Rishi now leading Boris as “Most capable PM” – politicalbetting.com
Rishi now leading Boris as “Most capable PM” – politicalbetting.com
For ,me the poll finding of the day is this from Ipsos – a question that is rarely asked – Who would make the “most capable PM” when the options are the incumbent and his Chancellor.
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The EU are inept on the vaccines. Hard, as a remainer, to defend them.
Rishi is our next PM I suspect. Can’t see Boris going the full term.
Time for House of Lords to do its job of quietly fixing shite/dangerous Commons legislation?
Children are almost invulnerable to the virus. You're effectively killing or maiming large numbers of the middle aged, in order to marginally reduce the likelihood of virtually invulnerable eight year olds who have their schooling disrupted by self-isolation (if that's even deemed a necessary inconvenience by September.)
No, it looks more like the confidence in ample supply amongst some commentators has been overdone, and that the Government expects to enter a genuine bottleneck for a month (or more?) Of course, nobody is sure of the actual explanation because the useless idiots won't tell us.
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1372206458784337922?s=21
How would it work though? I thought it would only be possible to do so with social housing. Surely they can’t prevent people from buying houses and living where they like?
A wonderful rendition of Hallelujah by a little 10 yr old autistic girl from Northern Ireland first recorded a few yrs back. I think its mesmeric. The tune is the same, the words have been changed.
https://youtu.be/Bmx--WjeN7o
Touch of the scissors stone paper there.
One crumb of comfort: it is now reported that shielding will end in England on April 1st (in line with previous advice from Drakefordland.)
"Doctors fear Europe's Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine bans have 'cost lives' and could have consequences for the world"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-18/astrazeneca-vaccine-ban-costs-lives-as-europe-faces-another-wave/13255292?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
In the Ian Banks novel of that name, the totally progressive, hip, chilled out society of benevolent, bi-sexual space communists encounter something unique.
Something that re-introduces the concept of *scarcity*. In their society, this is a big deal since they can make almost anything at zero cost of production.
In about a nano-second, the God-like AIs that rule this society are fighting, lying, cheating, murdering and generally acting like monkeys in a salad bar...
The point being it's easy to be nice when life is easy.
The great philosopher John Whorfin said - "History is made at night. Character is what you are in the dark."
Perhaps he should have said "Character is what you are when the other monkey has the only banana".
Giving a first dose to two people instead of one was far more effective use of a limited resource, but due to differential risks giving a second dose to an 80 year old probably has more of an impact than a first to a healthy forty year old.
The all over 50s target looks like its been smashed with nearly a month to spare. Obviously the slots need booking in and doing, but could it just be a case of calming expectations for a couple of weeks while the second doses get ramped up?
Once the entire adult population has been inoculated then we should be more or less back to normal, and remaining incidence of the disease should be very greatly reduced. Any ongoing disruption to education caused by the odd Covid case in one school here and another there because kids haven't had the jab will presumably be a price worth paying to avoid piles of additional corpses.
That combination is illogical. The only thing that squares that circle is that anti-Tories, Labour voters etc are saying Sunak as an anti-Johnson vote, but saying Starmer against Sunak.
We are actually probably not that far away from 60% on that measure. 2 more weeks?
Getting back to normal is seen as unexpected now. But I really don't think it is that far away.
That was only Second Reading wasn't it? Most of the bill seems decent but that is dangerously illiberal. An MP rebellion leading leading to an amendment would be a good thing here before it even reaches the Lords - a rebellion doesn't even need to win, just be serious enough that a compromise amendment is reached.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fake_news_websites
and this appears to be an example - I've had a look through the Danish press and there's no reference to it. As you say, it wouldn't be very praft5ical, regardless of whether it was a good idea or not.
Disappointing of course that we can't keep first jabs at a similar rate, but I always thought that was optimistic (would require consistent supply of 5m+ per week). Instead, it seems we're taking a pause in moving down the age groups, focussing on delivering second jabs to the most vulnerable and catching up anyone missed. I don't think it will have a big impact on the end result, albeit I can understand being disappointed if you're 49.
As Moderna and Norovax supply comes in, the government can confidently provide all does to under 50s without potentially risking second doses for the more vulnerable. Plus, the second jabs needed in May will be lower as we had a relative lull over the last few weeks.
I still think everyone will be offered a first vaccination by the end of June at the latest. Don't panic.
https://twitter.com/europeelects/status/1372261995668443136?s=21
Discretion is the better part of valour here, not being useless.
In any case it doesn't look like the expected AZ shipment is arriving so it is academic, we're all going to get the new vaccines from May onwards. I'll put it to you, would you prefer to get one of the three other vaccines - Moderna, Pfizer or Novavax - which offer 90%+ efficacy with just a 2-4 week gap between doses or AZ which required a 12 week gap to reach the same level of efficacy? I know I'd much rather have one of the other three and then get my vaccine passport rather than be stuck waiting for 12 weeks.
The 12 week gap for Pfizer was put in place to protect the vulnerable from hospitalisation and death immediately, people under 50 aren't at risk of either so the JCVI can move back to not needing it. I'd rather not have to wait 12 weeks for both of my doses to get my vaccine passport, I'm sure you don't either.
I think your explanation is sound.
Previously, the EU had hopes of an Australia-EU deal that would be of moderate but reasonable ambition; a bit like CETA. Even post Brexit there was some hope that'd be prioritised over a Australia-UK deal because Single Market.
Now, a Australia-UK deal is steaming ahead, and likely to be far deeper in scope, whereas Australia increasingly couldn't give a toss about the EU - even if it foregos a bit of convenient market access in the process. Just not worth it.
