Westministenders: A Year of Johnson

[RedToothBrush]

So having given the benefit of the doubt...

... whats your reflections?

Good (and yes do have some thoughts on the positive - challenge yourself on this one as its important) and the bad (and yes this is the easy bit but keep it within reason)?

When BJ first started talking about the "dangers of a 2nd spike coming from Europe " earlier this week, I said to dh that he was not so subtly spreading the message that the continued Covid restrictions are Johnny Foreigner's fault - and by extension, the nasty EU with its freedom of movement requirements

It's so obviously part and parcel of the work of the Nudge Unit.

I've even seen it on another thread where someone has explicitly complained about the EU's open borders allowing the spread of the disease, while simultaneously using Poland closing its border as an example of an authoritarian regime being allowed to do what it wanted while the EU turned a blind eye (I know, I know.....)

And sleazeball friend to the PM Charlie "Naughty Tory" Elphicke has been found guilty on both counts.

Is Charles Elphicke known to be a friend of BJ? Elphicke campaigned for Remain - the photograph in the link is a 'work trip' to the Port of Dover.

@Clavinova

And sleazeball friend to the PM Charlie "Naughty Tory" Elphicke has been found guilty on both counts.

Is Charles Elphicke known to be a friend of BJ? Elphicke campaigned for Remain - the photograph in the link is a 'work trip' to the Port of Dover.

Oh, Clavinova, who cares ? I refer you to my post yesterday about news and truth and reality.

Like everything else in the UK today, it's a quantum function, waiting to collapse. You can bet your life if it was to BJs advantage then Elphicke would be his BFF and there would be long tales of them quaffing the night away while playing footsie under the table.

If it becomes remotely problematic for BJ, then it's "Charles who ?"

Both - and neither - are true, until observed.

Oh, Clavinova, who cares?

I do clearly.

I refer you to my post yesterday about news and truth and reality.

Quite amusing I thought;
“And once the second wave has unmistakably begun, I pledge to act fast by making a speech defending the ancient right of free-born citizens of this country to go to the pub, and their wives to go to Next."

Since BJ has no genuine beliefs other than "what's in it for me" he has a range of friends across the political spectrum
any of whom would be dumped as soon as they bring more embarassment than use

So Dom will stay
and Grayling will be appointed from one Failing to another
but it'll now be Charlie who ?

It is an odd political quirk that his wife was standing by him - and took over his vacant seat as MP for Dover - went to court with him etc

She now says their 25-year marriage is at an end

Believing him until she heard the evidence ?
Or - as MN often recommends - deciding she can LTB and have a better career without him dragging her down

Since BJ has no genuine beliefs other than "what's in it for me" he has a range of friends across the political spectrum

Perhaps you thought Johnson and Elphicke were on a boating trip together - high vis jackets with the sea behind them.

A different photo here;
metro.co.uk/2019/07/22/tory-mp-charlie-elphicke-charged-sexual-assaults-women-10438690/

It seems to be irritating Clavinova that we refuse to accept their "truth".

Curiouser and curiouser ...

Jackson Carlaw has resigned as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives after only six months in the job.

There will be a meeting v for his successor in the phone box opposite the assembly building tomorrow at midday.

we refuse to accept their "truth"
Like everything else in the UK today, it's a quantum function, waiting to collapse.
Curiouser and curiouser.

You've baffled me that's for sure.

There will be a meeting v for his successor in the phone box opposite the assembly building tomorrow at midday.

There's a good reason the TARDIS is painted blue.

If you want some evidence on the wisdom or otherwise of getting on a plane, the Hong Kong government publish details of the planes travelled on and seat numbers of confirmed Imported cases. There is always a clustering effect. When I last looked most imported cases came from the U.K., now it looks as if Manila is another major source. www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/flights_trains_en.pdf

I am sure anyone who travels regularly knows that you do develop colds and bugs more than randomly after a plane ride. In addition to being in proximity to people for hours at a time I know from when my dysfunctional white blood cell count was being monitored monthly after chemo that it dipped after a plane trip so it is a double risk (and it messes with your hormonal cycle as well).

The Hong Kong government also publish details of the buildings where cases have occurred. This is what the BMA were saying that the government should be equipping the general public with information like this so they can make decisions about going out, like issuing details of the pollen count. Nobody says they shouldn’t publish the details of the pollen count because people might then stay in and not keep the ice cream industry going through the hay fever season 😏 But we are just not grown up enough, or clever enough or something to be given this information about the risks of a life, and quality of life threatening Virus, or something —like being cannon fodder to the interests of Tory donors—

So no I am certainly not going near a plane until this is under control, and I did during the SARs epidemic because it was. That is a significant social and economic hit to this household, we have more friends, family and customers in Asia than here, As well as property. And we feel increasingly like aliens trapped in some weird dystopian nightmare.....

