Sounds like Govey is going to be the strategist behind Bettertogether II by default, just by having a tenth of a clue as opposed to the zilch possessed by the rest of the cabinet. Expect more vetted walkabouts in Peterburgh and Fraserhead.
I am beginning to think that the SNP is currenty dictating Tory policy on "safeguarding" the Union.
Of course if we end up with a WTO terms Brexit and no trade deal with the EU and there is a Nationalist majority at Holyrood next year, Boris grants indyref2 and Yes wins then there will be customs posts at Berwick soon after and tariffs on Scottish exports to England and English exports to Scotland
That is only the case if we choose it to be. If England and Scotland came to an agreement on trade there would be no need for any infrastructure. The English government will decide, just as it will decide on whether there is a deal with the EU.
London will be as hard with Edinburgh as Brussels is with London, Scots should expect no favours from Westminster if it votes for independence and over 50% of Scottish exports go to England, under 50% of UK exports go to the EU
Yep, I expect that is the case. The trauma and humiliation will drive us English mad. Though there would be no logical reason for it. Scotland could never be a threat to England in the way that the UK can be to the EU.
Its funny that many on the left are angry about this appointment too.
Johnson's government has achieved the spectacular feat of uniting twitter against it
You know I had my doubts but if all of Twitter is against it, there must be something to be said for it.
Go on then, what ?
I simply don't understand the reason for the Didolatry.
She seems well-qualified, and effective. The only vaguely coherent criticism of her record is that she was in charge when TalkTalk was badly hacked, but anyone of any sense knows that that's a case of 'there by by the grace of God...' - multiple organizations, private sector, public sector, government, military, have been hacked, and it's not at all an easy thing to defend yourself against.
In fact it might even be the other way round. The fact that she's had the experience of being in charge when there's a serious cybersecurity breach may well be a lesson well learnt. And indeed she seems to have learnt it - last month she appointed a (very well qualified) relative of mine to the role of Chief Information Security Officer for Test and Trace, so she's doing something right!
You think track and trace has been a success? I think it's been a major failure. To be fair to Harding, she probably didn't come up with the idea to centralize it. But she should have realised she needed local public health.
I think its been a partial success. The local teams, doing the hotspots such as factories, other work sites, etc have done a sterling job. The hastily assembled, out-sourced phone contact teams have had lots of challenges, not least, I suspect, people ignoring phone calls from 0300 numbers... At least there has now been an acceptance of this, and a pivot in the policy.
They are currently tracing an estimated 50% of contacts - and taking around four days from the date of a positive test to do so. In terms of reducing infection, that's not quite useless, but it's exceedingly poor.
Anyone with an ounce of sense running it would be trying to localise/decentralise the entire test/track/trace process as much as possible from the start. And would be prioritising speed above all else. 100% accuracy and a delay of four days is useless; 90% accuracy the same day is very useful indeed.
What they still appear to be doing is concentrating on the headline number of tests.
And as far as setting up a new integrated public health organisation is concerned, she has no more experience or training than I do.
Of course, the haulage disagreement with the EU shows us that the UK is not after a Canada-style deal.
Well that tunnel under the Atlantic is not quite finished yet, is it?
Exactly, David. We were not, are not and never will be Canada. Thus, we need more from the EU than Canada does, so they will need more from us.
Strangely, international trade tends to follow an inverse square law with distance between countries, and Canada is bleeding miles away. A bit like gravity and electricity, since we are discussing physics, and probably other stuff I've forgotten.
But the US is our biggest single market and it is as far away as Canada.
And even if this was true traditionally where freight costs of physical goods would be a material consideration, I do wonder if it is in an age where so much of what we trade are pixels (Russel Kirsch RIP).
America has a much larger economy. The way inverse square laws work is you multiply two bodies' size (mass, electric charge, economy, whatever) and divide by the square of the distance between them.
There are surprisingly few roads between England and Scotland.
Really, there are surprisingly few towns on the border between both countries and all those towns have direct(ish) connections...
If you count every single tiny back road including those that effectively form loops over the border (so a single approach road branches off into multiple tracks that actually cross). You get to less than thirty crossing points.
If you limit it to B roads and above there isn't even a dozen.
Many of the Tory supporters want to put barbed wire and shoot immigrants in the sea, I am sure examples such as this will change their mind
This Tory supporter wants to eliminate the pull factor that makes these migrants attempt this journey. This event should be making those who don't subscribe to that idea change their mind, not the other way around.
Its funny that many on the left are angry about this appointment too.
Johnson's government has achieved the spectacular feat of uniting twitter against it
You know I had my doubts but if all of Twitter is against it, there must be something to be said for it.
Go on then, what ?
I simply don't understand the reason for the Didolatry.
She seems well-qualified, and effective. The only vaguely coherent criticism of her record is that she was in charge when TalkTalk was badly hacked, but anyone of any sense knows that that's a case of 'there by by the grace of God...' - multiple organizations, private sector, public sector, government, military, have been hacked, and it's not at all an easy thing to defend yourself against.
In fact it might even be the other way round. The fact that she's had the experience of being in charge when there's a serious cybersecurity breach may well be a lesson well learnt. And indeed she seems to have learnt it - last month she appointed a (very well qualified) relative of mine to the role of Chief Information Security Officer for Test and Trace, so she's doing something right!
You think track and trace has been a success? I think it's been a major failure. To be fair to Harding, she probably didn't come up with the idea to centralize it. But she should have realised she needed local public health.
