Also on 26 April, cafes, pubs and restaurants can open until 8pm indoors, but not serve alcohol. Outdoor drinking will be permitted until 10pm
Honestly, what's the point.
18th June 2021.
When Scotland play England in the football, surely they'd have to let fans drink in pubs to watch the match. I think that's due to be allowed in England by then.
So you have some petty quibbling and moralizing over not allowing drinking for less than two months.
Keep them closed if it's not safe. Let them trade freely once it is.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
We're being different in that we're being safe.
Safe from what though? The English plan is already extremely conservative with no meaningful indoor socialising until May 17th. This is just trying to be different and in the process having a bunch of unnecessary rules about closing times. Why bother open up indoor socialising in pubs if no booze can be served? Pubs may as well stay shut and collect the grant money and ensure their staff get furlough cash.
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Brilliant batting by Kohli. This is going to be seriously hard for England.
This should have been 130-140 and a walk in the park for England.
I remember from the first match that a team that loses 3 wickets in the power play loses more than 80% of the time. This just might prove an exception.
If India win from here it will be because of a match-winning performance from Kohli more than anything that's gone wrong from England (at least so far).
Heck even if England win, Kohli potentially should be Man of the Match. That was a tremendous knock.
Also on 26 April, cafes, pubs and restaurants can open until 8pm indoors, but not serve alcohol. Outdoor drinking will be permitted until 10pm
Honestly, what's the point.
18th June 2021.
When Scotland play England in the football, surely they'd have to let fans drink in pubs to watch the match. I think that's due to be allowed in England by then.
So you have some petty quibbling and moralizing over not allowing drinking for less than two months.
Keep them closed if it's not safe. Let them trade freely once it is.
Which is fair and agreeable. This isn't that though, it's asking them to open for indoor service until 8pm and not serve booze to indoor customers. It's senseless.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
Also on 26 April, cafes, pubs and restaurants can open until 8pm indoors, but not serve alcohol. Outdoor drinking will be permitted until 10pm
The indoor provision is effectively only of value to coffee shops. The outdoor provision comes a fortnight later than in England and is covered by a stupid curfew, even though Scotland's case rate is, AFAIK, still lower.
I'm assuming it's so that the Scottish Government can keep trading off its safety first reputation and portray the marginally more liberal approach in England as reckless. It doubtless also helps that the UK furlough scheme will keep on paying Scotland's hospitality workers to sit idle.
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Question. How do the Russians know that our SLBM is aimed at Raqqa and Moscow?
"In line with the Government’s manifesto position in favour of First Past the Post, which provides for strong and clear local accountability, and reflects that transferable voting systems were rejected by the British people in the 2011 nationwide referendum, the Home Office will work with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to change the voting system for all Combined Authority Mayors, the Mayor of London and PCCs to First Past the Post. This change will require primary legislation, which we will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows."
That's daft. The post, for FPTP, is 326 MPs. There isn't a post in individual constituencies. It's just whoever gets the most votes, wins. So to say an election with one single constituency is FPTP makes no sense.
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Question. How do the Russians know that our SLBM is aimed at Raqqa and Moscow?
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
I think it's pretty obvious that greater freedoms are being held back as a rabbit that Sturgeon can pull out of the hat nearer election time, don't you?
On the subject of heat pumps, does anyone know about the hybrid systems where you have a heat pump as well as a conventional boiler (which cuts in when more heat is needed)? Our house is a large Sussex farmhouse, with abysmal insulation, and with old radiators which would not be practical to change without gutting the place (and it's a listed building, so improving the insulation is not really practical either). We have an oil boiler which is fairly new and about as efficient as an oil boiler can be, but it's obviously expensive to run and produces a lot of C02. There's no mains gas here. We do have plenty of land which could be used for a ground-source heat pump.
I have been wondering whether a hybrid heat-pump system could be used to provide background heat, perhaps all day, with the oil boiler kicking in in the evenings and at particularly cold times. Any thoughts?
Just go for the heat pump and combine with a good thick woollie for the parky nights?
We already have good thick woolies for the parky nights! (And open fires and a wood burner).
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Question. How do the Russians know that our SLBM is aimed at Raqqa and Moscow?
No idea - didn't know they did?
Thats the point, and the reason why strategic weapons like Trident cannot be used to attack terrorists. Upon detection there is no difference between a strike on Raqqa and a strike elsewhere in that general area - such as Russia. Its not until the missiles are at the top of their boost phase that they would have more of an idea where it / they were going. By which point they may not have waited and instead launched their own counter-force strike.
Trident is literally useless. Even in a nuclear war the likely role of sub launch systems is to ride out the first attack wave so that a second strike capability remains.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Also on 26 April, cafes, pubs and restaurants can open until 8pm indoors, but not serve alcohol. Outdoor drinking will be permitted until 10pm
Honestly, what's the point.
