Westminstenders: How many Dead Cats Do You Get In A Thunderstorm?

[RedToothBrush]

It never rains. It only pours.

What I wouldn't give for a bit of old fashioned drizzle right now.

4 years on and we are facing a torment of calamities. Brexit, serious political instability in the USA ahead of an election that Trump will refuse to lose even if he does, trade deals with the rest of the world put on 6 week deadlines, anger within the commonwealth, a sick weak dependent PM on the back foot and ill briefed, rampant growing corruption in the Tory party, woke nut jobs out of touch with reality, councils on the brink of bankruptcy and the whole covid-19 crisis.

sad PMK

@ RedToothBrush

Thank you. Very enlightening. So essentially all crap but any positives anywhere anything at all? I agree with your above analysis but can anyone post anything actually more cheerful apart from the current sunny weather?

"I agree with your above analysis but can anyone post anything actually more cheerful apart from the current sunny weather?"

Actually, it's going to pour down next week

Well, on a positive note the peas in my raised beds are doing brilliantly. Peas and goodwill to all, I say. Also radishes and lettuce.

can anyone post anything actually more cheerful apart from the current sunny weather?

The drive for open science has been kicked up by several orders of magnitude due to the pandemic. Britain has in fact been a world leader in several aspects because scientists were ready for a pandemic with trial and research protocols planned after the swine flu epidemic. Examples: the RECOVERY trial (first results showing that a cheap steroid can be life saving for severe cases of COVID19), GenOMICC which is genotyping severe cases, COG-UK sequencing viral genomes, and ISARIC-4C, characterising the clinical metadata (among many other arms). Open data has been supported by the fantastic European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge, which is part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratories (which we are not leaving due to Brexit). A big shout out also to University of Edinburgh's class act Devi Sridhar and her team, who have been a voice of sanity on the public health side.

Can you tell I'm a scientist? I have the honour of being involved with some of the above though I won't say which as it's potentially outing.

Brothers in arms

This is what I wrote 4 years ago today:

What's on my mind?

The sadness that a Right Wing coup has been enacted on the backs of a (conned) Left Wing protest vote.

Pride that Scotland was not conned.

Anger that the young will have to pay for the selfishness and short sightedness of the old.

Fear of a de-stabilised Europe, a rise of extremism and a risk to the peace not just of Europe but of the world.

A sense of "I told you so" to those who voted No in the Indyref because they believed in Europe.

Annoyance that the Remain campaign didn't challenge the immigration arguments when they were conflated with the Refugee crisis.

Annoyance that they didn't challenge the lies about the lack of democracy.

Annoyance that it wasn't explained to the electorate what a tiny proportion of overall government spending the EU "takes".

Annoyance that the journalists and Main Stream Media didn't do their jobs so that this was exposed, so it was left to the keyboard warriors on Social Media to do this - meaning a reduced reach, especially to the old.

Anger that the poor will pay for this while the rich will profit.

Fear that the EU protections (of the environment, of workers' rights, of consumers' rights, of public safety) will be diluted or removed.

Irritation that some people didn't read beyond the (misleading or downright lying) headlines and check out the facts and figures that were being quoted.

All of this tempered ever so slightly by a glimmer of hope that this might leave to Scottish Independence - but I don't think as a nation we're ready yet for yet another referendum too soon, much as I'd like one.

But here's hoping.

The reality has been even worse: Trump hadn't won at that point, we hadn't been subjected to BoJo and Cummings in a position of power - and a global pandemic was just a theoretical <span class="line-through">expectation</span> possibility <img loading="lazy" class="inline-flex mumsnet-emoji" alt="Sad" src="https://www.mumsnet.com/build/assets/sad-q5SIe0Cq.png">

I'll still cling on to the hope that support for Scottish independence is growing (especially amongst the under 34s) <img loading="lazy" class="inline-flex mumsnet-emoji" alt="Smile" src="https://www.mumsnet.com/build/assets/smile-iCO8d7ST.png">, even if an Indyref2 has been put on the back burner. But that leaves the rest of the UK still in the shit <img loading="lazy" class="inline-flex mumsnet-emoji" alt="Sad" src="https://www.mumsnet.com/build/assets/sad-q5SIe0Cq.png">

but can anyone post anything actually more cheerful apart from the current sunny weather?

Its too hot for me. I'm cooked.

On the plus side, I think our sunflower will hit 6ft today or tomorrow, before the coming thunderstorms on Friday.

