also require an emphasis on scaling up testing and contact tracing, because if measures were relaxed without a strong plan in place there was too much risk of a resurgence in cases.
Ferguson said there were some first signs that social distancing measure in the UK may be working, with trends such as the number of calls to 999, 111 and admissions to hospital beginning to flatten.
But he said more needed to be done to ensure the UK could leave lockdown safety. He called for a “command and control centre”, and suggested that any tracing provided by mobile phone apps would have to be supplemented by a “small army” of people testing and tracing.
“I would like to see action accelerated, decisions need to be accelerated and real progress made,” he said....
Another three weeks, at least.
Thankfully, it’s not up to him.
You sure ?
He’s not the only source of advice to the Government, and the Government decide.
I have the strong impression that in Boris’ absence he is driving policy. I could be wrong, but...
The Prof seems to have decided for the government.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling has guided Downing Street’s crisis strategy, this morning told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that when the UK lockdown does eventually end, social distancing measures are likely to remain in place “indefinitely” until a coronavirus vaccine can be rolled out.
Ferguson warned that it would not be possible to relax the lockdown until a significant infrastructure was in place.
He said the UK’s ability to come out of lockdown would “depend on how quickly case numbers go down”. But it would also require an emphasis on scaling up testing and contact tracing, because if measures were relaxed without a strong plan in place there was too much risk of a resurgence in cases.
Ferguson said there were some first signs that social distancing measure in the UK may be working, with trends such as the number of calls to 999, 111 and admissions to hospital beginning to flatten.
But he said more needed to be done to ensure the UK could leave lockdown safety. He called for a “command and control centre”, and suggested that any tracing provided by mobile phone apps would have to be supplemented by a “small army” of people testing and tracing.
“I would like to see action accelerated, decisions need to be accelerated and real progress made,” he said....
Another three weeks, at least.
Thankfully, it’s not up to him.
You sure ?
He’s not the only source of advice to the Government, and the Government decide.
There's nothing in that quote that seems even debatable -
1) COVID19 is with until a vaccine or everyone gets it 2) 1 means that the only way to slow it down is making it harder to jump between people. 3) 2 means - distancing and contact tracing
Poor Hancock - very close to calling Toenails a twat on R4.
That'd normally be the truth. Is it this time?
He did reveal that in order not to confuse the message there would be no details of post lock down revealed at this time.
More likely no-one can decide whether the cream or jam goes on first until Boris is fully recuperated. Dom did not appoint the Cabinet to think for themselves. The government's failure to get a grip will be ruthlessly exploited by Starmer unless Sir Keith Kieth started by announcing he did not want to criticise the government. Oh.
He probably didn’t want anyone who was his intellectual superior around. Certainly that’s what his treatment of Javid and various SPADS indicates.
This naturally severely limited his choice, as moss is not eligible to serve in the cabinet.
I like Javid but he had flaws (his speaking was not the best, very monotone) and I see no evidence that Rishi Sunak is worse than Javid intellect-wise or in any other respect.
In fact I think Sunak has faced the challenges of this better than Javid would have.
Poor Hancock - very close to calling Toenails a twat on R4.
That'd normally be the truth. Is it this time?
He did reveal that in order not to confuse the message there would be no details of post lock down revealed at this time.
More likely no-one can decide whether the cream or jam goes on first until Boris is fully recuperated. Dom did not appoint the Cabinet to think for themselves. The government's failure to get a grip will be ruthlessly exploited by Starmer unless Sir Keith Kieth started by announcing he did not want to criticise the government. Oh.
He probably didn’t want anyone who was his intellectual superior around. Certainly that’s what his treatment of Javid and various SPADS indicates.
This naturally severely limited his choice, as moss is not eligible to serve in the cabinet.
I like Javid but he had flaws (his speaking was not the best, very monotone) and I see no evidence that Rishi Sunak is worse than Javid intellect-wise or in any other respect.
In fact I think Sunak has faced the challenges of this better than Javid would have.
Here’s another question then. Does Sunak think for himself, or do what he’s told?
You may quite fairly answer that we can’t tell yet.
He knows the discussion about how we come out is being discussed by the wider Cabinet and backbenchers.
Then say just that. I get that just to breathe the words end of lockdown will send any number of people into the parks for a picnic but they have got to manage that. By far the larger number of people want some light at the end of the tunnel.
Poor Hancock - very close to calling Toenails a twat on R4.
That'd normally be the truth. Is it this time?
He did reveal that in order not to confuse the message there would be no details of post lock down revealed at this time.
More likely no-one can decide whether the cream or jam goes on first until Boris is fully recuperated. Dom did not appoint the Cabinet to think for themselves. The government's failure to get a grip will be ruthlessly exploited by Starmer unless Sir Keith Kieth started by announcing he did not want to criticise the government. Oh.
This week - watch the cases drop Next week - ditto - prepare for long haul, review next week Week after - Boris back - explain first steps including back to school after VE day.
The Prof seems to have decided for the government.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling has guided Downing Street’s crisis strategy, this morning told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that when the UK lockdown does eventually end, social distancing measures are likely to remain in place “indefinitely” until a coronavirus vaccine can be rolled out.
Ferguson warned that it would not be possible to relax the lockdown until a significant infrastructure was in place.
He said the UK’s ability to come out of lockdown would “depend on how quickly case numbers go down”. But it would also require an emphasis on scaling up testing and contact tracing, because if measures were relaxed without a strong plan in place there was too much risk of a resurgence in cases.
Ferguson said there were some first signs that social distancing measure in the UK may be working, with trends such as the number of calls to 999, 111 and admissions to hospital beginning to flatten.
But he said more needed to be done to ensure the UK could leave lockdown safety. He called for a “command and control centre”, and suggested that any tracing provided by mobile phone apps would have to be supplemented by a “small army” of people testing and tracing.
“I would like to see action accelerated, decisions need to be accelerated and real progress made,” he said....
Another three weeks, at least.
Thankfully, it’s not up to him.
Quite. Why doesn't he fuck off? Great that he can do sums - so can a Casio c
Diamonds Are Forever and Die Another Day were diabolical. The Man with the Golden Gun isn’t far behind - could have been great (and I love the location shots) but ruined by so many things.
