Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
Or, to put it more succinctly, the "new normal" is a total crock of shite, and we've no idea when or if it will ever end. It's deeply depressing.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
Or, to put it more succinctly, the "new normal" is a total crock of shite, and we've no idea when or if it will ever end. It's deeply depressing.
And I forgot to mention that the public finances are down the toilet - possibly for generations - and Brexit (that crock of shit) is going to end up costing us a far sight more than it was supposed to save us.
I bet if you asked, do you want to rejoin it would still be minority support though!
Rejoin doesnt work for me as it is not stable. We would be back in this mess looking to leave within 10 or 20 years.
The stable solution is somewhere within the range of plausible compromise options that very few people in the public want as compromise is a dirty word in the 21st century.
I might write a thread header on this.
I don't think we can re-join the EU as it exists now. As to what the EU might be in 50 years time, I've genuinely no clue. I don't believe political union to be inevitable nor do I think the whole thing will collapse in acrimony. Some form of free-trading bloc seems inevitable - the paradox is it might move back to something with which the UK might have been comfortable once.
The other side is we don't know what the UK will become outside the EU - it's conceivable we could be more internationalist/globalist in outlook but it's also possible we become more insular. That is one of the key political questions of the next 20 years and we've barely considered it here or anywhere.
There may be a "fit", a renewed convergence between Britain and Europe sometime in the future - I certainly don't discount it. I've always predicted a Conservative Prime Minister will one day take us into the common European currency because he or she will argue it is clearly in our economic interests. Pragmatism usually wins out over ideology in the end.
I expect that both Lib Dems and Labour will run next GE on a "closer ties" European policy, the Lib Dems probably EEA.
The EEA is not a stable situation though, and Britons will want a seat back in "the room where it happens".
I don't see any of Brexit, EEA or Rejoin being guaranteed to be stable situations. Indeed WTO Brexit is the least stable.
Rejoin likely means the Euro so EFTA is the likely long term solution and we can still do our own trade deals outside the Customs Union
I thought EFTA didn't want us back?
They have said they would accept us if we agreed free movement, if the EU forces Sweden and Denmark to join the Euro or leave they might rejoin EFTA too
Sweden and Denmark will never be forced to join the euro. Denmark has the same opt out from joining that we had, and there is no mechanism for forcing Sweden to join if it doesn't want to.
Of course, most of the "takes" we'll get when Biden wins is about a 'rejection' of nationalism/conservatism in favour of supranationalism/liberalism.
It will be bollocks. So it's important to listen to those who know what they're talking about.
I think you, and the tweeter, are right here.
It’s similar to Sir Keir’s strategy for Labour.
As an aside, I’m a very liberal guy but also enthusiastically patriotic when it comes to sports. I couldn’t give a toss about the monarchy (were it up to me, I’d get rid after the Queen but I know it’s not going to happen), but I find the concept of not caring whether the England football, cricket and rugby teams win or lose rather alien.
As I get older I care less about England teams . Will definitely not support them if i bet against them ! It does depend a bit on the sport and whether I like the individuals on the team . Never warmed to England rugby teams (still has a bit of posh but thuggish schoolboy look about it ) , go through phases with the England football team from supporting it to not being bothered either way to hoping they lose (sometimes its not the players that change my mind on this but the fans or media drivel ) . England cricket teams I generally support as most players seem nice enough . As for the Olympics I support individual athletes ,most of whom will be British . Not that bothered by medal tables overall . When I do lend my support to sport participants it tends to be individuals like Ronnie O Sullivan (who i am in awe of for his talent) , Tiger Woods (i try to ignore his occasional rudeness ) and Jessica Ennis (just adorable!) . Not much of a team player especially a team sport player (dislike all that shouting at each other ) so this is maybe why
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
I bet if you asked, do you want to rejoin it would still be minority support though!
Rejoin doesnt work for me as it is not stable. We would be back in this mess looking to leave within 10 or 20 years.
The stable solution is somewhere within the range of plausible compromise options that very few people in the public want as compromise is a dirty word in the 21st century.
I might write a thread header on this.
I don't think we can re-join the EU as it exists now. As to what the EU might be in 50 years time, I've genuinely no clue. I don't believe political union to be inevitable nor do I think the whole thing will collapse in acrimony. Some form of free-trading bloc seems inevitable - the paradox is it might move back to something with which the UK might have been comfortable once.
The other side is we don't know what the UK will become outside the EU - it's conceivable we could be more internationalist/globalist in outlook but it's also possible we become more insular. That is one of the key political questions of the next 20 years and we've barely considered it here or anywhere.
There may be a "fit", a renewed convergence between Britain and Europe sometime in the future - I certainly don't discount it. I've always predicted a Conservative Prime Minister will one day take us into the common European currency because he or she will argue it is clearly in our economic interests. Pragmatism usually wins out over ideology in the end.
I expect that both Lib Dems and Labour will run next GE on a "closer ties" European policy, the Lib Dems probably EEA.
The EEA is not a stable situation though, and Britons will want a seat back in "the room where it happens".
I don't see any of Brexit, EEA or Rejoin being guaranteed to be stable situations. Indeed WTO Brexit is the least stable.
Rejoin likely means the Euro so EFTA is the likely long term solution and we can still do our own trade deals outside the Customs Union
Something odd which I've just noticed- apologies if I'm just being slow.
@HYUFD, you're someone who gets the current version of the Conservative Party in a way that I don't. You're loyal, and that's good.
But you're talking about the government's flagship policy and how future governments (even future Conservative governments) are going to row back from it.
Whilst I get the logic of the pathway you propose (Hard Leave to reassure the Red Wallers about immigration; once they're content or have realised the problems with Hard Leave, soften to EFTA), it still feels pretty unprecedented. A bit like a Conservative think tank proposing the Council Tax in January 1989, just before the first Community Charge bills were sent out in Scotland.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
The worst thing about this whole covid-19 farce was not the economic damage or people wearing masks or the cancelled exams but the bit that nearly made me physically sick when i heard was when Priti Patel said we should grass on people for gathering in groups against current laws. That was so depressing . I hope she is hounded out of office soon for it and the rest of this shambolic governmnet
Trump should be moving down in the betting because he has yet to get near to overhauling Biden. Yes the debates could change it but its unlikely if Biden in anyway turns up, the guy can out blunt Trump at his best and has enough attack routes to drive through him if he turns up to the debates.
Biden's relative position is better than Clinton's in 2016 full stop. He is nowhere as divisive as Clinton plus the Democrats are taking no chances In 2016 they thought they had it, they aren't so cocky this time.
We are also dealing with a very small rump of undecided voters here, such is the polarisation, that its going to have to be a really bad time for Biden over the next 6 or so weeks for this to turn enough. The hidden damage here for Trump that still isn't clear is motivation. Last time around there was a sliver of GOP voters who hated the man and didn't vote for him, this time that sliver is a visible slice of the pie chart. The motivation of possible voters to get Trump above 45% I'd say is in doubt right now. What some people this side of the ocean fail to understand in their ignorance is that for all the bullshit conception that the GOP voter base is just bunch of gun toting play soldiers & evangelicals, the GOP voter base has plenty of shades and I suspect enough of them are exhausted by Trump. They may be GOP leaning or even regular GOP voters but they dislike the clown act and they dislike their country looking like a clown show.
