The obvious question now being asked about quarantine hotels on LBC: Why in England do you only go into quarantine from a red list country? As flights aren't coming from red list countries to the UK that means you have travelled on a plane with people from non red list countries, can give them the pox in flight, and then they don't have to quarantine.
"10 YEARS IN JAIL, we are the toughest country in the world" is all this is designed to do. As quarantine its as utterly useless as not bothering.
I read that earlier today. It's got to be the most lolworthy article on it in a while.
There's just so much bitterness at the UK doing something better than the EU. I think the realisation that not only is the EU far from perfect, it now faces a local competitor that can't easily be written off or ignored is very tough for some in the EU and its more ardent supporters.
On of my European colleagues who works the EU side of things said he expects that the UK-EU trade deal will face a lot of opposition in the EU parliament when it comes to the floor and there is now genuine fear in the commission that it will get voted down by a narrow margin meaning the EU will have to ask the UK to open it back up for concessions but the UK government considers it a done deal so will flatly refuse.
For those interested in the competitive side of the Covid crisis the only question to ask is how many deaths per million have each EU country suffered at the close of play. Say July.
July won't be the close of play though. It's going to be October or November and the true statistics won't be known until 2022 when all of the excess deaths analysis is done. Basing it on self-certified statistics is a pointless exercise as every country measures it differently.
Absolutely.
I would like to see a statistical exercise carried out by professional statisticians based on comparison of excess deaths between countries (David Spiegelhalter would be absolutely great to lead this work).
What I don't want to see is Blog_Nutjob or Braindead_Journo doing the work sloppily and quickly.
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Is Alexander not a common Scottish name then? I thought there were a few kings of that name?
Indeed. The third of that ilk managed to ride off a cliff trying to ride home allegedly to get his wife in the family way and caused all kinds of problems for the nation. Saying nothing.
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Is Alexander not a common Scottish name then? I thought there were a few kings of that name?
Not in conjunction with Boris de Pfeffel, though I think Union Jack is referring to the name Johnson. In any case I believe the fanbois have pronounced that BJ will now and forever be known as Boris.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
All nationalism is like that. One of the defining characteristics - Including Euronationalism.
If one harbours anywhere in one’s mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, although in a sense known to be true, are inadmissible. Here are just a few examples. I list below five types of nationalist, and against each I append a fact which it is impossible for that type of nationalist to accept, even in his secret thoughts:
British Tory: Britain will come out of this war with reduced power and prestige.
Communist: If she had not been aided by Britain and America, Russia would have been defeated by Germany.
Irish Nationalist: Eire can only remain independent because of British protection.
Trotskyist: The Stalin régime is accepted by the Russian masses.
Pacifist: Those who ‘abjure’ violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf.
All of these facts are grossly obvious if one’s emotions do not happen to be involved: but to the kind of person named in each case they are also intolerable, and so they have to be denied, and false theories constructed upon their denial.
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Bear in mind, too, that the EU had no experience in public health before the start of the Covid crisis. With only an embryonic union for health policy in place, the 27 member states had to improvise. This was essential to avoid a repeat of the deadly free-for-all that we saw last March on masks and medical equipment, as member states tried to outbid each other, Germany and France blocked consignments of PPE leaving their territories, and Italy was left to beg for help.
I think I'd have preferred a free for all on vaccines to be honest.
Nah, what the EU should have done is become a partner to the four other fast moving nations representing the interests of the other 20 or so that weren't able to negotiate directly with pharma companies easily in the way that Germany or Italy could.
Though its ridiculous to claim that small nations can't negotiate with pharma companies when even Malta have managed to do so which is why they're ahead of every other EU nation.
Israel, UAE, Bahrain . . . lots of small countries have managed negotiations just fine. The attitude that "big = better" is what is so broken in Europe. It corrupts everything.
Two groups have done well in the vaccination race.
1. Large countries willing to invest billions in the problem, including manufacturing, approval, liability and taking an early risk on individual vaccines. See UK, USA, China etc.
2. Small but rich countries, willing to throw money at the problem but not requiring a lot in return. See Israel, UAE, Bahain, Seychelles etc.
Failures have been those who treated it as just another transaction to arrange. See EU, Japan, Canada, Australia etc.
1. Indeed, though for years we have been told that the UK is not a large nation. Now suddenly we're being listed as a large country again. It was always obvious that the UK (or England alone) is a large country, we're a G7 nation, yet the attitude during the Europe debates has been that only the USA, China and Europe are large. Its good to get confirmation that the UK is a large nation afterall. So too are France and Germany who could have followed the UK's path.
2. Its not as if Europe is short of rich countries. The idea that the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland etc are too wee and too poor to throw money at the problem is ridiculous.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
You're just a hypocrite.
Everyone believes in a nation somewhere. You just believe it should be on a European level. You're no better than an English or Scottish nationalist.
Britain played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade at its peak, to our shame, and a grassroots and parliamentary campaign was also instrumental in its abolition - not only within the British Empire, but through our navy managed to suppress it and make it unviable for most other nations globally. Millions were enslaved and transported against their will, which is disgusting, and millions more would have been had we not.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
You're just a hypocrite.
Everyone believes in a nation somewhere. You just believe it should be on a European level. You're no better than an English or Scottish nationalist.
Britain played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade at its peak, to our shame, and a grassroots and parliamentary campaign was also instrumental in its abolition - not only within the British Empire, but through our navy managed to suppress it and make it unviable for most other nations globally. Millions were enslaved and transported against their will, which is disgusting, and millions more would have been had we not.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
Any big country has done good and bad.
I think on balance our nations history has done more good than bad but it doesn't really make much difference either way. History is locked in, we should learn from it while also looking to the future.
The likely new leader of Catalonia following yesterday's Catalan elections prepares to push for another referendum of self-determination, again likely to be rejected by Madrid.
"We, the pro-independence parties have a majority, we have reached more than 50% of the popular vote. The Catalan people have spoken, the time has come to negotiate a referendum of self-determination. Please get involved." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56065763
Madrid will just refer to turnout and say it's no where near enough.
Harris: But just as Labour has become estranged from its old working-class heartlands, so the Conservatives’ embrace of a parochial, introverted kind of populism means they can no longer claim to be the party of commerce. That is a seismic change, and it may sooner or later transform our politics.
For Harris that is quite confused in some respects.
His export data is a month old. He ascribes VAT-related consequences to Brexit. And he maintains that looking to the wider world rather than the EU is somehow turning inwards.
All those are are at least qeustionable.
Actually it’s a very good piece.
Figures to be published today in the latest Manufacturing Barometer survey of small and medium-sized firms show that two-thirds of such companies have seen negative price changes in their supply chains since leaving the EU. A majority, meanwhile, have seen post-Brexit “complications” with both exporting and importing.
There’s a potential opportunity for Labour hiding here, though I doubt they’ll find it.
What are the solutions to the issues raised?
Politically, a commitment to get rid of the Brexit red tape resulting from Boris’s shoddy deal.
Practically, an intent to negotiate back into the EEA.
That's the dream scenario for Boris, if Starmer proposes to reopen the UK-EU relationship. It confirms every single fear of ex-red wall voters hat Starmer is simply covering up his true love of the EU and once in power he will agitate to rejoin or tie the UK back to the EU. Boris wins a 100-120 seat majority.
Maybe.
You and I both know however that this is what business want, surely what Treasury and FO want, what many Cabinet Ministers agree is necessary, and indeed was probably the majority position in the country until about 12 months ago.
Politically it may be difficult. But we did not leave the EU to kill off trade with it. The idea was rather to expand our opportunities, remember?
Yebbut apparently they have done this to *benefit* business as its now the same rules everywhere. Of course the problem with that is that those rules make trade uneconomical and unviable for a significant number of businesses. There is a reason they were trading with the EU and not the UAE - the single market opened up that market.
The deal, as signed, does not work. Which is why Govey et al are now banging on about what they can do to get around it for Norniron. But its not just NI that has the problem...
The vaccination project - after the hiccup with the South African scare - continues to inspire confidence. My main concerns now are (a) importation of mutant super Plague and (b) that the Government's previous impetuousness will now swing so far in the other direction that we lose the whole Summer whilst ministers fret over the numbers. The thought that lockdown may simply be replaced by lockdown-plus-schools and continue for another four or five months is very depressing.
Not a chance on earth the lockdown will stay through the summer with the hospital's empty.
Easter is surely the target. Squish the prevalence of the bug now, big release for Easter.
The worst possible thing to do, is commit to arbitrary dates in a calendar for anything. More important is to make sure the damn thing is properly squashed, and the restrictions won’t need to be re-introduced again on a national scale.
