When will this shit end?

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

14 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/revealed-uk-ministers-were-warned-last-year-of-risks-of-coronavirus-pandemic?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

Ouch. The Chief Science Officer gave a pretty accurate warning of this threat to the government last year. 

Just playing devils advocate, “the 2019 National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA)“ I’m assuming we also had one for 2018, 2017, 2016.... etc etc etc, and I’m assuming a pandemic would’ve been highlighted in every single as a significant risk to the country, and I’m also assuming recommendations about how to protect against it would’ve also been made every single year as well. 

I'm assuming that this sort of thing is carried out in most countries every single year, and like pretty much every single other country the U.K. has acted no differently by largely ignoring it, because it hasn’t been an issue for 100 years.

 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

Just playing devils advocate, “the 2019 National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA)“ I’m assuming we also had one for 2018, 2017, 2016.... etc etc etc, and I’m assuming a pandemic would’ve been highlighted in every single as a significant risk to the country, and I’m also assuming recommendations about how to protect against it would’ve also been made every single year as well. 

I'm assuming that this sort of thing is carried out in most countries every single year, and like pretty much every single other country the U.K. has acted no differently by largely ignoring it, because it hasn’t been an issue for 100 years.

 

Does that make it OK then? They did have Exercise Cygnus in 2016 which also predicted this, but was also ignored. Some countries have prepared better and acted quicker when this broke out. Equally those governments in those countries if they ignored these highlighted risks should also be held to account. No one has launched an atom bomb in nearly a century but we renew Trident at every opportunity. A epidemic/pandemic is regularly the incident that poses the highest risk to the nation yet supplies of PPE, ventilators etc weren't increased.

 

This should be damning. To have the exact risks highlighted, do nothing and then this happen should be inquiry warranted at the very least. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

4 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Does that make it OK then? They did have Exercise Cygnus in 2016 which also predicted this, but was also ignored. Some countries have prepared better and acted quicker when this broke out. Equally those governments in those countries if they ignored these highlighted risks should also be held to account. No one has launched an atom bomb in nearly a century but we renew Trident at every opportunity. A epidemic/pandemic is regularly the incident that poses the highest risk to the nation yet supplies of PPE, ventilators etc weren't increased.

 

This should be damning. To have the exact risks highlighted, do nothing and then this happen should be inquiry warranted at the very least. 

No it doesn’t make it better, but it’s just lazy reporting. The bigger story would be if in any one particular year it wasn’t highlighted as a risk, but I’d be gobsmacked if that was the case. A pandemic is, was and always will be a risk, but aside from the Asian countries who have been through it more recently I don’t see anybody else particularly well prepared. Germany have fared better but that’s because they have a ‘better’ healthcare system and industries that can produce tests quickly. When all is said and done all the other European countries have pretty much had the same struggles. It doesn’t make it right, but if any government in the world wasn’t aware that a pandemic poses a risk to their population that would be the far bigger scandal. 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

No it doesn’t make it better, but it’s just lazy reporting. The bigger story would be if in any one particular year it wasn’t highlighted as a risk, but I’d be gobsmacked if that was the case. A pandemic is, was and always will be a risk, but aside from the Asian countries who have been through it more recently I don’t see anybody else particularly well prepared. Germany have fared better but that’s because they have a ‘better’ healthcare system and industries that can produce tests quickly. When all is said and done all the other European countries have pretty much had the same struggles. It doesn’t make it right, but if any government in the world wasn’t aware that a pandemic poses a risk to their population that would be the far bigger scandal. 

I agree, all countries are struggling and serious questions should be asked of all governments not just ours. The fact that this hasn't happened in 100 years shouldn't be a valid reason for the shockingly poor planning. This is the job of government and their various sub-sections, to identify risks and to act on them for contingency purposes. Otherwise if they don't then we might as well not have the risks highlighted in the first place.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

I agree, all countries are struggling and serious questions should be asked of all governments not just ours. The fact that this hasn't happened in 100 years shouldn't be a valid reason for the shockingly poor planning. This is the job of government and their various sub-sections, to identify risks and to act on them for contingency purposes. Otherwise if they don't then we might as well not have the risks highlighted in the first place.

I think now though, we’ll be like the Asian countries. Well have the ventilators, well have the PPE, We’ll know exactly how to react if and when something like this happens again. I know it’s too little too late now, but we all have short memories. The reason we have recessions every decade or so is because people forget very quickly and the same mistakes get repeated over and over again. I’m guilty of it. I remember looking at it in China and January and shrugging my shoulders, “oh it’s another bird flu type thing that only affects Asia” never in a million years did I think our lives would all be turned upside down two months later. Again rightly or wrongly governments are necessarily in power for long so they aren’t necessarily taking things like like pandemics seriously. They’re looking at the here and now and not prioritising something they probably expect won’t happen on their watch.

[JoeyT]

20 hours ago, crazyfool1 said:

Anyone else noticing the lockdown beginning to breakdown ... 

I did say this would happen last week... 

The lack of an exit plan only fuels this. People need something to look forward to otherwise they will begin to break rules as they can't see a way out...

[steviewevie]

Govt need to start being a bit more honest about the choices we are facing, and the fact that there won't be a sudden exit day where we can all go out and party/hug/shag. Certain restrictions are going to be in place for ages.

Probably.

