Westminstenders: Events...

[RedToothBrush]

Events have taken over. EU / UK negotiation have been put on ice due to covid-19.

The US has banned all travel from Europe - apart from to the uk and Ireland - in a manner which is highly political to drive wedges.

The effects of leaving the European Medicines Agency may be much more serious than anyone could have anticipated.

There's a oil price war going on between Saudi Arabia and Russia which has further driven market fears led by covid-19.

There the crisis in Turkey with Syrian refugees which is also distracting the EU.

We are facing lockdown and economic turmoil over the next weeks and months.

Johnson is having his leadership moment with deaths projected to possibly exceed UK WW2 deaths.

We are desperately trying to recruit negotiators as it's suddenly become apparent we don't have enough to carry out all the trade deals we want.

The civil service will be stretched to its limited by covid-19. Yet we also have Brexit to consider.

Where next? How bad are things going to get?

Merely that the fact Nandy doesn't start off with a particular point does not, in many cases, necessarily mean that point is not a priority.

In a range of fields, the article might build up to the key point. It seems odd to categorise Nandy's priorities that way.

It seems odd to categorise Nandy's priorities that way.

Auld maybe you have to read the article with special "Leavers and Tories are the most oppressed victims of the universe" goggles?

On reflection, we'd probably better hope that there is NOT a govt of National Unity,
because this - or to be fair any - govt with a working majority would not share power unless there were an utter catastrophe, even worse than expected

A GNU would only work if all parties can agree on the strategy, which isn't the case atm,
but could be if things go really bad, because there might not be much choice what to do at that stage

Labour may yet thank Corbyn and brexit for losing them the last GE

There is certainly little sign of agreement so far, I agree with you there BigChoc

France talking about a 45 day quarantine for the entire country and the U.K. still keeps treading its merry path to hell.

I read the "should I send the kids the school" threads on MN in disbelief. No of course you fucking shouldn't, if your little vectors of contamination have any contact with people over 50 or with health problems.

@Mistigri I think that's harsh. People are trying so hard to do the right thing in the face of a lot of conflicting advice.

I read the "should I send the kids the school" threads on MN in disbelief. No of course you fucking shouldn't, if your little vectors of contamination have any contact with people over 50 or with health problems.

Except some people really have no choice. Not all employers are going to be sympathetic. In fact you know that even as I type this some employers will be quietly looking through their personnel thinking "who can we get rid off for taking time off ..."

I've been cited to do jury service at the High Court (in Glasgow) on 8 April. I'd been worried about it as if I were to get allocated a long case, we were due to go to Australia in mid May on family holiday probably the last as ds is 19 .

I've moved the provisional flight booking to end of May - but I think I need to accept that we're not going to be going this year - but at least I've not paid anything yet.

I could get out of the jury service by saying that I need to self-isolate (this would be the 3rd time I've done jury service in the last 24 years ) - but I won't, as a) I do accept that it's a civic duty even if I seem to have been called a disproportionate number of times and b) especially as we won't be going to Oz I may as well get it over and done now while it's not too inconvenient. They might end up cancelling it anyway - who knows who you'd end up with in the jury room

I've been cited to do jury service at the High Court (in Glasgow) on 8 April.

That may turn out to be a hypothetical ...

Government asks car manufacturers to help make ventilators. They have approached several manufacturers including - according to the BBC - "Rolls Royce, Ford and Honda".
Er, hello BBC, while Rolls Royce said they'd be pleased to help, Rolls Royce doesn't make cars. They manufacture propulsion systems for the aerospace and other sectors. Rolls Royce Motors are manufactured by BMW.

"Little Johnnie is off today with a temperature. We'll see how he is tomorrow." FFS.

Government asks car manufacturers to help make ventilators

There is a perverse logic really, when you have the Health Secretary being a PPE graduate.

Maybe Nestle and Mcvities could start making vaccines ?

Fivefourthree

People are being poorly served by their government but it speaks to a terrifying English exceptionalism that people are watching every other European country progressively shut down without asking some pretty fucking basic questions.

And here we are taking about ventilating people using Heath Robinson contraptions made by companies with no experience of the biomedical industry. It's insane.

By the way, Ireland produces a big chunk of Europe's ventilators. Has anyone picked up the phone?

By the way, Ireland produces a big chunk of Europe's ventilators. Has anyone picked up the phone?

EU exports of medical equipment banned since last night.

The UK is not in the EU.

Ds2 is off school this week. Day 3 of 7 that he has been/will be kept home.
He has a cough (no temp) and sore throat.
It isn't covid-19 (at least I'm 99.9% sure it isn't...) but it's called having a social conscience!
Inconvenient for me? Yes. Plans changed, meetings cancelled. Bored.
There are kids in his school who are immunocompromised and others who have hcps as parents/family members.
Not to mention our own vulnerable family members.
It's not fucking rocket science, is it?
People will not change their behaviours until the death toll is 100+ per day like italy.
We are - what? - 10/12 days behind them?
I'm aghast that the churches for example - whose communicants average 75+ - have not ceased services/mass!

These Rolls Royce ventilators are most excellent, trimmed in leather and they feature a small Spirit of Ecstasy atop...

Convo re: packing and distribution....

"Are you serious?! Saints alive man, yes of course those are just for the Private hospitals!!.."

These Rolls Royce ventilators are most excellent, trimmed in leather and they feature a small Spirit of Ecstasy atop...

For some reason, I've now got two songs bouncing around my mind ...

from the above "Trampled Underfoot" ( factory air conditioning; comes in any size; makes me wonder what I did; before this synchronize ... )

And all weekend I've been humming "Bad Moon Rising" by CCR ...

( Hope you have got you things together; hope you are quite prepared to die ... )

I'm pretty sure the UK would have priority after all the EU / EEA / EFTA countries have sufficient; it's in everyone's interests to help a nighbour fighting an epidemic
It's just there might not be anything left over to give the UK by then

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/about-us/brexit-united-kingdoms-withdrawal-european-union#transition-period-section

During the transition period, EU pharmaceutical law as laid out in the ‘acquis communautaire’ will be applicable to the UK.
This means that pharmaceutical companies can continue to carry out activities in the UK until the end of 2020.

However, the UK no longer participates in EU institutions after its withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020.

For EMA, this means that as of 1 February 2020,
no one who represents the UK, or is appointed or nominated by the UK can participate in any EMA scientific committee meeting, working partyy^ meeting or in the Agency’s Management Board.

*EU exports of medical equipment banned since last night.

The UK is not in the EU.*

The U.K. is still inside the EU customs union. How do you stop goods crossing national borders without customs controls? It's not at all clear to me.

Maybe they mean Rolls Royce who make the jet engines?

Yikes what a powerful ventilator that would be.

prettybird I have been called up for Jury Duty this week - everyone shepherded into a windowless waiting room - lots of coughing. I am waiting in the corridor!

Another poor soul who died in Salisbury hospital on March 11 the has now been confirmed as having Covid 19. We can't even get test results back in a reasonable time what a bloody mess!☹️😡

Rolls Royce Motors are manufactured by BMW.

Rolls Royce motor cars are manufactured by Rolls Royce Motors Limited. It’s a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW.

I understood ventilators to be whatever they use for face masks (silicon, latex?) filters, regulators and a pump - not sure car manufacturers are relevant - scuba gear people on the other hand...

Misti I would presume these goods would be stopped at source - companies ordered not to export outside EU.
It's way before goods get as far as the borders

I've worked in firms which had goods that were banned from export to Iran, others to China etc
Those in the sales & export depts were required to make checks that the end user was not in a forbidden country

Both company and employees would have been in very big trouble if anything had slipped through