Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Todd_is_God]

2 minutes ago, D.A.F.C said:

Agreed, conplete closure of borders not some tinpot stunt for the cameras.

If this had been done a year ago we would be like Australia.

All very well, but as we can't actually do that, the response needs to be realistic within the limitations.

There is no point in trying to ringfence Scotland, if the UK border is open (either fully, or with travel corridors) from late summer onwards.

That's like locking your front door, but opening the rest of your doors and windows, sticking the heating on, and hoping to keep your house warm.

[djchapsticks]

Yeah not liking that sort of language. Although he's not an elected official, it's genuinely worrying how much leeway he's given to go out there and be the mouthpiece.

However, it's worth remembering that once furlough money stops, lockdown ends. The SG are at the behest of WM in that regard and if the UK Government decide it's pulling the plug on furlough cash, you can bet the devolved Governments won't see another penny beyond that.

Edited February 9, 2021 by djchapsticks

[D.A.F.C]

Just now, Todd_is_God said:

All very well, but as we can't actually do that, the response needs to be realistic within the limitations.

There is no point in trying to ringfence Scotland, if the UK border is open (either fully, or with travel corridors) from late summer onwards.

That's like locking your front door, but opening the rest of your doors and windows, sticking the heating on, and hoping to keep your house warm.

I meant the uk including us. The open door method at airports was madness.

There is no should be ok, allowing people to go back and forward caused the virus to spread more than anything. No holidays unless 100% testing then quarantine in hotels. As you say the flip side of this is that the UK is pretty much back to normal.

[Todd_is_God]

6 minutes ago, D.A.F.C said:

No holidays unless 100% testing then quarantine in hotels. As you say the flip side of this is that the UK is pretty much back to normal.

I would begrudgingly accept this in return for total normality, but I don't see why I should.

The scientists / government can't have it both ways. Preaching about the need to avoid foreign travel to prevent new variants maybe coming in (which likely will make little if any difference to the number of people who become ill) one day, then the next causing panic about variants found in the UK just doesn't wash.

If the risk is the same, then it makes zero difference where people go.

"Until 2022" is more arbitrary date plucking as well.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Todd_is_God

[D.A.F.C]

1 minute ago, Todd_is_God said:

I would begrudgingly accept this in return for total normality, but I don't see why I should.

The scientists / government can't have it both ways. Preaching about the need to avoid foreign travel to prevent new variants maybe coming in (which likely will make little if any difference to the number of people who become ill) one day, then the next causing panic about variants found in the UK just doesn't wash.

If the risk is the same, then it makes zero difference where people go.

Good points, hopefully it will become clearer once more people are vaccinated. Worst nightmare would be a Spanish or European variant. I also believe there's been more or less deadly variants before but they've not been picked up. Italy seemed to get it really bad compared to anywhere else.

[Todd_is_God]

Just now, D.A.F.C said:

Good points, hopefully it will become clearer once more people are vaccinated. Worst nightmare would be a Spanish or European variant. I also believe there's been more or less deadly variants before but they've not been picked up. Italy seemed to get it really bad compared to anywhere else.

Based on?

[Scosha]

Jason’s comments just 6 days ago about forfeiting travel for ‘domestic normality’

I would be willing to accept that if it genuinely meant normality here. I’m not going to accept no travel in return for still not being able to hug my Gran, have a socially distanced pint with no more than 2 mates at a time in a 2 hour window, not be able to go to the football, put my career on hold for another year, and not even be able to see my mates at work. 
 

I’m near enough reaching full on ‘yer da’ mode here and starting to question if there’s some form of permanent state control being planned. We were told all along that these restrictions were to protect the NHS - fine. Once that is no longer anywhere near under pressure and deaths are minimal, there is literally no reason for any form of restriction here. Scunnered. 

[Erih Shtrep]

1 hour ago, Day of the Lords said:

I feel quite fortunate in that I've literally never watched a single bit of footage of Leitch. 

If you've never heard a word of Leitch how would you know you're fortunate?   

People used to say to me don't watch that Jane Godley.  Then I watched her and she's the funniest thing ever.   Super down to earth, and quite attractive (IMO) and says what we've all been saying.  Plus she doesn't like Trump which was lolzs funny.  

I suspect many who don't like Leitch do so because he looks so much better in a suit-shirt-tie combo, than they would which during a pandemic is poor to average behaviour by any book or books.  

Edited February 10, 2021 by Erih Shtrep

[Elixir]

In her desire to continue looking like a tinpot Jacinda Ardern, Sturgeon probably won't want to relax border measures until New Zealand do it.

[Todd_is_God]

It would be outstanding patter if somehow a different party with a different outlook won in May, and kept pushing Leitch out to weasel his way through trying to convey and justify the complete opposite as to what he has been saying.

[D.A.F.C]

18 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

Based on?

Nothing, seems like it can mutate anywhere and if one was to start while thousands of uk tourists were there then it could be a huge problem.

Maybe if testing and identifying new strains worldwide was ramped up then this could be a solution? Can’t see normal holidays or normal uk this year due to previous examples of fuckwittery tbh.

[Arch Stanton]

20 minutes ago, Erih Shtrep said:

If you've never heard a word of Leitch how would you know you're fortunate?   

