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McConnell’s impeachment move means Trump looks set to serve a full term and there’ll be no President

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  • eekeek Posts: 29,737
    Scott_xP said:
    Yep because they had never run a business that was strangled by the red tape that existed 30 years ago.
  • MortimerMortimer Posts: 14,188

    Google Drive otoh does have those associated tools.
    Yeh people tell me this. I've just used dropbox pro for so long now that the cost (both in time, money and knowledge) is too big to move on from.
  • rkrkrkrkrkrk Posts: 8,636
    Mortimer said:

    People keep saying this, but.....

    I haven't heard of any grumbling from supermarket workers (c/f teachers) and people don't spend much time in any one place next to another individual.

    I just don't see why so many people are scared of supermarkets. I was using them throughout in the first wave (sans mask) and not a problem. Ditto everyone else I know...
    Mixing of households indoors is not a great combo IMO.
    I've switched to online ordering and tbh click and collect is way more convenient anyway.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705
    Phil, Lucky

    Just a thought - it is becoming transparently obvious that Brexit is proving (so far) to be pretty bad for fisherfolk of this country (UK).

    There are many examples you have been given from industry bodies to The Daily Jingo Express.

    So I think it's fair to say, for UK fishing, for now, it's a shitshow.

    I don't see the big problem in accepting this. Omelettes and eggs spring to mind and fishermen? Who the hell cares, right?

    It's the fact that you continue to see no ships when the whole Spanish and French navies are lined up against you that is undermining your medium term Brexit a triumph narrative (and don't forget how Trafalgar turned out so don't be scared to admit temporary defeat).
  • MortimerMortimer Posts: 14,188

    Quite a few people have gone down with covid at the missus's workplace. During the first wave, they were the sociable ones - members of choirs, party animals, etc. - but those that caught it during the second wave all caught it off their kids.
    Exactly the same for my circle. Add international business travellers and that was the sum total of people I knew. This time, every single one has been working from home and has kids who were at school.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 38,120
    https://twitter.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1349709676431204352

    Trump will have had a bigger crowd than Biden, but can't Tweet about it.

    Sweet...
  • eek said:

    Next months battle over school meals has been announced already

    Free school meals will not be extended to England's poorest pupils this half term, see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55663564

    They will, they just have to wait, first for Rashford to humiliate the govt, then the repeated denials that the govt will u-turn and finally a sheepish u-turn. The u-turn is usually directly after they put Shapps up as he is the last one able to keep a straight face whilst holding the govt line.

    Quite why all this pantomime is needed during a pandemic I am unsure, but at least it is preferable to the US version.
  • Of course he is. In his own terms he is being very witty.

    The fact that he couldn't give a flying f*ck for the fishermen whose livelihood have been ruined is also plainly obvious.
    But by and large the fishing industry voted for Brexit, didn't it? So I guess they appreciate the compensating factors.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,809

    That's right but it'll never happen; Trump really won is the last article of faith left to Trump and his acolytes.

    Some Trumpers interviewed on R4 just now: no one is giving credit to Trump for the good things he did, the rioters are responsible for their own actions, Biden isn't thinking about me. The stench of self pity and exculpation was overpowering. The idea that people who campaigned for the last 4 years on scorn and contempt and rage should now be given the benefit of the doubt would test even a fuckin saint, and they're in short supply.
    I bet Hillary looks back on her "basket of deplorables" description with a feeling of bitter regret. At the time it seemed one of the great speeches - I certainly thought so - but it looks very different now. Talk about cravenly pulling your punches in order not to offend.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,570

    They will, they just have to wait, first for Rashford to humiliate the govt, then the repeated denials that the govt will u-turn and finally a sheepish u-turn. The u-turn is usually directly after they put Shapps up as he is the last one able to keep a straight face whilst holding the govt line.

    Quite why all this pantomime is needed during a pandemic I am unsure, but at least it is preferable to the US version.
    Tradition is very important.
  • "This is a common Brexit-bashing trope I know , but the extent to which this is a return to the 1970s cannot be overstated.

    This is people in booths, shuttling bits of paper between desks, getting this process working well, will rely on relationships, insider knowledge and money"

    And

    "I reread the UK-side traders bible the Border Operating Model. There is no reference to these key real world issues, hardly any references to 'CHEDs' at all and no major talk of the role of the customs agent,"
  • MortimerMortimer Posts: 14,188
    rkrkrk said:

    Mixing of households indoors is not a great combo IMO.
    I've switched to online ordering and tbh click and collect is way more convenient anyway.
    But you're not mixing households for more than seconds.