18th June 2021.
When Scotland play England in the football, surely they'd have to let fans drink in pubs to watch the match. I think that's due to be allowed in England by then.
So you have some petty quibbling and moralizing over not allowing drinking for less than two months.
Keep them closed if it's not safe. Let them trade freely once it is.
Which is fair and agreeable. This isn't that though, it's asking them to open for indoor service until 8pm and not serve booze to indoor customers. It's senseless.
The petty quibbling and moralizing is from the temperance lobby that evidently exists in the Scottish government, not from you. Apologies for the lack of clarity on my part.
"In line with the Government’s manifesto position in favour of First Past the Post, which provides for strong and clear local accountability, and reflects that transferable voting systems were rejected by the British people in the 2011 nationwide referendum, the Home Office will work with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to change the voting system for all Combined Authority Mayors, the Mayor of London and PCCs to First Past the Post. This change will require primary legislation, which we will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows."
That's daft. The post, for FPTP, is 326 MPs. There isn't a post in individual constituencies. It's just whoever gets the most votes, wins. So to say an election with one single constituency is FPTP makes no sense.
Strange. Wasn’t aware that I was given a vote in 2011 against “transferable voting systems”. Just a choice of a change to another specific single voting system for elections in Westminster. Lucky I’ve now been put right as to what I voted for.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Remember - in England the lockdown release is being driven by public health needs and is a sensible transparent plan which has been clear since 23 Feb. In Scotland the release, like everything else, is driven for party political purposes by Sturgeon and her mob.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
If we're down to double figures per week then unlocking can be accelerated. Reacting to the state of the pandemic and acting accordingly makes sense. Setting a "freedom day" which will become immovable thanks to the pro-Tory whipping in the press makes no sense.
Shagger has no interest in public health, only headlines. He needed a "freedom day" to placate his rebels, make people feel good as they head to the polls and make himself look like our mate.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Haircuts do not seem to be something that will be of personal relevance to Johnson for much longer.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Remember - in England the lockdown release is being driven by public health needs and is a sensible transparent plan which has been clear since 23 Feb. In Scotland the release, like everything else, is driven for party political purposes by Sturgeon and her mob.
T'other way round love. Calling it "Freedom Day" is the giveaway as to the motivations of a now set in stone timetable.
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Question. How do the Russians know that our SLBM is aimed at Raqqa and Moscow?
Because that's where the Chinese virus a bod at the MOD downloaded with some porn has them pointed?
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Question. How do the Russians know that our SLBM is aimed at Raqqa and Moscow?
No idea - didn't know they did?
Thats the point, and the reason why strategic weapons like Trident cannot be used to attack terrorists. Upon detection there is no difference between a strike on Raqqa and a strike elsewhere in that general area - such as Russia. Its not until the missiles are at the top of their boost phase that they would have more of an idea where it / they were going. By which point they may not have waited and instead launched their own counter-force strike.
Trident is literally useless. Even in a nuclear war the likely role of sub launch systems is to ride out the first attack wave so that a second strike capability remains.
Trident is there to deter Putin, Xi, Jong Un and Iran, you can use cruise missiles and airstrikes on terrorists and terrorist bases
I assume they have more than the pics to verify the story but, in fairness, surely about 86% of men who have a beard and decide to get rid do briefly try the Hitler look in the bathroom mirror as part of the process?
You do take that golden opportunity to see how you look with a tash - be a damn fool not to - but speaking for myself it's not Adolf Hitler who you're mentally comparing yourself to when you do it. More likely to be Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Indeed. It's not at all clear to me what Rochdale considers safe to look like. Perhaps he can enlighten us? It does look like a case of Stockholm Syndrome from here, but I stand to be corrected.
"In line with the Government’s manifesto position in favour of First Past the Post, which provides for strong and clear local accountability, and reflects that transferable voting systems were rejected by the British people in the 2011 nationwide referendum, the Home Office will work with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to change the voting system for all Combined Authority Mayors, the Mayor of London and PCCs to First Past the Post. This change will require primary legislation, which we will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows."
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
If we're down to double figures per week then unlocking can be accelerated. Reacting to the state of the pandemic and acting accordingly makes sense. Setting a "freedom day" which will become immovable thanks to the pro-Tory whipping in the press makes no sense.
Shagger has no interest in public health, only headlines. He needed a "freedom day" to placate his rebels, make people feel good as they head to the polls and make himself look like our mate.
You're hopeless. I have no love for Boris or much of the government, I can recognise that the English unlockdown timetable is superior to the one just revealed by Sturgeon which has got people waiting two weeks longer for pubs to open for outdoor socialising, a 10pm closing time which we know made no difference last time it was tried (and in some circumstances made things worse as it caused a surge in public transport usage of drunk people), a completely pointless indoor opening that doesn't allow booze to be served indoors and no date for when the old normal returns.