I think its been a partial success. The local teams, doing the hotspots such as factories, other work sites, etc have done a sterling job. The hastily assembled, out-sourced phone contact teams have had lots of challenges, not least, I suspect, people ignoring phone calls from 0300 numbers... At least there has now been an acceptance of this, and a pivot in the policy.
So basically the bit that Dido is in charge of hasn't worked?
The app is being launched three months late. The local authority public health teams are more successful at reaching contacts than SERCO et al. Cash-strapped local authorities have given up on the national effort and are setting up their own parallel systems because they work better.
Sounds like Govey is going to be the strategist behind Bettertogether II by default, just by having a tenth of a clue as opposed to the zilch possessed by the rest of the cabinet. Expect more vetted walkabouts in Peterburgh and Fraserhead.
I am beginning to think that the SNP is currenty dictating Tory policy on "safeguarding" the Union.
Of course if we end up with a WTO terms Brexit and no trade deal with the EU and there is a Nationalist majority at Holyrood next year, Boris grants indyref2 and Yes wins then there will be customs posts at Berwick soon after and tariffs on Scottish exports to England and English exports to Scotland
That is only the case if we choose it to be. If England and Scotland came to an agreement on trade there would be no need for any infrastructure. The English government will decide, just as it will decide on whether there is a deal with the EU.
London will be as hard with Edinburgh as Brussels is with London, Scots should expect no favours from Westminster if it votes for independence and over 50% of Scottish exports go to England, under 50% of UK exports go to the EU
It is in England's interest to have an amicable modus vivendi with Scotland at all times, including after separation should it occur. Indeed no true Englishman would deny that a prosperous Scotland would be good for England. And vice-versa. So if and when separation is a fait accompli both governments should, and I am sure will maximise trade and exchange with zero tariffs and minimal hindrances.
Funny how Brexit = Good and Scottish Indy = Bad when, in reality, they are much the same thing.
With our Bluekip Govt, I do not really blame the Scots for wanting Indy but in reality it is as daft as Brexit and for the same reasons.
Not quite the same.
Brexit plus having this bunch of useless tossers imposed on us v. almost certainly being readmitted to the EU plus being able to choose our own useless tossers then kick them out if necessary.
Your arguments for Indy are almost word-for-word the same as the arguments here a few years back justifying Brexit.
I sympathise with your desires, but I doubt Indy would be good for Scotland. Keep an eye on Norn Iron since it will be the test case from Jan 1st.
The EUSSR imposing its evil will on the honest yeomanry of Olde England was largely a chimera, this government of all the tossers otoh is all too real.
I believe that you've made individual arrangements to depart from Brexit UK, no doubt with associated inconvenience, disruption and expense? Think of this as similar, only on a larger scale.
Many of the Tory supporters want to put barbed wire and shoot immigrants in the sea, I am sure examples such as this will change their mind
This Tory supporter wants to eliminate the pull factor that makes these migrants attempt this journey. This event should be making those who don't subscribe to that idea change their mind, not the other way around.
This will only start to happen if both Britain and the EU change the character of the kind of holding and reception centres they're placing in key countries. If these start to provide training, and routes to learning skills such as digital ones, for instance, rather than simply redirection and return, western countries could start to make a permanent positive impact on people who are returning, rather than continually moving frustrated people.
Its funny that many on the left are angry about this appointment too.
Johnson's government has achieved the spectacular feat of uniting twitter against it
You know I had my doubts but if all of Twitter is against it, there must be something to be said for it.
Go on then, what ?
I simply don't understand the reason for the Didolatry.
She seems well-qualified, and effective. The only vaguely coherent criticism of her record is that she was in charge when TalkTalk was badly hacked, but anyone of any sense knows that that's a case of 'there by by the grace of God...' - multiple organizations, private sector, public sector, government, military, have been hacked, and it's not at all an easy thing to defend yourself against.
In fact it might even be the other way round. The fact that she's had the experience of being in charge when there's a serious cybersecurity breach may well be a lesson well learnt. And indeed she seems to have learnt it - last month she appointed a (very well qualified) relative of mine to the role of Chief Information Security Officer for Test and Trace, so she's doing something right!
You think track and trace has been a success? I think it's been a major failure. To be fair to Harding, she probably didn't come up with the idea to centralize it. But she should have realised she needed local public health.
I think its been a partial success. The local teams, doing the hotspots such as factories, other work sites, etc have done a sterling job. The hastily assembled, out-sourced phone contact teams have had lots of challenges, not least, I suspect, people ignoring phone calls from 0300 numbers... At least there has now been an acceptance of this, and a pivot in the policy.
So basically the bit that Dido is in charge of hasn't worked?
The app is being launched three months late. The local authority public health teams are more successful at reaching contacts than SERCO et al. Cash-strapped local authorities have given up on the national effort and are setting up their own parallel systems because they work better.
That is just negativity and scaremongering. Anyone can look at Sweden/Denmark , Europe in general and see that is only an issue if you have petty idiots running Westminster, there should be no need to have any issues at all.
@DavidL - That doesn't sound like much fun for anyone.
He's delighted to be back and see all his pals again but I think that the teachers are finding it pretty tough. They are doing large blocks of time with the same class so that movement through the school is limited. Yesterday my son had 3 hours of statistics, I mean, jeez.
What is clear is that getting kids back into secondary schools safely requires an immense amount of effort and planning affecting every aspect of school life including break times, timetables, meals, work distribution, etc etc. This is not something, if it is to be done right, that schools can start thinking about in September.
The schools I know have been thinking about it since March.
