Sadiq Khan declares major incident in London

[Ohbabybab]

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-55588163

People who moan about him usually fail to understand what he actually has control over.

Neighbour was moaning when tickets started to be issued for line parking again, she blamed Khan despite traffic enforcement coming under individual London boroughs.

People were blaming him for schools being open despite closures being a government decision ans Khan had openly asked for school closures.

People blame him for police budgets, imagine thinking a mayor gets to decide the police budget! Some people even believe he chooses the Commissoner.

Johnson and Osborne removed the tfl grant, yet something else people think Khan is responsible for.

Why wasn’t there a thread about Sue Burke being responsible for the major incident in Lincoln? Why aren’t mayors of others areas being blamed for major incidents? Ah yes, because they’re mostly white and not muslims.

What can we do?

Sort out the schools - children who have one keyworker parent, or who are saying they have no IT access (not proven, no checks), or are claiming 'special' status for other reasons are in school in many places.

Close the borders to people coming in to the country.

Close nurseries

Make it easier for people to help administering the vaccine

I am a critical worker. I don’t have school aged children.
Two nights ago I had quite a vivid dream that I got a email from a school that I could accordingly send my children in. I then did so even though I could work from home without too much problem.
Woke confused and feeling guilty (not unfamiliar )
My real life Covid compliance is strong.
My subconscience is clearly compromised.

Things he could do next:
One member of each household is allowed to shop once or twice a week. Need to apply for some sort of pass on their phone. Too many people going for a browse around The Range and B&M as entertainment here.
Restrict schools to a daily limit for how many pupils they can take and give schools to authority to make judgements and ask parents a few questions about when and why they need places.
Impose a curfew.
Sanction companies who are insisting their employees go to work when they're actually able to work from home.

Unfortunately though they've just lost a lot of the compliance that people had last time. There are a lot of people i talk to who are completely unaware of things like fast rising figures, hospitals in crisis etc and are happily looking for loopholes (or just breaking the rules all together)
I'm really not sure how they can get that back, we've lost faith in our leaders.

ChristmasinJune Sadiq Khan doesn't have the powers to do those things.

The authority for those measures lies with the government.

This is all due to Christmas mixing / shopping

Worst it has been

It's not the schools driving this, clearly.

Yes, sorry to be clear I was talking "he" as in what Boris could do for the whole country because what's London's issue now will be everybody's issue soon.

@ChristmasinJune a pass on phone to go shopping?? Are you for real - id laugh my head off if they did that 😂

I really think they need to shut shops like The Range and B&m. Just have the main supermarkets and smaller corner food shops open.

Shut garden centres.

Make B&q click and collect only.

[quote Remmy123]@ChristmasinJune a pass on phone to go shopping?? Are you for real - id laugh my head off if they did that 😂[/quote]
China and other places do it they are doing better containing the virus why are we so arrogant that we believe its just going to pass us by

China has just sealed off two cities.

The virus is resurging globally.

[quote Remmy123]@ChristmasinJune a pass on phone to go shopping?? Are you for real - id laugh my head off if they did that 😂[/quote]
I do think retail needs to be looked at in some way, so yes!
Here, while families are spending a couple of hours browsing round shops and buying bits and bobs just as a way to pass the time. I can't actually say I blame them, staying home is deadly boring. However, if we're actually serious about stopping the NHS from reaching a crisis point then we'll have to take fairly drastic measures.

@Remmy123

This is all due to Christmas mixing / shopping

Worst it has been

It's not the schools driving this, clearly.

Think that must vary a lot by different areas. There was a PHE data chart a week or 2 ago that clearly showed schools had the highest rates of infections. They wouldn’t have closed schools otherwise.

@RoseAndRose

China has just sealed off two cities.

The virus is resurging globally.

I didn't know about this and had to look it up. Why isn't this being reported on the tv news ? It feels strange it's not unless I've missed it.

Think that must vary a lot by different areas. There was a PHE data chart a week or 2 ago that clearly showed schools had the highest rates of infections. They wouldn’t have closed schools otherwise

Schools going back would have increased infectivity on top of what it has been through the Christmas break.

It has cost taxpayers billions of pounds to keep the tube network going at 10% capacity and added to that you are confining people in enclosed spaces deep underground without natural ventilation, heightening the risk of spreading the coronavirus even more.

It would be far cheaper to allow key workers to drive to and park for free at/ near work, travel by bus or reimburse Uber fares.

The Mayor does set the police budget @SimonJT. The Government provides a grant to all 43 forces in England and Wales and the Mayor decides the level of Police precept (council tax). He absolutely sets the budget and the priorities of the MPS as does Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester and Police and Crime Commissioners in the rest of the country.

No he doesn't appoint the Commissioner. That's essentially a decision for the Home Secretary.

He can't even get the TFL staff to wear masks, half of them wear it under their chin.

He's more useless than the most useless thing.

@AnneElliott

The Mayor does set the police budget *@SimonJT*. The Government provides a grant to all 43 forces in England and Wales and the Mayor decides the level of Police precept (council tax). He absolutely sets the budget and the priorities of the MPS as does Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester and Police and Crime Commissioners in the rest of the country.

No he doesn't appoint the Commissioner. That's essentially a decision for the Home Secretary.

He has to follow very strict guidance for council tax, people act like he can choose the force to have x amount. He really can’t, all he is able to do is follow policy.

I've been trying to put my finger on who the 'Sadiq Khan's a bastard because he won't let me bring my car to bed with me ... I love my car,' and 'Sadiq khan is responsible for gangs, knife crime and he's banned snow in London,' types remind me of.

I mean: a state of emergency has been declared in London. The hospitals are breaking. It's fucking scary.

And they're just off in a little dream of their own, missing not just the point - but missing a point that is completely fucking huge.

Anyway ... it's Alan Partridge.

That's what a lot of the humour in Alan Partridge is based on: a man so self-limited that his perception is always comically circumscribed by the extraordinarily narrow limits of his own (shallow) experience.

That's why some of them are so funny (despite everything). For example, the weird posts replying to concerns about hospitals having no beds, patients being flown to the South-West/Liverpool with (nutty) rants about not being able to make left-hand turns, or being charged for parking.

It's Alan.

Thecatfromjapan I agree. The OP posted about the state of emergency in London and whether we should be doing more and it's descended into a rant about Sadiq Khan. Bizarre. I think he's been a rubbish mayor but I'm not wasting a second of my energy on it, I'm much more worried about not being able to get a hospital bed if I or my family are ill! This thread is crazy.

Again @SimonJT you're incorrect. The Mayor can set council tax increase at whatever rate he wants. But if it's over the referendum limit (the referendum limit for policing precept last year was £10 and next year it's £15) then he has to hold a local referendum to get agreement from London council tax payers to agree they are happy to accept it.

Let me be clear that council tax and police is funding is one of my specialist subjects - I don't post on things I have no knowledge about.

Mayor of London and TfL “acted unlawfully” with road scheme:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55724093

So very glad about this ruling by the High Court.