And again I will say this as I have been saying for months, The bad news for Trump will keep rolling because a) the guy is fundamentally corrupt and b) what we are now seeing is plenty of people, covertly or overtly, wanting to be on the right side of history so are putting their head above the parapet.
The NYT has more on the tax returns but whether they have insight into one of the many bombs that can be dropped is yet unknown. Who does he owe the money to, really? What is Deutsche Banks role and what info have they handed over? That is a daisy cutter sized story.
On today's Monmouth poll if just 3% of voters move from Biden to Trump after tomorrow's debate then Trump takes a popular vote lead never mind the EC, this is not over by any means
Its going to have to be a very bad time for Biden. Possible? Yes, but not probable. Biden's base appears pretty solid and consistent. Unless there is a disaster I'm not sure he has 3% within his base to transfer. Trumps problem is not Biden's numbers which are a bit above Clinton's final tally in 2016, its the ones that voted for him in 2016 that aren't there now that would take him above 45%. I don't see a sign that they are coming back. He hasn't consistently gone above 45%. The larger danger for Biden is a shed of votes currently with him that ultimately do not vote for anyone. Trump best chance is a Biden turnout issue, I don't think his positive vote has much more upswing.
Bear in mind Monmouth is also the only poll showing this gap. Sure it might be right and the others wrong but I'd not bet on it.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes. Agree with that. But when did values like “integrity” and “decency” and “competence” and “hard work” become things that only liberals valued? They seem to me quite small ‘c’ conservative.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
The worst thing about this whole covid-19 farce was not the economic damage or people wearing masks or the cancelled exams but the bit that nearly made me physically sick when i heard was when Priti Patel said we should grass on people for gathering in groups against current laws. That was so depressing . I hope she is hounded out of office soon for it and the rest of this shambolic governmnet
And Covid Marshalls! Of course, a Labour Party government would be worse from a liberal`s perspective, I am sure of that. (Though Starmer and his shadow cabinet are looking the more competent at the moment I have to say.)
Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars 1.05 Tremendous 1.17 Climate Change 1.33 Fake News 1.33 Law and Order 1.44 Florida 1.50 Pennsylvania 1.50 China Virus 1.73 Twitter 1.80 Texas 1.91 Fake Polls 2.00 Putin 2.00 Radical Socialist 2.00 Rigged Election 2.00 Sleepy Joe 2.00 Clinton 2.25 Golf 2.50 Reagan 2.50 Founding Fathers 3.00 McCain 3.00 Peaceful Transfer 3.00 Bernie 3.50 Unfit for Office 3.50 Brave Troops 4.00 Hard Working Americans 4.00 Malarkey 5.00 Nobody Thought it was Possible 5.00 Are You Kidding Me? 6.00 Terrific Person 6.00 Kanye 7.00 Beautiful Wall 11.00 Brexit 11.00 Greatest President Ever 11.00 Lock Him Up 11.00 Boris 17.00 Bookies 21.00 Person Woman Man Camera TV 21.00 Meghan Markle 26.00
Nothing really leaping out at me but I have put a few pennies on
I'm on "Person Woman Man Camera TV" at a boosted 22.
If Trump raises a question about Biden's mental state, if I were Biden, I'd reply "Tell me Donald. Who suggested you take a dementia test and why? Can you remember?"
Interesting report on Channel 4 News about black voters in Wisconsin and voter deterrence. I'm watching on Channel 4 +1.
Cambridge Analytica ran the same play in Trinidad and Tobago. Targeted young voters to convince them that 'not voting' was a powerful political message.
I bet if you asked, do you want to rejoin it would still be minority support though!
Rejoin doesnt work for me as it is not stable. We would be back in this mess looking to leave within 10 or 20 years.
The stable solution is somewhere within the range of plausible compromise options that very few people in the public want as compromise is a dirty word in the 21st century.
I might write a thread header on this.
I don't think we can re-join the EU as it exists now. As to what the EU might be in 50 years time, I've genuinely no clue. I don't believe political union to be inevitable nor do I think the whole thing will collapse in acrimony. Some form of free-trading bloc seems inevitable - the paradox is it might move back to something with which the UK might have been comfortable once.
The other side is we don't know what the UK will become outside the EU - it's conceivable we could be more internationalist/globalist in outlook but it's also possible we become more insular. That is one of the key political questions of the next 20 years and we've barely considered it here or anywhere.
There may be a "fit", a renewed convergence between Britain and Europe sometime in the future - I certainly don't discount it. I've always predicted a Conservative Prime Minister will one day take us into the common European currency because he or she will argue it is clearly in our economic interests. Pragmatism usually wins out over ideology in the end.
I expect that both Lib Dems and Labour will run next GE on a "closer ties" European policy, the Lib Dems probably EEA.
The EEA is not a stable situation though, and Britons will want a seat back in "the room where it happens".
I don't see any of Brexit, EEA or Rejoin being guaranteed to be stable situations. Indeed WTO Brexit is the least stable.
They almost certainly will, but Stodge's post is very prescient. Looking to EEA/EFTA, Euro etc. is looking back to 1990s/early 00s conversations.
The debate moving into the 2030s will be about a world where power is moving to Asia, the West is being eclipsed, and nations want to preserve their identities and their values.
So, I can see a case for less European political integration (crime & justice, "rights", currency and social policy), but *more* collaboration on realpolitik issues (defence, intelligence and migration), and a closer global alliance of the democracies - including agreed economic arrangements.
The existing models cannot (and won't) be static because they won't then be fit for purpose.
Funnily enough, most of us seem to agree on this even though the EU still has, for now, a one-track mind.
It sounds like you classify as political integration only those things which impinge on your sense of identity, but the things you would like to see more of are also highly political.
Interesting report on Channel 4 News about black voters in Wisconsin and voter deterrence. I'm watching on Channel 4 +1.
Cambridge Analytica ran the same play in Trinidad and Tobago. Targeted young voters to convince them that 'not voting' was a powerful political message.
Stunning success.
We are watching democracy being dismantled in front of our eyes.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes true liberals are having an uphill struggle on this amassed against the combined forces of the 4 main UK parties who are all stateish parties . Pleasantly surprised to hear of Richard Madeley being so outspoken against covid-19 restrictions on Talkradio the other day (its on youtube) . Maybe because he does have true liberal instincts .
Of course, most of the "takes" we'll get when Biden wins is about a 'rejection' of nationalism/conservatism in favour of supranationalism/liberalism.
It will be bollocks. So it's important to listen to those who know what they're talking about.
I think you, and the tweeter, are right here.
It’s similar to Sir Keir’s strategy for Labour.