At my school the signs for one way systems have been put in place already and we have an extra training day at the beginning of term to go through which of several scenarios that the senior team have come up with will be the one we use.
I hope your school does not expect children to sit still for three hours at a time.
I did timetable quadruple maths for a group one year which is about that. They were sixth formers doing Maths and Further Maths though, and coped fairly well.
Its funny that many on the left are angry about this appointment too.
Johnson's government has achieved the spectacular feat of uniting twitter against it
You know I had my doubts but if all of Twitter is against it, there must be something to be said for it.
Go on then, what ?
I simply don't understand the reason for the Didolatry.
She seems well-qualified, and effective. The only vaguely coherent criticism of her record is that she was in charge when TalkTalk was badly hacked, but anyone of any sense knows that that's a case of 'there by by the grace of God...' - multiple organizations, private sector, public sector, government, military, have been hacked, and it's not at all an easy thing to defend yourself against.
In fact it might even be the other way round. The fact that she's had the experience of being in charge when there's a serious cybersecurity breach may well be a lesson well learnt. And indeed she seems to have learnt it - last month she appointed a (very well qualified) relative of mine to the role of Chief Information Security Officer for Test and Trace, so she's doing something right!
I was asking about her qualifications/experience in public health.
And her new information security officer doesn't seem to have stopped them freely sharing our data with the dodgy management consultants, who formerly employed her .... and seem to have come up with the whole scheme themselves:
https://www.consultancy.uk/news/25175/mckinsey-to-evaluate-british-nhs-test-and-trace-programme ...As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) looks to improve the service, the Health Service Journal has revealed that McKinsey & Company has been tasked with reviewing the governance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The consultancy will now consider which level of state management would facilitate the best provision of its future services – be that remaining under the direct control of the DHSC, gain greater operational independence, or be merged with another entity of the DHSC, such as Public Health England... (27th July)
Sounds like Govey is going to be the strategist behind Bettertogether II by default, just by having a tenth of a clue as opposed to the zilch possessed by the rest of the cabinet. Expect more vetted walkabouts in Peterburgh and Fraserhead.
I am beginning to think that the SNP is currenty dictating Tory policy on "safeguarding" the Union.
Of course if we end up with a WTO terms Brexit and no trade deal with the EU and there is a Nationalist majority at Holyrood next year, Boris grants indyref2 and Yes wins then there will be customs posts at Berwick soon after and tariffs on Scottish exports to England and English exports to Scotland
That is only the case if we choose it to be. If England and Scotland came to an agreement on trade there would be no need for any infrastructure. The English government will decide, just as it will decide on whether there is a deal with the EU.
London will be as hard with Edinburgh as Brussels is with London, Scots should expect no favours from Westminster if it votes for independence and over 50% of Scottish exports go to England, under 50% of UK exports go to the EU
Yep, I expect that is the case. The trauma and humiliation will drive us English mad. Though there would be no logical reason for it. Scotland could never be a threat to England in the way that the UK can be to the EU.
Sounds like Govey is going to be the strategist behind Bettertogether II by default, just by having a tenth of a clue as opposed to the zilch possessed by the rest of the cabinet. Expect more vetted walkabouts in Peterburgh and Fraserhead.
I am beginning to think that the SNP is currenty dictating Tory policy on "safeguarding" the Union.
Of course if we end up with a WTO terms Brexit and no trade deal with the EU and there is a Nationalist majority at Holyrood next year, Boris grants indyref2 and Yes wins then there will be customs posts at Berwick soon after and tariffs on Scottish exports to England and English exports to Scotland
That is only the case if we choose it to be. If England and Scotland came to an agreement on trade there would be no need for any infrastructure. The English government will decide, just as it will decide on whether there is a deal with the EU.
London will be as hard with Edinburgh as Brussels is with London, Scots should expect no favours from Westminster if it votes for independence and over 50% of Scottish exports go to England, under 50% of UK exports go to the EU
It is in England's interest to have an amicable modus vivendi with Scotland at all times, including after separation should it occur. Indeed no true Englishman would deny that a prosperous Scotland would be good for England. And vice-versa. So if and when separation is a fait accompli both governments should, and I am sure will maximise trade and exchange with zero tariffs and minimal hindrances.
If Scotland votes for independence and the UK has no FTA with the EU and has left the single market that is impossible, legally the WTO will require tariffs on exports from Scotland to England and vice versa and customs posts along the border unless and until a Scottish rUK or an EU rUK (If Scotland rejoins the EU) trade deal is agreed.
Not that the Tories in the unlikely event they granted indyref2 leading to a Yes vote would be in any mood to appease the Scots, indeed Osborne might even be brought back to take the Barnier role for the rUK Government and ensure a firm approach was taken to exit negotiations and trade talks with Edinburgh
Sounds like Govey is going to be the strategist behind Bettertogether II by default, just by having a tenth of a clue as opposed to the zilch possessed by the rest of the cabinet. Expect more vetted walkabouts in Peterburgh and Fraserhead.
I am beginning to think that the SNP is currenty dictating Tory policy on "safeguarding" the Union.
Of course if we end up with a WTO terms Brexit and no trade deal with the EU and there is a Nationalist majority at Holyrood next year, Boris grants indyref2 and Yes wins then there will be customs posts at Berwick soon after and tariffs on Scottish exports to England and English exports to Scotland
That is only the case if we choose it to be. If England and Scotland came to an agreement on trade there would be no need for any infrastructure. The English government will decide, just as it will decide on whether there is a deal with the EU.
