Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
very clear that overall the death rate is significantly lower in Scotland , dropping quicker and must be some good reason behind it.
As of last Thursday there were still just under 500 people in hospital in Scotland, however hospitalisations have been single figures since the end of May. There seems to have been a fast drop-off in hospitalisations since mid April. I would guess that the relatively lower population density is in Scotland's favour.
Only on average. The Scots invented high-rise flats (in Edinburgh, in the 16th centuries onward).
As early as that? What qualified as high rise at the time?
Sorry - was thinking of 1600s so should have put 17th century. Up to 5-7 storeys at that time I believe.
You're wrong, anyway.
The ancient city of Sana'a, Yemen, has many famous residential towers dating from the 11th century
They are surely the oldest surviving high rise housing still in use. The Roman ones are all shells.
I have never been and yearn to go. Tragically some of these exquisite buildings have been damaged in Yemen's terrible wars. But, one hopes, they can be repaired.
For MILLENNIA, of course, the tallest building in the world was the Great Pyramid at Giza. It was finally surpassed in 1311 by Lincoln Cathedral.
Leicester faces a further two weeks of lockdown to fight a local flare-up of coronavirus that has prompted "concern" from the Prime Minister.
The latest data shows the city has an unusually high number of cases, so is likely to be exempted from the easing of lockdown across England on July 4.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, will make a statement about the city after 9pm this evening, but an extension to the closure of pubs and restaurants there now looks likely.
Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, said the Government was still "minded to extend the current level of restrictions for two weeks" after speaking to the Health Secretary today.
Given the problems Leicester, Liverpool, London and Wales have had its not been the best of adverts for Labour government.
10/10, the best trolling I've seen all week.
My thanks.
Its always nice to be successful by accident.
It's just perfect. A bouquet of partisanship, feigned ignorance and clear unfamiliarity with the governance of the UK's public health infrastructure brings a tear to the eye and bile to the throat.
And it clearly touches a sensitive spot for some people.
Leicester faces a further two weeks of lockdown to fight a local flare-up of coronavirus that has prompted "concern" from the Prime Minister.
The latest data shows the city has an unusually high number of cases, so is likely to be exempted from the easing of lockdown across England on July 4.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, will make a statement about the city after 9pm this evening, but an extension to the closure of pubs and restaurants there now looks likely.
Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, said the Government was still "minded to extend the current level of restrictions for two weeks" after speaking to the Health Secretary today.
Given the problems Leicester, Liverpool, London and Wales have had its not been the best of adverts for Labour government.
Excuse me. Do you live in Wales? With the exception of the single instance of the Two sisters plant in Anglesey the R rate in Wales was for a long while significantly lower in Wales than across England. A number which would have been even higher in England were it not for what had been a vast improvement in London.
I wouldn't say things have gone brilliantly in Wales (testing has been patchy, and the same PPE issues were seen as England and the 5 mile rule is a joke) but compared to the post Cummings clown show from Westminster they have at least had a plan which they have attempted to follow. Johnson and Cummings have played it by ear with tragic results to date, and I suspect more to come.
I say this as someone who considers Drakeford a fool. Your points scoring here is in poor taste.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
Covid deaths are markedly down today, across the world.
Surely just coincidence. Unless this bug is suddenly collapsing like the Triffids.
Eh? The whole point about the triffids is that they didn’t collapse.
That’s why the final sentence has to be in the future tense.
Didn't they just dissolve when someone chucked sea water on them? Or is that the aliens from War of the Worlds? Or the huge cockroach in Quatermass and the Pit? It was a long time ago and I was tiny
I never really rated the Triffids anyway. A bunch of perambulating aspidistras taking over the world. Yeah, right
The Midwich Cuckoos? They were truly unnerving
The opening chapter of day of the triffids is exceptional. The eerie calm of a silent London is magnificently described.
A literary masterpiece.
A startlingly large number of flamethrowers in military stockpiles though.
When it was written, the UK had tons of WWII vintage weapons, like flamethrowers, in various stockpiles.
A surprising amount of stuff survived till the early 80s.
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
Leicester faces a further two weeks of lockdown to fight a local flare-up of coronavirus that has prompted "concern" from the Prime Minister.
The latest data shows the city has an unusually high number of cases, so is likely to be exempted from the easing of lockdown across England on July 4.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, will make a statement about the city after 9pm this evening, but an extension to the closure of pubs and restaurants there now looks likely.
Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, said the Government was still "minded to extend the current level of restrictions for two weeks" after speaking to the Health Secretary today.
Given the problems Leicester, Liverpool, London and Wales have had its not been the best of adverts for Labour government.
10/10, the best trolling I've seen all week.
My thanks.
Its always nice to be successful by accident.
It's just perfect. A bouquet of partisanship, feigned ignorance and clear unfamiliarity with the governance of the UK's public health infrastructure brings a tear to the eye and bile to the throat.
And it clearly touches a sensitive spot for some people.
The spread of covid in the 'sunbelt' of the USA shows the dangers of having a lockdown too early.
Every place has its ability to tolerate a lockdown only to its own particular level though its own economic and social circumstances.
And you don't want to 'use' that lockdown tolerance until you need it.
Well, it's a thought.
Only problem is people began to lockdown before the Government did. It was 15 weeks ago tonight my employer told us all to go home and stay there. Mrs Stodge's firm sent her home on the Thursday - the economy was closing days before Boris Johnson decreed it should be so.
In the same way, lockdown basically held until Easter when the fine weather and, I suspect, boredom tempted many out to parks and beaches. Had the weather been lousy I think lockdown would have held another week but the capricious nature of being trapped indoors on gloriously sunny days was too much for many.
By VE-Day, lockdown was over for many if not most.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the civil service as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
It’s not Cummings v the civil service, it’s Johnson v the civil service.
The ‘coup’ is the Prime Minister doing what he was elected to do by the people.
I'm still not sure what they are trying to achieve, to be honest. The personnel may be more conducive to Brexit, but will performance really improve? Civil Services are Civil services.
The choice is either big or small government. Its one they are not making.
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
Yes. Much as very large numbers of people are fans of looking after the environment, but wouldn't vote Green in a million years.
That's an excellent example.
When David Cameron said "Vote Blue, Go Green" he wasn't associating himself with the nuttiest Marxists of the Greens.
