Are you worried yet.

[safrane]

What we need is a UK version of this NI Cash for Ash Scandal
In terms of government management, this was a whopper.
So far as I know. Nobody was ever held accountable.
Although, in a supreme act of irony, the civil servant responsible
for designing the scheme was promoted from finance, to the
Siberia that is agriculture.
Basically businesses discovered a loophole in a scheme to encourage
them to use renewables for power sources. Laudable, you might say.
But, businesses discovered that for every £1 of cost, they could claim
£1.60 from government. So, the scheme became a massive cash generation
scheme. A magic money tree, if you will. That paid out over half a billion
pounds.

Kept lots of cow sheds warm though... even ones with no roof.

 

[D Walker]

Hospitality thrown under a bus......
Must get tougher over Xmas as everyone can see what’s coming....
I can’t work it out, so,
Some want pubs etc open, however we need to stop people mixing....

 

[GeoffCapes]

R rate is now estimated at between 1.2 and 1.3 with infection rates going up in all age groups except for the 12-24 and 60+ age groups.
Still think it’s school kids spreading it?

 

[CatmanV2]

Some want pubs etc open, however we need to stop people mixing....

From experience it's perfectly possible to go to the pub and not mix with anyone, but I hear some pubs are less well organised. Of course flaming hard to go to Tesco without mixing with people.

C

 

[Wanderer]

What we (and everyone else) should have done was lockdown immediately, for as long as it would take for the the virus just die out cos it cant propagate, none of this lets get people back into work lets get back to business, would have been over in 6-8 months. This incessant lockdown/easing of lockdown causing 2nd/3rd waves is why we are where we are and not where NZ is.

It would have cost, but it's probably cost more this way much like Brexit has cost the UK more than we've even paid into it.

Fûck the Tories

 

[philw696]

What we (and everyone else) should have done was lockdown immediately, for as long as it would take for the the virus just die out cos it cant propagate, none of this lets get people back into work lets get back to business, would have been over in 6-8 months. This incessant lockdown/easing of lockdown causing 2nd/3rd waves is why we are where we are and not where NZ is.

It would have cost, but it's probably cost more this way much like Brexit has cost the UK more than we've even paid into it.

Fûck the Tories

As much as I agree with you mate less than 5 million people in NZ and they shut the doors fairly quickly and quarantine coming into the Country.
They had a few problems but on the whole contained it.
They still get small numbers of infection but not had any more deaths.

 

[Felonious Crud]

I may be late to this particular party. However, I'm becoming convinced that only grit and laughter will get us through this. Part John Wayne, part Ken Dodd. Now there's an image I struggle with

You just described Zep!

"Fall off your bike and drink your beer."

Or was it the other way around?

 

[Wanderer]

As much as I agree with you mate less than 5 million people in NZ and they shut the doors fairly quickly and quarantine coming into the Country.
They had a few problems but on the whole contained it.
They still get small numbers of infection but not had any more deaths.

UK should have done same - big cost up front, but the magic money tree does exist, we know that now. Every country should have done it. It was the only sensible way but the focus changed cos the Tory club was losing money and dropped it's COVID guard and now we're in the ***** again.

JC would have locked us, protected the vulnerable, and not had fuckking Unicef knocking on the door, say what you like, this is a time for humanitarianism not economics.

And if anyone disagrees with me you can lick my hairy strap-on......

 

[Zep]

You just described Zep!

"Fall off your bike and drink your beer."

Or was it the other way around?

Drink your beer, fall off your bike, drink your beer, I think you will find....

 

[D Walker]

What we (and everyone else) should have done was lockdown immediately, for as long as it would take for the the virus just die out cos it cant propagate, none of this lets get people back into work lets get back to business, would have been over in 6-8 months. This incessant lockdown/easing of lockdown causing 2nd/3rd waves is why we are where we are and not where NZ is.

It would have cost, but it's probably cost more this way much like Brexit has cost the UK more than we've even paid into it.

Fûck the Tories

There are 2nd & 3rd waves in nearly every country in the world.

 

[nigw]

UK should have done same - big cost up front, but the magic money tree does exist, we know that now. Every country should have done it. It was the only sensible way but the focus changed cos the Tory club was losing money and dropped it's COVID guard and now we're in the * again.

JC would have locked us, protected the vulnerable, and not had fuckking Unicef knocking on the door, say what you like, this is a time for humanitarianism not economics.

And if anyone disagrees with me you can lick my hairy strap-on......

In terms of locking down, NZ had a far easier situation though - such as less reliance on movement of people, no international hubs of comparable scale to Heathrow etc, easily closed borders, a less virulent strain of covid, much less reliance on public transport which was a key vector (rail network, London Underground etc), no devolved politics to manage, lower population density....the list goes on.

 

[Wanderer]

In terms of locking down, NZ had a far easier situation though - such as less reliance on movement of people, no international hubs of comparable scale to Heathrow etc, easily closed borders, a less virulent strain of covid, much less reliance on public transport which was a key vector (rail network, London Underground etc), no devolved politics to manage, lower population density....the list goes on.

Still should have done it in my book, but at the end of the day, money matters more than people.

 

[CatmanV2]

Still should have done it in my book, but at the end of the day, money matters more than people.

If that was actually the balancing act, and if the concept was even possible, you'd be correct.

C

 

[Felonious Crud]

Drink your beer, fall off your bike, drink your beer, I think you will find....

Actually, beer, bike, vodka.

Viva Le Touquet!

 

[Wattie]

There are 2nd & 3rd waves in nearly every country in the world.

King Canute.

 

[Wattie]

Hope this helps all those now in Tier 3.

 

[Phil the Brit]

Interesting you post about a guy with a pain in his legs. So have I and went to GP. He examined me, dismissed it when I said you could see my skin on left leg moving all on its own sometimes (like worms crawling under skin), pain in groin, pain in left bum under where big bone is, and difficulty getting comfortable when sitting or in bed. He sent me for xrays and blood tests. Phoned up a few days later and couldn't speak to him, only receptionist who told me tests all negative.
Well, four weeks later, I am still very uncorfortable a lot of the time and don't really know what to do.
Any good advice?

So, for all you kind people who messaged about my pain in my left knee, leg and bum and what to do to get it fixed, here is an update.
Following advice, I phoned GP again yesterday morning and described to receptionist my symptoms. She thought it wasn't urgent and offered me an appointment mid January 2021. As per advice here, i told her it was urgent as I had difficulty sleeping because of it. She said she would see about a triage. Phoned me back later and said i could have appointment with physio 4.40pm yesterday.
Great!
Went in, saw him and within five minutes he knew exactly what it was and more importantly how to fix it!
It is my TFL nerve apparently.................
Iliotibial Band Syndrome happens because the tensor fascia lata muscle (TFL) and ITB become too tight from being overworked or overused. This is a direct result from the lack of strength and flexibility which will end up making the muscle groups work harder, causing painful strains of the knee.
The TFL nerve is in your bum. The fix for me I now know is twice a day make a fist, find the spot in the bum where it most hurts, (believe me I KNOW when I have the spot), and kneed it 10-12 times. The sensation is a bit like prodding a bad bruise. Having done that I have to lie down on right side and put my left leg a 90 degrees to body and raise / lower it 10-12 times. I have to do this for probably a month two times a day.
So glad you all prodded me into action to sort it, so thank you all.

 

[CatmanV2]

Good to hear it's a nice simple thing!

Tennis ball is good as well. You can roll on it and get a deeper pressure without knackering your arm

C

 

[Phil the Brit]

To Wattie, who some of you will know I have had runs ins with of late, a big thank you for your advice because you were magnamimous to offer advice when you could have ignored my post.
We may possibly have run ins again but I will certainly be more open to your views in future and probably bite my tongue!
So to you especially I wish a very Happy Christmas and New Year. As of course I do to everyone else as well.
Phil

 

[dgmx5]

I live in what regrettably remains one of the worst boroughs in the country for infection rates.

Swale BC's website has no mention as to the roll out of mass testing in the borough, the only recent news item relating to Covid is the statement of the council leader, Cllr Roger Truelove, on 10 December that it "... is very disappointing to see that Swale is again being reported as having the highest infection rate in the country..."

There is no mention of mass testing on the Kent CC website either, although I did find KCC's "Local Outbreak (COVID-19) Control Plan" which was completed on June 2020 and due for review on 1 October 2020 which it seems to me might be past its sell by date both in terms of date and the escalation of the virus in Kent generally and some areas specifically.

I am told by a friend that mass testing will commence at the local schools for students, teachers and parents of students.

And despite what you might be told that Kent is daily overrun with an armada of illegal migrants or that there are swarms of Eastern European fruitpickers, Swale Borough is very much white British and population density is considerably less than metropolitan areas, the opposite of which were both ascribed as significant factors in why the infection was so prevalent previously and why tier 3 lockdowns were necessary.

Both myself and my wife work in London. I expect to hear soon that we are to be discouraged or even not permitted to travel to London for work purposes. Luckily I am able to mostly work from my home but my wife can't.

I actually do see merit in such measures but once again such plans are leaked to the media to 'test the waters' of public opinion rather than be subject to proper parliamentary scrutiny.

Swale has been the worst borough in the UK for over 3 weeks but there is no clear plan to get us out of this position.

Decisive, preemptive leadership is required. I neither see this at national nor local level.

Am I worried yet?

For my own health and that of my wife, not too much. We have throughout taken steps to reduce our exposure to, and to prevent transmission if we are asymptomatic carriers of, the virus.

For the long term social and economic consequences for the UK and the world, yes. We will be bearing an unimaginable burden for many years, if not decades, to come.

Money has never made people happy, but it gives you choices and I am more determined than ever to try and financially secure our future and hopefully be in a position to be able to leave this country at the drop of a hat should we need to.

The lurch to right wing populism in countries such as the UK, US and Brazil, coupled with a dire global economic outlook are ripe conditions for global conflict.

I am a born pessimist, but people with such an outlook are able to see such eventualities. I hope I am wrong, but I want to be prepared for the worst although I have bought neither physical gold or silver.

In the words of Dorothy "Toto, I have a feeling we are not in Kansas anymore."