    The one that still gets me is the concern about fomites. I have friends bleaching everything they buy from supermarkets.....
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,819
    eek said:

    Given that they are presenting evidence with figures to go along their statements why isn't it gospel?
    RT frequently provide figures to back up their stories, but you don't treat anything printed there as gospel, you treat it as propaganda from the mouthpiece of Putin. We take the figures and evidence that says what you want it to say.

    By the way, I'm not denying that transitioning from the EU to no EU has caused kinks for exporters, and that these kinks are not particularly difficult for exporters of freshly caught fish. There are valid questions to be asked to both the UK and Scottish Governments about why preparations were not better, given that an exit from the single market and customs union was baked in regardless of the deal or no deal outcomes. However, we are not asking those tough questions when it all becomes an agenda-driven rant about Brexit.

  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,279
    Mortimer said:

    But you're not mixing households for more than seconds.

    The one that still gets me is the concern about fomites. I have friends bleaching everything they buy from supermarkets.....
    It`s the aerosol risk in supermarkets I suppose, especially at checkout. Not fomites, I agree.
  • MortimerMortimer Posts: 14,188
    edited January 2021
    Stocky said:

    It`s the aerosol risk in supermarkets I suppose, especially at checkout. Not fomites, I agree.
    Yes checkouts are the only point I'd be even slightly concerned, but tbh then you should still be far enough away - but self service is pretty good now in all the ones around here.

  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,546
    Stocky said:

    It`s the aerosol risk in supermarkets I suppose, especially at checkout. Not fomites, I agree.
    All the supermarkets round here have perspex screens around their checkouts.*

    I would have thought the bigger risk is people touching and replacing items. That would be the obvious fomite.

    *Unfortunately this system is impractical in schools, although I can think of a few children who would be much improved by putting a perspex screen around them, preferably a soundproofed one.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 19,161

    They will, they just have to wait, first for Rashford to humiliate the govt, then the repeated denials that the govt will u-turn and finally a sheepish u-turn. The u-turn is usually directly after they put Shapps up as he is the last one able to keep a straight face whilst holding the govt line.

    Quite why all this pantomime is needed during a pandemic I am unsure, but at least it is preferable to the US version.
    They're all Utd supporters at the DfE, and they can see how humiliating the government into repeated u-turns has spurred Rashford into leading the team back to the top of the table.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737

    RT frequently provide figures to back up their stories, but you don't treat anything printed there as gospel, you treat it as propaganda from the mouthpiece of Putin. We take the figures and evidence that says what you want it to say.

    By the way, I'm not denying that transitioning from the EU to no EU has caused kinks for exporters, and that these kinks are not particularly difficult for exporters of freshly caught fish. There are valid questions to be asked to both the UK and Scottish Governments about why preparations were not better, given that an exit from the single market and customs union was baked in regardless of the deal or no deal outcomes. However, we are not asking those tough questions when it all becomes an agenda-driven rant about Brexit.

    Oh we are asking - but the Government won't provide an answer because Boris has timed everything so Covid can take the blame.
  • RT frequently provide figures to back up their stories, but you don't treat anything printed there as gospel, you treat it as propaganda from the mouthpiece of Putin. We take the figures and evidence that says what you want it to say.

    By the way, I'm not denying that transitioning from the EU to no EU has caused kinks for exporters, and that these kinks are not particularly difficult for exporters of freshly caught fish. There are valid questions to be asked to both the UK and Scottish Governments about why preparations were not better, given that an exit from the single market and customs union was baked in regardless of the deal or no deal outcomes. However, we are not asking those tough questions when it all becomes an agenda-driven rant about Brexit.

    Why couldn't they prepare for something that doesn't work? Perhaps they should have paid more attention to the official UK government Border Operating Plan manual. Which says virtually nothing about the processes on the EU side of the border which sinks our exports.

    That these EU process for 3rd countries have been in place for a long time, and that the UK government explicitly insisted that we become a 3rd country makes it clear the blame is on the Scottish government and their allegedly paid lackeys.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,823

    One bump in the road i can foresee is when we get around to the bulk 2nd doses in 3 months, we need to have enough supply of pfizer for all those who had it first time around. That really is in the hands of Pfizer being able to deliver.

    I would imagine the plan is to stop using the Pfizer doses once we hit 20m and then rely on AZ, Moderna and J&J for first jabs after that and then get going with second doses for all of the Pfizer recipients.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,795
    Mortimer said:

    People keep saying this, but.....

    I haven't heard of any grumbling from supermarket workers (c/f teachers) and people don't spend much time in any one place next to another individual.

