Does anyone disagree with Scottish restrictions?

[Torvean32]

As far as i can see the spread started in Glasgow then spread to the areas around it.
NS failed to sanction them properly.
She locked Aberdeen at 82 cases.

Cases in Grampian and the Highlands are low. We are now being unfairly sanctioned. The whole thing is a joke.

NS doesn't have the guts to fully lockdown Glasgow.

Ppl in Aberdeen have less trust in NS as this goes on.

Glasgow is the core of the independence vote. If you look at the constituencies that voted to be independent they are all clustered in Glasgow and one in Dundee (Scotland's Norfolk). She who wants to be obeyed daren't upset too many Glaswegians. After locking down and alienating students she can lose any more.

I said this before and I'll say it again. Thank goodness for Tory backbenchers (shame that the SNP has rounded theirs up in the Matrix).
news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-follow-the-rules-if-you-want-students-home-for-christmas-says-culture-secretary-12083205
unherd.com/podcasts/sir-graham-brady-i-cant-vote-for-another-lockdown/

@Arkadia I think you misread my post I was criticising Ruth Davidson not Nicola Sturgeon.

I am very angry about the students being shut into halls. I feel like young people are bearing a disproportionate cost now and in the future when the lost education and economic opportunities will be felt.

I still think that replicating the student experience now is impossible. Students can learn remotely and most subjects can support online learning. Practical subjects could have had exemptions which would have reduced the number of students in halls and the virus spread. It's about making the best out of a bad situation not pretending we can go on as before.

@Callisto1, I was referring to the last sentence:
That's what happens if a lazy buffoon runs the country.

@Scotslassie1

For Glasgow uni at least- the kids are having free, hot meals from the wonderful 1051 Great Western Road and rent is free for a month.

now they are - that wasn't the message Glasgow and Edinburgh Uni students were getting from their universities on Thurs/Fri when they were being threatened with losing their course places if they walked away from their accommodation...

and I think the update on Thursday re: students was ridiculous. the reality is that it applied to every student, not just those living in halls/student flats. so a 35 year old postgrad student living in their own home with a wife and 2 children, who hadn't seen any other student in person since March suddenly wasn't allowed to go out for a family lunch or have 1 drink with their sibling. and the language that was being used initially was OUTRAGEOUS with references to police enforcement - no legislation underlay the request for students not to socialise this weekend.

honestly, I actually accept that it's really difficult for those making decisions to know what's best but there needs to be a modicum of common sense at the same time. and accountability - NS is doing a much better job than the tories of appearing to be caring and capable of stringing a coherent sentence together but what are the REAL differences in outcomes that she's achieving??

And even if only 1% of people end up with severe Covid health outcomes and even fewer die that could be 55 000 people affected in Scotland. Is that really what you guys suggest we do?

What happens if so many are sick there are no hospital beds? Or no one to take care of the elderly at home because too many health care workers are sick? Or does everyone just assume it won't be them suffering?

@Arkadia the lazy buffoon is Boris and he runs the country. I don't remember Scotland winning that independence referendum!

My daughter is a first year at Glasgow University who went on the basis of a blended learning approach and to experience the independence that University life offers. We talked through the various scenarios such as going fully online and made the decision based on what we knew and what could potentially happen. We never anticipated her not being able to visit or come home.
It's a total disgrace. The University and living support assistants (don't even get me started!!) are piling on the stress with a stasi like vigour. She is terrified - not of getting covid-19 but of getting sanctioned or expelled or having future professional registration impacted. All things they have been threatened with.
I understand there is a responsibility to make them take it seriously but this is way too far and the impact on mental health is much much greater than the impact of covid. If we are truly taking decisions based on public health, why is the greatest health risk being ignored.
The University are money grabbing - they signed their accommodation contracts and 3 days later got the email about 'mostly online ' moved in and on freshers Monday got moved to fully online 🤔
The offer of a month's free rent and £50 to 'treat' themselves will be of scant comfort to the anxiety and misery that has been caused. The University and the government should hang their heads in shame. Jason Leitch on the news saying they can visit home and then u turning has put my daughter in a mental health crisis. We had reassured her after watching him that if it was too much she could come home for a visit but that was taken away. She won't break a rule because she's a thoughtful and conscientious citizen, it would be great if those in power treated her with the same respect she shows them. But she's just a student so it's ok to blame and shame them and her rights are there to be infringed.
I've never been so angry or upset but I have a job to do because I'm still her mum and I've got to slap on a smile and encourage her that it will all be ok.

But I and many more like me have a long memory, and if this debacle isn't sorted quickly will not be keeping others in their jobs. Watching John Swinney this morning......

@Callisto1 what you describe happens EVERY SINGLE YEAR with flu and in general with respiratory infections.
EVERY
SINGLE
YEAR
EVERYWHERE

@Callisto1, but it isn't he who is in charge of health and education; she is.
What BJ does is totally immaterial as has no impact in the North (where winter is coming). Hence the "buffoon" you refer to must necessarily be NS, whether you like it or not.

