Just watched Macron give a 45 minute interview in which he said that he believes there will still be restrictions next summer. If his advice leads him to that conclusion, I guess things will not be so different in the UK.
A bit early for Christmas I suppose, but I stumbled upon this little not-so-festive ditty which set me wondering - how accurate a picture does it paint for this coming Christmas? Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the nation, There was misery, poverty and great deprivation Some stockings were empty, some fridges were bare, The heating turned off, little money to spare. Boris Johnson was cosy, a quaffing champagne, Cognac and Port so he’s feeling no pain, Stuffing his chops on goose flesh and gammon, Caviar, Stilton and the finest smoked salmon. The homeless are shivering in cardboard containers Ex-Servicemen, youngsters, both Leave and Remainers The nurses and doctors all still searching for beds With a shortage of staff, of money and meds The Mogg’s singing carols with moguls and bankers, Hedge funders, financiers and various w*nkers Admiring his baubles and pulling his crackers, Rejoicing that he's got us all by the knackers. Your Gran’s in the corridor, still on the trolley While the Chancellor’s counting the last of his lolly And Grandad’s in pieces, stemming his tears Though they’ve paid their dues these past sixty years But hey, Gove’s on the sherry and is quite off his tits While his missus is battered and doing the splits And Drunken Smith is a singing along with the Pogues With the rest of the mob and a few Russian rogues And the kids who are dreaming of gifts in the morning Won’t get them- their benefits were stopped without warning While those who dosh is in off-shore accounts Will be rubbing their hands as the total mounts And the Waspi woman alone in her kitchen Has long given up on Dancer and Blitzen She was robbed of her pension, they don’t give a ****e That she’s freezing and hungry on Christmas Eve night And now, here’s the end of my last festive story Don't forget to vote - unless you're a Tory.
A criminal investigation has started into the French government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1316660903983579137.html What are the odds of the Met Police knocking on the door of Number 10 to instigate similar?
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1317012024560332801.html It is a good job that some are asking what the hell is going on.
Sadly there appears to be indifference on a massive scale - and having a generally government-friendly media doesn't help matters. It really is criminal...
It looks like the government will soon be facing a fight on three fronts now - fish wars break out in the English Channel. Frying pans at the ready chaps... https://uk.news.yahoo.com/fish-wars...l-143500836.html?soc_src=community&soc_trk=tw
An interesting article that looks at how New Zealand has dealt with the coronavirus. It looks like a model that other countries should have learnt from, and judging by the results from the elections the population has been impressed with the governments handling of the situation. I wonder if NZ thinks the article to be fair and accurate? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53274085
To be absolutely fair Frenchie, New Zealand has many geographical advantages which it has used to good effect. You cannot compare this to a country like Germany which has 9 land borders - it is relatively easy to isolate an island.
Agreed, but the point is addressed in the article. New Zealand's isolated location and relatively low population density certainly helped its efforts, but Prof Baker says that was only a minor benefit. "This strategy could work anywhere that has functioning government and infrastructure," he said, citing diverse examples like Vietnam, Taiwan and China. My view is that speed to take action is of the essence, something that applies to any country.
I would agree about taking speedy action Frenchie. I was always in favour of a total lockdown which was short and hard, but where financial compensation was available - if necessary supported by the military. The Chinese closed down whole areas but paid out an unconditional citizens income to those who were imprisoned in those areas - a combination of 'carrot' and 'stick' which was hard, but which means that the Chinese are now going to theatres, concerts etc. as if nothing had happened. The European approach was more a case of wait and see what happens. But it's not all down to governments - the people in Korea and Vietnam did not have to be told when to put masks on, or when to take them off again - they did it anyway. This is a test of societies, as much as of government reactions. This crisis has come on the back of about 40 years of neo liberal, individualist, ideology which has killed most ideas of community and solidarity. Maybe our old industrial communities of the 60s would have reacted to this in a different way, but the playstation generations of today are not prepared to make sacrifices for others.
