Westminstenders: Operation Shock and Awe

[RedToothBrush]

The government is launching its get ready for the end of transition campaign which has been dubbed a 'shock and awe' campaign.

In this campaign we will learn all about what Brexit means and what amazing opportunities lie for having increased customs and borders, beaucracy and increased costs. Bet you are all really excited and looking forward to this.

We will also get a 'Farage Garage' in Kent to cope with these wonderful opportunities in traffic jams. This will be something that businesses throughout the country will be super excited to plan for in their socially distanced Zoom meetings or across warehouses with their face masks on. And banks will be delighted to see an uptick in applications in CCJs and debt reconstruction plans.

It will be a super fun time for the under 30s who have zero hours contracts, worked in retail or hospitality. Or should I say 'worked'.

Meanwhile the right to a jury trial has been binned due to 'long covid delays' which are shorter than they were several years ago. The NHS isn't getting the funding it expected, and waiting lists are longer than ever with no way to clear them. The plan to build more hospitals seems to have disappeared with the Nightingales. Many councils are about to go into insolvency and be taken over by accountancy firms. The civil service is being dismantled and conservative loyalists with no experience being put in charge of important functions of state. Communications with the press are being 'streamlined' to make them incredible of holding power to account and only able to repeat government public announcements.

Anyone looking forward to Christmas? When you write a letter to Santa remember to add 'visa application form', 'a sleeping bag for use at Dover', 'tinned tomatoes' and 'packets of seeds to grow your own' to the list.

Nothing subtle about Salisbury. It was a really, really clumsy sledge-hammer attack that could have killed thousands. Not at all up to Russia's usual assassination attempts: they didn't even manage to kill their intended victim.

So I think JeSuisPoulet has a point about it being a warning of what the perpetrators could do.

The issue with bocum's messaging is that they treat the covid announcements as political announcements:
ie Pre-brief, followed 3-4 days later by the announcement, meaning they get double exposure and the chance to tune the message in response to any flack the briefings got

• but for covid stuff that approach is wrong eg when they decided masks were a good idea they should have said immediately 'please wear masks if you can asap, we' ll make it mandatory next week'

Everything they've done with covid has had this kind of delayed action - Implying no urgency which is not the message needed.

Just imagine if the Russia report had been about Labour Governments? The Mail and Torygraph would have been exploding about Russian influence.
But Tories and it's met with 'Whatever'.

Re : Salisbury / Novichok
Based on my knowledge of the town and gossip I've picked up from friends who deal with Porton Down
he and his daughter were meant to die quietly at home and be "vanished"
it was a monumental fuck up that was not intended for British eyes at all
therefore has nothing to do with election meddling

The fact the London is awash with dodgy Russian money and influence
and that a bunch of teens in a server farm were able to screw over multiple western elections
for less than the loo roll budget on a new Aircraft Carrier
is horrific.

I started reading that tenant thread a few days ago. Then gave up because it’s always caveat emptor when offering on a place with a tenant.

A teacher on the "back to schools" thread posted from the official guidelines that

"if a child you teach at secondary tests positive staff do not self isolate.
Not when there are two either.
It’s our responsibility to distance."
🤯

I'm struggling to see the logic there
Did PHE really sign off on that, or are BJ / WIlliamson shutting them out of the schools specs ?
Will Scotland and NI have the same rules ?

That info was from smileEachDay
who can't explain it either

The whole tract test trace regime in the UK is farcical

if you test positive then you have to give them the name of everybody who you've been in close contact with over the last 14 days
and THEY
have to self isolate - off work for two weeks

so, that first person is a paramedic based at a large ambulance station .....

or a team leader at a large supermarket

or an A&E porter

either they utterly ignore the T&T guidance
or they bring the system to its knees in days

and if they don't receive full pay, they can't afford to be off
So they'd just cover up symptoms and come into work e.g. care home, large factory / plant ever having a test
So obviously none of their contacts would even be informed

Decent sick pay and indeed a living wage would help address with issue, but much more difficult for self-employed / small business owner desperate to keep going

Track & trace has to be of a high standard, to find as many cases as possible of those who cooperate with a bit of coaxing,
because some cases will successfully hide from the system.

or will at least hide close friends / family who they know can't afford to lose income

Bigchoc
The paramedics all get full pay
but they all share a canteen
so if one is off
under T&T
they are ALL off
so no ambulance crew in a whole area ....
covering six or seven hospitals

It is a problem in every country, but some have excellent track & trace systems that can normally find a high % of cases,
(unless totally overwhelmed by a huge outbreak)

Yes, I think we were addressing different issues:

the ones who will hide vs the ones who cannot be replaced

Both of which are a problem
in all countries

Surely if you are traced, you can have a test? If negative, all is fine, or am I being a pillock?

Then think what happens in schools when the Maths or science teacher tests positive ....
possibly explains the cunning plan to exempt them from tests when children are positive

Well presumably the entire workforce of track and trace at the recent location are all working from home now too then

I see the point about the cock up Listening. I guess they didn't realise with the UK front doors you have to lift the handle to lock on the way out and it was intended for their return journey. Not a great feat of daring and international "shock and awe" then.

Jason
The paramedic I was chatting to showed me the letter ....
if they are contacted they have to self isolate
even the ones who have already been tested and have had it
so the unofficial whatsapp message told them not to comply with T&T because it would shut down the whole ambulance service

ditto many large "keyworker" workplaces ......

that was a few weeks ago
so now if people test they can stay in work
probably

Jason Some people cannot afford to lose even 1-2 days pay while waiting for a result
More importantly, they certainly cannot lose pay for a week or longer, if the test is positive

Some key workers cannot be replaced if they have to be absent

Friend had a test at 9am today and the result was back just before 8pm. I’m amazed at the efficiency, to be honest. They came up negative, so just one day off work.

QoT
So long as it is operating like that
and that there are no delays on booking tests
then we will get good data
and people will be happy to stay in work and reply to T&T

So why doesn't the official advice say 'if you are contacted through track and trace, get a test straightaway'? I know it doesn't solve all the issues stated below, but it's better than 'you must self isolate for 14 days', surely?

The main issue will be people who either cannot afford to isolate after a positive test, or are not replaceable

They will avoid being tested

and hence won't reply

I also suspect the virus may not show up immediately - say if you were with someone that day or the day before. I think I am right in saying it takes several days to show up enough and give symptoms (although some will be asymptomatic).

There will be others who don't answer phones:

either on principal, like many on MN apparently
or because like me they have a hearing disability and don't realise

• I charge my phone every few days but don't look for missed messages or calls, just delete them

Everyone who needs to contact me normally knows to EM

I have an old brick, so I can't download any App
(I must dig out my old iPhone 5S and see if a factory reset will make it work again, instead of perpetual "No Service")

Just as well I'm in Germany, where track & trace will soon use shoe leather if they can't contact someone by phone
and all the places where I'm in contact with people for more than 15 minutes

• gym, outdoor restaurants / cafe, hairdresser, dentist - take my full details, including my address