I didn't say commit, I said target, there's a critical difference.
Dates do matter. Not all days are created equal. Our hospitality industry is on life support at the minute and Easter through to August is the cash cow that sector depends upon.
Losing January is no big deal to be frank. Losing February it's a shame about Valentine's Day but not that important either. Spring and summer though they matter.
If I were the Chancellor I would be saying to the PM and Health Secretary "is there a set of restrictions tough enough we can implement now, in order to do a major relaxation of restrictions in time for Easter". Squish it hard now, aiming to reopen for Easter. No halfarsed fannying around in purgatory still incapable to relax for Easter because we haven't done the job now.
Trying to work to a calendar over Christmas, caused the restrictions we have now to be longer lasting than would otherwise have been the case.
The first priority needs to be to get the schools open. Then, after some time to see the reaction, we can look at hospitality.
Opening things before the virus is under control, and remember the vast majority of parents of school-age children have jet to be vaccinated, will simply blow it up again and put restrictions back in place through the summer - which is the really important time for the hospitality sector.
Trying to put dates on things is just a bunch of backbenchers making noises. All it does politically is sets the government up to fail.
Schools are not urgent, since they will be taking the first three weeks in April off anyway. There is no great merit, aside from one day's headlines, in opening the (or some) schools a week or three before they close again for the Easter holidays.
On the question of parents, it might be that the JCVI can take another look. Round here, my impression is it is more likely to be grandparents taking younger children to school and collecting them, and therefore hanging round the school gates, and most will have been covered by the end of April. Of course, children will spend evenings with their parents.
Most schools will be off for two weeks at Easter (well two weeks and a day because of when Good Friday falls). We are pretty keen to get Y13 and Y11 in, not least so we can give them the mocks they were supposed to have had in January: at the moment any teacher based assessment is going to be little more than guesswork otherwise.
Harris: But just as Labour has become estranged from its old working-class heartlands, so the Conservatives’ embrace of a parochial, introverted kind of populism means they can no longer claim to be the party of commerce. That is a seismic change, and it may sooner or later transform our politics.
For Harris that is quite confused in some respects.
His export data is a month old. He ascribes VAT-related consequences to Brexit. And he maintains that looking to the wider world rather than the EU is somehow turning inwards.
All those are are at least qeustionable.
Actually it’s a very good piece.
Figures to be published today in the latest Manufacturing Barometer survey of small and medium-sized firms show that two-thirds of such companies have seen negative price changes in their supply chains since leaving the EU. A majority, meanwhile, have seen post-Brexit “complications” with both exporting and importing.
There’s a potential opportunity for Labour hiding here, though I doubt they’ll find it.
What are the solutions to the issues raised?
Politically, a commitment to get rid of the Brexit red tape resulting from Boris’s shoddy deal.
Practically, an intent to negotiate back into the EEA.
That's the dream scenario for Boris, if Starmer proposes to reopen the UK-EU relationship. It confirms every single fear of ex-red wall voters hat Starmer is simply covering up his true love of the EU and once in power he will agitate to rejoin or tie the UK back to the EU. Boris wins a 100-120 seat majority.
Maybe.
You and I both know however that this is what business want, surely what Treasury and FO want, what many Cabinet Ministers agree is necessary, and indeed was probably the majority position in the country until about 12 months ago.
Politically it may be difficult. But we did not leave the EU to kill off trade with it. The idea was rather to expand our opportunities, remember?
Yebbut apparently they have done this to *benefit* business as its now the same rules everywhere. Of course the problem with that is that those rules make trade uneconomical and unviable for a significant number of businesses. There is a reason they were trading with the EU and not the UAE - the single market opened up that market.
The deal, as signed, does not work. Which is why Govey et al are now banging on about what they can do to get around it for Norniron. But its not just NI that has the problem...
I've never got the argument that it leaving the single market opened up the rest of the world.
Companies that wanted to sell to the rest of the world have always done so but a lot of companies didn't simply because there wasn't the demand there to make it worthwhile
Brexit didn't fix those issues but that logic was too much for people who don't run businesses to understand.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Is Alexander not a common Scottish name then? I thought there were a few kings of that name?
Not in conjunction with Boris de Pfeffel, though I think Union Jack is referring to the name Johnson. In any case I believe the fanbois have pronounced that BJ will now and forever be known as Boris.
I'm not so sure. Johnstone or Johnston (or Johnstoun, now archaic) would be the Scottish version of that very common patronymic.
I think we'd have heard long ago if Mr J's Johnson was really a Lallans name (a la David Cameron proclaiming his Scots roots in 2013-2014).
Oh dear. EU descending into Comical Ali levels of delusion now...
If “kowtowing to big pharma” means investing in vaccine production and making sure you’re first in the queue, then that’s exactly what everyone should have done!
(Ignore for a minute that AZ are doing the whole thing on a non-profit basis, for the good of humanity).
Thank you to Smithson The Younger for the header. Found it very interesting.
"A lot of thanks for this needs to go to the UK and US governments. Their willingness to back unproven technologies with big orders, and to encourage investment in manufacturing capability was exactly the right thing to do"
So did The Donald actually get something right????
I read that earlier today. It's got to be the most lolworthy article on it in a while.
There's just so much bitterness at the UK doing something better than the EU. I think the realisation that not only is the EU far from perfect, it now faces a local competitor that can't easily be written off or ignored is very tough for some in the EU and its more ardent supporters.
On of my European colleagues who works the EU side of things said he expects that the UK-EU trade deal will face a lot of opposition in the EU parliament when it comes to the floor and there is now genuine fear in the commission that it will get voted down by a narrow margin meaning the EU will have to ask the UK to open it back up for concessions but the UK government considers it a done deal so will flatly refuse.
For those interested in the competitive side of the Covid crisis the only question to ask is how many deaths per million have each EU country suffered at the close of play. Say July.
July won't be the close of play though. It's going to be October or November and the true statistics won't be known until 2022 when all of the excess deaths analysis is done. Basing it on self-certified statistics is a pointless exercise as every country measures it differently.
Absolutely.
I would like to see a statistical exercise carried out by professional statisticians based on comparison of excess deaths between countries (David Spiegelhalter would be absolutely great to lead this work).
What I don't want to see is Blog_Nutjob or Braindead_Journo doing the work sloppily and quickly.
I guarantee one PB poster will tweeting both of those constantly!
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Is Alexander not a common Scottish name then? I thought there were a few kings of that name?
Indeed. The third of that ilk managed to ride off a cliff trying to ride home allegedly to get his wife in the family way and caused all kinds of problems for the nation. Saying nothing.
Indeed. Convenient layby to inspect the monument, too, though the sight of the cliff fall is somewhat modified by the NBR Inverkeithing to Dundee railway line ...
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Is Alexander not a common Scottish name then? I thought there were a few kings of that name?
Indeed. The third of that ilk managed to ride off a cliff trying to ride home allegedly to get his wife in the family way and caused all kinds of problems for the nation. Saying nothing.
Indeed. Convenient layby to inspect the monument, too, though the sight of the cliff fall is somewhat modified by the NBR Inverkeithing to Dundee railway line ...
Harris: But just as Labour has become estranged from its old working-class heartlands, so the Conservatives’ embrace of a parochial, introverted kind of populism means they can no longer claim to be the party of commerce. That is a seismic change, and it may sooner or later transform our politics.
For Harris that is quite confused in some respects.
His export data is a month old. He ascribes VAT-related consequences to Brexit. And he maintains that looking to the wider world rather than the EU is somehow turning inwards.
All those are are at least qeustionable.
Actually it’s a very good piece.
Figures to be published today in the latest Manufacturing Barometer survey of small and medium-sized firms show that two-thirds of such companies have seen negative price changes in their supply chains since leaving the EU. A majority, meanwhile, have seen post-Brexit “complications” with both exporting and importing.
There’s a potential opportunity for Labour hiding here, though I doubt they’ll find it.
What are the solutions to the issues raised?
Politically, a commitment to get rid of the Brexit red tape resulting from Boris’s shoddy deal.
Practically, an intent to negotiate back into the EEA.
That's the dream scenario for Boris, if Starmer proposes to reopen the UK-EU relationship. It confirms every single fear of ex-red wall voters hat Starmer is simply covering up his true love of the EU and once in power he will agitate to rejoin or tie the UK back to the EU. Boris wins a 100-120 seat majority.
Maybe.
You and I both know however that this is what business want, surely what Treasury and FO want, what many Cabinet Ministers agree is necessary, and indeed was probably the majority position in the country until about 12 months ago.
Politically it may be difficult. But we did not leave the EU to kill off trade with it. The idea was rather to expand our opportunities, remember?
