Westministenders: The Virus

[RedToothBrush]

Its like living in a Bad Disaster B Movie.

If you thought Brexit on your TV every day was Bad, The Virus is a whole new level.

The 5pm broadcast with Johnson and friends, and the public infomation video with the unblicking Chris Witty (who has such unfortunate mannerism he makes me think he's me a Dr Who alien akin to the Slitheen).

Who knows what will happen. Just that everything has changed and our entire economy is now on life support whilst we figure out how to deal with the crisis and what on earth our exit strategy is.

Johnson has however refused to join a joint EU purchase scheme designed to assist countries through the crisis.

Meanwhile the US is about to go nuts... so what does that do to a trade deal?

More money for the NHS? More hospitals?

Well its possible that might just happen...

hirehound
16:35Sostenueto

Listening to daily report.......Oh so even though Kings College hospital says figures of deaths are way lower than what they are experiencing that the figures today was due to the fact that there will be a lag in figures because they have to inform relatives first before publishing figures. So today's figures are actually those up to Saturday 5 pm not today's figures🤔😕

And this ( both posted yesterday on another thread by me)
469 is the real figure for deaths in 24 hours not the 200 they said🤔
Actually it's 469 from Friday 5 pm to Saturday 5 pm and they said 209 ( NI figures in late) so yep they are massaging figures.

horehound not hirehound apologies x

Other deaths related to crisis. House fire ( deliberate) killed 3 people woman and man in their 50s and woman in 20s and just now a family if 4 2 adults 2 children and a dog in Middlesex police not looking for anyone else.

There's danger behind closed doors

Just found out we've had a sourdough starter in the fridge for years . Can it really poison you?

Hi all, consoled that I'm not the only cynical bastard not joyful about rainbows in windows and "let's find the positive" from, in my experience naive people under 30 .

My ds has a neurological disorder. He's unpredictably paralysed or blacks out. It's really tough. Covid 19 on top is today feeling almost unbearable. There's no respite now.

And on top we can't be reassured that the powers that be have it under control when ime government, Vallance and deputy CMO have both lied and made awful decisions.

The psychological experiment is an interesting. Not looking promising for me personally. Whereas my builder who's always seemed pretty rational, simply doesn't understand why the govt have locked us down, says the death rates are tiny and is pondering "what is really going on?"

BCF

Today's 'Statement by the European Commission following the first meeting of the EU-UK Joint Committee' states that:

"Both sides will now work closely to prepare the next meeting of the Joint Committee, currently foreseen for June".

My understanding is that under UK legislation we need to have asked for an extension by the end of June. What do you think are the chances of an extension being agreed?

Conversations on social media with locals tonight:

"We should do a light show people can watch to make people feel happier."

"Don't worry I have PPE I can provide so it'll be all safe to set up."

About that...

And the amazing

"Here sign this petition to stop wet markets in china"

"I've just been told that westerners have got wild and wet markets mixed up. I do hope the person who started it changes it so the petition doesn't fail."

Arrrrggghhhhhhhhh!!!!

Bangs head on wall.

I don't mind being locked down at home.

I do mind being stuck in social media groups I can't avoid with bored people who are having stupid ideas, don't see the problem with stupid ideas and can't understand how it's a stupid idea.

The lockdown is just exposing who I need to avoid in real life after lock down ends.

It'll be the rainbow luvvies that send me crazy.

3 months at least of biting my tongue...

tava The EU side - being practical - would agree immediately to extend
They would probably also agree to amending the WA to allow a much longer extension, but that would probably come later this year

I can't predict what the Tory govt would do
All logic said from the beginning that they would seize on the CV crisis as a great excuse to extend
However, whispers from Brussels say they think the British side still don't want to

Trying to think like a Brexity loon ...

The economic hit due to COVID-19 would dwarf even a no-deal Brexit hit
and they might think it would be difficult to disentangle which caused what.
David Davis iirc said an FTA with the CV recession / depression would make little difference

So the govt might decide to crash it all at once and blame all damage on the virus
(much more dramatic scapegoat than the EU or Remainers)

However, back to reality ....

imo No Deal Brexit would kill off many exporters already damaged by the CV shutdown
it is possible, in a damaged economy, to expand a deep recession into a decade-long recession

So it depends whether CV has broken the govt out of fantasy,
or if they are all still stoned on Brexit unicorn cake

red MN is my only social media

• no FB, WhatsApp, twitter, linkedin ....

I've refused to have any of the above because ....

it takes too much valuable time
it is too trivial
it gives out too much information about me
and it is more difficult to avoid people online than to say on the phone that I'm too busy to meet up in person

Have you ever considered binning it all, except for business ?

BCF please don't bin it.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of us who depend on you lot to keep us in the correct loop of what's going on.

What you do here is so important.

Come on lurkers, back me up, you only need to make one post

I use my bread machine for dough of various kinds. And jam making.

You can dry out your still alive starter in a thin layer and store it in an airtight container. Don't bake it while trying to dry it as this will kill it. But you can put your thin layer on a baking tray in a very low oven.

