Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

No economy = no handouts.

Wales, Scotland and NI would be potless without the funding from London.

But why should Scotland and Wales having their own plans in place for the virus and for coming out of lockdown be an issue, I wouldn't think there would be implications for the economy?

 

[Barnfred 55]

Where did you hear that? The DFE's chief scientist contradicted that earlier in the week.

Dr Sarah Jarvis. I've heard her say it a few times but the latest was this morning on the Jeremy Vine show.

Just make sure you understood me correctly. She isn't saying that children that age don't pass it on. Just that there is no evidence yet to confirm that they do pass it on. I haven't actually seen what he said, but I guess from news clips I've seen that he isn't keen on children returning to school. So it's possible he may have said something like "there's no evidence to suggest that children that age don't pass the virus on". Which is a different way of saying the same thing, just from a different standpoint perspective.

Sarah Jarvis is a bit of a smarmy smart ass actually, so if you can prove she was wrong I wouldn't take it too much to heart

 

[Hickson9]

Said like a true up his own arse senior government worker who knows best and couldn't possibly ever learn anything from the rank and file. I've no idea whether you are by the way, but that's exactly the sort of response I would have expected from one, and probably the only reason that such a plan wouldn't work.

Private Industry have had bright idea schemes from staff for decades. Thousands of business's use it in dozens of industries and it works.

It's that sort of in bred I know best central government attitude that has driven our response to the virus and, ultimately, the main reason why we have so many deaths in this country.

There is a huge difference between companies accepting bright ideas from members of staff, and the Government accepting bright ideas from the general public.

 

[riddick]

Drug backed by Donald Trump does not help treat Covid-19, according to new research

In one study, adverse effects were more common in patients who received hydroxychloroquine.

www.thejournal.ie

Its literally the "day is night" with him. If he says something works "beautifully", it doesn't work at all.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

We are the UK though.

It will be a very sorry and sad day if those that want their independence get their way.

Well on the road to independence, and hastened by Brexit... Much prefer a union of some type with United Ireland Scotland and Wales, politically and culturally very similar and different to England. English have brought into some fanciful far right Imperialism of the past.

 

[Barnfred 55]

Made up of four countries, and each country should have the right to deal with this virus as they see best that protects the people of that country, not what Boris tells them is best.

Imagine the fall out if he brought in emergency powers to enforce it, which he has the majority to do and may even have the powers already within the covid bill.

The government has made lots of wrong calls during this, some of them undoubtedly resulting in a higher number of deaths. But the general policy of giving advice and guidelines, and leaving it up to the public to carry them out, is I believe the best course of action for our population. We are all used to our freedoms and have generally not reacted well to having them removed.

 

[orchard]

Well at least you can articulate your argument and comment rather than just resorting to insults.

I doff my cap.

I wouldn't rule it out like, but we wouldn't be in this mess if the government had adopted the precautionary principle to public health, and this isn't going to be the last time this government errs in this regard in the near future, if they can get away with it.

 

[Tipp blue]

I was musing this the other day.

Its a one off hit to the entire country. Couldnt have been planned for, fiscally, and will mean the UK will need to borrow gazillions.

If possible, from a legal/accountancy angle, once we know the whole cost, that debt should be ring fenced, issued via very long dated gilts, and repaid over decades and decades, minimising the impact on "normal" future Government spending and borrowing. With cross party agreement.

That's another option that debts are to be paid off over such a long time that it really doesn't hurt so much to pay it back. In Ireland we've just come out of 10 years of austerity, there is still some "temporary" taxes still hanging around that were introduced as a measure to get us out of recession. I don't think people would be up for another round of austerity. Any anti austerity demonstrations were in the past largely peaceful I could see it turning violent if they were to bring austerity back.

 

[scratchnsurf]

Dr Sarah Jarvis. I've heard her say it a few times but the latest was this morning on the Jeremy Vine show.

Just make sure you understood me correctly. She isn't saying that children that age don't pass it on. Just that there is no evidence yet to confirm that they do pass it on. I haven't actually seen what he said, but I guess from news clips I've seen that he isn't keen on children returning to school. So it's possible he may have said something like "there's no evidence to suggest that children that age don't pass the virus on". Which is a different way of saying the same thing, just from a different standpoint perspective.

