Spartacus

Don't get me started on jet packs exdulwicher

Isn't it a shame that the science fiction utopia of flying cars that was predicted in the 50s didn't come true. Then again this thread would be "our healthy skies phase 3" and imagine the outcry over cars getting free parking on the roofs of houses. George Jetson, where are you when we need you?

Johnl that defeats the point of removing the mayor and all the infrastructure around him to save money for essential services Sadly devolution adds layers of bureaucracy and cost between the people and the funding suppliers (I'm this case the government) Let's look at Scotland as you brought it in, they maintain a separate parliament , parliament building, support staff and all the associated costs which could be better used to support the Scottish people if the funding was applied through a UK central body (one small group of officials managing projects across the 4 regions of the UK) Whilst devolution is a good ambition, sadly like any organisation, money is siphoned off to maintain it which is lost money to the people who actually need it. There needs to be a balance between local representation and cost effectiveness which is what the system of MPs for the country is supposed to deliver however add in buildings, parliaments, assemblies and the money is directed away from where it is needed into the supporting systems costs fairly quickly.

I guess removing the Mayor and all the whole infrastructure around him would save a chunk of that money that could be diverted towards the police and fire brigade. Then central government can run London and it will be on their heads if additional cuts are needed 🙄

BBC News - London's pop-up cycle lanes 'stopping disabled travel' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53670087 An unexpected unplanned side effect 😱

It's bigger than just our government, it's a global lessons to learn, which the UK will of course need to be included in but let's also look at the cause of this global pandemic, why governments didn't get coherent advice from those who should have (WHO ?) and yes this government like all governments around the world made mistakes and hindsight is a wonderful tool for bashing people who made decisions based on the best advice available at the time it was taken. We are all armchair critics of our government but if you were on the firing line at the time you may well have made similar good and bad life impacting decisions. For example we could all with hindsight pass judgment on the mayor for reducing the number of tubes and buses to save costs when passenger numbers started falling in the early months of the pandemic which potentially increased transmission rates as tubes once again were packed. However hindsight tells us that it is a virus transmitted by proximity and highly contagious so again the mayor acted (with hindsight) incorrectly but at the time there wasn't enough information from the advising bodies (WHO) so he could be conceived as doing the right thing at the time he made that decision to save money. It's tricky to look back and apply today's knowledge when judging decisions made with less information or advice on hand at the time. Short answer is that yes, the UK government needs to be included in a global pandemic review but ultimately it has to be done in context and in light of the fact they were reacting to a new unknown and highly contagious virus that they had very little information or knowledge about with very poor advice given by influential organisations.

eddeal1 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > yes more than one time Sounds like you want / need to talk about it

Is this based on something that's happened to you recently ?

Regardless of your views watch "surviving the virus : my brother & me" that was on bbc1 tonight That will quash any thoughts about conspiracy and the end statement where doctors are afraid of the next wave will show why releasing lock down is such a tricky beast to manage.

Markt it was because of the study in to autism that a lot of people objected to the triple jab, so potentially some or a lot of them would be happy with the compromise. The anti vax lobby is entirely another issue.

JohnL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There is talk across the world of the 15 minute > city - where you can walk or cycle to everything > you need. > > > https://www.ft.com/content/c1a53744-90d5-4560-9e3f > -17ce06aba69a Assuming you can easily do both of those or have limited things to carry. Although I agree having thriving local town centers should be a goal supported by local councils as without them we will all be up the Amazon without a paddle

One thing I never understood People objected to the MMR (for what ever reason) so why did /does the NHS not offer two paths Path one: MMR if you had no issues with it Path two: three separate injections for Mumps , measles and rubella ? Thus no gaps in the immunization program and everyone is largely happy (okay there is a cost but compared to long term costs of a lack of take up these would be mitigated) Maybe I live in a simple uncomplicated world in my head at times.

You're right JohnL but it's more about learning how to get the early warning up from WHO so governments can react faster, getting countries with outbreaks to recognise and report them faster (in this case China appears not to have informed WHO fast enough but that needs to be investigated and validated), what countries around the world need to do next time (is total border closing the correct path to take? What other measures are needed) and also how to stop an outbreak occurring in the first place wherever it occurs ! I think the exercise didn't focus on such a huge pandemic and centered around how the emergency services and hospitals would respond so from that and this pandemic lessons need to be learnt globally.

