Disgusted at VE celebrations

[runrunrunrunt]

I absolutely cannot believe what went on last night in this country.

The government should never have encouraged this nonsense and instead should have firmly nipped the idea of celebration completely in the bud.

Absent Boris should have never implied lockdown will be eased on Monday a couple of days before a fucking sunny VE Day bank holiday when we still have 5,000 plus new cases every day.

It isn't rocket science.

I am absolutely appalled.

lemonblast

That’s not a timeframe as such. That’s a criterion. So if it is still at 0.9 in 6 months time we stay locked down even if it means we can’t fund the NHS because there’s been economic meltdown?

Lockdown is finite, whatever the numbers are, or it ends up doing more harm than good.

I am not permitted to drive there for exercise as exercise must start and finish at my house but I am allowed to drive to the nearest garden center which is about 8 miles! Crazy!
This sounds like you expected a perfectly water tight set of detailed rules to be issued and that people would abide by them. Such rules could never be written, and people would never abide by them. People are expected to behave responsibly, knowing the risks and their own vulnerability. The rules issued are very over simplified and short because that's the best way to get the maximum number of people to behave sensibly. As long as R

The celebrations felt out of place to me. It's one thing to reflect on the sacrifices that a whole generation made to secure our way of life.

But it's another thing to gather with fireworks (at least in my village) and loud music and festivities when more than 30,000 people have died and many of us are mourning the loss of loved ones who won't be there to greet us when we come together again.

@ticking Normal, healthy kids are no more likely to die than they would from flu. Does that mean my child isn’t normal because he has got a medical condition that means he could die from this and that he doesn’t matter? I’ve noticed that people are quick to say their children are fine as it’s only children with underlying conditions who are at risk but they don’t like any suggestion that their “normal, healthy” child could die.

Please don’t call the police when there is not a real emergency.

For the record, I didn’t hug or touch any neighbours or anyone except the people I live with.
Some of the comments here are unnecessarily aggressive and it hides some of the decent points beneath it. It’s not the swearing, I have a proper potty mouth but I’ve noticed the lockdown police are really sneery and unpleasant to those who don’t deserve it. I say this as someone who hasn’t stepped foot outside the front gate of her own home and hasn’t seen anyone else at all. Does the shopping delivery driver count?! It’s shit for my mental health but it is what it is.

OP and others, you should remember that you catch a lot more flies with honey.

The strategy was always to achieve herd immunity with staggered infection. Hiding away bankrolled by the government, waiting for a speedy vaccine programme would destroy the world economy. Dominic Cummimgs has played a blinder making so many of us fall for the diversionary fetishisation of the NHS and rainbow painting to get us out of this. The elderly and frail were always going to go to the wall.

I think all those saying it's a free country, it's up to me what I do etc., should sign up to forgo medical treatment if they get sick and die at home, why should some poor nurse or doctor die because of them?

it's a free country, let the doctors decide to withdraw treatment then!

We looked on in horror at what was supposed to be a cheerful uplifting event becoming a full fledged BBQ, complete with people bringing out their tables and chairs, a keg (with dozens clustered around it), A BBQ with various people cooking their sausages on it. It went from just after 3 until the last stragglers after 11. All pissed.. around 100 people at a guess. No distancing that I could see.. kids and dogs running around at will.
Who was it that started that stupid flyer that went around social media, suggesting a pretty much all day event, supposedly staged in your front garden. 11am until after 9pm, and everyone was supposed to stay in their own garden.. yeah right. Who in their right mind thought that was a good idea.

Wait for the "spike" in 2 weeks..

Street parties here too!

@ilovehalloumi

I felt the same.

I'm quite surprised at all of this. I knew it was VE Day, but as far as I'm aware, our street did nothing. We didn't sit on the lawn and have a picnic but didn't see or hear anyone else doing so either 🤷🏼‍♀️. I noticed a couple of houses had bunting out when I walked to the shop at tea time. I'm not really a fan of those things where everyone is ordered to take part. For some reason it makes me not want to. Which is why I don't clap either. Half our street don't.

With hindsight yes, it was more dangerous than it looked like it would be. It might have worked better with some really clear messaging about not leaving your own property, or not doing it if you didn't have fenced off gardens. A friend whose street did this said it was fine at first but people walked closer to chat and gradually everyone was mixed up although standing further apart than usual. Kids got closer and closer and were sharing toys in the end.

The thing I think they should have taken into account more was the giddiness people felt at seeing real people to speak to for the first time, and then alcohol. It isn't a case of sensible people vs stupid people. I think quite a few even sensible people will be looking back on yesterday and thinking oh shit, having been caught up in the moment a bit. Quite possibly lots were wishing everyone else would stay further away, but no one wanted to be the first to say so.

