Anyone prepared to admit Mark Drakeford might have been right?

[justchecking1]

Before the Welsh firebreak there were a few threads here about Mark Drakeford being a power mad dictator, and the Welsh being sheep, prepared to sleep walk into having all our rights removed for no good reason, and how stupid we must be to believe it would only be two weeks.

Two weeks later, here we are out of lockdown (albeit with restrictions in place), sitting on a decreasing positive test and death rate, and freely able to go about our kettle-and-duvet-purchasing business, while England sits at the start of a four week lockdown which may or may not be extended.

Anyone prepared to concede that Mark Drakeford might have had the more sensible approach?

@justchecking1

Merthyr was 76/100,000 today. Not overly high, just high for Wales

No. 587/100,000. Higher than most other areas in the U.K.

I am not sure we should be using Boris as a yardstick when it comes to discussing different approaches.

No, he's ratarsed mad and not particularly bright. That's a worrying combo in a national leader with emergency powers.

Numbers haven’t been consistently lower and the deaths are still high. It’s far too soon to say whether the firebreak has had a definitive effect.

“How would buying pants, or a book, or a kettle from an aisle you were already walking past, in a supermarket you were already shopping in, really make a difference to the spread of the virus?“

Because it encourages people to browse, make an extra trip, go to Tesco for something to do... you have to set a boundary somewhere. The English version, where I can still go to my local “essential” garden centre and buy toys, clothes, Christmas decorations etc is bizarre - it’s turned it into a leisure destination.

well yes and no its temproarily lowered in some parts

but for how long -i doubt ours will work i wouldnt even call it a lockdown

Case numbers still seem high in parts of Wales. I hope there won't be a need for another Welsh lockdown this side of Christmas. I think the shutting of non essential shops or parts of shops was wrong in Wales and is wrong in England.

I am glad that I live in England and that half term was not ruined by lockdown. I would rather have four weeks of restrictions now than have had the two weeks including half term that happened in Wales.

What was the rate in Methyr before the firebreak, and did it achieve anything by way of decreasing rates? I think as everyone in England is now thinking, decreasing the R rate to 1 temporarily does nothing except press pause. Might see us through December at a push but we will have to press pause again in January I expect, and probably a bit harder.

I don't see how a 2 week lockdown 1.5 weeks before a 4 week lockdown could possibly result in any different outcome for the 2 countries? I think 2 weeks will likely prove to be nowhere near long enough for Wales and it could result in disaster at Christmas - but how could it put them in a better position??

Because it encourages people to browse, make an extra trip, go to Tesco for something to do... you have to set a boundary somewhere. The English version, where I can still go to my local “essential” garden centre and buy toys, clothes, Christmas decorations etc is bizarre - it’s turned it into a leisure destination.

People don’t need an excuse to browse. I can browse the Christmas goodies aisle; I can browse the ‘offers’ aisle and I could even browse the non-essential aisles - that crisscross tape was no match for my eyes. I just couldn’t buy anything.

Tesco’s was ‘the big trip out’ for the most part during lockdown. Not being able to buy a coat didn’t put me off going and looking...it just pissed me off.

Maybe Mark had recently bought shares in Amazon, Hermes and Deliveroo.

Crazy to treat the whole of Wales the same. They should be cracking down in a focused way on hotspots like Merthyr, Wrexham and Cardiff Central. Why destroy viable businesses in smaller towns just in order for ‘everyone to be in it together’?

Cases are still worryingly high in some areas, I don't think he's got it right.

I think he did the right thjng and I hope the new cases number continues to fall.

We can still buy duvets and kettles even with lockdown from various shops that are open

As a family we’d just come out of isolation when the firebreak started and are back in it again today, both isolation due to contact in childcare setting, - so finding it hard to be happy about any of it atm. So will have had two days of “normal” in nearly 6 weeks when we (hopefully) get out of this one

As I've l8st my job I'm considering opening a tin opener, duvet and kettle shop .

Judging by the amount of people needing these items within a few hours of the Welsh Fire break starting, I'm gonna be retiring to the Cayman Islands!!

A whole big fuss about nothing.

I'm sure Drakeford has said we'll be in and out of the firebrand for the next few months.
Boris us always so wishy washy and left the first lockdown longer than he should. Doing it over half term would have been better.

I disagree that the latest lockdown was too late, in some areas isn’t justified at all.

There are areas in East Anglia, South West etc that didn’t even have the numbers for Tier 2 but then were forced into this current lockdown. This whole hysteria for lockdowns needs to stop

'I'm just fed up of 'our way and your way' Why can't we just all unite? Whether that is a 2 week lockdown for all nations or a 3 tier approach throughout. It is dividing us, which is really sad. You can see it in your opening paragraph almost sneering that Wales only had a 2 week lockdown whereas England are now having a 4 week. That doesn't mean anything really? '

Totally agree. Its like Sturgeon gloating that Scotland had nearly eradicated covid so it mustve been brought back in from the UK. If the 4 nations worked together and had the same restrictions, the same slogans it would really help get the message across instead of this weird tribal mentality as demonstrated by the op.

@BunnyBoilerRhian to be fair there were multiple stories of women and children fleeing domestic violence situations with nothing but the clothes on their back (and in some cases pjs if children were scooped from their bed in the night). They were stuck at shelters with no clothes or shoes and no way of getting anything. Appreciate that's a minority of people but I dont see what difference it makes buying 'non essential clothes' instead of 'essential' vodka, crisps and boxes of celebrations.

@FreshFreesias

No. He’s a complete control freak. Banning people from buying books and children’s clothes is the action of a dictator.

I'm sure all the people around the world suffering under actual dictatorships are sending thoughts and prayers.

@Bushola

I disagree that the latest lockdown was too late, in some areas isn’t justified at all.

There are areas in East Anglia, South West etc that didn’t even have the numbers for Tier 2 but then were forced into this current lockdown. This whole hysteria for lockdowns needs to stop

yes my df in suffolk isnt even in the 50 per 100k cases also my sister in east susssex is in a very low case area no schools have it doesnt know anyone even with symptoms yet they have to lockddown with high case areas

Easy enough to say that we can go without non essentials for two weeks.

However in reality...

One child outgrew shoes
Another lost gloves
DS threw his bike on top of my mop and I couldn’t buy another.
I wanted to buy craft stuff to entertain the kids at home and couldn’t.
I wanted waterproof trousers to go out in the pissing rain we had throughout.

Amazon made a fortune out of me. No impact whatsoever on the virus.

However, MD was right to lock down when he did.

How would we know yet? Surely the proof will be by December when the English lockdown also finishes or rather a few weeks after. I agree that there needs to be more joined up thinking between the nations

You don't outgrow shoes in 2 weeks.

There are very many anomalies under the tier system. At least a national lockdown reduces the kind of divisiveness that leads to civil disorder. Maybe the four nations should all be in this together.... just a thought ...

@Porcupineinwaiting

Nobody's keeping the COVID wards empty *@110APiccadilly*, they're just trying to stop them overflowing.

No problem if psychiatric wards can't take patients who will die without inpatient care, provided Covid patients won't die because of lack of inpatient space?

Why is dying of one thing less important than dying of another?