To be ashamed to be British

[yesterdayschild]

Every day more and more British deaths. When compared to other countries some of them third world, we have an appalling death rate from Covid 19.
Why oh why did the government allow 3000 Spanish to enter just to watch a football match when Spain would not allow them to watch in their own country.
Why was the Stereophonics concert allowed when other countries had locked down.
Why are thousands of people still entering the U.K. with no checks.
Why are our NHS staff still begging for PPE

I am feeling very very low about all of this and wish I lived in some other country.

@Justanotherlurker, at least I know I can rely on you to always tell everyone how stupid they are in every event and decry the lack of critical thinking from your lofty perch. Your smugness on so many of your comments does you no favours

This government kew this was coming in January. They didn't pay attention.

I really think you need to get a grip.

I think in Germany the earlier admission for those that are ill just have helped. Having witnessed how bad so called mild symptoms there is no doubt in normal times you would be admitted to hospital

Also their early and high numbers of people being tested

I blame the Normans, storming in, shooting Harold in the eye after tricking him, imposing the feudal system for a few hundred years. Bloody bastard Dukes

Out of all the countries to have ended up being born in, I'm quite happy for Britain. Not having to worry about the costs of an unexpected trip to HDU when childbirth doesn't go to plan. Indoor flushing toilets. Decent education until 18. Free speech. There are plenty worse places to be in the world. We're not perfect, but there is far far worse.

We're maintaining law, order and social distancing without military presence and low police input. Most people are respecting the guidence. We queue nicely and patiently. We have a good scientific infrastructure for research into the virus, vaccines and antibodies.
Other European countries are having the same difficulties importing appropriate PPE.

Rushing into lockdown before the public saw the need would have weakened public support. While not perfect, we've entered it with preparation and financial support.

We never were going to get it lightly. We're an international hub (and half term skiing holidays in north Italy were very unfortunately timed against their surge in the spread) and we are a densly populated country, very interconnected across the regions, and with a large proportion of vulnerable demographics.

No shame in being British here. Not jingoistic either, but no shame.

I'm ashamed that YOU'RE British OP. That was pure click-bait, and you know it.

Colonialism? Didn’t other countries like Spain, Portugal, Belgium and France also have colonies?
I don’t think the government has got everything right but surely the ppe should have been ordered by the well paid nhs executives after the Cygnus report in 2016. Also every country is after ppe.
I’m glad we don’t have armed police on the street, have you seen the bbc gilet jaune protests violently policed every Saturday for a year ( never reported on mainstream news in the UK).
I think our main problem has been not treating people early enough, this seems to be opposite to how Germany have approached the problem. It seems madness to have these huge empty nightingale hospitals and the having to wait until your lips are turning blue.
I would be more worried if Jeremy corben had been in charge as his position on brexit was so unclear, could he have made a decision about anything?

I know nothing about pandemic planning or managing an outbreak

You should just stop there instead of linking to a Op-ed article from the Guardian and then go on to cite Twitter.

It shows your lack of understanding that you take your OP-ED to somehow prove your point without even giving it even the slightest of critical analysis.

To take apart the OP-ED and that is what it is:

Even on first pass you can easily find out that some on the panel are:

Prof Whitty - Long career in researching Malaria.

Prof Van Tam - Expert in influenza and respiratory issues.

Zambon - Specialist in RNA viruses, anti virals and vaccines.

Meera Chand - Expert on infectious diseases and worked on countering Ebola.

Graham Medley - Professor of infectious disease modelling.

Peter Horby - Ran Ebola trials in Africa.

That’s all I can be bothered writing but the rest even the stats people have experience in infectious diseases.

The majority have experience in this field.

It's funny how only a few months ago people were screaming about Brexiteers questioning experts.

Surely one thing we need to consider when comparing infection and death rates by country is the population density of that country. The UK has a population of 66.6 million, in an area of 242,500 square km, 275 per sq km. Spain has a population of 47 million in an area of 506,000 sq km, 93 people per sq km. On that basis, we should have getting on for 3 times the rates of Spain, probably more as they have had a much stricter lockdown.

I’m not ashamed to be British.

Not ashamed at all the only thing I'm ashamed of is the constant stream of experts everywhere who know exactly whats need to sort CV.

People who bang on about locking down and everyone staying in for few months then when we all reappear as if by magic CV has completely been eradicated .

Political parties constantly pointing the fingers about inadequate pandemic planning in 2016 . But do they tell us in 2016 when we can do something NO as usual late to the party gifted with hindsight and full of criticism .

People were were aware of risk of concerts and cheltnham at the start they decided to go thats there fault not the governments

We are walking in the unknown every country is struggling and making mistake why should we be any different

You can't make comparisons we are not like for like. London has the population of some the whole countries we are being compared to. Load of the general population will not conform like other countries . We are one of the fattest and unhealthiest counties of course we will have a high death rate

Loads of new stories untrue or bits taken out of context just to stir up shit.