You've let your hatred for Boris blind you to the fact that Scotland hasn't got a plan to return to the old normal, you're all going to be left chasing this unrealistic zero not-actually-zero COVID plan.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Remember - in England the lockdown release is being driven by public health needs and is a sensible transparent plan which has been clear since 23 Feb. In Scotland the release, like everything else, is driven for party political purposes by Sturgeon and her mob.
T'other way round love. Calling it "Freedom Day" is the giveaway as to the motivations of a now set in stone timetable.
Er no. Loving your new allegiance to Scotland and the SNP. I'm sure that will be as successful as your previous links with LAB and LD!
Green next for you - they have a much of a grasp of reality as you do.
I think it's a somewhat confused document that tries to do too much, and isn't easily laid out.
It basically tries to covers a British "global" policy for foreign affairs, environment, development, security and strategic threats, as well as a bit of science and technology development, but by trying to crowbar all of it into 100 pages glosses over some important subjects and doesn't really go into too much depth on anything, and the connectivity isn't obvious. I would have had a shorter strategy paper of 50 pages, and then detailed separate subsidiary strategies on each area; (1) Foreign Affairs , (2) security & defence, (3) development, (4) R&D and (5) industry etc.
It isn't really a defence review either - outside the nuclear deterrent, I couldn't see much on the Army, RAF or Royal Navy - and it just references spending & investment levels overall, and a few bullets. It mentions think-tanks, but not tanks. That suggests to me that final decisions haven't been taken in many areas yet.
Specific points:
1) Africa - it hat-tips we'll be particularly active in Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. It looks to me like it's about combatting Chinese influence "under the radar" in areas where it's trying to get its foot in the door, and also recognising it's ongoing poverty and huge population growth, together with climate change, could be a source of destabilisation to the European continent. 2) Forward basing - we will maintain forward bases in Oman, Singapore and Kenya (ME, Indo-Pacific and Africa) as well as expanding our defence staff budget & personnel. I presume this is to cement alliances and influence in these regions. This is on top of investing in the Cyprus SBAs. 3) Europe - mild dissing of the EU, IMHO, because it references all European countries individually by name, rather than the EU institutions (which will piss them off). This is precisely the same as we do for all other countries around the world in it. But they will notice.
The IDR was one of Dom C's babies for a long time, wasn't it? In which case, "a somewhat confused document that tries to do too much, and isn't easily laid out" is par for the course.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Haircuts do not seem to be something that will be of personal relevance to Johnson for much longer.
Loss of hair could well be a portent of loss of election.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Indeed. It's not at all clear to me what Rochdale considers safe to look like. Perhaps he can enlighten us? It does look like a case of Stockholm Syndrome from here, but I stand to be corrected.
I hope we can be unlocked faster than the proposed timetable. I have a busy life and increasingly busy work schedule to get on with so I have no interest in remaining locked down for syndrome reasons or other. My point is simply that setting arbitrary dates for political reasons rather than based on the science is how we got into the mess we did last year.
Unfortunately, positive tests (not cases) will probably rise today or tomorrow (thanks to a huge acceleration in testing), and that will be used by the Zero Covid psychopaths as evidence to delay the roadmap. You're going to be able to set your watch by them.
I don't really agree with you - we've been doing 1.5 million tests for a while now (at least a week). Yes we have had an apparent levelling off of the decrease in cases, but what new testing is going to be reported today?
POSITIVE TESTS
It looks to me that positive tests are going to show a small rise in the next few days, and that this will be leapt on by the 0CV19ers. It's just a guesstimate – we'll see.
The schools have been back a week and we have (as of yesterday)....
Indeed, we have seen dwindling falls. I expect positive tests (not cases, important difference) to show a notional week-on-week rise in the coming days. That's my reading of the trends. I might well be wrong and I hope very much that I am. An increase in positive cases is utterly meaningless when we are testing so many more per day –– yet it will be leapt upon by the Zero Covidians and parts of the media, who will deliberately conflate cases with positive tests. Mark my words.
Why are you so set on calling them positive tests rather than cases? How do you define a case? Are you concerned about false positives (there will be some at the rates we are testing)?
@TheScreamingEagles I had the Pfizer jab last week and yet Steve Bruce is still in a job. It really begs the question how effective these vaccines really are to be honest.
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Question. How do the Russians know that our SLBM is aimed at Raqqa and Moscow?
No idea - didn't know they did?
Thats the point, and the reason why strategic weapons like Trident cannot be used to attack terrorists. Upon detection there is no difference between a strike on Raqqa and a strike elsewhere in that general area - such as Russia. Its not until the missiles are at the top of their boost phase that they would have more of an idea where it / they were going. By which point they may not have waited and instead launched their own counter-force strike.
Trident is literally useless. Even in a nuclear war the likely role of sub launch systems is to ride out the first attack wave so that a second strike capability remains.
