Corona Virus

[murphy]

2 hours ago, Mike Oxlong said:

The Boris speech reflected what he is - a politician whose success is based on charisma rather than detail/substance

 

I don’t envy his task and sympathise with what he has personally gone through but I’m not convinced that he’s the best leader for these times

I think that Boris does exude positivity at least and that is something that shouldn't be underestimated in a leader.  

 

Out of interest, which leader or politician, past or present, would you think most capable for this situation?  Just removing my blue tinted specs for a second, I think Blair might be someone who had the charisma and also a bit of a gravitas.

 

 

[davieG]

2 minutes ago, murphy said:

I think that Boris does exude positivity at least and that is something that shouldn't be underestimated in a leader.  

 

Out of interest, which leader or politician, past or present, would you think most capable for this situation?  Just removing my blue tinted specs for a second, I think Blair might be someone who had the charisma and also a bit of a gravitas.

 

 

Charisma with a layer of smarminess (made up word) 

[Alf Bentley]

4 minutes ago, Strokes said:

But the government are still saying if you can work from home, do. So why is this scenario going to change.

What did you want the message to say, that would cover all angles?

 

I didn't want the govt to say anything different about working from home and don't expect people currently working at home to be pressured to return to the workplace.

I quoted the example of my ex to show how employees are pressured to go to work (in her case against govt advice and by a line manager, though it might be the employer in other cases & might be because of this shift in emphasis by the govt).

 

I wanted the message to still say "stay at home" as shifting to "stay alert" suggests, by omission, that it's OK to leave home and mingle more - at least to those who want to hear that message. For me, such loosening is premature given that infection rates remain high, even if not as high as before. There could have been some minor loosening, as they've done, but the message that things are still bloody serious....but there's the hope things will soon get better, allowing more loosening IF we stay at home.

 

The message could have been, effectively, "stay at home for another 3 weeks and, if you do, we'll be able to carefully loosen more up from early June: more mingling, more shops/facilities/workplaces" (not 3 words, I know....maybe "wait for June"?! ).

 

I'd want the govt to say that employers wouldn't be allowed to operate without safe distancing and wouldn't be able to lay off workers who couldn't work due to lack of childcare or force them to come in - and to explain how public transport would be made safe.

 

I'd also have liked the rating to have been 4 (still a risk of 5, but with a hope of 3 & greater freedom), not "we're already at 3.5", suggesting to some people that we're almost through this......because I really think we're not.

[BKLFox]

16 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

I like the idea of the 1-5 rating system. 

 

But I thought suggesting we're already at 3.5 was the wrong message, as I think it encourages people to believe that we're clearer of the woods than we are.

That could encourage more people to mingle socially and be careless, causing an upward spike.

 

I'd have been happier with a message that "we're at 4, it's still serious and it could get worse if we're not careful (5), but if we keep being careful then we can hope to move down to 3 and greater freedoms".

As the immediate changes are fairly minor, I think that message would have worked - and would have been wiser, at a time when an increasing number are champing at the bit to get out there sunbathing, partying, meeting family/friends etc - or are already starting to do that.

I thought that was the message he was trying to get across....we were at 4 but as figures showed we had done well so we have slid down to 3.5 and if by 1st June we have met the full  criteria Within 3 we move to 3.

 

Agree the numbers are 1-5 no mention of half increments so in that respect it doesn’t make sense But then he is trying to manage our mental well being and resolve, if he said we were at 4 and I’m going to keep us at 4 but I’ll reduce it to 3 if you stick to doing what you have been doing for another 3 weeks (regardless of the fact the numbers are reducing) then imagine the sinking feeling around the country after the majority of us having resisted stepping out of line for 6weeks, longer for some, it will play with peoples heads.

He did only have 10mins and he was trying to cover a broad spectrum of details to try and be as open as he could which didn’t work particularly well, but I really do hope And imagine a detailed guide will be produced today.

[fuchsntf]

3 hours ago, jammie82uk said:

i see people are saying they would like all details to be released at the same time, that would absolutely be ideal for me but it’s not for everyone, some people can’t even handle the amount of basic information handed out last night, for everything to be disclosed last night and questions to be asked that programme would had to have been at least an hour long

Looking at time stamps some people wasn’t even lasting 5 mins into last nights speech before stating they was “bored” And If the standard of questions asked by the media was going to be anywhere near the standard that get asked at the daily conference then for me personally there would be no point to them at all

 

then you have the people being Persnickety about who does what, just because you can doesn’t mean you have to

 

Then you have the people who just hate the current government or who are just anti government in general who then It seems in some kind of warped irony are the same people who want the government to hold their hands and tell them how to live their lives 
 

drip feed is a tried and tested format that works for the majority 

I actually Trust in the majority...its the minority I worry about...because The media and social-Media misrepresent the attitudes,by construing their statements

has the majoritys...

