First ministers briefing

[Trichford]

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

I don't see why they can't loosen things up in the Highlands, while being stricter in the Central Belt. Other countries are doing this.

because it doesn't fit with the "Scotland is united, Scotland is different, Scotland is separate from England/Wales/N Ireland" rhetoric.

Yes, folk happy to shout that people shouldn't be clapping for the NHS if they voted tory are probably the people voting SNP and not obeying NS rules.

The testing has been abysmal. I presume that current low levels of testing might be down to folk just not having symptoms and therefore not many folk to test?

We need to get a reliable antibody test up and running, at least for NHS and Care workers and other front line such as police, firemen, teachers and those working with food supplies/shops and other key industries where we could get folk back into work.

Or test all DC/teachers and get the kids back to school.

As a minimum by now, if testing had happened properly then we would have a measure of the likely level of immunity in the general population and make it easier to take proper decisions.

I also agree that unlocking could be done regionally, doesn't stop the fuds just going over into another area though. They aren't complying at the moment so what would change? They all think they are brainboxes who have worked out a way to get round it...

Common sense isn't a flower that blooms in every garden unfortunately.

The obvious problem is that if they open up the highlands carriers will flock there and take the virus with them....

I'm curious to know more about this "wellbeing economy" that we are apparently going to get in Scotland.

Boris and Rishi are also going to talk about a new economy too.

I know nothing about economics so I'm curious. My main concern is obviously my job (public sector). Whether we'll see redundancies, pay freezes or pay cuts etc.

Having worked full time for almost 37 years and part time for a couple before that, the plan was to keep doing what I do until I get the DC through Uni (another 3 years) then find something less stressful for the next 15 years until state pension, hopefully part time after my personal pensions kick in.

I'd be okay with redundancy at this point but it's not going to happen.

The fly in the ointment now is that if there aren't any jobs for me to get then I'll have to stay put, my work pensions might be decimated and not enough for me to go part time anyway and my DC might not be able to get employment after Uni so I will still be supporting them.

Appreciate there will be folk struggling to put a roof over their head and food on the table, so I;m in a good position and my DC are lucky that they are being supported, but i'm tired and not enjoying my job anymore, i'd like to give a young person an opportunity too.

Pay cuts and recruitment freezes are being touted at my work, with a view to trying to avoid redundancies. Significant revenue drops are expected so some kind of hit is quite likely for all of us. I don’t know what a ‘well-being economy’ is (sounds a bit like a sound bite to me) but whatever it means I really hope they get on with it as soon as possible for all our sakes. Putting lives above money is an easy soundbite, but a healthy economy is actually necessary to pay for things and allow us to live our lives!

Jackson challenging a bit more about testing today and she is a bit squirmy...

She just presents so much better than her colleagues.

He’s not wrong, the numbers on testing don’t add up. They can’t possibly be routinely testing all care home staff as they claim.

Yes, but if you listen she still doesn't answer, she comes back to something positive that she feels she's done. I admire the skill just not the actions and beliefs and results.

Yes, none of their questions are wrong but she hasn't answered any of them despite the waffle.

Of course they aren't doing the testing. Even managers in nhs aren't sure about where to get staff tested. DH colleagues being sent to Glasgow when there was a testing station literally round the corner from where they were.

She is a very skilled politician, and you have to consider her words and actions carefully to notice the discrepancies. I’m convinced that is one of the big reasons the SNP continues to be popular, as any other party with their record would have been out long ago. We desperately need someone equally skilled to oppose her - I miss Ruth 😔

To be fair I often get bored before she is finished, by the time she has said, "I don't have access to that" and turns the response into something else she wants to say and therby avoiding answering, I drift off.

Obviously she's not the only politician (or person) to do that, she is just good at it. Ruth didn't take as much of the rubbish and was quicker to interrupt the lecture and get back to the point.

@Y0uCann0tBeSer10us

Pay cuts and recruitment freezes are being touted at my work, with a view to trying to avoid redundancies. Significant revenue drops are expected so some kind of hit is quite likely for all of us. I don’t know what a ‘well-being economy’ is (sounds a bit like a sound bite to me) but whatever it means I really hope they get on with it as soon as possible for all our sakes. Putting lives above money is an easy soundbite, but a healthy economy is actually necessary to pay for things and allow us to live our lives!

are you public sector too?

No, I’m in charity-funded medical research. Between people being unable to fundraise and the impending recession, they expect their income to drop sharply.

I don't see why they can't loosen things up in the Highlands, while being stricter in the Central Belt. Other countries are doing this

Because a lot of people in the Highlands and the Western Isles are very resistant to any changes as they are concerned that others will flood in and bring the virus with them.

they are concerned that others will flood in and bring the virus with them

and they are unfortunately correct

I don't see why they can't loosen things up in the Highlands, while being stricter in the Central Belt. Other countries are doing this

Because a lot of people in the Highlands and the Western Isles are very resistant to any changes as they are concerned that others will flood in and bring the virus with them.

^

I think they will flood in. So then question then becomes, is there no way to stop them? Eg roadblocks, people having to show proof of residence etc. Is there really no halfway house .?

Surely they could put schools back though? In unaffected areas?

True.

But then those kids would have an advantage. It wouldn’t be FAIR. Whine.

True 😃 My kid is totally fucked education wise with all this

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as feared... but yeah, it’s annoying. Particularly as this mess is all because govt lost control of this whole situation right at the start...and months later , still no real useful, hard data about how this virus behaves/is transmitted/ survives on surfaces etc etc

Well, that's one way to close the attainment gap. Fuck over everyone's education so kids are all equally badly educated!

And then Nicola can pronounce that her government has achieved one of their main targets.

Nothing to do with the pandemic, but it's this race to the bottom that pisses me off most. I'm from a very working class background, but education made me who I am. First person in my family to get a degree, which led to me having my own business, employing the young people who are currently being screwed over. At opposing ends of the spectrum, it's given me the means to let me leave an abusive relationship, and the confidence to travel the world on my own.

It used to be one of the best education systems in the world......