    I just don't see why so many people are scared of supermarkets. I was using them throughout in the first wave (sans mask) and not a problem. Ditto everyone else I know...
    I'm not scared of them at all, and use them regularly. Nor am I advocating their foreclosure. Simply that this idea of Lockdown +++ or whatever is ridiculous, given that a major vector like supermarkets remain open. Why not bookstores? etc etc.

    All I am saying (probably not very well) is that these threats of extra lockdown measures seem to ignore the fact that hundreds of people can go shopping in Sainsbury's, because of course the virus cannot spread in supermarkets.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,809

    Absolutely. Spot on.

    Vallance had a staggering stat to share on Peston last night - you only need to vaccinate 20 care home residents to save one life.

    You need to vaccinate 50,000 under-50s to save one life.

    Quite the stat.
    It is, but I think there might be more to it. Vax 50k under-50s to save one of their lives, yes. But doing this also (probably) stops them - the 50k - infecting X number of other people and some of those X are thus saved too. As are some of the Y who would have been infected by the X. Etc. Is this not how it goes with our insidious friend Covid?
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,823

    Hmm, that doesn't look that brilliant to me. I seem to remember seeing a graph posted here indicating that the first Pfizer shot reduced the chances of getting covid by 90% after 10 days or so. Here, they seem to be saying that it's more like 50% (or possibly 33%, or 60%) after 14 days. That doesn't sound particularly good to me.
    The key measure right now isn't the infection rate, it's hospitalisations and that has reduced by over 90% from day 15 onwards. Doesn't matter if people get mild or no symptoms after a single jab because they are much less likely to end up clogging up the NHS.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,819
    TOPPING said:

    Phil, Lucky

    Just a thought - it is becoming transparently obvious that Brexit is proving (so far) to be pretty bad for fisherfolk of this country (UK).

    There are many examples you have been given from industry bodies to The Daily Jingo Express.

    So I think it's fair to say, for UK fishing, for now, it's a shitshow.

    I don't see the big problem in accepting this. Omelettes and eggs spring to mind and fishermen? Who the hell cares, right?

    It's the fact that you continue to see no ships when the whole Spanish and French navies are lined up against you that is undermining your medium term Brexit a triumph narrative (and don't forget how Trafalgar turned out so don't be scared to admit temporary defeat).

    I think that's a fairly simple mischaracterisation of my view. I think it would be astonishing if there were not issues when leaving an organisation like the EU. We were part of this for 47 years. And I think fishing has undoubtedly been at the sharper end.

    That doesn't mean I don't think that the problems are being magnified, and potentially even worsened by the Scottish Government pursuing an anti-Brexit agenda and using its appointees to do the same. They were given signicant funds to prepare for Brexit, and even clawed back some of the Covid-19 funds they received to deal with Brexit. It's hard to see what they've done with that money, apart from push videos wailing about it on Twitter. Which I suppose is what you get when you elect a campaign group rather than a Government.
  • mwadamsmwadams Posts: 3,771
    Mortimer said:

    Exactly the same for my circle. Add international business travellers and that was the sum total of people I knew. This time, every single one has been working from home and has kids who were at school.
    Anecdata from me. The people I know personally fall into two categories: the ones who continued to use London public transport to travel into the office unnecessarily, despite my best efforts to dissuade them; and those who caught it from someone they live with who has done something obviously stupid (e.g. "gone on a lunch date with friends, one of whom was infected")

    Although people at my daughter's school have caught it through that vector (according to school comms), I'm lucky that no-one I know personally has been infected in that way; partly because she and lots of her peers have been kept out of school somewhat ahead of the official government closures.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,795
    kinabalu said:

    It is, but I think there might be more to it. Vax 50k under-50s to save one of their lives, yes. But doing this also (probably) stops them - the 50k - infecting X number of other people and some of those X are thus saved too. As are some of the Y who would have been infected by the X. Etc. Is this not how it goes with our insidious friend Covid?
    Sure, of course, and that's right. Unless you vaccinate all of the vulnerable groups first –which is of course what we are trying to do. I just thought it was a great stat that put the risk profile in sharp relief.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    "A regional breakdown of England's vaccines rollout shows the Midlands leading the way in the number of jabs administered, while London has the lowest vaccination rate."

    https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-more-than-2-3m-vaccine-jabs-given-across-england-as-midlands-leads-the-way-12187569
  • "This is a common Brexit-bashing trope I know , but the extent to which this is a return to the 1970s cannot be overstated.

    This is people in booths, shuttling bits of paper between desks, getting this process working well, will rely on relationships, insider knowledge and money"

    And

    "I reread the UK-side traders bible the Border Operating Model. There is no reference to these key real world issues, hardly any references to 'CHEDs' at all and no major talk of the role of the customs agent,"
    Sounds like a teething issue then, the kind of disruption I expected full well.