 

I Don t like this present government,nor,Raab & Hancocks past Cvirus statements  on a few issues...

There is IMO a Lack of clarity,but your right on the induendo,that it seems too many

" Want any Government to hold their hands,& expect them to Show how to Live their lives".  

 

Western Europe Governments have to be carefull on how they formulate and pass regulations,even in a panademic, they have to be shown there is a reasonable amount of movement of thought,while making lockdown suggestions..They still have to push toward its still  the People choices and in the Name of the People no matter how strict or Light the lockdowns have to be or can be manouvred.

 

Another Thing I wish both conservative and Labour sympathisers on this Forum,Stop trying to Point Score at every opportunity...

Its Right that any Government is held to immediate and to future running accountability,and the Opposition Questions,Any statements and suggested plans,they see fit to do.

Sticking together & supporting on blind faith (Sarcastic) the Church is there for those inclined....

Also if you allow Room for this Government( which I do,I am Not totally against what Boris has said,its more what hes not said or clarified),

Then you also allow Room for opposition statements....

[Dahnsouff]

Does anyone know how many tests have been performed in the UK (tests + retests) ?

[StanSP]

1 minute ago, Dahnsouff said:

Does anyone know how many tests have been performed in the UK (tests + retests) ?

From gov website:

 

Number of cases and deaths

As of 9am on 10 May, there have been 1,821,280 tests, with 92,837 tests on 9 May.

 

1,334,770 people have been tested, of which 219,183 tested positive.

 

As of 5pm on 9 May, of those tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, 31,855 have died. This new figure includes deaths in all settings, not just in hospitals. The equivalent figure under the old measure would have been 26,568.

[Mike Oxlong]

10 minutes ago, murphy said:

I think that Boris does exude positivity at least and that is something that shouldn't be underestimated in a leader.  

 

Out of interest, which leader or politician, past or present, would you think most capable for this situation?  Just removing my blue tinted specs for a second, I think Blair might be someone who had the charisma and also a bit of a gravitas.

 

 

I’m probably not the best person to ask as I’m not a big politico but Blair came to mind for me too although he was a fvckin liar 🤥  

 

 

 

 

[Alf Bentley]

For anyone inclined to feel that we're mostly through this crisis and can loosen up quickly, I'd suggest looking at these graphs.....

 

Specifically, look at the 2nd and 3rd graphs: Daily New Cases & Active Cases:

- UK: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/

- Germany: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/germany/

 

As you'll see, we're in a massively different place from Germany:

- UK: "Daily new cases" plateaued, drifting down slightly but still high; "active cases" still rising, now almost 200k

- Germany: "Daily new cases" fallen to less than 10% of peak figure; "active cases" fallen to a quarter of peak figure - and a tenth of the UK figure at 20k

 

If you're saying to yourself that Germany is the best case in Europe, look at France, Italy & Spain. Their graphs aren't as good as the one for Germany but are following a similar trajectory......unlike ours.

[Dahnsouff]

17 minutes ago, murphy said:

I think that Boris does exude positivity at least and that is something that shouldn't be underestimated in a leader.  

 

Out of interest, which leader or politician, past or present, would you think most capable for this situation?  Just removing my blue tinted specs for a second, I think Blair might be someone who had the charisma and also a bit of a gravitas.

 

This was a question I also wondered, and Blair stood out, but he also has the slight polished boy scout thing going on, which does not lend itself to gravitas. 

 

If we can choose any leader then Merkel stands out, not just for this crisis, but in general.

[RonnieTodger]

This country is littered with ****ing idiots. Give them any excuse to flout the rules and you'll see hundreds of thousands doing it.

[January47]

16 hours ago, foxile5 said:

Hasn't missed a briefing, hasn't been bound to changes of slogan, has appeared very unwavering. 

 

Maybe you're right on the 'media treatment' but then you reap what you sow, I don't recollect Sturgeon hiding in a fridge to avoid questioning so perhaps the agenda has been set by the actions previous. 

Missed out also not being in intensive care 

[VLC86]

1 hour ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

When the lockdown was starting and people were being encouraged to work from home, my ex asked to work from home as she has significant health issues and our daughter's school had shut down.

