Brexit, for once some facts.

[oyster]

I absolutely love mussels. But even I can't eat enough to make a difference...

The Food Programme
The Magic of Mussels (And Their Troubled Trade)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000tvgk

The mussel growers are taking the government to court for their handling of brexit and advice given. Currently, they effectively cannot export any bivalves to the EU. Of course, UK government claims there should be no problem. Whilst the EU claims it is obvious - and always has been - that there would be major issues with the trade.

 

[Jesus H Christ]

Strange how Chris Whitty also agrees, wonder which end of horse he occupies...
Old ground, we will never agree on this... Both sides wasting time..

His political fanaticism has poleaxed his ability to look at a subject objectively. He’s like a voracious vacuum cleaner, hoovering up anything which reflects badly on the U.K. regardless of whether it’s true or not.

 

[Suzan]

Just for info.
UK has dropped to 11th in world for death rate, for some reason that's also means 11th in Europe and EU.. First 10 worse death rates in the world are all EU countries... Italy is 12th but only 1% behind UK... Likely to pass UK this week.???

 

[Danidl]

I absolutely love mussels. But even I can't eat enough to make a difference...

The Food Programme
The Magic of Mussels (And Their Troubled Trade)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000tvgk

The mussel growers are taking the government to court for their handling of brexit and advice given. Currently, they effectively cannot export any bivalves to the EU. Of course, UK government claims there should be no problem. Whilst the EU claims it is obvious - and always has been - that there would be major issues with the trade.

Not keen on Oysters (sorry) but I really enjoy mussels. The French restaurant chain Flunch, typically have an all you can eat menus . I think 9 euro , during the summer, so one can get multiple tubs one after another...
The local bay north of here ..Carlingford which is on the border with NI, traditionally had Oysters but it died out. A colleague of mine, a Zoology Lecturer at my College, masterminded and recreated the industry. So they have an annual festival..

 

[oldgroaner]

Yes, just like the EU, 10 deaths today, 2300 new infections, 273 people admitted to hospital and a total of 37 million vaccinations admitted.

Oh, hang on a minute, it’s nothing like the EU you massive clown. They are in an appalling mess.

You really do not see the danger do you and there is no way to get it through to you.
Our protection you are so proud of is likely to prove fragile

 

[oldgroaner]

Just for info.
UK has dropped to 11th in world for death rate, for some reason that's also means 11th in Europe and EU.. First 10 worse death rates in the world are all EU countries... Italy is 12th but only 1% behind UK... Likely to pass UK this week.???

Really? as usual wrong Brazil is far worse

 

[oyster]

Not keen on Oysters (sorry) but I really enjoy mussels. The French restaurant chain Flunch, typically have an all you can eat menus . I think 9 euro , during the summer, so one can get multiple tubs one after another...
The local bay north of here ..Carlingford which is on the border with NI, traditionally had Oysters but it died out. A colleague of mine, a Zoology Lecturer at my College, masterminded and recreated the industry. So they have an annual festival..

If ever we can travel freely and safely again, I had been hoping to go to the Connemara Mussel Festival sometime!

 

[oldgroaner]

Strange how Chris Whitty also agrees, wonder which end of horse he occupies...
Old ground, we will never agree on this... Both sides wasting time..

He's been known to be wrong before and so have you two

 

[Suzan]

Really? as usual wrong Brazil is far worse

No it isn't. Brazil is 19th in deaths per million with 1549 per million.
You can't just compare outright deaths.. Larger populations are bound to have more.
Look on Worldometer. Click on countries. One of the headings is deaths per million, click on heading for it and it will put countries in rank order for required criteria.
UK went to 11th today. By memory 1861 per million.

Coronavirus Update (Live): 131,811,732 Cases and 2,863,559 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus counter with new cases, deaths, and number of tests per 1 Million population. Historical data and info. Daily...

www.worldometers.info

UK is first none EU country.
Which is strange, considering health systems and finances of all the EU countries.

 

[sjpt]

Just for info.
UK has dropped to 11th in world for death rate, for some reason that's also means 11th in Europe and EU.. First 10 worse death rates in the world are all EU countries... Italy is 12th but only 1% behind UK... Likely to pass UK this week.???

There is very strong evidence that the very late initial lockdown March last year (despite all the very clear warnings coming from Italy and France), and the stupid nonsense over last Christmas both contributed significantly to our current bad placing on the cumulative deaths (or cases) stats.

There is strong evidence that the good vaccine rollout has considerably improved things, and that our current stats are currently (relatively) very good.

There is not much evidence of how much our bad patch a few months ago was due to the more infections Kent variant; or more particularly that the government could have done much about it.

There is almost no evidence on the overall effects of the big vaccine gap between first and second. It looks as if vaccinating lots of people fast has worked (good), but not at all clear how that will balance against the risk of half-vaccinated people (such as myself) encouraging potentially dangerous mutants (bad). As yet there is no evidence I have seen on that, but realistically it is too early to expect such evidence to have emerged.

 

[Suzan]

There is very strong evidence that the very late initial lockdown March last year (despite all the very clear warnings coming from Italy and France), and the stupid nonsense over last Christmas both contributed significantly to our current bad placing on the cumulative deaths (or cases) stats.

There is strong evidence that the good vaccine rollout has considerably improved things, and that our current stats are currently (relatively) very good.