London will be as hard with Edinburgh as Brussels is with London, Scots should expect no favours from Westminster if it votes for independence and over 50% of Scottish exports go to England, under 50% of UK exports go to the EU
However generous the deal, you can be sure every Scottish failure for the next couple of hundred years would be blamed on "that Settlement"....
That is just negativity and scaremongering. Anyone can look at Sweden/Denmark , Europe in general and see that is only an issue if you have petty idiots running Westminster....
That is just negativity and scaremongering. Anyone can look at Sweden/Denmark , Europe in general and see that is only an issue if you have petty idiots running Westminster, there should be no need to have any issues at all.
But you keep telling us England has petty idiots running the country
There will be enormous issues, not least that Scotland will be a competitor in business and I expect RUK would give Scotland as hard a time of it as the EU are with the UK for the same reasons
So quick thought - if face coverings are not required in Wales when shopping, is there emerging evidence that England is doing better at reducing the epidemic? Or as some think are masks playing a negligible role on the virus, but a bigger one in the 'seem to be doing something' stakes?
At the food plant in Northampton they all wore face coverings but they all caught Covid
Sounds like Govey is going to be the strategist behind Bettertogether II by default, just by having a tenth of a clue as opposed to the zilch possessed by the rest of the cabinet. Expect more vetted walkabouts in Peterburgh and Fraserhead.
I am beginning to think that the SNP is currenty dictating Tory policy on "safeguarding" the Union.
Of course if we end up with a WTO terms Brexit and no trade deal with the EU and there is a Nationalist majority at Holyrood next year, Boris grants indyref2 and Yes wins then there will be customs posts at Berwick soon after and tariffs on Scottish exports to England and English exports to Scotland
That is only the case if we choose it to be. If England and Scotland came to an agreement on trade there would be no need for any infrastructure. The English government will decide, just as it will decide on whether there is a deal with the EU.
London will be as hard with Edinburgh as Brussels is with London, Scots should expect no favours from Westminster if it votes for independence and over 50% of Scottish exports go to England, under 50% of UK exports go to the EU
It is in England's interest to have an amicable modus vivendi with Scotland at all times, including after separation should it occur. Indeed no true Englishman would deny that a prosperous Scotland would be good for England. And vice-versa. So if and when separation is a fait accompli both governments should, and I am sure will maximise trade and exchange with zero tariffs and minimal hindrances.
On the assumption that you're not being heavily ironical, fair play. I hope that your approach is more common in Unionism than it appears currently to be.
And her new information security officer doesn't seem to have stopped them freely sharing our data with the dodgy management consultants, who formerly employed her .... and seem to have come up with the whole scheme themselves:
https://www.consultancy.uk/news/25175/mckinsey-to-evaluate-british-nhs-test-and-trace-programme ...As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) looks to improve the service, the Health Service Journal has revealed that McKinsey & Company has been tasked with reviewing the governance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The consultancy will now consider which level of state management would facilitate the best provision of its future services – be that remaining under the direct control of the DHSC, gain greater operational independence, or be merged with another entity of the DHSC, such as Public Health England... (27th July)
Incidentally, has it been generally reported that McKinsey were quite possibly the ones who came up with the whole idea of this PHE shutter/merger ?
Sounds like Govey is going to be the strategist behind Bettertogether II by default, just by having a tenth of a clue as opposed to the zilch possessed by the rest of the cabinet. Expect more vetted walkabouts in Peterburgh and Fraserhead.
I am beginning to think that the SNP is currenty dictating Tory policy on "safeguarding" the Union.
Of course if we end up with a WTO terms Brexit and no trade deal with the EU and there is a Nationalist majority at Holyrood next year, Boris grants indyref2 and Yes wins then there will be customs posts at Berwick soon after and tariffs on Scottish exports to England and English exports to Scotland
That is only the case if we choose it to be. If England and Scotland came to an agreement on trade there would be no need for any infrastructure. The English government will decide, just as it will decide on whether there is a deal with the EU.
London will be as hard with Edinburgh as Brussels is with London, Scots should expect no favours from Westminster if it votes for independence and over 50% of Scottish exports go to England, under 50% of UK exports go to the EU
It is in England's interest to have an amicable modus vivendi with Scotland at all times, including after separation should it occur. Indeed no true Englishman would deny that a prosperous Scotland would be good for England. And vice-versa. So if and when separation is a fait accompli both governments should, and I am sure will maximise trade and exchange with zero tariffs and minimal hindrances.
On the assumption that you're not being heavily ironical, fair play. I hope that your approach is more common in Unionism than it appears currently to be.
I very much doubt it will be an easy divorce
RUK will want to protect their businesses and attract Scots business over the border and to London
It's naive to think it will be any easier than the UK EU divorce, it it happens of course
So quick thought - if face coverings are not required in Wales when shopping, is there emerging evidence that England is doing better at reducing the epidemic? Or as some think are masks playing a negligible role on the virus, but a bigger one in the 'seem to be doing something' stakes?
At the food plant in Northampton they all wore face coverings but they all caught Covid
Was there not some indication of lots of off site links for this case?
I know of someone from Scotland who was living in England at the time of the 2014 referendum who voted as they were still on the electoral roll at their parents address.
So quick thought - if face coverings are not required in Wales when shopping, is there emerging evidence that England is doing better at reducing the epidemic? Or as some think are masks playing a negligible role on the virus, but a bigger one in the 'seem to be doing something' stakes?
