Brexit, for once some facts.

Wicky

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Feb 12, 2014
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CNBC are reporting that the Oxford phase 3 trial is going to be restarted in the USA after being paused for about a month. I don't know if the delay was partly political as it was only stopped for about a week or so in the UK and other countries. Johnson and Johnson have also been given permission to re-start their phase 3 trial on their vaccine, I think that trial was paused for around a week.

I think it's good news that both these large trials have now been given the go ahead in the USA, I am not certain but I think the UK have purchased millions of the J&J vaccine along with the Oxford vaccine and two or three other vaccines too. I guess it's sensible not to have all ones eggs in one basket when it comes to buying vaccines.
IIRC There was a recent death in Brazil (control group?) which might have been part of the spanner in the works / delay.
 
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RossG

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Feb 12, 2019
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I really hope you are right, my worry is Trump is not going to play by the rules, he and many of his supporters will do anything to win. This piece by Jonathan Freedland provides some ideas of the kinds of things he may well get up to, and there are probably a whole lot more that Freedland hasn't thought of or would rather not put into a national newspaper.
Trump has already said if he were ever prosecuted for anything he would pardon himself which he can do, therefore if he loses out to Biden all he has to do is push him down a flight of stairs get pardoned and it's business as usual.
I'm not sure the Presidency could be handed immediately to his running mate, I'm sure Trump would find a way of stopping that happening too.
 

RossG

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Feb 12, 2019
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Tiers are proving useless already here in London.

I left my tier 2 home in the early evening to do my shop at the usual supermarket over the border in tier1, illegal of course, Irresponsible? Actually no, read on.

Reaching the road to that destination I joined the continuous stream of cars also heading that way from tier 2 to tier1 where they live, commuters of course heading home after work they have to be present for. They are the people who can't afford to live in London's housing but are essential to keep London working.

But in the opposite direction were the continuous stream of cars heading from their tier 1 workplaces to their tier 2 homes. They are the workers who are able to afford to live in London for historic reasons like their home passed down through the family or they live in council houses or housing association homes but have jobs over the border.

Why are they working in tier 1? Well of course London is in truth a supercity of over 13 million people which doesn't stop at the lines on the map which define the GLC area, so the homes and workplaces sprawl in all directions which these silly tiers cannot take into account. Many work even further away, one of my Croydon neighbours drives the M23 to and from Brighton every day for his work.

Clearly the tiers will have no effect in stopping the spread of Covid-19.
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We're all part of the problem flecc and all part of the solution too, covid spreads through people so as we move around so we spread it around. People ignore the rules do whatever they want so covid spreads more and more, there isn't a political solution it's up to us.
Myself I follow the rules to the letter because I don't have a problem with them, I no longer visit anyone and haven't since march and they don't come here because I don't want them to. I don't have the slightest problem with mask wearing, I now have dozens of the things and hand washing keeping my distance etc is the norm for me anyway. I often think of WWII when people were told to "put that light out!" so the did, they didn't stand there hands on hips and argue the toss with an ARP warden it was for their own good as well as everyone else just like covid rules.
 
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oyster

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Nov 7, 2017
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In my county yesterday (or could be day before - the media are not always clear!) there was one new case of Covid-19. No deaths.

The NHS app is now saying the risk level is HIGH.

I do appreciate that the whole of Wales is in enhanced lockdown. But this is nonsense. This is one of the lowest level areas in the whole UK. If the risk level is being set from the applied control measures, it is meaningless. If it is being set on some other grounds, just what are they?

ADDING

Just checked official figures: Number of cases in the county in previous 24 hours = One. Deaths = None. Cases per 100,000 = 0.8.
 
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oyster

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2017
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West West Wales
Only just found out about this:

A HAVERFORDWEST site is part of a pilot programme monitoring coronavirus in Wales’ sewage systems, finding that virus spikes in the community can be detected in local waste water.