Apologies, syntax etc worse than usual due to rushing with fat fingers on phone...

I am sure anyone who travels regularly knows that you do develop colds and bugs more than randomly after a plane ride. In addition to being in proximity to people for hours at a time I know from when my dysfunctional white blood cell count was being monitored monthly after chemo that it dipped after a plane trip so it is a double risk (and it messes with your hormonal cycle as well).

There is also the raised level of radiation ...

And I read that Jet2 are returning all passengers from Spain now.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/53595962

Jet2 is contacting customers on the Balearic and Canary Islands to ask them to end their package holidays early, the BBC has learned.

Hundreds of customers have had flights back to the UK cancelled and been asked to leave sooner.

Jet2 says it cannot afford to keep sending empty planes to pick up passengers on many different dates.

(contd)

I Really really want to get on a long haul flight
but as its to a country with a rather bad COVID problem
I'm waiting

this article is interesting
thepointsguy.com/guide/aircraft-keep-cabin-air-fresher-than-you-think/

at the Gym they are sorting out HEPA for all of the aircon units

but I UTTERLY agree with the transparency of information eg about pollen count

I Really really want to get on a long haul flight

I'd skip the long haul flight if I can go to Mars. Obviously a one way trip (if we make it at all) but DW and I would happily reduce the surplus population of Earth by 2.

And ahead of the conference season, here's the replacement Tory party anthem.

at 36,000 feet they are NOT sucking in fresh air from outside the plane every few minutes

No need to suck - at 400-500 knots there is a more than healthy airflow into the engines - otherwise they'd go out - cabin air feed is a bleed from that flow - it's about managing air pressure, temperature rather than recirculation though.

One might posit that the increased radiation at 30k feet would sterilise the virus, also the reduced air density/humidity in an aircraft cabin provides less of a platform for the virus - no crazier than most of the theories being peddled at the moment.

At the same time Spain was seeing large increase in Cv cases (about 3 weeks ago) Johnson told us the he hoped by November, we would "back to normal" and certainly by Christmas ... well i hope i'll win the 'euro millions!
Then we get (last week) we should see the back of Cv by next Spring.... now its "a 2nd wave is coming from Europe" (even though we still have 1000s infected every day - ONS and 100s of deaths each and every week, far more than Spain)

How anyone can defend this clown is beyond belief, there must surely come a time when even Clav has to have had enough?

...and thats before we get onto the UK topping Europes excess deaths league... why? because our peak lasted far longer than other countries and we didn't treat CV patients early enough... gotta prevent the NHS being seen to be over whelmed.

How anyone can defend this clown is beyond belief, there must surely come a time when even Clav has to have had enough?

As we have seen, their primary concern today has been to ensure that Boris is not considered a friend of Charlie Elphicke, or vice-versa. They posted twice about that. Despite the fact that Boris and Elphicke are well know gorges and quaffers together.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53597975
Donald Trump suggests delay to 2020 US presidential election

Why do I get a sense of Dave-ja-vu? I'm sure this has been mentioned here some months ago @RedToothBrush

It's clear from Hancocks comments today the NHS has no plans to go back to f2f appts. Ever.
How can sepsis be diagnosed over the phone? It's often missed f2f!
We've seen in the last 10 years how the closure of the walk in centres caused huge spikes in A&E visits for non urgent reasons.
Add to that the fact that 111 tells almost everyone that phones to go to A&E or sends an ambulance and you have the prefect storm for the 2nd wave of covid 19 this autumn/winter.
Don't get ill, folks :(

@yoikes There is a sepsis triage pathway which should be followed by both 111 and GP surgeries. Maybe some cases will be caught earlier especially for children because parents will be more willing to phone than to make an in person appointment with a child who 99% of the time just has a mild virus. But it's also true that cases will be missed that might have been caught by an in person appointment. It would be good to see some evidence.

I've had nothing but good experiences with the Scottish 111 service since we've lived here, and with the one telephone GP appointment my family needed since lockdown. I think it does work for a lot of people, but whether it has been ok for the 65+ who are the major users of health care, I don't know.

Also there certainly are f2f appointments happening! My phone appt ended up with an in person one so the GP could check if I needed a scan for pelvic pain.