Trident is there to deter Putin, Xi, Jong Un and Iran, you can use cruise missiles and airstrikes on terrorists and terrorist bases
Yes, but Casino Royale's point was that it could be used on terrorist sites. It's not something I'd heard before, so I asked for clarification, and it would seem it cannot.
I really do not see the point of buying more warheads that we don't have a means of delivering, other than in a Domesday scenario. If that scenario happens, why will we care if we're firing 40 or 260 warheads? Altruistically, for the survival of any living creatures on the earth, surely 40 is preferable?
Also on 26 April, cafes, pubs and restaurants can open until 8pm indoors, but not serve alcohol. Outdoor drinking will be permitted until 10pm
Honestly, what's the point.
18th June 2021.
When Scotland play England in the football, surely they'd have to let fans drink in pubs to watch the match. I think that's due to be allowed in England by then.
So you have some petty quibbling and moralizing over not allowing drinking for less than two months.
Keep them closed if it's not safe. Let them trade freely once it is.
Which is fair and agreeable. This isn't that though, it's asking them to open for indoor service until 8pm and not serve booze to indoor customers. It's senseless.
The petty quibbling and moralizing is from the temperance lobby that evidently exists in the Scottish government, not from you. Apologies for the lack of clarity on my part.
Don't forget the alcohol free Scotch will be cheaper as it won't be subject to minimum pricing...
"In line with the Government’s manifesto position in favour of First Past the Post, which provides for strong and clear local accountability, and reflects that transferable voting systems were rejected by the British people in the 2011 nationwide referendum, the Home Office will work with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to change the voting system for all Combined Authority Mayors, the Mayor of London and PCCs to First Past the Post. This change will require primary legislation, which we will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows."
That's daft. The post, for FPTP, is 326 MPs. There isn't a post in individual constituencies. It's just whoever gets the most votes, wins. So to say an election with one single constituency is FPTP makes no sense.
I think they mean moving from things like STV and AV, with prefs and multi rounds, to a simple case of each voter ticks one candidate, then a tally and winner takes all. Most votes wins, end of, no need to get 50% or any of that business - FPTP.
Unfortunately, positive tests (not cases) will probably rise today or tomorrow (thanks to a huge acceleration in testing), and that will be used by the Zero Covid psychopaths as evidence to delay the roadmap. You're going to be able to set your watch by them.
I don't really agree with you - we've been doing 1.5 million tests for a while now (at least a week). Yes we have had an apparent levelling off of the decrease in cases, but what new testing is going to be reported today?
POSITIVE TESTS
It looks to me that positive tests are going to show a small rise in the next few days, and that this will be leapt on by the 0CV19ers. It's just a guesstimate – we'll see.
The schools have been back a week and we have (as of yesterday)....
Indeed, we have seen dwindling falls. I expect positive tests (not cases, important difference) to show a notional week-on-week rise in the coming days. That's my reading of the trends. I might well be wrong and I hope very much that I am. An increase in positive cases is utterly meaningless when we are testing so many more per day –– yet it will be leapt upon by the Zero Covidians and parts of the media, who will deliberately conflate cases with positive tests. Mark my words.
Why are you so set on calling them positive tests rather than cases? How do you define a case? Are you concerned about false positives (there will be some at the rates we are testing)?
Because positive tests are what is being measured, not cases.
Simply put that an increase in tests will increase the amount of positive tests.
So the skyrocketing testing numbers will lead to more positive tests that we would never have found or recorded, had schools not being testing on the level that they now are.
That's all fine. Expect the Zerocovidians will leap on any increase in the positive tests figure as cause to slow the roadmap, even though any increase will be compromised chiefly of asymptomatic cases that we'd otherwise be none the wiser about, as those carrying the virus (largely children) feel entirely fine and would never trouble the scorers.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Haircuts do not seem to be something that will be of personal relevance to Johnson for much longer.
Loss of hair could well be a portent of loss of election.
I've joked about Boris = Samson before, but the hair is such an important part of his brand that he needs to do something. And the Commons camera angles really don't help him.
But what does he do? If he goes for a Hauge look, he suddenly looks... tired, don't you think? But if he tries to cover it up, it risks playing into the "BoJo is a phoney" thing.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Indeed. It's not at all clear to me what Rochdale considers safe to look like. Perhaps he can enlighten us? It does look like a case of Stockholm Syndrome from here, but I stand to be corrected.
I hope we can be unlocked faster than the proposed timetable. I have a busy life and increasingly busy work schedule to get on with so I have no interest in remaining locked down for syndrome reasons or other. My point is simply that setting arbitrary dates for political reasons rather than based on the science is how we got into the mess we did last year.
From my reading of the numbers, the English dates are too conservative to be based on the science. The science would suggest early opening.