People used to say to me don't watch that Jane Godley.  Then I watched her and she's the funniest thing ever.   Super down to earth, and quite attractive (IMO) and says what we've all been saying.  Plus she doesn't like Trump with was lolzs funny.  

I suspect many who don't like Leitch do so because he looks so much better in a suit-shirt-tie combo, than they would which during a pandemic is poor to average behaviour by any book or books.  

Whoever gave you that red dot has never seen Stewart Lee. I have and you're bang on.

[Todd_is_God]

5 minutes ago, D.A.F.C said:

Nothing, seems like it can mutate anywhere and if one was to start while thousands of uk tourists were there then it could be a huge problem.

Maybe if testing and identifying new strains worldwide was ramped up then this could be a solution? Can’t see normal holidays or normal uk this year due to previous examples of fuckwittery tbh.

So not, as you put it, the "worst nightmare" then?

The solution is to stop wanking ourselves into a frenzy over mutations. There are loads of variants. None are vaccine resistant.

Worry about it if it happens.

[anotherchance]

16 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

So not, as you put it, the "worst nightmare" then?

The solution is to stop wanking ourselves into a frenzy over mutations. There are loads of variants. None are vaccine resistant.

Worry about it if it happens.

Exactly this.

If it wasn’t for mutations being hyped up, it’d be almost 100% good news (death figures apart, for now anyway) and they need a negative narrative to keep the populace careful and compliant. 

Not saying they won’t be a pain in the c**t, but it’s our reaction to changing circumstances that counts, including binning Devi’s zero covid hogwash.

[Bairnardo]

1 hour ago, Todd_is_God said:

Here's what gets me. Leitch won't be the one making these decisions, he's just gormless enough, and too keen to hear his own voice, to share them.

So who is making them?

If it is to be the case that, despite us being well into an extensive vaccine roll out by the start of February, that we have to pretty much write off 2021 with little more than some "greater domestic normality" then I really want to know why, and I want it scrutinised within an inch of its life. By the sounds of it we are going to have less freedoms post vaccine roll out than we had last summer when there was no vaccine.

I'm fucking livid at their approach here. Complete abuse of power.

This. If this disease reaches a point where cases, hospitalisations and deaths are next to nothing, in a highly vaccinated population, then there is no emergency. Retention and use of emergency powers because "wait and see" is horrifying, yet thats exactly what we are talking about doing.

[RH33]

4 hours ago, super_carson said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55990256
 

I have sympathy for anyone who has family in a care home, and I get that it’s been nearly a year for these families but is this not the same scenario that many people find themselves in in the mainstream population? I know plenty people who haven’t been able to see parents or grandparents since October or so when the household mixing ban in the West came in.  If people are allowed to visit care homes, should the same logic not be applied to the rest of the population to allow some contact for families?  
 

it’s just small things here and there, and perhaps opinion polls won’t reflect it just yet, but I wonder if this is the start of people saying enough is enough. 

My Granny’s in a care home which has just had its first confirmed case. My folks were visiting at window, yes it’s not ideal but the option of allowing visitors and Covid in to wipe out residents would have the same people calling place all sorts. 

 

[Steven W]

8 hours ago, Left Back said:

Neil Ferguson still being given air time on Sky news with the “but variants” patter.

Has he ever been proven to be right about anything?

I switched off Sky News last in a fit of anger. This variant thing is pathetic. They done a graphic that would have you believe the first variant was only discovered in December.

Then called the 'Bristol Variant' a "variant of a variant"

[Steven W]

6 hours ago, super_carson said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55990256
 

I have sympathy for anyone who has family in a care home, and I get that it’s been nearly a year for these families but is this not the same scenario that many people find themselves in in the mainstream population? I know plenty people who haven’t been able to see parents or grandparents since October or so when the household mixing ban in the West came in.  If people are allowed to visit care homes, should the same logic not be applied to the rest of the population to allow some contact for families?  
 

it’s just small things here and there, and perhaps opinion polls won’t reflect it just yet, but I wonder if this is the start of people saying enough is enough. 

Read this article this morning and thought the same. I've not seen my parents since early September (and therefore my son hasn't met his grandparents for the same length of time). Why is a care home resident more deserving of meeting loved ones than I?

[Detournement]

6 hours ago, Todd_is_God said:

 

If the risk is the same, then it makes zero difference where people go.

Have you been hit in the head recently?

There are 70 million people in the UK and RoI CTA. There are 7700 million people outside the CTA.

The risk of a variant which undermines the UK's vaccines emerging abroad is far, far greater than it emerging in the UK.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

7 hours ago, Billy Jean King said:

Classic Leitch on Scotland Tonight .

People "need to get their head round" that the "trade off" for a "little bit more normality at home this year" is going to be "no overseas travel".

Be interesting to see if that is a cross party stance come May's election as that's pretty strong language. Unbelievably the interviewer just giggled and cracked wee funnies with him throughout. He had her eating out the palm of his hand.

He also described the way he thinks people should view vaccination as "just another treatment, a preventive measure rather than a cure"

 

Leitch can genuinely go take himself to f**k. If vaccines prove to be effective then get things opened up. This isnt living. 
Nah im not going to vote for the SNP in may if this is the rhetoric coming from them.