Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[BlueToff]

You don't half chat some utter Tory WUM for a cough cough Liberal... Portugal that's it in Europe all the others may have some socially minded administration at this point or some flavour of socialism in their policies.

It takes many years of the same the government in the democracy model to fundimentally change a country. And besides these political meanings have very different understandings to individual countries.

There is no doubt in my mind had Corbyn won in 2015 2017 or even Milliband won in 2010 the NHS would have much better prepared for this pandemic. We may have had to pay more in Taxes and our Amazon items may have cost a bit more, however, no where near the cost to us now in life and economics.

You really should come up with a better argument than just calling someone a Tory because they don't line up with your little viewpoint, pal.

If you haven't noticed, it hasn't worked for the past five years.

That's not to say I'm happy with how the government have responded to this or how the NHS has been underfunded. I just hate the 'you're a Tory' jibe. Get a proper argument.

 

[witchdoc187]

They're both indulgent activities. Hancock was just on R4 again urging people to only go out where necessary. Your 40km ride wasn't/isn't in any way necessary.

Looking from Spain at the UK I can't get my head around it. Here the parks have been closed for a month, as have the beaches, yet in UK the parks and beaches are left open and people basically left to decide for themselves what's acceptable. This obviously leads to people just chilling in the park or just walking around without a care in the world. London is surely going to get this really bad.

 

[davek]

The reaction on social media. Social media is bonkers and largely full of people who make @davek seem rational. I will say, however, that the overwhelming majority of journalists are privately educated English graduates, so I don't expect them to understand science, much less question it from a robust position. What I fail to understand is quite why people hold so much sway by them, especially at a time like this. The universities, with real experts, have been churning out content on CV like they've got nothing else to do (which is largely true) for the past few weeks, and provides infinitely better commentary than you get from even the broadsheet newspapers.

I'm sorry, I dont understand this. Care to explain?

 

[roydo]

Looking from Spain at the UK I can't get my head around it. Here the parks have been closed for a month, as have the beaches, yet in UK the parks and beaches are left open and people basically left to decide for themselves what's acceptable. This obviously leads to people just chilling in the park or just walking around without a care in the world. London is surely going to get this really bad.

Looking from the UK, that isnt actually happening.

 

[witchdoc187]

I also have no idea how they are arriving at these figures if they aren't testing, the tests are inaccurate and they aren't counting people in care homes. Also how they record the deaths of people with underlying issues. So none of the figures can be accurate.

 

[tsubaki]

As someone who works in the media, and saw that bit of the briefing yesterday, then there really isn't anything 'disgraceful' about that headline.

If your pieces are quotes led, then that was the quote you would lead on. That's just it. There's no conspiracy. It was the 'best' quote. Soundbites are soundbites for a reason.

There should also have been an article about the number of deaths, which I'm sure there will have been, and the number will have been referenced in any article published after the announcement last night.

I didn't go to Oxford and Cambridge and I wasn't privately educated. But that report puts forward what was said in the briefing.

That report wasn’t just an account of the briefing though; it contained comments from some journalists reporting (badly) that some NHS staff rather disagreed with what the government were saying. Did the headline reflect that?

 

[Billy Dean]

I'm sure some countries were intrinsically better prepared from more recent experience with similar viruses or having a far stronger economy and industrial base with the option of instituting mass testing far more quickly - preparation, logistics and experience tailor realistic choices and options.

Isn't the UK the 5th or 6th largest economy in the world? How strong does it have to be to invest sufficiently in its public health system?

 

[witchdoc187]

Looking from the UK, that isnt actually happening.

Was looking at photos of the parks in London and speaking with friends who live there. The parks have been busier than they should and canal paths etc are busy with people just walking around. Why are parks even open? Victoria park in East London was closed then they reopened it this weekend. There were loads is people walking along the prom in Brighton yesterday too.

 

[roydo]

Was looking at photos of the parks in London and speaking with friends who live there. The parks have been busier than they should and canal paths etc are busy with people just walking around. Why are parks even open? Victoria park in East London was closed then they reopened it this weekend. There were loads is people walking along the prom in Brighton yesterday too.

London isnt the UK. Despite what they think.

 

[tsubaki]

I really didn't intend it to be an all encompassing commentary on the rationale behind appointments of scientific advisors over the last ten years or however long. Politicians always make appointments they think advantageous to their own path followed and always will.

The point is that they've been elected 5 minutes ago, these are the advisors and scientists who are in place and they've been making the difficult choices given the constraints and practicalities imposed upon them by the speed at which this has spread from China.

Yes, I mean it’s not like we have had a Tory PM for nearly ten years now.

 

[Harryflashman]

Yes, I mean it’s not like we have had a Tory PM for nearly ten years now.

You’d deffo be forgiven for thinking otherwise

 

[peteblue]

Isn't the UK the 5th or 6th largest economy in the world? How strong does it have to be to invest sufficiently in its public health system?

Would you prefer the public health systems of the Number 1 and 2 economies.......

 

[witchdoc187]

London isnt the UK. Despite what they think.

That's a different discussion.. Is does exist and is by far the most populated area of the UK so it is relevant. I was merely pointing out that the capital city doesn't appear to be taking it very seriously.

 

[Barnfred 55]

Lessons will be learnt, its a new virus and has been dealt with better in some countries than others. I think there's a danger of politicians, the media and especially the social media warriors making ill informed snap judgements without all the facts though, as they usually do tbf.

Scientists like anyone can be wrong, can make bad mistakes and could learn and do things better, their colleagues in the same field are possibly the best equipped to judge them. Sometimes it's not so straight forward a path to follow with no definite right answers and sometimes they may be floundering as it's not something they can accurately predict. I'm sure some countries were intrinsically better prepared from more recent experience with similar viruses or having a far stronger economy and industrial base with the option of instituting mass testing far more quickly - preparation, logistics and experience tailor realistic choices and options.

What's for sure is for all of this, is that hindsight and especially social media warriors will be quick to judge the ones that made mistakes or took the wrong turn very harshly indeed whether or not they themselves can judge fairly. It still wouldn't mean these same advisors aren't the best placed to advise on the future regardless.

That's very possibly the most sensible, and dare I say accurate post in the whole thread. I'd give it a million likes if I could. I feel as though I want to hug you, from a distance of course

 

[PhilM]

London isnt the UK. Despite what they think.

Coronavirus: Google data suggests park visits rose on weekend

Warm weather saw an increase in park visits last weekend, but overall activity was lower than usual.

www.bbc.co.uk

"In Greater London, the data indicates, visits to parks were down just 15% compared to life before lockdown."