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Indeed. It's not at all clear to me what Rochdale considers safe to look like. Perhaps he can enlighten us? It does look like a case of Stockholm Syndrome from here, but I stand to be corrected.
I hope we can be unlocked faster than the proposed timetable. I have a busy life and increasingly busy work schedule to get on with so I have no interest in remaining locked down for syndrome reasons or other. My point is simply that setting arbitrary dates for political reasons rather than based on the science is how we got into the mess we did last year.
At this stage unlocking is made possible by vaccine-acquired immunity. There's no reason to micromanage rules for hospitality businesses in a repeat of the failed attempts last autumn to use such rules to keep R down.
Once enough people are vaccinated we should simply open things up. In stages, sure, but the petty rules serve no purpose.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Haircuts do not seem to be something that will be of personal relevance to Johnson for much longer.
Loss of hair could well be a portent of loss of election.
I've joked about Boris = Samson before, but the hair is such an important part of his brand that he needs to do something. And the Commons camera angles really don't help him.
But what does he do? If he goes for a Hauge look, he suddenly looks... tired, don't you think? But if he tries to cover it up, it risks playing into the "BoJo is a phoney" thing.
Tricky.
He could always go for a gloriously unrealistic Fabricant style syrup.
FPT @Luckyguy1983 - You can. We could have used a sub-strategic strike - a single warhead, with a substantially reduced yield of just a few kilotons, for example - on ISIL HQ in Raqqa or nearby if they had detonated a dirty bomb on British soil, or threatened to do so.
You may be right, though I can see few circumstances where we would use Trident to flatten ISIS, when we would certainly be slaughtering several hundred innocents (at least) at the same time.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Question. How do the Russians know that our SLBM is aimed at Raqqa and Moscow?
They probably got the contract to fit out the ultra secure briefing room, too...
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Indeed. It's not at all clear to me what Rochdale considers safe to look like. Perhaps he can enlighten us? It does look like a case of Stockholm Syndrome from here, but I stand to be corrected.
I hope we can be unlocked faster than the proposed timetable. I have a busy life and increasingly busy work schedule to get on with so I have no interest in remaining locked down for syndrome reasons or other. My point is simply that setting arbitrary dates for political reasons rather than based on the science is how we got into the mess we did last year.
At this stage unlocking is made possible by vaccine-acquired immunity. There's no reason to micromanage rules for hospitality businesses in a repeat of the failed attempts last autumn to use such rules to keep R down.
Once enough people are vaccinated we should simply open things up. In stages, sure, but the petty rules serve no purpose.
Yeah but in his world anything that Boris does is immediately bad and anything that Sturgeon does must be right. I honestly don't understand the closing time rules at all, we tried it and it was a disaster of trains chock full of drunk people not wearing masks or social distancing at 10:05pm.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Haircuts do not seem to be something that will be of personal relevance to Johnson for much longer.
Loss of hair could well be a portent of loss of election.
I've joked about Boris = Samson before, but the hair is such an important part of his brand that he needs to do something. And the Commons camera angles really don't help him.
But what does he do? If he goes for a Hauge look, he suddenly looks... tired, don't you think? But if he tries to cover it up, it risks playing into the "BoJo is a phoney" thing.
Tricky.
He could always go for a gloriously unrealistic Fabricant style syrup.
The sort of lie that's so blatant that nobody can accuse you of dissembling?
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Haircuts do not seem to be something that will be of personal relevance to Johnson for much longer.
Loss of hair could well be a portent of loss of election.
I've joked about Boris = Samson before, but the hair is such an important part of his brand that he needs to do something. And the Commons camera angles really don't help him.
But what does he do? If he goes for a Hauge look, he suddenly looks... tired, don't you think? But if he tries to cover it up, it risks playing into the "BoJo is a phoney" thing.
Tricky.
In a pinch, Boris can always have new hair implanted. Bit trickier to implant Starmer with a personality though...
As far as I can tell the Scottish unlocking roadmap doesn't have any provision for meetings of more than 8 people/3 households, outside, even into June. That seems...crazy. Someone tell me I'm misunderstanding, please?
Unfortunately, positive tests (not cases) will probably rise today or tomorrow (thanks to a huge acceleration in testing), and that will be used by the Zero Covid psychopaths as evidence to delay the roadmap. You're going to be able to set your watch by them.
I don't really agree with you - we've been doing 1.5 million tests for a while now (at least a week). Yes we have had an apparent levelling off of the decrease in cases, but what new testing is going to be reported today?
POSITIVE TESTS
It looks to me that positive tests are going to show a small rise in the next few days, and that this will be leapt on by the 0CV19ers. It's just a guesstimate – we'll see.
The schools have been back a week and we have (as of yesterday)....