Sarah Jarvis is a bit of a smarmy smart ass actually, so if you can prove she was wrong I wouldn't take it too much to heart

I don't know about proving her wrong but a study recently reported on by the NY Times that took place in Germany showed children testing positive for the virus harbour just as much virus as adults. It's difficult to see how the virus they harbour should be different to that of the adults and in some way be unable to be transmitted.

 

[Barnfred 55]

There is a huge difference between companies accepting bright ideas from members of staff, and the Government accepting bright ideas from the general public.

No there isn't. Apart from scale, the only difference that matters is the willingness to listen.

Can I ask what you do, or did, for a living?

 

[Jebus_lives]

Said like a true up his own arse senior government worker who knows best and couldn't possibly ever learn anything from the rank and file. I've no idea whether you are by the way, but that's exactly the sort of response I would have expected from one, and probably the only reason that such a plan wouldn't work.

Private Industry have had bright idea schemes from staff for decades. Thousands of business's use it in dozens of industries and it works.

It's that sort of in bred I know best central government attitude that has driven our response to the virus and, ultimately, the main reason why we have so many deaths in this country.

I've suggested we can beat this by trusting in prayer, the protection of the almighty and a cure of my own creation: rhino horn, garlic and battery acid.

 

[roydo]

That's another option that debts are to be paid off over such a long time that it really doesn't hurt so much to pay it back. In Ireland we've just come out of 10 years of austerity, there is still some "temporary" taxes still hanging around that were introduced as a measure to get us out of recession. I don't think people would be up for another round of austerity. Any anti austerity demonstrations were in the past largely peaceful I could see it turning violent if they were to bring austerity back.

Same thoughts as you.

I dont think folk will be that arsed about some tax rises, but spending cuts less so. Especially as we all know where the impact will be felt most.

Just ring fence this exceptional item, and effectively remove it from the year to year budgets for ever.

 

[peteblue]

That’s kinda how I feel. I feel a bit sorry for her. She’s doing great though. They are so resilient.
But you do worry about long term effects.
Work wise the school have been great. It’s just navigating the teaching of it. It’s so easy to guide her a little too much.
Hope it’s going ok at your end.

Half the problem was trying to understand the teaching methodology the teachers used. For instance, the tens and ones and counting approach when adding two simple numbers. We quickly ditched that approach, did it old school, and she immediately started to add any length number to multiples of any other length numbers and understood units, tens, hundreds, thousands and millions. We tried looking at some of the government teaching videos, but again she got bored really quickly because it was too slow. We bought some of the ‘Collins easy learning’ workbooks 7-9 or 7-11 and they have tended to be useful. My main worry is that as teachers have to take a mixed ability group along at a similar pace, that she will either get ahead or fall behind in certain areas and be out of synch when she goes back. So it’s a mix of making real progress versus keeping within the system.....

 

[roydo]

Half the problem was trying to understand the teaching methodology the teachers used. For instance, the tens and ones and counting approach when adding two simple numbers. We quickly ditched that approach, did it old school, and she immediately started to add any length number to multiples of any other length numbers and understood units, tens, hundreds, thousands and millions. We tried looking at some of the government teaching videos, but again she got bored really quickly because it was too slow. We bought some of the ‘Collins easy learning’ workbooks 7-9 or 7-11 and they have tended to be useful. My main worry is that as teachers have to take a mixed ability group along at a similar pace, that she will either get ahead or fall behind in certain areas and be out of synch when she goes back. So it’s a mix of making real progress versus keeping within the system.....

Tell you what mate, your grand daughter will remember being taught by her grand dad for the rest of her life. Hundreds of others will too.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Transatlantic tensions over access to COVID-19 vaccines mount after Sanofi CEO says US is first in queue

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi is at the centre of a transatlantic row over access to its COVID-19 vaccines, after CEO Paul Hudson said the US would get “first access, because it was first to fund the research.”

sciencebusiness.net

There's a very ugly undercurrent of nationalism emerging throughout all of this. Very ugly.