    People didn't plan for these CHEDs, don't have them, so its causing issues. They'll need to sort this out and that should deal with it and life will move on.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,921
    edited January 2021

    Has DuraAce been taking a bus out for a spin?

    https://twitter.com/P_Andy_Lucas/status/1349688962579914753?s=19

    Caused by the muppet in the grey car...

    We've got more snow than that here. I hope the delivery van does better.
  • NerysHughesNerysHughes Posts: 3,375
    My wife is doing a 4 hour shift at a vaccination centre this afternoon. I have asked her to count how many she does in that time period
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737

    Why couldn't they prepare for something that doesn't work? Perhaps they should have paid more attention to the official UK government Border Operating Plan manual. Which says virtually nothing about the processes on the EU side of the border which sinks our exports.

    That these EU process for 3rd countries have been in place for a long time, and that the UK government explicitly insisted that we become a 3rd country makes it clear the blame is on the Scottish government and their allegedly paid lackeys.
    We don't seem to have done the appropriate fact finding missions to find out how the borders with Norway and elsewhere work in practice - partly I suspect as none of the borders represented our plans so therefore weren't relevant.

    Of course now we have more paperwork because we didn't do that research and didn't identify where the pain was.

  • glwglw Posts: 10,366
    Andy_JS said:

    "A regional breakdown of England's vaccines rollout shows the Midlands leading the way in the number of jabs administered, while London has the lowest vaccination rate."

    https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-more-than-2-3m-vaccine-jabs-given-across-england-as-midlands-leads-the-way-12187569

    I've already heard this described as a postcode lottery, when all it really shows is that different parts of the country have different demographics, facilities, and needs. I'd be worried if we were trying to do exactly the same thing everywhere, as that would almost certainly be a slower and worse way of using the available vaccine.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705

    I think that's a fairly simple mischaracterisation of my view. I think it would be astonishing if there were not issues when leaving an organisation like the EU. We were part of this for 47 years. And I think fishing has undoubtedly been at the sharper end.

    That doesn't mean I don't think that the problems are being magnified, and potentially even worsened by the Scottish Government pursuing an anti-Brexit agenda and using its appointees to do the same. They were given signicant funds to prepare for Brexit, and even clawed back some of the Covid-19 funds they received to deal with Brexit. It's hard to see what they've done with that money, apart from push videos wailing about it on Twitter. Which I suppose is what you get when you elect a campaign group rather than a Government.
    I would be interested to understand what they could have done.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,795
    Leon said:

    I don't even understand this – who is this guy? So what?
  • TOPPING said:

    I would be interested to understand what they could have done.
    They could have warned about CHEDs and warned the fishermen to get this sorted as it would be needed. They didn't, so it seems they didn't see it coming either.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,546
    Andy_JS said:

    "A regional breakdown of England's vaccines rollout shows the Midlands leading the way in the number of jabs administered, while London has the lowest vaccination rate."

    https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-more-than-2-3m-vaccine-jabs-given-across-england-as-midlands-leads-the-way-12187569

    Midlands has surely got an older population than London? Can think of lots of people who retired to Staffordshire from the Smoke (sell that mid-size that needs a bit of work for a huge sum, live like a king in a gorgeous house in Lichfield for the rest of your life.)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,797


    I don't even understand this – who is this guy? So what?
    Just a UKIP guy who forgot to log off his porn account before sending a screengrab tweet. Poor chap has now deleted his entire account.

    Not the greatest story of the day, or even the hour, but hey. It’s lockdown. Everyone is bored

    *goes back to look at porn*
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737

    They could have warned about CHEDs and warned the fishermen to get this sorted as it would be needed. They didn't, so it seems they didn't see it coming either.
    But CHEDs may not have been necessary - remember we didn't know what the deal covered until December 24th
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705

    They could have warned about CHEDs and warned the fishermen to get this sorted as it would be needed. They didn't, so it seems they didn't see it coming either.
    At what point were CHEDs confirmed as being required?
  • rkrkrkrkrkrk Posts: 8,636
    edited January 2021
    Mortimer said:

    But you're not mixing households for more than seconds.

    The one that still gets me is the concern about fomites. I have friends bleaching everything they buy from supermarkets.....
    Don't agree actually. COVID lingers in the air indoors - potentially for a long time depending on the ventilation. And you're spending what 20-30minutes inside shopping where perhaps hundreds of poeple have passed? I think it's a risk that's definitely smaller than bars or schools, but probably the major transmission during lockdown.
  • Head....desk...thud....thud...thud...

    BBC News - India's Kumbh Mela festival begins amid Covid concerns
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-55657711
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 38,120

    Which I suppose is what you get when you elect a campaign group rather than a Government.

