We are indeed fortunate

[JohnL]

A news conference tonight with Boris, Vallance and Whitty - I don't think there's anything new just updates similar to last Spring.

Boris trip to India cancelled.

[Steven Taylor]

The folk of East Dulwich are indeed very fortunate- the million pound homes and fancy M&S food only interrupted to huge disdain when someone jogs too close to them on a path or a dog is off its lead on Peckham Rye Common.

Its a tough life in SE22.

[TheCat]

Steven Taylor Wrote:

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> The folk of East Dulwich are indeed very

> fortunate- the million pound homes and fancy M&S

> food only interrupted to huge disdain when someone

> jogs too close to them on a path or a dog is off

> its lead on Peckham Rye Common.

>

> Its a tough life in SE22.

It was only a few months ago that you moved to ED from Surbiton, Steven. You were so enthusiastic and debonair, wanting to 'sup expensive whiskies' with the locals in your own words. Its sad to see your character arc has become so bitter, so quickly.

[Steven Taylor]

TheCat Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Steven Taylor Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The folk of East Dulwich are indeed very

> > fortunate- the million pound homes and fancy

> M&S

> > food only interrupted to huge disdain when

> someone

> > jogs too close to them on a path or a dog is

> off

> > its lead on Peckham Rye Common.

> >

> > Its a tough life in SE22.

>

> It was only a few months ago that you moved to ED

> from Surbiton, Steven. You were so enthusiastic

> and debonair, wanting to 'sup expensive whiskies'

> with the locals in your own words. Its sad to see

> your character arc has become so bitter, so

> quickly.

With the attitude and the unwavering sense of entitlement of folk round here, thats not too difficult.

[malumbu]

I thought that you would have approved of ST provoking some discussion Cat. I considered that he/she was being tongue in cheek, and even if it wasn't there is a point there. He wont be the first or last to attack some of the (occasional) pomposity on this site. ST - worth coming down the Hamlet some time, when crowds allowed back in Dog Kennel Hill (you can also take the opportunity to visit Sainsburys ED, very different the Savecenter in Lower Sydenham).

Ah, Cat, got me there, you were also being tongue in cheek. Isn't what that Buzzard chap does?

[JohnL]

Boris's new catchphrase seems to be "Alas"

[Blah Blah]

TheCat Wrote:

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> 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.

[diable rouge]

As long as the Gov doesn't start massaging the figures like it does with testing...

[malumbu]

To go back to a previous post of mine, looking at the data things seem so much worse in the UK due to the new variant. There was a certain feeling that it was rife across Europe and they simply weren't looking for it as well as we were. But London and the SE is truly shocking, even vs the rest of the country. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before everywhere else catches up. But it destroys the whole premise of this thread that things are better here.

[TheCat]

FFS....

"The standard operating procedures issued to NHS Trusts for ordering vaccine supplies from PHE warn that next-day deliveries should only be expected from Monday to Friday, as long as orders are placed before 11.55am"

The f@cking jobsworths throughout PHE and NHS bureaucracies drive me up the wall....

Where's the urgency? We should be vaccinating 7 days a week, at least 16 hours a day (6am-10pm) at every site available (apparently the NHS has knocked back an offer from the 11400 private pharmacies around the country to rollout the vaccine, despite the fact that these pharmacies have trained vaccinators, who give the flu jab every year). I'm willing accept that things take time to ramp up, but I don't even hear plans for some out of the box ideas on how to supercharge the rollout.....just hollow govt and NHS/PHE promises and needless red-tape....

Rant over.

[JohnL]

Who's in charge though.

I notice Nigel Farage said perhaps putting Tiny Blair in charge maybe a good ides - Farage has the right idea that we need someone who is responsible for the whole thing, a big name maybe who will get this rollout done.

[TheCat]

Yes agreed.

