Westminstenders: No pubs till Christmas?

[RedToothBrush]

Today the news has moved towards acknowledging covid-19 reality: Nicola Sturgeon has explicitly stated that some social distancing will carry on until the new year in all likelihood.

When Matt Hancock asked if this was true for England too, he refused to say yes but he said that Scotland was working from the same framework as England.

In case anyone does still need this spelling out, this means the outlook for the hospitality and leisure industries is bleak.

There are extremely unlikely to be many enjoying a holiday in the sun any time soon, whether it be in Devon or Spain.

We won't be celebrating birthdays in restaurants nor having a pint in the pub.

Conversations on the doorstep from a couple of metres away is as good as it gets.

That means if you can't adapt you may not survive.

To add into the mix changes to customs to those companies who are operating seems insanity. But that's a political not a scientific decision to be made.

Whether reality in this will kick in, in the next six weeks or so before EU budgetary decisions relating to an extension have to be made remains to be seen.

Until then, there is no news but covid-19.

Yes, MrsL I'd forgotten the BCG was another possibility
Probably no single difference that helpd Scandi counties, but a combination

Simon Dolan says he intends to issue proceedings for judicial review unless some measures are reversed

Going back to this news item... it's the perfect fuel to support Johnson and Cumming's plan to hobble the judicary i.e. they must enact legislation to stop spurious judicial reviews.

Btw, we had paramedics to the house Yesterday (reason for it are ok now) and was shocked when one said that she hadn't like Johnson before pandemic but thought he was 'brilliant' now because of how well he had handled it. When I mentioned his shaking hands at hospital had been highly irresponsible, she 'hadn't heard about that'. It's depressing how easily we are puppets responding to the intended narrative.

Maybe BJ will copy this Nigerian idea:
appoint dead people to some posts ....

would we notice ?🤔

"I can see dead people, mummy"
"Yes dear, that's just the Cabinet"

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nigerias-president-buhari-appoints-dead-man-to-run-government-agency-m3l2qhvpv

President Buhari, 77,
who was once compelled to deny rumours of his own demise and replacement with a clone, 🧐^
^
approved a candidate whose funeral took place in February.

The appointment of the late MP Tobias Chukwuemeka Okwuru to the Federal Character Commission emerged when a letter of confirmation from Mr Buhari was read to the Senate.

Applications were quickly reopened after journalists pointed out that Mr Okwuru was not available to take up the position due to his death at the age of 59.

< I wonder if UK jounalists would spot that in time ? >

For the last 2 weeks, face coverings have been compulsory here (Germany) in shops, taxis, public transport, anywhere indoors where people might mix publicly

This baker was creative and topical .... but I'm not sure I'd buy any of their cookies !

The app is interesting and everyone's responses. I had already decided I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole - but wondered what DH take one it would be. I think it was C4 who did a piece on how the government is diverging from most of the world and that the app the are proposing will give them access to everything on your phone.
DH response was there was no way he would download it.
As I type this I am thinking about his work. He has , through his phone huge amounts of commercially sensitive info. His phone is provided by work - will companies/corporations institute policies around not allowing these apps on work devices.
I certianly wouldn't be allowing it in my business.

Simple.

Emotional blackmail and peer pressure.

DH works for an Internet data company.

From a professional point of view he can't use it. From a personal point of view he won't use it because, I quote "I'm not fucking stupid".

He is very concerned about coronavirus and his company are delaying returning to work until everyone else has its clear there isn't another spike.

As for NHS data being handed over to GCHQ. Data security is something the nhs have not taken seriously. They do not pay well and the result is the employ crap developers who aren't up to the job and can't do it to an adequate level. GCHQ is the only state body which has a half decent skill set in data security and even then because they don't pay well they are not leading the field.

Dh is exactly who the NHS / GCHQ should be employing. They don't.

Ironically whilst this crisis has highlighted key workers, its also still overlooking those who work in Internet security and the modern world and the state do not want to pay to reflect that.

If we want a robust economy and society unless this is done we are always a risk from threats if key workers of all kinds are not recognised and paid accordingly.

Exactly BCF - a whole lot of factors.

