Westministenders: Crisis, which crisis ?

[BigChocFrenzy]

Main crises facing the government:

. Negotiating a Brexit deal with the EU
. Coronoavirus
. Floods
. Allegations of some ministers - and Cummings - bullying civil servants
. More trouble threatened from Turkey / Syria

Unfortunately with all these parallel crises, we have a workshy lying arse as PM
and the worst collection yet of incompetents in Cabinet
who seem to have decided on a strategy of bullying their civil servants to avoid hearing any facts that don't fit with current Tory party ideology

NS also said as of Monday, didn't she? So the match will go ahead.

I didn't go onto campus today. DS1 is very unwell and I thought it safer not to go into classrooms, particularly as one class has over 40 students in a small room.
I set up alternative teaching via our online platform, with live chat sessions. So far not a single student has used it, and most haven't even looked at the documents I sent.
In another group, they were due to do an assessment in class and I set it up so that they could do it online. 4 people out of 18 haven't done it.
They may have to change tactics pdq.

"Gatherings of 500 or more..."

That excudes most of the Scottish League.

I take it COBR haven't set out their action plan yet? I hope it starts to get more serious:

Health expert brands UK's coronavirus response 'pathetic
“Right at the beginning of February, they [Hong Kong] adopted a total approach to this, which is what we should have done five weeks ago ourselves. They took a decision to work to three principles – of responding promptly, staying alert, working in an open and transparent manner,” he told the Guardian.
“Our lot haven’t been working openly and transparently. They’ve been doing it in a (non) smoke-filled room and just dribbling out stuff. The chief medical officer only appeared in public after about two weeks. Then they have had a succession of people bobbing up and disappearing. Public Health England’s been almost invisible.
“Boris Johnson should have convened Cobra himself over a month ago and had regular meetings with the chief medical officer with the evidence. The thing should have been fronted up nationally by one person who could be regarded as the trusted voice and who could have been interrogated regularly. That’s not happened.”

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/12/health-expert-brands-uks-coronavirus-response-pathetic

I have this feeling of the cabinet being rabbits caught in the headlights, frozen. Or complacent.

I'm an NHS doctor treating coronavirus – you have no idea how bad it's about to get
If we go the way of Italy, we're going to run out of intensive care beds in two weeks

www.independent.co.uk/voices/coronavirus-uk-doctor-nhs-hospital-symptoms-italy-china-a9397736.html

On the plus side, I see the BBC may have to scale back output if thigns continue. Presumably that means a steady diet of repeats ? So who'd notice ? Although some may think it's an early Christmas ...

I may not be taking this as seriously as some think I should ...

The cabinet are more like the Peoples' Front of Judea. 'This calls for immediate discussion'

The cabinet are more like the Peoples' Front of Judea.

But without the unity.

DGR
BBC R4extra is what mine is tuned to now anyway
(apart from Hitch hikers at 6:30 pm each week on main R4)
and the telly finds Abandoned Engineering all by itself now

apart from Hitch hikers at 6:30 pm each week on main R4

Somewhere (?!) I have the 6 C120s I used to record the first repeated broadcast in 1980 .

I've had a running argument with my DBs, as I am sure my DM taped the BBCs "The Lord of the Rings" and "Foundation Trilogy" (well it was then) which were broadcast in the mid 1970s. However they claim they've not found any tapes anywhere. (Mind you, DM did have over 1,000 VHS tapes in her collection when she passed ....)

I have this feeling of the cabinet being rabbits caught in the headlights, frozen.

They all thought they were sorted for a 5-year jolly despite having no skills or redeeming features between them, with Getting Brexit Done by telling lies, making money for their rich mates and blaming it all on foreigners/Remainers, with the great Brexitannian public patriotically indulging their every deed. They never thought they’d actually have to do anything serious

Since this is the Brexit forum, it would be interesting to consider what parts of getting Brexit done (if any) are in direct conflict with what's needed to effectively deal with COVID.

Already the UKs leaving the EWRS has been cited. Just wondered what others thought ?

DGR
it would be interesting to consider what parts of getting Brexit done (if any) are in direct conflict with what's needed to effectively deal with COVID
Having a place at the table to discuss what measures need to be taken over the next year
eg landing slot allocations
eg common testing for infection at airports
sending people on the tube across London on their way to self isolation after flying home from Italy is just DUMB
eg adjustments to GDPR to allow schools to hold more pupil data to facilitate remote learining
eg mutual recognition of medical qualifications so that e-doctors can cover any country from any laptop

just off the top of my head

Watching the press conference- did anyone see the put down of Scotland ? Basically Bozo saying Scotland has cancelled gatherings because they don't have the same resilience in their services as England. I am really insulted on their behalf.

Don't have any faith in Chris Witty - he is making up numbers and %'s that are not born out by what's happening everywhere else.

Who remembers the season of "House of Cards" where presidential elections are compromised ?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51861140

The England and Wales polling watchdog has recommended delaying May's local elections until the autumn to "mitigate" the impact of coronavirus.

(contd)

what a great way to sneak postal voting under the radar ...

Does Boris Johnson imagine this is his Churchill moment? A great leader in difficult times?

He's not doing well.

mrslaughan - it's ok, the Scots aren't insulted because they just laugh at anything that BJ says because they don't believe him

....so if he claims that the Scottish NHS is not as resilient as the English NHS, that is pretty much proof that we are more resilient up here ....our better A&E waiting times are evidence of that And the fact that our government is taking the risks more seriously, well......

So the delay in announcing a new Labour leader until April 4 was so they could have a special conference. Only now the special conference is cancelled. But we'll still have the announcement on that day.

Ever get the feeling Team Corbyn are slaving over a hot shredder?

Mockers
Voting does not close till the 2nd ....

They all thought they were sorted for a 5-year jolly despite having no skills or redeeming features between them, with Getting Brexit Done by telling lies, making money for their rich mates and blaming it all on foreigners/Remainers, with the great Brexitannian public patriotically indulging their every deed. They never thought they’d actually have to do anything serious

And based on how they've responded to this crisis so far, they'll be damned if anyone, or anything, dares to disabuse them of those delusions!

The Johnson Covid Plan was predicted a LOOOOONG time ago

Macron has spoken: schools and unis to shut on Mon.

Powerful stuff from Macron. So clear that the elderly and the fragile are a priority and that everyone has to work together.

But how will closing the schools and Unis protect the elderly?

I utterly agree that those most at risk should be given priority

• support to self isolate while the peak wave goes past
• first access to healthcare

but still do not get how taking kids out of school and uni achieves that

The two were not directly linked. Close schools to stop the circulation of the virus, stay away from your old folk.

Close schools to stop the circulation of the virus
This is the bit I do not get.
Unless kids are going to be forced to stay at home for the whole holiday
they will still meet their friends, they will still go to the park
so the risk is EXACTLY the same