To think that Mark Drakeford is a power mad dictator?

[LittleLapwing]

Half the shops covered in plastic. Can’t buy clothes, duvets, books, DVDs, tins but not tin openers.
All the Halloween and bonfire night stuff that’s just been stocked is behind a cordon. Presumably now destined for landfill.

Autumn half term after a shitty year and I can’t even do a few seasonal treats for the kids.

AIBU to think that Mark Drakeford is a power mad dictator, and that his ridiculous game of Covid oneupmanship with Nicola and Boris needs to stop!?

@bibbitybobbitycatz

Oh for god's sake, there is some hyperbole on this thread. None of this is fun and I wish it wasn't happening. But we can go out of Wales if we have a good reason to. We can buy food. We can go out of the house to exercise as much as we want. We can visit vulnerable relatives. We can go to work if we can't work at home.

England is watching closely. If this all has an effect on damping down the spread of the virus, you can bet it will do something similar. The whole of England will probably end up in tier three at the very least.

All tier three is doing is dragging it out. More restrictions longer this will go on. Fair enough if they know the vaccine is imminent but they don't, and even if it is they ain't gonna roll it out to everyone anyway.

I wonder how many of the older generation who will be eligible for this vaccine will die in say the 3 months after they get it, having been locked up for such a long time. It makes me sad to think of people spending their last month's totally alone because they've been promised a vaccine which only protects against one thing, it doesn't make you immortal.

Also isolating the elderly is killing them all on its own. Nobody seems to be questioning that which is bizarre to me.

I'm a key worker working out of the home. A relative died during lockdown who was in a care home. Buying a kettle when you are shopping for other things will not increase deaths.

I'm a key worker too, I've had loads of deaths in our care homes during lockdown, is this Covid Top Trumps, do I win this round? Everything could be essential if that's the one thing that suddenly breaks down or you suddenly need during the firebreak so where do you draw the line? People weren't shopping carefully and cases were increasing, what do you suggest?

@Burnout101

I'm a key worker working out of the home. A relative died during lockdown who was in a care home. Buying a kettle when you are shopping for other things will not increase deaths.

I'm a key worker too, I've had loads of deaths in our care homes during lockdown, is this Covid Top Trumps, do I win this round? Everything could be essential if that's the one thing that suddenly breaks down or you suddenly need during the firebreak so where do you draw the line? People weren't shopping carefully and cases were increasing, what do you suggest?

People weren't shopping carefully? What??

People weren't shopping carefully and cases were increasing, what do you suggest?

Going shopping must be a tiny, tiny fraction of new infections. Particularly with socially distancing and masks.

It is sinister. How the hell does stopping a deadly virus correlate with selling a few half term crafty things?
This is how dictatorships start. I'm glad people are having the sense to see this and speak up against it.

Softie Southern English person here. I read about Wales' 17 day wtf it's called but paid little attention. Now reading these posts I'm willing to dig a tunnel between England and Wales and start a smuggling operation. Who's in? (Terms and conditions apply)

@KitKatastrophe

If your kettle breaks down, boil some water in a saucepan on the stove. If your tin opener breaks, buy tins with ring pulls or not buy tins

If your microwave breaks, don't eat?
If your duvet is wrecked, just wear a jumper to bed?
If your shoes get a hole in, go to work in your socks and get wet feet?
If your lightbulb blows, just sit in the dark?

Simple

Or order whatever you need from Argos same day delivery.

I agree that it is not the best thought out policy, because some people won't be able to order online etc, but keep it in proportion.

Also, light bulbs are "allowed" so no one will be sitting in the dark.

I agree with it to protect the smaller independent stores and to stop the supermarkets getting everyone’s custom

@Iheardarumour

Softie Southern English person here. I read about Wales' 17 day wtf it's called but paid little attention. Now reading these posts I'm willing to dig a tunnel between England and Wales and start a smuggling operation. Who's in? (Terms and conditions apply)

Not me. I'll take Drakeford over Johnson any day!

@SunShinesStill

I agree with it to protect the smaller independent stores and to stop the supermarkets getting everyone’s custom

How does it protect smaller stores? Many don't have a big online presence and cannot compete with Amazon.

I can understand both sides. His arguments are that it stops people lingering in supermarkets longer than necessary and it stops supermarkets making profit at the expense of the smaller shops that have been forced to close. That does all make sense. But of course, in reality it doesn't work. It means more profits for Amazon and hardship for people who need to buy non food products and can't use the internet. I'm sure he wouldn't want that either.

