I (and many other people) have a bad feeling about the relaxing of the lockdown rules for England. The government figures for new infections stood at 54,000 per week as of two days ago. That's almost 8,000 a day. Does that seem like a level which should safely allow an easing of the current restrictions to you?
A SAGE expert has said that this was a decision based on politics, not science, so - in this case - Boris cannot deny it.
Everyone can plainly see what he is attempting to do, and what that boils down to is trying to save money, not lives. If it all goes wrong - as it is now very likely to - it will cost the country even more than it has already, in terms of both money and lives. 70,000 people have already died and the economy is already screwed.
Boris and his circle have made the most appalling series of cock-ups with their handling of the virus, and now they are ignoring the advice of their scientific advisors.
They have been consistent in one respect only. They have never stopped treating us like idiots by telling the most childish lies, day after day. They know we know and they don't care.
I feel your angst, but what can we do? Selfishly use our own commonsense and stay at home. Politically we are in the hands of two men, one (Johnson) an idiot only interested in BEING a prime minister and the other with a head full of theories he has collected through the years Cummings). There is only a minor rebellion in Parliament at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThere is only a minor parliament at the moment too. They are able to get away with all sorts of things.
DeleteAnd don't forget Gove
DeleteI don't really want to remember him.
DeleteHere after two weeks of relief the second wave begins.
ReplyDeleteOur government will ignore that useful information.
DeleteI too feel that the consequences of relaxing the lockdown rules will result in a second wave coming along soon.
ReplyDeleteThere are many people who still do not believe that there is a virus - what planet are they living on?
It's a form of mental illness - probably brought about (or exacerbated) by the stress of the lockdown.
DeleteYou're right, they really don't care. We don't matter.
ReplyDeleteWill it all be forgotten? Actually, there are so many bereaved and aggrieved families that it might not.
After the Hong Kong flu epidemic of 1918, people did not want to talk about it ever again. Also, when someone locks you in a cupboard for a week, it is hard not to feel some sense of gratitude when they finally let you out.
DeleteI commented elsewhere that anyone who has worked in a large organisation has encountered people like Cummings. All that matters to them is making everything as they want it; they don't care what others think and ignore any sense of conscience they have. He's not the only one.
ReplyDeleteCummings is genuinely on the spectrum People like him are very useful to governments because they can make very unpopular decisions without showing any signs of remorse or feeling for others at all, plus -as you say - they truly do not care what others think of them.
DeleteI appreciate what you say and agree that the government have made a number of balls up's but in weather such as we are currently experiencing they were never going keep people locked up for much longer. In the heat of today's weather I'm sure nobody locked up in an apartment or flat needs tome smart-arsed do-gooder telling them to sit tight for a few more weeks. Many in the public domain accept that there are risks to be taken out there in the open air and are now ready to take them. The die-hard isolationists will be warning of a second spike for as long as it takes to possibly arrive, this winter, next year, in the meantime life will have to go on.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget my original point, which was that the rate of infection is still far too high to begin lifting restrictions before a proper testing program is in place and working. That will take at least two weeks (or years with this lot in charge) to get going. Just because the government are treating us like children, it doesn't mean that we all have to rush down to the beach with our bucket and spades before the fine weather breaks.
DeleteHe was an awful mayor of London... doesn't look as though he's any better at this. What should he try next?
ReplyDeleteSpecial advisor to Donald Trump? I wish.
DeleteAfter all, if Tony Blair became a peace envoy to the Middle East, anything is possible.
DeleteFriends in England are going to lockdown more, not less. They do not trust what they are being told..and when the daily stats are no longer broadcast...345 deaths officially
ReplyDeletewas it yesterday, more than the whole of the rest of Europe together? I am glad that we live in Scotland.
If you cannot trust this government to tell the truth and stick to their own rules, you are hardly likely to trust them with your life.
DeleteThe Covid-19 we are facing today is no different to the Covid-19 we were facing two months ago. Lockdown was to flatten the curve and protect the NHS. We achieved that and it did buy us time to learn about it and the best treatment. But, all the social distancing hasn’t changed it or made it go away. We will be dealing with it for quite a few years. We are going to have to leave lockdown At some point and, whenever it is, we will have to accept some level of risk. This will be our personal choice..... the over seventies and anyone who is high risk might be more cautious. It is really a personal decision. Whether we come out of lockdown now or in six months, the risks won’t have changed. The government and most governments around the world have made mistakes but I don’t think we can blame them for an unprecedented virus. Many have been desperate to ease lockdown and now, when we are slowly being released from it, many are questioning it. Those in charge, and it would be the same whatever party was in Government, will never please everyone. Politics shouldn’t come into it. XXXX
ReplyDeleteI agree Jack@, but I just think that another two weeks now could make the difference between a very slow recovery and a second wave which could destroy the ability of the NHS to cope and undo all the positive efforts that everyone has made in the last two months. I am only going on what many doctors and experts are saying. I won't be changing my behaviour any time soon, but that is not the general point.
DeleteIt's impossible to say how a different government would have coped but I feel that ten years of the present party left us ill prepared to manage something this serious. Who knows whether another party would have managed it differently? We will never know but my gut feeling is that one that values profit above anything is never going to do the best for the most vulnerable in society.
DeleteWe have endured 10 years of austerity and now we are to endure another 10 years of extreme depression. We are not alone in the world, but the global finance arrangements have compounded the problem for at least one generation. Someone has to pay for all the baby-boomers' pensions, and it's not going to be us.
DeleteHaving worked flat out for forty years this baby boomer feels she has contributed handsomely to the kitty that pays her pension. Maybe those that manage by nifty accounting to contribute very little could chip in a few quid.
DeleteTom, I feel the very same here in the US. I experienced a very frightening incident over the weekend when I went to purchase some plants when the nursery re-opened. Three other cars had out-of-state plates. No one, including the owner, wore masks nor honored the safe distancing regulation. I was frightened & left. Boris and the Washington Orange Man are of the same cloth. We are now experiencing our 2nd wave - 2 major hospitals in Maine have returned to peak levels of Covid-19 patients matching the early-April peak. Incredibly frightening for all of us. Keep safe.
ReplyDeleteThey have to print more money and let the next generation pay for it. People who hate baby-boomers have a very good point.
DeleteIt's a cock-up pretty much the world around, except maybe South Korea.
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteAnd, err...
DeleteAustria!
DeleteThe extremely warm weather over the long weekend brought out those living inland to the coast en masse. Even during similar weather in past years I have not seen such throngs. I can only imagine that it is tied up with having to live under quarantine. We're seemingly just as eager to get back to it as your country is, but at what cost?
ReplyDeleteAnd now George Floyd.
DeleteAll we can do is to be extra vigilant for the next few weeks until we see which way things are going to go. I for one do not intend to lessen my care for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteNor me Weave.
Delete