As an aside, I’m a very liberal guy but also enthusiastically patriotic when it comes to sports. I couldn’t give a toss about the monarchy (were it up to me, I’d get rid after the Queen but I know it’s not going to happen), but I find the concept of not caring whether the England football, cricket and rugby teams win or lose rather alien.
If you are Scottish or Welsh or Northern Irish though obviously you will not care if England wins or loses (except maybe if you are Welsh at cricket as it is the England and Wales cricket team technically) however you should support the British Lions or the UK Olympic team certainly or the GB Davis Cup team
It's not the UK Olympic team is it? It was wall to wall "Team GB" from the Government in London, last time. And the Irish would be in the Irish team were they not?
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
The number of people on the left who oppose liberal democracy in this country is vanishingly small, and they have zero political power. Who are you even talking about?
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
The number of people on the left who oppose liberal democracy in this country is vanishingly small, and they have zero political power. Who are you even talking about?
Collectivists. Those who hold that the unit of importance is society rather than the individual.
Trump should be moving down in the betting because he has yet to get near to overhauling Biden. Yes the debates could change it but its unlikely if Biden in anyway turns up, the guy can out blunt Trump at his best and has enough attack routes to drive through him if he turns up to the debates.
Biden's relative position is better than Clinton's in 2016 full stop. He is nowhere as divisive as Clinton plus the Democrats are taking no chances In 2016 they thought they had it, they aren't so cocky this time.
We are also dealing with a very small rump of undecided voters here, such is the polarisation, that its going to have to be a really bad time for Biden over the next 6 or so weeks for this to turn enough. The hidden damage here for Trump that still isn't clear is motivation. Last time around there was a sliver of GOP voters who hated the man and didn't vote for him, this time that sliver is a visible slice of the pie chart. The motivation of possible voters to get Trump above 45% I'd say is in doubt right now. What some people this side of the ocean fail to understand in their ignorance is that for all the bullshit conception that the GOP voter base is just bunch of gun toting play soldiers & evangelicals, the GOP voter base has plenty of shades and I suspect enough of them are exhausted by Trump. They may be GOP leaning or even regular GOP voters but they dislike the clown act and they dislike their country looking like a clown show.
And again I will say this as I have been saying for months, The bad news for Trump will keep rolling because a) the guy is fundamentally corrupt and b) what we are now seeing is plenty of people, covertly or overtly, wanting to be on the right side of history so are putting their head above the parapet.
The NYT has more on the tax returns but whether they have insight into one of the many bombs that can be dropped is yet unknown. Who does he owe the money to, really? What is Deutsche Banks role and what info have they handed over? That is a daisy cutter sized story.
On today's Monmouth poll if just 3% of voters move from Biden to Trump after tomorrow's debate then Trump takes a popular vote lead never mind the EC, this is not over by any means
That is a gigantic Spartan "if". "If" my auntie was my uncle!
@Yokes - I'm waiting for which member of Trump's family will be the first to be arrested. Eric looked likeliest until yesterday, when Ivanka may have taken over.
At yesterday's press conference he kept boasting that the Republicans were united, very united, more united than a very united thing, really bigly united. He sounded scared stiff that the GOP are about to dump him.
You are right about the GOP. I've lost count of how many times I've read "experts" claim it has become the QAnon party and so on. Of course it hasn't.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
It’s supposed to be table service only isn’t it? So you can go to the pub, but you will be sitting on your own table, which of course will be more than 2m away from other tables...
I've had grim news today, from friends, family, acquaintances, the works,
Mental health, ruined finances, people in hospital, people in despair, real human pain.
It feels like the Virus has upped a gear, and is now giving us a proper kicking. The sunshine of the spring is a distant memory.
Sorry to hear this.
Thankyou. I am personally pretty much OK, but many close to me, and many not so close to me, are now expressing the darkest thoughts I have ever heard.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
This post saddens me, but does not surprise me. I feel many feel similarly. Unless we get a vaccine soon, we will simply have to find a way to live with the virus; we cannot continue like this forever, with people forced to live inhumane lives.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes. Agree with that. But when did values like “integrity” and “decency” and “competence” and “hard work” become things that only liberals valued? They seem to me quite small ‘c’ conservative.
FFS indeed!!!
Two stage process, I reckon.
The most recent was when the Conservative party decided it didn't want TM as PM, because she wouldn't say they could have their cake and eat it. Flawed as she was, she embodied hard work, integrity, personal decency and more competence than most of the current cabinet. Not perfectly, but more than your average politician. But she didn't tickle their tummies or tell them what they wanted to hear, so she was out.
Further back in time, there was that long run of broadish consensus; from Major, through Blair and Brown to the Cameron-Clegg coalition. Perhaps even the Cameron majority government. None of them perfect, all of them identifiably of their parties. All of them did things wrong and did wrong things. But all of them acknowledged that there was another side, and it could and should be charmed or persuaded into agreement. I don't think you can really question the idea that they all meant well, even when they didn't deliver.
As a country, we got bored with that. Lots of us wished for red meat politics again. So the good Lord delivered. And if politics is about red meat for your supporters, who cares about the other things? Moral: be careful what you wish for.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
I really feel for you. This whole situation is just shit. I am lucky that my wife and I are still working and we don't have money worries, but I am certainly worried about our children's education and their future more broadly, and it is thoroughly depressing working from my basement for the foreseeable future, especially now the nice summer days and the lunches in the garden are over. Like you I wonder whether we are mugs for trying to do the right thing, playing by the rules, paying our taxes and teaching our children to be honest and hard-working, when you see that men like Johnson and Cummings are the ones who seem to prosper. But what can you do? We just have to keep going and hope that somehow there will be better days ahead. We will get through this. You are not alone.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
The worst thing about this whole covid-19 farce was not the economic damage or people wearing masks or the cancelled exams but the bit that nearly made me physically sick when i heard was when Priti Patel said we should grass on people for gathering in groups against current laws. That was so depressing . I hope she is hounded out of office soon for it and the rest of this shambolic governmnet
Agreed. The odious Patel is a brutal combination of authoritarian and pig-thick.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
The advice is for the people going to the pub, not the pub itself.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
Some pubs are checking driving licenses for addresses.
Trump should be moving down in the betting because he has yet to get near to overhauling Biden. Yes the debates could change it but its unlikely if Biden in anyway turns up, the guy can out blunt Trump at his best and has enough attack routes to drive through him if he turns up to the debates.
Biden's relative position is better than Clinton's in 2016 full stop. He is nowhere as divisive as Clinton plus the Democrats are taking no chances In 2016 they thought they had it, they aren't so cocky this time.
We are also dealing with a very small rump of undecided voters here, such is the polarisation, that its going to have to be a really bad time for Biden over the next 6 or so weeks for this to turn enough. The hidden damage here for Trump that still isn't clear is motivation. Last time around there was a sliver of GOP voters who hated the man and didn't vote for him, this time that sliver is a visible slice of the pie chart. The motivation of possible voters to get Trump above 45% I'd say is in doubt right now. What some people this side of the ocean fail to understand in their ignorance is that for all the bullshit conception that the GOP voter base is just bunch of gun toting play soldiers & evangelicals, the GOP voter base has plenty of shades and I suspect enough of them are exhausted by Trump. They may be GOP leaning or even regular GOP voters but they dislike the clown act and they dislike their country looking like a clown show.