    As happened at Westminster
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,503
    edited January 2021
    Wales starting to move with vaccinations, significantly up over the past 2-3 days.

    Public Health Wales is now also providing daily updates of the number of people who have had a vaccine, which currently stands at 112,973.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295

    My wife is doing a 4 hour shift at a vaccination centre this afternoon. I have asked her to count how many she does in that time period

    That would be useful information to know.
  • gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362
    kle4 said:

    I can never tell if hes in on the joke of his manner or not.
    That’s got to be a deep fake, a spoof. He didn’t actually stand there and say that?
  • eek said:

    But CHEDs may not have been necessary - remember we didn't know what the deal covered until December 24th
    The advice was to prepare for WTO. That means prepare for everything, if it isn't needed then so be it you can cancel that preparation. Are CHEDs needed for WTO? If so, they should have been prepared for.

    I always thought things like this would end up overlooked in the real world, hence Iwhy I expected disruption in January. C'est la vie.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    There are 3.4 million over 80s and the majority of Covid deaths are in that category, so this looks very promising.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,279
    ydoethur said:

    Midlands has surely got an older population than London? Can think of lots of people who retired to Staffordshire from the Smoke (sell that mid-size that needs a bit of work for a huge sum, live like a king in a gorgeous house in Lichfield for the rest of your life.)
    Lichfield though
  • anothernickanothernick Posts: 3,591
    edited January 2021
    MaxPB said:

    I would imagine the plan is to stop using the Pfizer doses once we hit 20m and then rely on AZ, Moderna and J&J for first jabs after that and then get going with second doses for all of the Pfizer recipients.
    One if the board members at my employer is a prominent consultant and his view is that the timing of the second dose can be stretched much further. The only reason that the trials were done with a 3-4 week gap is because the whole vaccine development programme was compressed into the shortest possible time, normally a booster vaccine would be given after a much longer interval - sometimes years - after the first dose. And a longer interval, he says, is likely to produce a better overall result.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    edited January 2021

    Sure, of course, and that's right. Unless you vaccinate all of the vulnerable groups first –which is of course what we are trying to do. I just thought it was a great stat that put the risk profile in sharp relief.
    A cost-benefit analysis based on treatments per effect (benefit vs adverse side effect) is the best measure to use. Although in this case perhaps a better measure than lives saved might be years of life saved.

    Is saving a 90-year-old with 3 months life expectancy really the same as saving a 25 year-old with a young family and 60 years life expectancy?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,819

    Why couldn't they prepare for something that doesn't work? Perhaps they should have paid more attention to the official UK government Border Operating Plan manual. Which says virtually nothing about the processes on the EU side of the border which sinks our exports.

    That these EU process for 3rd countries have been in place for a long time, and that the UK government explicitly insisted that we become a 3rd country makes it clear the blame is on the Scottish government and their allegedly paid lackeys.
    It just 'doesn't work' eh - odd then how the EU manages to be a net importer of fish (from outside the EU for avoidance of doubt), importing around 26 billion euros worth a year: https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/5-external-trade_en



    Strange how the impenetrable European single market that we clearly never should have left doesn't seem to trouble fishermen in Vietnam, India or America. They just seem to manage.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705

    The advice was to prepare for WTO. That means prepare for everything, if it isn't needed then so be it you can cancel that preparation. Are CHEDs needed for WTO? If so, they should have been prepared for.

    I always thought things like this would end up overlooked in the real world, hence Iwhy I expected disruption in January. C'est la vie.
    Would love to see how you walk out the door on a fine summer's day. Galoshes and souwester at the ready.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,819
    Scott_xP said:

    As happened at Westminster
    Fair comment - and I didn't really rate Leave.EU as a campaign group tbh...
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,921
    edited January 2021
    Andy_JS said:

    That would be useful information to know.
    If spread betting, I'd go for just under 500, unless there are breaks within the 4 hour shift.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,809
    Mortimer said:

    People keep saying this, but.....

    I haven't heard of any grumbling from supermarket workers (c/f teachers) and people don't spend much time in any one place next to another individual.