He didn't say it when the Green Party were all over the news defacing statues, hunting people to beat up in packs and rioting/smashing up police cars either
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
Leicester faces a further two weeks of lockdown to fight a local flare-up of coronavirus that has prompted "concern" from the Prime Minister.
The latest data shows the city has an unusually high number of cases, so is likely to be exempted from the easing of lockdown across England on July 4.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, will make a statement about the city after 9pm this evening, but an extension to the closure of pubs and restaurants there now looks likely.
Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, said the Government was still "minded to extend the current level of restrictions for two weeks" after speaking to the Health Secretary today.
Given the problems Leicester, Liverpool, London and Wales have had its not been the best of adverts for Labour government.
Excuse me. Do you live in Wales? With the exception of the single instance of the Two sisters plant in Anglesey the R rate in Wales was for a long while significantly lower in Wales than across England. A number which would have been even higher in England were it not for what had been a vast improvement in London.
I wouldn't say things have gone brilliantly in Wales (testing has been patchy, and the same PPE issues were seen as England and the 5 mile rule is a joke) but compared to the post Cummings clown show from Westminster they have at least had a plan which they have attempted to follow. Johnson and Cummings have played it by ear with tragic results to date, and I suspect more to come.
I say this as someone who considers Drakeford a fool. Your points scoring here is in poor taste.
Forgive me but I remember some talk on PB on how Wales had quietly dropped its testing targets.
Was that true ?
So apart from testing, PPE, the 5 mile rule and care homes (lets not forget the problems Wales had there) Wales has done fine ? LOL
The Wales government has been deeply mediocre, at best, but don't take it to heart as that's the quality of governance the UK gets as a whole.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
They are being threatened with not being able to threaten poor people with prison if they don't pay the license fee.
Because threatening poor people with prison is the heart of the progressive agenda.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
My error now corrected Civil Service, Powell claims the BBC will be the institution after next.
Starmer should be on this rather than taking the knee.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
They are being threatened with not being able to threaten poor people with prison if they don't pay the license fee.
Because threatening poor people with prison is the heart of the progressive agenda.
Are there any plans to end the status quo? I haven't read that there are.
“I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.”
Cummings is pulling the strings
I like the line at the end of that article that Boris is the Chairman and Gove the CEO.
I appreciate for some (ydoethur (sp?) springs to mind) that might be a garish image but to me that is a pretty much ideal and perfect combination of what I would wish for.
The spread of covid in the 'sunbelt' of the USA shows the dangers of having a lockdown too early.
Every place has its ability to tolerate a lockdown only to its own particular level though its own economic and social circumstances.
And you don't want to 'use' that lockdown tolerance until you need it.
Well, it's a thought.
Only problem is people began to lockdown before the Government did. It was 15 weeks ago tonight my employer told us all to go home and stay there. Mrs Stodge's firm sent her home on the Thursday - the economy was closing days before Boris Johnson decreed it should be so.
In the same way, lockdown basically held until Easter when the fine weather and, I suspect, boredom tempted many out to parks and beaches. Had the weather been lousy I think lockdown would have held another week but the capricious nature of being trapped indoors on gloriously sunny days was too much for many.
By VE-Day, lockdown was over for many if not most.
Some people began to lockdown before the government did and some ended their own lockdown before others did.
Which, I think, backs up what I said.
There are levels and lengths of lockdown which people will tolerate to their own circumstances and this needs to be used at the most effective point.
Another news flash - by 5-4, SCOTUS strikes down Louisiana law designed to close down abortion clinics, Chief Justice Roberts casting deciding vote.
Trump is all about immediate gratification; but Roberts is playing the long game.
Roberts knows banning abortion is the most effective way of ensuring the Bluest of Blue waves.
Good point. Though yours truly think main motivation goes beyond the 1st Tues after 1st Nov of this year.
And point you make explain recent decision against Trump re: DACA, or what I think will be soon-to-be announced ruling to make him stand and deliver his tax records?
Leicester faces a further two weeks of lockdown to fight a local flare-up of coronavirus that has prompted "concern" from the Prime Minister.
The latest data shows the city has an unusually high number of cases, so is likely to be exempted from the easing of lockdown across England on July 4.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, will make a statement about the city after 9pm this evening, but an extension to the closure of pubs and restaurants there now looks likely.
Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, said the Government was still "minded to extend the current level of restrictions for two weeks" after speaking to the Health Secretary today.
Given the problems Leicester, Liverpool, London and Wales have had its not been the best of adverts for Labour government.
Excuse me. Do you live in Wales? With the exception of the single instance of the Two sisters plant in Anglesey the R rate in Wales was for a long while significantly lower in Wales than across England. A number which would have been even higher in England were it not for what had been a vast improvement in London.
I wouldn't say things have gone brilliantly in Wales (testing has been patchy, and the same PPE issues were seen as England and the 5 mile rule is a joke) but compared to the post Cummings clown show from Westminster they have at least had a plan which they have attempted to follow. Johnson and Cummings have played it by ear with tragic results to date, and I suspect more to come.
I say this as someone who considers Drakeford a fool. Your points scoring here is in poor taste.
Forgive me but I remember some talk on PB on how Wales had quietly dropped its testing targets.
Was that true ?
So apart from testing, PPE, the 5 mile rule and care homes (lets not forget the problems Wales had there) Wales has done fine ? LOL
The Wales government has been deeply mediocre, at best, but don't take it to heart as that's the quality of governance the UK gets as a whole.
If you read what I have said you will note that I have not confirmed things to be ideal, and I do agree with you and Johnson that returning hospitalised Covid patients to care homes in Wales and in Scotland is a scandal that needs to be dealt with.
Drakeford has claimed that the reducing numbers of test result returns are an issue that needs to be addressed, but then he would say that wouldn't he. Support for our extended lockdown here in Wales has been largely supported.
My main beef was with your ridiculously selective assertion. In the local authorities mentioned in England they are hamstrung by Westminster, so if you plan to blame anyone, blame your boy in Number 10.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
They are being threatened with not being able to threaten poor people with prison if they don't pay the license fee.
Because threatening poor people with prison is the heart of the progressive agenda.
Are there any plans to end the status quo? I haven't read that there are.
