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Original poster

No checks on the roads

163 replies

BarryWhiteIsMyBrother · 27/12/2020 16:47

I have been going out to take the dogs to the enclosed field we exercise them in, to take the car to be MOTd, to do the food shop. My OH has been going to work and back. We haven't seen a single police 'block' monitoring motorists in transit. Has anyone? Or was that just scare tactics?

OP posts:
garlictwist · 28/12/2020 05:31

I haven't seen any and doubt they have the manpower. However my husbands friend was in a bar in York (tier 2). The police came in and asked for id and fined everyone who has travelled from surrounding tier 3. I was quite surprised they'd bothered to do that.

tigger1001 · 28/12/2020 09:28

[quote LitPeach]@Spikeyball

Personally I would close supermarkets so that no one could buy any non essentials. Too many are going out to numerous shops multiple times per day.

Food should be provided by the army in the form of weekly ration packs dropped to doorsteps. Then no one would need to leave home at all unless a key worker.

It would also be easier to spot and fine rule breakers as 'out for essential shopping' would no longer be an excuse Hmm[/quote]
All I can say to that, is thank god you aren't in charge!!

Camomila · 28/12/2020 09:41

We had checks on the main road into town (Brighton) in the first lockdown, to stop non-locals going to the beach.
I haven't been to the supermarket yet since we entered Tier 4 so not sure if they are there again but I think probably not as its cold/rubbish weather now.

RaspberryCoulis · 28/12/2020 10:20

@LitPeach is on the wind-up. Nobody can seriously want to live in that sort of world.

AnnaMagnani · 28/12/2020 10:23

I've been up and down the country all year for work. Never checked once.

Even with the reduced traffic on the motorways a road block would cause chaos.

partyatthepalace · 28/12/2020 10:48

Of course not! How would there be - there is no manpower and how on earth would you enforce it.

There might be the odd check on main border crossings (but only the big roads at most) and the odd check in places like Cornwall that have a real issue with people coming in. But as long as you have you story straight, nothing they can do -

partyatthepalace · 28/12/2020 10:58

@LitPeach

I’m assuming you are just trolling, but just in case not - firstly you might want to read the news today, that the journo who covered covid in Wuhan has been jailed for 4 years for ‘causing trouble’ - the Chinese government isn’t trying to hide this, because in a police state there is no need to. Most of us don’t want to live in a police state.

Secondly, thirdly and fourthly - most people will survive covid, it’s not Ebola; it’s essential we keep the economy going, or the after effects will be far worse than the pandemic; and finally - there are no resources to do what you suggest.

BooksAreNotEssentialInWales · 28/12/2020 11:14

[quote LitPeach]@BooksAreNotEssentialInWales

Frankly they should not be permitted. I would institute a tough lockdown until April 1st- no one leaves home unless a key worker. This is necessary to keep people safe and save lives.

Supermarkets should be closed with food delivered by the army. I would not permit outdoor exercise- too many people have abused this privilege so it should be withdrawn.

I would have the army and armed police patrolling residential areas making sure everyone abides by the lockdown. First offence should result in an on the spot £5000 fine. Second should be a £10,000 fine and 14 days in jail.[/quote]
Outdoor exercise isn’t a privilege. We have rights that have been removed due to the pandemic, whether this is proportionate is hotly debated. You are talking about removing the very few remaining legal things we can do let’s be clear. It’s not a privilege to go to my mum’s for a cuppa or to have an education or to meet who I like in my home. These are fundamental human rights and dismissing them lightly is far more immoral than people walking their dog twice a day in lockdown #1. The things you describe are legal whether you like it or not.

movingonup20 · 28/12/2020 11:17

I've been moving about (essentially) since March and never been asked once where I was going by car or intercity trains. Unlike other countries the onus is on us to restrict ourselves for the good of all rather than heavy handed enforcement. As death rates are pretty similar across similar income countries in Europe (adjusted for population) I don't think either approach is better than the other

movingonup20 · 28/12/2020 11:21

Oh and I live near the welsh border and several of dp's employees live in Wales, they travel in for work without being asked, nobody has been even questioned once - I had produced letters for them to carry but wasn't needed (essential industry)

Ifailed · 28/12/2020 11:38

food should be provided by the army in the form of weekly ration packs dropped to doorsteps

This is hilarious! There are 33 million households in the UK, each one with their own dietary requirements (number of people, baby milk/food, intolerances, religious etc).
By the time you'd gather all the necessary information, arranged for each pack to be collated, stored & distributed, the entire population would have died of starvation. Maybe that's @LitPeach 's cunning and evil plan?