Indeed, we have seen dwindling falls. I expect positive tests (not cases, important difference) to show a notional week-on-week rise in the coming days. That's my reading of the trends. I might well be wrong and I hope very much that I am. An increase in positive cases is utterly meaningless when we are testing so many more per day –– yet it will be leapt upon by the Zero Covidians and parts of the media, who will deliberately conflate cases with positive tests. Mark my words.
Why are you so set on calling them positive tests rather than cases? How do you define a case? Are you concerned about false positives (there will be some at the rates we are testing)?
Because positive tests are what is being measured, not cases.
Simply put that an increase in tests will increase the amount of positive tests.
So the skyrocketing testing numbers will lead to more positive tests that we would never have found or recorded, had schools not being testing on the level that they now are.
That's all fine. Expect the Zerocovidians will leap on any increase in the positive tests figure as cause to slow the roadmap, even though any increase will be compromised chiefly of asymptomatic cases that we'd otherwise be none the wider about, as those carrying the virus (largely children) feel entirely fine and would never trouble the scorers.
Fair enough but any positive test is still a case. Your issue is about comparing week on week, and that's absolutely fair that we should consider the number of tests done too. For what its worth i sense that those making the decisions do understand this, and in any case positives tests/cases have not increased by any amount since the ramp in testing. Hold your nerve (I'm holding mine...)
Scotland miles ahead of England on indoor pubs. The Sturge strikes back!
Doesn't seem like there's a freedom day in Scotland though, just a date for moving to level 1 restrictions which still has some measures in it. 17th May seems significant in Scotland with mixed household indoor socialising but it's limited to 4 people rather than 6 like we're going to get in England 2 days later. The 10pm and 8pm curfews as well as substantial meal rules are the worst though. Glad Boris didn't bring them back.
Honestly, it feels like being different for the sake of it.
You answered your question with the first line - there is no "freedom day" because such a thing is driven by politics and not public health. Phasing us all back in slowly so that we don't have a repeat of last year is sensible plan. Rushing towards a "freedom day" where people get to celebrate by saying they will vote Tory and by eating out (British produce only) to help out is not driven by the science.
By then we'll be in double figures per week deaths, almost no active cases in hospital and few to no new cases. You're another one of these people who has got lockdown Stockholm syndrome. We have to move on from this and by mid June it would now be a big shock if all adults haven't had their first dose and well over 70% have had both.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
Indeed. It's not at all clear to me what Rochdale considers safe to look like. Perhaps he can enlighten us? It does look like a case of Stockholm Syndrome from here, but I stand to be corrected.
I hope we can be unlocked faster than the proposed timetable. I have a busy life and increasingly busy work schedule to get on with so I have no interest in remaining locked down for syndrome reasons or other. My point is simply that setting arbitrary dates for political reasons rather than based on the science is how we got into the mess we did last year.
At this stage unlocking is made possible by vaccine-acquired immunity. There's no reason to micromanage rules for hospitality businesses in a repeat of the failed attempts last autumn to use such rules to keep R down.
Once enough people are vaccinated we should simply open things up. In stages, sure, but the petty rules serve no purpose.
Yeah but in his world anything that Boris does is immediately bad and anything that Sturgeon does must be right. I honestly don't understand the closing time rules at all, we tried it and it was a disaster of trains chock full of drunk people not wearing masks or social distancing at 10:05pm.
It's quite clear in England!
No artificial curfews in pubs. 12 April = outside. 17 May = inside.
As far as I can tell the Scottish unlocking roadmap doesn't have any provision for meetings of more than 8 people/3 households, outside, even into June. That seems...crazy. Someone tell me I'm misunderstanding, please?
You aren't, but apparently it's super duper safe and people in Scotland love being told how they can live their lives indefinitely.
As far as I can tell the Scottish unlocking roadmap doesn't have any provision for meetings of more than 8 people/3 households, outside, even into June. That seems...crazy. Someone tell me I'm misunderstanding, please?
The world does not yet exist after the May elections. It will be reset at Year Zero when Nicola gets her majority.
What we need is to get Ford to make EV engines in the UK, diesel will be gone in 10 years.
Ford expect Diesel engines in commercial vehicles to be around slightly longer.
I think the market will say otherwise, the cost of EVs is falling rapidly, the TCO of EVs will begin to become competitive with diesel and operators are rational and will move over to EVs much sooner than the likes of Ford and VW are hoping.
I don't understand why city buses are still mostly diesel. I'd've thought it'd be very cheap to put in charging wires at termini and strategic portions of roads along the main routes, along the model of newer tram systems (like the new Birmingham tram extension).
Funny how 20 overs a side seemed like an awful lot when playing in the under-13s team.
Jos is looking like he fancies this one.
When I played 20 overs cricket midweek leagues in the 80's over 100 was good score. When the pro's started doing it, it showed how we should have played all along...