Someone wrote a story, that there was a proposal to think about legislating to de-criminalise non-payment of the license fee.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
My error now corrected Civil Service, Powell claims the BBC will be the institution after next.
Starmer should be on this rather than taking the knee.
The BBC licence fee should of course be abolished and the BBC liberated from state control.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
My error now corrected Civil Service, Powell claims the BBC will be the institution after next.
Starmer should be on this rather than taking the knee.
The BBC licence fee should of course be abolished and the BBC liberated from state control.
But it needn't be first priority.
Well according to Powell, Cummings hijacks the Civil Service first.
Another news flash - by 5-4, SCOTUS strikes down Louisiana law designed to close down abortion clinics, Chief Justice Roberts casting deciding vote.
Trump is all about immediate gratification; but Roberts is playing the long game.
Roberts knows banning abortion is the most effective way of ensuring the Bluest of Blue waves.
Good point. Though yours truly think main motivation goes beyond the 1st Tues after 1st MONDAY IN Nov of this year.
And point you make explain recent decision against Trump re: DACA, or what I think will be soon-to-be announced ruling to make him stand and deliver his tax records?
It’s not Cummings v the civil service, it’s Johnson v the civil service.
The ‘coup’ is the Prime Minister doing what he was elected to do by the people.
I'm still not sure what they are trying to achieve, to be honest. The personnel may be more conducive to Brexit, but will performance really improve? Civil Services are Civil services.
The choice is either big or small government. Its one they are not making.
I am quite sanguine about it. Changing a few people at the top of the CS are of little consequence, quite time consuming and easily reversed. Diverting the hyperactive Cummings into such a pointless rearranging of deckchairs keeps him away from real stuff.
Some people began to lockdown before the government did and some ended their own lockdown before others did.
Which, I think, backs up what I said.
There are levels and lengths of lockdown which people will tolerate to their own circumstances and this needs to be used at the most effective point.
The problem is Governments (and I suppose States as well) have to apply a "one size fits all" ruling within their jurisdictions.
It's also the question of whether you have an individualistic society where people pay less attention to rules, instructions and guidelines as against more "pliant" societies where rules are generally obeyed.
Most people in Britain mostly co-operated with and supported the lockdown initially but there was obviously a core which didn't, couldn't or wouldn't.
Where European societies (and I include the UK) differ from America is there is a lesser distrust and active hostility to "Government" in all its forms than across the Atlantic.
It’s not Cummings v the civil service, it’s Johnson v the civil service.
The ‘coup’ is the Prime Minister doing what he was elected to do by the people.
I'm still not sure what they are trying to achieve, to be honest. The personnel may be more conducive to Brexit, but will performance really improve? Civil Services are Civil services.
The choice is either big or small government. Its one they are not making.
I am quite sanguine about it. Changing a few people at the top of the CS are of little consequence, quite time consuming and easily reversed. Diverting the hyperactive Cummings into such a pointless rearranging of deckchairs keeps him away from real stuff.
But it doesn't, replacing Sedwill with a Conservative spad as a starting point should worry you.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
My error now corrected Civil Service, Powell claims the BBC will be the institution after next.
Starmer should be on this rather than taking the knee.
The BBC licence fee should of course be abolished and the BBC liberated from state control.
But it needn't be first priority.
Well according to Powell, Cummings hijacks the Civil Service first.
why not do both these via extra funding? are these socialist suddenly worried about public spending?
I thhnk not
It is clear defunding the police is about ending the rule of law as it applies to certain communities, to achieve a destabising effect that can then be leveraged into a greater conflict in a wider society.
Destabilisation has partially been achieved in certain US cities already, as many black people have found because they are the victims of it, in terms of being murdered, injured or otherwise exploited.
Everybody talks about George Floyd. Nobody talks about his many black victims.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
My error now corrected Civil Service, Powell claims the BBC will be the institution after next.
Starmer should be on this rather than taking the knee.
The BBC licence fee should of course be abolished and the BBC liberated from state control.
But it needn't be first priority.
Well according to Powell, Cummings hijacks the Civil Service first.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I do think Starmer has been asleep at the wheel over Sedwell. Powell earlier likened Cummings assault on the BBC as the first strand in the dismantling of key institutions, much like Hungary and Poland. Frost tacitly replacing Sewell demonstrates this.
What is this assault of which you speak? The BBC retains a funding model every other broadcaster in the world could only dream of.
My error now corrected Civil Service, Powell claims the BBC will be the institution after next.
Starmer should be on this rather than taking the knee.
The BBC licence fee should of course be abolished and the BBC liberated from state control.
But it needn't be first priority.
Well according to Powell, Cummings hijacks the Civil Service first.
Sensible priorities.
Liberating the BBC can be done later.
Cummings is life imitating art.
Have you ever seen the Peter Cook film, The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer?
why not do both these via extra funding? are these socialist suddenly worried about public spending?
I thhnk not
It is clear defunding the police is about ending the rule of law as it applies to certain communities, to achieve a destabising effect that can then be leveraged into a greater conflict in a wider society.
Destabilisation has partially been achieved in certain US cities already, as many black people have found because they are the victims of it, in terms of being murdered, injured or otherwise exploited.
Everybody talks about George Floyd. Nobody talks about his many black victims.
I think Starmer saw evidence that taking the knee and being obsessive about ~BLM was not going down well in Red Wall /Red gone Blueish Wall territory . He about turned as best he can
To what extent they all apply I don't know but 3 reasons for the relatively better (albeit still not brilliant) covid cases in Scotland - my (probably wrong) take.
1 - from the very beginning the Scottish government was always clear that they thought they were a few weeks behind parts of the UK in the infection curve. So locking down at the same time is surely advantageous in the sense that the virus wasn't transmitting nearly as widely as in, say, parts of England, which mde it easier to get under control I would that thought.
2 - deliberately slower to come out of lockdown. Pretty much any date you can think of from the UK government briefings, add 2 weeks to up in Scotland (there was only one thing I ever remember Scotgov saying could be done earlier than England and I can't for the life of me remember right now what it was). The move into phase 2 was hilariously overhyped - the main change was that shielding people could go out for exercise and everyone else was allowed to nip in to use the toilet when they were meeting their one other household outside. It was the most gradual of gradual changes, with most of the other phase 2 gradual change dates deferred to a few weeks later. I seem to remember being able to meet indoors was in the original Scotgov routemap "phase 2", although I could be wrong.
