Bit disappointed!

[Twinklegreen]

Waiting for some guidance from the PM.... and... nothing! What does any of it mean? I'm not one to have any political leanings in any direction, just think we need a bit more of an actual plan 🙋🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Also, there can’t be a definitive timeline as we will need to see the impact of relaxing some restrictions before deciding on the next.

O

Nicola Sturgeon and some fine political and journalist brains couldn’t understand it

She understood it just fine. She won’t ever agree with anything the goverment says. Ever.

I'm disappointed too. I know there is a 50 page document clarifying things due at 2pm today but he should have been far clearer in his announcement.

What the f is actually wrong with people?
Bunch of bitches, seriously.
Always someone saying 'could you not add to another thread' people are allowed to make a thread if they want to!

I get what you mean OP. It's almost like
They leave you to make a decision so it doesn't fall on them. Like when they say 'led by science' because if it is wrong they can just blame it on the scientists.

@MakeItRain
Your post illustrates perfectly why people were never going to be satisfied by this speech. It needed to be relatively short to keep the attention of the general public and get the key message across i.e. lockdown remains with very few concessions unless the rate of infection and death supports further easement. You are never going to get from a short speech the level of detail people require to implement any changes in their day-to-day lives. We all have such different circumstances regarding work, travel, children, elderly relatives etc and there are so many different permatations that even if he provided shed loads of details on each specific issue then people would still be angry that they weren't sure how to apply it to their specific circumstance.

We have to wait for more detail. It is difficult to wait especially if you are unsure whether to go to work today.

I refused to watch the actual briefing, but all the comments told me what I expected: it was all waffle, and as clear as mud. Humphrey Appleby of Yes Minister would be proud. "The public do not have a right to know, they have a right to be ignorant. Knowledge only means complicity in guilt; ignorance has a certain dignity."

What is clear is that the government doesn't want to say anything which they can later be blamed for. Relaxing the rules about exercise: that's what many people have been doing anyway (so those people are disappointed). We can now play sport, yay! But not proper team games as such netball. Is playground equipment going to be freed from its bondage? Some hope.

One of my jobs is often carried out in leisure centres. I really want to go back to work, but can I, in the face of closed doors?

I myself can't see how eternal 2m social distancing is going to work in real life at all - our society and overcrowded island simply isn't made that way. It seems like the government is just spouting ideals which they know are totally impractical, which they want the public to interpret as they see fit, so they can later say blamelessly "we told you, and you didn't listen".

Exactly, @Bumpitybumper.

The reality is, the speech is just a quick way to reintroduce new ideas, which is followed up by an in depth document where people can scour through it and apply the guidance to their own situation. If he was to go into every scenario, he'd still be on TV wittering on.

I think the harsh reality is a lot of people don't want to return to work, which is why they couldn't possibly just wait until 2pm today before blowing up about it. They didn't hear what they wanted and are trying to twist the dialogue to suit what they want to hear.

In terms of the anger about not letting people meet family, there is absolutely nothing stopping anyone in England from telling family members to meet them in a public place, like a park, and socially distance. But instead we have 50 threads about how John has to go to work but can't see Sarah. I think people do genuinely enjoy being obtuse on purpose.

Alas, this does remove the superiority complex from the curtain twitchers of the nation which can only be a good thing.

I agree with Bumpity. I don't think anyone is expected to getting up this morning and being at their desk by 9am if they weren't in Friday. For weeks now people have been complaining about us being treated like children and given one, unnuanced instruction. Now we are being told to use our judgement, apply it to our own individual circumstances and people are complaining about a lack of clarity. There will be copius detail out today hut many people won't want to bother reading it, like they didn't read the lockdown legislation, just the 'guidelines' which were shorter, simpler and misleading. To the pp who said the R rate was confusing.if you don't know by now what that is. You obviously don't care. We asked to be trusted to assess our own risk, we're being told to do that. If a hairdresser wants to open and people want to go, that's up to them. The more vulnerable or those living with them can continue in stricter lockdown if they so choose but the virus isn't going away and as a whole, we can't continue as we are for 12-18 months or however long a vaccine will take.

I read these threads and think - what were you watching ?? It was a clear presentation describing the results so far and outlining the future direction. It didn’t describe in detail every change in policy but, in case the hard of heating or thinking missed it, that will be coming today.

FGS do people not have patience any more? We will know more later today!

Which would be fine if we had been told "a detailed roadmap will be released on Monday".

But we were told the PM would be giving an outline on Sunday evening, and last week at PMQs he said there would be some relaxation from today.

The message last night was very woolly. I'm Irish and very envious of the clear information they're getting.

I would love something to aim at, especially re childcare and seeing family. Others will have their own concerns. I fully accept that we're not there yet, but an estimation of when the experts think we will be would be helpful.