At the food plant in Northampton they all wore face coverings but they all caught Covid
It is causing some concern locally that most of Greencore`s staff were found positive by Greencore`s own private testing. These staff were not ill. Of those that were tested officially, as far as I know there have been no hospitalisations. Greencore are testing again (I`m guessing there may have been some false positives).
They all wore masks at work, as you say, so my guess is that this is an instance of surface-to-surface transmission resulting in many testing positive but not actually being poorly due to the very low viral load.
It`s about bloody time that we differentiated between severity of infections rather than shitting ourselves regardless and risking local lockdowns attended by yet further economic and loss of freedom disasters.
“Labour has long argued that public ownership of the rail network will provide better value for the taxpayer and for passengers, the government must stop paying the profit of the private rail companies and bring the network in-house.”
Rail's problem isn't it is unaffordable - it is that it is unpalatable in a time of Covid. Whatever the cost. If Covid goes away, then who gives a shiny shit about a 1.6% rise?
Starmer's poll raings in Scotland seem quite good, but he needs to make a few visits there to emphasise how seriously he takes the Union issue. I suspect he will prove quite effective as a campaigner by becoming the face of Labour that Scots identify with - rather than Richard Leonard.
I know of someone from Scotland who was living in England at the time of the 2014 referendum who voted as they were still on the electoral roll at their parents address.
They voted Yes by the way.
Well, they shouldn't have done.
I seem to recall the The Ghost of Harry Flashman (now no longer even a ghost on PB) described a similar situation for himself in a should I or shouldn't I kind of way. I'm sure in the end he'd have been far too scrupulous to put his burning cross in the No box.
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
Lack of mass cut through, in itself, doesn't matter. Remember erosion?
The key thing is that Oppositions criticising this sort of thing shouldn't be rocket science. The fact that it's happening is a sign of a return to competent messaging by the opposition.
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
Lack of mass cut through, in itself, doesn't matter. Remember erosion?
The key thing is that Oppositions criticising this sort of thing shouldn't be rocket science. The fact that it's happening is a sign of a return to competent messaging by the opposition.
Except Labour has been complaining about rail ticket price rises for ages. It's not a new line of attack.
Its funny that many on the left are angry about this appointment too.
Johnson's government has achieved the spectacular feat of uniting twitter against it
You know I had my doubts but if all of Twitter is against it, there must be something to be said for it.
Go on then, what ?
I simply don't understand the reason for the Didolatry.
She seems well-qualified, and effective. The only vaguely coherent criticism of her record is that she was in charge when TalkTalk was badly hacked, but anyone of any sense knows that that's a case of 'there by by the grace of God...' - multiple organizations, private sector, public sector, government, military, have been hacked, and it's not at all an easy thing to defend yourself against.
In fact it might even be the other way round. The fact that she's had the experience of being in charge when there's a serious cybersecurity breach may well be a lesson well learnt. And indeed she seems to have learnt it - last month she appointed a (very well qualified) relative of mine to the role of Chief Information Security Officer for Test and Trace, so she's doing something right!
You think track and trace has been a success? I think it's been a major failure. To be fair to Harding, she probably didn't come up with the idea to centralize it. But she should have realised she needed local public health.
I think its been a partial success. The local teams, doing the hotspots such as factories, other work sites, etc have done a sterling job. The hastily assembled, out-sourced phone contact teams have had lots of challenges, not least, I suspect, people ignoring phone calls from 0300 numbers... At least there has now been an acceptance of this, and a pivot in the policy.
So basically the bit that Dido is in charge of hasn't worked?
The app is being launched three months late. The local authority public health teams are more successful at reaching contacts than SERCO et al. Cash-strapped local authorities have given up on the national effort and are setting up their own parallel systems because they work better.
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
The big change is that, up until now, railways have had a captive market - people whose jobs are in the middle of big cities (principally London) who have been forced by the housing market to live at some distance from their office. Hence the price of railway season tickets can rise and rise and those needing them simply have to pay up.
The realisation that very many city-based office jobs can be done remotely be people working partly or almost wholly from home is a game-changer, which neither the government nor the rail companies yet seem to understand.
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
The big change is that, up until now, railways have had a captive market - people whose jobs are in the middle of big cities (principally London) who have been forced by the housing market to live at some distance from their office. Hence the price of railway season tickets can rise and rise and those needing them simply have to pay up.
The realisation that very many city-based office jobs can be done remotely be people working partly or almost wholly from home is a game-changer, which neither the government nor the rail companies yet seem to understand.
I simply see no way out of this that isn't nationalisation, the private companies can't be continuously bailed out as they are going to need to be, until numbers go back to normal, which they may well never, ever do.
It's going to have be full nationalisation and public ownership, I can't even see why you would pay private companies as the Tories are proposing, what's the point?
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
The big change is that, up until now, railways have had a captive market - people whose jobs are in the middle of big cities (principally London) who have been forced by the housing market to live at some distance from their office. Hence the price of railway season tickets can rise and rise and those needing them simply have to pay up.
The realisation that very many city-based office jobs can be done remotely be people working partly or almost wholly from home is a game-changer, which neither the government nor the rail companies yet seem to understand.
I suspect they understand but don't know the consequences yet - as the real consequences will only be obvious a year or so after we have a Covid vaccine.
The days of 5 days in the office is probably gone forever and it's now 2-3 days in the office and 2-3 days at home but how that impact things we won't really know for 2 years.
Funny how Brexit = Good and Scottish Indy = Bad when, in reality, they are much the same thing.
With our Bluekip Govt, I do not really blame the Scots for wanting Indy but in reality it is as daft as Brexit and for the same reasons.