The vit d one is interesting. I am pretty sure I have had it - as has my sisters family. On paper we are all high risk - bad asthmatics, with my sisters family v prone to pneumonia. Her son was very sick - but not bad enough for hospital. We were all very worried and socially distanced early ( in our case we think it was my husband who came back from Singapore mid-late Jan)

Anyway - one thing we all do is take vitamin D. And I take quite high doses as I had v low Vit D , and it didn't rise as expected with taking a supplement- so they monitored and then doubled my dose.
Anyway I know it's anecdotal- but both my sister and I find it interesting. Oh and the other thing is being from NZ the adults all have had BCG as has my daughter (from Dubai) and can't remember if my son has.

Btw, we had paramedics to the house Yesterday (reason for it are ok now) and was shocked when one said that she hadn't like Johnson before pandemic but thought he was 'brilliant' now because of how well he had handled it. When I mentioned his shaking hands at hospital had been highly irresponsible, she 'hadn't heard about that'.

This just goes to show what a clever schemer Johnson is. He has barely handled anything. Firstly be being on holiday much of the time, and not chairing COBRA meetings with the lame excuse that PMs don't usually, when this is not usual. Secondly being stupid enough to expose himself to the virus, which supposedly took him to death's door, although I don't doubt that he was ill. This all forces his apparatchiks to take his place when fielding questions, so they will take the blame. He will duly through them under the bus when they have served their purpose.

Tony Connelly@tconnellyRTE
So, some interesting developments on the controversy over the EU's request for an office in Belfast, which has now been twice rejected by the UK

1/ On February 12 @HelgaSchmid_EU
, the sec gen of the EU's diplomatic service (EEAS), wrote to her counterpart Sir Simon McDonald, perm sec of the Foreign Office, asking for an EU presence in Northern Ireland after the transition period ends on December 31

2/ Schmid said Article 12 of the Irish Protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement provided for EU customs and veterinary officials to oversee checks and controls on goods moving GB-NI. Therefore they needed an office in Belfast to work out of.

3/ In the letter, seen by @rtenews
, Schmid wrote that such officials would have “very particular capabilities and competences on the ground, distinctive from the more traditional competences of any other EU delegation.”

4/ The EU requested that the office be up and running "in the summer of 2020" to give staff time to prepare for December 31

5/ Sir Simon McDonald sent what was by all accounts a terse reply saying it would not be appropriate for the EU to have a presence in Belfast

6/ The EU sent a follow up letter on March 25, pressing the case. Article 12 gave the EU certain rights. “It is necessarily within the discretion of the EU to determine the extent to which it wishes to exercise these rights,” Schmid wrote.

7/ For the EU to avail of these rights "on an ongoing basis" and to do so effectively, she stressed, "an office in Belfast staffed by technical experts is indispensable.”

8/ This time there was second rejection in a longer letter, sent by @PennyMordaunt , minister of state, on Monday of this week. Article 12 did not require an EU delegation office, “or indeed any other permanent EU presence in Northern Ireland,” wrote Mordaunt.

9/ Furthermore, since unionist parties had rejected the request, the EU office idea had “attracted controversy, [which] would in our view be divisive in political and community terms.”

10/ The issue was raised at the first meeting of the Specialised Committee on Thursday, which brings together EU and UK officials to oversee how the Protocol is being implemented. The UK expressed disbelief at the EU request. Effectively it had come like a bolt from the blue

11/ UK sources said the idea had never been discussed by both sides during the negotiations that led to the Protocol being agreed by Boris Johnson last October.

12/ HOWEVER... the idea had been discussed. And by none other than Helga Schmid and Sir Simon McDonald, back in February 2019..

13/ It turns out there was an exchange of letters between both senior officials back then. Schmid had raised the issue of keeping an EU presence in Belfast because of the Irish Protocol, which at that stage, of course, was the backstop. The EU wd also keep supporing PEACE funds

14/ On February 11, 2019 Sir Simon replied. Not only did the UK support the idea of a continued presence in Belfast, it supported EU offices in Edinburgh and Cardiff as well...

15/ An extract of Sir Simon's letter, seen by @rtenews
, reads: “The UK government supports the continued presence of EU offices in Edinburgh and Cardiff, alongside London and Belfast, given the longstanding relationship the EU has with all devolved nations…”

16/ Yet just 12 months later the same Sir Simon summarily rejected Schmid's request to revive the issue.

17/ In her letter, Schmid had even referred to the pair's correspondence on the issue the previous February.