A View to A Kill is saved by Christopher Walken.
There is, potentially, a good plot hiding away in Die Another Day.
"The pre credits are good and the scenes in Hong Kong decent. And where does that leave us?
UK think he cracked and gave away state secrets, you've got Micheal Madsen as a US agent who thinks Bond cracked, a Korean general who lost his son and Bond trying to find who set him up in Korea (you need to make it slightly clearer in that scene that he got set up by *someone*). And, Bond isn't 100 % sure if he did give away secrets under pressure.
Rewrite Toby Stephens character as UK trying to keep track of what Bond is actually doing, keeping a rivalry between them (friendly turning to deadly - he's there to take Bond out if UK fears turn out to be correct). Keep Ros Pike as the actual traitor - maybe she met the Korean at University or on a fencing tournament or something. The General wants to get revenge on UK/Bond so there's your over-arching plot.
And Madsen? Keep his role ambivalent. He has no friends, only interests. Halle Berry might be the equivalent of Toby Stephens character in this for the US - they're not sure what Madsen is doing either. Or just cut her altogether.
No DNA malarky, no ice castles, no invisible cars. Just a grief stricken old man trying to avenge his son, Bond trying to work out if he is the liability and three or four characters that you just don't know if you trust or not.
If you can't write that into a decent film, then you're useless, frankly."
My wife loves Die Another Day.
I think its also Brosnan's favourite - his commentary of the film is a delight.
Then he's an idiot. It is not worthy to buff Goldeneye's shoes.
The Madonna theme tune is much maligned but I think it works as a Bond theme. Less said about the cameo the better.
Goldeneye is by far his best film.
I think that’s mainly because of Martin Campbell - he got him to act.
It is a wonderful Bond film, they made sure to add every ingredient that made the films great. By the time the current iteration had worked up to adding all the ingredients, they had gone off. Leading to the stinker that was Spectre.
Poor Hancock - very close to calling Toenails a twat on R4.
That'd normally be the truth. Is it this time?
He did reveal that in order not to confuse the message there would be no details of post lock down revealed at this time.
More likely no-one can decide whether the cream or jam goes on first until Boris is fully recuperated. Dom did not appoint the Cabinet to think for themselves. The government's failure to get a grip will be ruthlessly exploited by Starmer unless Sir Keith Kieth started by announcing he did not want to criticise the government. Oh.
He probably didn’t want anyone who was his intellectual superior around. Certainly that’s what his treatment of Javid and various SPADS indicates.
This naturally severely limited his choice, as moss is not eligible to serve in the cabinet.
I like Javid but he had flaws (his speaking was not the best, very monotone) and I see no evidence that Rishi Sunak is worse than Javid intellect-wise or in any other respect.
In fact I think Sunak has faced the challenges of this better than Javid would have.
Here’s another question then. Does Sunak think for himself, or do what he’s told?
You may quite fairly answer that we can’t tell yet.
Those two are not separate circes on a Venn Diagram.
If our treatment of Covid-19 becomes more effective over time (As it should as medics learn more), deaths will no longer have the constant probability to determine infection rates ?
Something to take care of when looking to see if we're past the peak.
Possibly why the medical authorities are already using hospital admissions as their metric of what is happening.
@rcs100 - my favourite quiz question is the one which was asked here a few weeks back about the third most populous island in the British Isles, but you don't want to be making a whole quiz out of questions that people won't get. Therefore, I will advance a quiz in a question my wife set last week: not too difficult, but not something I had ever thought about before: what is the only country to be crossed by both the equator and the tropic of Capricorn?
This virus loves cities. It thrives on all that proximity, that multiple use of common surfaces and places with restricted ventilation. It’s also just a bit racist with a particular enthusiasm for BAME victims. In London the UK has the largest conurbation in Europe. Just as New York has been devastated in the US we, as one of the most densely populated, multi racial countries in Europe, we were never going to have this easy.
Other densely populated countries such as Belgium are struggling for the same reasons. I think that it’s a bit silly to suggest that this is government incompetence. It’s where we are and what we have to deal with. It makes ending the lockdown more difficult and the consequences of getting it wrong particularly brutal. But it’s where we are.
He knows the discussion about how we come out is being discussed by the wider Cabinet and backbenchers.
Then say just that. I get that just to breathe the words end of lockdown will send any number of people into the parks for a picnic but they have got to manage that. By far the larger number of people want some light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe he is waiting for a day when it is pissing down and forecast to stay that way for a week.
Is James Bond that franchise that is never as good as it never was?
A bit like Dr Who*, for spies...
*Dr Who has reappeared in BBC iPlayer archive section with the first modern series.
It’s also on Netflix.
Er... So you don't have to accept the free version, you can pay a subscription to watch it? Sounds great!
Which versions free in your eyes?
The BBC costs far, far more than Netflix. If you're on a tight budget then getting Netflix is much cheaper as well as much better value for money. The BBC is a luxury more than Netflix.
It is true on the face of it that a Netflix subscription is cheaper than a BBC license, but you need to compare like with like.
He knows the discussion about how we come out is being discussed by the wider Cabinet and backbenchers.
Then say just that. I get that just to breathe the words end of lockdown will send any number of people into the parks for a picnic but they have got to manage that. By far the larger number of people want some light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe he is waiting for a day when it is pissing down and forecast to stay that way for a week.
Good point. Wasn't at all impressed by him this morning. Under all scenarios (have strategy don't want it disclosed/don't have strategy/disagree on strategy/disagree on whether to have a strategy/etc) he didn't give me confidence in the government as a competent entity.
The message when we do come out of lockdown has to remain: "This thing is still out there - and this thing can still kill you." Nobody with ANY symptoms should leave the house. Everybody that leaves the house needs to wear a mask. I don't know whether we will have enough masks for the end of April? Those who can work from home should continue to do so. Those who can't will worry about using public transport. Everyone with a mask needs to be the norm for travellers to feel less ill at ease. Plenty won't have a job to go back to, depsite the best efforts of government. That will obviously not look normal.