The programme, launched in June, is now monitoring 20 sites across Wales, including Haverfordwest, and covers 80 per cent of the Welsh population.
https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/18818267.coronavirus-haverfordwest-waste-water-site-helping-fight-covid/

I knew that it was being done in some places but no idea that it was so extensive in Wales.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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We're all part of the problem flecc and all part of the solution too, covid spreads through people so as we move around so we spread it around. People ignore the rules do whatever they want so covid spreads more and more, there isn't a political solution it's up to us.
Myself I follow the rules to the letter because I don't have a problem with them, I no longer visit anyone and haven't since march and they don't come here because I don't want them to. I don't have the slightest problem with mask wearing, I now have dozens of the things and hand washing keeping my distance etc is the norm for me anyway. I often think of WWII when people were told to "put that light out!" so the did, they didn't stand there hands on hips and argue the toss with an ARP warden it was for their own good as well as everyone else just like covid rules.
What was the point of you posting this needless lecture? I clearly showed that over 99% of the problem was the unavoidable essential travel of working people. And I can show that my voluntary trip over that line over the map wasn't part of the problem but a solution, but what is the point when I've explained that before but you take no notice?

It seems to have escaped you that my post wasn't arguing for less restriction but for more, making the tier 2 area very much larger so that the whole of the urban conurbation and associated travel area is included. It would make more sense if the whole of the South-East were a single tier area since travel within it is so extensive. Then everyone likely to be in proximity would clearly know what was wanted and the tier restrictions could be effective, which they certainly aren't now.

Tier 2 can't go into tier 1 but tier 1 can travel into tier 2, both together in an area of continuous housing and shopping! What on earth is the sense of that? No wonder so many are confused about what is wanted.
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Danidl

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Sep 29, 2016
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What was the point of you posting this needless lecture? I clearly showed that over 99% of the problem was the unavoidable essential travel of working people. And I can show that my voluntary trip over that line over the map wasn't part of the problem but a solution, but what is the point when I've explained that before but you take no notice.

It seems to have escaped you that my post wasn't arguing for less restriction but for more, making the tier 2 area very much larger so that the whole of the urban conurbation and associated travel area is included. It would make more sense if the whole of the South-East were a single tier area since travel within it is so extensive. Then everyone likely to be in proximity would clearly know what was wanted and the tier restrictions could be effective, which they certainly aren't now.

Tier 2 can't go into tier 1 but tier 1 can travel into tier 2, both together in an area of continuous housing and shopping! What on earth is the sense of that? No wonder so many are confused about what is wanted.
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Welcome to Borderlands Flecc... This is exactly the type of situation that the Brexit + CV19 situation has left my area of Ireland in. When you factor in day trippers wanting to cherry pick the slightly different lockdown regimens it gets crazy.
 
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Barry Shittpeas

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Jan 1, 2020
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I’ve just seen my friend who is an ICU nurse. At the peak of the last Coronavirus outbreak, she told me that their capacity was busy, but not overwhelmed. At one point, they were less busy than during normal times.

This time she says they are already overwhelmed and was visibly upset. Her hospital is discharging from and not accepting over 65s into the ICU, due to demand. Basically, if you are over 65 and require ICU care, you aren’t going to get it in this particular area.

She has been threatened with all sorts of punishment if she discloses the state of this hospital. She looked absolutely broken.
 

Barry Shittpeas

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Jan 1, 2020
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What about a 15%, or more, tax on everything purchased from Amazon, Ebay and the like? These restrictions are strangling small businesses and handing the Amazons a massive captive customer base.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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What about a 15%, or more, tax on everything purchased from Amazon, Ebay and the like? These restrictions are strangling small businesses and handing the Amazons a massive captive customer base.
Fully agreed and it could easily stand 25% or 33% purchase tax. That would also solve our current unemployment problems since the revenue could pay for a huge increase in customs, checking and charging on everything coming in.
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jonathan.agnew

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Dec 27, 2018
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What about a 15%, or more, tax on everything purchased from Amazon, Ebay and the like? These restrictions are strangling small businesses and handing the Amazons a massive captive customer base.
Didn't boris have to sacrifice taxing amazon for the prospect of a trade deal with trump's usa end of last year? I completely agree with increased tax on US multinationals. But you will have to remove brexit, trump, boris and a trade deal with usa from the equation to make it happen. Rejoining the eu would be a good first step. That, I imagine, could be a snag for a trump supporting conservative voting brexiteer.
Edit - incoherent populist proposals that doesn't have a chance of being implemented is a boris speciality. Let's try not to emulate him.
 
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wheeler

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 4, 2016
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Scotland
What about a 15%, or more, tax on everything purchased from Amazon, Ebay and the like? These restrictions are strangling small businesses and handing the Amazons a massive captive customer base.
The problem with that is that local businesses simply don't supply the range of goods that Amazon does. Simply taxing everything Amazon sells won't drive sales to local outlets if they can't supply.
A recent example was the failure of the water heater in a family member's shop on a Sunday. I diagnosed the problem as a failed thermostat and a replacement from Amazon arrived next day. There is nowhere nearby that sells such a thing.
 
