Westministenders: Don't forget to stockpile. Again.

[RedToothBrush]

The government is telling pharmacists and drug manufactures to stockpile drugs ahead of the end of transition on 31st December.

In the middle of a pandemic.

What could go wrong?

BTW the laptops meant for underprivileged kids (applied for in March and still waiting!!) have been sent to DEFRA instead apparently...60,000 of 'em.

That pesky brexit again

FFS

I do feel we are teetering on a change/no change in regards to climate/working from home/general assumptions of capitalism. I think COVID has been a huge wake up call (maybe not to all but a significant majority) that things are not as stable as we once thought. Companies are looking to change and the govt is seemingly desperately trying to stop that change - when did eat out on the taxpayers dime become "Boris Funded Dinners" anyway? As my friend pointed out, so many of the "I hope those food vouchers are going towards food not booze" vocalists seem to be making the most out of the situation without a backwards glance at the hypocrisy. I've still not "taken advantage" although admittedly do intend to while grandpa is up, but it is worth noting what the govt is supporting and not at this time. They want to keep the status quo because so many of their backers depend on it. It feels to me as though we need an opposition to really hammer home increasing cycle routes, WFH flexibility and decent housing at this time rather than hoping Tory donors will just step up their game.

FFS indeed 🤯

Instead of paying people to eat out - while criticising them for obesity - the money should have gone to extra cleaning, soap, sinks etc in schools

Shocking that many teachers on MN say there has been no extra money for the return to schools,
when it is so important to keep the schools open ft if at all possible

Re DEFRA it isn't massively consoling when you google DEFRA and LAPTOPS and get gdpr.report/news/2019/09/16/privacy-uks-environmental-agencies-have-misplaced-540-devices/ "Lost" eh?

BCF some new adjustments to figures for you www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/12/coronavirus-death-toll-in-england-revised-down-by-more-than-5000 I'm not sure how I feel about this tbh as complications from COVID should, IMO still be counted as something that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

Well, I am fairly sure how I feel about this but...

We've been discussing the change on the stats thread

We only went into the numerical side there , but imo the biggest issue will be political:
people being even more distrustful of govt statistics - and hence on SD laws

Public health experts always say how important it is in an epidemic for the public to have trust in govt, that the govt is honest and open

Well, give scientists another few months and COVID will hopefully be a lot less dangeropus than it was originally:
treatment and survival rate have improved massively since March
Then hopefully Oxford can rescue us from BJ's fumblings with a vaccine rolled out next year
An annual vaccine will be fine - then it really does become something we just live with

I really wouldn't fancy the Russian vaccine though, even pinched from Oxford
Reminds me back in the 1960s when they reportedly raided the plans for Concord, but produced the bodged Concordski

Their vaccine should be called Concordski, not Sputnik !

My stockpile is down to the bare bones - some tinned tomatoes and soups, some other tinned bits, some coffee and cereals.
I don't know where to start for replenishing for some reason, every time I sit down to think about it and make a list I feel slightly panicky!

Thought you would probably have seen it already, but my tired brain was . I am keeping a wary eye on the stats but tbh and just looking at Kings College London briefly most days to keep abreast as I haven't believed anything that isn't ONS for a long while. Yes, trust for this is dead and will now have to rely heavily on a vaccine. However, there is likely going to be a next time, with a new virus...think we've mentioned pandemic X on here before...so it would have been nice to think we had learnt a few lessons. Anyho, I've had wine and the heat is making me too fuzzy to be of much use. Netflix it is. Oh and Yoikes, while I think on it, Altered Carbon (although a bit too explosive for me on the whole) did come with a rather pleasing full frontal and for that I do thank you .

You're welcome 😊

TBH, it looks like a smash and grab rails across the Tory party and reeks of desperation. Taking money meant for school laptops? I am writing to my (Labour) MP about that one. A pity the Daily Mail won't pick up on it.

We need and deserve a better media than this.

Climate change will be solved, one way or another. However, if you want the solution to be a habitable planet for humans, you will be pushing to end carbon pollution (and then micro plastic pollution) as quickly as possible.