Meanwhile the EU increasingly accommodates Russia and China, and pisses off its natural allies. If it carries on down its current path it will become an insular inward-looking bloc, which doesn't export any of its model, where its geopolitics are dictated by China and Russia, which is routinely circumvented by the USA and ignored by just about everyone else.
If it doesn't want that to happen it must stop the twattery and work constructively with the UK, and everyone else.
It's not so much a production issue for the active ingredient as it is everything else to do with it, glassware, fill and finish, bottle caps, all of this is in huge demand globally and it's led to shortages. That's what all of the vaccine makers are up against. Honestly it's a miracle we've done as many vaccinations as we have in this country. Until the VTF the UK was a non-entity for vaccines.
RISHI NOW LEADING BORIS AS “MOST CAPABLE PM” yells the header.
This is statistically illiterate.
Rishi 42 %, Boris 41 % is not a lead.
The error on each measurement exceeds the difference. The same is true of Rishi 39 %, SKS 37 %.
The only significant finding here is the 10 % gap between Boris and SKS. Boris 47 %, SKS 37 %.
It hurts, I know, but Boris has the beating of SKS. This poll confirms what a number of us have been saying.
I don't suppose Labour will listen, as usual.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/denmark-plans-to-limit-non-western-residents-in-disadvantaged-areas
My first thought when I heard the news was that again, we are pushing 'back to normal' back a bit further. It's been three or four months away since March last year. But if the situation is as the more level headed posters here say - MaxPB, I salute your indefatigability - then as a 45 year old, well, rather give the oldies their second jabs than give me my first. My parents are in their seventies ans statistically well over twice as vulnerable to it than me - I don't know quite where the balance lies but the priority has to get that generation fully protected. Anyway my wife has had her first jab - she was my main worry.
I still won't expect back to normal until we actually see it though!
Priti Patel eyes radical new plan to send future illegal Channel migrants OVERSEAS to nations such as Turkey to await processing if they arrive in the UK from countries deemed 'safe'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9373855/Priti-Patel-eyes-radical-new-plan-send-future-Channel-migrants-overseas.html
Separately, a Government source said supplies have been disrupted due to a range of ‘production issues’. The source revealed that this included the need to re-test a large batch of the vaccine, although they did not specify from which manufactuer.
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The fact we are having to import AZN from India suggests that UK production facility still isn't running smoothly.
It took 7 or 8 years before the electorate fell out of love with Tony.
This Guardian story on the slowdown has one hopeful element, tho it is generally negative
"Some vaccinations for people under 50 could potentially still go ahead from mid-April, when the UK is also expecting to start receiving supplies of the Moderna vaccine, subject to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approval process."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/nhs-covid-vaccine-rollout-under-50s-delayed-major-shortage
If that's what's happened then clearly events have conspired to derail the plan, but it doesn't mean that it wasn't worth trying.
When we take into account Moderna and Novavax arriving in April there is literally no need for this doom and gloom, the situation for under 50s remains unchanged.
150,000 first doses a day gets us to 32 million by the end of April which I think is broadly the G1-9 target.
So basically it's a combination of second doses catching up with us in large numbers and a supply squeeze back to ~ 3.5 million a week.
The same people panicking now, are the same people who considered getting half the adult population vaccinated by the middle of March inconceivable.
What's astonishing is that we are where we are, with little likelihood the virus will run out of control again, and with massive supplies of vaccines coming in the next few months.
I think some posters on this site are just addicted to bad news.
https://www.ft.com/content/c31bac51-d065-421f-a600-943c7356c2e2
Which is rather more than has been achieved in any single week.
So hardly a 'supply squeeze'.
There will be confidentiality clauses in the contracts, and the government will be keen to avoid breaking them.
I agree that we should probably still proceed quickly and we have all the systems in place and a willing population - surely the most important elements
Doomsday averted
However I can forgive anyone for lapsing into gloom and despair. We’ve all basically been in jail - an open prison - FOR A YEAR. For that same year we have seen promises offered then snatched away, lockdowns ending only to resume, viruses beaten only for new variants to confound us. And all of this played to a soundtrack of death, suffering, chaos, impoverishment and disease.
It’s been the worst year for humanity since the Second World War, and it now stretches into a 2nd year.
Feeling a bit blue, from time to time, is excusable
Was PM in waiting from 1994.
I reckon he would have won in 2010 too.
That life looks utterly inconceivable from still-wintry London, where everything and everywhere is shut. Now our vaccine supply looks iffy. And our neighbours, in Europe, are having a psychotic breakdown, threatening to steal what vaccines we DO have
We are allowed to be a little more anxious
Honestly, this feels like a manufactured panic, perfect timing as well to make it look like our vaccine scheme has also got some issues to the EU even though it hasn't really.
https://twitter.com/bopanc/status/1372185988190113795?s=20
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/17/welsh-goat-population-rockets-after-covid-cancels-contraception-drive
Just watched the first episode of the new season of The Good Doctor and it was all about Covid, set in the first few weeks of the crisis, it was very emotional because it is so very real and not abstract like it normally is. Felt emotionally draining by the end of the episode, wouldn't want to 'binge' a series like that, so no idea if the whole season and other shows like Grey's Anatomy etc will be all about Covid too?
How much exactly?
Given this lot's spaffing tendencies, the Turks will be rubbing their hands.
On the other hand, it could be worse. We could all be in Philadelphia
https://twitter.com/jackposobiec/status/1372317416638808084?s=21
"We are deeply saddened by the eu actions and while we could reciprocate by blocking raw material supplies we are a moral country that doesn't consider harming eu citizens is right just because their politicians wish to act like jilted lovers"