18/ Schmid wrote: "Dear Simon, Now that the United Kingdom has withdrawn from the [EU] and that the Withdrawal Agreement has entered into force, I would like to come back on the issue of Belfast and other regional offices, as a follow up to my letter of 26 February 2019"

19/ Yet the UK side maintained in Thursday's Specialised Committee meeting that Schmid's request on February 12 of this year was out of the blue, and a highly insensitive request, given that the two govts had just restored the Stormont assembly

12/ An EU official told @rtenews
“The UK cannot have been taken by surprise by this. The possibility of opening an office in Belfast has been discussed for a long time at this stage. The EU has been consistent on this point.”

13/ I'll have the full story on the @rtenews website from 8am this morning Irish time...

www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2020/0501/1136196-tony-connelly/

Sebastian Payne@SebastianEPayne
Senior Tories are worried Britons are too fearful to return to work. @IpsosMORI suggests we’re one of the counties most scared by coronavirus.

“Our comms have been the best in Europe. We scared everyone shitless, but now we have to undo some of that.”

www.ft.com/content/34c45068-5cc0-4356-86e9-ed71cafe6f93
Johnson seeks more sophisticated slogan to exit lockdown

Can anyone explain WHY the uk is more scared of covid-19 than other countries?

Its a complete mystery to me.

I don't know if that timeline is realistic BTW. Chris Whitty was outlining what they need to see at last nights briefing. He basically said that they first need to understand what the R number actually is - rather than estimating it. And that would involve randomised samples of the population tested- big enough samples to be statistically significant, to give a true idea if infection rate in the community.
That's going to take a little while to plan? As it was clear I thought from what he said that this hasn't started yet.

I think that traffic light system has probably been released by the "hawkes" to put pressure on the "doves". Also interesting in the news last night was David Davis - who was completely scathing on how the government have handled this from the outset.

With regards to people struggling with lockdown - unlike in NZ there is a lot of wiggle room in what the government are allowing. I think in the next couple of weeks you will start to see people (you probably are already actually with the uptick if traffic) explore what they can do, business wise and leisure wise, while still sticking within the government advise.

I always find google box hilarious and a little bit of a temperature gauge. Did anyone watch last night? The hilarity over Bozo claiming success in the country's success , his success in fighting Covid was interesting. They all commented in there own way how useless they had been (except maybe Giles and Mary - who are a great example that education doesn't guarantee intelligence) - and I think that's the problem. A great many people think they have been useless and therefore don't trust what the government says.

Re the Tom Connolly extract Red - I am sure it's 100% true but will be used by Johnson and the Brexiteers to scream about the EU being unreasonable. Yet again.

In reality, we all know that the only deal they want is one where we are in hock to the USA. Musing on that, I suspect they wouldn't have been quite so keen on a US deal if Obama were still at the helm.

Self reporting bias is a major issue with that app.
It really depends on what you can and aren't allowed to do if you have symptoms as to the data you get for starters.
You'd imagine with their wealth of behavioural scientists to hand, they would know this

@mrslaughan thanks for reminding me it was on last night - lost track of days! Something to watch later.

Also re that Simon doodah - he is selling PPE, so of course he wants people to have to go out and wear masks/need hospitals to keep buying it!

I personally think Giles is led by Mary on Boris - she was quite clearly fawning over him in the elections. One of those 'housewives who "would"'

One of our paramedics and two of our doctors are on ITU (one of them is only 33 yrs old)
One of our domestic assistants has died

We have a "wobble room" hidden out back of resus for when we can't bear the ppe any more

They are trying to put patients in corridors again and the consultants are kicking back

"It's not safe we can't distance patients"
"We should never have let them put anyone in the corridor, this is our only chance to stop it going back to how it was"

So the ambulances queue outside

Still much quieter than pre-pandemic tho

Memorial updated daily for health and social care workers we have lost

nursingnotes.co.uk/covid-19-memorial/

squid
For you.
A rose that survived a huge hailstorm the other evening.
I can't believe they want to put people in corridors when the Nightingale hospitals are not used to full capacity.
Hopefully they will realise how bad staffing issues are, but I fear that reality is incompatible with Brexit LaLaLAnd Planning.

I wonder how many people contributing to Dolan's crowdfunding campaign realise that he's a multi-millionaire?

A tax-dodging multimillionaire.

Though I think that may be a tautology.

Where did you see the draft lockdown relaxation chart you shared BigChoc ? It looks very odd to me, can't imagine that hairdressers would be among the first businesses allowed to open in the next few weeks.