Testing of decent masks have shown they reduce the spread of infection. The World Covid map showing high infection areas where there has been little mask use is a good indicator.
Very interesting interview with pub entrepreneur (and Tory donor) Hugh Osmond on here regarding lock-down, starting at 1.04.20..... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000jwgh Pretty strong - and controversial - views, but well worth a listen. @Uber_Hoop
Cummings has said that he will leave in 6 months - however, the public have long memories on certain things that happen in politics, I think this will be reflected in the next election. If there is a second spike in the virus, then the blame for some of this can be placed at the door of cummings. There were rules, he considers himself the exception...…..George Orwells's Animal Farm is a good indication of the contempt I hold for this ****.
Sorry but you can't blame the government for the protesters all around the country who didn't social distance and those who went to parks and beaches. Even NHS staff have complained about the stupidity of people. The public won't care about Cummings because many more have done worse. As he said he will be gone after Brexit and people will think about other things.
Like how poor they will be? How they will have lost relatives and loved ones? How they have lost a year of their lives? Todays U-turn on schools, is just another example of the government (knee-jerk) statement before thinking and consulting Regardless of your views on this you would have thought they would have asked in quiet confidence "If we sent the schools back can you teach in the presence of social distancing a 2 meters?" Yes...we will announce the schools will go back No...we will announce we will work to schools starting fully in September (but remain with the partial opening we have at the moment) Rather than saying we are opening all schools up and that the majority of primary schools and all secondary school years will go back at some point for a time and then double turning, because it is obvious that schools really cannot function with bubbles of 10-15 pupils. I keep saying...this is hard for any government of any party to handle...but the lies, the U-turns, the shambles and the lack of joined up thinking will not be forgotten. Especially as the Labour party is now the rather staid and solid Kier Starmer but has a brain like a laser beam
Beth, i am surprised you mentioned Labour re Covid? The government has made mistakes like other ones have. Macron incinerated 1BN masks before covid hit France then went around frantically buying up all the PPE, yet people complained when we couldn't get masks? We know why now. Agree, the death toll here is higher but I will wait until it has all calmed down before I will judge them. Reading a few posts on here from people that don't like the government and don't vote for them isn't going to be the voice of the nation? Sadly for them whatever they do they get hammered from all sides. Remember what Heseltine said: "The same people calling for the relaxing of things will be the same people complaining about the deaths"... "The government will be damned if they do and damned if they don't" As for Starmer, he may have a brain like a laser but he was still a major part of Corbyn's failed party and a reminer.
60,000 deaths over and above the national 5 year rolling average is enough for me Absolutely BUT I keep saying...this is hard for any government of any party to handle...but it is the lies, the U-turns, the shambles and the lack of joined up thinking will not be forgotten. So many bad bad U-turns and mistakes and broken promises. (on ventilators, on trac and trace, on the non-existant app, on PPE, on testing of people, on the wearing of masks, on no quarantine/implementing quarantine on 8th June, not closing spoerts events like Cheltenham . Yes every country has made mistakes....but I think this is one thing we are world beating at And by the way Ellers, my husband has just reminded me...I haven't voted Labour in the last 4 general elections....so please don't class me as a Labour voter
Bloody hell Beth you better get voting next time! on a serious note... When I look at our government I do see a lot of new young MP's that don't have a huge amount of political experience. Both Heseltine and ken Clarke said the same. And both thought under the circumstances they were dealing well with an impossible job. They were in power for a month before this thing hit... and yes I will agree that mistakes and U-turns don't always look good (especially when lives are at stake.) They will be very experienced after this. Mrs Ellers is very Liberal in her way and when we have chats regarding this she always says that it must be a hard job for the government and they are deviled if they do and deviled if they don't. she also said that she wouldn't want to make the calls that they do. Now I listen to her because unlike me, she talks a lot of sense. There are many many people in the country with the same views. for me, this is an unknown thing that has hit us hard. Do I blame the government for all the deaths... No, and we shouldn't. Do I think they have made some stupid mistakes... yes? In the future, we will fully understand what has happened but until then I can't call it as there are too many unexplained things.
Ellers - my point was that cummings ignoring the rules resulted in more people attending the beaches. I live not too far from Bournemouth, if there is a second spike then cummings set an example that everyone thought - well if it doesn't affect him then it wont effect me. I believe that if Boris had sacked him, then there would not have been so many visitors to the beach (visitors that probably watched Attenborough's program about plastic pollution in the sea but still left their rubbish behind) - there would have been some but it would not have been as manic as it was. Hope that clarifies my post
Ninj I think sensible people will do sensible things. If some believed that because Cummings broke the lockdown they could, then that is down to the individual. Personally I don't buy into that. People were flooding beaches and parks before the story of Cummings broke. There were also many stories of parties and people breaking the rules long before 'The eye test'. However, you are correct in that the plastic and rubbish left behind at the beach was shameful. Some people just need an excuse.
I think Ellers is probably right, the majority of those idiots that flocked to the beaches would have done so any way. The Cummings thing has totally undermined the government though and likely started or increased the more general decline in people's adherence to the lockdown restrictions.
The problem as I see it is that there are an awful lot of idiots out there. Is that not something all politicians and their political advisers should remember at all times and not just when it suits them to do so. If Boris and his morons were just straight with people and followed the rules they set and imposed on the country we would not be in a position where the idiots are emboldened to stick two fingers up to the rest of us. I do wonder whether Boris has given Cummings notice. If he has he should say so now rather than letting the weasel salvage some pride from the fiascos of Duhamgate.
By definition 50% of the population have below average intelligence. And of those 50% very few believe they have below average intelligence. And suddenly everything becomes clear.......
