Ever changing goalposts....the cynic in me...

[Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow]

....wonders if there is more going on.

First we had to “flatten the curve”. Then we needed to wait for a vaccine. Now we need to wait for a vaccine against a new strain.

But new strains will always appear. There will be a new one come September by the time the next vaccine is out.

I can’t see a way out of this using current strategy but no one is discussing any other strategy.

At what point does it end? When our children have no future? When most service business are gone? When we are all vaccinated every three months?

At what point do we aim to reduce serious illness in the vulnerable and then get on with our lives? We have vaccines that do that.

This isn’t me saying that long covid isn’t a thing or that I’m not worried. But I gravely fear for other things at this point.

I’m no conspiracy theorist usually but it does feel like this is a new world order of control through the back door. There is no dissent. There can be no opposition nor protests

Lol at @Redbrickwall - maybe post a meme where the Chief Justice can spell "motto" and you will be taken seriously

God @Floridaflipflops whay a horrible, ageist., hate filled post.

'The average age of covid death is 85, yes there has been some younger cases but in a country where there are 65 million people that number does not justify the economic trashing this country '

It isn't only about the sad deaths. However if you watched the news you'd see there are many younger people dying. It is about the massive amounts requiring hospital care. For example if an ICU usually has 25 critically ill patients they've been managing 3 times that and more, so if you or one of your ones required critical care for any reason you may not have got it if strict measures weren't in place to bring numbers down.

'The government are being driven by the 50 years olds who are terrified they are going to die.'

What i find interesting in the whole 'I'm losing my civil rights' is how everyone's right to life is completely forgotten and this one is the most important of all.

We don't deliberately and actively sacrifice fellow Brits to ensure our social life is sufficient.

I certainly do have concerns about the erosion of civil liberties but this is not an issue restricted to covid. Its part of a wider movement from both the left and right, which has actively sought to undermine and destroy democratic principles and institutions.

However even within the tradition of liberal democracy there is a recognition that during times of crisis it is essential to suspend the normal workings of freedom in the best interests of everyone - and to defend our right to life, freedom from persecution and discrimination and to ensure going forward we are all regarded as important to society.

What is striking about the 'covid defenders of civil liberty' is how they are perfectly happy to discriminate against the elderly and those with underlying health conditions and say things like 'just let it rip through the population so everyone else can get on with living'. This isnt defending civil liberties. Its advocating eugenics if we have an alternative option available to us which we do.

If you want to defend civil liberties thats great. The more people who do the better. We will face challenges after covid on that front. However its essential we actually know the history of civil liberties and human rights, and why they came into being and what purposes they serve and what are their core more fundamental and important principles, rather than made up nonsense which actually go completely counter to what civil liberties and human rights are all about.

It is also deeply frustrating as someone who has championed this for years, to be told that supporting covid restrictions is contrary to rights. It absolutely is not.

*These conspiracy theory posts are all the same, do you guys write them together?

• Vague, clickbait-y post title
• I'm really worried about [thing that's in the news today]
• It feels like [wildly overstated rumour, vaguely hysterical questions]
• "more going on"
• vague references to "dissent" without any idea of what exactly you want to protest or how you'd go about it

and creeping in there:

• I'm not a conspiracy theorist but [classic phrase only used by conspiracy nuts]

In this case "new world order". On another post earlier today I think it was "sinister government plot" grin It'll be something about George Soros and lizard people in the next one I expect.

Get a hobby*

This

The government are being driven by the 50 years olds who are terrified they are going to die. No one gives a shit about the elderly really. The elderly have been rotting away in care homes and isolated with no family with rapid onset of dementia. This isn’t about protecting elderly people. This is about 50+ having a sneak peek that that actually they could possibly be on their way out and doing everything to protect themselves.

The Government are reactionary and are going with those that shout the loudest.

This is nasty ignorant bullshit and should be challenged in the loudest possible terms.

Hth.

@RedToothBrush always the voice of reason.

@Floridaflipflops

Still going on about the death rate The hospitalization rate for people in their 50s is 8%. How many times do people need to say this? That’s massive and cannot be sustained.

