Drowning in a sea full of tiers

[Cismyfatarse]

Next thread. DD's birthday so can someone link.

@WouldBeGood

There’s an MSP called Michelle Ballantyne who is speaking publicly about the need for transparency on the Covid response, the consequences of lockdown and so on. Interesting to hear an MSP speaking out, which is quite sad.

I’m definitely for fewer borders not more.

I really don’t think now is the time to be starting to think again on the big issues like independence. More issues of trying to get some semblance of our lives back, and a little breathing space.

I totally agree about just giving independence a rest for a bit, hey... Post brexit, I was just about coming round to the conclusion that the UK gov should allow a second independence referendum. I don't want one really, given the division the last one caused and the disaster brexit was, and I would still 98% likely vote no, but it is fair to argue that there has been a material change since the last one, and just allowing it would shut that line of argument down. I think before the campaign started, there would have to be a proper independent assessment of costs, certain agreements as to what it would mean in the first term and so on, and possibly agreeing a super-majority to permit change from the status quo (which the SNP should be fine with, given they will have such an unarguably amazing offer to the country, you'd have to be a fool to not support it...). But now, frankly, I've changed my mind back to "aaaaarrrrghhh, no". We are exhausted, socially and financially. People have lost their jobs and some have lost family members. We are entering into a recession with the rest of the UK, and much of Europe. It will take years to get back on our feet. The last thing we need is more division and uncertainty, and possible wrangling over petty things like currency and shared facilities and so on with the rest of the uk.

Interesting about Michelle B. I suppose that the benefit of being independent (she left the tories over their covid response I think) as she doesn't have to follow the party line and can explore other ideas that don't have as a baseline that "restrictions are the only way out of this", and being restricted to arguing over the extent and timescale of them. I don't know if she's right, or what alternatives there are, but I definitely think it is right that the questions over benefits vs harms are raised.

@NotAnActualSheep I agree with you. I had a similar view in a referendum after the Brexit shitshow, but just not now.

I would support it down the line, maybe, with your ideas of a super majority. Also absolutely clear and honest setting out of all the fundamentals.

Abd yes, I don’t know much about her but it’s refreshingz

Just no more now!

We really need to start seeing ourselves as others do. The UK has the fifth highest amount if deaths from Covid in the world- behind the US, Brazil, India and Mexico. These are all massive countries. This only happened through the mismanagement of the UK Government. Just this week, Joanne Cherry again wrote to the UK Government stating the need for greater travel restrictions. Brexit and Covid are just two example which highlight how being part controlled by the UK Government negatively impacts the people living in Scotland.

I’m just not for all this just now. Each to their own though, @Outsidemum1

I would also support more of a federal approach but not independence.
I wonder (and this is a genuine wonder, not goading) how Scotland would have managed to fund furlough if we'd been independent. Or would we have shut our borders and it would never have got this bad? I guess we'd just have taken on a shit load of debt like Westminster. It's interesting to think about.

I don't think we'd have been substantially better tbh. There's so many unknowns - had we voted yes then the brexit referendum might never have happened for example. But given the level of interconnection that exists between Scotland and rUK I don't think we would have slammed the borders closed fast enough and hard enough to stop it coming in. A huge amount was seeded from the February break skiing trips and I'm not in any way convinced that the situation was clear enough that we would have take the sort of New Zealand level action that would have been needed to stop it coming in. The number of countries who did that very early is tiny.

There are so many variables in how countries have faired through this. Some of those variables were in control of Westminster, plenty were also in Scottish control. They all cocked up.

The border control thing is a convenient story, definitely - are we really saying Scotland is to enforce a hard border with its main trading ally and would've acted immediately to cause massive economic disruption? Easy to say we'd have been New Zealand with hindsight.

I agree with would though, let's save these arguments and focus on the challenge of this lockdown

I just feel like the whole country has been divided in some shape or form since Indy campaigning started around 2012, so almost 10 years.

It's too much, and I agree we all need to draw breath for a bit.

Scotland the rUK and Europe are so interconnected that covid was always going to sweep through the country.

We aren't a remote place like NZ.
People will analyse responses to covid for years. Lots of things need to be taken into account on who did better or worse.

Age and health condition of population. General fitness and obesity levels.
How densely populated the country is and actually for Scotland taking into account very densely populated areas and the much more rural areas.
We can't compare until we are all out of the second wave (fingers crossed we dodge a third wave). It has been commented that countries that appeared to do really well in the first wave are struggling in the second wave.
There was a ploy to allow limited spread in England so people would take it, build resistance in summer while hospitals were empty.
I guess we also have to compare suicide rates too along with how deep the follow on recession is. We know poverty causes deaths too.
The knock one effect on restricting the NHS to other illnesses and accidents.
I guess they'll be a knock on effect on obesity, much easier to gain weight than loose it.

There needs to be a BIG picture comparison not just comparing one thing in isolation.

Sorry to change the subject but I’m trying to sort out tomorrow’s home learning. I wanted to download some numeracy stuff from Twinkl but it wants me to sign up as a paid member. Is it not free?? Was it free?

@MamaTookMyEyebrows

Sorry to change the subject but I’m trying to sort out tomorrow’s home learning. I wanted to download some numeracy stuff from Twinkl but it wants me to sign up as a paid member. Is it not free?? Was it free?

It was free over lockdown previously. Twnkl go is free. Checkout Julian Go page on Facebook for the log ins.

Twinkl has never been free (although there may have been some limited material free). I signed up for lockdown 1 and would highly recommend. We didn't get nearly enough stuff through from the school (and what we got was pitched at the lowest common denominator) so it was a real help. (I don't blame the school btw, they were dealing with most families being unable to support kids so had to keep expectations low.)

mama
[Standard “we HE” disclaimer]
I’ve always been disappointed by twinkl but there are amazing free resources out there - assuming you are looking for primary age thisreadingmama & 3dinosaurs come to mind.

Yes there are logins for it. Our school tweeted them done in year groups.

Good luck to all amature teachers tomorrow. Fingers crossed we make it to Friday before hitting the bottle

At the moment I'm upbeat. Hoping the laptop, cleaned up and working much faster, makes a difference rather than him working off a tablet as the family laptop was limping along.
Actually if I'd known what difference ditching loads of stuff and starting from scratch with it would be I'd have done it months ago. It was surprisingly easy to reload windows but I wasn't brave enough when it was the only laptop in the house.

I’m interested to see how Ds gets on with his google classroom learning tomorrow. Least it’s some structure, and he listens to school much more than to me!

My eldest is in P2 and I’m really keen to teach her how to tell the time. They haven’t done much of that in school and she’s always asking but I have absolutely no idea how to teach her that. I saw Twinkl had some resources on that. I wonder if it’s worthwhile just paying the fiver a month for it. Can you cancel at any time I’ll need to go and wrap it out

Yip I can moan and nag to I'm blue in the face but until school asks he won't do it.

@MamaTookMyEyebrows you might get some good you tube videos to help

On the New Zealand thing, I'm not even convinced we would want to be New Zealand even if we could (ignoring the comparative size/ population/ interconnectedness/ self sufficiency/ remoteness and so on). Yes, they are pretty much back to normal life within the country now, but their borders are still closed... Basically no one can enter the country (I think there may be some quarantine allowance for citizens returning) and for somewhere quite reliant on tourism that is going to be a problem in the not too distant future. But unless everyone is vaccinated, as soon as the borders are reopened the virus will do its stuff and they will be back to square one.

It was quite a gamble assuming there would be a vaccine found so quickly, really.

I just can't see such a draconian border policy working anywhere in the long term, let alone somewhere like the UK (or even Scotland) which is such a hub. No mixing of families, workers, cultures and knowledge (through cultural exchanges, visiting academics, international festivals...) for the foreseeable future, and claiming that as a success?! Yes, it's a success at avoiding the virus spreading through the country, but for that to be their one shot at managing the pandemic, but potentially requiring their citizens to never being able to leave the country again, and no one able to easily enter it seems a bit drastic. Though maybe that's why NS is so keen on that approach

The other thing mama is orchard toys has two telling the time games with a nice clock face.

Ooh I never thought of orchard toys!! Are they a good way of teaching them? I noticed they have a times tables game as well

@Lockdownbear

Yes there are logins for it. Our school tweeted them done in year groups.

Good luck to all amature teachers tomorrow. Fingers crossed we make it to Friday before hitting the bottle

At the moment I'm upbeat. Hoping the laptop, cleaned up and working much faster, makes a difference rather than him working off a tablet as the family laptop was limping along.
Actually if I'd known what difference ditching loads of stuff and starting from scratch with it would be I'd have done it months ago. It was surprisingly easy to reload windows but I wasn't brave enough when it was the only laptop in the house.

Of course, we found tonight that DSs ipad which we've got set up for everything tomorrow has now stopped charging. I think DH has found a workaround, but it doesn't bode well!

I'm going to consider getting to tomorrow lunchtime without hitting the bottle a success.

not have you checked there isn’t fluff in the connection? Apologies if you have by DH used to work in this area & always says a pin to remove the lint solves at least half the charging problems

Mine love the what's the time mr wolf game - works for us, the other time game looks good too. Mine love making wolf munching noises when it eats the cards.

The older one likes the times table game too. The downside of them is you have to do it with them!

@Gibbonsgibbonsgibbons

not have you checked there isn’t fluff in the connection? Apologies if you have by DH used to work in this area & always says a pin to remove the lint solves at least half the charging problems

Yes. I think this was part of DHs workaround! He has a special device for defluffing. I think his pockets are extra fluffy as he's always poking around his iPhone to sort that out. Also, using a charging cable that hasn't been partially eaten by the cat. And propping it up at a weird angle. It's still temperamental but it seems to be working for now.