I'm not sure how different any of the first stages of any return to "normal" will look. Some shops will re-open - but will people go there? Pubs, cinemas, clubs, theatres, concert halls - they will remain closed. Restaurants with well-spaced tables? Maybe. You can resume seeing friends again - but will you? "This thing is still out there - and this thing can still kill you." How badly do you want to catch up on their gossip of how their life under lockdown was, er, just the same as yours? To hear how they probably don't have a job next month. What an uplifting trip out that will be....
But schools can re-open. That will be a change. A return to normal. Building sites can get back to building offices no-one needs, homes no-one can afford. We can - maybe - go out in our cars without a police drone tailing us. We can - maybe - take a drive in a National Park. But it will still feel like a life devoid of fun.
Yes please. Social distancing will have to continue for a long time. We can get used to having to space out in queues - we're British. It'll be phased of course. That's fine - so lets plan it. We will have some droogs who ignore it, and they can be dealt with. But we need something to work towards.
I’m baffled (genuinely) at why so much of the country favours such restrictive measures for such a long time and enthusiastically looks forward to policing them in others.
I’m increasingly coming round to @edmundintokyo’s view: the British hate freedom.
The British hate OTHER PEOPLE having freedom.
I think it is partly a feature of population density, and of being the first industrialised society.
Poor Hancock - very close to calling Toenails a twat on R4.
That'd normally be the truth. Is it this time?
He did reveal that in order not to confuse the message there would be no details of post lock down revealed at this time.
More likely no-one can decide whether the cream or jam goes on first until Boris is fully recuperated. Dom did not appoint the Cabinet to think for themselves. The government's failure to get a grip will be ruthlessly exploited by Starmer unless Sir Keith Kieth started by announcing he did not want to criticise the government. Oh.
He probably didn’t want anyone who was his intellectual superior around. Certainly that’s what his treatment of Javid and various SPADS indicates.
This naturally severely limited his choice, as moss is not eligible to serve in the cabinet.
I like Javid but he had flaws (his speaking was not the best, very monotone) and I see no evidence that Rishi Sunak is worse than Javid intellect-wise or in any other respect.
In fact I think Sunak has faced the challenges of this better than Javid would have.
Here’s another question then. Does Sunak think for himself, or do what he’s told?
You may quite fairly answer that we can’t tell yet.
Those two are not separate circes on a Venn Diagram.
Holy moly!
A Venn diagram is always drawn the same way irrespective of whether some, all or none of its members fall inside the overlap.
He knows the discussion about how we come out is being discussed by the wider Cabinet and backbenchers.
Then say just that. I get that just to breathe the words end of lockdown will send any number of people into the parks for a picnic but they have got to manage that. By far the larger number of people want some light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe he is waiting for a day when it is pissing down and forecast to stay that way for a week.
Good point. Wasn't at all impressed by him this morning. Under all scenarios (have strategy don't want it disclosed/don't have strategy/disagree on strategy/disagree on whether to have a strategy/etc) he didn't give me confidence in the government as a competent entity.
Do you realise how tired he must be. He must be desperate to tell his interviewers to get stuffed.
He knows the discussion about how we come out is being discussed by the wider Cabinet and backbenchers.
Then say just that. I get that just to breathe the words end of lockdown will send any number of people into the parks for a picnic but they have got to manage that. By far the larger number of people want some light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe he is waiting for a day when it is pissing down and forecast to stay that way for a week.
Good point. Wasn't at all impressed by him this morning. Under all scenarios (have strategy don't want it disclosed/don't have strategy/disagree on strategy/disagree on whether to have a strategy/etc) he didn't give me confidence in the government as a competent entity.
Do you realise how tired he must be. He must be desperate to tell his interviewers to get stuffed.
Diamonds Are Forever and Die Another Day were diabolical. The Man with the Golden Gun isn’t far behind - could have been great (and I love the location shots) but ruined by so many things.
A View to A Kill is saved by Christopher Walken.
There is, potentially, a good plot hiding away in Die Another Day.
"The pre credits are good and the scenes in Hong Kong decent. And where does that leave us?
UK think he cracked and gave away state secrets, you've got Micheal Madsen as a US agent who thinks Bond cracked, a Korean general who lost his son and Bond trying to find who set him up in Korea (you need to make it slightly clearer in that scene that he got set up by *someone*). And, Bond isn't 100 % sure if he did give away secrets under pressure.
Rewrite Toby Stephens character as UK trying to keep track of what Bond is actually doing, keeping a rivalry between them (friendly turning to deadly - he's there to take Bond out if UK fears turn out to be correct). Keep Ros Pike as the actual traitor - maybe she met the Korean at University or on a fencing tournament or something. The General wants to get revenge on UK/Bond so there's your over-arching plot.
And Madsen? Keep his role ambivalent. He has no friends, only interests. Halle Berry might be the equivalent of Toby Stephens character in this for the US - they're not sure what Madsen is doing either. Or just cut her altogether.
No DNA malarky, no ice castles, no invisible cars. Just a grief stricken old man trying to avenge his son, Bond trying to work out if he is the liability and three or four characters that you just don't know if you trust or not.
If you can't write that into a decent film, then you're useless, frankly."
My wife loves Die Another Day.
I think its also Brosnan's favourite - his commentary of the film is a delight.
Then he's an idiot. It is not worthy to buff Goldeneye's shoes.
The Madonna theme tune is much maligned but I think it works as a Bond theme. Less said about the cameo the better.
Goldeneye is by far his best film.
I think that’s mainly because of Martin Campbell - he got him to act.
It is a wonderful Bond film, they made sure to add every ingredient that made the films great. By the time the current iteration had worked up to adding all the ingredients, they had gone off. Leading to the stinker that was Spectre.
To much woke nonsense ruined Bond in the last film. Next one looks worse.
Hence SPECTRE = Android Skyfall = IOS
It's like arguing which is better out of (insert two crap things here). Skyfall was self-indulgent crap. Who cares if Bond's house gets blown up and him in it? The outcome is meant to matter to the world. And Spectre was just an amateurish parody of a 1960's Bond film. Base that just blew up at the drop of a hat when a few bullets got fired. Baddies that sit round a big table. Craptacular.
I do realise I sound like our Malc in the above remarks.
I'm hosting a virtual quiz night on Saturday. Both Americans and Brits will be participating.
It would be great if everyone shared their favorite quiz question.
Thanks!