The govt ministers seem too inept and inexperienced to constructively push back on what they are being told by beuarocratsand civil servants. Just my gut feeling...but I believe that this inexperience means they either just take what they are told as gospel ( I.e. "Oh, right, so it's going to take 21 forms to sign up a vaccinator and there's nothing we can do about it?..not to worry, tally ho!" ) or they try to bulldoze their agenda through and piss everyone off in the process. A big name who can crack some heads, but without p1ssing too many people off would be great....

Will Boris/gove and co be secure enough in themselves to not feel that appointing someone external is a sign of govt weakness?....I hope not, but wouldn't bet on it!

[KidKruger]

malumbu Wrote:

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...things seem so much worse in the UK due to the new variant...

Actually, ?things are so much worse due to the? belligerence of the British public, lack of border controls and weak and confused response by the Govt.

The virus is here.

How it affects us is down to our behaviours, it?s not something been done TO us.

We own how this goes down, ie. like going to pubs. Get it ?

[KidKruger]

TheCat Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

...Will Boris/gove and co be secure enough in

> themselves to not feel that appointing someone

> external is a sign of govt weakness?...

And from the Govt that?s just it, their no.1 priority is re-election and how their decisions may ?look?.

Unfortunately their decisions since last Spring don?t ?look? good, do they ?

They?ve spent too much time concentrating on keeping too many people on their side, rather than face the pandemic as the challenge it is.

A spineless Govt and a belligerent population is a dangerous combo indeed, look at the numbers.

[KidKruger]

...And the announcement of a THIRD lockdown...?!

There even wasn?t a First lockdown. Those temporary restrictions last year weren?t even called a ?lockdown? until weeks after they ended, when it was convenient for Govt to present their actions as decisive, considered and effective.

[Spartacus]

We are indeed very fortunate

We can all, without fear of imprisonment or prosecution, criticize our government and air our views. We are free to make our own decisions about if we adhere to policies designed to keep us safe and if we don't and infection rates go up, we can then moan with out recriminations that not enough was done to enforce said policies.

But most of all, by posting on here we demonstrate that we are alive and not a covid statistic in the "sadly" section of the news...

I count my blessings daily and can just imagine the joys of the North Korea Forum posts ("our leader is glorious , we are fortunate")

[Sephiroth]

the thread was started to say how lucky the UK was to not be in the EU

Not sure what North Korea has to do with anything

[malumbu]

Can you put these sentiment to music Sparticus - I'd love to the video - you could use Thatcher and Churchill as an influence. Just teasing

[Spartacus]

Sephiroth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> the thread was started to say how lucky the UK was

> to not be in the EU

>

> Not sure what North Korea has to do with anything

It's to do with the fact that in the EDF we have freedom of speech

On the North Korea Forum, they won't

Light bulb gone on yet ?

[malumbu]

You could also use Tom Robinson as an example

Yes I digress

[Sephiroth]

"It's to do with the fact that in the EDF we have freedom of speech

On the North Korea Forum, they won't

Light bulb gone on yet ?"

But people know those things already - why are you repeating them now and on this thread?

It's not relevant to the subject under discussion

[KidKruger]

Let?s not forget how lucky we are that the universe actually started and the planets aligned with the sun the way they did and that Earth had oxygen and a mild gravitational field and that water was delivered by asteroids and that we are lucky enough to exist even though 98.8% of species that ever existed are extinct etc..

[Spartacus]

Exactly KK

So count your blessings that all that happened in either 6 days or over a few million years depending on your beliefs 😆

[Spartacus]

Sephiroth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's not relevant to the subject under discussion

The relevance is that like a lot of threads on here, this discussion has just become a rambling whinge fest.

So I count how fortunate I am in different ways to you.

[JohnL]

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Let?s not forget how lucky we are that the

> universe actually started and the planets aligned

> with the sun the way they did and that Earth had

> oxygen and a mild gravitational field and that

> water was delivered by asteroids and that we are

> lucky enough to exist even though 98.8% of species

> that ever existed are extinct etc..

If the universe hadn't worked out as it did we wouldn't be here to discuss it (or we'd be something completely different ) :)