    I just don't see why so many people are scared of supermarkets. I was using them throughout in the first wave (sans mask) and not a problem. Ditto everyone else I know...
    It's pretty simple, I think. Take me as an illustration of the thoughts of millions. I know the new variant is very catching and potentially very nasty. I really don't want it. So I minimize my risk by staying at home or if I go out staying outdoors and well away from people. Except for the one and only time I can't stick to this. Going to a supermarket. It might be (per visit) low risk but I'll have to do it many many times before I'm jabbed. And even then, yes, cumulatively a small risk but my ONLY risk. Therefore I'm apprehensive each time.
  • EndillionEndillion Posts: 4,976
    Andy_JS said:

    "A regional breakdown of England's vaccines rollout shows the Midlands leading the way in the number of jabs administered, while London has the lowest vaccination rate."

    https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-more-than-2-3m-vaccine-jabs-given-across-england-as-midlands-leads-the-way-12187569

    Mr Khan is doing a lot of performative footstamping on various media about how awful it is that London is lagging behind the rest of the country (despite the reasons being obvious, ie demographics). Opinion in the comments is divided as to whether this serves us Londoners right for electing a Tory PM, or a Labour Mayor.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737

    The advice was to prepare for WTO. That means prepare for everything, if it isn't needed then so be it you can cancel that preparation. Are CHEDs needed for WTO? If so, they should have been prepared for.

    I always thought things like this would end up overlooked in the real world, hence Iwhy I expected disruption in January. C'est la vie.
    So you make approximately £1000 profit from a shipment. CHEDS are paperwork that cost £600 and result in delays that mean your shipment sells for £500 less when it arrives

    Do you close the business down before January 2021 or see if you can survive long enough that few competitors give up / go bankrupt first?
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    edited January 2021

    One if the board members at my employer is a prominent consultant and his view is that the timing of the second dose can be stretched much further. The only reason that the trials were done with a 3-4 week gap is because the whole vaccine development programme was compressed into the shortest possible time, normally a booster vaccine would be given after a much longer interval - sometimes years - after the first dose. And a longer interval, he says, is likely to produce a better overall result.
    I think it is very much dependent upon the particular virus. And, in my lifetime, the advice on boosters for, e.g. tetanus, has changed more than once. In truth, we are still learning and all knowledge is provisional.
  • pingping Posts: 3,805
    edited January 2021
    Uganda elections;

    No opinion polls as far as I can see & no betting markets.

    I’d tissue;

    M7 1/10
    Bobi Wine 10/1

    Anyone else paying attention?
  • TOPPING said:

    Would love to see how you walk out the door on a fine summer's day. Galoshes and souwester at the ready.
    This may surprise you but I keep a raincoat on a hook by the front door even during the summer. I don't take it if I don't need it but if its raining, I take the coat, I don't think "nobody warned me it might be raining during the summer, now I need to source a coat" - I already have one ready in case its needed.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,546
    gealbhan said:

    That’s got to be a deep fake, a spoof. He didn’t actually stand there and say that?
    According to Hansard, he did.

    https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-01-14/debates/40543e5e-5804-4257-9d7f-51f53b4a1981/CommonsChamber

    He reminds me of a former principal of mine (and physically resembles him too). Very arrogant, very pompous, full of heavy handed and somewhat inappropriate humour and totally unable to relate to people around him.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737
    Scott_xP said:
    Once again, one half doesn't know what the other half is doing and doesn't have the phone number of the person who can resolve the problem.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705
    edited January 2021

    If spread betting, I'd go for just under 500
    At my mother's (her again!) local hospital vaccine centre they were doing 350 a day a fortnight ago and were expecting to ramp up the following week (1st week of Jan) to 500.

    This was with immediate registration on entrance, waiting 1 min, then 3 min assessment filling in the forms online with one doctor (nurse? not sure), 1 min waiting, 2 mins with the doctor (they had several rooms each with a doctor in) who assessed her in person and administered the jab, and waiting the 15 minutes marshalled by one orderly.

    While we were there (22 mins! :smile: ) there was minimal waiting and there were about 5-10 people at any one time in the 15 minute waiting area.

    Let someone on PB disaggregate that and work out likely vaccination rates.

    Edit: they seemed very not busy but it could easily have been very good planning for throughput.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,819
    TOPPING said:

    I would be interested to understand what they could have done.
    Quote from the story:

    Checks in Scotland are performed by Scottish Government agencies, and Jimmy Buchan of the Scottish Seafood Association said that a check that should take no more than one hour “is taking nearly five hours.”

    He added: “The problem is definitely in Scotland, at the hubs prior to dispatch. It’s the one thing that we have continuously asked Government, are they ready? They kept asking us, were we ready? And we are ready, but it appears that Government are not.”