"In line with the Government’s manifesto position in favour of First Past the Post, which provides for strong and clear local accountability, and reflects that transferable voting systems were rejected by the British people in the 2011 nationwide referendum, the Home Office will work with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to change the voting system for all Combined Authority Mayors, the Mayor of London and PCCs to First Past the Post. This change will require primary legislation, which we will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows."
That's daft. The post, for FPTP, is 326 MPs. There isn't a post in individual constituencies. It's just whoever gets the most votes, wins. So to say an election with one single constituency is FPTP makes no sense.
I think they mean moving from things like STV and AV, with prefs and multi rounds, to a simple case of each voter ticks one candidate, then a tally and winner takes all. Most votes wins, end of, no need to get 50% or any of that business - FPTP.
Well yes. But my point is they are using the wrong term for that. There is no post to be first past.
As far as I can tell the Scottish unlocking roadmap doesn't have any provision for meetings of more than 8 people/3 households, outside, even into June. That seems...crazy. Someone tell me I'm misunderstanding, please?
You aren't, but apparently it's super duper safe and people in Scotland love being told how they can live their lives indefinitely.
If nothing else seems quite incompatible with the hopes of having crowds at Hampden for the Euros that month that the SG said just recently they still hoped for, so something seems bonkers there.
You can get a haircut in Wales right now. You'll be able to get one in Scotland very soon. But here in England we have to wait until 12th April and even this is not 100% certain. What has Boris Johnson got against haircuts? Why are they being treated like a pawn in some game where only he and a small group of insiders know the rules?
Haircuts do not seem to be something that will be of personal relevance to Johnson for much longer.
Loss of hair could well be a portent of loss of election.
I've joked about Boris = Samson before, but the hair is such an important part of his brand that he needs to do something. And the Commons camera angles really don't help him.
But what does he do? If he goes for a Hauge look, he suddenly looks... tired, don't you think? But if he tries to cover it up, it risks playing into the "BoJo is a phoney" thing.
Tricky.
He could always go for a gloriously unrealistic Fabricant style syrup.
As far as I can tell the Scottish unlocking roadmap doesn't have any provision for meetings of more than 8 people/3 households, outside, even into June. That seems...crazy. Someone tell me I'm misunderstanding, please?
You aren't, but apparently it's super duper safe and people in Scotland love being told how they can live their lives indefinitely.
If they don't like it they could always vote for someone else in May.
I did like Jasmine Murphy's observation: Must be a slow news day when cost budgeting makes the entertainment section
Look on the bright side Eagles you could be sat in Frankfurt now knowing youre at the back of the queue for jabs and unable to sneak back for a freedom fix in Blighty
Unfortunately, positive tests (not cases) will probably rise today or tomorrow (thanks to a huge acceleration in testing), and that will be used by the Zero Covid psychopaths as evidence to delay the roadmap. You're going to be able to set your watch by them.
I don't really agree with you - we've been doing 1.5 million tests for a while now (at least a week). Yes we have had an apparent levelling off of the decrease in cases, but what new testing is going to be reported today?
POSITIVE TESTS
It looks to me that positive tests are going to show a small rise in the next few days, and that this will be leapt on by the 0CV19ers. It's just a guesstimate – we'll see.
The schools have been back a week and we have (as of yesterday)....
Indeed, we have seen dwindling falls. I expect positive tests (not cases, important difference) to show a notional week-on-week rise in the coming days. That's my reading of the trends. I might well be wrong and I hope very much that I am. An increase in positive cases is utterly meaningless when we are testing so many more per day –– yet it will be leapt upon by the Zero Covidians and parts of the media, who will deliberately conflate cases with positive tests. Mark my words.
Why are you so set on calling them positive tests rather than cases? How do you define a case? Are you concerned about false positives (there will be some at the rates we are testing)?
I'm with Anabobazina here. A case used to have a very specific meaning - broadly, it was symptomatic enough to seek medical attention. Therefore, asymptomatic, or mildly symptomatic, positive tests are not the same as cases. (Not least because the former include false positives, but that is a side issue.) This is relevant because there has been confusion between the Case Fatality Rate and the Infection Fatality Rate. The CFR is how many people who become ill die; the infection is how many people who might test positive die. If 1% of infections result in deaths, that is clearly a lot more worrying than 1% of cases resulting in deaths. There was a lot of confusion between the two in the early months of the pandemic, and being clear about what we mean helps.
I did like Jasmine Murphy's observation: Must be a slow news day when cost budgeting makes the entertainment section
Look on the bright side Eagles you could be sat in Frankfurt now knowing youre at the back of the queue for jabs and unable to sneak back for a freedom fix in Blighty
Well I get to spend my Brexit bonus at the end of the month so thank you every one of you Brexiteers.
Comments
When Scotland play England in the football, surely they'd have to let fans drink in pubs to watch the match. I think that's due to be allowed in England by then.
So you have some petty quibbling and moralizing over not allowing drinking for less than two months.
Keep them closed if it's not safe. Let them trade freely once it is.