It comes back- it always comes back- to the central dilemma of Brexit.
The EU have a very clear, very public scale of alignment to access. The more you follow their rules, the easier it is to sell into their market. Cake and eat it depends on getting something that's off that scale, more access for less alignment. Whether that was by brilliant negotiation, them needing us, or God knows what.
That hasn't really happened. Has it? So the UK has options from here. As far as I can tell, they come in these categories;
One is to render the border frictions moot by some sort of technology. The tech clearly doesn't exist anywhere yet (case study: Switzerland). That doesn't mean it can't exist, but it is suggestive.
Another is a pretty swift reorientation of the UK's trade, so it doesn't matter if we collectively sell less into the EU. There was nothing stopping the UK selling round the world before, though. And some stuff (fresh shellfish, say) really depend on swift sales to keep their value. And that model implies a fair bit of destruction before any creation happens. Raab's request that we wait ten years before judging things is a non-starter, surely.
A third is to take the sovereign decision that, now the UK is securely planted outside the European stockade, we can voluntarily choose to align in ways that are in our sovereign interests, on our terms. Because if the UK is confident and secure in what it's doing, that's not a problem, is it?
Oh dear. EU descending into Comical Ali levels of delusion now...
"True, Britain got a month’s head start on the EU by approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the start of December, and then AstraZeneca’s at the end of that month. It had to accept the terms offered by the pharmaceutical companies, however, both in paying a higher price per dose, and by waiving their civil liability in the event of adverse effects."
OK, some sense so far...
"But, and there’s a very big but, the UK’s “success” is a really an illusion: because to be fully effective, the vaccine requires two doses. And only 0.80% of the UK population has received both shots, less than that of France (0.92%), and a long way behind Denmark, which has 2.87% of its population fully vaccinated."
Thank you to Smithson The Younger for the header. Found it very interesting.
"A lot of thanks for this needs to go to the UK and US governments. Their willingness to back unproven technologies with big orders, and to encourage investment in manufacturing capability was exactly the right thing to do"
So did The Donald actually get something right????
Even Donald J. Trump occasionally did something right.
There was of course plenty he screwed up, but “operation moonshot” for vaccine procurement was one of the good things to come out of the White House in the four years he was there
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
It is worth saying words of real praise for the last two headers.
(And you don't get snarls of praise from @YBarddCwsc very easily).
Both MattW's header yesterday and rcs1000's today have been really stimulating to read, and backed up by quantitive arguments, crisp writing & sharp insights.
The headers are persuasive advocates for the case for far fewer wordy lawyers
Coronavirus vaccines bought from a specific manufacturer are being sold to the country at €28 per dose instead of €12 to ensure delivery, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said during an interview on Newsbook.com.mt.
The finance minister explained that while certain manufacturers are selling the coronavirus vaccine at €12, Malta is paying more than double the price to ensure early delivery.
This is also being done to achieve herd immunity as early as possible by having individuals inoculated against the virus as early as possible.
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Is Alexander not a common Scottish name then? I thought there were a few kings of that name?
Not in conjunction with Boris de Pfeffel, though I think Union Jack is referring to the name Johnson. In any case I believe the fanbois have pronounced that BJ will now and forever be known as Boris.
I'm not so sure. Johnstone or Johnston (or Johnstoun, now archaic) would be the Scottish version of that very common patronymic.
I think we'd have heard long ago if Mr J's Johnson was really a Lallans name (a la David Cameron proclaiming his Scots roots in 2013-2014).
Not by any stretch of the imagination a Nat, of any description, but these people are talking bullshit. The name ‘Johnson’ was adopted by Osman Kemal as his maternal grandmother’s maiden name sounded more English (please note) than ‘Osman Kemal’ which was a wise precaution given the Ottoman Empire was at war with the U.K. at the time.
Boris Johnson is less Scottish than I am. At least I had two Scottish great grandparents.
I also had a Chinese grandmother. This does not make me Chinese.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
You're just a hypocrite.
Everyone believes in a nation somewhere. You just believe it should be on a European level. You're no better than an English or Scottish nationalist.
Britain played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade at its peak, to our shame, and a grassroots and parliamentary campaign was also instrumental in its abolition - not only within the British Empire, but through our navy managed to suppress it and make it unviable for most other nations globally. Millions were enslaved and transported against their will, which is disgusting, and millions more would have been had we not.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
Yes, I agree. It's bad practice generally, not unknown in academic circles too and ubiquitous in journalism, to only pick quotes that suit your agenda "to make a coherent piece".
My great-grandfather Admiral Palmer wrote an interesting book on his experiences which I've unsuccessfully tried to get republished with the beautiful paintings that I've inherited from him - the text is here:
Briefly, he was (as then Captain of HMS Rosario) sent to the South Pacific to combat the slave trade and discovered that some of the settlers appeared to be collaborating with the NSW authorities to send slaves to the French colonies nearby. The settlers claimed that the natives were going voluntarily, but the book points to the manacles and other evidence on the ship used. After the book was published, the local authorities objected vehemently and persuaded the British Government to order him to apologise and pay damages; in return, they accepted that he'd acted in good faith and in due course promoted him. The book looks convincing to me, and I suspect that it was seen as politically inconvenient to embarass the NSW authorities.
Assuming that's the case, it's an interesting example of how far you can go if you're a serving officer and come across something that you think is wrong but your government would rather you didn't talk about. I think he was brave to try to challenge what was happening, though he followed orders in the end.
Can anyone suggest a reason for the absurd English "quarantine" system other than a combination of arse covering and virtue signalling?
Q: Why haven't we closed our border - people are bringing new pox strains into the UK? A: "We have the toughest rules in the world!"
That the people going into quarantine have been free to infect all of the other people on the same flight and at the airport seems to be a rather stupid omission if the aim was actual virus control. So it can't be an actual plan to do so, which makes it a PR exercise only. Which means they're letting more people die again.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
Thank you to Smithson The Younger for the header. Found it very interesting.
"A lot of thanks for this needs to go to the UK and US governments. Their willingness to back unproven technologies with big orders, and to encourage investment in manufacturing capability was exactly the right thing to do"
So did The Donald actually get something right????
Yes his throwing money at every problem actually worked on this one issue, though I suspect Fauci deserves the credit. Fauci was already in place, Bingham etc got put in place here and I'm not aware of any Bingham equivalent in the US so not sure if Fauci or someone else took the lead there?
Coronavirus vaccines bought from a specific manufacturer are being sold to the country at €28 per dose instead of €12 to ensure delivery, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said during an interview on Newsbook.com.mt.
The finance minister explained that while certain manufacturers are selling the coronavirus vaccine at €12, Malta is paying more than double the price to ensure early delivery.
This is also being done to achieve herd immunity as early as possible by having individuals inoculated against the virus as early as possible.
There's a vid interview in, I assume, Maltese.
Is this news? I thought Germany, Hungary etc have been doing this from the start?
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
While that may be true, we can still acknowledge that the UK has many good qualities both culturally and politically and that the UK vaccine roll-out thus far has been truly world-beating.
Coronavirus vaccines bought from a specific manufacturer are being sold to the country at €28 per dose instead of €12 to ensure delivery, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said during an interview on Newsbook.com.mt.
The finance minister explained that while certain manufacturers are selling the coronavirus vaccine at €12, Malta is paying more than double the price to ensure early delivery.
This is also being done to achieve herd immunity as early as possible by having individuals inoculated against the virus as early as possible.
There's a vid interview in, I assume, Maltese.
Is this news? I thought Germany, Hungary etc have been doing this from the start?
Yes, but it does undermine the EU's butcher shop argument quite significantly, you can pay for priority access, that has always been possible. If you pay enough money like Israel, the UAE and Malta you get to secure a contract that isn't subject to "best reasonable efforts". If you decide to haggle for months over the price then the pharma company isn't going to go out of its way to ensure you get timely deliveries beyond its "best reasonable efforts". So it came to pass.
Oh dear. EU descending into Comical Ali levels of delusion now...
If “kowtowing to big pharma” means investing in vaccine production and making sure you’re first in the queue, then that’s exactly what everyone should have done!
(Ignore for a minute that AZ are doing the whole thing on a non-profit basis, for the good of humanity).
Indeed! No wonder the Guardian have turned off comments for this one. Dear, oh dear!
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
You're just a hypocrite.
Everyone believes in a nation somewhere. You just believe it should be on a European level. You're no better than an English or Scottish nationalist.