It keeps best in a cool place - a fridge or dependably cold larder.

Your bread looks wonderful, prettybird.

Morbid post.

I do think the U.K. is under reporting deaths (the trend is not credible). I don't think this is political, I think it's due to capacity and data collection issues.

OTOH to some degree all countries are underreporting. Excess mortality data from some parts of Lombardy suggests the covid-related death rate could be 3-4 times the reported numbers; in some places that multiplier looks like ten times.

This isn't necessarily a conspiracy, it's because attribution may not be obvious especially in old people with multiple pathologies who die outside hospital. Even in hospital there will be deaths from coronavirus not counted because of false negative tests (big issue if you follow medical twitter, some people don't test positive until they are at the intubation stage). And because some of those deaths are of people who couldn't get treated for other illnesses.

I do mind being stuck in social media groups I can't avoid with bored people who are having stupid ideas, don't see the problem with stupid ideas and can't understand how it's a stupid idea.

I confess this is how I see Mumsnet atm. So much stupid, good thing it isn't catching. I only read this thread now.

Facebook is OK for me because I have always strictly restricted my friends list and because I leave groups if they are stupid and racist, which most are (esp expat groups, several of which I have left before being booted out for calling out racists).

I mainly use twitter - you can easy tweak it to see mainly useful posts. And for epidemiology related stuff it is awesome.

SOS thanks for the update re other deaths. I know even among my friends they are struggling with men not knowing what to do with themselves. The creative ones seem fine - lots of Zoom with guitars going on - but the more macho seem to be having a lot of inner turmoil. No self actualisation and lack of control - very Leaver specific I would say?

I'm guessing I also missed a discussion about disaster capitalism? Dyson et al lurking and waiting to be granted tax monies for "inventing" the wheel? The Leave lot seem particularly thrilled and I see they don't seem to see the issues with regulation of these ventilators, time and the fact it was the govt's incompetence to recognise the threat that meant suddenly their donors can cash in

Have been rather smugly using my extensive Brexit stockpile. Made 2 loaves of bread in breadmaker and what seems to be a crumpet loaf (tried to do a Large instead of XL and think I automatically just added the same water) which is actually quite nice! I've started some more veg seedlings too and am trying to think how to plant them so that the dog doesn't dig them up. I've an old IKEA 2 shelf piece that I am considering using as a 'raised bed'.

Anyone else feeling the pressure of the homeschooling perfect timetable brigade? I think I am the only parent in the country who has thrown her hands in the air, allowed her spawn to stay up until late late and wake up late late and not spring out of bed to participate in Joe Wickes' scheme to become the Nation's PE teacher. Someone I had literally never heard of who seems destined to become a household name and make millions from this. Is he a secret Tory donor? .

I have heard he is donating all the revenue to the NHS.

I too use no social media other than MN and generally these threads and a couple of others, random S&B, Relationships, education threads and (God knows why) Baby Names. I have an inactive Facebook account and I think I once signed up for Twitter. Essentially I’m fairly antisocial so social media not really for me.
I was really pleased to find some best before June 2019 Asda bread mix made a lovely loaf at the weekend. I could have used a bread maker (that I’m storing for DD) but thought this is not the time for labour saving devices. I considered the kneading part of my daily exercise (and it wasn’t nice out, so bonus).

Misti I just read this about inclusion of deaths outside hospitals which will be an interesting set of stats to run alongside the NHS ones.

Is bread flour with BBE dates in the second half of 2018 OK to use? I found 2 unopened bags at the back of the cupboard.

I've pretty much sacked off the homeschooling for 6 yr old DS. His school is in a deprived area with a very high proportion of FSM-type families - every kid in his class has French as an additional language - and I'm acutely aware of the inequalities that this will only entrench, with half the families not having access to a computer / parents with low literacy / living five to a single room. God help the teachers when they go back. Plus I tell myself if we lived in Finland he wouldn't even be starting school for another year.

I turned two old bags of flour into playdough. Wasn't confident enough to bake with them.

I have older kids. I think they’d rather have stale pizza base than playdough, especially the 14 year old with hollow legs and an appetite to match.

Misti I just read this about inclusion of deaths outside hospitals which will be an interesting set of stats to run alongside the NHS ones.

It will still be a significant underestimate.

There are lots of conspiracy theories about China undercounting in Wuhan, people saying deaths ten times higher than reported.

I think this is probably NOT the case (it would mean 25,000 CV deaths in a city of 11 million) and we ought to bloody well hope that it's not true, because of what that means for cities like Milan, Madrid, Paris and London which locked down later and less effectively. I think a multiple somewhere between 2 and 4 times reported deaths is credible though (in ALL countries).

The creative ones seem fine

This really corresponds with what I'm seeing. My kids who are musicians/writers are doing OK even DD in her 15m2 Paris studio. She's learning Welsh and Korean, writing poetry and (since yesterday) playing animal crossing on the Nintendo switch I just bought her.

I'm working, gardening and playing piano. DH whose work has dried up a bit and who doesn't really have hobbies is bored.