Brexit, for once some facts.

[oyster]

Avoid touching your face. And this is how - shamelessly stolen from elsewhere:

Farmers have suggested smearing onto your hands fresh cow dung. It will
prevent you touching your face and make you wash your hands before
eating. It has the added advantage that people will keep at least 2
metres away from you.

 

[oyster]

In a country where food supply might be in jeopardy, and there are many psychological and social issues with lockdown, just how did the the government come up with enabling off-licences to be regarded as essential but closing garden centres and plant nurseries?

 

[oyster]

In case you had not noticed:

The transaction limit for contactless card payments will increase from £30 to £45 per transaction from Wednesday.

A few problems.
My panic buying of loads of alcohol could be more than £45.
Not much help at places like petrol stations where they don't support contactless (well, none I use does).
Car park machine needs a least a dozen touches to select ticket and how to pay, the contactless element (less than a pound) is almost irrelevant.
Partner seems to get challenged again and again - even just the other day, since lockdown, for a fairly small transaction.
Finally, there's precious few bloody places to buy anything!

 

[oldgroaner]

Robert Peston
.
@michaelgove
said just now that the difficulty in increasing number of #COVID19 tests was due to a shortage of the relevant "chemcial reagents". Well I've just talked to the Chemical Industries Association, which represents the UK's very substantial chemicals industry. It...
has contacted its members, and they've said there is no shortage of the relevant reagents. So the Association has now been in touch with
@michaelgove
's office to find out what he means, because it is stumped. The Association also points out there was an industry chat with...
a business minister today, who made no attempt to find out if there was a supply problem for the vital ingredients of Covid19 testing kits. So this question of why there aren't enough tests for the virus is an even bigger mystery. Also, if it turns out there is a shortage...
these manufacturers are more than happy to increase their production. But they need to be asked, which has not happened. PS It was Labour MP
@Bill_Esterson
who initially spotted this gap between what Gove said and what the industry believes to be true.

Gove was lying again

 

[oyster]

Robert Peston
.
@michaelgove
said just now that the difficulty in increasing number of #COVID19 tests was due to a shortage of the relevant "chemcial reagents". Well I've just talked to the Chemical Industries Association, which represents the UK's very substantial chemicals industry. It...
has contacted its members, and they've said there is no shortage of the relevant reagents. So the Association has now been in touch with
@michaelgove
's office to find out what he means, because it is stumped. The Association also points out there was an industry chat with...
a business minister today, who made no attempt to find out if there was a supply problem for the vital ingredients of Covid19 testing kits. So this question of why there aren't enough tests for the virus is an even bigger mystery. Also, if it turns out there is a shortage...
these manufacturers are more than happy to increase their production. But they need to be asked, which has not happened. PS It was Labour MP
@Bill_Esterson
who initially spotted this gap between what Gove said and what the industry believes to be true.

Gove was lying again

And again and again.

For one thing, he repeatedly includes or excludes S, W and NI to help his figures but rarely makes it clear.

In Wales, we have more testing issues:

Wales left short of coronavirus testing kits after firm pulls out
Wales is only testing 800 people a day, rather than the 6,000 it had planned to
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/wales-left-short-of-coronavirus-testing-kits-after-firm-pulls-out

 

[oyster]

Agree with this:

MPs call for 'virtual House of Commons' amid Covid-19 early recess

Lib Dem’s Ed Davey said UK should create New Zealand-style select committee on coronavirus
MPs from across the political spectrum are calling for a virtual House of Commons to be established to scrutinise the government’s response to coronavirus.

Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the UK should also look to New Zealand and create a new select committee to question the government’s Covid-19 strategy.

He wants a weekly PMQs with Boris Johnson through video-conferencing and an end to the rule that stops MPs from tabling written questions during recess so that the public can get more information from government.

