AIBU to think that the BBC and other news outlets are reporting that the lack of lorry drivers and care workers is caused by Covid alone and that they are deliberately ignoring Brexit?

[Aurorashields99]

And if you agree, why do you think this is the case? Surely Brexit is as much to blame for these issues so why are they not reporting this fairly?

I must have watched half a dozen news stories over the past few days in which reporters only mention Covid as being the cause of empty shelves in the supermarket and the shortage of care workers. If Brexit is referred to at all, it is only mentioned fleetingly.

Of course Covid has had a heavy impact on these sectors too but it's not the only factor is it? So why is Brexit being ignored?

I am not a journalist or a troll. I have been a member of Mumsnet since 2003.

And yes I know there is a Brexit topic elsewhere but (a) I am interested in people's votes and (b) not being able to discuss this in AIBU and confining this thread to the Brexit topic is the perfect example of the issue I am complaining about here.

And it is allowing Boris Johnson and Michael Gove to cover their tracks and not to have to face the consequences of their actions. Covid is providing the perfect cover for them both.

Why aren't reporters doing their job and reporting the facts fairly? Why is Brexit being swept under the rug? Is it because Johnson and Gove were former journalists themselves and know how to spin events in their favour?

Or is Brexit a dirty word now even though we are all living with consequences?

There is an independent news company called BylineTimes and they do a weekly YouTube video on a Friday.
Last night they covered a little bit of the BBC bias.

The BBC interviewed a fish business manager. In the live broadcast, she explains that containers coming in before Brexit cost 3k, now they cost 14k and the paper work and stuff. She makes it clear it's Brexit that's caused it. The BBC showed clips of that interview later on the same day with the Brexit blaming editted out.
BylineTV showed both versions last night.

BBC is little.more than a government mouthpiece and has been for years, so I'm not surprised.

Fully agree badbunny my partner is a HGV tramper and the conditions are awful for them. He actively avoids most truck stop/service stations for parking because they get changed a fortune and to get nothing in return and certainly not the secure parking offered.

We all want shops full, manufacturing being able to run smoothly etc but then as a nation we don’t respect the drivers that are needed to do that. And it’s not just shop shelves impacted, a lovely part of his job involves taking chemicals to sewage plants and there is talk that they will have to reduce the output which isn’t good!

TRUCK DRIVER SHORTAGE CRISIS NOW SPREADING ACROSS THE WHOLE OF EUROPE - 2018 headline from the British International Freight Association (BIFA)

Obviously this has been exacerbated by CV and Brexit, but it's not a new problem, although it is now coming to a head.

www.bifa.org/news/articles/2018/dec/truck-driver-shortage-crisis-now-spreading-across-the-whole-of-europe

@Sirzy

Fully agree badbunny my partner is a HGV tramper and the conditions are awful for them. He actively avoids most truck stop/service stations for parking because they get changed a fortune and to get nothing in return and certainly not the secure parking offered.

We all want shops full, manufacturing being able to run smoothly etc but then as a nation we don’t respect the drivers that are needed to do that. And it’s not just shop shelves impacted, a lovely part of his job involves taking chemicals to sewage plants and there is talk that they will have to reduce the output which isn’t good!

Yes I think we should have had a clap for lorry drivers during the pandemic as well as the NHS. They haven't been given nearly enough credit for their contribution.

@londonrach

Shortages are worse in the EU. M&s closed shops in France due to no delivery.

That’s anecdotal as the majority of France / the continent doesn’t rely on supplies from the U.K.

@Wotwhywhen

There is an independent news company called BylineTimes and they do a weekly YouTube video on a Friday. Last night they covered a little bit of the BBC bias.

The BBC interviewed a fish business manager. In the live broadcast, she explains that containers coming in before Brexit cost 3k, now they cost 14k and the paper work and stuff. She makes it clear it's Brexit that's caused it. The BBC showed clips of that interview later on the same day with the Brexit blaming editted out.
BylineTV showed both versions last night.

BBC is little.more than a government mouthpiece and has been for years, so I'm not surprised.

That is fascinating Wotwhywhen thank you very much for the heads up.

This is such a serious issue when the "state" news provider is no longer providing reliably unbiased reporting. Add the Murdoch owned tabloids in to the mix and it is a serious erosion of democracy.

@Aurorashields99

It's almost as if paying really low wages to people working in really physically challenging jobs so people can buy carrots for 14p isn't sustainable.

Hear hear to this! And to the other posts about working conditions in care homes.

Where is Labour's voice?

I agree, Starmer and Labour are pathetically inept at the moment. There's SO many ways they could start to make an impact, but they've not got a clue. They have a wonderful opportunity to secure over 3 million votes (the self employed/freelancers excluded from the Covid support schemes), but they badly screwed up by not researching/understanding the issues at the time when it was all over the media. Even, now, there's 3 million politically homeless who'll be unwilling to vote for the Tories, especially if the odious Sunak becomes the party leader, but Labour aren't doing anything at all to attract their votes. The Tories, though covid support, tax rises, etc have made it clear they're not interested in the small army of self employed/freelancers etc - they've turned their backs on the "gig" economy and have shown themselves only interested in "big" corporate business, especially Sunak! That's millions of votes up for grabs if Starmer/Labour want them. But they're still entwined in their "business is bad, all business owners exploit, they all have yachts" mentality, which is completely ignoring millions of one man bands, etc. What are they doing to attract those votes - bugger all!

It does amuse me that a bunch of idiots with no knowledge of politics, economics, European trade or journalism are sitting here pontificating on what is causing the lofty shortages and how the media are covering it.

Surprise surprise it's a cover up!

Or maybe read an expert's analysis? https://www.ft.com/content/5f832d86-827e-4596-999d-e0618364dbe3

Nah. Too hard work. It's a cover up!

Where is Labour's voice?

Pretty quiet, as they have been for the past few years. Unfortunately i don't think there's a credible opposition to what we have now at the moment, and things are going to continue to get worse. This kind of thing is the backbone of labours founding ethos, you'd think they'd be shouting about it.

^ Totally this Booknooks. It makes you question how much news coverage they are afforded though too in the current "chumocracy".

Every so often there will be a story about how the BBC can’t possibly be funded anymore by the licence. This is often raised when the BBC aren’t toeing the line according to the government. The chair of the BBC is appointed by the Secretary of State - our new Secretary? Nadine Dorries.
Channel 4, who have criticised Brexit have been under a consultation www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-change-of-ownership-of-channel-4-television-corporation
As the government considers a change of ownership for them (they are publicly owned) and a change of remit for them.

@FightingtheFoo

It does amuse me that a bunch of idiots with no knowledge of politics, economics, European trade or journalism are sitting here pontificating on what is causing the lofty shortages and how the media are covering it.

Surprise surprise it's a cover up!

Or maybe read an expert's analysis? [[https://www.ft.com/content/5f832d86-827e-4596-999d-e0618364dbe3]]

Nah. Too hard work. It's a cover up!

Thanks for the insults Fightingthefoo! Shame as it has been a fairly measured, balanced and pleasant thread up to now.

I can't access the article you have posted as it is behind a paywall.

Maybe look at Wotwhywhen's post at 9.09?

YANBU
Covid has been an absolute gift for Brexit politicians.

@FightingtheFoo

It does amuse me that a bunch of idiots with no knowledge of politics, economics, European trade or journalism are sitting here pontificating on what is causing the lofty shortages and how the media are covering it.

Surprise surprise it's a cover up!

Or maybe read an expert's analysis? [[https://www.ft.com/content/5f832d86-827e-4596-999d-e0618364dbe3]]

Nah. Too hard work. It's a cover up!

whereas I am amazing.

I agree and think they are ignoring this because they are worried about losing their royal charter if they don't put out government friendly propaganda

@BerylReader

Every so often there will be a story about how the BBC can’t possibly be funded anymore by the licence. This is often raised when the BBC aren’t toeing the line according to the government. The chair of the BBC is appointed by the Secretary of State - our new Secretary? Nadine Dorries. Channel 4, who have criticised Brexit have been under a consultation www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-change-of-ownership-of-channel-4-television-corporation As the government considers a change of ownership for them (they are publicly owned) and a change of remit for them.

How depressing BerylReader. I had noticed the news stories but hadn't realised the extent of the pressure from the right.

@NantesElephant

Are other European countries who have been dealing with COVID but not Brexit in the way we have experienced similar shortages? Honest question as I don’t know the answer.

Some price rises (that's nothing new tho), not reported shortages. Laughed at me at first lockdown when i sent pics of empty tesco shelves. Central Europe

@Kendodd

YANBU Covid has been an absolute gift for Brexit politicians.

I couldn't agree more Ken!

@Claraboochuffing

Well the issue with lorry drivers was brewing before covid. I do think rather than banging on endlessly about brexit it would be better to focus on current issues. its a hard job, the conditions have deteriorated over the years, and for this its not amazing pay. This is also an issue not unique to the uk

Yes I've just read this article in the guardian about how the shortages have been brewing for years -

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/17/empty-shelves-covid-brexit-britain-lorry-drivers.

It's actually interesting to see the government standing firm on refusing to grant skill shortage visas for lorry drivers.

If you take the party branding off this is a government refusing to bail big business out of a hole by enabling them to import cheap labour and keep pay and conditions low. Instead they're insisting that employers improve pay and conditions to provide good quality skilled non-graduate jobs for British workers. It's pretty old-school TUC.

@Intercity225

When people are unable to get care for their relatives, and are having to give up their jobs and lifestyles to care for their own, respect for, and within the industry may improve, alongside pay and conditions, and that hopefully would draw more people to the job.

No, IMO it’s the other way round. Afaik, most people are put into a care home, when the family carers are on the verge of breakdown. Having cared 24/7 for DD (and given up career and lifestyle), until I was driven into the ground, we were willing to send DD to a care home - and then, care workers who got paid for only working shifts, but got to go home and have a night’s sleep, days off, holidays; seemed to me to be living in unimaginable luxury! It doesn’t increase my respect, because I did it all, with no break just for carer’s allowance of £63 (iirc) a week, and I had no back up of cleaners, a maintenance department, a whole multidisciplinary team of on-site professionals like a clinical psychologist, etc.

As for pay and conditions, what have they got to do with us? The contract is between the CCG and the care home. We have no say in it; and it’s naive to think the CCG would pay more on our say so, given the situation in the NHS.

I'm sorry you went through that, I truly am, but if you want good care for your daughter, then it costs money, and it's got to come from somewhere, I expect you want the best? Who wouldn't in that situation, but why does that need to be at my expense as a care worker? Because I get to go home and have a nights sleep? Or a day off? You sound like you think a care worker should be taking on the same level of responsibility for your daughter as you do - in the nicest possible way, none of the people I look after are my loved ones, I love them individually, but I do not, and should not, have the overall responsibility for everything, and deliver care that's substandard because I'm exhausted or burned out, because that's crossing a professional line. Do you think your daughter would get the best care if someone else took on what you did? Without the instinctive and unconditional love that you have for her? I suspect that's what keeps people going far past their tolerance levels.

I absolutely think that carers like you (for family members) get a shit deal, and should get much more financial and practical support, that would enable people who need care to stay with their families (if they want to) and not be driven into the ground by it, but that's not a reason to keep care workers conditions poor - that is just increasing the problem because the training is poor, the pay is poor, and as you have said you feel yourself, a lot of people don't believe we even deserve that, and almost resent that we do - that's what's leading to the shortage alongside things like Brexit and covid. I brought covid back to my own family because I caught it at work, like many thousands of others.

The fact is we have a shortage, and that's starting to show in very real ways, without improving conditions care won't improve, because less rather than more places for those in need of care, like your DD will be available, adding more pressure to those in a situation like you were in.
Yes, many people are placed in care because their carers can't cope any more, and it's seriously damaging their health, I have seen it myself, but many also are placed in care because families don't have space, or time or aren't willing to compromise on those things to facilitate the care, and social care is available.
Either way, if there's no care workers to actually deliver the care, then both sides of that coin are going to find that they can't get the care, at the level needed, when it's needed.

Don't get me wrong - I think this government are an incompetent shower. But the Labour Party are making such a hash of it that everything's gone topsy turvy.

And the governments changes to the tests to get more HGV drivers in is nothing short of dangerous. Amongst other changes they are getting rid of the reversing element of the test!
news.sky.com/story/hgv-driving-tests-to-be-relaxed-to-help-lorry-driver-shortages-ahead-of-christmas-12404161

@TheNatureOfTheCatastrophe

Don't get me wrong - I think this government are an incompetent shower. But the Labour Party are making such a hash of it that everything's gone topsy turvy.

That’s the problem we have no viable opposition at the moment and as a result they can get away with anything

Sometimes it's nkt a shortage. The goods are in the shop, but the quality is abysmal. Veg and fruit are going off basically on a way home...

@FightingtheFoo

It does amuse me that a bunch of idiots with no knowledge of politics, economics, European trade or journalism are sitting here pontificating on what is causing the lofty shortages and how the media are covering it.

Surprise surprise it's a cover up!

Or maybe read an expert's analysis? [[https://www.ft.com/content/5f832d86-827e-4596-999d-e0618364dbe3]]

Nah. Too hard work. It's a cover up!

Aren't you delightful, what a worthwhile contribution you have made to the thread by linking an article behind a paywall. We can't all be as intelligent as yourself and bother to subscribe to the FT.