Britain played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade at its peak, to our shame, and a grassroots and parliamentary campaign was also instrumental in its abolition - not only within the British Empire, but through our navy managed to suppress it and make it unviable for most other nations globally. Millions were enslaved and transported against their will, which is disgusting, and millions more would have been had we not.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
Historians specialise. It is not their job to provide balance. It is their job to present arguments and for others to decide. On slavery, some will focus on the role of the abolitionists; others will focus on the slavers; some will look at the abolition; others will look at the reparations paid to slave owners; and so on. That is exactly as it should be because it allows us to make our own judgments with as much information as possible. The problems arise when arguments are suppressed, when one side or the other claims that its version is the only true version there can be and that other versions are distortions. That is what we must guard against.
As funny as he is I'm not sure what mileage there is in giving him more oxygen. The best thing for these idiots is to simply ignore them and let them piss into the wind.
It is worth saying words of real praise for the last two headers.
(And you don't get snarls of praise from @YBarddCwsc very easily).
Both MattW's header yesterday and rcs1000's today have been really stimulating to read, and backed up by quantitive arguments, crisp writing & sharp insights.
The headers are persuasive advocates for the case for far fewer wordy lawyers
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You're being cretinous yourself. Or illiterate.
The entire premise of the article is that the EU won't fail too badly, because the UK and USA have led the way out of this pandemic and the EU will be able to benefit from our success.
The EU failing would be a bad thing, we don't want that. We want them to be able to catch up with us, its a shame they didn't do the right thing in the first place but we can show them the way out and they can follow us.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
Edit - of course, we don’t know that is what he’s going to do. There was one report in The Times, another in The Express, neither of which are exactly reliable. Several other papers, including the TES, are saying something else.
Of course it will work. We can vaccinate approximately 0.7% of our population every day. That means we could be at the top of that "fully vaccinated" chart within a week.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
If we need to lock everything else down for longer then that's a price worth paying for children's education.
I want pubs open as much as the next person but schools come first.
It isn't a mistake, it is a deliberate choice to prioritise education.
I read that earlier today. It's got to be the most lolworthy article on it in a while.
There's just so much bitterness at the UK doing something better than the EU. I think the realisation that not only is the EU far from perfect, it now faces a local competitor that can't easily be written off or ignored is very tough for some in the EU and its more ardent supporters.
On of my European colleagues who works the EU side of things said he expects that the UK-EU trade deal will face a lot of opposition in the EU parliament when it comes to the floor and there is now genuine fear in the commission that it will get voted down by a narrow margin meaning the EU will have to ask the UK to open it back up for concessions but the UK government considers it a done deal so will flatly refuse.
For those interested in the competitive side of the Covid crisis the only question to ask is how many deaths per million have each EU country suffered at the close of play. Say July.
People will be dying of COVID, in Europe, well into next year. Long COVID, for a start.
They will be dying here as well.
I noted with interest that we were the only country reporting more Covid deaths than excess deaths. I think we have have reporting systems that are accurate and free from political interference. Another thing we should be proud of as a country.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
While that may be true, we can still acknowledge that the UK has many good qualities both culturally and politically and that the UK vaccine roll-out thus far has been truly world-beating.
Sure we can acknowledge it.
But to wank on about it morning, noon and night invites questions about the psychology of some posters.
In any case, our overall response to COVID pales in comparison to the countries in the Far East, who appear not to matter for some reason.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
I don't disagree with you. Is it confirmed that it will be a blanket return, or is phasing still an option?
Oh dear. EU descending into Comical Ali levels of delusion now...
If “kowtowing to big pharma” means investing in vaccine production and making sure you’re first in the queue, then that’s exactly what everyone should have done!
(Ignore for a minute that AZ are doing the whole thing on a non-profit basis, for the good of humanity).
It's a load of crap on all levels.
In any event, national industrial strategies may be making a comeback. The US, for example, is becoming increasingly aware of its massive strategic weakness in chip manufacturing (in contrast to its great strength in chip design).
With the rise of China to great power economic status, at the same time as it descends back into a modern form of authoritarianism, relying on the international free market, and that alone, is becoming increasingly insecure.
Q: which proposition holds more water, the SNP being to blame for Scots thinking BJ is a dick, or the Chennai pitch is to blame for England being a bit crap?
Is Alexander not a common Scottish name then? I thought there were a few kings of that name?
I thought Alistair was Scottish translation of Alexander?
It is, I named my youngest Alistair, so I did a lot of research on it.
Alistair is the Anglicised spelling of the Gaelic name Alasdair, which is the translation of Alexander.
My mother kept on hinting that I should name my child with an Islamic/Pakistani name.
I really wasn't keen on her suggestion, so I decided on Alistair, which could be shortened to Ali, so everyone was happy.
Alexander the G reached what is modern day Pakistan didn't he? You could say that there's a very ancient and noble Pakistan connection to the name Alexander/Alistair, though perhaps commemorating blue eyed invaders wouldn't meet with universal approval.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
Edit - of course, we don’t know that is what he’s going to do. There was one report in The Times, another in The Express, neither of which are exactly reliable. Several other papers, including the TES, are saying something else.
By that time (8th March) there will be a significant number of vaccinees. As with everything so far it is a balance. If it is perceived that the extra weeks of schooling in young children is vital, then the schools should open. If you think about it, at that age the lockdown has been immense. On and off 20% of your life if you are a five year old. Three weeks under such circumstances might be absolutely vital.
Your post reads as though nothing has changed. But vaccinations.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
You're just a hypocrite.
Everyone believes in a nation somewhere. You just believe it should be on a European level. You're no better than an English or Scottish nationalist.
Britain played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade at its peak, to our shame, and a grassroots and parliamentary campaign was also instrumental in its abolition - not only within the British Empire, but through our navy managed to suppress it and make it unviable for most other nations globally. Millions were enslaved and transported against their will, which is disgusting, and millions more would have been had we not.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
Historians specialise. It is not their job to provide balance. It is their job to present arguments and for others to decide. On slavery, some will focus on the role of the abolitionists; others will focus on the slavers; some will look at the abolition; others will look at the reparations paid to slave owners; and so on. That is exactly as it should be because it allows us to make our own judgments with as much information as possible. The problems arise when arguments are suppressed, when one side or the other claims that its version is the only true version there can be and that other versions are distortions. That is what we must guard against.
It absolutely is part of the job of an historian to present balance. They should - and do - come to an overall conclusion based on the balanced evidence they provided, but an historian that only gives one side would never get any job in academia or indeed teaching. They go into journalism or write popular pseudo-history (or in the case of Catherine Nixey, both.)
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
As I say, acknowledging is one thing.
To then start to wax lyrical about U.K. “leading the world once more”, interspersed with paeans to our banning of the slave trade is another thing.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
If we need to lock everything else down for longer then that's a price worth paying for children's education.
I want pubs open as much as the next person but schools come first.
It isn't a mistake, it is a deliberate choice to prioritise education.
If we can provide it, it will be. Although I would point out that, again, there are resources provided for home schooling (which in itself torpedoes the idea of shortening the summer holiday, as we will have worked out our contracted days) and the offering we had to make on the orders of the drug addled lying weirdos, ooops, DFE was a poor substitute for real education anyway. If, as seems possible, everyone has to wear masks to try and pretend places are safer, I’ll have to quit. With my deafness, it will make my job literally impossible.
What really and truly bugs me though is the thought that by shuttering schools on the 1st December we might have kept cases low enough to keep them open this term. And here we are doing the same thing again when another two weeks and it might all be over properly.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
You're just a hypocrite.
Everyone believes in a nation somewhere. You just believe it should be on a European level. You're no better than an English or Scottish nationalist.
Britain played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade at its peak, to our shame, and a grassroots and parliamentary campaign was also instrumental in its abolition - not only within the British Empire, but through our navy managed to suppress it and make it unviable for most other nations globally. Millions were enslaved and transported against their will, which is disgusting, and millions more would have been had we not.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
Yes, I agree. It's bad practice generally, not unknown in academic circles too and ubiquitous in journalism, to only pick quotes that suit your agenda "to make a coherent piece".
My great-grandfather Admiral Palmer wrote an interesting book on his experiences which I've unsuccessfully tried to get republished with the beautiful paintings that I've inherited from him - the text is here:
Briefly, he was (as then Captain of HMS Rosario) sent to the South Pacific to combat the slave trade and discovered that some of the settlers appeared to be collaborating with the NSW authorities to send slaves to the French colonies nearby. The settlers claimed that the natives were going voluntarily, but the book points to the manacles and other evidence on the ship used. After the book was published, the local authorities objected vehemently and persuaded the British Government to order him to apologise and pay damages; in return, they accepted that he'd acted in good faith and in due course promoted him. The book looks convincing to me, and I suspect that it was seen as politically inconvenient to embarass the NSW authorities.