Parliament broke for recess a week early as the number of cases of the virus around Westminster increased. MPs are not due back in the Commons until 21 April.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/mar/31/mps-call-for-virtual-house-of-commons-amid-covid-19-early-recess

 

[wheeler]

Reminds me of the chap who visited his doctor complaining that his penis had turned orange.
The doctor examined the offending item but couldn't come to a diagnosis.
He asked the chap what he did for a living and was told that he was unemployed.
"So what do you do all day?" he asked.
The man replied "Oh nothing much, I mostly watch porn movies while eating cheesy Wotsits."

 

[oldgroaner]

The Brexiteers are still out there repeating tried and tested other peoples lies as if they are true
like this one

"And f****g remoaners are the ones that shouted abuse at old people when they voted brexit saying they will dead soon so f***k off with **** femi ya bunch of f*****g hypocrites

Amazing how the simple minded can take in lies and treat them as gospel, for how could anyone have done what this idiot claimed on the simple principle that they had no way of knowing how any other person voted?

The moron fringe will somehow have to be put back in their box if normal times are ever to return.

 

[jonathan.agnew]

Avoid touching your face. And this is how - shamelessly stolen from elsewhere:

Farmers have suggested smearing onto your hands fresh cow dung. It will
prevent you touching your face and make you wash your hands before
eating. It has the added advantage that people will keep at least 2
metres away from you.

alternatively a drawn out emphysematous cough (it clears a supermarket aisle remarkably well)

 

[oyster]

Two forms of coronavirus

About one month after the COVID-19 epidemic peaked in Mainland China and SARS-CoV-2 migrated from China westward to Europe and then the U.S., the epidemiological data begin to provide important insights into the risks associated with the disease and the effectiveness of intervention strategies. Like other respiratory diseases, including the 2003 SARS epidemic, the virus remains only about two months in any given population, yet the peak incidence and the lethality can vary. The data suggest that at least two strains of the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 virus have evolved during its migration from Mainland China to Europe. South Korea, Iran, and Italy were hit by the more dangerous "SKII" variant. While the epidemic in China is about to end, and in Europe about to level off, the course of the epidemic in the younger US population is still increasing and the peak level will likely depend on which of the strains has entered the US first. The same models that help us to understand the epidemic also help us to choose prevention strategies. While containment merely prolongs the time the disease circulates until the proportion of immune people is high enough for "herd immunity", reducing disease severity, either by vaccination or by early treatment of complications, is the best strategy against a respiratory virus disease.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.28.20036715v1

 

[oldgroaner]

Boris seems to have spread his influence again
https://www.hellofaread.com/politics/boris-johnsons-personal-photographer-goes-down-with-coronavirus-and-may-have-spread-it-in-new-nhs-nightingale-hospital/
BORIS JOHNSON’S PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHER GOES DOWN WITH CORONAVIRUS AND MAY HAVE SPREAD IT IN NEW NHS NIGHTINGALE HOSPITAL
BORIS Johnson’s personal photographer has gone down with coronavirus – and may have spread it around the new NHS Nightingale.

Andrew Parsons was taking pictures of the Prime Minister before he self-isolated last week before going to the east London hospital to take snaps for No.10 – before coming down with the virus earlier this week.

Instead of self-isolating – as the government advice suggests – the photographer was in close contact with members of staff last Saturday taking up close and personal shots of civil service staff at the Downing Street Covid-19 meeting – chaired by the PM through a video call.

He later took snaps inside the new NHS Nightingale hospital alongside dozens of squaddies helping build the new facility inside the Excel conference centre in East London.

A source said: “After Boris was diagnosed instead of self isolating he went over to the new hospital at Excel to do pictures.

“Instead of doing the sensible thing he has potentially passed it on to all the squaddies working over there, as well as a number of civil servants and officials he’s been in touch with.

What a bunch of utter pillocks!

 

[Barry Shittpeas]

He's breaking articles 3 and 7 of the Peel Principles on police ethics which bind the UK police, so his intentions are dangerous:

Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.

Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

As David Blunkett observed, we have a tradition of policing by co-operation which must not be lost in the current measures. As he said, other's police forces where they've lived under fascism or communism don't have that tradition and it's too valuable to lose.

The Peter Goodmans of this world would accidentally have us sleep walk into a police state where we lose our hard won freedoms. They must always be vigorously opposed when they wander into this territory.