And again I will say this as I have been saying for months, The bad news for Trump will keep rolling because a) the guy is fundamentally corrupt and b) what we are now seeing is plenty of people, covertly or overtly, wanting to be on the right side of history so are putting their head above the parapet.
The NYT has more on the tax returns but whether they have insight into one of the many bombs that can be dropped is yet unknown. Who does he owe the money to, really? What is Deutsche Banks role and what info have they handed over? That is a daisy cutter sized story.
On today's Monmouth poll if just 3% of voters move from Biden to Trump after tomorrow's debate then Trump takes a popular vote lead never mind the EC, this is not over by any means
The Day The Polls Turned! Or rather The Day A Poll Came Within A Few Percent Of Turning!
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
The number of people on the left who oppose liberal democracy in this country is vanishingly small, and they have zero political power. Who are you even talking about?
Collectivists. Those who hold that the unit of importance is society rather than the individual.
But which actual people are you talking about? And what power do they wield to hobble liberal democracy? The only communists in positions of power in this country are ones who have been put there by Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party.
If China hadn't gone down the lockdown route, would any western democracy have even contemplated it? As it happened in real-time we all looked on in horror at the stories coming out. And then repeated it because "they were successful". Even though there are other countries in Asia who didn't do lockdowns, or very limited ones, who have been just as successful. And who we have almost entirely ignored as dismissed as "authoritarian obedient societies who would do what their government's told them". As if China wouldn't have!!!
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
Some pubs are checking driving licenses for addresses.
And once you are in you absolutely do not leave your seat for a wazz or pass other people or have people pass you and besides which the pox doesn't circulate through the air you all breathe. Which is handy as the gyms are still open...
Trump should be moving down in the betting because he has yet to get near to overhauling Biden. Yes the debates could change it but its unlikely if Biden in anyway turns up, the guy can out blunt Trump at his best and has enough attack routes to drive through him if he turns up to the debates.
Biden's relative position is better than Clinton's in 2016 full stop. He is nowhere as divisive as Clinton plus the Democrats are taking no chances In 2016 they thought they had it, they aren't so cocky this time.
We are also dealing with a very small rump of undecided voters here, such is the polarisation, that its going to have to be a really bad time for Biden over the next 6 or so weeks for this to turn enough. The hidden damage here for Trump that still isn't clear is motivation. Last time around there was a sliver of GOP voters who hated the man and didn't vote for him, this time that sliver is a visible slice of the pie chart. The motivation of possible voters to get Trump above 45% I'd say is in doubt right now. What some people this side of the ocean fail to understand in their ignorance is that for all the bullshit conception that the GOP voter base is just bunch of gun toting play soldiers & evangelicals, the GOP voter base has plenty of shades and I suspect enough of them are exhausted by Trump. They may be GOP leaning or even regular GOP voters but they dislike the clown act and they dislike their country looking like a clown show.
And again I will say this as I have been saying for months, The bad news for Trump will keep rolling because a) the guy is fundamentally corrupt and b) what we are now seeing is plenty of people, covertly or overtly, wanting to be on the right side of history so are putting their head above the parapet.
The NYT has more on the tax returns but whether they have insight into one of the many bombs that can be dropped is yet unknown. Who does he owe the money to, really? What is Deutsche Banks role and what info have they handed over? That is a daisy cutter sized story.
On today's Monmouth poll if just 3% of voters move from Biden to Trump after tomorrow's debate then Trump takes a popular vote lead never mind the EC, this is not over by any means
The Day The Polls Turned! Or rather The Day A Poll Came Within A Few Percent Of Turning!
The day Trump's best poll plus a bit came within a couple of % of giving him a chance in line with his betting odds
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes true liberals are having an uphill struggle on this amassed against the combined forces of the 4 main UK parties who are all stateish parties . Pleasantly surprised to hear of Richard Madeley being so outspoken against covid-19 restrictions on Talkradio the other day (its on youtube) . Maybe because he does have true liberal instincts .
I’ll dig it out.
Madeley is an intelligent bloke and was a serious journalist prior to becoming famous.
I suspect he chose fluff daytime telly for the money, but he does have credentials.
Trump should be moving down in the betting because he has yet to get near to overhauling Biden. Yes the debates could change it but its unlikely if Biden in anyway turns up, the guy can out blunt Trump at his best and has enough attack routes to drive through him if he turns up to the debates.
Biden's relative position is better than Clinton's in 2016 full stop. He is nowhere as divisive as Clinton plus the Democrats are taking no chances In 2016 they thought they had it, they aren't so cocky this time.
We are also dealing with a very small rump of undecided voters here, such is the polarisation, that its going to have to be a really bad time for Biden over the next 6 or so weeks for this to turn enough. The hidden damage here for Trump that still isn't clear is motivation. Last time around there was a sliver of GOP voters who hated the man and didn't vote for him, this time that sliver is a visible slice of the pie chart. The motivation of possible voters to get Trump above 45% I'd say is in doubt right now. What some people this side of the ocean fail to understand in their ignorance is that for all the bullshit conception that the GOP voter base is just bunch of gun toting play soldiers & evangelicals, the GOP voter base has plenty of shades and I suspect enough of them are exhausted by Trump. They may be GOP leaning or even regular GOP voters but they dislike the clown act and they dislike their country looking like a clown show.
And again I will say this as I have been saying for months, The bad news for Trump will keep rolling because a) the guy is fundamentally corrupt and b) what we are now seeing is plenty of people, covertly or overtly, wanting to be on the right side of history so are putting their head above the parapet.
The NYT has more on the tax returns but whether they have insight into one of the many bombs that can be dropped is yet unknown. Who does he owe the money to, really? What is Deutsche Banks role and what info have they handed over? That is a daisy cutter sized story.
On today's Monmouth poll if just 3% of voters move from Biden to Trump after tomorrow's debate then Trump takes a popular vote lead never mind the EC, this is not over by any means
That is a gigantic Spartan "if". "If" my auntie was my uncle!
@Yokes - I'm waiting for which member of Trump's family will be the first to be arrested. Eric looked likeliest until yesterday, when Ivanka may have taken over.
At yesterday's press conference he kept boasting that the Republicans were united, very united, more united than a very united thing, really bigly united. He sounded scared stiff that the GOP are about to dump him.
You are right about the GOP. I've lost count of how many times I've read "experts" claim it has become the QAnon party and so on. Of course it hasn't.
Nothing of substance will happen until the election is done, mainly because any cases against Trump org and the family therein will sit tight until then. Any ideas of the party removing him (they did exist) early have probably gone now but if he loses in November, he should worry more about the Secret Service & Marines lifting him out if he tries to outstay the welcome. And they will lift him out though I don't think its going to come to that.
