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?

Whilst I agree there should be an extension I suspect an attitude of 'well, it can't be any worse than coronavirus, and we got through that!' may come to the fore from certain sections.

Mind you, most of the leavers I know feel an extension is sensible.

Just because you get through something awful doesnt mean it shouldn't be avoided in the future.

Not that we're through coronavirus yet, or even half way.

I’m assuming DGR that your reply is supposed to be funny,

Not at all. As someone who has had the "will of the people" rammed down my throat more times than I care to recall, I find it quite interesting that now it's OK to disregard the will of the people and talk about extensions.

Boris could not have been more clear in 2019. "Get Brexit Done" come hell or high water by 2021. Well, here we are, and let's see if he can manage to at least fulfil that promise.

So - in all deadly seriousness. No extension. No delay. No half arsed measures. I want Brexiteers to deliver on their promises at least once in their lives. And if any Tory party member or MP even thinks of talking about an extension, I want them expelled.

If Brexit was the brainwave we were told it was, it can't come soon enough.

That's definitely taking "Brexit do or die" to it's logical conclusion.

Mind you, most of the leavers I know feel an extension is sensible.

Traitors to a person.

Boris was elected on a promise that Brexit would be done by 2021. This is a manifesto pledge and democracy we are talking about.

Remember when Remainers suggested there should be a delay in the interests of getting it right and were told to fuck off to the far side of fuck and then some ? I can.

Quite aside from the total lack of respect for democracy an extension would demonstrate - and we know how precious that is to the Brexiteers - there's also the thorny question of "what sort of extension ?"

What lack of respect for democracy? Johnson won the election that he supposedly didn't want on the slogan "Get Brexit Done." The UK left on 31st January, so the mandate has been discharged. Not much was said about how it would be done after that.

No doubt Cendrillon will come along soon to remind us of the 80 seat majority, which means that Johnson and his cronies have carte blanche to do whatever they wish.

Piers Morgan concerned:

Infections for many of the UK deaths now being reported will have happened around the time the Govt. inexplicably allowed 250k people to attend Cheltenham Festival, 54k to attend Liverpool v Atletico & 50k to attend Stereophonics shows. How many of them got infected and/or died?

mobile.twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1248607940728090624

And difference of opinion over what will cause more damage...

In reply to Guido Fawkes, who tweeted We may end up blaming Piers Morgan induced hysteria for more deaths than Covid19

PM : Nearly 9000 UK deaths & rising fast, already 5th highest in the world & predicted to be highest in Europe.
‘Hysteria’.
Wow

mobile.twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1248627685288333320

1038 deaths in UK "today"

They are all definitely trying to get their excuses in first, so that they don't get the blame. The usual weary "But how much worse it would be under Corbyn" no longer cuts it, because he's not even in the Shadow Cabinet any more.

No doubt Cendrillon will come along soon to remind us of the 80 seat majority, which means that Johnson and his cronies have carte blanche to do whatever they wish.

I wasn’t actually going to, but how could I refuse such an invitation?

So, um, the Government has an 80-seat majority, which means that Boris the Invincible and his noble ministers have carte blanche to do whatever they wish.

Happy?

Indeed so, because if they mess up, they have nowhere to hide.

They are all definitely trying to get their excuses in first, so that they don't get the blame.

With astounding precision it seems the government have managed to place both testicles into a vice lined with sharp pointy things that has started to close.

On the one jaw, there's the Great British Public who are starting to twig that no amount of Happy-Clappy stories can disguise the fact the UKs stats aren't great. A push to continue (if not intensify) "lockdown".

On the other jaw, there's the mounting fury of the taskmaster billionaires who want their money machines re-opened at any cost. A push to end lockdown. At least for the those that matter.

Obviously the taskmasters will win - they always do. But I wonder how many more victories like that they can sustain ?

DGR
I agree with your sentiment about democracy and three word slogans
BUT
I strongly suspect that Covid will allow
Circumstances have Changed
to be used to cover industrial levels of back pedalling.

Remember Brexit will not be cancelled,
just delayed yet again
to the point that it becomes a theoretical construct

a bit like the religion in last night's episode of Red Dwarf

www.thelondoneconomic.com/business-economics/call-for-veil-of-secrecy-to-be-lifted-as-5-5bn-public-money-spent-bailing-out-big-business/10/04

Call for veil of secrecy to be lifted as £5.5bn public money spent bailing out big business

The Government and Bank of England refuse to let the public know which corporates are being bailed out with public funds.

And on a cheery note, this article is just WONDERFUL
the details in it about the passengers are gold
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/10/french-police-turn-back-private-jet-of-holidaymakers-from-uk

There is nothing wrong in itself to use the Circumstances have Changed argument - it is a foolish organisation, person or Government that carries on regardless.

What will be annoying will be the lack of transparency.

Brexit hasn't been cancelled though - it happened. We are now in the worse position of being a rule taker in transition without any say. A pretty stupid position to be in, and if Johnson and Co had had their eye on the ball, and seen what was happening in China, they might have used the circumstances then to obtain a stay of Brexit, to maintain some sort of seat at the table.

Still, one thing I am grateful for, if it's shut the eugenicist Cummings up, it's a bonus.

Brexit hasn't been cancelled though - it happened. We are now in the worse position of being a rule taker in transition without any say.

Yes, I must admit, the EU played a blinder there. Do you think Brexiteers will ever twig they've been had ?

Pmk

BJ has a mandate. He absolutley has the democratic legitimacy to extend if he wants. And the EU also have the right to tell him to sod off, which they might well, especially if he doesn't want to chip in to the post-crisis bailout for Club-Med.

Looks like us non-EU countries need to stick together ...

Turkey delivers medical aid to UK to help fight virus

www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-delivers-medical-aid-to-uk-to-help-fight-virus/1799539

Hancock's Half-Hour is dragging on today, with plenty of dodging the question of where are the tests. Apparently, we are trying very very very very hard to meet the 100,000 a day target. But we don't stand a chance of meeting it,

Even with the tests, if it should emerge the virus can reinfect people, or having had one strain is no protection against others, we're still in limbo.

And should it transpire there are multiple strains, then all of a sudden not only does "a" vaccine become harder. There's the additional problem of trying to deliver multi strain vaccines in general. Which I have a vague memory can be harmful to some people ? (A few years ago DW shunned a flu jab as it was suspected to play havoc with MS, something to do with the base that was used ...)

Oh, and there is enough PPE if you bastards stop selfishly using it and we redefine constantly who needs it because after all bus drivers can just keep washing their hands every 2 minutes.

I have nothing coherent to add. Marking 150 translations online each week for nearly a month has addled what was left of my brain. So much so that I thanked RTB for BCF having started this thread. Sorry.

But, with apologies to whomever it was that mentioned it some time back, LDB are back and saying it like it is, as usual:
twitter.com/ByDonkeys

Lockdown wisteria and cat for squid

LBD, not LDB.
Fucksakes, brain...

Re the group jetting off on holiday - how did they get out of UK? Have we really allowed people to drive to the airport, presumably from various places within UK and allowed them to charter a jet for a holiday? Where is Priti Patel? Typical of UK boarder patrol and attitude in general to not care if we become someone else's (COVID) problem.