Off Topic Coronavirus

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I think it’s pretty clear that there is a massive tension at the heart of this between those who are concerned about the impact of the virus and those who are concerned about the impact of the response to the virus. But nowhere do I see the debate being stifled or suppressed. Then again, apart from here, I don’t do social media. But I do see plenty of mainstream media platforms for people like Peter Hitchens and Lord Sumption, and plenty of people in Parliament (mostly Tories) arguing the libertarian side of the case.

The way I see it is - the virus exists and can have devastating consequences for large numbers of people. The efforts to control the virus will damage the economy (have damaged the economy) and will upset those who are very focussed on their individual ‘rights’. The ‘cure’ could be as bad as or worse than the disease. Getting the balance right is the job of government based on scientific evidence. So far this has been a bit of a fiasco, neither curing the disease nor avoiding the side effects of the treatment. And we are all getting increasingly wound up and neurotic as a result, and because, in these times of ‘rights’ and instant gratification, this has gone on for longer than our puny attention spans can cope with, and our skins are too thin to manage the differences of perspective.

There is right on both sides.

I ****ing hate it when you nail something so perfectly!!:emoticon-0100-smile

Excellent post.
 
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I think it’s pretty clear that there is a massive tension at the heart of this between those who are concerned about the impact of the virus and those who are concerned about the impact of the response to the virus. But nowhere do I see the debate being stifled or suppressed. Then again, apart from here, I don’t do social media. But I do see plenty of mainstream media platforms for people like Peter Hitchens and Lord Sumption, and plenty of people in Parliament (mostly Tories) arguing the libertarian side of the case.

The way I see it is - the virus exists and can have devastating consequences for large numbers of people. The efforts to control the virus will damage the economy (have damaged the economy) and will upset those who are very focussed on their individual ‘rights’. The ‘cure’ could be as bad as or worse than the disease. Getting the balance right is the job of government based on scientific evidence. So far this has been a bit of a fiasco, neither curing the disease nor avoiding the side effects of the treatment. And we are all getting increasingly wound up and neurotic as a result, and because, in these times of ‘rights’ and instant gratification, this has gone on for longer than our puny attention spans can cope with, and our skins are too thin to manage the differences of perspective.

There is right on both sides.


I understand exactly what you are saying Stan...
This is the crux or pivotal point.

We need to balance both sides ..and both sides WILL complain...but the government need to keep the complaints manageable..
 
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So now in the North East you can only go to a pub or restaurant with people from your own household.....but you can go to work (and school) with whoever.

Whatever your basic position on this stuff it seems to me that it cannot be denied that the measures are confusing, contradictory and knee jerk. Closing pubs and restaurants while keeping shops and schools open next I’m guessing.

Tell you what, a decent and rapid testing service would make a big difference......

Just heard from my daughter that the police are out in the student residential zone asking people if they are from the same household.

I was talking to someone today who is a statistician, among other things and he reckons that testing won't be the silver bullet because there are far too many false positives.
He then proceeded to explain that using figures etc and I'm afraid my eyes glazed over in a dyslexia fog.
 
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As a mate Col.....I think you get cross at far more than people saying it’s a hoax

Yep. Idiots not obeying social distancing and putting others in danger especially.
But I have questioned the covid death totals and whether the NHS should be more open since the beginning.

Plus, as a mate, I think you're being a little over sensitive.

As Stan says, this thing is impossible to get right.
 
Yep. Idiots not obeying social distancing and putting others in danger especially.
But I have questioned the covid death totals and whether the NHS should be more open since the beginning.

Plus, as a mate, I think you're being a little over sensitive.

As Stan says, this thing is impossible to get right.

Mate, over sensitive I’m definitely not.
(Well sometimes, but definitely not in here)
Honestly don’t give a **** what anyone thinks of my opinions or posts.....and if people wanna get upset about it I’m sure we’ll all live.
 
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Mate, over sensitive I’m definitely not.
(Well sometimes, but definitely not in here)
Honestly don’t give a **** what anyone thinks of my opinions or posts.....and if people wanna get upset about it I’m sure we’ll all live.

