Coronavirus - will we survive?

I'm going to pop back into my local Lidl again to see if they have any beers left as everyone has gone mad stocking all this up now due to the pub and restaurant closures around the UK.

This is beginning to piss me right off now.

Oh dear, this from today's Sunday Times:



Now's not the time, but once all this is over serious questions need to be asked of this government and those running it behind the scenes.

If you know anything about Cummings, comments like that are hardly surprising, not just because of the callowness of the sentiment but because it fits with his raison d'être. 
This recent BBC2 documentary tells the story of his career dedicated to wresting power away from the democratic process and  putting it firmly in the hands of a small group of extreme right wing ideologists.
In that context it goes a long way towards explaining why the Government's coronavirus strategy was so far behind the curve whilst they tried to get away with minimal intervention until the facts emerged and they realised that they would start to lose votes and support if they didn't change things.

Shit - the kids are planning to come round for Mother's Day. Always said they'd be the death of me.

Tell them to stand in the garden and talk through the window 

Norpig wrote:Tell them to stand in the garden and talk through the window 

I do that all the time. All I get is 'Get off my lawn you freak'.

Some call the police.

T.R.O.Y wrote:Oh dear, this from today's Sunday Times:



Now's not the time, but once all this is over serious questions need to be asked of this government and those running it behind the scenes.

Couple of other items in the Sunday Times of interest as well:

Boris's father is going to become a French citizen "so that his grandchildren can live and work in the EU post Brexit".

US chicken factories break their own salmonella rules but still looking forward to selling chicken in Britain.

xmiles wrote:US chicken factories break their own salmonella rules but still looking forward to selling chicken in Britain.

You really like chicken don't you xmiles.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

xmiles wrote:US chicken factories break their own salmonella rules but still looking forward to selling chicken in Britain.

You really like chicken don't you xmiles.

And bananas.

wanderlust wrote:If you know anything about Cummings, comments like that are hardly surprising, not just because of the callowness of the sentiment but because it fits with his raison d'être. 
This recent BBC2 documentary tells the story of his career dedicated to wresting power away from the democratic process and  putting it firmly in the hands of a small group of extreme right wing ideologists.
In that context it goes a long way towards explaining why the Government's coronavirus strategy was so far behind the curve whilst they tried to get away with minimal intervention until the facts emerged and they realised that they would start to lose votes and support if they didn't change things.

Utter moron.

So once again you say the government isn't doing the best for the people in favour of doing the best for the themselves so not lose any votes.

The next General Election is all but FIVE YEARS AWAY and they presently hold a massive 80 seat majority!!!

And also doesn't the article state that it was the government's Chief Medical Advisor that provided that considered medical thinking at the time - which was followed - and not a political decision Cummings, Johnson or anyone else made for the best interest of the Conservative party?

Take away the spin that has been put on this by the Sunday Times then all Cummings seems to be guilty of is being uncaring of the elderly who will die.

He'll not be so flippant when he's that elderly himself.

What goes around, comes around.

Someone’s posted the full article here for those without a Times subscription:

http://www.thegwpf.com/inside-no-10-ten-days-that-shook-britain-and-changed-the-nation-for-ever/

The main issue is that we have an unelected aide in Cummings having such heavy influence over policy - to the extent that we wasted weeks on the ‘herd immunity’ strategy, when we could have been learning from the experience of other countries.

Better late than never, but the situation needn’t have been so dire.

T.R.O.Y wrote:Someone’s posted the full article here for those without a Times subscription:

http://www.thegwpf.com/inside-no-10-ten-days-that-shook-britain-and-changed-the-nation-for-ever/

The main issue is that we have an unelected aide in Cummings having such heavy influence over policy - to the extent that we wasted weeks on the ‘herd immunity’ strategy, when we could have been learning from the experience of other countries.

Better late than never, but the situation needn’t have been so dire.

Exactly. It must be very frustrating for Cummings that coronavirus has railroaded the agenda, but it hasn't stopped him from controlling the narrative that mugs like the chap above swallow wholeheartedly. He's certainly got the conservative party by the balls since he made it clear through the sackings, bullying and illegal prorogation of parliament that nothing comes out of Westminster without his say-so.

Sluffy wrote:

wanderlust wrote:If you know anything about Cummings, comments like that are hardly surprising, not just because of the callowness of the sentiment but because it fits with his raison d'être. 
This recent BBC2 documentary tells the story of his career dedicated to wresting power away from the democratic process and  putting it firmly in the hands of a small group of extreme right wing ideologists.
In that context it goes a long way towards explaining why the Government's coronavirus strategy was so far behind the curve whilst they tried to get away with minimal intervention until the facts emerged and they realised that they would start to lose votes and support if they didn't change things.

Utter moron.

So once again you say the government isn't doing the best for the people in favour of doing the best for the themselves so not lose any votes.

The next General Election is all but FIVE YEARS AWAY and they presently hold a massive 80 seat majority!!!

And also doesn't the article state that it was the government's Chief Medical Advisor that provided that considered medical thinking at the time - which was followed - and not a political decision Cummings, Johnson or anyone else made for the best interest of the Conservative party?

Blah blah blah ad nauseam....

No - the article doesn't say that it was not a political decision by Cummings.

Neither does it say that Cummings didn't tell Boris or Witless exactly which bits of the "considered medical thinking" to focus on, which bits to keep quiet about until absolutely necessary or exactly how and when to present those bits of information.