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

I think now though, we’ll be like the Asian countries. Well have the ventilators, well have the PPE, We’ll know exactly how to react if and when something like this happens again. I know it’s too little too late now, but we all have short memories. The reason we have recessions every decade or so is because people forget very quickly and the same mistakes get repeated over and over again. I’m guilty of it. I remember looking at it in China and January and shrugging my shoulders, “oh it’s another bird flu type thing that only affects Asia” never in a million years did I think our lives would all be turned upside down two months later. Again rightly or wrongly governments are necessarily in power for long so they aren’t necessarily taking things like like pandemics seriously. They’re looking at the here and now and not prioritising something they probably expect won’t happen on their watch.

I'm guilty of it too but governments shouldn't be, they can't afford to be otherwise people will die or livelihoods will be lost. Me and you can shrug our shoulders because (no offence) we aren't needed to think any more about it. I'm sure it won't be of any comfort to those affected directly by this that we'll learn from it next time. We had to chance to learn in advance of this.

[Crazyfool01]

8 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

I did say this would happen last week... 

The lack of an exit plan only fuels this. People need something to look forward to otherwise they will begin to break rules as they can't see a way out...

Covered a little bit in today’s briefing ... transport use beginning to creep up ... that’s only going to have a domino effect ... 

[Guest]

More people gathered on Westminster Bridge yesterday evening to clap the NHS, the Police joined in as well.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

[Ayrshire Chris]

 

 

Trumps Scottish  ancestors would be proud of him! Or more likely turning in their graves 

Edited April 24, 2020 by Ayrshire Chris

[Crazyfool01]

[Sawdusty surfer]

Social distancing sorted.

To protect myself and everyone else, I've come up with a masked new garb which hopefully will ensure my safety and everyone else's.

Win for me and a win for everyone else.

@crazyfool1 Do the Taunton Asda security peeps have a sense of humour? No, wont be taking the saw or axe wirh me.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Sawdusty Surfer

[Crazyfool01]

3 minutes ago, Sawdusty Surfer said:

Social distancing sorted.

To protect myself and everyone else, I've come up with a masked new garb which hopefully will ensure my safety and everyone else's.

Win for me and a win for everyone else.

Im never walking that route to stoke st mary again ... although I think you might have over reacted to seeing me 

[Crazyfool01]

@Sawdusty Surfer not sure .... about the sense of humour ... think we probably have an outside company helping out on security ...

[Sawdusty surfer]

Just now, crazyfool1 said:

@Sawdusty Surfer not sure .... about the sense of humour ... think we probably have an outside company helping out on security ...

Watch this space. Will turn up on a bicycle with a mate filming incognito.

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, Sawdusty Surfer said:

Watch this space. Will turn up on a bicycle with a mate filming incognito.

Bear in mind they are closed  

[efcfanwirral]

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/revealed-dominic-cummings-on-secret-scientific-advisory-group-for-covid-19?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet&__twitter_impression=true

Not a huge surprise here....

[Cooter]

Done my hardest to read all that but couldn't...So what does it all mean in one maybe two sentences?

[Mark E. Spliff]

10 minutes ago, Cooter said:

Done my hardest to read all that but couldn't...So what does it all mean in one maybe two sentences?

It's saying that there is concern that a group, which is supposedly providing scientific advice on Covid19, includes Dominic Cummings.  Many people, including myself, believe Cummings is a neo-nazi in disguise, so it's unsettling to think he has been given the opportunity to influence the supposedly neutral, objective, science-based advice to government on this pandemic.

It's not possible for me to explain my views on Cummings in a forum post, so if anyone wants to know more about him, there's an excellent documentary about him on iPlayer here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000ggnm/taking-control-the-dominic-cummings-story

[zahidf]

28 minutes ago, Mark E. Spliff said:

It's saying that there is concern that a group, which is supposedly providing scientific advice on Covid19, includes Dominic Cummings.  Many people, including myself, believe Cummings is a neo-nazi in disguise, so it's unsettling to think he has been given the opportunity to influence the supposedly neutral, objective, science-based advice to government on this pandemic.

It's not possible for me to explain my views on Cummings in a forum post, so if anyone wants to know more about him, there's an excellent documentary about him on iPlayer here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000ggnm/taking-control-the-dominic-cummings-story

I'm not a fan but it seems like a non story to me

 

 

[Mark E. Spliff]

10 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Im not a fan but it seems like a non story to me

I'd have to admit that I don't know the full story because these SAGE meetings are confidential.  However, to say it's a 'non story,'  simply because Downing Street have said he's behaving himself, is taking a political position rather than staying neutral.

To use a Cummings tactic, I'll employ a populist metaphor: failing to be concerned that a man with Cummings' character, political outlook and track-record on spinning issues has taken a personal interest in this supposedly neutral, scientific advisory committee, is comparable to taking a "lets give him a chance" approach when Gary Glitter puts in planning permission for a kindergarten.

[Matt42]

1 hour ago, Mark E. Spliff said:

It's saying that there is concern that a group, which is supposedly providing scientific advice on Covid19, includes Dominic Cummings.  Many people, including myself, believe Cummings is a neo-nazi in disguise, so it's unsettling to think he has been given the opportunity to influence the supposedly neutral, objective, science-based advice to government on this pandemic.

It's not possible for me to explain my views on Cummings in a forum post, so if anyone wants to know more about him, there's an excellent documentary about him on iPlayer here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000ggnm/taking-control-the-dominic-cummings-story

I know someone who has worked with Cummings. This guy is literally a mastermind, pulls strings in the background, and has an insane amount of power over people.

He has very strong views for how Britain as a country should be.

[Mark E. Spliff]

4 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I know someone who has worked with Cummings. This guy is literally a mastermind, pulls strings in the background, and has an insane amount of power over people.

He has very strong views for how Britain as a country should be.

That last line describes most of us - or at least me.  Did he tell you what those very strong views were?

Edited April 24, 2020 by Mark E. Spliff