Blah Blah

Quite KK. If Hamas started putting the welfare of the people they govern first over ideological hatred then maybe the vaccine would get to their people at the same rate as the rest of the world. But no-one ever wants to discuss the role of Hamas in any of this. Edited to add, that there are going to be many examples of wealthier countries getting vaccines first, while poorer countries wait. That is the context in which to have this conversation, over singling out Israel.

Sorry but I ask you again, who is the government of Gaza? It is Hamas. Have they made any effort to procure vaccine? Either by direct ordering, asking for help from neighbours or aid organisations? While there is much to criticise Israel for, given that they ARE vaccinating Palestinians that come under Israeli healthcare, you are bending the truth.

That statement he put on the POTUS twitter shows he is not backing down. Even if they impeach him so that he can't stand again in 2024, there are his kids or some other stooge he can push. I suspect Trump is not going anywhere, but will become like Alex Jones, someone existing in the social media shadows, creating his own media platforms and causing as much mayhem as he can. It is going to be a rough ride for America I fear.

Trump now permanently banned from Twitter.

Well is Hamas responsible for the procurement of vaccine for its people or not? Why are they not procuring vaccine? Israel is vaccinating Palestinians that are in Israel and fall under the responsibility of Israel healthcare systems which are semi-private anyway, so it is just not true to argue that they are prejudicing Palestinians per se.

The irony for me is that those who buy into conspiracy theories like Q-Anon, espouse the idea of a deep state etc. But when you look at the photo above, you see who that deep state really is. It is politicians, some of whom they bat for, and media outlets, like Breitbart (Raheem Kassam and great defender of Tommy Robinson in that photo too), and wealthy businessmen that bankrolled Brexit etc etc. The whole thing is a con. They are the swamp.

Ah you may be right. Now they are building a wall around Capitol Hill for the inauguration. How ironic!

Just to say that we seem to be getting mail again now. Had post two days running after weeks of nothing. Still waiting on some things but looks as though sorting is starting to happen.

A different perspective. https://www.thejc.com/comment/opinion/is-israel-discriminating-against-palestinians-with-vaccine-1.510338

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The only action against Trump has been by social > media orgs withdrawing access for a few hours. > The tinsel-haired twot should be dragged-out now > and taken to jail, hopefully with a ?medical > emergency? on the way. Reports from those with an ear to the Whitehouse say that Trump is in a deteriorating rage. The problem is the same as it has always been in that no-one dares to stand up to him. He still has executive powers for the next two weeks, including his hand on the nuclear button and while banning him from all social media cuts him off from his base, it isn't enough. Apparently he has released a statement promising a peaceful transition to Biden while still maintaining the election was stolen from him. There is no contrition from him there, or any understanding of the significance of what his words at that DC rally caused. As for the security arrangments around the Capitol Building, that also raises some serious questions. That would be akin to an angry mob climbing the gates of Parliament and forcing their way into the main chamber. How was that even able to happen? Trump is the leader of a cult. To invoke the 25th requires Pence calling cabinet to do it. These are the people who have stood by Trump all along, so I do not think they will do it.

Pence has unfollowed trump on Twitter, so I think any idea of a pardon can be forgotten, and is co-operating with Congress to move things forward. It would appear that Pence has taken over charge of the federal government without consulting Trump. Twitter has also deleted three of Trump's worst tweets, namely the ones where he doubles down on the violence he so clearly incited today, and they have locked his account for 12 hours, clearly unable to trust him to tweet sensibly. The woman who was shot, has died. Her death has to lie at his feet. One by one, Republican senators are distancing themselves from him and those two Senate seats up for grabs have gone to the Democrats, giving Harris the deciding control over the Senate. Trump is finished. Congress will certify Biden overnight. It is over. Melanie Trump's Chief of Staff has also resigned after tonight's events. The only question now is if congress will need to invoke the 25th Amendment to spare America of a last tow weeks of madness.

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > After winning these two seats (if that even > happens), it?ll be a 50/50 House from what I > understand with VP Harris having deciding-vote > power. > Unfortunately, due to the majorities required > (and, you?d have to suspect after Republican > behaviours this last few months) it will be > exceeding difficult to push change through. So the > Biden administration may be hugely crippled in its > ability to achieve as much as it intends. > For example, the ?Dirty Dozen? digging their heels > in. > Complete disaster for the US 😭 This is true for pretty much every President though. Even if both houses are won, that usually flips at the mid terms. Obama once said it was impossible to ever get anything done and that the only power a President really has is that of executive orders. This is why very little ever changes, no matter which party is in the White House.

The crucial difference between China and the rest of the world is the draconian measures they took by comparison, and the speed at which they took them. This boiled down to intense enforcement of rules, everyone staying at home, wearing masks, everyone using a track and trace app and a traffic light system that determines who can move where. That is an infringement on freedom that is a step too far for all Western countries, although France maybe got closest to it with enforced curfews and written permissions needed to leave the home. Of course, the other question is one of honesty around infection and death rates. No-one believes for one moment that China have been honest about any of that. And because of that, it is difficult to assess if the draconian measures taken by China, have in reality been any more successful than any of the Wests measures. Better comparisons might be made with like for like countries, with equal levels of population and density.

Has anyone tried going to the sorting office itself to get their mail? No post here since mid December either and wondering if that is an option?

