Keir Starmer calls for immediate lockdown in England

[herecomesthsun]

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/03/keir-starmer-calls-for-immediate-lockdown-in-england-as-covid-cases-soar

@RedToothBrush

Every time Starmer has made a call like that, Johnson has done it within a couple of weeks, because when Starmer makes the call he's doing it with a degree of certainity that the writing is on the wall and its an inevitability.

Take note.

I agree, similar happened with Christmas plans, Starmer said it should be stopped, Boris eventually caved in at the last minute and changed the rules (though didn’t stop it completely).

At last! He finds his voice!

[quote cyclingmad]@inquietant its not cos we're locking things down, yet when things eases up post first lockdown the economy was getting better.

Today we have 454 deatsh we not even at numbers back in March.

What the economy won't do is thrive in more lockdowns.

Its even been said that lockdowns aren't the answer either.

The virus is more infectious but not as deadly they tell us so exactly why do we need another full lockdown

Lockdowns just pushing more and more people into poverty and its not like there will be some massive bounce back to recover quickly from either.

Be careful what you ask for cos one day it will be you at the receiving end.[/quote]
First lockdown got numbers right down by end of June. Failure was govt not implementing effective test, trace, isolate system to take over and keep numbers low until vaccines developed.

Until community transmission low and stays low with a functioning TTT system the economy will not begin to recover.

Well it's a nice soundbite but considering he has been quite clear that he doesn't want schools to close and the vast majority of the country is already in tier 4 it is meaningless. As much as I didn't like Jeremy Corbyn's policies at least he had some.

Well done Keir. He speaks a lot of sense. Roll on the time he is PM.

The tier system just does not work, he needs to either let the virus rip whilst shielding the vulnerable or total lockdown until enough people are vaccinated.

Keir Starmer is the ultimate shoulda woulda coulda. Mr I Told You So. Of course he’s calling for a lockdown. Does he have any suggestions on financial support for the many many people who will lose their livelihoods with this next lockdown, if they haven’t already?

@Beebityboo

So we can expect Boris to talk shit to him on Wednesday followed by him promptly locking down on Friday then? What a shower of shite.

Exactly Boris will wait and see the reaction and then on Wednesday tell us all there’s a national lockdown from Monday

@SmidgenofaPigeon

What do you mean, we are in lockdown do you mean all counties tier 4, all schools closed?

All counties will be tier 4 very soon, I'm sure of it. It's a ridiculous situation with tier 4 counties having a lower per 100k rate than tier 3 when it's ones that only went into tier 4 a few days ago.

Although I wish he could say 'Minister'. He always says 'Prime Mister' which is slightly annoying!

Starmer can say what he likes because the buck doesn't stop with him.

He won't have to handle the economic mess of a bigger lockdown.

He's being provocative as usual.

Being in opposition is a doddle.

You can throw out all kinds of 'great ideas' knowing you will never ever bear the responsibility of them.

@Bluntness100

Too soon for recent high numbers to translate to deaths

That’s not true, it’s been over three weeks now.

It hasn't been three weeks since Christmas Day Christmas Day was nine days ago.

Infections were predicted to begin rising about three days after Christmas Day (they did). Deaths will come 2-3 weeks after infection - so starting next week.

@greenlynx

We need national measures, patchwork here and there doesn’t work any more. The figures in my area are rising dramatically so we will end up in stricter measures anyway. I would rather do 2-3 weeks now and have less deaths than 4 weeks later and lots of deaths. The problem is that people who are going into hospitals now won’t come out of them in 2 days so the situation will be worse for the NHS at the end of January. And I’m thinking about economy as well. Atm I’m too scared to go out to shops or visit places. I’m not going to contribute anything until the figures are lower.

2-3 week "lockdowns" don't have much effect - it's too short a time. The first lasted 3 months and did what it was supposed to in that we had very low infections/deaths in July. The Welsh 3 week lockdown barely had any effect. The English November lockdown reduced the upward trend slightly, but we're back on the growth line again, so again, probably too short to make enough difference. If we're going to do it, then we need to do it properly and work towards at least 2 months of "proper" lockdown. Otherwise the damage to the economy of yet another short lockdown isn't worth the slight fall in infections/deaths.

Unless Lockdown involves shutting all the places that people are mixing

• supermarkets
• food processing plants
• food shops
• schools
• DIY shops
• warehouses picking all the online orders

it will not work.

MILLIONS of people are out at work right through lockdowns
and many of them are low paid and live in crowded housing

B says the word "to" in an odd way. Alas.

@Bluntness100

Too soon for recent high numbers to translate to deaths

That’s not true, it’s been over three weeks now.

Not according to this.

“ UK has recorded another 53,135 coronavirus cases – the highest daily figure to date.

It is the first time the figure has exceeded 50,000 overnight.

The previous records were reported on Monday, when 41,285 infections were confirmed within 24 hours, and on December 22, when 36,804 new Covid-19 cases were recorded.”

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/coronavirus-cases-uk-update-b554921.html

what further restrictions could they impose though? I have close friends in ICU, one waited 2hrs in an ambulance before beds became available, another waited 18hrs for an ambulance. I see the seriousness of it all but I'm wondering what more can be restricted?

The trouble is it's too late for a total lockdown.

If it's announced now or this week then 10's of 1000's of uni students, private school pupils etc have already relocated back to their schools/uni which has the knock-on effect of meaning that staff at these establishments then have to go into work.

For example where I work it means hundreds of catering staff, cleaners, maintenance teams and support staff as well as the teachers will have to go to work regardless of any lockdown that's imposed because the children/young people are back and need these services.

If it had been announced before Christmas then the establishments could remain closed and the majority of non-teaching staff be furloughed/work from home.

RedToothBrush

'Every time Starmer has made a call like that, Johnson has done it within a couple of weeks, because when Starmer makes the call he's doing it with a degree of certainity that the writing is on the wall and its an inevitability.

Take note.'

Yup.

@ListeningQuietly

Unless Lockdown involves shutting all the places that people are mixing

• supermarkets
• food processing plants
• food shops
• schools
• DIY shops
• warehouses picking all the online orders

it will not work.

MILLIONS of people are out at work right through lockdowns
and many of them are low paid and live in crowded housing

Yes, during first lockdown all these open, almost half of workforce apparently, but was enough to lower cases significantly then at least.

No doubt when the weekend catch up death figures are released, and the government have an idea of how many teachers and pupils have not turned up on Monday, we’ll be getting the triple plinth announcement of doom.

SAGE and Starmer will call for things like this because they don't have to deal with the fallout from it .

• correction to above, schools in first lockdown closed of course

@CoronaIsWatching

The tier system just does not work, he needs to either let the virus rip whilst shielding the vulnerable or total lockdown until enough people are vaccinated.

People keep talking about "shielding the vulnerable", but how? The elderly and vulnerable are catching covid in supposedly "safe" places such as care homes, hospitals, their own homes, etc. They're generally not the ones out shopping, going to parties, going to work, etc. Nearly all the people I know who've caught it actually caught it whilst in hospital. If it's not safe for the vulnerable to be in hospital or care homes, then where on Earth are you going to "shield" them???

@Tenyearsgone

Most of us are in lockdown though?

What exactly do the people calling for a full lock down want? Lock us in our houses?

Yes that's exactly what some want. Army delivering food (good luck with that) and only allowed out for the keyest of key work.

As someone said on here a few days ago: lockdown = the well off hiding away at home while other f-ers do the dangerous work for them.