@clopper

That's true about other European countries having colonised other countries, I don't get the impression they particularly dwell on it. Nor do Germans appear to wallow in self loathing over what the Nazis did. So why do some British people see a virtue in beating their breasts about their history?

I'm not saying that the colonists didn't do a lot of very bad things btw. They quite obviously did.

Ridiculous comments telling OP to feel free to leave, this isn't a like it or lump it situation.

The UK government have behaved appalling. And they will probably continue to do so. They have not set clear limits, just made suggestions on how the public should behave.

I am in Switzerland, very close to a French border. Geneva is a very international hub. A lot of my colleagues live in France and have to have a piece of paper to leave their house. In Switzerland, we have relative freedom within strict boundaries, but culturally people do follow the rules. The police are definitely present but in a very peaceful way.

We are looking over at the UK panic buying, buying non essential items, utter chaos in hospitals and flouting the rules with a mixture of shock and bemusement. As we did with Brexit. It's quite unbelievable, to be honest.

Hopefully it will be a learning curve for many countries but the UK definitely needs to consider its priorities

Ridiculous comments telling OP to feel free to leave, this isn't a like it or lump it situation.

Except she said that she wishes "I lived in some other country."

@nightswimmers love how you’ve written that like no other country other than the U.K. has behaved this way ..

YANBU

My conscience is clear. I didn't vote for the nasty party. What a shower of shit.

Such a shame you feel that way, OP. Nothing is perfect, no matter where you are. Feel ashamed of certain people, or practices, I can understand. But to feel ashamed and so negative of your nationality is really unfortunate.

I'm proud of the way that Nicola Sturgeon is handling her daily briefings

Me too. I'm very impressed by a lot of Scottish women MPs and SMPs. Mhairi Black and Joanna Cherry are particularly awesome.

@Justanotherlurker, sure OP Ed is one article by one professional, but when the writer has a professional credentials their opinions count too. Tweets by experts can give a lot of info of the different views out there If you read the article - and it’s so boring when people dismiss an article because it’s printed in X paper, the Professor details clearly the areas he and others believe should have been on the SAGE board as well.

I have seen a virologist, two global health professors, 2 public health experts and an infectious disease doctor with 20 years experience of managing communicable diseases all say the make up of the SAGE board was too narrow in scope

We are looking over at the UK panic buying, buying non essential items, utter chaos in hospitals and flouting the rules with a mixture of shock and bemusement. As we did with Brexit. It's quite unbelievable, to be honest.

It's funny that someone living in Switzerland is bemused by brexit when they are not even a member...

As for chaos in our hospitals....

I have friends and collegues across europe, your not in the majority who think the UK Gov are doing any worse than their own governments, a lot are wondering when the EU PPE rollout is going to happen as it's been a 'couple of days' now for the past month.

@Justanotherlurker yes we are not part of EU but we have a ton of bilateral agreements. A lot of people we know have been drafted in by the British gouvernement to help them try to sort out where to begin with the trade agreements.

In Switzerland, they do obviously have experience of this. And everyone is still wondering what will be achieved by Brexit.

But anyway, we digress...

COVID 19.

“Labour wouldn’t have done better” how the hell would we know?! True labour people haven’t been in power for over 40 years! New labour were not going to ever do much different than tories as they were wolves in sheep’s clothing!

Plus as @LostVoiced says these tories have had 10 YEARS to get their act together and have made things a damn sight worse!

@EasilyAnxious Brexit IS relevant as it’s informed their crappy decisions on purchasing equipment too!

@Student133 we’re not basing it JUST on the Brexit result but on the behaviour we have WITNESSED. I have many “foreign” friends and family living in Uk who have very much experienced the rise in racism since the referendum was announced, I removed a few people from my fb list as their comments in the time immediately prior to the vote were fucking disgusting! Frankly I was embarrassed they even momentarily thought I would ever accept such comments on my feed!

@Guylan - I wouldn’t even say “outbreak management 101” I’d say common bloody sense which is seriously lacking in our current leadership.

What has being British got to do with anything? British isn't a nationality, it's just a descriptor of the island you were born on.

If you're English, own the fact that your country voted for brexit and for a hard-right tory government - that is something to be ashamed of.

Unfortunately for the rest of us in countries which are currently shackled to the union, we're getting dragged down with you.

Fortunately, in Scotland, we have a First Minister who attends all the important meetings, shows up to work every single day and tells her people the truth about what is going on. She's rising to the challenge - I'm proud to be Scottish.

It's funny that someone living in Switzerland is bemused by brexit when they are not even a member...

Even more bemusing that someone is bemused by the 'non-essential' contents of shopping baskets in another country. I get that lockdown is boring and the Swiss aren't renowed for being the most exciting people on earth, but still. Maybe the poster should get a lockdown life and stop being 'shocked' that somone in Coventry bought a tub of non-essential Wall's Ice Cream.

British isn't a nationality

Of course it is.