I'm not saying that's an excuse for staying too close, but it won't have helped, and I don't think it's true that the people getting too close will all have been stupid people who regularly break lockdown anyway. That's another reason why with hindsight it was such a bad idea - it won't just have been the usual people being careless with each other (which wouldn't make as much difference).

Encouraging "from your window" street parties rather than "front garden" street parties would have been much safer. I wish they'd done that instead.

I could hear the ‘celebrations’ for VE Day in the distance. They got louder as the night went on and sounded like football chanting at the end. The music blasting out all evening was 80s/90s pop. Wish it had been pouring with rain. Would have helped with the spike in 2 to 3 weeks time.

Yep our road had street party big boombox thing in middle of road, yes!!!! We didn’t take part , we are not miseries I will add, sitting very close together , most of the residents out, you would never think there was a virus out there,

I'm not interested in catching flies. It's not my job to promote or enforce public health policy. Me and my 'potty mouth' are expressing my disgust and horror at the stupidity and total fucking selfishness of people. Having a moan on a chat forum.

Regarding the 'herd immunity' thing Why is it when Sweden does it, it’s great And sensible

I'm not quite so sure there is a consensus on that. Reflect these numbers against the population of Sweden being around 10million people. Some reasons for it not being worse: more than half of households in Sweden are single person households. Much less density and a different way of life.

As of Thursday, Sweden has 23,918 confirmed cases of the virus and has recorded 2,941 deaths, with over half the deaths occurring in elderly care homes.

So 'recorded' deaths. It may be higher.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/coronavirus-sweden-open-no-lockdown-effects-result-anders-tengell-a9495806.html

www.cnbc.com/2020/05/07/sweden-coronavirus-chief-scientist-admits-lessons-have-been-learned.html

I agree with you op, all my neighbours who are first on their doorsteps to clap every Thursday thought nothing of having a big noisy street party laden with flags! Why they told people to raise a glass on their front gardens I dont know; they should have told people to do that in their back gardens! There were also some neigubours who thought they were socially distancing while celebrating yet they were still forgetting themselves and to feet away from people yet they posted it all over Facebook! Some of these people are key workers too so I wouldnt be surprised if my whole estate gets the virus after this!
One side of the estate had about 50 neigubours all in a massive group and running around in and out of each others gardens, blasting music and was so rowdy. It was actually noise pollution as it went on until 1am as well. The police were too busy to do anything.

Rant over but I completely agree op!

silly national event

Fucking disgusting comment.

Rooster if it’s still 0.9 in 6 months time that’s positive. But in the same way as Cheltenham, Crufts etc probably caused an explosion in infection rates, then the idiocy last night carries a very real risk of pushing R>1.
And then we’re back to square 1 again.
Selfish, impatient me me me attitudes are what is ultimately going to keep us locked down for longer. I want my normal life back. I don’t want to have to hold the hands of any more of my dying patients hand because their family aren’t allowed to be with them in their last hours. I want my house to be full of the noise and laughter if an entourage if teenagers. I want the worry of DH losing his job to go away. But none if that will happen if people continue to be selfish arseholes.

Absolutely agree with you OP. The selfishness and sheer stupidity of people deciding to ignore the rules and 'celebrate' something that was no more than an excuse to get pissed for the majority of them. The attitude that 'no-one can stop us having a good time' is what will help keep the infection rate far too high and stop things getting anywhere near back to normal.

Fucking disgusting comment

Don’t be daft. What’s “fucking disgusting” is the need to turn a day of historical significance into a circus.

These people were so busy setting up for the 'party' they didnt do the 2 minute silence and used the memorial as an excuse to have a big loud street party. To really honour those that fought in the war I'l would have it would have been better to stay home and do everything to protect others from this nasty virus and prolong the life and freedom they gave us.

My local force doesn’t have an online report form, so I had to call 101 last night about a party of around 50 people in a garden. She said nearly every single call the control room was getting all evening was about parties 😐

I hope all the idiots telling you that they have had enough and it’s their choice will willingly refuse healthcare should any covid symptoms arise.

I’m bloody sick of lockdown too but I’m frontline NHS and I’m sick of your fucking attitude. I’m sick of going to work everyday risking my own life to save your bloody families lives when you can’t help us out by staying indoors for a bit. I’m sick of staying away from my kids so I don’t pass anything onto them.

I bet your all out clapping on a Thursday too. Twats.