Month long lockdown to 'pay' for 5 days over Christmas

[NotAKaren]

PHE have confirmed Sage advice that for every one day of relaxation over Christmas would require 5 days of restrictions afterwards. So for 5 days relaxation, which is rumoured to be what the government have in mind, would mean 25 days of restrictions. Is it really worth it?

It’s hard to take a government seriously when the goalposts move constantly.

For sure.

I find the idea of a week 'off' fir xmas quite ridiculous. Especially right after a lockdown, probably right before another 'lockdown' thats needed to 'pay for' the week off!

It's a shame Boris doesn't accept the vote help from Labour

I don't think Labour have the answers! They can't even cobble together a considered position on brexit, and the ref was almost five years ago, they are still arguing about even now!

That's a good point. It's terrible. We need a strong opposition (whoever's in power).
Starmer taking over gave me some hope for Labour. They've a way to go but it's a start?

I hope at least we see what the Welsh First Minister has called for. Better cooperation between Westminster and the rest of the union, and a more coherent joined up approach across the UK. Perhaps a new year's resolution for the government?

At the moment the Tory backbenchers seem to be providing the opposition! Starmer and Boris were getting on great today - completely united in locking us all down forever

Personally I am not totally sure Starmer has what it takes to unite both wings of the Labour party, and so we could see the election chances being dented by an all out internal war. We will have to see how it goes, there is still time for some kind of truce.

It is lovely to see the country working together for christmas.

I'm just waiting for the inevitable North-South fight if London gets put into a lower category than other major cities on the basis that it's the economy, stupid (like no jobs outside the capital matter) and nothing at all to do with its political/banking powerbase.
Like London, the coronovirus rates across the other big urban conurbations vary widely. In my area we're below the national average. However, where Londoners are being told that they won't be moved into Tier 3 because of the interconnectivity of the boroughs, perversely the whole of Greater Manchester has been under some of the strictest lockdown measures since March (only slightly relaxed for 11 days in the summer) precisely because of the interconnectivity of its constituent areas. I'm expecting us to stay in Tier 3 or even worse. Losing patience.

I agree dopenguinsdance
Vulnerable Londoners have been utterly fucked over by the desire of the rich to make money out of London - health consequences for the residents be damned (those whose greed takes precedence have their main homes outside London in the shires and abroad).

Around 7,000 Londoners have died from Covid. Many more have been left with disabling Long Covid.

Especially considering the high numbers of black and Asian people in London, and their higher risk, London absolutely needs to be in the highest tier.

Unfortunately I suspect it won't - and the figures will continue to be manipulated to look lower by reporting a very interconnected city as individual boroughs, test shortages suddenly happening again, and potentially Covid deaths mistakenly recorded as heart attacks, strokes, or pneumonia.

I think you're right Sheep. I've** always struggled with the idea of second home ownership, exacerbated by the particular sense of 'I'm all right Jack' entitlement of their owners. Perhaps it's because they're sufficiently wealthy to be able to ride out any economic downturn, the sort that would slay us mere mortals. I particularly loathe the faux handwringing over how much the 2H costs, not just financially but in terms of the time it takes to sort out/ keep up. My opinion has hardened over lockdown when I've had first hand experience of 2HOs swanning off out of a high risk area to the coast/country just because they can. They've been smugly enjoying themselves while others have been stressing over paying their bills. If they had to pay increased GGT on disposal, I wouldn't disagree- especially if there was a direct benefit to people who'd been pushed out of accommodation because of 2HOs or Covid.

@dopenguinsdance

I think you're right Sheep. I've** always struggled with the idea of second home ownership, exacerbated by the particular sense of 'I'm all right Jack' entitlement of their owners. Perhaps it's because they're sufficiently wealthy to be able to ride out any economic downturn, the sort that would slay us mere mortals. I particularly loathe the faux handwringing over how much the 2H costs, not just financially but in terms of the time it takes to sort out/ keep up. My opinion has hardened over lockdown when I've had first hand experience of 2HOs swanning off out of a high risk area to the coast/country just because they can. They've been smugly enjoying themselves while others have been stressing over paying their bills. If they had to pay increased GGT on disposal, I wouldn't disagree- especially if there was a direct benefit to people who'd been pushed out of accommodation because of 2HOs or Covid.

If you think people that have second homes in the country have no worries at all, and no I don't have a second home in the countey/coast. Many of them are business owners struggling to juggle finances to pay salaries to keep people in jobs. My husband has managed not to lose one member of staff from any of his companies during this period. We've not been away, and wouldn't consider it, not seen any family and my MIL is on her death bed.

Without business owners people won't have jobs, it's tough at both ends but really don't understand why people are so bitter at someone who has done well for themself.