3 - consistency of message. Like the message or not, from the Scottish government briefings it has been undeniably consistent. Sturgeon has done it virtually every single day (there was one day I remember she didn't, a Sunday or a bank holiday), other than the days its FMQs or the update is done in the Parliament. And the script is exactly the same every day (to the point of now being maddeningly boring at times), they just change the numbers and tweak one section for a specific topic of the day.
In comparison the UK briefings were, shall we say, less consistent, a rolling role call of random ministers and scientific advisers and messages that changed daily because no one quite knew what the message actually was.
I'm sure population density must play a part in it too. Outside of Glasgow and Edinburgh the potential for the R number to go high just must surely be naturally lower than most of England by dint of the inbuilt extra distancing arising from the population distribution.
“I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.”
Cummings is pulling the strings
I like the line at the end of that article that Boris is the Chairman and Gove the CEO.
I appreciate for some (ydoethur (sp?) springs to mind) that might be a garish image but to me that is a pretty much ideal and perfect combination of what I would wish for.
It’s not Cummings v the civil service, it’s Johnson v the civil service.
The ‘coup’ is the Prime Minister doing what he was elected to do by the people.
I'm still not sure what they are trying to achieve, to be honest. The personnel may be more conducive to Brexit, but will performance really improve? Civil Services are Civil services.
The choice is either big or small government. Its one they are not making.
I am quite sanguine about it. Changing a few people at the top of the CS are of little consequence, quite time consuming and easily reversed. Diverting the hyperactive Cummings into such a pointless rearranging of deckchairs keeps him away from real stuff.
But it doesn't, replacing Sedwill with a Conservative spad as a starting point should worry you.
Nah, it just sets a precedent for the next Labour government. That's what happens when you tamper with the Constitution. The opposition gets the same privilege in time.
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
If it makes you feel better
I really dont understand how you cant see this? You might think people are wrong to disassociate the organisation and the principle but its perfectly clear that is what people are doing, including myself.
Opinion polling shows a majority of the country support the black lives matter movement. Common sense will tell you that the number of people who support the tweets of "black lives matter uk" is <15%, probably much lower still and you dont need an opinion poll to know its not the majority.
That is clear evidence that most of the people supporting BLM are supporters of the principle not the organisation.
Some people began to lockdown before the government did and some ended their own lockdown before others did.
Which, I think, backs up what I said.
There are levels and lengths of lockdown which people will tolerate to their own circumstances and this needs to be used at the most effective point.
The problem is Governments (and I suppose States as well) have to apply a "one size fits all" ruling within their jurisdictions.
It's also the question of whether you have an individualistic society where people pay less attention to rules, instructions and guidelines as against more "pliant" societies where rules are generally obeyed.
Most people in Britain mostly co-operated with and supported the lockdown initially but there was obviously a core which didn't, couldn't or wouldn't.
Where European societies (and I include the UK) differ from America is there is a lesser distrust and active hostility to "Government" in all its forms than across the Atlantic.
Hardly surprising given their history. They are a country founded on revolution against their original government and one where their own government then (quite justifiably) waged total war against half of the country including burning whole towns and cities to starve people into submission. And this was only 160 years ago.
They are also a country where power is supposed to rest with the States but where federal government has taken more and more power over the years.
I am not saying I agree with the knee jerk anti-federal reactions that occur in the US - I categorically do not - but it is not hard to see where they derive from.
There are some corking arguments going on between feminists and the LGBT+ people about the sanctity of biology, gender etc. Some lawsuits too. Its fascinating stuff. And hilarious of course.
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
If it makes you feel better
I really dont understand how you cant see this? You might think people are wrong to disassociate the organisation and the principle but its perfectly clear that is what people are doing, including myself.
Opinion polling shows a majority of the country support the black lives matter movement. Common sense will tell you that the number of people who support the tweets of "black lives matter uk" is <15%, probably much lower still and you dont need an opinion poll to know its not the majority.
That is clear evidence that most of the people supporting BLM are supporters of the principle not the organisation. </p>
Most people do not support the movement as you put it (even Starmer says he does not as he uses moment not movement)
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
If it makes you feel better
I really dont understand how you cant see this? You might think people are wrong to disassociate the organisation and the principle but its perfectly clear that is what people are doing, including myself.
Opinion polling shows a majority of the country support the black lives matter movement. Common sense will tell you that the number of people who support the tweets of "black lives matter uk" is <15%, probably much lower still and you dont need an opinion poll to know its not the majority.
That is clear evidence that most of the people supporting BLM are supporters of the principle not the organisation. </p>
Most people do not support the movement as you put it (even Starmer says he does not as he uses moment not movement)
There are some corking arguments going on between feminists and the LGBT+ people about the sanctity of biology, gender etc. Some lawsuits too. Its fascinating stuff. And hilarious of course.
Whenever I’ve come across it, generally by accident, it’s not been an argument as much as a screaming match that the other side are the most evil people ever to have lived, and encouraging people to write to the employers and families of those with whom they disagree.
The article says that Linehan is being sued by at least one trans activist, with each accusing the other of publishing addresses and photos of families etc. Sounds like a horrible place to be - although amusing to watch from a safe distance away!
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
If it makes you feel better
I really dont understand how you cant see this? You might think people are wrong to disassociate the organisation and the principle but its perfectly clear that is what people are doing, including myself.
Opinion polling shows a majority of the country support the black lives matter movement. Common sense will tell you that the number of people who support the tweets of "black lives matter uk" is <15%, probably much lower still and you dont need an opinion poll to know its not the majority.
That is clear evidence that most of the people supporting BLM are supporters of the principle not the organisation. </p>
Most people do not support the movement as you put it (even Starmer says he does not as he uses moment not movement)
yes taken at the height of " if you dare say anything against BLM you will be cancelled /sacked/ calling racist" hysteria . Even forced Starmer onto his knee. Now he back tracks as he sees that most voters have had enough of it
It’s not Cummings v the civil service, it’s Johnson v the civil service.
The ‘coup’ is the Prime Minister doing what he was elected to do by the people.