Assuming that's the case, it's an interesting example of how far you can go if you're a serving officer and come across something that you think is wrong but your government would rather you didn't talk about. I think he was brave to try to challenge what was happening, though he followed orders in the end.
That's a story to be proud of and, of course, such political embarrassments and cover-ups still occur today.
I would recommend watching both Amistad (1997) and Amazing Grace (2007) for interesting films about the slave trade and the abolition movement. The former is particularly good because it shows how a few good men try to work realistically within "the system" to rid it of its worst evils.
A short clip of Captain Fitzgerald, who's a fervent abolitionist captain:
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
That's fair. I'd also note that most of the key work underpinning the mRNA vaccines was the contribution of recent immigrants to the US. Their openness and attraction to foreign talent is a great strength that they should not surrender.
Oh dear. EU descending into Comical Ali levels of delusion now...
If “kowtowing to big pharma” means investing in vaccine production and making sure you’re first in the queue, then that’s exactly what everyone should have done!
(Ignore for a minute that AZ are doing the whole thing on a non-profit basis, for the good of humanity).
It's a load of crap on all levels.
In any event, national industrial strategies may be making a comeback. The US, for example, is becoming increasingly aware of its massive strategic weakness in chip manufacturing (in contrast to its great strength in chip design).
With the rise of China to great power economic status, at the same time as it descends back into a modern form of authoritarianism, relying on the international free market, and that alone, is becoming increasingly insecure.
It's actually an area I think the UK needs to start looking at too. Our reliance on Taiwan for silicon chips is becoming extreme and it might be time to start seriously considering what the future looks like with Taiwan under Chinese occupation and planning on that basis.
We've let graphene completely slip away from us, but there's still time to onshore it as it's so small right now.
The government really needs to figure out how to properly incentivise invesmtment in manufacturing of high margin goods based on IP developed in the UK. As a nation we're absolutely shit at doing it and our tax system incentivises companies to design amazing products and then licence those designs to foreign companies who benefit from the economic development that comes with actually making stuff.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
I don't disagree with you. Is it confirmed that it will be a blanket return, or is phasing still an option?
We’ve had numerous different kites flown, so nobody knows. Apart from Johnson.
However, on the assumption he will do whatever will play well in the right wing press, will usually will be the stupidest option, I suspect he will go for the blanket return.
In which case we can only keep our fingers crossed the vaccine programme picks up sufficient pace to keep numbers under control when we do go back, but I’m not seeing it yet and given we’re already doing far better than any comparable nation it’s hard to see how it can be done.
Any news on Newcastle? I presume they’re staying remote for the rest of the year for law, but I haven’t heard for definite.
Oh dear. EU descending into Comical Ali levels of delusion now...
If “kowtowing to big pharma” means investing in vaccine production and making sure you’re first in the queue, then that’s exactly what everyone should have done!
(Ignore for a minute that AZ are doing the whole thing on a non-profit basis, for the good of humanity).
It's a load of crap on all levels.
In any event, national industrial strategies may be making a comeback. The US, for example, is becoming increasingly aware of its massive strategic weakness in chip manufacturing (in contrast to its great strength in chip design).
With the rise of China to great power economic status, at the same time as it descends back into a modern form of authoritarianism, relying on the international free market, and that alone, is becoming increasingly insecure.
Yep, one of the other things Trump got right was over China, and the notion that the USA was wrong to depend on it for supply of anything. Biden’s continuing along the same lines.
The automakers’ chip shortage is mostly on themselves though, they cancelled a bunch of orders last year and messed up the lead times. They’re mostly low-value chips and on long leads, the chip manufacturers are all flat out with higher-value orders now and the carmakers have been frozen out. There will certainly be a push to onshore these things in future, with a new chip plant or two on US soil. One in the UK would be a good idea for the government to persue as well.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
That's fair. I'd also note that most of the key work underpinning the mRNA vaccines was the contribution of recent immigrants to the US. Their openness and attraction to foreign talent is a great strength that they should not surrender.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
That's fair. I'd also note that most of the key work underpinning the mRNA vaccines was the contribution of recent immigrants to the US. Their openness and attraction to foreign talent is a great strength that they should not surrender.
Turkish, no? In view of the discussion today on PB of another Turkish immigrant to another A/S country.
In any case, our overall response to COVID pales in comparison to the countries in the Far East, who appear not to matter for some reason.
To be fair they were far better prepared for a pandemic at the outset because of SARS and bird Flu.
That excuses the first wave, to a degree, but not the second. July to September was one long "Mission accomplished" celebration where a strategy for preventing a second wave should have been.
In any case, our overall response to COVID pales in comparison to the countries in the Far East, who appear not to matter for some reason.
To be fair they were far better prepared for a pandemic at the outset because of SARS and bird Flu.
Yeah, but that doesn’t take away from their success.
Posters don’t seem to mention Israel much, or just seem to write them off as a small country.
It is very transparent, and sad, and the worst of it is that it masks the actual reality which is that we are running a very successful vaccine programme but are still in the early days of the most self-destructive foreign policy since Suez.
Ceteris paribus, our economic race car is suffering several punctures and no obvious source of fuel as we “race” out of the covid traps.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
If we need to lock everything else down for longer then that's a price worth paying for children's education.
I want pubs open as much as the next person but schools come first.
It isn't a mistake, it is a deliberate choice to prioritise education.
If we can provide it, it will be. Although I would point out that, again, there are resources provided for home schooling (which in itself torpedoes the idea of shortening the summer holiday, as we will have worked out our contracted days) and the offering we had to make on the orders of the drug addled lying weirdos, ooops, DFE was a poor substitute for real education anyway. If, as seems possible, everyone has to wear masks to try and pretend places are safer, I’ll have to quit. With my deafness, it will make my job literally impossible.
What really and truly bugs me though is the thought that by shuttering schools on the 1st December we might have kept cases low enough to keep them open this term. And here we are doing the same thing again when another two weeks and it might all be over properly.
It seems that everyone knows a healthy, marathon-running 30-yr old who has suffered greatly from Covid. And for those who have caught and been affected by it it is a huge issue and not to be dismissed lightly.
But the facts are that by March a huge proportion of the most at risk people will have been vaccinated.
Much as I loathe (note: e) the fact that it is Steve Baker leading the charge, nevertheless he is broadly right. We want a government to help us back to some kind of normality, not one that seeks to eliminate two (albeit potentially horrible) weeks in bed for 20-50yr olds.
Otherwise in steady state non-virus times we should all have social distancing and anti-viral measures because at any time a horrible virus might emerge. Which indeed it did last year. And might again this year.
Edit: which is of course where @contrarian comes in!
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
If we need to lock everything else down for longer then that's a price worth paying for children's education.
I want pubs open as much as the next person but schools come first.
It isn't a mistake, it is a deliberate choice to prioritise education.
If we can provide it, it will be. Although I would point out that, again, there are resources provided for home schooling (which in itself torpedoes the idea of shortening the summer holiday, as we will have worked out our contracted days) and the offering we had to make on the orders of the drug addled lying weirdos, ooops, DFE was a poor substitute for real education anyway. If, as seems possible, everyone has to wear masks to try and pretend places are safer, I’ll have to quit. With my deafness, it will make my job literally impossible.
What really and truly bugs me though is the thought that by shuttering schools on the 1st December we might have kept cases low enough to keep them open this term. And here we are doing the same thing again when another two weeks and it might all be over properly.
I'm surprised you're not already wearing masks. The teachers at my children's school are, or face shields. Its funny doing Zoom lessons with a teacher wearing a face shield.
I don't think the December thing would have made much difference either way given Cockney Covid and it wasn't known about at the time, now it is. By 8 March not only will all the vulnerable 1-4 groups have been vaccinated but more importantly the three weeks required for their vaccination to become "live" will have elapsed, plus prevalence will have been squished right down from the peak levels.
If that isn't sufficient to stop the NHS being overwhelmed, which was the idea of closing schools, then what will be?
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
Edit - of course, we don’t know that is what he’s going to do. There was one report in The Times, another in The Express, neither of which are exactly reliable. Several other papers, including the TES, are saying something else.
By that time (8th March) there will be a significant number of vaccinees. As with everything so far it is a balance. If it is perceived that the extra weeks of schooling in young children is vital, then the schools should open. If you think about it, at that age the lockdown has been immense. On and off 20% of your life if you are a five year old. Three weeks under such circumstances might be absolutely vital.
Your post reads as though nothing has changed. But vaccinations.
They take time to take effect. My father still has to be cautious until next week for even partial immunity. So as yet, nothing has changed, which is why I am arguing to not waste everything we’ve done up to now by reopening too early when a very short while later the endgame will be beginning.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
Nationalism yes but freedom movements no. The line is often blurred but after the EU referendum I'd classify Scotland as a freedom movement. Their governance was changed against their will. No country should have to put up with that.
