First ministers briefing

[Trichford]

Is there one on today? If so what time will it be? Thanks

I can't listen to much of her chat so I find myself looking at her shoes, which I am fairly envious of. I liked yesterday's black, blue and green numbers.

And if it is a wig, then she should do Boris a sold and buy him one for his birthday.

Queen Nicola, I saw her called today 😂😂

I think she is being extremely cautious and these phases are ignoring that folk have largely been doing as they please.

It’s really hard missing family and friends and my life before lockdown but I’m resigned that I’ll just have to be patient.

It’s a bit of a gamble and if these phases place Scotland moving unnecessarily slowly then it will put us at an economic disadvantage.

I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe at times with our SNP government. My point was illustrated when Nicola sturgeon stated yesterday that agriculture and forestry could resume in phase 1; both dh and myself work in these sectors and we hadn’t noticed that they’d stopped.

I know it’s not the same, but I remember when the foot and mouth crisis happened, the last time the countryside was closed. Alex Salmond was our first minister and he effectively stopped it spreading from the south of Scotland using the same legislation as England but swiftly getting on top of area control. Patient confidentially surrounding the Nike conference should have been secondary to the Covid 19 pandemic spread. I can’t control Cheltenham festival nor a stereophonics gig as much as I can control what happens here in my part of Scotland.

I think it is important to consider the impact on women with this crisis though. Women’s rights are still quite relatively new in Scotland. My mum gave up her job when she got married in the 1970s, my friend at curling had to justify her partnership to a panel of her solicitor partners when she got married where she agreed to step down as a partner when she had children, I grew up with boys and girls separate playgrounds at primary school in the 1980s, at secondary school we were the first year to allow girls to do technical subjects and the boys home economics, I remember cans of tenants lager with photos of women in lingerie on their side and more recently that awful advert to stop kids drinking alcohol underage; two lads at school walking down the school corridor discussing the party at the weekend then shaming the girl they saw drink and puking.
So, I get frustrated when scotland is described as this paragon of women’s rights and equality. Yes we’re going the right way but its really in it’s infancy.

Golf, fishing etc. that are mentioned are only indicative activities. If there are other things you like to do that are similar, that's ok too (birdwatching, frisbee tournaments, croquet...insert your own outdoor fun)

Jodri I agree. I work in a traditionally male industry. I've worked my ar$e off, and have my own business, I'm the wrong side of 45, and have passed the stage of being a shrinking violet, but despite all that, I have male colleagues who think my opinion is irrelevant. Women's rights and equality in Scotland are fragile at best

BBC news article www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52770515

She said the government did not intend to set a five-mile limit on the distance that people could travel to do things like meeting their parents in a garden.

"Ms Sturgeon said that people travelling for recreation were being asked to stay "fairly local".

"Five miles isn't going to be a strict limit, but is intended to give you a guide because what we don't want in this phase is for people to congregate at tourist hotspots," she said.

All of this is deliberately vague because it is all just advice.

Look carefully at the language used.

They cannot enforce any of this, it’s simply not possible. So they leave it open to interpretation.

Fair play to her for summoning up the storm to stop folk jumping the gun and going fishing or sitting in maw and paws garden with a plastic bag and tupperware box in case you need a shite.

@Jodri That’s funny I text my OH on the day she said about agriculture and forestry and said the farmers will be pleased to hear they’re allowed to start working again! And he is in forestry and was working the whole time!

sitting in maw and paws garden with a plastic bag and tupperware box in case you need a shite.

😂😂😂

Just bring a shovel.
And a she-wee

Can you imagine if the weather is still like this next Thursday. Blowing a gale and torrential rain - but never mind, you can see your family as long as you sit out in it!

Exactly the weather is too shit here to significantly change our current lockdown life

My mum gave up her job when she got married in the 1970s... I grew up with boys and girls separate playgrounds at primary school in the 1980s

Jodri, this is so different to my own upbringing (I'm 48)... my mum worked all her life until retirement age and everyone played together at primary school... I'd be interested to know where you grew up?

I think there are valid points around women's rights for sure, but I don't think they're peculiar to Scotland at all.

It’s okay the long range forecast for next weekend is pretty good. I cannot for the life of me figure out why using a loo is not okay, but having a cup of tea or food is.

I think consuming someone's food or drink would bring a risk to the one receiving, but going into the house would bring a risk to both parties.

The cup of tea or food is only ok if you buy it from a takeaway isn't it? 🤨

To be fair, and of it is completely logical or makes sense, you just have to use logic and common sense. Assume you are infectious and act accordingly.

Superjaggy, I’m 44. I grew up in East Scotland in between Aberdeen and Dundee.
Where did you grow up? Most mums did not work when I was at school, but were beginning to take up part time work when I was leaving secondary school.
When I went to Scottish university my upbringing was very similar to my Scottish friend but vastly different from my English friends whose mums had worked throughout their children’s education.

That was meant to say none of it is completely logical.

My mum went to uni as soon as my brother started primary school (the year after me) and thereafter always worked full time. So I was brought up used to the idea that both my mum and dad worked (or were students, as they both were in my early years as dad was a medical student).

This was Glasgow (ok, Bearsden technically just outside Glasgow ) in the mid 60s. She can't have been unique as I remember when I was still at primary school, friends used to come to ours during the summer holidays as she was a student (and then a teacher) so was able to look after them while their parents were at work.

I’m confused over how part time schooling will work? I work in community nursing, DH is a structural engineer for agriculture and works away a lot (this won’t change), I have kids of differing age groups/years. I am already on flexible working plan at work so can’t be anymore flexible but have no idea how I’m going to home school them the other half of the week or even worse if it’s so many year groups in one week and different the next. I am surely not alone in thinking this?

I live in the same area as Jodri, am a bit older, but her experience is similar to mine, and my friends. There were some mums who worked, but not many.

@AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii yes we're in the same situation. I don't think they will/can be part time for long. The economy will grind to a halt. It just isn't possible to carry on like this