    At the very unsophisticated end of things, employ more staff to speed the checking process initially?
  • eek said:

    So you make approximately £1000 profit from a shipment. CHEDS are paperwork that cost £600 and result in delays that mean your shipment sells for £500 less when it arrives

    Do you close the business down before January 2021 or see if you can survive long enough that few competitors give up / go bankrupt first?
    You react to the market conditions depending upon your own circumstances. Free market in action.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    kinabalu said:

    It's pretty simple, I think. Take me as an illustration of the thoughts of millions. I know the new variant is very catching and potentially very nasty. I really don't want it. So I minimize my risk by staying at home or if I go out staying outdoors and well away from people. Except for the one and only time I can't stick to this. Going to a supermarket. It might be (per visit) low risk but I'll have to do it many many times before I'm jabbed. And even then, yes, cumulatively a small risk but my ONLY risk. Therefore I'm apprehensive each time.
    And what really is the cost of wearing a mask and planning your shopping a tiny bit so that you can complete it more quickly with just one pass through the aisles? It is such a minor inconvenience, it boggles my mind that there is such resistance to it.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737

    Quote from the story:

    Checks in Scotland are performed by Scottish Government agencies, and Jimmy Buchan of the Scottish Seafood Association said that a check that should take no more than one hour “is taking nearly five hours.”

    He added: “The problem is definitely in Scotland, at the hubs prior to dispatch. It’s the one thing that we have continuously asked Government, are they ready? They kept asking us, were we ready? And we are ready, but it appears that Government are not.”


    At the very unsophisticated end of things, employ more staff to speed the checking process initially?
    The checks have to be done by qualified vets. Any ideas where to find qualified vets at zero notice?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,809
    Scott_xP said:
    Yes, I understand that Marcus had a word with Johnson today. Told him the score.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,546
    eek said:

    Once again, one half doesn't know what the other half is doing and doesn't have the phone number of the person who can resolve the problem.
    Given the number of chaotic u-turns I'm increasingly wondering if actually there's a secret clause in this Deal that reactivates our EU membership in three months.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,823

    One if the board members at my employer is a prominent consultant and his view is that the timing of the second dose can be stretched much further. The only reason that the trials were done with a 3-4 week gap is because the whole vaccine development programme was compressed into the shortest possible time, normally a booster vaccine would be given after a much longer interval - sometimes years - after the first dose. And a longer interval, he says, is likely to produce a better overall result.
    Yes, I was speaking to an expert on this for work and they suggested the same thing, a 9-12 week gap may actually give a much better immune response but given the time constraints in the trial additional gaps weren't tested.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,546
    kinabalu said:
    Something like 6-0, isn't it?
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737
    edited January 2021
    MaxPB said:

    Having another look at European vaccine stats, I think Denmark have hit the supply wall and Italy are about to hit it. One of the most striking things is that the rate in most countries is constant, there doesn't seem to be any urgency to ramp up quickly as there very obviously is in the UK. I don't know what kind of pressure the German or other European governments are being put under to speed up the process but it is considerable over here with almost every other question for ministers, scientists and the PM being a reformulated version of "why is this happening so slowly?".

    As someone suggested yesterday or the day before, not being able to blame the EU in this matter has made Westminster politicians accountable to the people. Were we in the EU scheme it would be a simple case of "not our fault guv" which I think is happening all across Europe right now.

    Isn't it more there is only a limited supply to go around Europe and we have a large proportion of that supply at the moment due to being quicker to get organized.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 4,505

    You react to the market conditions depending upon your own circumstances. Free market in action.
    Classic "nothing to do with me mate"
  • eek said:

    The checks have to be done by qualified vets. Any ideas where to find qualified vets at zero notice?
    Why is it zero notice? They knew that this was coming years ago. They were told to prepare for WTO terms months ago. Why are they only now dealing with it.

    Explains why the bulk of the complains are coming from Scottish fishermen.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705

    This may surprise you but I keep a raincoat on a hook by the front door even during the summer. I don't take it if I don't need it but if its raining, I take the coat, I don't think "nobody warned me it might be raining during the summer, now I need to source a coat" - I already have one ready in case its needed.
    What about galoshes?
  • gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362

    You react to the market conditions depending upon your own circumstances. Free market in action.
    These Brexit costs to business, making the whole country and everyone of us poorer, would you call it friction?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,819
    eek said:

    The checks have to be done by qualified vets. Any ideas where to find qualified vets at zero notice?
    Where does the zero notice come in? We're talking about preparation. Under the Brexit deal, they are allowed to check one or two samples and let it go. They are choosing at the moment to check the whole batch as a cautionary measure - OK fine. That is their choice, and would have been the case in no deal, so they've had since the WDA was published to put this in place.
  • TOPPING said:

    What about galoshes?
    Considering I don't own any and have never used them in my life and had to just Google to find out what they are - I am going to say that I won't use them in the summer, no.
  • gealbhan said:

    These Brexit costs to business, making the whole country and everyone of us poorer, would you call it friction?
    Yes.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,809
    TOPPING said:

    Would love to see how you walk out the door on a fine summer's day. Galoshes and souwester at the ready.
    I'm afraid there were few who realized, as you and eye did from the get go, that a No Deal WTO outcome was never never never in this world going to transpire.
  • Sounds like a teething issue then, the kind of disruption I expected full well.