The good news is that Covid-19 has clobbered the coal & oil industry badly. Once you have a wind or solar farm installed, the running costs is lower than a conventional power station. You still have to pay someone to dig the black stuff out of the ground and transport it. That's partly why it's the last resort for the National Grid and 60% of power this year has come from renewables. It's a similar story across Europe; some countries are shuttering their power stations early. America has seen a third of its fracking companies close and it's unlikely that they will reopen. Coal companies are also struggling to open new plants; investment funds are running away, as are insurance companies. China and the USA are still underwriting their industries, but that's geopolitical in nature and I think some of the capacity will be quietly dropped after the Communist Party anniversary celebrations this year and if Trump loses re-election.

Then there's the fact 80% of the global plane fleet has been grounded through lockdown. Car usage dropped as well. That's another source of shrunken revenue. It's already bouncing back, but I don't think we will see the same levels as before. A lot of flight profit was made from business class and if that goes (thanks, zoom!), will we see the same frequency?

So, you have a lot of oil sloshing around, looking for a home..if we are not burning it, then it will probably be funnelled into consumables. Clothes, bottles, bags, wrappings, plastic tat. The waste is horrific and the microplastics are starting to build up the food chain. Best guess? We will have to ban some plastic types globally or else ban seafood types.

I really hope some of this is causing shifty pants in the greedy money-grabbing class that makes up our top politicians.

Well, some of the relief for the planet didn't last long:

John Burn-Murdoch@jburnmurdoch (FT stats geek)

And last but not least, what does all of this mean for the environment?

Lockdowns shuttered factories, leaving marked impacts on pollution,
but right across the board we’re seeing emissions recovery rapidly.
Many locations now producing more pollution than before lockdown.

However, the move to WFH looks a permanent acceleration of business / social change:

John Burn-Murdoch@jburnmurdoch

Right across the world, we’re seeing the return to offices stop short.
No location has as many people in their usual place of work now as it normally would.

This hints at a permanent shift: will that last 10-20% ever go back to the daily commute?

I think they will return to working from the office. Lots of reasons including social life.
But hopefully the Business Class flights abroad for meetings will be a thing of the past.
I can't see Companies underwriting those costs when the alternatives are simple and cheap, and environmental reasons support a change in working practices.

And that will directly impact National carriers like BA who rely heavily on the Business customer.

@KonTikki

I think they will return to working from the office. Lots of reasons including social life. But hopefully the Business Class flights abroad for meetings will be a thing of the past. I can't see Companies underwriting those costs when the alternatives are simple and cheap, and environmental reasons support a change in working practices.

.... Businesses will choose whatever improves profit: saving rent / lease, utilities, insurance etc if this does not affect work done but back to the office if it does

If they have trouble recruiting qualified staff, they'll also do what helps this

They have zero interest otherwise in maintaining the social life of their employees

• or in helping Pret & co stay in business

Time will tell.
But I don't see a massive social / economic schism caused by Coronovirus, particularly after the vaccines come on line.

And that will directly impact National carriers like BA who rely heavily on the Business customer.

It's not just the "national carriers" that will be impacted, many of the LoCos have been increasingly pitching their product at the business market, city to city within Europe.

Pre-Covid the likes of Easyjet pretty much ran a shuttle service with maybe four or five return flights a day M-F on some routes I'm aware of - that certainly wasn't being done for the bucket and spade or weekend away market.

Re the "deepest recession ever" figures because of Covid, onto which the UK will be adding the self inflicted damage of Brexit: a friend who does a lot of work with Govrnment working parties because of the sector in which he works has said that his sources say they have decided they might as well get all the pain done in one go, kind of like ripping off a plaster - just as we thought on these threads as soon as Lockdown happened.

I commented back that it's all very convenient: they can blame all the pain (not that THEY will experience any) on Covid. Nothing to do with Brexit; nothing to see here, move along 🤬 - to which he replied that that was pretty much what the leaks from inside government were saying

TheABC
THey fired up a coal power station yesterday because of the lack of wind ......

Hmm, but it's not like ripping off a plaster from a cut on the knee, is it? It's like ripping out the stitches from a wound from major abdominal surgery.

Another Covid contract awarded to the undeserving

twitter.com/adamrutherford/status/1293467229485502464?s=21

It's like ripping out the stitches from a wound from major abdominal surgery.

Or ripping your arm off, frankly.