Brexit, for once some facts.

[flecc]

How on Earth does a Bell get to be a sir?

a) He's a Canadian so there's a political element to such appointments.

b) Our governance is corrupt:

Since the covid-19 outbreak began early last year, John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, has held high profile roles in the UK government’s epidemic response while also working with AstraZeneca on the vaccine.

But both Oxford and the government have refused to disclose Bell’s financial interests after The BMJ filed freedom of information (FOI) requests. More alarmingly, it appears that the government is referring media enquiries about Bell through the Cabinet Office and is scrutinising a reporter for The BMJ as it has other reporters it finds troublesome.1The BMJ has been unable to gain either direct contact with Bell or contact through his employer, Oxford University, despite multiple attempts.

Tracking down John Bell: how the case of the Oxford professor exposes a transparency crisis in government

As testing and the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine are hailed as UK pandemic successes, why won’t Oxford University or the government disclose the “long list” of financial interests of a high profile researcher at the centre of both? Paul D Thacker investigates Since the covid-19 outbreak began...

www.bmj.com

.

 

[oldgroaner]

a) He's a Canadian so there's a political element to such appointments.

b) Our governance is corrupt:

Since the covid-19 outbreak began early last year, John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, has held high profile roles in the UK government’s epidemic response while also working with AstraZeneca on the vaccine.

But both Oxford and the government have refused to disclose Bell’s financial interests after The BMJ filed freedom of information (FOI) requests. More alarmingly, it appears that the government is referring media enquiries about Bell through the Cabinet Office and is scrutinising a reporter for The BMJ as it has other reporters it finds troublesome.1The BMJ has been unable to gain either direct contact with Bell or contact through his employer, Oxford University, despite multiple attempts.

Tracking down John Bell: how the case of the Oxford professor exposes a transparency crisis in government

As testing and the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine are hailed as UK pandemic successes, why won’t Oxford University or the government disclose the “long list” of financial interests of a high profile researcher at the centre of both? Paul D Thacker investigates Since the covid-19 outbreak began...

www.bmj.com

.

It warms my heart to see that the Clan traditions are still alive and kicking, I was worried for a moment with this "Sir" thingy, when referring to members of Clan Bell it is more usual for it to be spelled "Cur"
Good to see it's actually an alias...
I can see where this will end.
"The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
and highwayman kept riding, riding, over the purple moor"
Needless to say rather better off than when he first crossed the pond

 

[flecc]

Needless to say rather better off than when he first crossed the pond

Not quite as much as his fellow Canadian Mark Carney after he was appointed Governor of the Bank of England. One can hardly do better than having the keys to the vault.
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[oldgroaner]

Jacob Rees-Mogg - It's a mistake to rush to judgement over David Cameron & Greensill, as he was a very successful Prime Minister

Gerald Bell@GOldcodger

Replying to
@Haggis_UK

David Cameron was a very successful Prime Minister? About as successful as the Mayors of Sodom and Gomorra

 

[flecc]

David Cameron was a very successful Prime Minister?

David Cameron's achievements as prime minister are such that historians will probably not bother to mention his period of office, other than him granting the referendum.

History will be the Brexit outcome, not the run up to it.
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[oldgroaner]

Wurzel has been at it too
Boris Johnson intervened in Newcastle United takeover after lobbying by Saudi crown prince, who wanted to own the club himself

 

[jonathan.agnew]

Jacob Rees-Mogg - It's a mistake to rush to judgement over David Cameron & Greensill, as he was a very successful Prime Minister

Gerald Bell@GOldcodger

Replying to
@Haggis_UK

David Cameron was a very successful Prime Minister? About as successful as the Mayors of Sodom and Gomorra

But I love moggy for ironing the emperors clothes in public. It comes I think under the category of "keep digging"

 

[oyster]

Jacob Rees-Mogg - It's a mistake to rush to judgement over David Cameron & Greensill, as he was a very successful Prime Minister

Gerald Bell@GOldcodger

Replying to
@Haggis_UK

David Cameron was a very successful Prime Minister? About as successful as the Mayors of Sodom and Gomorra

It's fine to condemn him in the fullness of time - just not too quickly???

 

[oyster]

No sunlit uplands even above the clouds...

Pigeon fanciers in a flap over Brexit quarantine flock-up, seek exemption from EU laws
It won't fly. 'We are collateral damage'
https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/15/pigeon_fanciers_fear_brexit_quarantine/

Anyone else remember pigeon crates - large wicker baskets - on station platforms and trains? Used to be a regular feature of some of my childhood rail travel.

 

[oyster]

One day, they are suggesting we can have two tests a week. The next day, they are re-thinking using the tests due to false positives.

Senior government officials have raised “urgent” concerns about the mass expansion of rapid coronavirus testing, estimating that as few as 2% to 10% of positive results may be accurate in places with low Covid rates, such as London.

 

[flecc]

Senior government officials have raised “urgent” concerns about the mass expansion of rapid coronavirus testing, estimating that as few as 2% to 10% of positive results may be accurate in places with low Covid rates, such as London.

It's what I in London have been saying all along, the whole testing program is a waste of time and money due to the hopelessly inaccurate tests.

