Westministenders: Lockdown continues

[BigChocFrenzy]

The UK has been on lockdown since 23 March,
with no end in sight.

The deaths peak is predicted to be around 17 April,
with the controversial IHME prediction that the UK will have considerably more total deaths - 66,000 - by summer than other European countries.

Supermarkets are struggling to satisfy demand for online slots for the vulnerable
and to keep shelves supplied for other customers

Like all countries, the UK economy is being hammered and heading for a deep recession.
Estimates are for UK GDP to fall 15% this year.

A million people have applied for Universal Credit
The self-employed and small - and some large - businesses are struggling to stay solvent.

They don't know how long to plan for.

The PM is in ICU and Raab has taken over as stand-in, but needs Cabinet approval for decisions.
Probably BJ will be unfit to resume his duties as PM for several weeks, if ever.

WIll he stand down soon and let the Cabinet choose a new PM,
or will the UK continue for weeks with a stand-in leader during the worst crisis since WW2

What's the plan, anybody?

We may well have weeks to go, but why not at least make a provisional plan for how to come out of lockdown? Just because we have a Government that deals in sound bites and winging it, doesn't mean that it always has to be so.

I guess while Bozo is off but still able to claim his salary (DWP made sure to say he was working even in intensive care mind!) no one else wants to make that decision. Especially given the clusterfuck he has already created.

Forget about planning on coming out of Lockdown.
That can be done by the work experience intern.
Spain just been informed they are now in Lockdown until 9th May.
We're not going anywhere, anytime soon.

This really narked me, although the Saint Boris fans would have none of it: if you are in intensive care your are ill, you haven't got energy to do anything much.

No we're not coming out of lockdown anytime soon. So, we have time to plan. Lots of scenario planning, what ifs, a massive flowchart. They need to think of some parameters: death rate slowing to x, new cases slowing to y. France has published 3 tests that have to be met. Then there needs to be some thought about how to implement a phased relaxation - what sectors, % of staff, whatever. I don't have the answers, but I can have a stab at the questions. Isn't this what Sage and Cobra are for plus the leaders of the opposition parties?

PMK

Pmk.

What work could BJ do in intensive care? Raab told us he hasn't spoken to BJ. Oh, I know - he'll have been getting on with Brexit.

Reading back...
Loving Dante'sDeclamation
and the visual image of Raab swinging his legs as he goes round and round on the Big Chair - that's it EXACTLY! = brilliant!

They forgot Taiwan but here's an interesting link on whether women are better at crisis management which reminds me of my post from last week bylinetimes.com/2020/04/09/the-coronavirus-crisis-does-covid-19-prove-women-are-best-suited-to-lead-in-a-crisis/?fbclid=IwAR2IwePlWrrmS3iwYGc4rYfvSnBYGck1aASGzT-Vz8pmooSPWkI1Eu2pkp8

I personally dont think we will be out of lockdown until mid or end of May. If they hadn’t planned that, there is no way they would have cancelled all the exams.

The biggest issue I have atm is the lack of direction. All well and good to pass a legislation asking the police to deal with people not doing the lockdown well enough. But with no guidance, you are bond to get surprising results. Like the police force who was hitting at dong trolley checks to see the items were ‘essential’.
I have to say, good luck with them managing to define what is ‘essential’. A paddling pool might not be essential for most people but it might well be for a single mum with PND stuck at home with two toddlers.

There has been a lot of talk about CV-19 deaths or possible number deaths according to whatever experts. Not so much about ‘collaterals’. The women suffering from domestic violence. People with MH receiving no care or for whom their coping system has been torn apart. Of course, access to healthcare for all of us (the same number of people will be diagnosed with life threaten8g illnesses - will they receive the care they need?) etc....

And there is the sticky question of vaccinations (they normally take 10 years before being validated - see safety issues!!) and herd immunity. The issue with Sweden and Iceland (what if THEIR strategy is as good as a full lockdown??) whilst Finland is been berated because they are coming out of lockdown before anyone else (despite the fact THEY introduced the lockdown much before and have seen their numbers falling down massively).