Oh dear another bit of Nat hypocrisy. The tendency to 'select the bits of history that make you feel good' is exactly what Scottish Nationalists do with regularity. Actually, strike "Scottish" and just leave it at "nationalists". Nationalism of all stripes selects the history it likes and burns the bits that don't fit the narrative. English nationalism, Russian nationalism, Scottish nationalism, Trumpism. Nasty rotten peas in the same pod.
You're just a hypocrite.
Everyone believes in a nation somewhere. You just believe it should be on a European level. You're no better than an English or Scottish nationalist.
Britain played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade at its peak, to our shame, and a grassroots and parliamentary campaign was also instrumental in its abolition - not only within the British Empire, but through our navy managed to suppress it and make it unviable for most other nations globally. Millions were enslaved and transported against their will, which is disgusting, and millions more would have been had we not.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
Historians specialise. It is not their job to provide balance. It is their job to present arguments and for others to decide. On slavery, some will focus on the role of the abolitionists; others will focus on the slavers; some will look at the abolition; others will look at the reparations paid to slave owners; and so on. That is exactly as it should be because it allows us to make our own judgments with as much information as possible. The problems arise when arguments are suppressed, when one side or the other claims that its version is the only true version there can be and that other versions are distortions. That is what we must guard against.
Yes, agreed - and I don't think historians should tempestuously call out other arguments as dishonest, conspiracy driven or dangerous.
I think there was a little of that in David Olusoga's post, who's not shy of advertising his politics and, sadly, it affects his objectivity at times.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
That's fair. I'd also note that most of the key work underpinning the mRNA vaccines was the contribution of recent immigrants to the US. Their openness and attraction to foreign talent is a great strength that they should not surrender.
Very much so. I’d love for the UK to have a good look at what makes the USA so attractive for scientists and entrepreneurs. UK has a great reputation for innovation - but much less of growing companies to exploit those innovations.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
Edit - of course, we don’t know that is what he’s going to do. There was one report in The Times, another in The Express, neither of which are exactly reliable. Several other papers, including the TES, are saying something else.
By that time (8th March) there will be a significant number of vaccinees. As with everything so far it is a balance. If it is perceived that the extra weeks of schooling in young children is vital, then the schools should open. If you think about it, at that age the lockdown has been immense. On and off 20% of your life if you are a five year old. Three weeks under such circumstances might be absolutely vital.
Your post reads as though nothing has changed. But vaccinations.
They take time to take effect. My father still has to be cautious until next week for even partial immunity. So as yet, nothing has changed, which is why I am arguing to not waste everything we’ve done up to now by reopening too early when a very short while later the endgame will be beginning.
Yes time, 3 weeks time.
The final vaccinations for the priority groups were done by 13 February.
It takes 3 weeks for the vaccination to become "live".
3 weeks from the 13th is 6 March.
8th March is based on that data. Data that has already happened.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
While that may be true, we can still acknowledge that the UK has many good qualities both culturally and politically and that the UK vaccine roll-out thus far has been truly world-beating.
Sure we can acknowledge it.
But to wank on about it morning, noon and night invites questions about the psychology of some posters.
In any case, our overall response to COVID pales in comparison to the countries in the Far East, who appear not to matter for some reason.
Would that be countries like China, who've developed several vaccines that only have 50-60% efficacy?
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
Edit - of course, we don’t know that is what he’s going to do. There was one report in The Times, another in The Express, neither of which are exactly reliable. Several other papers, including the TES, are saying something else.
By that time (8th March) there will be a significant number of vaccinees. As with everything so far it is a balance. If it is perceived that the extra weeks of schooling in young children is vital, then the schools should open. If you think about it, at that age the lockdown has been immense. On and off 20% of your life if you are a five year old. Three weeks under such circumstances might be absolutely vital.
Your post reads as though nothing has changed. But vaccinations.
They take time to take effect. My father still has to be cautious until next week for even partial immunity. So as yet, nothing has changed, which is why I am arguing to not waste everything we’ve done up to now by reopening too early when a very short while later the endgame will be beginning.
We're not planning to do anything next week. The country seems to be planning to send (some?) schools back on March 8th. Three weeks from now.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
That's fair. I'd also note that most of the key work underpinning the mRNA vaccines was the contribution of recent immigrants to the US. Their openness and attraction to foreign talent is a great strength that they should not surrender.
Very much so. I’d love for the UK ago look at what makes the USA so attractive for scientists and entrepreneurs, the UK has a great reputation for innovation - but much less of growing companies to exploit those innovations.
Historical openness to immigration + large internal market + large source of investor capital + lack of red tape.
In any case, our overall response to COVID pales in comparison to the countries in the Far East, who appear not to matter for some reason.
To be fair they were far better prepared for a pandemic at the outset because of SARS and bird Flu.
Yeah, but that doesn’t take away from their success.
Posters don’t seem to mention Israel much, or just seem to write them off as a small country.
It is very transparent, and sad, and the worst of it is that it masks the actual reality which is that we are running a very successful vaccine programme but are still in the early days of the most self-destructive foreign policy since Suez.
Ceteris paribus, our economic race car is suffering several punctures and no obvious source of fuel as we “race” out of the covid traps.
There's plenty of sources of fuel but there's none so blind as those who refuse to see.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You're being cretinous yourself. Or illiterate.
The entire premise of the article is that the EU won't fail too badly, because the UK and USA have led the way out of this pandemic and the EU will be able to benefit from our success.
The EU failing would be a bad thing, we don't want that. We want them to be able to catch up with us, its a shame they didn't do the right thing in the first place but we can show them the way out and they can follow us.
I've never expressed a desire for the EU to fail or collapse - although I have criticised them vociferously and argued for fundamental reform - so this looks like @Gardenwalker projecting to me.
He has his good days and bad days, just like most of us.
Oh dear. EU descending into Comical Ali levels of delusion now...
If “kowtowing to big pharma” means investing in vaccine production and making sure you’re first in the queue, then that’s exactly what everyone should have done!
(Ignore for a minute that AZ are doing the whole thing on a non-profit basis, for the good of humanity).
It's a load of crap on all levels.
In any event, national industrial strategies may be making a comeback. The US, for example, is becoming increasingly aware of its massive strategic weakness in chip manufacturing (in contrast to its great strength in chip design).
With the rise of China to great power economic status, at the same time as it descends back into a modern form of authoritarianism, relying on the international free market, and that alone, is becoming increasingly insecure.
It's actually an area I think the UK needs to start looking at too. Our reliance on Taiwan for silicon chips is becoming extreme and it might be time to start seriously considering what the future looks like with Taiwan under Chinese occupation and planning on that basis.
We've let graphene completely slip away from us, but there's still time to onshore it as it's so small right now.
The government really needs to figure out how to properly incentivise invesmtment in manufacturing of high margin goods based on IP developed in the UK. As a nation we're absolutely shit at doing it and our tax system incentivises companies to design amazing products and then licence those designs to foreign companies who benefit from the economic development that comes with actually making stuff.
It is one potential benefit of Brexit that I'd happily acknowledge. Thus far largely potential, though.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
While that may be true, we can still acknowledge that the UK has many good qualities both culturally and politically and that the UK vaccine roll-out thus far has been truly world-beating.
Sure we can acknowledge it.
But to wank on about it morning, noon and night invites questions about the psychology of some posters.
In any case, our overall response to COVID pales in comparison to the countries in the Far East, who appear not to matter for some reason.
Would that be countries like China, who've developed several vaccines that only have 50-60% efficacy?
You won’t ever catch me saying much good about China, who I regard as a global threat to democracy.
I was rather talking about Taiwan, Thailand, even Japan.
And about overall Covid measures, not vaccination.
Having said that, “the best vaccine is the one you’ve got” has been repeated several times on PB.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
I don't disagree with you. Is it confirmed that it will be a blanket return, or is phasing still an option?
We’ve had numerous different kites flown, so nobody knows. Apart from Johnson.
However, on the assumption he will do whatever will play well in the right wing press, will usually will be the stupidest option, I suspect he will go for the blanket return.
In which case we can only keep our fingers crossed the vaccine programme picks up sufficient pace to keep numbers under control when we do go back, but I’m not seeing it yet and given we’re already doing far better than any comparable nation it’s hard to see how it can be done.
Any news on Newcastle? I presume they’re staying remote for the rest of the year for law, but I haven’t heard for definite.
I did my undergraduate degree at Newcastle but I'm studying my law Masters at Northumbria. We keep being told that on-campus teaching will return in March, depending on government advice, but I'm not hopeful and to be honest I'm not that bothered – it makes sense to just have the rest of the academic year virtual as there's not that long left of it.