The blatant refusal of Trump's figures to get above 45% to me is a killer. All I can see is that the undecideds are getting more decided and it isn't swinging for him. As a known quantity, by now he should be showing signs of being above 45% in a binary contest with what looks to me to be a very small undecided group left. Biden doesn't have the negative of Clinton either, just not that divisive a character. I don't see it as a swing voter issue because I'm not sure there is enough left to reverse the numbers, he needs Biden's voters not to turn out
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
Some pubs are checking driving licenses for addresses.
Is that what they are required to do? Could you all claim to be students sharing a house?
What a ridiculous decision. Dawkins is a liberal, albeit of the non-Woke variety.
Dawkins should not be invited to address any historical society because he has deliberately falsified historical facts in the past. For example, he claimed that Stalin was not an atheist and even if he was, his atheism had no bearing on his conduct in office, both of which are patently untrue.
But I’m deeply uneasy about this idea that people should be no platformed because of their opinions. The whole point of a university is that any opinion can be aired as long as it’s based on a reasonable interpretation of established facts, but it is always open to challenge by other interpretations.
If that’s not allowed, it’s no longer a university.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes true liberals are having an uphill struggle on this amassed against the combined forces of the 4 main UK parties who are all stateish parties . Pleasantly surprised to hear of Richard Madeley being so outspoken against covid-19 restrictions on Talkradio the other day (its on youtube) . Maybe because he does have true liberal instincts .
I’ll dig it out.
Madeley is an intelligent bloke and was a serious journalist prior to becoming famous.
I suspect he chose fluff daytime telly for the money, but he does have credentials.
I don't have a problem with lockdowns for everyone when its critical. I have a problem with ludicrous local lockdowns like you can't meet your mum at home but can sit in a restaurant with everyone else on the street's mum.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
Not sure what the point of a pub is if it is not to meet other people from different households. You can drink at home if you just want to drink alone or with family. Dismal places now , no point in going in unless you get off on being ordered around when you go for a piss or like having your name taken when you sit . Same with cinema- err cover your face with some uncomfortable rag for 2 hours or sit at home without the need to mask up and pay £10 . errrm not sure cinemas will last much longer with this . TBH they need to speak up on this not lamely follow government illogical orders
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes true liberals are having an uphill struggle on this amassed against the combined forces of the 4 main UK parties who are all stateish parties . Pleasantly surprised to hear of Richard Madeley being so outspoken against covid-19 restrictions on Talkradio the other day (its on youtube) . Maybe because he does have true liberal instincts .
I’ll dig it out.
Madeley is an intelligent bloke and was a serious journalist prior to becoming famous.
I suspect he chose fluff daytime telly for the money, but he does have credentials.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
The number of people on the left who oppose liberal democracy in this country is vanishingly small, and they have zero political power. Who are you even talking about?
Collectivists. Those who hold that the unit of importance is society rather than the individual.
Of course there's an equilibrium between the two but... Without increasingly complex social structures we would still be poking each other with twigs. I'd like to see Peter Thiel and assorted tech loons tough it out in the Somalia of the late 1990s.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
Some pubs are checking driving licenses for addresses.
Is that what they are required to do? Could you all claim to be students sharing a house?
They are certainly not required to do so. I haven’t experienced this first hand however I’ve been told that some pubs in Tynemouth and Whitley Bay are doing so and challenging groups of young people.
Phew, god forbid anyone was ever discomforted. They might then get discombobulated, and no one wants that!
bit behind the woke times on this but why has Dawkins been cancelled?
Could be atheism, quaintly? - this is TCD.
It’s to do with his views on Islam, although some of the less than flattering comments he’s made about women have been mentioned too (e.g. the one on rape where he finished ‘go away and learn how to think’).
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes true liberals are having an uphill struggle on this amassed against the combined forces of the 4 main UK parties who are all stateish parties . Pleasantly surprised to hear of Richard Madeley being so outspoken against covid-19 restrictions on Talkradio the other day (its on youtube) . Maybe because he does have true liberal instincts .
I’ll dig it out.
Madeley is an intelligent bloke and was a serious journalist prior to becoming famous.
I suspect he chose fluff daytime telly for the money, but he does have credentials.
I don't have a problem with lockdowns for everyone when its critical. I have a problem with ludicrous local lockdowns like you can't meet your mum at home but can sit in a restaurant with everyone else on the street's mum.
Or indeed - you can spend a day with people at work, but not in the pub afterwards.
Phew, god forbid anyone was ever discomforted. They might then get discombobulated, and no one wants that!
bit behind the woke times on this but why has Dawkins been cancelled?
Could be atheism, quaintly? - this is TCD.
It’s to do with his views on Islam, although some of the less than flattering comments he’s made about women have been mentioned too (e.g. the one on rape where he finished ‘go away and learn how to think’).
This is the End of the West, as it means the End of the Enlightenment. Just another reason to feel cheerful about the Year 2020
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
It has stopped my life. I`m pleased that you are coping with it, but for me my life is now dominated by worry and postponed or destroyed plans.
I`m at the prime of my life yet my travel plans are up in smoke, my future pension values reduced, my children`s GCSEs and A levels in turmoil. Is it worth them going to university now? The economy is shafted - where will they find work? My mother will likely die in a care home having for the last few months only seen staff with masks and having very inadequate visiting arrangements. Friends are about to, or already have, lost their businesses and now face ruin.
I live in a country where grassing each other up is encouraged (indeed, even regarded as a moral good) and anyone sticking up for liberty is regarded as callous. I don`t expect anyone else to be responsible for my health - but one cannot point this out without being shouted down.
I`ve found the willingness of people from the left and right to give up the basic freedoms of living in a liberal democracy extremely surprising and frightening. Will we get them back? - I don`t take that for granted.
Every day it feels like my life is on hold. I`m living day-to-day, trying to keep my chin up, buoyed by the facts that I am naturally optimistic (really) and stoic. But, even so, yes, it`s pretty much stopped my life. This is a catastrophe and I cannot understand how anyone can tolerate this unless you didn`t really like the freedoms of living in a liberal democracy in the first place.
Just thought I`d give an alternative view.
You’ve expressed very well much of what I feel. I feel utterly despairing for the future - mine, but above all, my children’s. I will likely be a prisoner in my own home for the next few years. My work has dried up for now and I don’t know when - or if - it will come back. I am now worried about money . My children face uncertain futures. The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear. Politics is utterly depressing.
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Key sentence: "The country is rapidly becoming quite nasty and illiberal and much of what made Britain a lovely place to live - not least its culture - will likely disappear".
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Yes true liberals are having an uphill struggle on this amassed against the combined forces of the 4 main UK parties who are all stateish parties . Pleasantly surprised to hear of Richard Madeley being so outspoken against covid-19 restrictions on Talkradio the other day (its on youtube) . Maybe because he does have true liberal instincts .
I’ll dig it out.
Madeley is an intelligent bloke and was a serious journalist prior to becoming famous.
