So proud of the UK today

[1stDecember]

So, the UK is the first in the world to approve and roll out a Covid vaccination programme. (If another country had done this, say Germany, everyone would be going on about why can't we be as good as the Germans? )

The UK had bought and tested a major amount of the right vaccine - it didn't get here by chance!

The UK Army (which really is world-class) is going to enable the largest vaccine programme ever.

It looks like a Brexit Deal is about to be struck.

And - next year, the UK will be banning the live export of animals. (We couldn't do that in the EU.)

Just feeling really good about the UK today

It doesn't often happen, so I thought I would appreciate the moment

@toobe
Yeah people worrying that their husbands are going to die! What a load of whinging moaners hey?

I couldn't see anyone worrying that their husbands are going to die - perhaps you're on the wrong thread?

Why all the constant negativity on this thread/mumsnet in general? The OP didn't say the UK was perfect just that there are some things to be proud of and I agree with her. You could keep your doom-mongering for the Brexit threads.

I think part of the issue here is that although the UK does do a lot of things well it feels like it is on a downtrend with every aspect of life getting worse. Yes we have a lot of very bright inspirational people and are on the whole very innovative but it feel like there is no infrastructure in place to support them and Brexit as well as a number of other factors means that international talent is being lost and innovative companies such as ARM are being sold off.

On most measures the UK is slipping down the league tables, from GDP per head, to educational attainment to health outcomes. Inequality is growing at a faster rate than in most other developed nations and poverty is rising faster. Quality of life indices are also poor.

Most of my friends and colleagues who work in highly skilled jobs have already left or are looking for employment abroad and it currently feels like there is a need to escape the sinking ship before things get worse.

@Onedropbeat

I don’t know anyone who thinks we are miles behind Europe or would leave because of uk’s health service or schools

A few bad eggs maybe but in the whole we have excellent free healthcare and schooling

It would be an insult to the teachers I know or the nurses I know to say otherwise too

@Onedropbeat The NHS, education and police have been chronically underfunded over the last decade- childrens centres were closed down by the Government in the name of austerity.

The Government have spent around 280 BILLION on the pandemic response (including testing,PPE and vaccine development) yet yesterday we became the first country in Europe to have over 60,000 coronavirus deaths. Let's hope that spend includes some legacy work too - the big summer of 'catch up' promised by the Government to my children from time spent home learning never materialised.

It is an insult to the teachers, healthcare workers, PCSO's /police how underfunded their sectors are by the Government. Maybe ask the ones you know if they think their workplaces are sufficiently funded next time you speak to them? We owe all these public sector workers enormous gratitude for all they manage - but it would be an improvement for them personally and professionally if they were better funded. Lets not forget that the people who can afford to often opt out of national provision and choose private healthcare and private schools - why do you think that is?

Oh dear , still not seeing the point of how much better that is than what a lot of Europe has access to.
Not to mention the US

[quote lifestooshort123]@toobe
Yeah people worrying that their husbands are going to die! What a load of whinging moaners hey?

I couldn't see anyone worrying that their husbands are going to die - perhaps you're on the wrong thread?

Why all the constant negativity on this thread/mumsnet in general? The OP didn't say the UK was perfect just that there are some things to be proud of and I agree with her. You could keep your doom-mongering for the Brexit threads.[/quote]
Because when you have imbeciles like Gavin Williamson saying things like this on public record:

"We've obviously got the best medical regulators, much better than the French have, much better than the Belgians have, much better than the Americans have. That doesn't surprise me at all because we're a much better country than every single one of them,"

You are going to have people point out that with the worst death toll from Coronavirus in Europe and with over 60,000 families losing someone we are not actually 'much better'.

Obviously it's welcome news that vaccinations are on the way.

But you've made my point that we lack the ability to want to improve because for many in the UK we are at the top of the pile, so there is no need..... a bit like our football team, we (apparently) have the best leagues and the best players...... lol!
What is 'our' football team?

@Onedropbeat

Oh dear , still not seeing the point of how much better that is than what a lot of Europe has access to. Not to mention the US

Just ask the teachers and nurses working in the public sector that you know.

In international comparisons the UK will do better than some countries and worse than others - what does that prove? I'm interested in improvements in THIS country and the Government spending our money to improve peoples lives. Have a read of this to see what the £106 billion being spent on HS2 could alternatively have funded:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hs2-cost-buy-billion-nhs-education-brexit-a9293021.html

@Onedropbeat

Oh dear , still not seeing the point of how much better that is than what a lot of Europe has access to. Not to mention the US

We are not and you have presented no evidence to the contrary.

No evidence necessary it’s easy to find examples if you need it
U.K. is well known for having outstanding world leading treatments

I honestly can’t believe people hate where they live so much

If you are so negative about it then why be here?

No evidence necessary it’s easy to find examples if you need it
U.K. is well known for having outstanding world leading treatments

What are they then? they are not accessible to all, my FiL needs a hernia op, 18 month waiting list, or £5k at the local bupa.