It’s not normal for a trainee ophthalmologist to be redeployed to covid ITU wards as I have been asked to do, twice now. The knock on effect on eye patients, the deterioration of their conditions, is devastating and that’s just one tiny microcosm of how difficult things will be for our health service. With all these restrictions.

@Floridaflipflops what a disgraceful post. Sickening actually. Reported.

I think that they have been recommending for years that the population of Scotland supplements their vitamin D during the Winter months OP ?

The high dose IV Vitamin C is being investigated as an additional treatment for some people who are critically ill with covid and meet certain clinical criteria. It is not suitable for everyone as with a lot in life, too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing.

The government are probably shitting themselves that if they let us all get back to normal they'll have to find the money to pay back all the borrowings. Wonder where that'll come from?! Oh yes, us!
Better they keep dragging this out and causing fear so we don't question the tax hikes that'll come and our already screwed economy.

@Floridaflipflops is OK with repressive regimes really, they like to holiday in Dubai.

I am in my 50s .
I am not driving Government policy .

@arthurdaly

The government are probably shitting themselves that if they let us all get back to normal they'll have to find the money to pay back all the borrowings. Wonder where that'll come from?! Oh yes, us! Better they keep dragging this out and causing fear so we don't question the tax hikes that'll come and our already screwed economy.

There has to be an end to this at some point. Indefinite restrictions are untenable because of civil unrest.

The government are aware of this.

Johnson in particular knows this because he has considerable opposition from within his own party. The longer restrictions are the more politically vulnerable that ultimately makes him.

The conspiracy theory that the government just want to control use with restrictions forever and to hide the economic fallout, just isnt consistent with political reality and just exposes how people coming up with these statements are actually rather clueless about politics.

@arthurdaly

The government are probably shitting themselves that if they let us all get back to normal they'll have to find the money to pay back all the borrowings. Wonder where that'll come from?! Oh yes, us! Better they keep dragging this out and causing fear so we don't question the tax hikes that'll come and our already screwed economy.

Eh? If we don't get back to normal the government will keep having to pay to prop everything up. If they don't get the economy up and running and get people working, paying tax and spending as soon as it's possible we'll be screwed.

Also, didn't you notice that everything was opened up last summer?

[quote pinkearedcow]@Floridaflipflops is OK with repressive regimes really, they like to holiday in Dubai.[/quote]
😂😂😂😂 searching my post holiday posts! Brilliant!

My dd1 lives there

@RedToothBrush I'm not saying there's a conspiracy theory.

I'm sure the government are most aware they need to get some kind of normality back but I'm also sure they're panicking about votes when they put all our taxes up.

Sorry @pinkearedcow didn't really notice no!

The government aren't propping anything up, they're borrowing money and we're the ones that'll have to repay it.

@goodnightsugarpop

These conspiracy theory posts are all the same, do you guys write them together?

• Vague, clickbait-y post title
• I'm really worried about [thing that's in the news today]
• It feels like [wildly overstated rumour, vaguely hysterical questions]
• "more going on"
• vague references to "dissent" without any idea of what exactly you want to protest or how you'd go about it

and creeping in there:

• I'm not a conspiracy theorist but [classic phrase only used by conspiracy nuts]

In this case "new world order". On another post earlier today I think it was "sinister government plot" It'll be something about George Soros and lizard people in the next one I expect.

Get a hobby

Absolutely spot on. Every day there are new ones and they're written to a formula. 'it feels like...'

I just don't understand the reasoning behind the whole "the government wants to keep us locked down" narrative. Why would it want to do this? We have a right wing, libertarian government whose reaction to the pandemic involves enacting policies which usually would be anathema to it and which it will drop like a hot potato as soon as it can.

I don't recall being told that we "need to wait for a vaccine against a new strain".

Nor is it ten years in prison for travel. It's ten years in prison for refusing to test and quarantine. Ten years for knowingly and willingly endangering public health and refusing to adhere to rules which enable the health authorities to contain a highly contagious and in some cases fatal virus.

Damn ! thought I had pressed post message ages ago !

@florida

Sorry @pinkearedcow my sarcasm was probably a bit lost on my posts!
They probably don't want to keep us all locked down but they are going to panic about telling us we're going to have to pay it all back and the fallout.

I expect BJ would open everything back up tomorrow but they can't back track now, can they?
I'm feeling particularly bitter about everything today