I am not anti-nuclear - I am in favour of keeping the capability, but it is a farce to have a strategic nuclear deterrent that is dependent upon an entirely different country, 'special relationship' or not. I would hate having an EU-wide nuclear deterrent on our soil too, but I cannot deny that it would actually have more sense (were we still members) than one we effectively share with the US. This feels like doubling down on additional expensive garments that the courtiers can pretend are covering the Emperor's wobbly bits.
Heck even if England win, Kohli potentially should be Man of the Match. That was a tremendous knock.
I'm assuming it's so that the Scottish Government can keep trading off its safety first reputation and portray the marginally more liberal approach in England as reckless. It doubtless also helps that the UK furlough scheme will keep on paying Scotland's hospitality workers to sit idle.
The post, for FPTP, is 326 MPs. There isn't a post in individual constituencies. It's just whoever gets the most votes, wins. So to say an election with one single constituency is FPTP makes no sense.
It does seem as though you think there won't ever be a return to the old normal, maybe in Scotland that will be the case, I don't know. I'm glad to have politicians here who are ready to live with COVID turning into the new flu and otherwise we just get on with life as we used to with no stupid social distancing and limited group sizes for gatherings.
English standards have clearly changed a bit over the years.
Wales again extended it's lead on vaccinations. Wonder if they'll open up early after all...
Trident is literally useless. Even in a nuclear war the likely role of sub launch systems is to ride out the first attack wave so that a second strike capability remains.
Imagine trying to make the case for Rejoin now...
Shagger has no interest in public health, only headlines. He needed a "freedom day" to placate his rebels, make people feel good as they head to the polls and make himself look like our mate.
LOL German Health Minister now blaming Macron for AZ vaccination fiasco
Theres an outside chance some heads might roll
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/astrazeneca-impfungen-gestoppt-macron-folgt-impfkurs-von-spahn-17247894.html
You've let your hatred for Boris blind you to the fact that Scotland hasn't got a plan to return to the old normal, you're all going to be left chasing this unrealistic zero not-actually-zero COVID plan.
Green next for you - they have a much of a grasp of reality as you do.
The Tory candidate will point at the various local jobs announcements and ask "Do you want some of this"
In which case, "a somewhat confused document that tries to do too much, and isn't easily laid out" is par for the course.
(Their first European EV factory will be in Cologne.)
I really do not see the point of buying more warheads that we don't have a means of delivering, other than in a Domesday scenario. If that scenario happens, why will we care if we're firing 40 or 260 warheads? Altruistically, for the survival of any living creatures on the earth, surely 40 is preferable?
Simply put that an increase in tests will increase the amount of positive tests.
So the skyrocketing testing numbers will lead to more positive tests that we would never have found or recorded, had schools not being testing on the level that they now are.
That's all fine. Expect the Zerocovidians will leap on any increase in the positive tests figure as cause to slow the roadmap, even though any increase will be compromised chiefly of asymptomatic cases that we'd otherwise be none the wiser about, as those carrying the virus (largely children) feel entirely fine and would never trouble the scorers.
But what does he do? If he goes for a Hauge look, he suddenly looks... tired, don't you think? But if he tries to cover it up, it risks playing into the "BoJo is a phoney" thing.
Tricky.
Once enough people are vaccinated we should simply open things up. In stages, sure, but the petty rules serve no purpose.
Pathetic.
That could work.
No artificial curfews in pubs. 12 April = outside. 17 May = inside.
Thanks for your replies to my question about 5 year stats. Interesting insights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War
Rebekah Vardy's £900K Legal Budget Branded 'Grotesque' By Coleen Rooney's Barrister
A judge has called on both Coleen and Rebekah to rethink their "extraordinarily large" budgets.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/coleen-rooney-rebekah-vardy-wagatha-christie_uk_60507f9ec5b685610fd24bd5
I did like Jasmine Murphy's observation: Must be a slow news day when cost budgeting makes the entertainment section
It seems like prime rule no. 1 for ignoring.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/covid-19-cinq-questions-sur-le-variant-breton-20210316
https://twitter.com/jdportes/status/1371855090634657797
A case used to have a very specific meaning - broadly, it was symptomatic enough to seek medical attention.
Therefore, asymptomatic, or mildly symptomatic, positive tests are not the same as cases. (Not least because the former include false positives, but that is a side issue.)
This is relevant because there has been confusion between the Case Fatality Rate and the Infection Fatality Rate. The CFR is how many people who become ill die; the infection is how many people who might test positive die. If 1% of infections result in deaths, that is clearly a lot more worrying than 1% of cases resulting in deaths.
There was a lot of confusion between the two in the early months of the pandemic, and being clear about what we mean helps.
I don't think it justifies suspending the vaccine, but still.
(Note cerebral thrombosis is a known consequence of Covid.)
https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1371828269406904323