Spikeyball · 28/12/2020 11:44

"Food should be provided by the army in the form of weekly ration packs dropped to doorsteps."

Using drones would be safer.

ReplacementPlasticUterus · 28/12/2020 12:06

Supermarkets should be closed with food delivered by the army

You have got to be on a wind-up. There are about 30 million households in the UK, and about 80,000 members of the British Army. That means each individual member of the Army would have to deliver the 'ration packs' (presumably not including gin and prosecco that you seem to be so fixated on) to 375 households. How often? Weekly? Fortnightly? Monthly? What about dietary requirements and allergies? And you know, the army does have quite a lot of other stuff going on every day, so might find it a bit tricky to just down tools and become supermarket delivery drivers.

I think you've been stuck inside for too long and your brain has been deprived of fresh air. Why not pop out for a walk to Tesco for some gin?

BackforGood · 28/12/2020 13:39

On a different note, how can some MNters remember who said what on different threads? I'm very impressed!

I don't generally notice names of posters, @BarryWhiteIsMyBrother , but in this case, after everything she has posted, there have been many, many others picking up on what she has spouted, and then they quote or highlight her name and so you keep reading it. Smile

ChairinSage · 28/12/2020 14:04

I'm curious about where these rations will come from? Does food just appear in an army truck ready for delivery? Or, perhaps there is a whole supply chain, operated by human beings to package, make and deliver it.

EagleFlight · 28/12/2020 14:06

There were blocks around here before Christmas (crossing Tier 4 into Tier 2).

annevonkleve · 28/12/2020 14:57

@garlictwist

I haven't seen any and doubt they have the manpower. However my husbands friend was in a bar in York (tier 2). The police came in and asked for id and fined everyone who has travelled from surrounding tier 3. I was quite surprised they'd bothered to do that.
Hmmm on what basis did they ask for ID? Sounds apocryphal to me, you don't have to carry ID in this country.
annevonkleve · 28/12/2020 14:58

I would not permit outdoor exercise- too many people have abused this privilege so it should be withdrawn

In what way has it been abused? Cyclists doing really long rides in the first lockdown? Not strictly in the spirit but not exactly an "abuse".

Original poster
BarryWhiteIsMyBrother · 28/12/2020 15:04

@BackforGood

On a different note, how can some MNters remember who said what on different threads? I'm very impressed!

I don't generally notice names of posters, @BarryWhiteIsMyBrother , but in this case, after everything she has posted, there have been many, many others picking up on what she has spouted, and then they quote or highlight her name and so you keep reading it. Smile

Got it, thank you.
OP posts:
PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/12/2020 15:06

I also tend to remember the posters that are completely batshit so she sticks in my mind for that reason!

BooksAreNotEssentialInWales · 28/12/2020 15:50

@ChairinSage

I'm curious about where these rations will come from? Does food just appear in an army truck ready for delivery? Or, perhaps there is a whole supply chain, operated by human beings to package, make and deliver it.
Almost like a supply chain? I’m sure that the army can sort that too. Maybe they can deliver medicines at the same time? And any social care? And home education? They’re clearly an underused source of labour.

Or maybe we should focus on what restrictions are sensible, sustainable and have a risk ratio that minimises spread while maximising freedom and social benefits?

tearsandtiaras · 28/12/2020 16:01

i haven't seen one police check and I've driven all over the country throughout both lockdowns

CruCru · 28/12/2020 19:17

I’ve seen a few police vans parked together but I think that was to catch drunk drivers (a real problem round here at Christmas and in the summer).

Someone upthread said that they wanted the army to patrol the streets and stop people travelling. This really isn’t what our army is for - none of them signed up to cow the general population into submission.

Heffle · 28/12/2020 19:22

No of course there aren’t - why do you think there are?

JacobReesMogadishu · 28/12/2020 19:43

@Heffle

No of course there aren’t - why do you think there are?
Because I’ve seen them. And it’s been all over the local news. Interviews with the police doing it and everything.