Not quite the same.
Brexit plus having this bunch of useless tossers imposed on us v. almost certainly being readmitted to the EU plus being able to choose our own useless tossers then kick them out if necessary.
Your arguments for Indy are almost word-for-word the same as the arguments here a few years back justifying Brexit.
I sympathise with your desires, but I doubt Indy would be good for Scotland. Keep an eye on Norn Iron since it will be the test case from Jan 1st.
The EUSSR imposing its evil will on the honest yeomanry of Olde England was largely a chimera, this government of all the tossers otoh is all too real.
I believe that you've made individual arrangements to depart from Brexit UK, no doubt with associated inconvenience, disruption and expense? Think of this as similar, only on a larger scale.
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
The big change is that, up until now, railways have had a captive market - people whose jobs are in the middle of big cities (principally London) who have been forced by the housing market to live at some distance from their office. Hence the price of railway season tickets can rise and rise and those needing them simply have to pay up.
The realisation that very many city-based office jobs can be done remotely be people working partly or almost wholly from home is a game-changer, which neither the government nor the rail companies yet seem to understand.
I suspect they understand but don't know the consequences yet - as the real consequences will only be obvious a year or so after we have a Covid vaccine.
The days of 5 days in the office is probably gone forever and it's now 2-3 days in the office and 2-3 days at home but how that impact things we won't really know for 2 years.
I expect the price of a season ticket won't change much, even if you only use it three of the five days each week.
There is a significant difference, though, between reopening schools when you rates of infection are (as in the US) pretty high, and (as here) pretty low.
If you start with low infection rates and have good control measures in place, the outcomes will be very different. It's the good control measures I'm not entirely confident about.
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
The big change is that, up until now, railways have had a captive market - people whose jobs are in the middle of big cities (principally London) who have been forced by the housing market to live at some distance from their office. Hence the price of railway season tickets can rise and rise and those needing them simply have to pay up.
The realisation that very many city-based office jobs can be done remotely be people working partly or almost wholly from home is a game-changer, which neither the government nor the rail companies yet seem to understand.
I suspect they understand but don't know the consequences yet - as the real consequences will only be obvious a year or so after we have a Covid vaccine.
The days of 5 days in the office is probably gone forever and it's now 2-3 days in the office and 2-3 days at home but how that impact things we won't really know for 2 years.
But what has been learned won't be unlearned. There will continue to be many, many more people working from home than there were before.
Ministers cannot bring themselves to admit they got the Covid response wrong. Too many egos, too many careers are now fully invested in the strategy adopted. Rudderless, the ship of fools sails on.
So quick thought - if face coverings are not required in Wales when shopping, is there emerging evidence that England is doing better at reducing the epidemic? Or as some think are masks playing a negligible role on the virus, but a bigger one in the 'seem to be doing something' stakes?
At the food plant in Northampton they all wore face coverings but they all caught Covid
It is causing some concern locally that most of Greencore`s staff were found positive by Greencore`s own private testing. These staff were not ill. Of those that were tested officially, as far as I know there have been no hospitalisations. Greencore are testing again (I`m guessing there may have been some false positives).
They all wore masks at work, as you say, so my guess is that this is an instance of surface-to-surface transmission resulting in many testing positive but not actually being poorly due to the very low viral load.
It`s about bloody time that we differentiated between severity of infections rather than shitting ourselves regardless and risking local lockdowns attended by yet further economic and loss of freedom disasters.
The DM comments section has been a sewer for years. I honestly that that many of them have something wrong with their heads. They certainly seem to have zero empathy...
There is a significant difference, though, between reopening schools when you rates of infection are (as in the US) pretty high, and (as here) pretty low.
If you start with low infection rates and have good control measures in place, the outcomes will be very different. It's the good control measures I'm not entirely confident about.</blockquote
How do you work that out, given Corona hardly effects children at all?
Madow can feel four more years of trump breathing down her neck and is happy to throw the kids to the wolves to avoid that.
She has been appointed on a temporary basis pending the appointment of a permanent head
Come on, Big_G. A massive reorganisation (completely unplanned) of a major part of our health system is being undertaken in the middle of a pandemic, and just before the onset of autumn/winter - the time of highest risk. Is a temporary head, with no prior experience of public health at all (& coincidentally, a former employee of the management consultants who very probably* recommended the whole scheme...) really the 'best' person available to undertake the leadership of such a reorganisation ?
Hancock is completely out of his depth.
* https://www.consultancy.uk/news/25175/mckinsey-to-evaluate-british-nhs-test-and-trace-programme ...As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) looks to improve the service, the Health Service Journal has revealed that McKinsey & Company has been tasked with reviewing the governance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The consultancy will now consider which level of state management would facilitate the best provision of its future services – be that remaining under the direct control of the DHSC, gain greater operational independence, or be merged with another entity of the DHSC, such as Public Health England... (27th July)
So quick thought - if face coverings are not required in Wales when shopping, is there emerging evidence that England is doing better at reducing the epidemic? Or as some think are masks playing a negligible role on the virus, but a bigger one in the 'seem to be doing something' stakes?
At the food plant in Northampton they all wore face coverings but they all caught Covid
It is causing some concern locally that most of Greencore`s staff were found positive by Greencore`s own private testing. These staff were not ill. Of those that were tested officially, as far as I know there have been no hospitalisations. Greencore are testing again (I`m guessing there may have been some false positives).
They all wore masks at work, as you say, so my guess is that this is an instance of surface-to-surface transmission resulting in many testing positive but not actually being poorly due to the very low viral load.