I'm still not sure what they are trying to achieve, to be honest. The personnel may be more conducive to Brexit, but will performance really improve? Civil Services are Civil services.
The choice is either big or small government. Its one they are not making.
I am quite sanguine about it. Changing a few people at the top of the CS are of little consequence, quite time consuming and easily reversed. Diverting the hyperactive Cummings into such a pointless rearranging of deckchairs keeps him away from real stuff.
But it doesn't, replacing Sedwill with a Conservative spad as a starting point should worry you.
Nah, it just sets a precedent for the next Labour government. That's what happens when you tamper with the Constitution. The opposition gets the same privilege in time.
Imagine the Hard Left with a politicised CS, with hundreds of posts to fill with chums like Aron Bastani and Swindon.
Another good example of the challenges faced by SKS in reforming the party. Still plenty of Corbynites around the country running local branches and their social media accounts.
Corbyn and his crew controlled the party for 4 years, it's unrealistic to expect Starmer to remove them all in a couple of months.
Starmer has 4 years before the public will give it verdict and let's face it it is not as though the Tory Party are entirely free of extremists.
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
If it makes you feel better
I really dont understand how you cant see this? You might think people are wrong to disassociate the organisation and the principle but its perfectly clear that is what people are doing, including myself.
Opinion polling shows a majority of the country support the black lives matter movement. Common sense will tell you that the number of people who support the tweets of "black lives matter uk" is <15%, probably much lower still and you dont need an opinion poll to know its not the majority.
That is clear evidence that most of the people supporting BLM are supporters of the principle not the organisation. </p>
Most people do not support the movement as you put it (even Starmer says he does not as he uses moment not movement)
yes taken at the height of " if you dare say anything against BLM you will be cancelled /sacked/ calling racist" hysteria . Even forced Starmer onto his knee. Now he back tracks as he sees that most voters have had enough of it
Whatever, carry on pretending your one liner saying people dont support it trumps an opinion poll from this month saying the opposite, just dont expect others to buy into that.
There are some corking arguments going on between feminists and the LGBT+ people about the sanctity of biology, gender etc. Some lawsuits too. Its fascinating stuff. And hilarious of course.
Whenever I’ve come across it, generally by accident, it’s not been an argument as much as a screaming match that the other side are the most evil people ever to have lived, and encouraging people to write to the employers and families of those with whom they disagree.
The article says that Linehan is being sued by at least one trans activist, with each accusing the other of publishing addresses and photos of families etc. Sounds like a horrible place to be.
The feminists are accusing the trans people (who are apparently mainly men wanting to transition...??......help!! ) of being a men's rights organisation wanting to run off with the rights of women.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I still can't understand how anyone could look at what Gove Cummings did at education (massively expand Whitehall's direct control over education) and go "By jove they succeeded at decentralising education and really put the civil service in their place" with a straight face.
Just this morning I was being mocked for saying the BLM were marxist, anti semitic nutters and that Keir Starmer would regret adopting their pose for a photo op...
A few hours later he cant distance himself far away enough from them, and is getting slapped on the back by Nigel Farage for his stance on racism!!
Presciently saying things that were obviously true and which led to a screeching U-turn from LOTO within a day?
You clearly know nothing about politics, isam
Well, yes
Now he's got left wingers and black people attacking him, whilst Nigel Farage is onside.. and challenging someone just out of intensive care to a push up competition!
That's what comes of trying too hard
I'm not sure I'd keep mentioning that Johnson managed to get the virus himself it just reminds everyone that he didn't take any of it seriously at a time when he should have done. Even Trump managed to follow the advice and avoid getting infected.
It’s not Cummings v the civil service, it’s Johnson v the civil service.
The ‘coup’ is the Prime Minister doing what he was elected to do by the people.
I'm still not sure what they are trying to achieve, to be honest. The personnel may be more conducive to Brexit, but will performance really improve? Civil Services are Civil services.
The choice is either big or small government. Its one they are not making.
I am quite sanguine about it. Changing a few people at the top of the CS are of little consequence, quite time consuming and easily reversed. Diverting the hyperactive Cummings into such a pointless rearranging of deckchairs keeps him away from real stuff.
But it doesn't, replacing Sedwill with a Conservative spad as a starting point should worry you.
Nah, it just sets a precedent for the next Labour government. That's what happens when you tamper with the Constitution. The opposition gets the same privilege in time.
Imagine the Hard Left with a politicised CS, with hundreds of posts to fill with chums like Aron Bastani and Swindon.
Fortunately, we don't have that system or culture. Which is why Dom's Hard Rain looks like an exercise in futility. Even if he can make the top layer of the Civil Service more congenial, there will still be a huge gap between the brain and the limbs.
Leicester faces a further two weeks of lockdown to fight a local flare-up of coronavirus that has prompted "concern" from the Prime Minister.
The latest data shows the city has an unusually high number of cases, so is likely to be exempted from the easing of lockdown across England on July 4.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, will make a statement about the city after 9pm this evening, but an extension to the closure of pubs and restaurants there now looks likely.
Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, said the Government was still "minded to extend the current level of restrictions for two weeks" after speaking to the Health Secretary today.
Given the problems Leicester, Liverpool, London and Wales have had its not been the best of adverts for Labour government.
Excuse me. Do you live in Wales? With the exception of the single instance of the Two sisters plant in Anglesey the R rate in Wales was for a long while significantly lower in Wales than across England. A number which would have been even higher in England were it not for what had been a vast improvement in London.
I wouldn't say things have gone brilliantly in Wales (testing has been patchy, and the same PPE issues were seen as England and the 5 mile rule is a joke) but compared to the post Cummings clown show from Westminster they have at least had a plan which they have attempted to follow. Johnson and Cummings have played it by ear with tragic results to date, and I suspect more to come.
I say this as someone who considers Drakeford a fool. Your points scoring here is in poor taste.
Forgive me but I remember some talk on PB on how Wales had quietly dropped its testing targets.
Was that true ?
So apart from testing, PPE, the 5 mile rule and care homes (lets not forget the problems Wales had there) Wales has done fine ? LOL
The Wales government has been deeply mediocre, at best, but don't take it to heart as that's the quality of governance the UK gets as a whole.