I don't join with those who objected to the use of a drone since it did identify an irresponsible large group. Where that force were very wrong was to put their video online with totally unjustified attacks on those who were walking in isolation, in some cases having driven there. Neither action was either wrong or illegal.
.

I believe that many people support a strict adherence to the lock-down measures, particularly doctors & nurses. So in that respect, the police are the public etc. However, shaming on social media by the police is a silly thing to do.

 

[soundwave]

quote bbc,
Zoe Badder and her partner are now living on 80% of his income.

were going to have fkn werewolves everywhere fkn thing has green demon eyes pmsl

 

[oldgroaner]

Not a good start Boris
From the Daily Mail
"
Who wants to join the Cabinet? Virus-hit Boris Johnson accidentally broadcasts the Zoom ID of UK's first virtual (and very casual) government meeting - sparking immediate scramble to guess his password

Pillock

 

[oyster]

Not in a position to evaluate the numbers, is 30% enough?, but the principle of this seems right:

The British housebuilding firm Taylor Wimpey has scrapped annual bonuses and announced its board will take a 30% pay cut.
It comes after the company temporarily closed all of its show homes, sales centres and construction sites due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A planned 2% annual salary increase set to come into force from today for executive directors will be cancelled, the company said. “The objective of these changes is to conserve cash, with a particular focus on protecting the long-term financial security of the business as a whole, for the benefit of all of the company’s stakeholders,” Taylor Wimpey said in a statement to shareholders this morning.

 

[oldgroaner]

Not in a position to evaluate the numbers, is 30% enough?, but the principle of this seems right:

The British housebuilding firm Taylor Wimpey has scrapped annual bonuses and announced its board will take a 30% pay cut.
It comes after the company temporarily closed all of its show homes, sales centres and construction sites due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A planned 2% annual salary increase set to come into force from today for executive directors will be cancelled, the company said. “The objective of these changes is to conserve cash, with a particular focus on protecting the long-term financial security of the business as a whole, for the benefit of all of the company’s stakeholders,” Taylor Wimpey said in a statement to shareholders this morning.

Why are the shareholder getting off scot free?

 

[oyster]

Why are the shareholder getting off scot free?

I really don't think they are getting off scot free.

 

[oldgroaner]

Long overdue, get Parliament back to work

 

[oyster]

Long overdue, get Parliament back to work

They need to justify a five-minute tea-break under current circumstances. Let alone a recess.

If online is achievable for a cabinet meeting, it could be used for parliamentary work, especially committees.

There might be difficulties with whole HoC - but as much is already broadcast, it wouldn't seem to be insurmountable.

 

[oyster]

Robert Peston
.
@michaelgove
said just now that the difficulty in increasing number of #COVID19 tests was due to a shortage of the relevant "chemcial reagents". Well I've just talked to the Chemical Industries Association, which represents the UK's very substantial chemicals industry. It...
has contacted its members, and they've said there is no shortage of the relevant reagents. So the Association has now been in touch with
@michaelgove
's office to find out what he means, because it is stumped. The Association also points out there was an industry chat with...
a business minister today, who made no attempt to find out if there was a supply problem for the vital ingredients of Covid19 testing kits. So this question of why there aren't enough tests for the virus is an even bigger mystery. Also, if it turns out there is a shortage...
these manufacturers are more than happy to increase their production. But they need to be asked, which has not happened. PS It was Labour MP
@Bill_Esterson
who initially spotted this gap between what Gove said and what the industry believes to be true.

Gove was lying again

The ineptitude of not even realising someone might ask "What reagent?", not having an answer, and making it look ever more like infinite numbers of monkeys making up excuses on typewriters.

That so much then quotes "reagent" as if it is a specific something. Rather than a blanket term for chemical compounds used in certain ways. As if you go to Amazon, or eBay, or AliExpress and search for "reagent". Or can ask the UK chemical industry for however many litres of "reagent".

A reagent /riˈeɪdʒənt/ is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or added to test if a reaction occurs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagent