Tiers Of A Clown

[Bytheloch]

Thread #3456

Released from our dirty T4, but still bamboozled. Let’s keep each other sane on here...

I think so. Just seems a bit shite, moved to tier 1 yeah, what's the difference, eh........

Oh I think it's three houses outside instead of two.

well you can all freeze in the park together eh Its all just a pile of shite.

Yup, I'm there

Strictly speaking I don't think it is legal for me to meet my bro for exercise over the borders. We both have equally good parks within a mile of home on either side of the border.

We also have a supermarket a piece on either side of the border, so we would need an "essential" trip to IKEA to meet. I'm not even sure where we would stand on going for coffee in IKEA - the lightbulbs might be essential but I'm doubtful the coffee and cake is.

During the height of lockdown with the 5 mile limit in place walking over the borders to your park of choice to wave at your bro across the duck pond was fine. This is all far more draconian.

Coffee and cake is always essential.

3s - have I got this right - we can book a hotel/accommodation but it has to be in our local authority? I really fancy a night away during the holidays.

Yes you can stay in a hotel or wherever in level 3 but in your area.

Dh has holidays to take he finishes on Friday he wants to do the same he was checking last night.

@avoidingDM really? That would mean running to Port Seton would be allowed, along the coastline. Would love this to be ok.

local outdoor informal exercise such as walking, cycling, golf, or running (in groups of up to 6 people, plus any children under 12, from no more than 2 households) that starts and finishes at the same place (which can be up to 5 miles from the boundary of your local authority area)

All clear as mud!
So I guess it depends if you are a park jogger or a marathon runner

Checking in ❤️ Delighted to be back in tier 3 because I can go swimming next week and there’s a trailer for Cobra Kai season 3 out today. These four weeks have been horrible.

I’m just hoping that the media make a bit more of sturgeon’s husband’s interview being less than credible because of his contradicting himself...sadly too many otherwise intelligent people still can’t see past her

This is the thing, if edinburgh is being dinged became of potential travel why invest the tiers system in the first place?

Thanks for the (now not so) new thread bytheloch!

Was in a total grump yesterday about the review. Not unexpected re Edinburgh, but (with absolutely no festive cheer) she didn't even try to justify it with anything other than "but Christmas...". Yes, opening hospitality may well mean that people illegally travel to Edinburgh from tier 3 areas, but really...? Hasn't that been happening already with people from Glasgow going to Helensburgh and whatsit, or people travelling to use non essential shops when tier 4 was shut down. And how likely is it that people in the surrounding areas aren't going to go into Glasgow or Edinburgh for Christmas shopping? Does she not even consider the livelihoods she is arsing around with on a whim, let alone the mental health of people who have been shut down for so long?? We really are back to not wanting to have Edinburgh treated differently to Glasgow, aren't we.

I assume there are no Edinburgh MSPs in the cabinet to advocate for us. And no SNP MSPs willing to put their head over the parapet. It's a shambles.

Also, I asked DH to put irn bru on our Sainsbury's order, for experimental purposes. He was . I told him that some people on the Internet had told me I had to try it, and he told me off for doing what people on the Internet say. But anyway, it's coming tonight. can it be used as a gin mixer?

If I were an Edinburgh resident I would be wondering why it's OK for Queen Covid to pop along the M8 each day commuting to work. She could have set an example by working and home and zooming in her jammies like the rest of us.

Wouldn't have looked as good on the telly though.

@StatisticallyChallenged exactly

Oh yes... and the "strategic framework" from October says that levels 3 and 2 should be used for short periods of 2-4 weeks to bring down infection rates... (with level 4 only as an emergency) So even the level we are failing to get into should only be used for short periods. And we're now at, what, week 9 of "level 3" (or worse for the west)? So that's working well as a strategy... But they can't admit it isn't working, for Reasons.

What with them ignoring their indicators and apparently having thrown their framework away too, why isn't anyone pointing out that we are basically left with the whim of the first minister, who acts all offended if anyone tries to question her. But her whim doesn't really seem to be helping either. How is this healthy?

@RaspberryCoulis

If I were an Edinburgh resident I would be wondering why it's OK for Queen Covid to pop along the M8 each day commuting to work. She could have set an example by working and home and zooming in her jammies like the rest of us.

Wouldn't have looked as good on the telly though.

Oh no, that's travelling for work. Politicians are allowed to do that. Travelling for a press event is work if you are a politician.

Not if you're royal, though. Tut.

@RaspberryCoulis

If I were an Edinburgh resident I would be wondering why it's OK for Queen Covid to pop along the M8 each day commuting to work. She could have set an example by working and home and zooming in her jammies like the rest of us.

Wouldn't have looked as good on the telly though.

Bet she wears her heels even on zoom calls. But also, I bet her jammies don't have an indelible marmite stain on like mine.

The briefings are a mystery. I don't care about people travelling for work... even if I don't think it's particularly important work. And even I'm not arguing that NS doesn't do important work. But there isn't really an argument that the briefings themselves can't be "done from home" - given all the journalists have to ask their questions remotely. Possibly something to do with the sign interpreters having to be in the same place? But also, yes, I think it's all about visibility and looking better...

Anyway, I really hope the journalists give her shit today over yesterday's announcement and dig into statistically's question, over why bother having the tiers if she doesn't trust them to work because of travel...

www.cogconsortium.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/9th-December-2020-COG-UK-Report-Scotland-SARS-CoV-2-a-genomics-perspective-SAGE.pdf

This is fascinating. Key sentences from the abstract:

"Examining the available Scottish genome data from the second wave, and comparing it to the first wave, we find that while some UK lineages have persisted through the summer, the majority of lineages responsible for the second wave are new introductions from outside of Scotland and many from outside of the UK. This indicates that, while lockdown in Scotland is directly linked with the first wave case numbers being brought under control, travel-associated imports (mostly from Europe or other parts of the UK) following the easing of lockdown are responsible for seeding the current epidemic population. This demonstrates that the impact of stringent public health measures can be compromised if following this, movements from regions of high to low prevalence are not minimised."

On the radio they're saying that Edinburgh didn't get moved out of tier 3 because of a fear that it would cause a crazy increase in Christmas shopping activity......now can anyone explain this to me because the shops are already open and have been for some time and even if we went into 2 the only additional people who'd be allowed to travel into the city would be those from East Lothian which is also in 2?
Surely the pubs being open, restaurants being able to serve alcohol with meals and gym classes being allowed isn't going to create such a big increase in Christmas shoppers or have I been doing my shopping wrong all these years?!?

Just saw this on Twitter, FML

Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the EU but this political grandstanding doesn't help with any much needed stability.

@NotAnActualSheep good luck with the bru tasting sessionFrom Saturday us ex T4 crew will be trusted enough to go into a pub for a pint of the Bru, as long as we drink up by 6! Q: Will they have Irn Bru Pro or whatever the upgraded version is?

As pp has mentioned, interesting that NS DH was kept off the headline news yesterday- and not available on WhatsApp- as there was so much else going on. Just saying🤔

How are you all dealing with kids birthdays?
Is it mean to say no GP and Auntie can't visit, nor have time slots to visit. The time slot idea reduces risk to GPs and Auntie but not to us. Meeting in a park or cafe is very marginally less risky but still. My heads demented.

I don't understand Murrell either. Why would you say "oh I don't use WhatsApp" when there seems to be evidence out there that he does? Why would you lie about something that's quite easy to prove one way or the other? I don't understand politicians at all. I am clearly too naive and trusting. Honestly, is there anyone out there who can actually lead us? Or is this just the way of politics?