He must have been gutted when the scientific and medical communities - followed by the business community - were up in arms about the "strategy".

And FYI the next general election could be as soon as the first vote of no confidence - although that will require the British people to wake up, smell the coffee and realise who is actually running the country so I'm not holding my breath.

Thoughts anyone?

DEATH RATE all cases


0-9 years old no fatalities 


Demographic of Tory voters in the 2019 general election:

wanderlust wrote:

Sluffy wrote:

wanderlust wrote:If you know anything about Cummings, comments like that are hardly surprising, not just because of the callowness of the sentiment but because it fits with his raison d'être. 
This recent BBC2 documentary tells the story of his career dedicated to wresting power away from the democratic process and  putting it firmly in the hands of a small group of extreme right wing ideologists.
In that context it goes a long way towards explaining why the Government's coronavirus strategy was so far behind the curve whilst they tried to get away with minimal intervention until the facts emerged and they realised that they would start to lose votes and support if they didn't change things.

Utter moron.

So once again you say the government isn't doing the best for the people in favour of doing the best for the themselves so not lose any votes.

The next General Election is all but FIVE YEARS AWAY and they presently hold a massive 80 seat majority!!!

And also doesn't the article state that it was the government's Chief Medical Advisor that provided that considered medical thinking at the time - which was followed - and not a political decision Cummings, Johnson or anyone else made for the best interest of the Conservative party?

Blah blah blah ad nauseam....

No - the article doesn't say that it was not a political decision by Cummings.

Neither does it say that Cummings didn't tell Boris or Witless exactly which bits of the "considered medical thinking" to focus on, which bits to keep quiet about until absolutely necessary or exactly how and when to present those bits of information.

He must have been gutted when the scientific and medical communities - followed by the business community - were up in arms about the "strategy".

And FYI the next general election could be as soon as the first vote of no confidence - although that will require the British people to wake up, smell the coffee and realise who is actually running the country so I'm not holding my breath.

Have you even bothered to read the article - clearly not.

It's abundantly clear that the Chief Medical Officer gave his best advice at the time which was about 'herd immunity'.

Johnson, Cummings and everyone else followed it - it was never a question of Cummings 'picking' a 'strategy' for the Conservatives to follow.  And that is what you continue to imply it was.

The article goes on to point out that it was as early as the end of February the medical advice was given and was the plan the government was working to but by the 12th March, with the newest modelling information to work with, it became clear that a major change in Medical Advice was needed - with everyone agreeing that - again it was not a political decision.

As for next GE, you're even wrong about that too.

A vote of no confidence is completely meaningless unless you win it - and that's why I flagged up the Conservative majority of EIGHTY seats.

They needed just two Republicans to vote against Trump to continue the impeachment - not one person in his party voted against him.  Anybody apart from you actually believe that 41 true blues will vote to bring their own Government down?

No, me neither.

Blah blah blah......

"At the Sage meeting on March 12, a moment now dubbed the “Domoscene conversion”, Cummings changed his mind. In this “penny-drop moment”, he realised he had helped set a course for catastrophe. Until this point, the rise in British infections had been below the European average. Now they were above it and on course to emulate Italy, where the picture was bleak. A minister said: “Seeing what was happening in Italy was the galvanising force across government.”
By Friday, March 13, Cummings had become the most outspoken advocate of a tough crackdown. “Dominic himself had a conversion,” a senior Tory said. “He’s gone from ‘herd immunity and let the old people die’, to ‘let’s shut down the country and the economy.’”

Sad scenes again today with the usual wankers stocking up on food at the time it was for NHS staff only which resulted in a Tesco supermarket being shut down.

It still seems that the majority of folk here in the UK are oblivious to the dangers of this virus from pictures I have seen in the news.

We need a full lockdown and with what's left of our army stepping in to help.

Hope you are doing well Mr. Pig!

wanderlust wrote:Blah blah blah......

"At the Sage meeting on March 12, a moment now dubbed the “Domoscene conversion”, Cummings changed his mind. In this “penny-drop moment”, he realised he had helped set a course for catastrophe. Until this point, the rise in British infections had been below the European average. Now they were above it and on course to emulate Italy, where the picture was bleak. A minister said: “Seeing what was happening in Italy was the galvanising force across government.”
By Friday, March 13, Cummings had become the most outspoken advocate of a tough crackdown. “Dominic himself had a conversion,” a senior Tory said. “He’s gone from ‘herd immunity and let the old people die’, to ‘let’s shut down the country and the economy.’”

Everyone changed their mind you nutjob not just Cummings - because originally the medical advise which was -

""Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s senior aide, became convinced that Britain would be better able to resist a lethal second wave of the disease next winter if Whitty’s prediction that 60% to 80% of the population became infected was right and the UK developed “herd immunity”.

Change to -

"The meeting that will change British society for a generation took place on the evening of Thursday, March 12. That was when the strategic advisory group of experts (Sage in Whitehall parlance), the government’s committee of scientists and medics, gathered to examine modelling from experts at Imperial College London and other institutions.
The results were shattering. A week earlier, councils had been warned to expect about 100,000 deaths from Covid-19. Now Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, realised the estimates were wrong".




It's quite simple, the original prediction from the medical modelling on which the government policy was wrong.  Once it was fine tuned and current data used it led to the change in dealing with the virus.

You clearly see what you want to see to back up your thinking and disregard the rest of the facts which get in your way.

You can never face up to being wrong, ever, can you.