Now I LIKE a good thunderstorm and dancing in the hot summer rain.

Just not miserable cold, horrible persistant rain which gives you hypothermia.

Talking of sunflowers, that does remind me...

At the beginning of lockdown, we woke to find little pots of sunflowers on our doorsteps: one was left at each house on our estate over about a fortnight with a little note that whoever it was hoped it would add some cheer.

None of us know which kind neighbour did it, but the sunflowers are growing well

PMK and a big thank you to all the regular contributors for providing a daily dose of sanity in these lunatic times.

@ prettybird

In the current climate what hypothetically would an independent Scotland look like?

Would a totally independent Scotland be politically and economically separated or independent from the other remaining British home nations? What would be the preferred position for business and social links with other European and transcontinental nations globally including the remaining Commonwealth?

Generally curious as what would Scottish independence mean for:

1. Scottish people in Scotland?
2. Non Scottish people in Scotland?

3 Scottish people within the remaining UK?

1. Scottish people overseas outside of British Isles?

And 5. if I may also ask is this because of the current UK mess Brexit & Covid or despite?

Love and appreciate many Scottish foods/drinks and textiles:clothing products. Edinburgh is also a big favourite!

Thank you!

Tanith, in area there is a 'sunflower challenge' going on, on facebook for the local kids. We were also given one by a neighbour.

I'd actually started growing 3 in February and they are doing much better than the one we were given.

Its a nice idea. Although I loath facebook at the best of time, and I particularly hate it for local stuff so we've avoided the competitive sunflower growing (probably a good thing!).

Checking in.

30 degrees indoors has given me time to catch up.

Spending: we have had to spend more on shopping. Aldi don't do deliveries.

We have spent less on petrol. I have not bought petrol since a week before lockdown.

Ex will have spent more on electricity, as will we.

He won't change habits of frittering money away once lockdown eases. I have a yarn habit.

Good to get predictions on timing of second wave. Planning on emerging and topping up on Aldi goods in the next week or so.

Good to get predictions on timing of second wave. Planning on emerging and topping up on Aldi goods in the next week or so.

Around October half term or just after is my best guess.

💐@Red.

Tanith that's lovely.

The Scottish government released a huge text about all those things in advance of the referendum.

Something which Westminster failed the do hence the current clusterfuck.

PMK with some really active sourdough starter. Apparently I'm supposed to give it a name now .... Esyllt ? Eleri ?

(I would have posted a cat pic, but our neighbourhood mogg has been AWOL these past 2 days. Of late I've opened the patio blinds to find it sitting there on the decking, only to scarper when the door opens ...)

.

Random cat picture to make y'all smile
She sticks her tongue out when miaowing

Hot humid climes are probably the worst for MS, so DW is really suffering. Zero strength in legs and fatigue is a killer.

If we were submitting a PIP/ESA claim, this would certainly be one of the worst it gets days.

Still, pubs eh ?

And it seemed to get lost from last thread, but aren't we supposed to be seeing a BLM spike from 17 days ago starting now ?

@ HoneysuckIejasmine

Thanks. Please understand many of us here like myself are not Scottish nor In Scotland.

We tend to get spin and party politics re Brexit which is not terribly helpful when it is all hypothetical made up probables on both sides.

When will anyone know the full implications of Brexit as that is evolving and can never be finally determined whether generally good or bad for the UK and all Brits here and overseas.

I rather we as a UK pick and choose our friends globally (if it’s mutually advantageous). That may hopefully include close ties with selective European nations (as not all wanted to leave) but obviously the EC is one current block of 27 with all sorts and no pick and mix!

DGR
The BLM spike got mixed into the VE day and all the others that will not happen
because the underlying rate of infection outside big cities is clearly very very low

PS my living room faces north and is currently at a non humid 22 degrees and the sparrows are shouting outside the window.
I'll put the kettle on

@DGRossetti

And it seemed to get lost from last thread, but aren't we supposed to be seeing a BLM spike from 17 days ago starting now ?

Perhaps so, this week’s post weekend spike in COVID deaths recorded in the U.K. was 280 vs 233 the previous week.

I stopped bothering with the numbers before it was obvious they were being fiddled anyway, so it's only of passing interest.

Right now I'm a little that it's £45 for a car with two for a drive in gig at Brent Cross. I'm not a communist ("Godfather" joke) but it seems excessively grabby to me.

Weary pmk