Since the start of the 20th century there have been 3 UK PMs whose first name was James. James Callahan was not one of them. Who were the 3?
Bit unfair on the americans maybe.
Ramsey Mac and Harold Wilson were two of them.You're not counting Balfour, surely?
Gordon Brown.
It shows how bad the term "first name" is. It used to be more common than it is now for people to be known by other names, most of those I knew personally are now quite old or dead, though even now we have Boris. (And I gather it is still the case in the Muslim world where the name Mohammed is so common as to be practically useless for distinguishing people.)
This virus loves cities. It thrives on all that proximity, that multiple use of common surfaces and places with restricted ventilation. It’s also just a bit racist with a particular enthusiasm for BAME victims. In London the UK has the largest conurbation in Europe. Just as New York has been devastated in the US we, as one of the most densely populated, multi racial countries in Europe, we were never going to have this easy.
Other densely populated countries such as Belgium are struggling for the same reasons. I think that it’s a bit silly to suggest that this is government incompetence. It’s where we are and what we have to deal with. It makes ending the lockdown more difficult and the consequences of getting it wrong particularly brutal. But it’s where we are.
If the government is to be criticized, it is for not shutting down travel a lot earlier. As you say, we are at more risk due to our population density, so we should be hyper-sensitive to this sort of thing.
But Alastair is far more understanding of the government on that score. Can't think why.
The message when we do come out of lockdown has to remain: "This thing is still out there - and this thing can still kill you." Nobody with ANY symptoms should leave the house. Everybody that leaves the house needs to wear a mask. I don't know whether we will have enough masks for the end of April? Those who can work from home should continue to do so. Those who can't will worry about using public transport. Everyone with a mask needs to be the norm for travellers to feel less ill at ease. Plenty won't have a job to go back to, depsite the best efforts of government. That will obviously not look normal.
I'm not sure how different any of the first stages of any return to "normal" will look. Some shops will re-open - but will people go there? Pubs, cinemas, clubs, theatres, concert halls - they will remain closed. Restaurants with well-spaced tables? Maybe. You can resume seeing friends again - but will you? "This thing is still out there - and this thing can still kill you." How badly do you want to catch up on their gossip of how their life under lockdown was, er, just the same as yours? To hear how they probably don't have a job next month. What an uplifting trip out that will be....
But schools can re-open. That will be a change. A return to normal. Building sites can get back to building offices no-one needs, homes no-one can afford. We can - maybe - go out in our cars without a police drone tailing us. We can - maybe - take a drive in a National Park. But it will still feel like a life devoid of fun.
Yes please. Social distancing will have to continue for a long time. We can get used to having to space out in queues - we're British. It'll be phased of course. That's fine - so lets plan it. We will have some droogs who ignore it, and they can be dealt with. But we need something to work towards.
I’m baffled (genuinely) at why so much of the country favours such restrictive measures for such a long time and enthusiastically looks forward to policing them in others.
I’m increasingly coming round to @edmundintokyo’s view: the British hate freedom.
The British hate OTHER PEOPLE having freedom.
I think it is partly a feature of population density, and of being the first industrialised society.
The British just love curtain-twitching and casting moral judgment. Hence, the Daily Mail.
Browsing Betfair this morning I can see that, at some point, someone had £360 matched laying Michelle Obama as VP pick at 4.8, and I'm physically sick with envy.
Have our resident jingoistic Scotland haters had large slices of humble pie yet. With Thatcher is was milk, Hancock is the PPE snatcher. Carlotta will be gnashing her teeth yet again at being proved to be a diddy once more with her pathetic support of her Lords and Masters.
Nicola Sturgeon has accepted assurances PPE firms are not overlooking Scotland as she conceded supplies at the centre of a cross-border row were from the English national stockpile.
Anyone else watched Quiz over the last three nights? About the £1m, the coughs and the Major. I see the Major and his wife have launched another appeal, and that play was part of the case for it.
He knows the discussion about how we come out is being discussed by the wider Cabinet and backbenchers.
Then say just that. I get that just to breathe the words end of lockdown will send any number of people into the parks for a picnic but they have got to manage that. By far the larger number of people want some light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe he is waiting for a day when it is pissing down and forecast to stay that way for a week.
What has the government got against picnics anyway? If a family does not eat together outside, it will eat together inside. This is part of the problem with the regulations: there is no underlying rationale so they seem arbitrary and confuse police and public alike.
I'm hosting a virtual quiz night on Saturday. Both Americans and Brits will be participating.
It would be great if everyone shared their favorite quiz question.
Thanks!
Since the start of the 20th century there have been 3 UK PMs whose first name was James. James Callahan was not one of them. Who were the 3?
Bit unfair on the americans maybe.
Ramsey Mac and Harold Wilson were two of them.You're not counting Balfour, surely?
Gordon Brown.
It shows how bad the term "first name" is. It used to be more common than it is now for people to be known by other names, most of those I knew personally are now quite old or dead, though even now we have Boris. (And I gather it is still the case in the Muslim world where the name Mohammed is so common as to be practically useless for distinguishing people.)
My grandfather Ben died a decade or so ago. It was only then that we discovered his actual name was Barnet, and he had just gone by Ben. When I say 'we' discovered, I'm including his wife and children. Quite how he managed the wedding day I'll never know.
Anyone else watched Quiz over the last three nights? About the £1m, the coughs and the Major. I see the Major and his wife have launched another appeal, and that play was part of the case for it.
SPOILERZZZZZZZZZZZ
Surely during the lockdown the greatest crime is to tell people what happened in any particular mini-series.
Of course I vaguely remember the details but I am looking forward to seeing the dramatisation.
Is James Bond that franchise that is never as good as it never was?
A bit like Dr Who*, for spies...
*Dr Who has reappeared in BBC iPlayer archive section with the first modern series.
It’s also on Netflix.
Er... So you don't have to accept the free version, you can pay a subscription to watch it? Sounds great!
Which versions free in your eyes?
The BBC costs far, far more than Netflix. If you're on a tight budget then getting Netflix is much cheaper as well as much better value for money. The BBC is a luxury more than Netflix.
It is true on the face of it that a Netflix subscription is cheaper than a BBC license, but you need to compare like with like.
And what is like for like?
