Westminstenders: All bets are off

[RedToothBrush]

We are seeking an extension. Apparently. No prizes for guessing why.

There is no news but COVID news. And that's all there will be for a long time.

Enjoy your stockpile and your sunny uplands it brought.

Keep safe.

You think?

I don't "think". I know. I know because we ended up with Boris Johnson as PM and waves of cheers and relief from a large number of people. (Although not as many as are now calling him out for being useless.)

The idea of a simple Civics multichoice paper to be completed along with your vote would get my vote. Anyone who wants to lock the judges up and compel MPs to vote a certain way would have their ballot disqualified.

The idea of a simple Civics multichoice paper to be completed along with your vote would get my vote. Anyone who wants to lock the judges up and compel MPs to vote a certain way would have their ballot disqualified.

Or you could just keep the current system where your vote means fuck all, and the powers that be just tick along doing what they've always wanted. I would suggest that very few people voting in 2019 had the faintest clue what they were voting for beyond "Boris" and "not Corbyn".

Or you could just keep the current system where your vote means fuck all, and the powers that be just tick along doing what they've always wanted.

...as detailed in The State In A Capitalist Society by Pop Miliband.

imo all 3 - and probably others too - should now move to the strictest form of lockdown, as in Italy

France has the same measures as in Italy I think, and possibly more strictly enforced. People are now being arrested the second time they are caught outside without justification .

My personal experience and that of my daughter in Paris is that overall the rules are being respected except in some parks/beachfronts and also there is an issue of overcrowding at outdoor markets. I'm not sure how they will manage that one, as in Paris an awful lot of fresh food is bought at markets. In central Paris the supermarkets are mostly tiny (smaller than your local Asian supermarket) and don't carry much fresh stock. They have to feed people so I think they will regulate access to markets not ban them.

Remember that after lockdown, you will continue to get cases from three sources:

• people already infected but not showing symptoms at the time of lockdown
• almost all their family members
• people infected in healthcare settings, care homes and prisons etc, where infections spread easily and social distancing is hard

I had a lovely morning at the gym today.
Everybody there was sensibly distancing
and greatly appreciating that we still had the facility available
LOTS of members are staying away and self isolating.

Gyms are closed across most of Europe
and it's long past time to close everything non-essential in the UK

Thing is the list of 'keyworker' jobs given out by the Government
covers nearly 30% of children

and from what I'm seeing, the most at risk are often behaving the least responsibly (look at the massive crush in the OAP shopping sessions)

@ListeningQuietly

i had a lovely morning at the gym today.
Everybody there was sensibly distancing
and greatly appreciating that we still had the facility available
LOTS of members are staying away and self isolating.

I hope you are joking.
The sooner the idiot UK government announces lockdown; the better

Amazon Germany are looking for 100,000 new employees
and I expect thousands of other new supermarket and delivery jobs too

I was just checking online availability and there is a frozen food delivery that was offering me my choice of time slots from Monday
and another for my staples

Surprising

However, I've enough stocks to stay home for 2-3 months

I don't plan shopping or anything outside except for a daily Rhine walk during that period
(excl any time Frau Merkel sets "full house" lockdown)

I had a lovely morning at the gym today.
Everybody there was sensibly distancing

The problem is being in an enclosed space and the virus staying on surfaces and hanging in the air for up to 30 minutes

'Sensibly distancing' doesn't protect you and you have a false sense of security from it.

I seriously can not understand why you are proudly commenting on what a delightful experience it was under the circumstances.

Other people deciding to be responsible and follow guidance to prevent spread shouldn't be your bonus because you happen to ignore guidance declaring its lovely and quiet at the gym.

You do realise this will provoke anger and resentment, don't you?

I note that the virus has been found in air vents of hospital isolation units...according to sky news.

Had to go to pharmacy today. Went really early when it opened to limit contact...passed tiny local cafe heaving with loads of people who are 65+ (in some cases 75+)...

People coughing and not using their arm or tissue...

I've said it before...until we get death rates like italy people will not modify their behaviour!

Oh well. Only a week to go...

On a personal level my elderly aunt in Ireland has covid-19 and our cousins in france have it. Our cousins (in their 40s and healthy) have been really ill...in bed for 2 weeks.

Yoikes Best wishes to you and to your family members suffering this 💐

2 weeks ago, the virus was found in 2 of the canteens at the large firm where I worked until my recent retirement

They were carrying out checks all over the huge site - excellent precaution that nearly all large employers seem to be taking - and found the infection

Both buildings were immediately closed down and deep cleaned, but not re-opened for meals

Thousands of employees, including my old team, all sent to WFH,
but afaik thousands of production & prototype workers are still there and will remain unless Merkel calls a total home lockdown

The good news: lockdown has significantly reduced R0 in Italy. The bad: it's still probably not below 1, anywhere (it needs to get below 1 for the epidemic to fizzle out).

I had a lovely morning at the gym today.
Everybody there was sensibly distancing

I stopped going 2 weeks ago because of the difficulty of ensuring equipment is fully cleaned between users and because you tend to touch your face when you sweat. :/

People in U.K. still not taking this seriously.

I think the U.K. govt is still essentially going for herd immunity, it just doesn't want to admit it.

One major London hospital is full and has declared a critical incident. The rest will fall like dominos. And Londoners will head for their second homes this weekend, spreading the virus.

The only way hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.K. can be avoided now is by locking down no later than this weekend, tonight preferably.

The uk seems to be on a different planet at the moment. It's quite surreal from here to think that people are still out and about. It shocked me to find that people are still going shopping every day - here people are only going out one at a time from their house to get shopping every few days. the idea of leaving the house unnecessarily is unthinkable. Though in cities there are too many people on the streets apparently so I imagine they might set some limit soon. Like even ID number one day, odd the next, or some such.

Our gyms are shut.
Six months of Pilates is going to be undone but needs must.
I'm looking over at nearby lockdown suburbs and wondering how long we have.

I'm looking over at nearby lockdown suburbs and wondering how long we have.

Chicago? DH talked to one of the aldermen yesterday and thinks lockdown is very close.

Chicago? DH talked to one of the aldermen yesterday and thinks lockdown is very close.

But the US has the national guard for such instances ...

The only way hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.K. can be avoided now is by locking down no later than this weekend, tonight preferably.

The school run tonight was awful. Really awful. Lots of parents in tears before they collected kids and desparately trying to put a brave face on.

It wasn't an end of term feeling at all. More an end of everything one.

I sense that the schools closing will focus minds more in some ways.

There has been a gradual shutting down of leisure places that have stubbornly carried on this week and a gradual penny dropping noise amongst friends and acquaintences yesterday and today.

I hope the message is starting to get through.

I fear that in 2 or 3 weeks time the hospitals will be full of Darwin Award Winners and their relatives, Wage Slaves and Those Heroically Trying To Keep the Country Going. And so many of them will be there quite needlessly.

I fear that in 2 or 3 weeks time the hospitals will be full of Darwin Award Winners and their relatives

And then the cemeteries and graveyards.

This might have been a good time to invest in funeral parlours. And stonemasons.

Yes, Chicago.
We are definitely expecting it particularly after California last night.