Sadly if your driveway is empty, neither the police or council can do anything unless there is a yellow line across your drive. If you had a car up your drive, the van could be moved or ticketed as it is blocking you in but the rules are not the same for stopping you getting into your own drive. Is there a company name or anything on the van that could give you contact details ? In the short term put a note on the windscreen asking them to move as the drive is needed, if they are nearby and see it they may move the van Sorry

D R The report on the borders focuses on us NOT recognising the threat from Europe quickly enough when the UK was quarantining people from certain Asian countries. Can you imagine the cry of "anti European government" if we imposed the same restrictions on countries like Spain in the early days of March ? Whilst it was a missed opportunity ,no other European country was restricting travel across the eurozone at that point, with the exception of regions in Italy. Only recently when numbers of infected have gone up in Spain and travel has been restricted, the press cry "summer is ruined" (spinning bad news rather than talking about preventing a possible second wave) Sadly there are arguments for and against total border controls during all stages of a pandemic but WHO failed to advise it was a pandemic despite every person and their dog seeing it so the warning flag from WHO wasn't raised fast enough to give governments the correct information to make an informed decision. What ever the government did factions would be against it and the press would spin bad news from it. So rather than us all pointing the finger at our government maybe we should all be asking for information on how the pandemic started and what needs to happen to stop the next one (a recent report that was on the television bbc2 last week I think, highlighted that along with SARS , this is the 4th major viral breakout in the last 20 years so no doubt another will occur) Next time we and the rest of the world need to learn from this one and be ready.

nxjen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ?There is possibly a strong argument to promote > increased cleaner car usage not less to help > prevent future pandemics? > > One major reason people use public transport you > have overlooked in your haste to save Londoners > from COVID-19 is that they can?t afford to run a > car Oh I haven't overlooked it, simply if we push ever increasing numbers of people onto public transport the risks increase during this and future pandemics thus by reducing car usage are we not in danger of making things worse ? Rah sadly whilst you don't think it is, a large number of people feel that local councils with increased parking restrictions, closing off roads and other measures are fighting a war on motorists !

On the BBC website today, there is a story about the report by the Runnymede trust into BAME risks through the covid pandemic. BBC News - Coronavirus: Ethnic minorities 'over-exposed' to Covid-19 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53651954 Whilst I'm only extracting a small part from it for this thread it is worth reviewing. Part of the report highlights "The survey found those from ethnic minority backgrounds were also more likely to say they had used public transport during lockdown - which could increase the chance of transmission because they are enclosed spaces." With this in mind, does it not imply that we are all (regardless of race) actually safer commuting in our cars than on public transport as there is a lower risk of virus transmission and whilst cycling and walking is an option for those who can or want to, the blanket war in motorists could be responsible for increased levels of virus transmission in the future if people are pushed out of their cars and onto public transport ? There is possibly a strong argument to promote increased cleaner car usage not less to help prevent future pandemics.

My father used to ask , when I did something silly spurned on by my mates, if your mates jumped off a cliff would you ? Nowadays people look for an excuse for not taking responsibility for their own actions. So DC didn't jump off a cliff but the generic question remains. Why did you?

seenbeen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > the irony is that the younger ones are spreading > it about but it's older people who will get locked > down! Can you imagine the complaints by the young if it was the other way around.. "You oldies have ruined this planet now you are killing us" Maybe us oldies should start a similar cry "The cotton wool generation are trying to wipe us out" or something similar 😆

Or another alternative to the evil MM

I think Abe's point is that they are conspicuous by their absence when an awkward question or subject is presented to them.

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > A bit like the opposite of burning-down allotment > sheds. > Some tinder and a match then boom you have a fire > in seconds, but hours of satisfaction watching it > burn (unless the fire brigade arrives). Is there something you need to tell us Kid ? Backs away slowly hiding matches and lighters ....

lindylou Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > pk Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > If you?re talking to other people you should > > probably try harder to make sense > > > > And to have some idea what you?re taking about > > I know exactly what I'm talking about. I was born > and bred here. I remember the Brixton riots and, > believe me, that was terrifying. What you're going > to see soon is nothing compared to that. I'm done > with this forum. It's not open to discussion. > Every time someone has a differing opinion they're > shot LL it's the fact that you haven't been fully clear in explaining what you are talking about and what your real fear is Who are the bb ? What exactly are they asking for and what's the result of they don't get it ? No one is shooting you down, they just don't clearly see your argument as it needs clarity in presenting

I'm confused What does this refer to The closest I can find for MM is mutual mass debating If that's coming this way then I'm afraid of a return to swinging and pampas grass !

lameduck Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > that's it Spartacus > The youngsters think they invented it > we done that in the 50's > also get a big button black cotton > find house with tree branches near upstairs > window. > Climb tree suspend button on branch, everytime > wind blows tap tap on window > gets them confused for ages > we were wicked Also when cars were less frequent (70s), get up early, tie strong cotton or light fishing line to door knockers on opposite sides of the road going all the way up First car up the road in the morning would pull the lines before breaking them resulting in door knockers being lifted then falling to make a single knock on virtually every house up the road. Hours of fun setting up for a brief moment of satisfaction, bit like domino rallies Totally off thread but why don't kids have the imagination or freedom to play like that these days. As for the milk,a milk safe is a very good idea or a motion activated camera to see who's doing it