Laughing stock of the world...

[Smithtylater]

I was just talking to my Uncle who lives in Canada and he said that the behaviour of the Brits has made news on the TV! He moved to Canada in the 80s and lived through rationing and told me he cant believe we cannot do as we are being told! He said all you are being asked to do is sit down on your arse for a few weeks. He said all other countries appear to be mostly complying but the UK are all going to the beach like its a Bank holiday weekend!

We need to sort this out!

Your uncle is talking bollocks. Hasn't he listened to his own Prime Minister? globalnews.ca/news/6716919/trudeau-canada-update-coronavirus-march-23/

Point out to him that accusing the British of being stupid when Canadians are doing the same thing doesn't exactly put Canada in a good light.

Mind you, the term "laughing stock of the world" is one of the favourite phrases of the dimmer end of the readership of papers like the Mail. That could account for a lot.

In retrospect, keeping the schools open was probably safer- look how many people are not dragging their kids around all over, letting them roam and going on UK breaks.

And it's the same in Australia and the USA. Idiots are everywhere.

People who emigrate sometimes have to justify the big decision that they have made by reassuring themselves that the country that they left behind could never have provided them with the life that they have now.

Plus you get those ex-pat types who can't stop telling you how wonderful their new country is and how crap Britain is.

On FB a few days ago there were sets of photos doing the rounds, showing British supermarkets with empty shelves compared with fully stocked Spanish supermarkets, and pointing out basically how uncivilised and silly Brits were in contrast. What they didn't include were photos of the (armed?) police guarding entrances to Spanish supermarkets to ensure only a few people could enter at any time. Surely if Spanish shoppers could be trusted to be civilised, these police wouldn't be neccessary?

'We need to sort this out'

With the travel restrictions in place I don't think this is the best time for you to call Mumsnetters to arms and ask us to go to Canada to sort out your utter buffoon of an uncle.

I don't believe your uncle is correct (& why did they have rationing in the 1980s? I remember we had a recession that went into the 1990s but there was no rationing), however Canadians are known to be very 'tidy' people on the whole who obey rules. Old ones, especially those with a conservative disposition, are very critical of their home country if UK - I don't know about those from other countries - and believe the most exaggerated stuff about here that they read in the media. I know this unfortunately from first hand experience ;-).

Take what he says with a pinch of salt.

Just to advise though, the federal govt (Justin) has their method for clamping down on this.
However, each provincial government is clamping down on what they see also as being important. If you look at how amazingly well Manitoba is coping it's different to (say) toronto or vancouver. It's a bit like the posting from above concerning Great Britain vs N Ireland. I'm proud of our local government and how they've dealt with it. I never thought I'd say that about a government.

Erm, Canada is just as bad! People out everywhere as the weather has been nice. Selfish people buying up essentials and reselling it for a profit, essentially, there are stupid people everywhere in the world.

Seriously. I think the majority of people round the world have enough happening in their own countries right now and won't have the slightest interest in what the folk of the UK are up to. It isn't all about us you know!

WhatTiggersDoBest bollocks. People in Northern Ireland are behaving like twats just as people in Britain are: www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-northern-ireland-52006185

The vast majority of people everywhere are being good with social distancing, shopping, and coming together as a community. The media chooses to focus on those flouting it in each country because that makes more interesting news than “Dave and Vera stayed in and finished their bingewatch of Countryfile repeats”.

Your uncle isn't doing enough research. There's a total lockdown due in New Zealand in 24 hours because people there, mainly young people, haven't been heeding instructions to keep a distance/ isolate. And Italy was a prime example where people were urged to continue going out to restaurants and mingling even though the virus had taken hold.

We're the laughing stock of the world for our decision to leave Europe, but that's another matter entirely.