JeSuisPouket that’s probably because we are used to deal with crisis (but wo the recognition)

I do not doubt for a nanosecond that planning effort is going into the coming Falklands Factor Election, with Saint Boris the Figher paraded in effigy through the streets for the grateful populace to bow down and genuflect. All problems were entirely the fault of the last Labour Govt. who created the Crash of 08 as part of their plan, as detailed at the last election by BJ who stated that Labour "wants to dstroy the economy."

Loyal tory tabs getting ready to burn in effigy anyone who has a bad word for Saint Boris, and hope no one notices that the extension to the extension of the extension is going to be extended.

I do not doubt for a nanosecond that planning effort is going into the coming Falklands Factor Election, with Saint Boris the Figher paraded in effigy through the streets for the grateful populace to bow down and genuflect.

It must sting you like hell that Boris continues to triumph over all obstacles, despite the epic quantity (though not quality) of the whining deployed against him!

A potential problem for Good old Boris is that the crisis has come too soon in his Government. He's still got four years at least to go.

What if the 40 new hospitals don't materialise, but people ask why a Corona virus hospital could be thrown up in weeks?

If they do materialise, that he realises that the NHS does matter and puts the resources in, then credit will be due to him.

What triumph, Cendrillon? 8,000 people dead?

I guess while Bozo is off but still able to claim his salary (DWP made sure to say he was working even in intensive care mind!)

You can't claim benefits while in hospital.

He is not triumphing @CendrillonSings.
He is CURRENTLY benefitting from the same support ALL other head if state get because of the CV-19.
Once things have settled down, I suspect another picture will come out. See the fact the Tories are ALREADY getting worried about an inquest into the handling to the situation. We haven’t yet reach the peak of the outbreak....

See the fact the Tories are ALREADY getting worried about an inquest into the handling to the situation.

Which is where their 80 seat majority which Cendrillon keeps reminding us about, does them no favours. It's very very difficult to blame the Opposition when you have got the numbers to nod your activities through, and not say " we couldn't do this because Labour stopped us."

It does depend on the quality of those in the 80 seat majority. 80 like Sunak would be good. 80 like Priti Patel ---- well, let's not go there.

He only needs to put up 38 (and reducing) in order to say he's delivered his commitment as the London and Manchester Nightingale Hospitals will no doubt count in the total

We have had ten years of telling us that the Crash of 08 was entirely Labour's fault, and never mind if Gideon's only complaint at the time was that the deregulation did not go far enough.

Jess Phillips appointed shadow minister for Domestic Violence.

I imagine this is some kind of late April fools, or administrative cock up, and we'll hear a correction soon enough. It would be absolutely unthinkable in 2020 to have a senior politicians with a brief they might know a thing or two about ...

(As one of the few politicians brave enough to do a "RHLSTP" a couple of years ago, it was obvious that DV is something JP is passionate - and informed - about ...)

Whatever next ? A chancellor who does sums ? A health secretary who's a doctor ?

We have had ten years of telling us that the Crash of 08 was entirely Labour's fault, and never mind if Gideon's only complaint at the time was that the deregulation did not go far enough.

I often wonder whether people who think it’s clever to call George Osborne “Gideon” know that on the same principle they should be calling his opposite number Gordon Brown “James”, since both of them chose to eschew a disliked given first name.

Nah, it’s probably beyond them.

I think that’s the most useful thing I’ve seen @cendrillion post! I didn’t know his name was James Brown!

We should have made much more use of that at the time. I’ve images of Gordon singing it’s a mans world in the HoC 🤣🤣🤣

@KonTiki I live in Spain and I have heard nothing about being locked down until 9 May, please provide a link. We are locked down until 26 April and then it will very likely be extended but we don't know the conditions of that possible future extension and this last one was supported by fewer parties in congress than the last 2. After 26 April congress has to agree again to extend it.