There is not much evidence of how much our bad patch a few months ago was due to the more infections Kent variant; or more particularly that the government could have done much about it.

There is almost no evidence on the overall effects of the big vaccine gap between first and second. It looks as if vaccinating lots of people fast has worked (good), but not at all clear how that will balance against the risk of half-vaccinated people (such as myself) encouraging potentially dangerous mutants (bad). As yet there is no evidence I have seen on that, but realistically it is too early to expect such evidence to have emerged.

A well reasoned post..

 

[Suzan]

He's been known to be wrong before and so have you two

Is that more wrong than you. Perhaps you should apply for his job...
Going on your Brazil comment you really don't know what you are talking about though, so interview might be worth watching..

 

[sjpt]

No it isn't. Brazil is 19th in deaths per million with 1549 per million.
You can't just compare outright deaths.. Larger populations are bound to have more.
Look on Worldometer. Click on countries. One of the headings is deaths per million, click on heading for it and it will put countries in rank order for required criteria.
UK went to 11th today. By memory 1861 per million.

Coronavirus Update (Live): 131,811,732 Cases and 2,863,559 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus counter with new cases, deaths, and number of tests per 1 Million population. Historical data and info. Daily...

www.worldometers.info

UK is first none EU country.

Of course you are right that it is only sensible to compare deaths/cases per million, not absolute numbers.
But there is another very important (and less easily quantified) factor.

Brazil does come surprisingly low. There is significant difference between how countries report; in the case of countries with totally mad regimes this difference becomes more than just significant, it totally overwhelms the meaning of the statistics. You may or may not believe that Tanzania has 0 cases per million people (compare to Malawi 1.4 and UK 60 (***) even after recent huge improvements). The Tanzania figure is pure political fiction, the Malawi looks as if really is fairly low but only this low because of an uncomplete health system, and the UK one probably reasonably fair.

All of which just leads us guessing what the Brazil figures really are.

(***) I went mad and wrote 60,000 originally, sorry. I didn't know the wine had been that strong ...

 

[oyster]

UK is first none EU country.

Gibraltar is not an EU country. And, when I looked, it was top.

 

[Zlatan]

Of course you are right that it is only sensible to compare deaths/cases per million, not absolute numbers.
But there is another very important (and less easily quantified) factor.

Brazil does come surprisingly low. There is significant difference between how countries report; in the case of countries with totally mad regimes this difference becomes more than just significant, it totally overwhelms the meaning of the statistics. You may or may not believe that Tanzania has 0 cases per million people (compare to Malawi 1.4 and UK 60,000 even after recent huge improvements). The Tanzania figure is pure political fiction, the Malawi looks as if really is fairly low but only this low because of an uncomplete health system, and the UK one probably reasonably fair.

All of which just leads us guessing what the Brazil figures really are.

Totally agree, think there is lots of under reporting world wide.
I suspect Brazil, Mexico and a few others are far worse than numbers suggest. It seems developed /EU countries have similar standards of reporting so for comparison purposes they are worth while.
Have a friend living in Thailand and he assures me things are far far worse there than figures coming out suggest...???

 

[Zlatan]

Gibraltar is not an EU country. And, when I looked, it was top.

Fair point, I don't think it's even a country..
Definitely European mind.
Does seem Europe has been particularly hard hit.
But as you say perhaps a reporting issue.
Does make you wonder how France has worse figures than Mexico.
Couple of years ago we visited India (Goa) and Vietnam. How Covid hasn't ravaged through both countries is a sheer mystery to me, considering lifestyles, over crowding, health systems, general health etc etc. You would guess both countries would provide ideal breeding grounds for covid.. But seemingly not???

 

[oyster]

Fair point, I don't think it's even a country..
Definitely European mind.
Does seem Europe has been particularly hard hit.
But as you say perhaps a reporting issue.
Does make you wonder how France has worse figures than Mexico.

I think it is something like a British Overseas Territory.

 

[Danidl]

Fair point, I don't think it's even a country..
Definitely European mind.
Does seem Europe has been particularly hard hit.
But as you say perhaps a reporting issue.
Does make you wonder how France has worse figures than Mexico.
Couple of years ago we visited India (Goa) and Vietnam. How Covid hasn't ravaged through both countries is a sheer mystery to me, considering lifestyles, over crowding, health systems, general health etc etc. You would guess both countries would provide ideal breeding grounds for covid.. But seemingly not???

There was an interesting article about Kerbela , a province in India, fairly early on... probably 8 months ago. Despite it being a very poor area, they had enforced proper quarantine very early on, and have exemplary figures

 

[oldgroaner]

No it isn't. Brazil is 19th in deaths per million with 1549 per million.
You can't just compare outright deaths.. Larger populations are bound to have more.
Look on Worldometer. Click on countries. One of the headings is deaths per million, click on heading for it and it will put countries in rank order for required criteria.
UK went to 11th today. By memory 1861 per million.

Coronavirus Update (Live): 131,811,732 Cases and 2,863,559 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus counter with new cases, deaths, and number of tests per 1 Million population. Historical data and info. Daily...

www.worldometers.info

UK is first none EU country.
Which is strange, considering health systems and finances of all the EU countries.

Congratulations on setting a new fashion ..
For giving yourself likes!

 

[oldgroaner]