    People didn't plan for these CHEDs, don't have them, so its causing issues. They'll need to sort this out and that should deal with it and life will move on.
    So a system where to be able to import things into the EU far slower than before each individual business will need to spend the time and money building a business relationship with customs agents in France so that they can move the paperwork through.

    And you think that's fine.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705

    Considering I don't own any and have never used them in my life and had to just Google to find out what they are - I am going to say that I won't use them in the summer, no.
    What if we get a typical summer downpour placing your shoes at risk of getting soaked?
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 54,552

    Head....desk...thud....thud...thud...

    BBC News - India's Kumbh Mela festival begins amid Covid concerns
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-55657711

    The number in 2019 was 120 million were expected to attend.

    That Venn diagram of Covid, religion and stupidity......
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited January 2021

    So a system where to be able to import things into the EU far slower than before each individual business will need to spend the time and money building a business relationship with customs agents in France so that they can move the paperwork through.

    And you think that's fine.
    Yes.

    Not ideal but if that's what the French insist upon and you want to export to France then deal with it. 🤷🏻‍♂️
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 43,705

    Where does the zero notice come in? We're talking about preparation. Under the Brexit deal, they are allowed to check one or two samples and let it go. They are choosing at the moment to check the whole batch as a cautionary measure - OK fine. That is their choice, and would have been the case in no deal, so they've had since the WDA was published to put this in place.
    https://lmgtfy.app/?q=How+long+does+it+take+to+train+a+vet

  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,279
    edited January 2021
    ydoethur said:

    All the supermarkets round here have perspex screens around their checkouts.*

    I would have thought the bigger risk is people touching and replacing items. That would be the obvious fomite.

    *Unfortunately this system is impractical in schools, although I can think of a few children who would be much improved by putting a perspex screen around them, preferably a soundproofed one.
    There is lots of evidence now that transmission by fomite is low risk (link below). And in the unlikely event that you pick virus up by touching something it will likely result is a low dose only of a denatured pathogen.

    Screens protect against large droplet transmission, but don`t give much protection against aerosols.

    That`s my understanding anyway.

    https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30678-2/fulltext
  • The advice was to prepare for WTO. That means prepare for everything, if it isn't needed then so be it you can cancel that preparation. Are CHEDs needed for WTO? If so, they should have been prepared for.

    I always thought things like this would end up overlooked in the real world, hence Iwhy I expected disruption in January. C'est la vie.
    If they needed to be prepared for, why did our own government not bother? Their Border Operating Model guidance is strangely quiet on the fact that bribing bored French customs agents would be required.
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 16,405
    eek said:

    The checks have to be done by qualified vets. Any ideas where to find qualified vets at zero notice?
    Europe!
    Oh.
  • It just 'doesn't work' eh - odd then how the EU manages to be a net importer of fish (from outside the EU for avoidance of doubt), importing around 26 billion euros worth a year: https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/5-external-trade_en



    Strange how the impenetrable European single market that we clearly never should have left doesn't seem to trouble fishermen in Vietnam, India or America. They just seem to manage.
    Are you saying that the EU imports fresh fish from Vietnam?
  • rpjsrpjs Posts: 3,787

    Why is it zero notice? They knew that this was coming years ago. They were told to prepare for WTO terms months ago. Why are they only now dealing with it.

    Explains why the bulk of the complains are coming from Scottish fishermen.
    ISTR reading last year that very few British vets were interested in doing this sort of work, and so those doing it were predominantly from the EU, lots of whom have now left because they don't feel welcome in the UK anymore.

    And I do hope that recognition of their EU qualifications got grandfathered in too.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,737

    Yes.

    Not ideal but if that's what the French insist upon and you want to export to France then deal with it. 🤷🏻‍♂️
    What about the additional costs those agents create - who pays those costs?
  • TOPPING said:

    What if we get a typical summer downpour placing your shoes at risk of getting soaked?
    Then my shoes get soaked. When did that become the end of the world?
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,795
    TimT said:

    A cost-benefit analysis based on treatments per effect (benefit vs adverse side effect) is the best measure to use. Although in this case perhaps a better measure than lives saved might be years of life saved.

    Is saving a 90-year-old with 3 months life expectancy really the same as saving a 25 year-old with a young family and 60 years life expectancy?
    Probably not, but unless the 25-year-old has a severe comorbidity she is at a vanishingly low risk from the virus. Many more activities she undertakes in her daily life carry more threat.
This discussion has been closed.