If you are so negative about it then why be here?

Why shouldn't i be? Stock childish answer to anyone who doesn't wave the flag.

Isn’t it wearing to be so down about where you live?

Have you lived anywhere else for comparison?

@Sailorsgirl44

I'm in Ireland.. I would not like to be at the top of the queue for this vaccine. Its been rushed out.. I think other countries will watch how the UK gets on and learn from your mistakes. As for Brexit.. Its going to create such enormous problems in Northern Ireland.

It’s not so much it’s been rushed out as partially licensed in a very specific & limited way by the MHRA which makes it a logistical nightmare to administer.

The data is there but it’ll take a while for the MHRA, EMA, FDA and all the other nations regulatory bodies to go through in order to licence it completely. I think the MHRA are saying weeks, the EMA by the end of the month. Hopefully we won’t destroy too many of the 800,000 doses in the process of a slightly pointless piece of grandstanding.

However I do know what you mean. The jingoism of the politicians over the last few days and this governments record make me much more comfortable having it after the EMA have approved it even though I do trust the MHRA not to have been swayed by pressure from the government.

Hopefully we won’t destroy too many of the 800,000 doses in the process of a slightly pointless piece of grandstanding.

Do you really think this will happen? Aren’t we just deploying differently? But still with diligence.

I'm not down about where I live. I love the countryside and like (most) of the people! I'm glad the Government are making policies to address climate change.

I don't like politicians presenting the UK as egotistical unilateralists to the rest of the world though.

I'd also like the Government to have the political will to spend more on essential services that would be beneficial to the general population and provide better conditions for those working in key sectors - I don't think that's an unreasonable wish for the country.

Are you still so proud today OP? With the "we can't actually decide who to give the relatively small number of doses we are getting to, or how, or how we will store it or give it out".

I wouldn't be. The only thing the UK is world leading now is being a shambles

[quote tobee]Actually Fauci has now clarified what he said. It's a shame anyone's decided to be nationalistic about any of this. Rather than genuinely come together. But money gets in the way; which is why many of the people dissing the Astra Zeneca vaccine are American financial people.

Dr Fauci apologises for saying UK 'rushed' vaccine www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55177948[/quote]
Thank you - that's a good update to read.

"I have a great deal of confidence in what the UK does both scientifically and from a regulator standpoint," Dr Fauci told the BBC on Thursday.

Good

What are they then? they are not accessible to all, my FiL needs a hernia op, 18 month waiting list, or £5k at the local bupa

@Bluethrough how does that compare with other countries out of interest?

I love how everyone else is an expert in how to run the country! Why don't you stand for MP and try and push forward the suggestions you are making.

@bendmeoverbackwards

I love how everyone else is an expert in how to run the country! Why don't you stand for MP and try and push forward the suggestions you are making.

Indeed. It would be interesting to see whether a randomly chosen ‘jury’ type choice of the appropriate number of citizens with reasonable common sense would do something like award a no-deal Brexit contract to a ferry company with no ships, or renege on parts of an international treaty they had ratified a matter of months earlier.

@bendmeoverbackwards

I love how everyone else is an expert in how to run the country! Why don't you stand for MP and try and push forward the suggestions you are making.

I thought that. Be the change you want to see and all that.

@MarshaBradyo

Hopefully we won’t destroy too many of the 800,000 doses in the process of a slightly pointless piece of grandstanding.

Do you really think this will happen? Aren’t we just deploying differently? But still with diligence.

Depends on who is running it. If it’s the NHS and military I’m sure it will be fine other than the odd unavoidable mishap. Serco and the government, not so much.

But deploying it differently is part of the issue. I doubt we had a plan for distributing it without it being able to split it up into batches which is why we don’t know who we’re giving it to first or even where from. Which makes the whole thing a bit more rushed. And IME rushing things through tends to leave you a bit more open to cock up no matter how diligent you are being with temp & timings.

These threads are just so predicatable when you point out where the Government could improve or at least stop cocking up.

Poster: Why do you hate your country?
Answer: I don't but I'd prefer it if the Government (who represent us) would do X, Y and Z e.g Gavin Williamson not blurt out in interview " I just reckon we’ve got the very best people in this country and we’ve obviously got the best medical regulators.Much better than the French have, much better than the Belgians have, much better than the Americans have" (like he's in a flipping school playground)
Poster: Why don't you be a politican then?
Answer: Here's a thought maybe the politicians in post could learn to do their jobs better?

Grumbly why don’t you vote for better? Whatever it is stop moaning and change things.

@MarshaBradyo

Grumbly why don’t you vote for better? Whatever it is stop moaning and change things.

Well if my vote counted this current bunch of turkeys wouldn't be our cabinet. The constituency I live in has been Conservative since the 1800s so effectively I get no choice (thankfully there is a better spread in the local elections). I write to my MP on issues with no effect. Without handing me the keys to the Treasury how do you propose I change things?

Where was the moaning all I have asked for is better performance from our Government? That is a reasonable request from any citizen.