Like for like they are both TV subscription services and the reality is the BBC is the more expensive of the two. There is a reason ever increasing numbers of people, especially young people on a budget, are abandoning the BBC and choosing Netflix and other budget-friendly alternatives.
For someone to refer to the BBC as "free" is either naive or ignorant.
If our treatment of Covid-19 becomes more effective over time (As it should as medics learn more), deaths will no longer have the constant probability to determine infection rates ?
Something to take care of when looking to see if we're past the peak.
Possibly why the medical authorities are already using hospital admissions as their metric of what is happening.
I suppose the concept of Public Health Scotland passed you by?
Not much point when Tories are keeping everything for England. They will only sell them to English NHS and care homes, you lost your glasses.
Its you and the Nat Onal that needs glasses. Only 3 out of 2,200 products could not be shipped to Scotland because PHE owned them and are not licensed to distribute in Scotland
I'm hosting a virtual quiz night on Saturday. Both Americans and Brits will be participating.
It would be great if everyone shared their favorite quiz question.
Thanks!
Since the start of the 20th century there have been 3 UK PMs whose first name was James. James Callahan was not one of them. Who were the 3?
Bit unfair on the americans maybe.
Ramsey Mac and Harold Wilson were two of them.You're not counting Balfour, surely?
Gordon Brown.
It shows how bad the term "first name" is. It used to be more common than it is now for people to be known by other names, most of those I knew personally are now quite old or dead, though even now we have Boris. (And I gather it is still the case in the Muslim world where the name Mohammed is so common as to be practically useless for distinguishing people.)
“Boris” is a public persona. He prefers to be called Alexander or Al by those who know him. Jennifer Arcuri had him saved in her phone as Alexander the Great.
Anyone else watched Quiz over the last three nights? About the £1m, the coughs and the Major. I see the Major and his wife have launched another appeal, and that play was part of the case for it.
SPOILERZZZZZZZZZZZ
Surely during the lockdown the greatest crime is to tell people what happened in any particular mini-series.
Of course I vaguely remember the details but I am looking forward to seeing the dramatisation.
The fact is for those under 45 Covid 19 is no more deadly than seasonal flu, once the peak has passed the focus should be on gettimg them back to school, college and work as soon as possible, using mass testing to try and keep the spread under control and still keeping prudent social distancing.
Then ultimately the focus should shift to just keeping those over 70 who are most at risk indoors with lockdown ended but the advice to them being to stay indoors as much as possible until a vaccine is found or the virus dies out.
Is James Bond that franchise that is never as good as it never was?
A bit like Dr Who*, for spies...
*Dr Who has reappeared in BBC iPlayer archive section with the first modern series.
It’s also on Netflix.
Er... So you don't have to accept the free version, you can pay a subscription to watch it? Sounds great!
Which versions free in your eyes?
The BBC costs far, far more than Netflix. If you're on a tight budget then getting Netflix is much cheaper as well as much better value for money. The BBC is a luxury more than Netflix.
It is true on the face of it that a Netflix subscription is cheaper than a BBC license, but you need to compare like with like.
And what is like for like?
Like for like they are both TV subscription services and the reality is the BBC is the more expensive of the two. There is a reason ever increasing numbers of people, especially young people on a budget, are abandoning the BBC and choosing Netflix and other budget-friendly alternatives.
For someone to refer to the BBC as "free" is either naive or ignorant.
Isn't Netflix's basic plan limited to a single device, so cheaper for an individual but not necessarily so for larger families?
I suppose the concept of Public Health Scotland passed you by?
Not much point when Tories are keeping everything for England. They will only sell them to English NHS and care homes, you lost your glasses.
Its you and the Nat Onal that needs glasses. Only 3 out of 2,200 products could not be shipped to Scotland because PHE owned them and are not licensed to distribute in Scotland
Absolutely. And yesterday the Scottish government explained that they were simply not able to make the investment in mental health that they had promised because of the money spent on CV. Huge mistake. So many lives lost, so many more turned into a living hell. We need that investment more than ever.
As an example the overlap between those who die of a drug overdose and those receiving (inadequate) mental health treatment is frightening and a major reason we have the worst record for drug deaths in Europe. Self medicating by desperately unhappy people.
A spotlight shone on an aspect of Singapore that doesn't get much exposure:
Singapore, which has been praised for controlling the virus, sees a record increase in new infections.
Singapore announced a record jump in coronavirus cases on Wednesday evening, with most of the 447 new confirmed cases coming from crowded dormitories for migrant laborers. While Singapore has been lauded for its rigorous contact-tracing program, which quickly identified clusters of local transmission, the coronavirus spread quickly through residences for migrant laborers, where up to 20 people are crammed in each room with shared kitchens and bathrooms.
Nearly half of Singapore’s roughly 3,700 coronavirus cases are among low-wage migrant workers, who have built the gleaming, modern city-state. About 200,000 such workers, many from India and Bangladesh, have been quarantined to their dormitories, with healthy residents gradually being transferred to other housing to prevent community transmission.
Is James Bond that franchise that is never as good as it never was?
A bit like Dr Who*, for spies...
*Dr Who has reappeared in BBC iPlayer archive section with the first modern series.
It’s also on Netflix.
Er... So you don't have to accept the free version, you can pay a subscription to watch it? Sounds great!
Which versions free in your eyes?
The BBC costs far, far more than Netflix. If you're on a tight budget then getting Netflix is much cheaper as well as much better value for money. The BBC is a luxury more than Netflix.
It is true on the face of it that a Netflix subscription is cheaper than a BBC license, but you need to compare like with like.
And what is like for like?
Like for like they are both TV subscription services and the reality is the BBC is the more expensive of the two. There is a reason ever increasing numbers of people, especially young people on a budget, are abandoning the BBC and choosing Netflix and other budget-friendly alternatives.
For someone to refer to the BBC as "free" is either naive or ignorant.
I am all for a voluntary BBC subscription service but you have to look at the BBC's constituent parts:
1) News 2) Drama 3) Comedy 4) Children's programming 5) Sport 6) Podcasts 7) Weather 8) Regional TV 9) Regional radio 10) Quiz shows 11) Gardening shows 12) BBC CYMRU 13) BBC Scotland 14) BBC Northern Ireland 15) Films 16) Er... 17) That's probably not it.