If you read what I have said you will note that I have not confirmed things to be ideal, and I do agree with you and Johnson that returning hospitalised Covid patients to care homes in Wales and in Scotland is a scandal that needs to be dealt with.
Drakeford has claimed that the reducing numbers of test result returns are an issue that needs to be addressed, but then he would say that wouldn't he. Support for our extended lockdown here in Wales has been largely supported.
My main beef was with your ridiculously selective assertion. In the local authorities mentioned in England they are hamstrung by Westminster, so if you plan to blame anyone, blame your boy in Number 10.
If they are that 'hamstrung' then what's the point of these city mayors.
From the breakdown of social distancing in London and Liverpool, to Sadiq Khan's idiotic decisions re tube stations to Leicester being sweat shop city the people in charge at local level have to take their share of responsibility.
I wouldn’t worry yet. Given their records, the Civil Service will actually end up more hostile to the Tories, more full of career bureaucrats and successfully blocking Brexit.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
I still can't understand how anyone could look at what Gove Cummings did at education (massively expand Whitehall's direct control over education) and go "By jove they succeeded at decentralising education and really put the civil service in their place" with a straight face.
Covid deaths are markedly down today, across the world.
Surely just coincidence. Unless this bug is suddenly collapsing like the Triffids.
Eh? The whole point about the triffids is that they didn’t collapse.
That’s why the final sentence has to be in the future tense.
Didn't they just dissolve when someone chucked sea water on them? Or is that the aliens from War of the Worlds? Or the huge cockroach in Quatermass and the Pit? It was a long time ago and I was tiny
I never really rated the Triffids anyway. A bunch of perambulating aspidistras taking over the world. Yeah, right
The Midwich Cuckoos? They were truly unnerving
The opening chapter of day of the triffids is exceptional. The eerie calm of a silent London is magnificently described.
Fair enough. Haven't read it. It's just the silly movie I remember.
Quatermass and the Pit was far superior, from that era. Scared the bejasus out of me, even with its terrible special effects. Hob's End!
Mars from Holst's Planets got my heart racing. Still does because of Quatermass.
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Are you claiming, for example, that every PL player is backing the BLM manifesto? Unless you are saying that I can't see your point, Of course the half a dozen kippers on here keep trying to give it legs but the vast majority can clearly see the difference. Millions of people sympathise with the circumstances of Floyd's death without subscribing to everything BLM advocate.
Any comments on the criticism Farage got yesterday from the Board of Deputies of British Jews for dog-whistle anti-semitism? Perhaps it doesn't count unless it comes from the far left
From the breakdown of social distancing in London and Liverpool, to Sadiq Khan's idiotic decisions re tube stations to Leicester being sweat shop city the people in charge at local level have to take their share of responsibility.
I'm not sure what these "idiotic decisions" are supposed to be. Incredibly, he is being forced by the Government to run a public transport service while at the same time the Government is telling people NOT to use public transport.
The tubes are running almost empty and even at 1m social distancing could only take 25% of peak time capacity. Grant Shapps has told him he has to run a near normal service so all these empty trains and buses going round and round while the roads clog up with traffic because people feel safe in their cars.
10 people on a single decker bus, 20 on a double decker, that's the new maximum capacity.
Still, it's not just Londoners who are paying for this insanity, we all are.
Let's not even talk about the fact the train operating companies are effectively being supported by the Government as well because the trains are also largely empty (except to Bournemouth and Brighton on a nice sunny day of course).
Good to see the Starmer fans, who love tenuous links for guilt by association charges, in full agreement, hand in hand, with Nigel Farage on Black Lives Matter by the way!
Shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to see Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage on the same page regarding BLM!!
They're not though.
Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation.
Farage isn't saying that. He's incapable of uttering the words "black lives matter" unless I've missed it.
"Keir Starmer is saying he respects "black lives matter" as a principle without signing up for organisational nonsense of BLM the organisation."
He shoudn't have used their pose for a photo shoot when they were fighting with police in London if he didn't want to make it look like he was on their side!
Blimey, imagine Corbyn had made this error! At least he would have meant it and stuck by it!!
Its not their pose.
Again you can say - and pose to say - black lives matter without signing up to any unrelated nonsense. Anyone sensible can distinguish the two.
Oh no, of course not! No one thinks of BLM when people take the knee
Absolutely 100% they don't.
People don't think "of Black Lives Matter" [the organisation] when people take the knee.
People think that "black lives matter" [the principle] when people take the knee.
If it makes you feel better
I really dont understand how you cant see this? You might think people are wrong to disassociate the organisation and the principle but its perfectly clear that is what people are doing, including myself.
Opinion polling shows a majority of the country support the black lives matter movement. Common sense will tell you that the number of people who support the tweets of "black lives matter uk" is <15%, probably much lower still and you dont need an opinion poll to know its not the majority.
That is clear evidence that most of the people supporting BLM are supporters of the principle not the organisation. </p>
Most people do not support the movement as you put it (even Starmer says he does not as he uses moment not movement)
yes taken at the height of " if you dare say anything against BLM you will be cancelled /sacked/ calling racist" hysteria . Even forced Starmer onto his knee. Now he back tracks as he sees that most voters have had enough of it
Whatever, carry on pretending your one liner saying people dont support it trumps an opinion poll from this month saying the opposite, just dont expect others to buy into that.
Its you who seems to think people support one liners ! The most insulting thing about the whole population being coerced into supporting BLM is that it is a one line meaningless slogan when it comes down to it . Dumbed down politics of the worse kind
I have to say, in the government's position I'd be being much more cynical about the virus reporting, I'd be separating out care homes and putting infections and deaths in care homes into a separately reported category to update once a week and report community cases/deaths only on a daily basis. It would halve the reported daily death and new infections rate at a stroke and bury the care homes news to once a week, do it on a Friday and no one will read about it.
As I've said many, many times what happens in care homes is not relevant to the wider community and should be treated almost as a separate case with different controls and procedures in place, a level 5 lockdown of care homes should definitely be in place while the wider community is closer to a level 2 lockdown.
Just split the 2 and report the figures on a daily basis. It would be helpful to have that information but manipulating the figures to make them look better would just appear as though care home deaths don't really matter.
"The most insulting thing about the whole population being coerced into supporting BLM is that it is a one line meaningless slogan when it comes down to it ."