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Danidl

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Sep 29, 2016
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The problem with that is that local businesses simply don't supply the range of goods that Amazon does. Simply taxing everything Amazon sells won't drive sales to local outlets if they can't supply.
A recent example was the failure of the water heater in a family member's shop on a Sunday. I diagnosed the problem as a failed thermostat and a replacement from Amazon arrived next day. There is nowhere nearby that sells such a thing.
But of course . My wife did Geography in university, and part of that involved urban geography inc. supermarket choice and then strangulation. . The local shops which did these things get bypassed, and once monopoly is established,the range decreases and decreases .
Once those items would have been in stock.and we would still have an independent electric goods shop where the rubber gaskets for popular washing machines ,or inlet valves can be got. I do think there should a additional tax on online retailers since they are not paying high street rates.
Outfits like Currys are the pits.. they have zero spare parts for anything.
 

Barry Shittpeas

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 1, 2020
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Didn't boris have to sacrifice taxing amazon for the prospect of a trade deal with trump's usa end of last year? I completely agree with increased tax on US multinationals. But you will have to remove brexit, trump, boris and a trade deal with usa from the equation to make it happen. Rejoining the eu would be a good first step. That, I imagine, could be a snag for a trump supporting conservative voting brexiteer.
Edit - incoherent populist proposals that doesn't have a chance of being implemented is a boris speciality. Let's try not to emulate him.
You’re as daft as a brush at times.
 

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,461
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he just winds you up.
Lets face it regardless how "saintly" people regards him elsewhere on the forum he comes on this thread to disrupt it, and for no other reason.
Anyone remember the name for people doing that?:cool:
 

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,461
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I see the TSIW has raised Boris’s 3 Tier COVID alert system by 2 and bid 5 Tiers. Boris should now smash her with a 7 Tier system, she’ll fold, I certain of it.

Where do they get these idiots from? I’ve come across a few monumental twats in my time, but these people are a special case. It must be the product of decades of selective breeding, carefully refining and distilling the clown gene.
Don't knock it, after all it did give Tory voters to the Human race.
(Which could be some vengeful god taking the mickey over our theory that evolution improves the species) :cool:
 

RossG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2019
1,628
1,646
What was the point of you posting this needless lecture? I clearly showed that over 99% of the problem was the unavoidable essential travel of working people. And I can show that my voluntary trip over that line over the map wasn't part of the problem but a solution, but what is the point when I've explained that before but you take no notice?

It seems to have escaped you that my post wasn't arguing for less restriction but for more, making the tier 2 area very much larger so that the whole of the urban conurbation and associated travel area is included. It would make more sense if the whole of the South-East were a single tier area since travel within it is so extensive. Then everyone likely to be in proximity would clearly know what was wanted and the tier restrictions could be effective, which they certainly aren't now.

Tier 2 can't go into tier 1 but tier 1 can travel into tier 2, both together in an area of continuous housing and shopping! What on earth is the sense of that? No wonder so many are confused about what is wanted.
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I agree with much of what you say flecc although I'm not sure about the 99% bit. I've been doing some research on covid clusters down here on the coast, Southampton - Portsmouth - Chichester and so on. I know these places very well like the back of my hand as I've lived & worked in all of them and know the people very well.
I discovered for example one large Student Accommodation block that had over 150 covid positive cases, also I located a road where there were over 20 cases of covid. I know that street well as I use to live nearby many years ago and at least 40% of the homes have been converted for let to Students.
Literally hundreds of businesses in the areas I mentioned have been prosecuted for breaking covid rules not to mention dozens of raves/parties etc broken up by the authorities. We have what I call a telephone "grass line" where you can dob someone in for breaking the rules and are looked on as a hero.
None of this happened in Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea or most of the far east & Asia because they 'put that light out ' as requested ....or else ! Only a complete lockdown made any difference here as proven on the first wave and ATM that's looks unlikely to happen again.
 

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,461
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This is funny

imply
Does this Individual actually believe that the abuse directed against the Tory Mp's was simply because Angela Raynor allegedly called one of them scum?

It beggars belief after what they are doing to harm the public on a daily basis.

I tweeted a reply
oldgroaner@oldgroaner

Would you have preferred her to use the much more appropriate description used by Aneurin Bevan?
Try making policy decisions that benefit the public if you want to avoid them abusing you.
 
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