And then make a comparison. No point just saying, well Netflix has excellent drama and therefore it's worth as much as the BBC.
I suppose the concept of Public Health Scotland passed you by?
Not much point when Tories are keeping everything for England. They will only sell them to English NHS and care homes, you lost your glasses.
Its you and the Nat Onal that needs glasses. Only 3 out of 2,200 products could not be shipped to Scotland because PHE owned them and are not licensed to distribute in Scotland
'Why are these people obsessing about something that I'm still posting about? It's distracting me from my 473rd post on why no one should pay any attention to The National.'
Found out yesterday that my 19 year old son is self harming. For his generation this is agony. Can't go out. Can't see people. Can't do stuff. Can't even go to college as a distraction. A big fat blank where a future should be. His mum then more in a flap about the risk of him going to uni in September because the virus. For me that will be one of many risks of going to uni including the traditional getting dangerously drunk and waking up in bramble bushes at 3am with no idea where you are or how you got there, have lost your glasses so can't see great and appear to have someone else's hooded top on backwards...
This virus loves cities. It thrives on all that proximity, that multiple use of common surfaces and places with restricted ventilation. It’s also just a bit racist with a particular enthusiasm for BAME victims. In London the UK has the largest conurbation in Europe. Just as New York has been devastated in the US we, as one of the most densely populated, multi racial countries in Europe, we were never going to have this easy.
Other densely populated countries such as Belgium are struggling for the same reasons. I think that it’s a bit silly to suggest that this is government incompetence. It’s where we are and what we have to deal with. It makes ending the lockdown more difficult and the consequences of getting it wrong particularly brutal. But it’s where we are.
If the government is to be criticized, it is for not shutting down travel a lot earlier. As you say, we are at more risk due to our population density, so we should be hyper-sensitive to this sort of thing.
But Alastair is far more understanding of the government on that score. Can't think why.
But it’s tricky. The economic consequences are horrific as we are seeing. We can only do this for a very limited time. We need to choose the time it is most effective. We were probably a bit slow for London but a bit fast for everywhere else. In Tayside, pop 480k, we have so far had 840 cases recorded. When we end the lockdown we will be in a similar position to that we were in before it started with a similar level of vulnerability.
Is James Bond that franchise that is never as good as it never was?
A bit like Dr Who*, for spies...
*Dr Who has reappeared in BBC iPlayer archive section with the first modern series.
It’s also on Netflix.
Er... So you don't have to accept the free version, you can pay a subscription to watch it? Sounds great!
Which versions free in your eyes?
The BBC costs far, far more than Netflix. If you're on a tight budget then getting Netflix is much cheaper as well as much better value for money. The BBC is a luxury more than Netflix.
It is true on the face of it that a Netflix subscription is cheaper than a BBC license, but you need to compare like with like.
And what is like for like?
Like for like they are both TV subscription services and the reality is the BBC is the more expensive of the two. There is a reason ever increasing numbers of people, especially young people on a budget, are abandoning the BBC and choosing Netflix and other budget-friendly alternatives.
For someone to refer to the BBC as "free" is either naive or ignorant.
Isn't Netflix's basic plan limited to a single device, so cheaper for an individual but not necessarily so for larger families?
That's not the only plan that's cheaper than the Licence Fee. All Netflix subscription options are cheaper than the Licence Fee.
The Basic Plan is £5.99 per month (1 user) The Standard Plan is £8.99 per month (multiple users, 2 at a time) The Family Plan is £11.99 per month.
This virus loves cities. It thrives on all that proximity, that multiple use of common surfaces and places with restricted ventilation. It’s also just a bit racist with a particular enthusiasm for BAME victims. In London the UK has the largest conurbation in Europe. Just as New York has been devastated in the US we, as one of the most densely populated, multi racial countries in Europe, we were never going to have this easy.
Other densely populated countries such as Belgium are struggling for the same reasons. I think that it’s a bit silly to suggest that this is government incompetence. It’s where we are and what we have to deal with. It makes ending the lockdown more difficult and the consequences of getting it wrong particularly brutal. But it’s where we are.
The keys it seems are (1) enter lockdown early to get control of the epidemic; (2) get lots of testing in place; (3) selectively ease off restrictions on a risk controlled basis.
The UK mucked up (1) but we can't do anything about that now. (2) the UK is not doing well on, but needs to sort out. (3) still to come.
I suppose the concept of Public Health Scotland passed you by?
Not much point when Tories are keeping everything for England. They will only sell them to English NHS and care homes, you lost your glasses.
Its you and the Nat Onal that needs glasses. Only 3 out of 2,200 products could not be shipped to Scotland because PHE owned them and are not licensed to distribute in Scotland
'Why are these people obsessing about something that I'm still posting about? It's distracting me from my 473rd post on why no one should pay any attention to The National.'
We're just pointing out that there is quality journalism in Scotland. You got a problem with that?
Found out yesterday that my 19 year old son is self harming. For his generation this is agony. Can't go out. Can't see people. Can't do stuff. Can't even go to college as a distraction. A big fat blank where a future should be. His mum then more in a flap about the risk of him going to uni in September because the virus. For me that will be one of many risks of going to uni including the traditional getting dangerously drunk and waking up in bramble bushes at 3am with no idea where you are or how you got there, have lost your glasses so can't see great and appear to have someone else's hooded top on backwards...
Sorry to read this Rochdale. This really is v tough on a lot of people. The mental costs of this lockdown have to be weighed in the balance with all the other arguments. I wonder whether it is in central government, where it appears now that many of them have had the virus and emerged so they can be back in work.
Anyone else watched Quiz over the last three nights? About the £1m, the coughs and the Major. I see the Major and his wife have launched another appeal, and that play was part of the case for it.
SPOILERZZZZZZZZZZZ
Surely during the lockdown the greatest crime is to tell people what happened in any particular mini-series.
Of course I vaguely remember the details but I am looking forward to seeing the dramatisation.
Found out yesterday that my 19 year old son is self harming. For his generation this is agony. Can't go out. Can't see people. Can't do stuff. Can't even go to college as a distraction. A big fat blank where a future should be. His mum then more in a flap about the risk of him going to uni in September because the virus. For me that will be one of many risks of going to uni including the traditional getting dangerously drunk and waking up in bramble bushes at 3am with no idea where you are or how you got there, have lost your glasses so can't see great and appear to have someone else's hooded top on backwards...