I suspect he chose fluff daytime telly for the money, but he does have credentials.
I don't have a problem with lockdowns for everyone when its critical. I have a problem with ludicrous local lockdowns like you can't meet your mum at home but can sit in a restaurant with everyone else on the street's mum.
Or indeed - you can spend a day with people at work, but not in the pub afterwards.
It’s OK for me to teach 150 children in five crowded and poorly ventilated rooms at school, but not OK to meet 6 other people in my back garden if we keep two metres apart.
What a ridiculous decision. Dawkins is a liberal, albeit of the non-Woke variety.
Dawkins should not be invited to address any historical society because he has deliberately falsified historical facts in the past. For example, he claimed that Stalin was not an atheist and even if he was, his atheism had no bearing on his conduct in office, both of which are patently untrue.
But I’m deeply uneasy about this idea that people should be no platformed because of their opinions. The whole point of a university is that any opinion can be aired as long as it’s based on a reasonable interpretation of established facts, but it is always open to challenge by other interpretations.
If that’s not allowed, it’s no longer a university.
I have no issue with people being not invited, or even necessarily disinvited, depending on the reason, but it should at least be a very good reason if they were asked to come, and they appear to have given a very lame one.
Quick question - re: the NHS app. Am i to understand that the inputting of positive test results is a manual thing? And do you actually have to have had a positive result to input it (is there some sort of validation code that goes with it or something?).
Otherwise a malign actor could lockdown half the country by wandering all over London for a few days, and then claiming they had a positive test result.
As I understand it you get a code, so only a genuine test result can be input.
You just cannot control a virus , you can arguably suppress it and then when you go back to normal it comes out again - Learn to live with it and get on with life
We tried that, the NHS almost got overwhelmed
As opposed to being distinctly underwhelmed in the last few months . This country needs to quickly get over its covid -19 obsession
You youngsters!
Catch a thought for us older folks, who if we contract Covid-19 could be up the creek without a paddle.
No idea how old you are but unless you are in nursing home you will almost certainly survive it unless you are about 99
Your hyperbole weakens your argument, such as it is. I'm just over 60, but because of bad stuff (i.e. health issues) in my past I fear that if I get it there's a fair chance it would kill me. I'm not alone.
maybe 1% then? in your case - Id that worth stopping your life activity at 60? I woudl have thought a 60 year old probably has about a 1% chance of dying anyway in a given year .
Much higher than that if I catch it. But the point is, although I'm really careful it hasn't stopped my life. I go to the pub, out to restaurants, and out for walks. I'm a bit more careful with my grown-up children, all in jobs where they could catch it, so I keep my distance - but I still see them. I think what irritates me is the view that life has come to an end because of the restrictions. It hasn't; I have a great life, just a bit different from the one I had back in February.
The whole concept of "lockdown" has, in my view, always been a myth.
Well as of Wednesday I won’t legally be allowed to see my friends, family, or pretty much anyone. Be it at a pub or a restaurant. I can maybe go for a walk but it’s coming on for winter now so that’s no fun.
That doesn’t sound like a very good life to me.
I still don't get this. You will be allowed to visit a pub. But it will be illegal to meet people there who you don't live with. Yet the pub will be pull of people you don't live with...
I'm mystified as to how a pub is supposed to know whether the people you are with are from your household or not. Are they supposed to ask for proof of address?
Some pubs are checking driving licenses for addresses.
Is that what they are required to do? Could you all claim to be students sharing a house?
They are certainly not required to do so. I haven’t experienced this first hand however I’ve been told that some pubs in Tynemouth and Whitley Bay are doing so and challenging groups of young people.
Clearly overzealous owners/management.
See that's what i don't get. I understand pubs being cautious about observing the laws. In London almost all pubs i've been in have been scrupulous and have been operating table service since June, even when not required to. But actively doing things they aren't required to do and in so doing driving away their customers. Why?
I don't really understand the reluctance to hold debate and some form of vote or votes on coronavirus measures. It broadens out the responsibility for the measures, which would still pass. It's like when the gov tried to prevent parliament voting on triggering A50, when it was going to pass easily anyway.
What a ridiculous decision. Dawkins is a liberal, albeit of the non-Woke variety.
Dawkins should not be invited to address any historical society because he has deliberately falsified historical facts in the past. For example, he claimed that Stalin was not an atheist and even if he was, his atheism had no bearing on his conduct in office, both of which are patently untrue.
But I’m deeply uneasy about this idea that people should be no platformed because of their opinions. The whole point of a university is that any opinion can be aired as long as it’s based on a reasonable interpretation of established facts, but it is always open to challenge by other interpretations.
If that’s not allowed, it’s no longer a university.
I have no issue with people being not invited, or even necessarily disinvited, depending on the reason, but it should at least be a very good reason if they were asked to come, and they appear to have given a very lame one.
They panicked. Simple as.
What they should have said was, ‘if you disagree with his views, come and debate with him.’
But as I said, this is a tricky one given he is an Irving style liar who should never have been invited to speak at a history society. I’d feel much less conflicted if he’d been talking to a scientific society, as while I gather his science is not of the first rank AFAIK nobody has ever accused him of forging evidence there.
Trump should be moving down in the betting because he has yet to get near to overhauling Biden. Yes the debates could change it but its unlikely if Biden in anyway turns up, the guy can out blunt Trump at his best and has enough attack routes to drive through him if he turns up to the debates.
Biden's relative position is better than Clinton's in 2016 full stop. He is nowhere as divisive as Clinton plus the Democrats are taking no chances In 2016 they thought they had it, they aren't so cocky this time.
We are also dealing with a very small rump of undecided voters here, such is the polarisation, that its going to have to be a really bad time for Biden over the next 6 or so weeks for this to turn enough. The hidden damage here for Trump that still isn't clear is motivation. Last time around there was a sliver of GOP voters who hated the man and didn't vote for him, this time that sliver is a visible slice of the pie chart. The motivation of possible voters to get Trump above 45% I'd say is in doubt right now. What some people this side of the ocean fail to understand in their ignorance is that for all the bullshit conception that the GOP voter base is just bunch of gun toting play soldiers & evangelicals, the GOP voter base has plenty of shades and I suspect enough of them are exhausted by Trump. They may be GOP leaning or even regular GOP voters but they dislike the clown act and they dislike their country looking like a clown show.
And again I will say this as I have been saying for months, The bad news for Trump will keep rolling because a) the guy is fundamentally corrupt and b) what we are now seeing is plenty of people, covertly or overtly, wanting to be on the right side of history so are putting their head above the parapet.
The NYT has more on the tax returns but whether they have insight into one of the many bombs that can be dropped is yet unknown. Who does he owe the money to, really? What is Deutsche Banks role and what info have they handed over? That is a daisy cutter sized story.
On today's Monmouth poll if just 3% of voters move from Biden to Trump after tomorrow's debate then Trump takes a popular vote lead never mind the EC, this is not over by any means
The Day The Polls Turned! Or rather The Day A Poll Came Within A Few Percent Of Turning!