It`s about bloody time that we differentiated between severity of infections rather than shitting ourselves regardless and risking local lockdowns attended by yet further economic and loss of freedom disasters.
It may be transmission in staff break areas and changing rooms.
It also maybe that reduced viral dose is part of the reason for so few serious infections, reduced dosage by means of masks.
I agree - I`m certainly not making an argument against masks (as I think Nerys was).
I`m saying that there is a massive difference between a bunch of low dose infections with no hospitalisations and serious hospitalisations such as those we saw in Mar/Apr that led to so many deaths.
The country (and its politicians) is in such a heightened state of fear that there is no differentiation at the moment.
The DM comments section has been a sewer for years. I honestly that that many of them have something wrong with their heads. They certainly seem to have zero empathy...
Yeh why would migrants want to come to a country stack full of racists.....um.....
Funny how Brexit = Good and Scottish Indy = Bad when, in reality, they are much the same thing.
With our Bluekip Govt, I do not really blame the Scots for wanting Indy but in reality it is as daft as Brexit and for the same reasons.
Not quite the same.
Brexit plus having this bunch of useless tossers imposed on us v. almost certainly being readmitted to the EU plus being able to choose our own useless tossers then kick them out if necessary.
Your arguments for Indy are almost word-for-word the same as the arguments here a few years back justifying Brexit.
I sympathise with your desires, but I doubt Indy would be good for Scotland. Keep an eye on Norn Iron since it will be the test case from Jan 1st.
The EUSSR imposing its evil will on the honest yeomanry of Olde England was largely a chimera, this government of all the tossers otoh is all too real.
I believe that you've made individual arrangements to depart from Brexit UK, no doubt with associated inconvenience, disruption and expense? Think of this as similar, only on a larger scale.
Well, I was in Ayrshire at the weekend
One must see the land of turnips at least once in one's life.
The DM comments section has been a sewer for years. I honestly that that many of them have something wrong with their heads. They certainly seem to have zero empathy...
A lot of incels who sit in their underpants all day surrounded by empty pizza boxes I suspect.
She has been appointed on a temporary basis pending the appointment of a permanent head
Come on, Big_G. A massive reorganisation (completely unplanned) of a major part of our health system is being undertaken in the middle of a pandemic, and just before the onset of autumn/winter - the time of highest risk. Is a temporary head, with no prior experience of public health at all (& coincidentally, a former employee of the management consultants who very probably* recommended the whole scheme...) really the 'best' person available to undertake the leadership of such a reorganisation ?
Hancock is completely out of his depth.
* https://www.consultancy.uk/news/25175/mckinsey-to-evaluate-british-nhs-test-and-trace-programme ...As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) looks to improve the service, the Health Service Journal has revealed that McKinsey & Company has been tasked with reviewing the governance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The consultancy will now consider which level of state management would facilitate the best provision of its future services – be that remaining under the direct control of the DHSC, gain greater operational independence, or be merged with another entity of the DHSC, such as Public Health England... (27th July)
I am not defending her but it does seem it is temporary
She has been appointed on a temporary basis pending the appointment of a permanent head
Come on, Big_G. A massive reorganisation (completely unplanned) of a major part of our health system is being undertaken in the middle of a pandemic, and just before the onset of autumn/winter - the time of highest risk. Is a temporary head, with no prior experience of public health at all (& coincidentally, a former employee of the management consultants who very probably* recommended the whole scheme...) really the 'best' person available to undertake the leadership of such a reorganisation ?
Hancock is completely out of his depth.
* https://www.consultancy.uk/news/25175/mckinsey-to-evaluate-british-nhs-test-and-trace-programme ...As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) looks to improve the service, the Health Service Journal has revealed that McKinsey & Company has been tasked with reviewing the governance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The consultancy will now consider which level of state management would facilitate the best provision of its future services – be that remaining under the direct control of the DHSC, gain greater operational independence, or be merged with another entity of the DHSC, such as Public Health England... (27th July)
Doubt it was Hancock's decision. Far too big a decision for a Cabinet minister in this administration. He probably got told what was happening just a few seconds before the media.
Not sure it will cut through with so few using the railways and so many working from home
The big change is that, up until now, railways have had a captive market - people whose jobs are in the middle of big cities (principally London) who have been forced by the housing market to live at some distance from their office. Hence the price of railway season tickets can rise and rise and those needing them simply have to pay up.
The realisation that very many city-based office jobs can be done remotely be people working partly or almost wholly from home is a game-changer, which neither the government nor the rail companies yet seem to understand.
I suspect they understand but don't know the consequences yet - as the real consequences will only be obvious a year or so after we have a Covid vaccine.
The days of 5 days in the office is probably gone forever and it's now 2-3 days in the office and 2-3 days at home but how that impact things we won't really know for 2 years.
But what has been learned won't be unlearned. There will continue to be many, many more people working from home than there were before.
That's the point - working from home which used to be frowned upon is now perfectly acceptable and that isn't going to change..
The more interesting bit is how do you keep expensive to run and maintain rail lines running when demand isn't what it was before...
Comments
This should not be political, it is a human tragedy
In terms of reducing infection, that's not quite useless, but it's exceedingly poor.
Anyone with an ounce of sense running it would be trying to localise/decentralise the entire test/track/trace process as much as possible from the start. And would be prioritising speed above all else. 100% accuracy and a delay of four days is useless; 90% accuracy the same day is very useful indeed.
What they still appear to be doing is concentrating on the headline number of tests.