On the timetable: why not publicise the numbers they're looking for at each stage instead of a date?
Case numbers no higher than X while hospital numbers are no higher than Y and ICU numbers no higher than Z with vaccination down to Group whatever completed (and ALL four must be met) mean that we'll try [insert single relaxation; eg schools back] and watch how R changes for two weeks before [insert next step with same metrics].
The error of giving specific dates and then finding out that the virus doesn't care about published timetables wouldn't be repeated.
I agree. Catchy slogan: the timetable for easing restrictions will be set by the data, not by the date.
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
This argument is ridiculous. If schools reopen on the 8th then that will be because the data shows it's ok for schools to reopen on the 8th.
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
I'm not sure what other choice there is.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
There is always the choice to plan properly and make sure risk is minimised, possibly through rotas, possibly through a phased return, rather than just ‘it’s not as bad as it was so let’s just reopen all schools at once even though a blind semi-paralytic village idiot can see this is going to mean we must lock everything else down for longer.’
If we need to lock everything else down for longer then that's a price worth paying for children's education.
I want pubs open as much as the next person but schools come first.
It isn't a mistake, it is a deliberate choice to prioritise education.
If we can provide it, it will be. Although I would point out that, again, there are resources provided for home schooling (which in itself torpedoes the idea of shortening the summer holiday, as we will have worked out our contracted days) and the offering we had to make on the orders of the drug addled lying weirdos, ooops, DFE was a poor substitute for real education anyway. If, as seems possible, everyone has to wear masks to try and pretend places are safer, I’ll have to quit. With my deafness, it will make my job literally impossible.
What really and truly bugs me though is the thought that by shuttering schools on the 1st December we might have kept cases low enough to keep them open this term. And here we are doing the same thing again when another two weeks and it might all be over properly.
I'm surprised you're not already wearing masks. The teachers at my children's school are, or face shields. Its funny doing Zoom lessons with a teacher wearing a face shield.
I don't think the December thing would have made much difference either way given Cockney Covid and it wasn't known about at the time, now it is. By 8 March not only will all the vulnerable 1-4 groups have been vaccinated but more importantly the three weeks required for their vaccination to become "live" will have elapsed, plus prevalence will have been squished right down from the peak levels.
If that isn't sufficient to stop the NHS being overwhelmed, which was the idea of closing schools, then what will be?
Unless they are actual hazmat style masks with proper filters, they make next to no difference in a classroom setting of prolonged contact in an unventilated space. They are, as used in Scotland say, designed to show the government are mindful that it is a high risk environment and not to reduce risk.
I disagree about December. Cases were surging from November onwards but nothing more than a token effort was made to get things under control.
The whole schools system for this year has been shambolically planned and even more shambolically executed. It has cost lives. It should cost a number of fairly useless civil servants their jobs and their pensions. But it won’t, because in their smugness and complacency they still will never realise it’s all their fault.
Anyway, I need to go shopping, have a good morning.
The Johnson and Anglosphere worship is truly pathetic this morning.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
You’re allowed to hate Johnson, and hate Trump, but still acknowledge that the UK and USA have been by far the biggest contributors to getting the world out of this mess.
That's fair. I'd also note that most of the key work underpinning the mRNA vaccines was the contribution of recent immigrants to the US. Their openness and attraction to foreign talent is a great strength that they should not surrender.
Very much so. I’d love for the UK ago look at what makes the USA so attractive for scientists and entrepreneurs, the UK has a great reputation for innovation - but much less of growing companies to exploit those innovations.
Historical openness to immigration + large internal market + large source of investor capital + lack of red tape.
Comments
"10 YEARS IN JAIL, we are the toughest country in the world" is all this is designed to do. As quarantine its as utterly useless as not bothering.
I would like to see a statistical exercise carried out by professional statisticians based on comparison of excess deaths between countries (David Spiegelhalter would be absolutely great to lead this work).
What I don't want to see is Blog_Nutjob or Braindead_Journo doing the work sloppily and quickly.
Not in conjunction with Boris de Pfeffel, though I think Union Jack is referring to the name Johnson.
In any case I believe the fanbois have pronounced that BJ will now and forever be known as Boris.
If one harbours anywhere in one’s mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, although in a sense known to be true, are inadmissible. Here are just a few examples. I list below five types of nationalist, and against each I append a fact which it is impossible for that type of nationalist to accept, even in his secret thoughts:
British Tory: Britain will come out of this war with reduced power and prestige.
Communist: If she had not been aided by Britain and America, Russia would have been defeated by Germany.
Irish Nationalist: Eire can only remain independent because of British protection.
Trotskyist: The Stalin régime is accepted by the Russian masses.
Pacifist: Those who ‘abjure’ violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf.
All of these facts are grossly obvious if one’s emotions do not happen to be involved: but to the kind of person named in each case they are also intolerable, and so they have to be denied, and false theories constructed upon their denial.
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/notes-on-nationalism/
2. Its not as if Europe is short of rich countries. The idea that the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland etc are too wee and too poor to throw money at the problem is ridiculous.
I don't see why historians can't point out both sides of the ledger. My beef is with those who pick their stories selectively, usually to advance their own preferred politics today.
I think on balance our nations history has done more good than bad but it doesn't really make much difference either way. History is locked in, we should learn from it while also looking to the future.
The deal, as signed, does not work. Which is why Govey et al are now banging on about what they can do to get around it for Norniron. But its not just NI that has the problem...
We are pretty keen to get Y13 and Y11 in, not least so we can give them the mocks they were supposed to have had in January: at the moment any teacher based assessment is going to be little more than guesswork otherwise.
Companies that wanted to sell to the rest of the world have always done so but a lot of companies didn't simply because there wasn't the demand there to make it worthwhile
Brexit didn't fix those issues but that logic was too much for people who don't run businesses to understand.
https://twitter.com/SteveChalke/status/1360871825773895683
But unfortunately it looks to me as though Johnson is about to make the same mistake as before - do what plays well with his voters and potential voters in a day’s headlines, and not what would actually be the smart option in the medium term.
I think we'd have heard long ago if Mr J's Johnson was really a Lallans name (a la David Cameron proclaiming his Scots roots in 2013-2014).
(Ignore for a minute that AZ are doing the whole thing on a non-profit basis, for the good of humanity).
"A lot of thanks for this needs to go to the UK and US governments. Their willingness to back unproven technologies with big orders, and to encourage investment in manufacturing capability was exactly the right thing to do"
So did The Donald actually get something right????
It would though be the greatest win of all time, in the history of cricket. Quite a carrot to dangle....
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g644367-d13438967-Reviews-Alexander_III_of_Scotland_Memorial-Burntisland_Fife_Scotland.html#photos;aggregationId=101&albumid=101&filter=7&ff=468088543
It's a deliberate policy to give schools and parents weeks notice rather than change it on the drop of a pin.
The eighth isn't a random date it is a date based upon data.
The EU have a very clear, very public scale of alignment to access. The more you follow their rules, the easier it is to sell into their market. Cake and eat it depends on getting something that's off that scale, more access for less alignment. Whether that was by brilliant negotiation, them needing us, or God knows what.
That hasn't really happened. Has it? So the UK has options from here. As far as I can tell, they come in these categories;
One is to render the border frictions moot by some sort of technology. The tech clearly doesn't exist anywhere yet (case study: Switzerland). That doesn't mean it can't exist, but it is suggestive.
Another is a pretty swift reorientation of the UK's trade, so it doesn't matter if we collectively sell less into the EU. There was nothing stopping the UK selling round the world before, though. And some stuff (fresh shellfish, say) really depend on swift sales to keep their value. And that model implies a fair bit of destruction before any creation happens. Raab's request that we wait ten years before judging things is a non-starter, surely.
A third is to take the sovereign decision that, now the UK is securely planted outside the European stockade, we can voluntarily choose to align in ways that are in our sovereign interests, on our terms. Because if the UK is confident and secure in what it's doing, that's not a problem, is it?
OK, some sense so far...
"But, and there’s a very big but, the UK’s “success” is a really an illusion: because to be fully effective, the vaccine requires two doses. And only 0.80% of the UK population has received both shots, less than that of France (0.92%), and a long way behind Denmark, which has 2.87% of its population fully vaccinated."
Straight off the deep end.
There was of course plenty he screwed up, but “operation moonshot” for vaccine procurement was one of the good things to come out of the White House in the four years he was there
Alistair is the Anglicised spelling of the Gaelic name Alasdair, which is the translation of Alexander.
My mother kept on hinting that I should name my child with an Islamic/Pakistani name.