I expect Trump to be trailing by 4 points come election day.
I thought Burke had fallen out of favour, what with his remarks about MPs using their judgement rather than slavishly bowing to the Will of the People.
What a ridiculous decision. Dawkins is a liberal, albeit of the non-Woke variety.
Dawkins should not be invited to address any historical society because he has deliberately falsified historical facts in the past. For example, he claimed that Stalin was not an atheist and even if he was, his atheism had no bearing on his conduct in office, both of which are patently untrue.
But I’m deeply uneasy about this idea that people should be no platformed because of their opinions. The whole point of a university is that any opinion can be aired as long as it’s based on a reasonable interpretation of established facts, but it is always open to challenge by other interpretations.
If that’s not allowed, it’s no longer a university.
Nobly phrased. Millions are nodding in agreement. And not just in the UK
I can see wild civil disorder across Europe and America if lockdowns persist.
The thing is, destroying the economy and ruining lives and stuff is possibly exactly the right thing to do because the alternative is mass graves, and it's kind of an absolute that you never go full mass graves, not even if their occupants are demonstrably old and fat. But parliament gets to vote on it, despite fears it might get the answer wrong.
Of course it's a side effect of having fucking stupid referendums about Brexit that parliamentary debate can now be portrayed as anti democratic.
Trump should be moving down in the betting because he has yet to get near to overhauling Biden. Yes the debates could change it but its unlikely if Biden in anyway turns up, the guy can out blunt Trump at his best and has enough attack routes to drive through him if he turns up to the debates.
Biden's relative position is better than Clinton's in 2016 full stop. He is nowhere as divisive as Clinton plus the Democrats are taking no chances In 2016 they thought they had it, they aren't so cocky this time.
We are also dealing with a very small rump of undecided voters here, such is the polarisation, that its going to have to be a really bad time for Biden over the next 6 or so weeks for this to turn enough. The hidden damage here for Trump that still isn't clear is motivation. Last time around there was a sliver of GOP voters who hated the man and didn't vote for him, this time that sliver is a visible slice of the pie chart. The motivation of possible voters to get Trump above 45% I'd say is in doubt right now. What some people this side of the ocean fail to understand in their ignorance is that for all the bullshit conception that the GOP voter base is just bunch of gun toting play soldiers & evangelicals, the GOP voter base has plenty of shades and I suspect enough of them are exhausted by Trump. They may be GOP leaning or even regular GOP voters but they dislike the clown act and they dislike their country looking like a clown show.
And again I will say this as I have been saying for months, The bad news for Trump will keep rolling because a) the guy is fundamentally corrupt and b) what we are now seeing is plenty of people, covertly or overtly, wanting to be on the right side of history so are putting their head above the parapet.
The NYT has more on the tax returns but whether they have insight into one of the many bombs that can be dropped is yet unknown. Who does he owe the money to, really? What is Deutsche Banks role and what info have they handed over? That is a daisy cutter sized story.
On today's Monmouth poll if just 3% of voters move from Biden to Trump after tomorrow's debate then Trump takes a popular vote lead never mind the EC, this is not over by any means
The Day The Polls Turned! Or rather The Day A Poll Came Within A Few Percent Of Turning!
The day Trump's best poll plus a bit came within a couple of % of giving him a chance in line with his betting odds
A reminder that this time in 2016 Clinton was @1.47 with a 1.4 percentage point lead in the polls.
Nobly phrased. Millions are nodding in agreement. And not just in the UK
I can see wild civil disorder across Europe and America if lockdowns persist.
The thing is, destroying the economy and ruining lives and stuff is possibly exactly the right thing to do because the alternative is mass graves, and it's kind of an absolute that you never go full mass graves, not even if their occupants are demonstrably old and fat. But parliament gets to vote on it, despite fears it might get the answer wrong.
Of course it's a side effect of having fucking stupid referendums about Brexit that parliamentary debate can now be portrayed as anti democratic.
Is the alternative mass graves? I genuinely don't know, any more.
What a ridiculous decision. Dawkins is a liberal, albeit of the non-Woke variety.
Dawkins should not be invited to address any historical society because he has deliberately falsified historical facts in the past. For example, he claimed that Stalin was not an atheist and even if he was, his atheism had no bearing on his conduct in office, both of which are patently untrue.
But I’m deeply uneasy about this idea that people should be no platformed because of their opinions. The whole point of a university is that any opinion can be aired as long as it’s based on a reasonable interpretation of established facts, but it is always open to challenge by other interpretations.
If that’s not allowed, it’s no longer a university.
What a ridiculous decision. Dawkins is a liberal, albeit of the non-Woke variety.
Dawkins should not be invited to address any historical society because he has deliberately falsified historical facts in the past. For example, he claimed that Stalin was not an atheist and even if he was, his atheism had no bearing on his conduct in office, both of which are patently untrue.
But I’m deeply uneasy about this idea that people should be no platformed because of their opinions. The whole point of a university is that any opinion can be aired as long as it’s based on a reasonable interpretation of established facts, but it is always open to challenge by other interpretations.
If that’s not allowed, it’s no longer a university.
Stalin trained to be a priest.
Untrue. Although he was educated in a seminary on a scholarship, because he couldn’t get educated elsewhere, he did not undergo priestly training. in fact, he was in constant trouble for proclaiming his atheism.
Moreover, even if you were right, your point is irrelevant to his conduct in office. Dawkins himself was a regular churchgoer at one time. Should he still be considered a Christian many years and many anti-Christian diatribes later? He changed his mind. Google the League of Militant Godless and you will see how irrelevant your comment really is.
Ignorant remarks based on Dawkins‘ lies are the reason why he should not be addressing historical societies. But that is separate from the issue of whether his other views should not be aired and challenged.
Nobly phrased. Millions are nodding in agreement. And not just in the UK
I can see wild civil disorder across Europe and America if lockdowns persist.
The thing is, destroying the economy and ruining lives and stuff is possibly exactly the right thing to do because the alternative is mass graves, and it's kind of an absolute that you never go full mass graves, not even if their occupants are demonstrably old and fat. But parliament gets to vote on it, despite fears it might get the answer wrong.
Of course it's a side effect of having fucking stupid referendums about Brexit that parliamentary debate can now be portrayed as anti democratic.
Is the alternative mass graves? I genuinely don't know, any more.
Yes, if you don't lock down at all, on the basis of reports from Italy and NYC and s America of what can happen even when you do.
Nobly phrased. Millions are nodding in agreement. And not just in the UK
I can see wild civil disorder across Europe and America if lockdowns persist.
The thing is, destroying the economy and ruining lives and stuff is possibly exactly the right thing to do because the alternative is mass graves, and it's kind of an absolute that you never go full mass graves, not even if their occupants are demonstrably old and fat. But parliament gets to vote on it, despite fears it might get the answer wrong.
Of course it's a side effect of having fucking stupid referendums about Brexit that parliamentary debate can now be portrayed as anti democratic.