To encourage people back to work without mentioning childcare, and to not even mention seeing loved ones (even "I know it's tough but it's not time yet") shows how spectacularly they have missed what people actually needed last night.

The whole thing hasn’t been thought through properly I don’t think. I’m a TA so I’m going to need to go into work (I have been anyway on a rota) to basically babysit Reception and Y1 but I can’t go full time because my own son (in Year 4) can’t go to school. DH is looking after him when I’m at work at the moment but he is going to have to go in soon a a few days at least. Meanwhile my 15 year old who has GCSE’s next year is having to basically teach himself whilst the PM’s priority was getting 5 and 6 years old who can’t socially distance at all (and nor should they have to)

@ihearttc
I wouldn't be so quick to assume that it hasn't been thought through properly just because implementation of the strategy might be difficult and imperfect. I honestly don't know what people expect from the government.

The nature of the virus and the stage we are at with the pandemic means that it isn't sensible to bring all children back to school at once. If you accept that the reopening of school will involve some kind of phased return with some children returning before others then you simply can't get away from the reality that some parents (and some teachers) will still have their children at home with them when schools begin to reopen. This is obviously an issue that needs to be looked at, but it's not a failing if this specific strategy.

Also, I believe there is some evidence to suggest that younger children are less likely to get seriously ill and die from Coronavirus and may well be less likely to spread it than teenagers. I don't think there is any definitive proof of this, but if the weight of evidence suggests that this is probable then I can see why they would prioritise the return of Reception and YR1 over high school students.

Using the title Boris indicates that some see him as a nice friend.

Well your nice friend is not up to the Job. We are confused because he is confused. Sky news last night suggested they thought the speech had been changed (re edited) not long before he made it.

Mr Johnson please get a grip.

I want to know how BJ has managed to get his hair cut. Did anyone else notice this???

I probably worded that wrong! Clearly it has been thought through but it’s not been well thought about...how are all these Reception, Year 1’s and Year 6’s going to actually go to school without teachers and support staff there to look after them? It is going to be virtually impossible to provide the level of staffing along with those members of staff who are shielded. I agree with and comply with everything else he said but the school situation is crazy!

I agree with Ok even though there is a threat of increased fines. The government have left it specifically vague

A cynical person might think these two things are connected.

"Vague" rules are more likely to be breached, simply because people are more likely to misunderstand them.

The message last night was very woolly. I'm Irish and very envious of the clear information they're getting

On another forum, someone posted the guidance issued in Ireland. It's an absolute model of clarity, anyone can work out what they're supposed to be doing and not doing, and how things will eased or tightened as the rate of new cases varies.

I'm very envious, too.

People want to hear that they don't have to go to work, (because they don't want to) but that they will still be getting paid.

They want to be able to see their "loved ones" - (how can one deny it if they are "loved"). They want other people to go back to work so that they can still get everything they want for cooking and baking and gardening and crafting and zooming and "home educating" and DIY-ing. They want schools to open because some fo them are fed up with kids under their feet all day but they want "the choice" to "keep their kids safe".

They want open spaces to still be free of people but they themselves want to be able to drive somewhere nice if they want to.

Everyone is looking for rules that they can use to justify what they want to do anyway and use to prevent neighbours from - ("putting lives at risk").

I think that's really harsh and unfair on most people MrSheenandMe. I'm happy to do my job, but it's impossible to do it to the usual standards with a two year old at home, even with full flexibility and a DH in the same boat. I want her back in childcare because she's missing her friends and because I want to do a competent, professional job of tying things up before I go on maternity leave.

Wrt family and other loved ones - people are making big sacrifices ATM and I think it was callous and heartless not to even acknowledge that last night. My dad has been in hospital and I haven't seen him, and they won't be able to meet DC2 when they arrive. I'm happy to make the sacrifice, I fully understand why we're doing it. But I would appreciate an estimate of how much longer the experts expect it to be necessary. I live in NI, my parents are in Dublin and I know that under their regs the earliest we'll see them is 20 July, and that may be pushed back. But it's something to aim at and that makes things easier.

I'm not one to have any political leanings in any direction

So I assume you normally vote Tory then?

@MindyStClaire - you are right - I was unfair. My bad mood got the better of me. Sorry.

It is just that this pandemic and the response to it has been so divisive. Some people really are having the best of times. (My sister for one) And for others who need to get back to work - it is hell.

Hi, the Op here... i left after the first few comments .... for a few weeks (months, who knows!) when I posted this I felt I wanted to have a conversation about it with other mums who have a lot to deal with right now, I am all for lively discussion , but not bullying ... I guess I misjudged it... mumsnet has been with me through the life's high and low's of life... Expecting groups.... My 'live birth thread' chat... My miscarriage... Probably lots of breastfeeding chats ... I am really sad that it has come to this ( thankyou to all those who stood my corner in this thread) I, for one, am over and out ....

love that you thought i was 😂