Speaking of dumb, this is one of the dumbest statements yours truly has ever seen on PB . . . and ain't whistling Dixie . . .
But keep it up! More you & your politicos repeat it, the more shovels you're gonna need. Just ask The Donald.
Assume for a nanosecond, just for purposes of argument, that BLM is sincere and serious. IF what 99.46% of BLM supporters are striving for comes to pass, then the chief beneficiaries are gonna be WHITE PEOPLE.
Black Lives Matter is antithetical to White Power as expoused by Trumpsky, etc. BUT it is complementary to true White empowerment.
The spread of covid in the 'sunbelt' of the USA shows the dangers of having a lockdown too early.
Every place has its ability to tolerate a lockdown only to its own particular level though its own economic and social circumstances.
And you don't want to 'use' that lockdown tolerance until you need it.
Well, it's a thought.
Only problem is people began to lockdown before the Government did. It was 15 weeks ago tonight my employer told us all to go home and stay there. Mrs Stodge's firm sent her home on the Thursday - the economy was closing days before Boris Johnson decreed it should be so.
In the same way, lockdown basically held until Easter when the fine weather and, I suspect, boredom tempted many out to parks and beaches. Had the weather been lousy I think lockdown would have held another week but the capricious nature of being trapped indoors on gloriously sunny days was too much for many.
By VE-Day, lockdown was over for many if not most.
Some people began to lockdown before the government did and some ended their own lockdown before others did.
Which, I think, backs up what I said.
There are levels and lengths of lockdown which people will tolerate to their own circumstances and this needs to be used at the most effective point.
Which would have been weeks earlier in Britain's case.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
very clear that overall the death rate is significantly lower in Scotland , dropping quicker and must be some good reason behind it.
As of last Thursday there were still just under 500 people in hospital in Scotland, however hospitalisations have been single figures since the end of May. There seems to have been a fast drop-off in hospitalisations since mid April. I would guess that the relatively lower population density is in Scotland's favour.
Nope. Half the population (2.5m) lives in Greater Glasgow, which is a relatively small geographical area.
Covid case update, 29 June 2020: spot the difference time...
UK: 815 additional lab confirmed cases and 25 additional deaths Scotland: 5 new cases and (for the fourth day on the bounce) no deaths at all
Wait and see: the Scottish Government will have done a New Zealand by the end of the Summer, whilst Covid cases are still kicking the bucket in England at a rate of several hundred per week.
That will be the disaster that can't be explained away, and the Tory party and the Union will both be consigned to the dustbin of history within the next few years.
What precisely has Scotland done that is radically different, rather than minor adjustments to UK wide policies?
I don't know, but something is obviously going right up there. I don't think that the low population density argument is sufficient, because of the concentration of so many of the Scottish people in the central belt. Nor would the "Scotland is very white" argument seem to hold water, because Glasgow isn't and it's not lighting up as a hotspot relative to the rest of the country, or at least not anymore (besides which, there may be fewer ethnic minority people in Scotland but its age and general health profile is worse.) It would be fascinating to know to what extent the fading away of the disease in Scotland is down to policy and to what degree it's a matter of dumb luck, but that makes no difference to the fact that it's happening.
And we all know perfectly well what follows on from that. The Government in London is rubbish and is only there because the available alternative last December was even worse. This thing will flare up in the Autumn and Johnson and his ministers will be running round in circles like headless chickens, flapping their wings and babbling unintelligibly about yet more lockdowns and such like, whilst Scotland seals its borders and suffers no new cases at all. The only way we avoid that fate is if the University of Oxford vaccine project hits the jackpot, and if something sounds too good to be true it almost invariably is.
When considering the Westminstershambles, Murphy's Law applies.
If you don't know, then I think it is far far too early to state so definitively as you did that it cannot be explained away and that the Tories and Union will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a result.
That might happen, perhaps it will even happen for that reason and Westminster mistakes, but if we cannot identify a difference it seems unfair to rule out that someone might be able to explain the difference.
very clear that overall the death rate is significantly lower in Scotland , dropping quicker and must be some good reason behind it.
As of last Thursday there were still just under 500 people in hospital in Scotland, however hospitalisations have been single figures since the end of May. There seems to have been a fast drop-off in hospitalisations since mid April. I would guess that the relatively lower population density is in Scotland's favour.
Nope. Half the population (2.5m) lives in Greater Glasgow, which is a relatively small geographical area.
Of course England has several such metropolitan areas. But I am not sure what was being different as early as April to explain such a rapid tail-off.
But it's a great way of adding another level of separation between Scotland the rest of the UK which is what she wants...
Carlotta is having kittens, CCHQ must be whipping her to get all the agents out quick. Sturgeon is threatening to do the popular and sensible thing yet again. Unionists are having a bad time of it.
Comments
The ‘coup’ is the Prime Minister doing what he was elected to do by the people.
Quite possibly if we'd locked down prematurely then this is what we could now be facing.
I wouldn't say things have gone brilliantly in Wales (testing has been patchy, and the same PPE issues were seen as England and the 5 mile rule is a joke) but compared to the post Cummings clown show from Westminster they have at least had a plan which they have attempted to follow. Johnson and Cummings have played it by ear with tragic results to date, and I
suspect more to come.
I say this as someone who considers Drakeford a fool. Your points scoring
here is in poor taste.
All while Cummings and Gove convince themselves that they have won on every point.
https://twitter.com/baradavies/status/1277514649022468097
A surprising amount of stuff survived till the early 80s.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/29/responsibility-actions-antisemitism-rebecca-long-bailey
Only problem is people began to lockdown before the Government did. It was 15 weeks ago tonight my employer told us all to go home and stay there. Mrs Stodge's firm sent her home on the Thursday - the economy was closing days before Boris Johnson decreed it should be so.
In the same way, lockdown basically held until Easter when the fine weather and, I suspect, boredom tempted many out to parks and beaches. Had the weather been lousy I think lockdown would have held another week but the capricious nature of being trapped indoors on gloriously sunny days was too much for many.
By VE-Day, lockdown was over for many if not most.
The choice is either big or small government. Its one they are not making.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/pa/pennsylvania_trump_vs_clinton-5633.html#polls
https://twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/1277684423996178435
Of course, Gove said this
“I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.”