 

Even when it was perfectly feasible for her to work from home, she had to argue her case quite forcibly. In her case, it wasn't even her employer who caused the problem - it was her line manager, presumably protecting her own reputation by not making it easy for people to stay away from the workplace.

 

Sorry, @Strokes, the benign scenario you describe might apply to you and workplaces you know but it won't apply to a lot of people. Some employees will feel pressurised to return even if they have issues re. safety, transport or childcare, whether that pressure comes from an employer, a line manager or even, in many cases, just from inside their own head.

 

I do appreciate that it's a massively difficult situation for the govt to handle - and the lockdown cannot last for too long, for multiple reasons. But there need to be proper plans in place to ensure safe work, safe travel, safe childcare etc.

Agreed, that happened many times over and even when Boris stood there and said I should socially distance and work from home, when I did my bosses boss went ape shit.

 

Re the governments advice causing stuff like this, I was in a situation where my other half works in aviation, was displaying symptoms and could feasibly have come in contact with someone that test positive upon landing in another country but as the government at that stage said nothing, I had to go to work or call in sick.

[murphy]

2 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

This was a question I also wondered, and Blair stood out, but he also has the slight polished boy scout thing going on, which does not lend itself to gravitas. 

 

If we can choose any leader then Merkel stands out, not just for this crisis, but in general.

I dunno, I think Blair had a bit of gravitas.  I think he handled the Diana situation well.

 

What stood out for me when thinking of the answer to my own question was the lack of political giants in our recent history.  I mean there's Thatcher, but even I wouldn't want Auntie Mags for this crisis.

[fuchsntf]

28 minutes ago, murphy said:

I think that Boris does exude positivity at least and that is something that shouldn't be underestimated in a leader.  

 

Out of interest, which leader or politician, past or present, would you think most capable for this situation?  Just removing my blue tinted specs for a second, I think Blair might be someone who had the charisma and also a bit of a gravitas.

 

 

I can only Think of Blair or Maggie,but to be honest,like Boris it wouldnt mean,they are right or I would agree with them...

I Don t like this exuding of IMO over serious chest thumping positivity...

[StriderHiryu]

 

 

Is it wrong that I find this video easier to follow than the actual address?

 

 

Edited 11 May 2020 by StriderHiryu

[murphy]

2 minutes ago, fuchsntf said:

I can only Think of Blair or Maggie,but to be honest,like Boris it wouldnt mean,they are right or I would agree with them...

I Don t like this exuding of IMO over serious chest thumping positivity...

If I understand you right  (and that is always a challenge ), you don't like 'chest thumping positivity'?

 

I disagree with you there.  If I could bottle it and post it to a good number contributors here I would.  This thread started well but has just become a pit of whininess.  It's an exhausting read sometimes. 

 

Positivity goes a very long way and it's vital in the face of adversity imo.

 

[reynard]

13 minutes ago, murphy said:

I dunno, I think Blair had a bit of gravitas.  I think he handled the Diana situation well.

 

What stood out for me when thinking of the answer to my own question was the lack of political giants in our recent history.  I mean there's Thatcher, but even I wouldn't want Auntie Mags for this crisis.

As well as the PMs it is also about those around them. I'm not personally feeling a whole lot of confidence in those right now, nor on the opposition benches either.

[Jattdogg]

16 minutes ago, RonnieTodger said:

This country is littered with ****ing idiots. Give them any excuse to flout the rules and you'll see hundreds of thousands doing it.

Pretty much this.

 

It also gives those tossers who dont agree with social distancing the possibility of spreading this shitbag virus to others and i'd be surprised if you don't see a second wave.

[Unabomber]

[foxile5]

30 minutes ago, January47 said:

Missed out also not being in intensive care 

That much is true. But he's still missed important meetings and briefings and let's not pretend otherwise, eh. 

[jammie82uk]

I knew standards in the press was low but my god 

 

 

[Dahnsouff]

6 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

I knew standards in the press was low but my god 

 

 

That is f**king shocking, so unbelievably rude and unprofessional. Just so Sky News can say "Hi!" to Matt Hancock 

[Finnaldo]

18 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

I knew standards in the press was low but my god 

 

 

No way this isn’t a Brass Eye sketch fvcking hell  

Edited 11 May 2020 by Finnaldo

[VLC86]

Just now, Finnaldo said:

No way this isn’t a Bronze Eye sketch fvcking hell  

Bronze eye