I certainly agree with that. I am alarmed at the time being taken in the UK for the national and local governments to get their act together. It all appears to be about money rather than public health, and meanwhile time is being lost. I can only assume that the country is running out of money. Moody's have downgraded the economy further and clearly sees a problem. Sarah Carlson, an analyst with Moody’s, said the coronavirus-induced shock had brought new and considerable pressures on the UK economy. “Despite the projected recovery, we estimate a sharper peak-to-trough contraction for the UK than for any other G-20 economy,” she said.
True - but there's also a need for the citizens of each country to be prepared to follow the action rather than actively disagree with it. On a brighter note - I've just received my test result. Have never been this happy at being told I'm negative before.
Agreed again, but what do you do when people will not comply? Surely you have to get the majority to take the minority to task when they see the rules being flouted, you have to have governance that people believe in, and failing those working you fine and ultimately lock people up.
That I do not know - what is it that certain Asian countries do to ensure that citizens comply without question? I'm assuming that there is little opposition to the rules imposed in those countries - maybe I've just never read about it happening. One thing is sure though - when the rules are introduced they should apply to everyone. Having certain members of society, especially those who created/implemented the rules, openly flaunt them without penalty - as has happened in the UK - must be a major part of the problem. People tend to follow those who lead - and having leaders ignore their own instructions can only encourage others to do the same. I'd hesitate to suggest that it's up to the majority to take the minority to task - especially when the minority includes those guilty leaders. As with Brexit, that can simply lead to violent confrontation on the streets. Possibly the only answer is education - a form of non-confrontational rote learning in schools. A simple no fuss attitude towards 'obeying the rules as they keep us safe' - normalising that in schools would see it spread to the wider community. sadly though, that probably takes too much time. Speaking of schools - and, by extension, teachers - that was one truly shocking incident in France yesterday, a teacher being decapitated in the street outside his school. Incidents like that are just beyond comprehension, and can only serve to stir up religious hatreds/ill feeling towards immigrants. It's a sad world we live in.
I think that in many Asian countries it is more of a cultural thing BB. The government does not have to tell people to wear masks - they do it automatically at times like this. Even during a normal flu outbreak nearly all people will wear masks when using public transport in Japan - and that is not to protect themselves, but to protect others. In the West we have a misplaced idea of 'individualism' whereas in those cultures the 'community' comes before everything else - maybe this has something to do with the Confucian heritage.
The question is though - how did it arrive at that in those countries? At some point it became the norm, but when and how?
Possibly because they have more experience of epidemics BB. Also the more logical question is to ask why our culture is so 'me first' orientated. Those countries also have more respect for the elderly and the vulnerable than we do, and possibly less of a generation gap. Another question is that of why Africa has protected itself from this pandemic so successfully. With numbers starting to fall in South America, the problem is, increasingly, becoming a European one - so maybe we should be questioning why that is the case. Even the numbers in countries like India and Brazil are now falling.
I can only speak about what I see in this area, but I have noticed now on several occasions someone has asked very gently if someone would mind wearing their mask correctly, ie over the nose and not just beneath it, or indicate that someone is standing too close to someone else. I don't think I have seen people deliberately flouting the regulations, they just forget. Certainly in this rural area the liberté, égalité, fraternité is still something that binds people together, with the last of the three being the strongest.
I have a friend who works in Taiwan, three months on one month off. Tested off the plane. Driven to hotel, confined to room, meals/room service left outside. Tested seven days later, working remotely from hotel. Tested again at 14 days, still confined to hotel. Allowed to site in "asbestos removal /rave" gear. After a month precautions relaxed but tested weekly and then before getting on the plane home. Leave the hotel before quarantine over and, apparently, they will shoot you so I'm told. Soldiers enforcing the quarantine, not the police. A bit draconian but the effectiveness is spoken for in the numbers. Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. Taiwan is certainly not the UK but they are at least not making a complete shambles of a response to the threat posed by the virus. Sledgehammer to crack a tough nut, perhaps, but it will crack the nut.