I think we're all ****ing frustrated with all that's happening and maybe we need to just cool it a bit, me included.
 
I think we're all ****ing frustrated with all that's happening and maybe we need to just cool it a bit, me included.
I think that's the general feeling up and down the country mate. Who would have thought it would become illegal to go to your own mothers house? Or you had to wear some certain item or be fined. Make no mistake, these decisions are beginning to look like a dictatorship. No scrutiny or voting to pass these laws/acts. It's quite astonishing really when you think about it.
 
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Hmmmm........
This is genuinely **** communication. I didn’t see it at the time, but I shouldn’t be surprised as the official use of graphics and projections has been catastrophically bad throughout this thing, misleading use of scales, suddenly dropping some information when it started to look bad etc.

Here they are quite obviously terrified of this thing getting out of control and the hospitals being flooded again, so they are definitely scaremongering. But even if the 50,000 is correct a big percentage of it will be asymptomatic/mild it’s not the same as first time round where all the tests were of people turning up at hospital, ill. I doubt it will work as scaremongering as nobody believes a word these numpties say anymore. With this kind of crap I can understand why some think something sinister is going on. I still think that these people are on the professional end of incompetent and out of their depth.

Anyone seen Steels around? I hope his wife is doing better.
 
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I think that's the general feeling up and down the country mate. Who would have thought it would become illegal to go to your own mothers house? Or you had to wear some certain item or be fined. Make no mistake, these decisions are beginning to look like a dictatorship. No scrutiny or voting to pass these laws/acts. It's quite astonishing really when you think about it.

It's not just the Government to blame for the **** state we're in.

The British don't like being told what to do, which is a trait I've always admired.
However, at this time, it's definitely working against us.
 
It's not just the Government to blame for the **** state we're in.

The British don't like being told what to do, which is a trait I've always admired.
However, at this time, it's definitely working against us.
It's not Col but when you look back at the chronological time line regarding decisions, lack of decisions, restrictions, guidelines laws, Cummings fiasco etc, you really do see why the public dont have any confidence in what they now find illegal and undemocratic. So in my opinion, the government must shoulder the vast majority of the blame. This is not about me bashing the Tories, it's about holding an incompetent PM and his nodding dogs to account. Its scandalous. They talk about freedoms and freedom of society. They are few and far between. They were warned by their own experts that to open schools and education would mean having to close another sector.
 
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I’m not really buying that we’re a nation of anti-establishment non-conformists more so than France or Italy, for example. Surely we’d have been smashing the place up years ago rather than voting the Tories in for ten ****ing years if that was the case. When people do rebel a bit there’s a horde of Talksport callers named Gary calling for the government to hose them off the streets.

No offence intended to any Garys out there.
 
It's not Col but when you look back at the chronological time line regarding decisions, lack of decisions, restrictions, guidelines laws, Cummings fiasco etc, you really do see why the public dont have any confidence in what they now find illegal and undemocratic. So in my opinion, the government must shoulder the vast majority of the blame.
I agree that the public is justified in having no confidence in the government’s measures given the record over the last few months, but I think only a tiny, tiny minority are not following because they think the rules are illegal and undemocratic, a fringe of the libertarian fringe. Although it looks bad on telly, and is clearly enough to keep the virus spreading, I really think those who are visibly breaking the rules (like the mobs in the streets at 10 pm in a few places) are either profoundly ignorant or just don’t care. Most of us, even those (like me) who have doubts about the effectiveness of some of these measures - and also I think most of those who are more concerned about the impact on the economy - still follow the rules. I have to say, in my case it really is the effectiveness of the rules that I doubt, in these circumstances I don’t feel any unreasonable restrictions on my liberty. It’s utility and appropriateness we should be concentrating on.

I wish the government would just say ‘we are keeping the pubs and restaurants open because, if we don’t, we won’t have any pubs and restaurants in a couple of months time, and will have even worse unemployment than we are looking at already. In terms of controlling the virus the only effective strategy is full lockdown, but that would be more socially catastrophic than we can countenance. But please do the basics - distancing, mask wearing, hand washing - and use your common sense. We are sorry that we have ****ed this up so comprehensively”
 
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