Cummings is pulling the strings
Was that true ?
So apart from testing, PPE, the 5 mile rule and care homes (lets not forget the problems Wales had there) Wales has done fine ? LOL
The Wales government has been deeply mediocre, at best, but don't take it to heart as that's the quality of governance the UK gets as a whole.
Because threatening poor people with prison is the heart of the progressive agenda.
Starmer should be on this rather than taking the knee.
https://twitter.com/ladyhaja/status/1277591640803287040?s=20
I appreciate for some (ydoethur (sp?) springs to mind) that might be a garish image but to me that is a pretty much ideal and perfect combination of what I would wish for.
What a rollercoaster
Which, I think, backs up what I said.
There are levels and lengths of lockdown which people will tolerate to their own circumstances and this needs to be used at the most effective point.
And point you make explain recent decision against Trump re: DACA, or what I think will be soon-to-be announced ruling to make him stand and deliver his tax records?
Drakeford has claimed that the reducing numbers of test result returns are an issue that needs to be addressed, but then he would say that wouldn't he. Support for our extended lockdown here in Wales has been largely supported.
My main beef was with your ridiculously selective assertion. In the local authorities mentioned in England they are hamstrung by Westminster, so if you plan to blame anyone, blame your boy in Number 10.
But it needn't be first priority.
It's also the question of whether you have an individualistic society where people pay less attention to rules, instructions and guidelines as against more "pliant" societies where rules are generally obeyed.
Most people in Britain mostly co-operated with and supported the lockdown initially but there was obviously a core which didn't, couldn't or wouldn't.
Where European societies (and I include the UK) differ from America is there is a lesser distrust and active hostility to "Government" in all its forms than across the Atlantic.
Liberating the BBC can be done later.
I thhnk not
It is clear defunding the police is about ending the rule of law as it applies to certain communities, to achieve a destabising effect that can then be leveraged into a greater conflict in a wider society.
Destabilisation has partially been achieved in certain US cities already, as many black people have found because they are the victims of it, in terms of being murdered, injured or otherwise exploited.
Everybody talks about George Floyd. Nobody talks about his many black victims.
Have you ever seen the Peter Cook film, The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer?
1 - from the very beginning the Scottish government was always clear that they thought they were a few weeks behind parts of the UK in the infection curve. So locking down at the same time is surely advantageous in the sense that the virus wasn't transmitting nearly as widely as in, say, parts of England, which mde it easier to get under control I would that thought.
2 - deliberately slower to come out of lockdown. Pretty much any date you can think of from the UK government briefings, add 2 weeks to up in Scotland (there was only one thing I ever remember Scotgov saying could be done earlier than England and I can't for the life of me remember right now what it was). The move into phase 2 was hilariously overhyped - the main change was that shielding people could go out for exercise and everyone else was allowed to nip in to use the toilet when they were meeting their one other household outside. It was the most gradual of gradual changes, with most of the other phase 2 gradual change dates deferred to a few weeks later. I seem to remember being able to meet indoors was in the original Scotgov routemap "phase 2", although I could be wrong.
3 - consistency of message. Like the message or not, from the Scottish government briefings it has been undeniably consistent. Sturgeon has done it virtually every single day (there was one day I remember she didn't, a Sunday or a bank holiday), other than the days its FMQs or the update is done in the Parliament. And the script is exactly the same every day (to the point of now being maddeningly boring at times), they just change the numbers and tweak one section for a specific topic of the day.
In comparison the UK briefings were, shall we say, less consistent, a rolling role call of random ministers and scientific advisers and messages that changed daily because no one quite knew what the message actually was.
I'm sure population density must play a part in it too. Outside of Glasgow and Edinburgh the potential for the R number to go high just must surely be naturally lower than most of England by dint of the inbuilt extra distancing arising from the population distribution.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/did-father-ted-creator-graham-linehan-become-hated-man-internet/
Opinion polling shows a majority of the country support the black lives matter movement.
Common sense will tell you that the number of people who support the tweets of "black lives matter uk" is <15%, probably much lower still and you dont need an opinion poll to know its not the majority.
That is clear evidence that most of the people supporting BLM are supporters of the principle not the organisation.
They are also a country where power is supposed to rest with the States but where federal government has taken more and more power over the years.
I am not saying I agree with the knee jerk anti-federal reactions that occur in the US - I categorically do not - but it is not hard to see where they derive from.
The article says that Linehan is being sued by at least one trans activist, with each accusing the other of publishing addresses and photos of families etc. Sounds like a horrible place to be - although amusing to watch from a safe distance away!
Starmer has 4 years before the public will give it verdict and let's face it it is not as though the Tory Party are entirely free of extremists.
From the breakdown of social distancing in London and Liverpool, to Sadiq Khan's idiotic decisions re tube stations to Leicester being sweat shop city the people in charge at local level have to take their share of responsibility.
Any comments on the criticism Farage got yesterday from the Board of Deputies of British Jews for dog-whistle anti-semitism? Perhaps it doesn't count unless it comes from the far left
The tubes are running almost empty and even at 1m social distancing could only take 25% of peak time capacity. Grant Shapps has told him he has to run a near normal service so all these empty trains and buses going round and round while the roads clog up with traffic because people feel safe in their cars.
10 people on a single decker bus, 20 on a double decker, that's the new maximum capacity.
Still, it's not just Londoners who are paying for this insanity, we all are.
Let's not even talk about the fact the train operating companies are effectively being supported by the Government as well because the trains are also largely empty (except to Bournemouth and Brighton on a nice sunny day of course).
Isn't it just Sunday reporting?
Speaking of dumb, this is one of the dumbest statements yours truly has ever seen on PB . . . and ain't whistling Dixie . . .
But keep it up! More you & your politicos repeat it, the more shovels you're gonna need. Just ask The Donald.
Assume for a nanosecond, just for purposes of argument, that BLM is sincere and serious. IF what 99.46% of BLM supporters are striving for comes to pass, then the chief beneficiaries are gonna be WHITE PEOPLE.
Black Lives Matter is antithetical to White Power as expoused by Trumpsky, etc. BUT it is complementary to true White empowerment.
https://twitter.com/BBCHelena/status/1277718063123705856?s=20