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Hi Chocolate. The proof any of the vaccines work is in the three stages of trails these vaccines have gone through before gaining approval. That is not something decided by government, but by the science. And it is an independent body of vaccine experts who decide whether a vaccine is safe and effective enough to authorize, based on the results from those trials. By having the vaccine, your mother's chances of becoming seriously ill if she catches the virus are significantly reduced. Only if she has underlying conditions, particularly around the immune system, or previous allergic reactions to vaccines, is there a potential need for caution, but she and/or you can have a chat with your doctor for some reassurance if that helps. Any problems so far have been in a tiny number of people and well within the accepted levels of adverse reactions found with other widely used vaccines. So lots to be hopeful about here.

The Q Anon rabbit hole is a joy to behold. There is a branch that believe that Trump will command the army to stop the inauguration too and that everything so far is all just part of the plan. They are heavily into symbols just like every cult though. Everything is a sign of something.

But this is what Brexit was really about, tearing down employment protections, environmental protections and all the other things that impact on even more profit for business. They denied they would do any of that at the time of course, and those who warned they would were called project fear. People have always been free to opt out of the 48 week rule if they want to, so the only reason for taking this away, would be to remove the protection of employees who use it.

There are plans to do some works on Peckham Rye Park to ease drainage.

Parking enforcement and the fine system that comes with it is a scam. Someone can go from not paying a ?40 PCN to literally owing thousands and losing their vehicle to bailiffs. How can that be right when more serious infractions, like driving with no insurance, have fines capped?

Agree Keano. Last minute rule changes added fuel to Trump's already burning fire.

There are some things coming out from the FBI investigation that at the very least suggest premeditated plans from the more military minded Trump fanatics. But that does not get Trump off the hook. He has been ramping this up ever since that first mention of electoral fraud, which it has to be pointed out, began BEFORE the election day itself. Right from the off, Trump was attacking postal ballots as a legitimate form of voting. If enough Republicans vote to impeach in the Senate, it will be as much about reclaiming their party as it is from stopping Trump ever running again. The threats have already started against those brave enough to do it - from the very same Trump fanatics that are exonerating Trump from an culpability. What a mess of a party.

And shooting a commercial no less. BUT government have not closed down all but essential businesses this time, as they did in March.

lol, some good ripostes above. I noticed today that household goods made in Europe are not restocking in many stores and that has to be down to import problems or delays.

10 republicans voted for impeachment. There is a real chance now that the Senate will convict as well.

The AZ vaccine is also a two shot vaccine given 12 weeks apart. The size of the first dose came into question after a small number of people in the trial were given half doses and appeared to show higher efficacy. However more study is needed with a bigger sample to corroborate that and understand why.

To be fair, both groups are prioritised as part of the phase 1 rollout. In reality, who gets vaccinated first, will be down to local factors, availability of vaccine, location of population etc. Everyone over fifty and all front line workers should have been offered a vaccine by spring, with second shots being completely by early Summer.

LOL Cat, I can't disagree with that one!

Hence the idea of a civil war being metaphorical, and relating to the fight for the Republican Party now. The Trumps are not going away though. Ivanka has hinted she may run in 2024 and aspire to be the first female president (although Biden may step aside to give Harris that honour at some point of course). There is no question that Trumpism has radicalised parts of the Rupublican Party, but they as a party have to decide what to do about it. Winning elections is going to be increasingly difficult if they do not reach out to a range of ethnic groups.

mrwb Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Can't expect store staff to take customers on and > force them to wear a mask. They can ask them, what > if they say "no"? Shops can refuse entry to a person without a mask. Several big chains (who tend to have security staff on their doors, have now said they will be doing that.

Psychopathy is a rare disorder and can't be measured without a string of evaluations by a clinical psychologist. Narcissism however is far easier to observe and often is part of psychopathy. Trump gave some comments to the media today, after staying holed up for a week, in which he is effectively defiant and doubling down on what happened. The man is living in an alternate reality in his own head and that plays into the alternate realities being promoted by too many people on the fringes of his base. That is the issue here. How fit is someone like that to hold office? Anyone arguing he is fit to hold office should really think about what they are endorsing there.

This article pretty much nails the problem.... https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/21/can-american-democracy-survive-donald-trump

keano77 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ..Keano, do you really think Trump is the only > president that has struggles in the Senate and > Congress?... > > No. Why do you ask me that question? I never > suggested he was I asked the question because you seem to be under the illusion that the flack faced by Trump was any different to any President before him. It isn't.

Someone gave me this analogy yesterday. When Henry II lost his temper on hearing of Thomas O Becket's return from exile to cheering crowds and delivered a tirade that included lines like 'What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born clerk!', lines that caused four devoted hothead knights to seek out and murder Thomas Becket ('Where is Thomas Becket, traitor to the king and the kingdom?'), who was at most fault? Words from leaders matter. They can have devastating consequences. Now here is the difference. In the aftermath, Henry II, accepted his words incited the murder, and made a public act of penance, visiting the priest's tomb and giving it Royal approval. Not a word of contrition from Trump however, not even for the police officer that was murdered.

TheCat is absolutely right about trials in the court of public opinion. The legal system will decide who should be charged and what with, following proper investigation. But as KK says also, dumbing this down as though it was just some frat party that got out of hand, is equally dangerous. People died, and that also needs proper investigation. Keano, do you really think Trump is the only president that has struggles in the Senate and Congress? Politics is not a fun sport. It is brutal and opportunistic even at the best of times. Undermining is what all oppositions do. Obama was no different or have you forgotten the attacks on his legitimacy too, some of which Trump himself waded in on by the way, because the truth is that Donald Trump is not a very nice guy. As KK says, the number of people who vote for a party doesn't necessarily legitimise what the leader stands for. 70 million is just under a third of eligible voters in the USA. A good number of those voters are people who always vote Republican no matter who leads.

There was no doubt around the guy that took the speaker's podium. He was photographed carrying it in the Capitol Building and he put it on Ebay. He is a carpenter by trade apparently. Clearly valued the cut of the woodwork lol Just to add though, I am sure that most of the people who entered the building really didn't think they were breaking the law or would be rounded up and charged afterwards. The people who killed a Police Officer with a fire extinguisher, probably didn't march up there intending to murder a Police Officer, or those who seriously crushed another. I am sure the woman who was shot dead didn't think she was going to die trying to get into the main chamber. It is the disconnect from any idea of consequence for those however many minutes or hours of madness, that is hard understand. It reminds me of when people rioted and looted for days after the shooting of Mark Duggan. Hundreds were traced and charged and mostly made examples of. I suspect the same will be true here.

There are actually very few conditions that would render a person exempt. Most people not wearing masks have no reason for exemption. But while there is no requirement to get written proof or certification, the policy is unenforceable. My view is that if a store is not taking reasonable steps to limit the chances of viral spread, don't shop there.

Some will get more serious charges than others I would think. Just walking in through an open door is not the same as smashing it down. Only those at the front smashed it down, if you get my drift. The guy who took the speakers podium however, did then go and list it on Ebay. So I guess he can be charged with theft as well lol.

Newsnight last week talked to a haulage spokesperson who explained that export paperwork that took an hour before we left, now takes about five hours. Even if that is an exaggeration, it still signals an increase in costs that have to be passed on somewhere.

Here is a more balanced overview of the situation. COVAX is the arrangement that will be offered to all governments struggling to fund/ procure for vaccination programs. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/03/palestinians-excluded-from-israeli-covid-vaccine-rollout-as-jabs-go-to-settlers