For me Id rather things were a bit tougher in England. We live in a beauty spot and half term bookings are still as full as ever. We still have lots of visitors from tier 3 areas because it is only advised that they don't travel not forbidden. I just want us to get on top of the infection so that we can go to hospital and get treated for covid or any other illness if we need to without the hospitals being overwhelmed.

In April you could not buy supermarket clothes, I dont think? prepared to be proved wrong

@TakemedowntoPotatoCity

It is sinister. How the hell does stopping a deadly virus correlate with selling a few half term crafty things? This is how dictatorships start. I'm glad people are having the sense to see this and speak up against it.

Can you point me in the direction of a dictatorship which started with banning craft supplies for 17 days?

People weren't "shopping carefully"? Jesus wept.

It really does boil down to puritanism. We have to show we are worthy in these hard times by and misery and deprivation. Frivolity and levity are morally wrong when there's a pandemic and it will never go away. If we abase ourselves with hair shirts, cold water and gruel, God will see our suffering and our sacrifice and stop punishing us.

A long, cold winter of extreme boredom, Christmas cancelled, fuck-all to do, no treats, no friends and no family isn't quite enough to appease God. We need to do away with kettles and duvets too.

People weren't shopping carefully? What??

Going shopping must be a tiny, tiny fraction of new infections. Particularly with socially distancing and masks.

Where do you think all the new infections are coming from then, specifically in the areas where local lockdowns have been in place for more than the incubation period? Obviously I'm not saying the majority are from shopping but it's helping to spread it - just in my local shops I see people brushing past each other down the toy and candle aisles, having a nice chat albeit through their masks (first ones as you go in so hard to miss, not that I'm lurking down them!). Lots of people grabbing their trolleys, touching their faces THEN putting a mask on etc etc, no sense of cross contamination. I don't think people realise how easily this spreads and just how many people are out shopping.

@SunShinesStill

I agree with it to protect the smaller independent stores and to stop the supermarkets getting everyone’s custom

Is stopping some shops selling things to help others even legal?

And a repeat of what many have said: Amazon. The true winners of the pandemic no doubt.

@JamminDoughnuts

In April you could not buy supermarket clothes, I dont think? prepared to be proved wrong

Yes you could. Non essential shops were told to close, but if the shop was open there were no legal restrictions on what you could buy.

@Burnout101

People weren't shopping carefully? What??

Going shopping must be a tiny, tiny fraction of new infections. Particularly with socially distancing and masks.

Where do you think all the new infections are coming from then, specifically in the areas where local lockdowns have been in place for more than the incubation period? Obviously I'm not saying the majority are from shopping but it's helping to spread it - just in my local shops I see people brushing past each other down the toy and candle aisles, having a nice chat albeit through their masks (first ones as you go in so hard to miss, not that I'm lurking down them!). Lots of people grabbing their trolleys, touching their faces THEN putting a mask on etc etc, no sense of cross contamination. I don't think people realise how easily this spreads and just how many people are out shopping.

Not shops lol. We are tier 2 and have been since July. It's people meeting up, apparently. I mean that's banned now too but it won't stop people. It's not people buying duvets in Asda.

@SunShinesStill

I agree with it to protect the smaller independent stores and to stop the supermarkets getting everyone’s custom

But that shouldn't be up to the Welsh government to control.

It's sinister because this isn't about controlling the virus. It is social engineering.

Some of these arguments are spectacularly missing the point. This isn’t about whether or not buying a kettle is a risky activity in terms of catching Covid, it’s because the question was raised in the sennedd - smaller retailers who don’t sell food have been forced to close whilst Tesco were allowed to sell anything they wanted. This is a valid point but I’m not sure what other ways around it there are.

I agree that Labour have been played by the Tories here

the hardware shops were closed in april.
nobody complained about kettles then.

They should have let small shops open then!

wonders if this will start a run on kettles!

You are absolutely not being unreasonable OP. I feel as if we are now living in a dictatorship - might as well move to North Korea. I was in the hairdressers last week and couldn't decide between a BJ or a wee Nic - they are a bunch of power hungry twats.

@JamminDoughnuts

the hardware shops were closed in april. nobody complained about kettles then.

I mean I complained quite a bit at everything being closed. I complained about lockdown. I complained about schools closing. I complained about not being able to work. I haven't changed my opinion from start to finish. Lockdown is bullshit and doesn't work.