I really wasn't keen on her suggestion, so I decided on Alistair, which could be shortened to Ali, so everyone was happy.
(And you don't get snarls of praise from @YBarddCwsc very easily).
Both MattW's header yesterday and rcs1000's today have been really stimulating to read, and backed up by quantitive arguments, crisp writing & sharp insights.
The headers are persuasive advocates for the case for far fewer wordy lawyers
https://newsbook.com.mt/en/watch-malta-paying-e16-more-for-certain-covid-vaccine-doses-to-ensure-early-delivery-minister/
Coronavirus vaccines bought from a specific manufacturer are being sold to the country at €28 per dose instead of €12 to ensure delivery, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said during an interview on Newsbook.com.mt.
The finance minister explained that while certain manufacturers are selling the coronavirus vaccine at €12, Malta is paying more than double the price to ensure early delivery.
This is also being done to achieve herd immunity as early as possible by having individuals inoculated against the virus as early as possible.
There's a vid interview in, I assume, Maltese.
Boris Johnson is less Scottish than I am. At least I had two Scottish great grandparents.
I also had a Chinese grandmother. This does not make me Chinese.
My great-grandfather Admiral Palmer wrote an interesting book on his experiences which I've unsuccessfully tried to get republished with the beautiful paintings that I've inherited from him - the text is here:
https://archive.org/stream/kidnappinginsout00palmuoft/kidnappinginsout00palmuoft_djvu.txt
Briefly, he was (as then Captain of HMS Rosario) sent to the South Pacific to combat the slave trade and discovered that some of the settlers appeared to be collaborating with the NSW authorities to send slaves to the French colonies nearby. The settlers claimed that the natives were going voluntarily, but the book points to the manacles and other evidence on the ship used. After the book was published, the local authorities objected vehemently and persuaded the British Government to order him to apologise and pay damages; in return, they accepted that he'd acted in good faith and in due course promoted him. The book looks convincing to me, and I suspect that it was seen as politically inconvenient to embarass the NSW authorities.
Assuming that's the case, it's an interesting example of how far you can go if you're a serving officer and come across something that you think is wrong but your government would rather you didn't talk about. I think he was brave to try to challenge what was happening, though he followed orders in the end.
It was 17/1. Still skinny but a whole five extra runs. 😉
It’s never been done before, in over 2,000 Test matches.
Q: Why haven't we closed our border - people are bringing new pox strains into the UK?
A: "We have the toughest rules in the world!"
That the people going into quarantine have been free to infect all of the other people on the same flight and at the airport seems to be a rather stupid omission if the aim was actual virus control. So it can't be an actual plan to do so, which makes it a PR exercise only. Which means they're letting more people die again.
Come March cases are going to be really low in any case. We cant stay fully "locked down" just for the sake of it. There has to be *some* relaxation and it makes sense for it to be schools to begin with.
Johnson is a cretin, and five minutes ago the US was in the middle of an attempted coup d’etat by the worst President or its history.
As always for the incel crowd, it is not enough for Brexit to succeed, the EU must also fail.
And even then, given the way the umpires have been behaving, only maybe.
https://twitter.com/davekeating/status/1361242203834621958?s=21
I took him through about 3 cycles of typo correction and data changing, up to lunchtime on Sunday.
The entire premise of the article is that the EU won't fail too badly, because the UK and USA have led the way out of this pandemic and the EU will be able to benefit from our success.
The EU failing would be a bad thing, we don't want that. We want them to be able to catch up with us, its a shame they didn't do the right thing in the first place but we can show them the way out and they can follow us.
Edit - of course, we don’t know that is what he’s going to do. There was one report in The Times, another in The Express, neither of which are exactly reliable. Several other papers, including the TES, are saying something else.
I want pubs open as much as the next person but schools come first.
It isn't a mistake, it is a deliberate choice to prioritise education.
But to wank on about it morning, noon and night invites questions about the psychology of some posters.
In any case, our overall response to COVID pales in comparison to the countries in the Far East, who appear not to matter for some reason.
In any event, national industrial strategies may be making a comeback. The US, for example, is becoming increasingly aware of its massive strategic weakness in chip manufacturing (in contrast to its great strength in chip design).
CEOs Urge President Biden to Fund Chips, Executive Order Expected
https://www.eetimes.com/ceos-urge-president-biden-to-fund-chips-executive-order-expected/
With the rise of China to great power economic status, at the same time as it descends back into a modern form of authoritarianism, relying on the international free market, and that alone, is becoming increasingly insecure.
Your post reads as though nothing has changed. But vaccinations.
To then start to wax lyrical about U.K. “leading the world once more”, interspersed with paeans to our banning of the slave trade is another thing.
What really and truly bugs me though is the thought that by shuttering schools on the 1st December we might have kept cases low enough to keep them open this term. And here we are doing the same thing again when another two weeks and it might all be over properly.
I would recommend watching both Amistad (1997) and Amazing Grace (2007) for interesting films about the slave trade and the abolition movement. The former is particularly good because it shows how a few good men try to work realistically within "the system" to rid it of its worst evils.
A short clip of Captain Fitzgerald, who's a fervent abolitionist captain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmRyIrkDy40
I'd also note that most of the key work underpinning the mRNA vaccines was the contribution of recent immigrants to the US.
Their openness and attraction to foreign talent is a great strength that they should not surrender.
We've let graphene completely slip away from us, but there's still time to onshore it as it's so small right now.
The government really needs to figure out how to properly incentivise invesmtment in manufacturing of high margin goods based on IP developed in the UK. As a nation we're absolutely shit at doing it and our tax system incentivises companies to design amazing products and then licence those designs to foreign companies who benefit from the economic development that comes with actually making stuff.
However, on the assumption he will do whatever will play well in the right wing press, will usually will be the stupidest option, I suspect he will go for the blanket return.
In which case we can only keep our fingers crossed the vaccine programme picks up sufficient pace to keep numbers under control when we do go back, but I’m not seeing it yet and given we’re already doing far better than any comparable nation it’s hard to see how it can be done.
Any news on Newcastle? I presume they’re staying remote for the rest of the year for law, but I haven’t heard for definite.
The automakers’ chip shortage is mostly on themselves though, they cancelled a bunch of orders last year and messed up the lead times. They’re mostly low-value chips and on long leads, the chip manufacturers are all flat out with higher-value orders now and the carmakers have been frozen out. There will certainly be a push to onshore these things in future, with a new chip plant or two on US soil. One in the UK would be a good idea for the government to persue as well.
Posters don’t seem to mention Israel much, or just seem to write them off as a small country.
It is very transparent, and sad, and the worst of it is that it masks the actual reality which is that we are running a very successful vaccine programme but are still in the early days of the most self-destructive foreign policy since Suez.
Ceteris paribus, our economic race car is suffering several punctures and no obvious source of fuel as we “race” out of the covid traps.
But the facts are that by March a huge proportion of the most at risk people will have been vaccinated.
Much as I loathe (note: e) the fact that it is Steve Baker leading the charge, nevertheless he is broadly right. We want a government to help us back to some kind of normality, not one that seeks to eliminate two (albeit potentially horrible) weeks in bed for 20-50yr olds.
Otherwise in steady state non-virus times we should all have social distancing and anti-viral measures because at any time a horrible virus might emerge. Which indeed it did last year. And might again this year.
Edit: which is of course where @contrarian comes in!
I don't think the December thing would have made much difference either way given Cockney Covid and it wasn't known about at the time, now it is. By 8 March not only will all the vulnerable 1-4 groups have been vaccinated but more importantly the three weeks required for their vaccination to become "live" will have elapsed, plus prevalence will have been squished right down from the peak levels.
If that isn't sufficient to stop the NHS being overwhelmed, which was the idea of closing schools, then what will be?
I think there was a little of that in David Olusoga's post, who's not shy of advertising his politics and, sadly, it affects his objectivity at times.
The final vaccinations for the priority groups were done by 13 February.
It takes 3 weeks for the vaccination to become "live".
3 weeks from the 13th is 6 March.
8th March is based on that data. Data that has already happened.
We’re busy torching most of that.
He has his good days and bad days, just like most of us.
I was rather talking about Taiwan, Thailand, even Japan.
And about overall Covid measures, not vaccination.
Having said that, “the best vaccine is the one you’ve got” has been repeated several times on PB.
I disagree about December. Cases were surging from November onwards but nothing more than a token effort was made to get things under control.
The whole schools system for this year has been shambolically planned and even more shambolically executed. It has cost lives. It should cost a number of fairly useless civil servants their jobs and their pensions. But it won’t, because in their smugness and complacency they still will never realise it’s all their fault.
Anyway, I need to go shopping, have a good morning.