TheCat Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think its pretty important that we begin to see > a 'Daily Inoculations" (and a cumulative chart) > next to the macabre infections, hospitalizations, > deaths data that's so prominent on a daily basis > wherever we look..... > > At least that way the population can see that > something is being done.... I think that is actually a very good suggestion. The government is arguing that rolling out vaccinations and getting infection rates down through this lockdown are to go hand in hand. So it seems very sensible to keep the public aware of progress on both of those things. Gut instinct tells me that things are not perhaps not going to be that simple, but as you say, the key to keeping the public onside now, is progress.

Sephiroth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Christ almighty > > ?Tory bastards? was the phrase made famous by Major > > Not history repeating itself. I think that is the perfect example Sephiroth, of someone so intent on demonishing a perceived other side, that they lose sight of the ignorance displayed in their own bias ;)

Worth remembering Malumbu that a huge part of the human genome project was done in Cambridge and we really are at the forefront globally of that type of genetic science, attracting the best scientists from all over the world. This is why those who make denial claims, that covid is a hoax, or that it was created in a lab etc, don't understand how advanced we really are in that area of science in the UK.

JohnL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The AstraZeneca vaccine can be produced locally in > countries like Thailand and India - a big > advantage. India has a huge production plan. I'm > not sure where ours are sourced from. > > https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-555206 > 58 Except India are now holding back vaccine for their own population. The result is that the first 15 million AstraZenica doses are being delivered to the UK, with no more coming until March end at the earliest. Even on the one dose policy with second doses being given from later deliveries, that limits the vaccine program and falls short of being able to complete vaccination of the 30 million that fall into the phase one identified groups before Easter. This is why a six month rollout was always a more reasonable timeframe, over the eternal false promises given by this government that everything can happen quicker.

Sorry, but I reject that, because procurement isn't the determining factor for availability. And if you want to be detailed about it, the UK only ordered one initial order from Pfizer, over other countries that put in repeat orders to begin with. Any repeat order for us will now be at the back of a long queue. And you know better than to defend the ludicrous claims of Trinny. You are better than that.

I like Louisa's slow puncture analogy :)

Well Said DR. The development of vaccines is an example of where collaboration and regulatory alignment works. Lives are saved because of it. So in fact, we should be thanking TrinnyTroll for highlighting that success of collaboration, and asking if it will be so straightforward now that we can no longer take advantage of Erasmus based exchange programs run by various prestigious R&D Universities across the EU. But I digress..... On the vaccine supply, every government wants to claim they are on top of any rollout. That is natural. But when governments change the science to suit their own logistical problems (suggesting that people can have two different vaccines when there is NO medical trails to check if that is even effective, let alone safe), that is something we should all worry about. Something clearly has gone wrong with the second shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, otherwise 2nd jab appointments wouldn't be being cancelled. Now either that is a supply issue, or it is some holdup in batch verification (all batches that arrive have to be checked), or it is government worrying about the longer time frame for the delivery of that specific order (it is not delivered all at once remember), or any other vaccine deliveries. Bear in mind that the UK have to vaccinate almost 30 million people twice, just to to cover all vulnerable age groups, front line workers and those with underlying conditions. Even at 1 million shots a week, that is going to be six months. Countries with smaller populations are going to get there faster. Countries with larger populations slower. Government logic has now become to reduce the death rates over reducing infection rates, so that restrictions can be eased. But this is a tricky route to take, because for all those who die, other multiples need ICU treatment to recover. And when restrictions ease, infection rates rise. There is also the issue with just people getting ill in general, and being unwell for weeks, fatigued for even longer in some cases. People of work ill also hit the economy if those figures are high enough. This is a difficult balance to strike on many levels, not just the issue of mortality.

Supply is already an issue for the UK with many who were given the first Pfizer shot having appointments for the second shot cancelled because there is no vaccine to give them. Pfizer have already said there is no evidence of lasting efficacy after 21 days and that their trials did not look at anything but a two shot program. For the UK government to be claiming that does not matter is just plain wrong. The Oxford vaccine can however be given within a 12 week window for both shots. And let's stop the silly games eh TrinnyTroll? Supply is going to be an issue for all of Europe and the USA, in spite of the best efforts of manufacturers. That is just the reality of the challenge in vaccinating the entire world. Meanwhile, we might want to ask why some countries have managed infection rather better than us, and see what can be learned there.

JohnL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is rather ominous > > ?Populists depend on enemies, real or imagined, to legitimise their actions and deflect from their > own shortcomings,? she said. If the EU has been the ?enemy abroad? since 2016, it will steadily be > replaced by ?enemies within?: MPs, civil servants, judges, lawyers, experts, the BBC. > > ?Individuals and institutions who dare to limit the power of the executive, even if it is just by > asking questions, are at constant risk of being denounced as ?activists?? by the Johnson > government, Von Bismarck said. This is a really important point. A bill is already being drawn up to limit the remit of the Supreme Court, especially when it comes to actions taken by the government. That is going to be an undermining of Parliamentary sovereignty in itself. A deliberate move to consolidate the power of the executive in a way that can not be challenged, even by the law. Getting Brexit done was only the first step on a road that is being shaped by the more extreme fringes of the Tory Party, and they are more UKIP than conservative.

And now the troll proves my point perfectly ;)

The general conversation about the direction the UK takes is the key point now. There are lots of good reasons for not wanting to be the USA or Singapore, especially if you are a low paid worker. The Tory party have to be careful here. They won the election in part by promising better living standards to whole regions of disenfranchised people, regions which had benefited from EU investment. I just do not trust, nor see how the Tories are going to deliver on that promise. Even New Labour failed to address that disenfranchisement in meaningful ways. So that will be the litmus test I think.