Nice that government is finally waking up to the blindingly obvious. All they need to do now is realise their death rates are grossly exaggerated too.
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[jonathan.agnew]

It's what I in London have been saying all along, the whole testing program is a waste of time and money due to the hopelessly inaccurate tests.

Nice that government is finally waking up to the blindingly obvious. All they need to do now is realise their death rates are grossly exaggerated too.
.

You should have been in any nhs inpatient unit during the last peak flecc. Admissions and death rates were not exaggerated. But we live in an atomised fragmented society, community where we often dont know our neighbours, what's really going on (and I'd say that about myself as much as anyone else)

 

[Danidl]

You should have been in any nhs inpatient unit during the last peak flecc. Admissions and death rates were not exaggerated. But we live in an atomised fragmented society, community where we often dont know our neighbours, what's really going on (and I'd say that about myself as much as anyone else)

My analysis suggests that death rates , globally have been underestimated. I would think by about 40% to 50% . The figures are sitting at 3M dead , but I suspect the real figure is more like 4.5M. against that are the lives saved by reduced road traffic, road air pollution, reduced flu deaths, against that are the other things like delayed diagnosis ..so the overall profit and loss accounts are really difficult to figure out. What we do know is that a lot of things we viewed as essential are merely trappings s.

 

[Jesus H Christ]

One day, they are suggesting we can have two tests a week. The next day, they are re-thinking using the tests due to false positives.

Senior government officials have raised “urgent” concerns about the mass expansion of rapid coronavirus testing, estimating that as few as 2% to 10% of positive results may be accurate in places with low Covid rates, such as London.

That’s a rubbish sensationalist statistic. Say you test 1 million people and 5 test positive. That’s four in one million people inconvenienced, at the most. I’d say that makes the testing worthwhile.

That 2% to 10% statistic needs to be presented differently. It’s meaningless in its present form. I suspect it’s a jurno trying to create a headline that doesn’t exist.

 

[oyster]

That’s a rubbish sensationalist statistic. Say you test 1 million people and 5 test positive. That’s four in one million people inconvenienced, at the most. I’d say that makes the testing worthwhile.

That 2% to 10% statistic needs to be presented differently. It’s meaningless in its present form. I suspect it’s a jurno trying to create a headline that doesn’t exist.

Poorly written, I agree.

Leaked emails seen by the Guardian, however, show that senior officials are now thinking of scaling back the widespread testing of people without symptoms because of a rising number of false positives.


Across England as a whole, government officials estimate that only 38% of self-reported tests are thought to be accurate, based on the current prevalence of the disease.


In one email, Ben Dyson, an executive director of strategy at the health department and one of health secretary Matt Hancock’s advisers, stressed the “fairly urgent need for decisions” on “the point at which we stop offering asymptomatic testing”.

 

[flecc]

You should have been in any nhs inpatient unit during the last peak flecc. Admissions and death rates were not exaggerated. But we live in an atomised fragmented society, community where we often dont know our neighbours, what's really going on (and I'd say that about myself as much as anyone else)

I didn't say it wasn't very bad, it was. But this isn't anything to do with personal judgement, it's simply acknowledging the facts.

The tests are proven to be very inaccurate with very large numbers of false positives and there is absolutely no doubt that the death rate is exaggerated. The 28 day rule alone makes that an absolute and the convenience of assigning Covid as the cause of death is also a one street to exaggeration.
.

 

[Jesus H Christ]

Poorly written, I agree.

Leaked emails seen by the Guardian, however, show that senior officials are now thinking of scaling back the widespread testing of people without symptoms because of a rising number of false positives.


Across England as a whole, government officials estimate that only 38% of self-reported tests are thought to be accurate, based on the current prevalence of the disease.


In one email, Ben Dyson, an executive director of strategy at the health department and one of health secretary Matt Hancock’s advisers, stressed the “fairly urgent need for decisions” on “the point at which we stop offering asymptomatic testing”.

The Guardian. Say n’more.

 

[Jesus H Christ]

I didn't say it wasn't very bad, it was. But this isn't anything to do with personal judgement, it's simply acknowledging the facts.

The tests are proven to be very inaccurate with very large numbers of false positives and there is absolutely no doubt that the death rate is exaggerated. The 28 day rule alone makes that an absolute and the convenience of assigning Covid as the cause of death is also a one street to exaggeration.
.

How many false positives? We know the Guardian reported percentage, but what is the actual number of cases?

 

[flecc]

How many false positives? We know the Guardian reported percentage, but what is the actual number of cases?

It doesn't matter, it's exaggeration.

Your union flag waving cheer leading is as wrong as it was with the AZ vaccine, which usage now even the UK is restricting.
.

 

[flecc]

My analysis suggests that death rates , globally have been underestimated. I would think by about 40% to 50% . The figures are sitting at 3M dead , but I suspect the real figure is more like 4.5M. against that are the lives saved by reduced road traffic, road air pollution, reduced flu deaths, against that are the other things like delayed diagnosis ..so the overall profit and loss accounts are really difficult to figure out. What we do know is that a lot of things we viewed as essential are merely trappings s.

Globally I agree, but the subject you were replying to was London specific.
.