It's probably not something you are allowed to say, but the irony about this virus is that had it occurred at any other time in history probably until about 20 years ago, it would have probably ultimately resulted in massively beneficial economic outcomes evident within a couple of years. An illness which uniquely targets the very old and vulnerable thereby massively reducing the cost of the welfare state and unlocking the wealth tied up in the older generations.
It is only today that technology has given the politicians the belief that there is another way than continuing life as normal (beyond letting people take their own decisions on protecting themselves). And the other way means keeping the old alive and letting the young suffer and destroy their future prospects for years.
Comments
As for the Olympics I support individual athletes ,most of whom will be British . Not that bothered by medal tables overall . When I do lend my support to sport participants it tends to be individuals like Ronnie O Sullivan (who i am in awe of for his talent) , Tiger Woods (i try to ignore his occasional rudeness ) and Jessica Ennis (just adorable!) . Not much of a team player especially a team sport player (dislike all that shouting at each other ) so this is maybe why
Above all, I feel that all the things I have tried to do in my life and set as an example (in a small way) and teach my children: hard work, trying to do your best, competence, integrity and decency - are for the birds. That I have been a mug for thinking these are or ought to be valued. Look at who is rewarded and praised in this country, who gets to the top - they barely know how to spell such things let alone exhibit them. I’ve been a naive fool for doing what I was taught by my parents, a fool for trying to pass these values onto my children. The only way to get on in this country, in this life now is to behave like a total amoral arsehole.
So I will retreat to my home and try to live “as if” these things mattered and shut out the noise from the charlatans. But our life, our country, our communities should be so much better.
Thinking about it - and I have - I think it is we liberals who are feeling this most. We are under attack from both sides - that`s how it feels to me. The Right through idiocy and a natural tendency towards the authoritarian when they get the chance, and The Left by malicious design, seeing this as an opportunity to hobble our liberal democracy so that it can`t recover. A "new normal" FFS.
Very nice Macedonian Porto Carras on the go, a present from a Greek colleague. 😇
@HYUFD, you're someone who gets the current version of the Conservative Party in a way that I don't. You're loyal, and that's good.
But you're talking about the government's flagship policy and how future governments (even future Conservative governments) are going to row back from it.
Whilst I get the logic of the pathway you propose (Hard Leave to reassure the Red Wallers about immigration; once they're content or have realised the problems with Hard Leave, soften to EFTA), it still feels pretty unprecedented. A bit like a Conservative think tank proposing the Council Tax in January 1989, just before the first Community Charge bills were sent out in Scotland.
It might be ingenious, but it is odd, isn't it?
Bear in mind Monmouth is also the only poll showing this gap. Sure it might be right and the others wrong but I'd not bet on it.
FFS indeed!!!
If Trump raises a question about Biden's mental state, if I were Biden, I'd reply "Tell me Donald. Who suggested you take a dementia test and why? Can you remember?"
China exaggerated the need for lockdowns so as to sow fear and panic in the West
https://twitter.com/MichaelPSenger/status/1306274916401119235?s=20
Stunning success.
Mental health, ruined finances, people in hospital, people in despair, real human pain.
It feels like the Virus has upped a gear, and is now giving us a proper kicking. The sunshine of the spring is a distant memory.
@Yokes - I'm waiting for which member of Trump's family will be the first to be arrested. Eric looked likeliest until yesterday, when Ivanka may have taken over.
At yesterday's press conference he kept boasting that the Republicans were united, very united, more united than a very united thing, really bigly united. He sounded scared stiff that the GOP are about to dump him.
You are right about the GOP. I've lost count of how many times I've read "experts" claim it has become the QAnon party and so on. Of course it hasn't.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/china/
This is properly nasty now.
The most recent was when the Conservative party decided it didn't want TM as PM, because she wouldn't say they could have their cake and eat it. Flawed as she was, she embodied hard work, integrity, personal decency and more competence than most of the current cabinet. Not perfectly, but more than your average politician. But she didn't tickle their tummies or tell them what they wanted to hear, so she was out.
Further back in time, there was that long run of broadish consensus; from Major, through Blair and Brown to the Cameron-Clegg coalition. Perhaps even the Cameron majority government. None of them perfect, all of them identifiably of their parties. All of them did things wrong and did wrong things. But all of them acknowledged that there was another side, and it could and should be charmed or persuaded into agreement. I don't think you can really question the idea that they all meant well, even when they didn't deliver.
As a country, we got bored with that. Lots of us wished for red meat politics again. So the good Lord delivered. And if politics is about red meat for your supporters, who cares about the other things? Moral: be careful what you wish for.
Or rather
The Day A Poll Came Within A Few Percent Of Turning!
Madeley is an intelligent bloke and was a serious journalist prior to becoming famous.
I suspect he chose fluff daytime telly for the money, but he does have credentials.
The blatant refusal of Trump's figures to get above 45% to me is a killer. All I can see is that the undecideds are getting more decided and it isn't swinging for him. As a known quantity, by now he should be showing signs of being above 45% in a binary contest with what looks to me to be a very small undecided group left. Biden doesn't have the negative of Clinton either, just not that divisive a character. I don't see it as a swing voter issue because I'm not sure there is enough left to reverse the numbers, he needs Biden's voters not to turn out
But I’m deeply uneasy about this idea that people should be no platformed because of their opinions. The whole point of a university is that any opinion can be aired as long as it’s based on a reasonable interpretation of established facts, but it is always open to challenge by other interpretations.
If that’s not allowed, it’s no longer a university.
Clearly overzealous owners/management.
I can see wild civil disorder across Europe and America if lockdowns persist.
What they should have said was, ‘if you disagree with his views, come and debate with him.’
But as I said, this is a tricky one given he is an Irving style liar who should never have been invited to speak at a history society. I’d feel much less conflicted if he’d been talking to a scientific society, as while I gather his science is not of the first rank AFAIK nobody has ever accused him of forging evidence there.
No loud music unless it's a live band ??? I suppose good news for jobbing musicians!
Of course it's a side effect of having fucking stupid referendums about Brexit that parliamentary debate can now be portrayed as anti democratic.
Biden is @1.78 with a 7.3 percentage point lead.
https://www.twitter.com/davidkurten
You'd think the 3 of them would need to come to some sort of arrangement to avoid splitting the vote.
Moreover, even if you were right, your point is irrelevant to his conduct in office. Dawkins himself was a regular churchgoer at one time. Should he still be considered a Christian many years and many anti-Christian diatribes later? He changed his mind. Google the League of Militant Godless and you will see how irrelevant your comment really is.
Ignorant remarks based on Dawkins‘ lies are the reason why he should not be addressing historical societies. But that is separate from the issue of whether his other views should not be aired and challenged.
I think.
It is only today that technology has given the politicians the belief that there is another way than continuing life as normal (beyond letting people take their own decisions on protecting themselves). And the other way means keeping the old alive and letting the young suffer and destroy their future prospects for years.
Polls show the percentage against restrictions to be small. The percentage who would vote for a minor party against restrictions would be smaller yet.