That is very upsetting news. I am so sorry and hope he can get help
Absolutely. And yesterday the Scottish government explained that they were simply not able to make the investment in mental health that they had promised because of the money spent on CV. Huge mistake. So many lives lost, so many more turned into a living hell. We need that investment more than ever.
As an example the overlap between those who die of a drug overdose and those receiving (inadequate) mental health treatment is frightening and a major reason we have the worst record for drug deaths in Europe. Self medicating by desperately unhappy people.
We must also remember those people whose lives will be shortened as hospitals are all but closed to just Ciovid 19 patients and all other surgeries are being delayed indefinitely.
I suppose the concept of Public Health Scotland passed you by?
Not much point when Tories are keeping everything for England. They will only sell them to English NHS and care homes, you lost your glasses.
Its you and the Nat Onal that needs glasses. Only 3 out of 2,200 products could not be shipped to Scotland because PHE owned them and are not licensed to distribute in Scotland
'Why are these people obsessing about something that I'm still posting about? It's distracting me from my 473rd post on why no one should pay any attention to The National.'
We're just pointing out that there is quality journalism in Scotland. You got a problem with that?
Hey, it's a free country. One that you don't live in, but nevertheless it's always interesting to have a view of Scotland from the 1960s.
Is James Bond that franchise that is never as good as it never was?
A bit like Dr Who*, for spies...
*Dr Who has reappeared in BBC iPlayer archive section with the first modern series.
It’s also on Netflix.
Er... So you don't have to accept the free version, you can pay a subscription to watch it? Sounds great!
Which versions free in your eyes?
The BBC costs far, far more than Netflix. If you're on a tight budget then getting Netflix is much cheaper as well as much better value for money. The BBC is a luxury more than Netflix.
It is true on the face of it that a Netflix subscription is cheaper than a BBC license, but you need to compare like with like.
And what is like for like?
Like for like they are both TV subscription services and the reality is the BBC is the more expensive of the two. There is a reason ever increasing numbers of people, especially young people on a budget, are abandoning the BBC and choosing Netflix and other budget-friendly alternatives.
For someone to refer to the BBC as "free" is either naive or ignorant.
I am all for a voluntary BBC subscription service but you have to look at the BBC's constituent parts:
1) News 2) Drama 3) Comedy 4) Children's programming 5) Sport 6) Podcasts 7) Weather 8) Regional TV 9) Regional radio 10) Quiz shows 11) Gardening shows 12) BBC CYMRU 13) BBC Scotland 14) BBC Northern Ireland 15) Films 16) Er... 17) That's probably not it.
And then make a comparison. No point just saying, well Netflix has excellent drama and therefore it's worth as much as the BBC.
Do you think Netflix is just drama?
BBC is definitely better at 1 - but ever increasing amounts of people get their News from neither.
Netflix is much better than the BBC at 2, 3, 4 and 15
5 the BBC is better than Netflix but much worse than rivals that care for Sport (if you care for sport you'd be looking at other options)
Weather there are plenty of great websites to visit to get weather info - not sure why you need a TV to do that.
I couldn't care less about 6 through to 14 so couldn't comment on them.
The Prof seems to have decided for the government.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling has guided Downing Street’s crisis strategy, this morning told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that when the UK lockdown does eventually end, social distancing measures are likely to remain in place “indefinitely” until a coronavirus vaccine can be rolled out.
Ferguson warned that it would not be possible to relax the lockdown until a significant infrastructure was in place.
He said the UK’s ability to come out of lockdown would “depend on how quickly case numbers go down”. But it would also require an emphasis on scaling up testing and contact tracing, because if measures were relaxed without a strong plan in place there was too much risk of a resurgence in cases.
Ferguson said there were some first signs that social distancing measure in the UK may be working, with trends such as the number of calls to 999, 111 and admissions to hospital beginning to flatten.
But he said more needed to be done to ensure the UK could leave lockdown safety. He called for a “command and control centre”, and suggested that any tracing provided by mobile phone apps would have to be supplemented by a “small army” of people testing and tracing.
“I would like to see action accelerated, decisions need to be accelerated and real progress made,” he said....
Another three weeks, at least.
You cannot say social distancing measures will apply until something that does not exist, and might never exist, is rolled out. I would like someone to ask how long we are expected to wait for a vaccine and at what point we assume one is not viable.
Found out yesterday that my 19 year old son is self harming. For his generation this is agony. Can't go out. Can't see people. Can't do stuff. Can't even go to college as a distraction. A big fat blank where a future should be. His mum then more in a flap about the risk of him going to uni in September because the virus. For me that will be one of many risks of going to uni including the traditional getting dangerously drunk and waking up in bramble bushes at 3am with no idea where you are or how you got there, have lost your glasses so can't see great and appear to have someone else's hooded top on backwards...
That`s awful - so sorry to hear this.
You say: "A big fat blank where a future should be". Yes, that`s how I feel about my daughters, ages 14 and 16. It`s so sad, and isn`t being factored in. An important example of the loss of freedoms aspect of this crisis.
Anyone else watched Quiz over the last three nights? About the £1m, the coughs and the Major. I see the Major and his wife have launched another appeal, and that play was part of the case for it.
I watched it. and knew his £1m question. but not some earlier ones.
Found out yesterday that my 19 year old son is self harming. For his generation this is agony. Can't go out. Can't see people. Can't do stuff. Can't even go to college as a distraction. A big fat blank where a future should be. His mum then more in a flap about the risk of him going to uni in September because the virus. For me that will be one of many risks of going to uni including the traditional getting dangerously drunk and waking up in bramble bushes at 3am with no idea where you are or how you got there, have lost your glasses so can't see great and appear to have someone else's hooded top on backwards...
Missed all that. Freshers week at a small college 40 years ago gave me my first taste of wine, at my first cheese and wine party, though I did not much like the taste and switched to orange juice. The pairing of cheese and pineapple seemed a bit odd too, though it might be all right on round bread, I suppose. Later, as a chemistry student locked in the lab each afternoon and writing up experiments each evening, it did seem that the arts students were having a better time of it, as they spread themselves in the gardens, reading books under the shade of trees.