@Orcadianrythyms sorry that’s happened to your daughter. People on here saying how they deserve everything they get because they are adults that chose to be in that situation are so close minded. It was definitely not what was sold to them a couple of weeks ago and now this happens. It’s not just about not going to the pub for a weekend, I actually think it’s an infringement on human rights. No wonder lots of students are just going home! Remember how that woman was made to resign for going for a walk across a golf course... surely someone should be losing their job for this!

The threats to the students of sanctions and impact on future professional registration is truly shocking
The Scottish Government need to get this sorted
If not they will pay the price at the ballot box
Young people have a strong sense of fairness and they will not forget easily

@Arkadia yes flu kills lots of people. And so does Covid. This year we'll have both. So far Covid has caused an excess death rate over 60 000 in the UK. Most directly from the virus, some indirectly. Quite a bit more than flu. But talk to the doctors and nurses and see how they feel about the prospect of winter and Covid.

@Callisto1
There won't be an overlap of deaths because the susceptible population is the same (and, I fear, most of it has already been hit - but this is a phenomenon that happens almost every year. When you happen to have a "light" year, the following one is very "heavy").
Don't forget that in 2017-18 (if my memory serves me right) we had 50k excess deaths and I didn't even know (until it resurfaced during Covid discussions).
Lastly, the excess deaths was nowhere near 60k (but you have to add to the tally all those who had something else, but didn't get treated, so... who knows, really).

@Arkadia although Scotland has a devolved government that has some control over health and education. They don't control the finances. They can't borrow extra money to pay for hospitality to be shut or students to stay at home. So until Scotland is independent the buffoon in Westminster gets part of the blame of the mess that happens up north. Given what is happening in England which is having the exact same mess with university students I blame Boris for this fk up.

Anyway it's too late now the poor kids are already at uni all over uk and we'll probably have our mini lockdowns in a couple of weeks. I think I've reached maximum MN for today!

I like your way of reasoning. When things go right it is your acumen that made them happen.
When things go wrong it is always someone else's fault.

44k die in the UK from Sepsis - most of that preventable but I rarely see anything on the media about it.

The one thing they did overwhelmingly successfully with covid was to scare, control and shame people into compliance with the initial lock down.

We can see now that a lot of countries including the UK made a lot of wrong decisions, we can see that with hindsight and further information. However, given the initial fear and control initiated, it's now very difficult to follow a different approach but at the same time half the country has decided the lock down approach isn't worth it and the other half are angry and upset because they want to continue to follow the fear based approach.

As I said earlier, there will be people who want to avoid catching covid and I think we have now come to the point where we need to allow and support those who do want to shield for valid reasons and the rest of the country just needs to get on with it.

Hardly anyone is dying of COVID right now. And about 5x more people per day are dying of flu, and that’s WITH a vaccine.
In theory no one should be dying of flu because all these wonderful restrictions put in place should also be stopping THAT, given the 2viruses are transmitted in exactly the same way
What is happening to students is a disgrace, and yes , I hope the young people remember this at the ballot box next May.

I’m so fed up with that argument of increased borrowing powers for Scotland.
I do not want the Scottish government to borrow more money and get Scotland into more debt.
Eventually it will need to be paid back, on whose shoulders will that burden fall?

As health and education are devolved matters, I hold the Scottish government responsible for the handling of this situation.
The SNP government have powers in these matters so use them fully and for the better. I’m so fed up of them whining and continually defaulting to these deflecting tactics.

Who does the better job at work? The constant moaning employee, making excuses all the time or the one who cracks on with the job and gets it done.

@Jodri Added to this NS has underspent her budget from Westminster year on year. I reckon she’s squirrelling it away to have a spendfest if people vote for independence to try and prove we’re better off without England. Meanwhile roads, health and education are falling apart.

@Shooglywheel really?
Why is no one pulling them up about this?

Between this blooming pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, reduction of language (erasing of the word woman; hate crime bill and gender recognition I’m looking at you!) and having a constant enemy to fight and blame I feel like I’m trapped in George Orwell’s 1984!

I have to laugh cause otherwise I’d greet!

They've underspent for a long time - bleating on about poverty and food banks whilst sitting on reserves.

I've raised this before but got told I was stupid/didn't understand/trying to stir up bother so I don't bother anymore.

We are currently living vastly over our means just on what services we currently have but folks have been promised the land of milk and honey. the thought of being able to borrow is horrific. How long before we'd be under restrictions such as Greece etc?

The SNP keep back around 1 per cent each year to carry forward to the next year for anything which might come up as they can't borrow to cover these costs like every other country. It 's basic budgeting.
The thought of being able to borrow is 'horrific' yet we're currently part of a UK which is trillions of pounds in debt and the UK Gov has borrowed more in the last three months than they did in the year after the 2008 crisis. No deal Brexit hasn't even hit yet!

@Scotslassie1, to be followed by a no deal Scexit. Good times ahead indeed.

I am just back from my Morrisons where I found exactly 1 banana and zero flour. Didn't check the toilet paper.

Sooo, what's all the moaning that they can't borrow and Boris won't give them money about then? Surely if ever there was a rainy day this was it?