And as far as setting up a new integrated public health organisation is concerned, she has no more experience or training than I do.
If you limit it to B roads and above there isn't even a dozen.
The app is being launched three months late.
The local authority public health teams are more successful at reaching contacts than SERCO et al.
Cash-strapped local authorities have given up on the national effort and are setting up their own parallel systems because they work better.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/coronavirus-councils-develop-track-trace-22476383
I cannot imagine where you have got that from
I believe that you've made individual arrangements to depart from Brexit UK, no doubt with associated inconvenience, disruption and expense? Think of this as similar, only on a larger scale.
How can anyone defend the French on this
And her new information security officer doesn't seem to have stopped them freely sharing our data with the dodgy management consultants, who formerly employed her .... and seem to have come up with the whole scheme themselves:
https://www.consultancy.uk/news/25175/mckinsey-to-evaluate-british-nhs-test-and-trace-programme
...As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) looks to improve the service, the Health Service Journal has revealed that McKinsey & Company has been tasked with reviewing the governance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The consultancy will now consider which level of state management would facilitate the best provision of its future services – be that remaining under the direct control of the DHSC, gain greater operational independence, or be merged with another entity of the DHSC, such as Public Health England... (27th July)
Not that the Tories in the unlikely event they granted indyref2 leading to a Yes vote would be in any mood to appease the Scots, indeed Osborne might even be brought back to take the Barnier role for the rUK Government and ensure a firm approach was taken to exit negotiations and trade talks with Edinburgh
There will be enormous issues, not least that Scotland will be a competitor in business and I expect RUK would give Scotland as hard a time of it as the EU are with the UK for the same reasons
The effect of having it made public is therefore extremely limited.
RUK will want to protect their businesses and attract Scots business over the border and to London
It's naive to think it will be any easier than the UK EU divorce, it it happens of course
https://twitter.com/afneil/status/1296043317910790144?s=20
I believe it will be Tory fall, towards 40% and Labour will stay where it is
They voted Yes by the way.
The movement recently has been the odd point less to the Conservative but not going to labour which does surprise me a little
A lot depends on the school return and a possible Brexit deal in October
Labour has found its attack line
Labour alone though is only on 37% thus showing how dependent Starmer is on SNP support and Scottish MPs to become PM
https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/homepage.html
They all wore masks at work, as you say, so my guess is that this is an instance of surface-to-surface transmission resulting in many testing positive but not actually being poorly due to the very low viral load.
It`s about bloody time that we differentiated between severity of infections rather than shitting ourselves regardless and risking local lockdowns attended by yet further economic and loss of freedom disasters.
See:
https://www.greencore.com/statement-regarding-covid-19-outbreak-in-northampton/
And:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-53820956
“Labour has long argued that public ownership of the rail network will provide better value for the taxpayer and for passengers, the government must stop paying the profit of the private rail companies and bring the network in-house.”
I seem to recall the The Ghost of Harry Flashman (now no longer even a ghost on PB) described a similar situation for himself in a should I or shouldn't I kind of way. I'm sure in the end he'd have been far too scrupulous to put his burning cross in the No box.
The key thing is that Oppositions criticising this sort of thing shouldn't be rocket science. The fact that it's happening is a sign of a return to competent messaging by the opposition.
https://twitter.com/robpowellnews/status/1296053604189646848
https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1295820803536236546
The realisation that very many city-based office jobs can be done remotely be people working partly or almost wholly from home is a game-changer, which neither the government nor the rail companies yet seem to understand.
It's going to have be full nationalisation and public ownership, I can't even see why you would pay private companies as the Tories are proposing, what's the point?
The days of 5 days in the office is probably gone forever and it's now 2-3 days in the office and 2-3 days at home but how that impact things we won't really know for 2 years.
But we don't.
This is fucking grim
If you start with low infection rates and have good control measures in place, the outcomes will be very different.
It's the good control measures I'm not entirely confident about.
Sounds about right.
There will continue to be many, many more people working from home than there were before.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/08/18/fiscal-ruin-beckons-ship-fools-does-not-even-seem-know/
It also maybe that reduced viral dose is part of the reason for so few serious infections, reduced dosage by means of masks.
A massive reorganisation (completely unplanned) of a major part of our health system is being undertaken in the middle of a pandemic, and just before the onset of autumn/winter - the time of highest risk.
Is a temporary head, with no prior experience of public health at all (& coincidentally, a former employee of the management consultants who very probably* recommended the whole scheme...) really the 'best' person available to undertake the leadership of such a reorganisation ?
Hancock is completely out of his depth.
*
https://www.consultancy.uk/news/25175/mckinsey-to-evaluate-british-nhs-test-and-trace-programme
...As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) looks to improve the service, the Health Service Journal has revealed that McKinsey & Company has been tasked with reviewing the governance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The consultancy will now consider which level of state management would facilitate the best provision of its future services – be that remaining under the direct control of the DHSC, gain greater operational independence, or be merged with another entity of the DHSC, such as Public Health England... (27th July)
Presumably they won't be slashing jobs, like so many retailers here.
I`m saying that there is a massive difference between a bunch of low dose infections with no hospitalisations and serious hospitalisations such as those we saw in Mar/Apr that led to so many deaths.
The country (and its politicians) is in such a heightened state of fear that there is no differentiation at the moment.
The more interesting bit is how do you keep expensive to run and maintain rail lines running when demand isn't what it was before...
'Carriers'. Imagine bringing kids up like that. No wonder mental illness is soaring.