Comments
Hence SPECTRE = Android
Skyfall = IOS
Something to take care of when looking to see if we're past the peak.
This naturally severely limited his choice, as moss is not eligible to serve in the cabinet.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/16/south-koreas-ruling-party-wins-election-landslide-amid-coronavirus-outbreak
- which is fair enough, since they actually seem to have cracked the virus without doing anything more intrusive than app-tracking. I think British voters would opt for that in a heartbeat.
I could be wrong, but...
1) COVID19 is with until a vaccine or everyone gets it
2) 1 means that the only way to slow it down is making it harder to jump between people.
3) 2 means - distancing and contact tracing
The last phrase is the clue.
In fact I think Sunak has faced the challenges of this better than Javid would have.
Bit unfair on the americans maybe.
You may quite fairly answer that we can’t tell yet.
Next week - ditto - prepare for long haul, review next week
Week after - Boris back - explain first steps including back to school after VE day.
The most vicious and political game know to mankind
(although the daft old fool probably edits that himself)
Other densely populated countries such as Belgium are struggling for the same reasons. I think that it’s a bit silly to suggest that this is government incompetence. It’s where we are and what we have to deal with. It makes ending the lockdown more difficult and the consequences of getting it wrong particularly brutal. But it’s where we are.
Or am I getting the posts mixed up?
I think it is partly a feature of population density, and of being the first industrialised society.
A Venn diagram is always drawn the same way irrespective of whether some, all or none of its members fall inside the overlap.
https://twitter.com/mrjamesob/status/1250696709761576960
Arsenal
Liverpool
Man Utd
Who's the other?
And as for tired? Heat...kitchen...
I do realise I sound like our Malc in the above remarks.
But Alastair is far more understanding of the government on that score. Can't think why.
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/1268902/an-in-depth-look-at-a-cross-border-coronavirus-row-as-nicola-sturgeon-accepts-ppe-came-from-english-stocks/
Nicola Sturgeon has accepted assurances PPE firms are not overlooking Scotland as she conceded supplies at the centre of a cross-border row were from the English national stockpile.
Surely during the lockdown the greatest crime is to tell people what happened in any particular mini-series.
Of course I vaguely remember the details but I am looking forward to seeing the dramatisation.
Like for like they are both TV subscription services and the reality is the BBC is the more expensive of the two. There is a reason ever increasing numbers of people, especially young people on a budget, are abandoning the BBC and choosing Netflix and other budget-friendly alternatives.
For someone to refer to the BBC as "free" is either naive or ignorant.
Its you and the Nat Onal that needs glasses. Only 3 out of 2,200 products could not be shipped to Scotland because PHE owned them and are not licensed to distribute in Scotland
Then ultimately the focus should shift to just keeping those over 70 who are most at risk indoors with lockdown ended but the advice to them being to stay indoors as much as possible until a vaccine is found or the virus dies out.
Even Sturgeon and Freeman have given up on it.
Try reading this, and stop talking cobblers.
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/2148454/an-in-depth-look-at-a-cross-border-coronavirus-row-as-nicola-sturgeon-accepts-ppe-at-centre-of-cross-border-row-came-from-english-stocks/
As an example the overlap between those who die of a drug overdose and those receiving (inadequate) mental health treatment is frightening and a major reason we have the worst record for drug deaths in Europe. Self medicating by desperately unhappy people.
Singapore, which has been praised for controlling the virus, sees a record increase in new infections.
Singapore announced a record jump in coronavirus cases on Wednesday evening, with most of the 447 new confirmed cases coming from crowded dormitories for migrant laborers. While Singapore has been lauded for its rigorous contact-tracing program, which quickly identified clusters of local transmission, the coronavirus spread quickly through residences for migrant laborers, where up to 20 people are crammed in each room with shared kitchens and bathrooms.
Nearly half of Singapore’s roughly 3,700 coronavirus cases are among low-wage migrant workers, who have built the gleaming, modern city-state. About 200,000 such workers, many from India and Bangladesh, have been quarantined to their dormitories, with healthy residents gradually being transferred to other housing to prevent community transmission.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/world/coronavirus-news.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-coronavirus-national&variant=show®ion=TOP_BANNER&context=storyline_menu#link-5522316b
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6WiXmPdd3E
1) News
2) Drama
3) Comedy
4) Children's programming
5) Sport
6) Podcasts
7) Weather
8) Regional TV
9) Regional radio
10) Quiz shows
11) Gardening shows
12) BBC CYMRU
13) BBC Scotland
14) BBC Northern Ireland
15) Films
16) Er...
17) That's probably not it.
And then make a comparison. No point just saying, well Netflix has excellent drama and therefore it's worth as much as the BBC.
The Basic Plan is £5.99 per month (1 user)
The Standard Plan is £8.99 per month (multiple users, 2 at a time)
The Family Plan is £11.99 per month.
The Licence Fee is £13.13 per month.
The UK mucked up (1) but we can't do anything about that now. (2) the UK is not doing well on, but needs to sort out. (3) still to come.
It’s news operation is complacent. It’s drama is too worthy. Much of its output is very predictable.
But scrap the BBC? Fuck off.
It’s a great national asset, like the NHS, the monarchy, the armed forces, and the National Trust.
To think Brenda thought ‘promoting’ Prince Andrew to a full Admiral was a good idea.
One that you don't live in, but nevertheless it's always interesting to have a view of Scotland from the 1960s.
BBC is definitely better at 1 - but ever increasing amounts of people get their News from neither.
Netflix is much better than the BBC at 2, 3, 4 and 15
5 the BBC is better than Netflix but much worse than rivals that care for Sport (if you care for sport you'd be looking at other options)
Weather there are plenty of great websites to visit to get weather info - not sure why you need a TV to do that.
I couldn't care less about 6 through to 14 so couldn't comment on them.
You say: "A big fat blank where a future should be". Yes, that`s how I feel about my daughters, ages 14 and 16. It`s so sad, and isn`t being factored in. An important example of the loss of freedoms aspect of this crisis.
edited extra bit.
https://order-order.com/2020/04/16/hancock-gets-shirty-robinson/