Coronavirus

[scaramanga]

You're their boss?

We all have someone we're responsible to. I may not have a boss, but if the shareholders heard I wasn't turning up to work then I'd have a few questions to answer at the very least.

 

[Parklaner81]

Yes our numbers were quoted as hospital-only deaths (and I believe it was media pressure that eventually led to the separate weekly non-hospital death updates being made available). I don’t have a problem with that per se (WHO recommendations were to only count as Covid 19 deaths those that had been confirmed as such through testing - and, rightly or wrongly, we were only testing hospital patients) but at no time that I recall was there any explicit comment from government about differing counting methodology across countries - anything about that came through media reports. But now that our numbers are higher than other (European) countries it is being explicitly stated that this might be due to the counting methodology. It just smacks of deflection, denial and a desperation to detract from the reality that the UK’s handling of the pandemic has been less than optimal.

I'm not an expert on the statistical methods being used nor how they differ across nations, but in general terms I think it's fairly safe to assume no one is overreporting covid deaths. Every nation is likely to be underreporting at this point, to a greater or lesser degree. We appear to be in a fairly close cluster with three other major european nations. I don't have the details to hand, but I've certainly read from a fairly decent source that at least one of those nations isn't including care home deaths in it's figures, for example. Given the emerging knowledge of what's happening in care homes, this could be highly significant. And so in general terms (I could be wrong here, but that would depend on having a detailed understanding of the varying methodolgies), there seems a case to say that the UK's recent move has made the figures non-comparable, where previously this was less of an issue.

Do you seriously expect them not to make that known?

I'm sure there's plenty to legitimately go after our government for. My personal favourite is the lack of border restrictions implemented. But attacking them for providing additional context to highly uncertain statistics really seems like scraping the barrel to me.

 

[Parklaner81]

I think it’s particularly interesting what other countries think of us

And you expect the Guardian to present a balanced view of that...?

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

You’ve no idea how I voted on Brexit - and my point wasn’t anti-Brexit. It was a statement of fact.

I do wish, though, I’d a pound for every time I’d heard that the EU was going to fall apart.

Anyway, I’m not going to fall out about this. In normal times your posts make me laugh too much.

Nothing to fall out over, your posts arent offensive. Heavily political but not offensive, i might be jealous. I have always strongly backed one political party or another, now i have no home. Just an angry man shouting on the sidelines.

Johnson did not turn up to meetings and the lack of PPE is unforgivable. If he contends the next election he will lose. I dont like Stermer he looks talks and walks like Bliar.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

We now have our first death from covid 19. Our good friends the husband of the couple hys mother who was 87 and had dementia died in a care home in Brighton on Tuesday.

Wont make any comments on that. Feel for him, most because sorting out the funeral and getting 7 death certificates at times like these cause problems.

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

I don’t know who this Hans character is but he sounds like a right clam.

 

[SteveAWOL]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1258284298911825920

 

[DTA]

Why do you care what the rest of the world thinks?

I get it you hate the government as do the guardian but i dont get why your bothered by what other people think.

Fact is the will be an inquiry after all this is over and in 4 years time an election and i cant imagine the tories will allow Johnson to lead them into that because he will lose heavily.

I dont want either labour or the tories in. The new labour guy is a clone of blair. For me, i honestly cant see myself voying ever again.

Will be interested to see who the tories give the top job to next. That rory stewart looks like a right oddball bit like ed Miliband he could have done a good job.

I like Rory Stewart I would have voted Tory at the last election for the first time ever if he was the leader.

 

[scaramanga]

I like Rory Stewart I would have voted Tory at the last election for the first time ever if he was the leader.

Far too wet. Doesn't nearly have the nuts for any serious job.

 

[scaramanga]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1258284298911825920

That can't be true. Buying PPE is really simple isn't it? Don't we just wave the magic money unicorn and it all turns up immediately?

 

[DTA]

Far too wet. Doesn't nearly have the nuts for any serious job.

Wasn't it rumoured that he was a British spy at one point... if so I would say he probably does have the Minerals needed.

Seems he cares... and wants to make a difference, will help people without putting the economy at risk... would take on the job with the respect and reverence it deserves rather than allshow BoJO

 

[scaramanga]

Wasn't it rumoured that he was a British spy at one point... if so I would say he probably does have the Minerals needed.

Seems he cares... and wants to make a difference, will help people without putting the economy at risk... would take on the job with the respect and reverence it deserves rather than allshow BoJO

That was just because his dad was one - someone who absolutely had them and clearly left them out of the gene pool.

Sunak should be the next PM and if he is he'll stay there for a while.

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

Was interested to see was was going on in Belgium as they have the highest % deaths per population. And even their chap goes on about political motivation and public health science when compiling figures.

Any worthwhile conversation needs the data to be cleaned up so true comparisons can be made.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52491210

 

[Parklaner81]

Sunak should be the next PM and if he is he'll stay there for a while.

That's just your admiration for his suits talking

 

[scaramanga]

That's just your admiration for his suits talking

It's a prerequisite.

I can't respect a man who doesn't wear a suit well.

Edit - I'm not the only admirer of his dress:
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/rishi-sunak-style

 

[Parklaner81]

Was interested to see was was going on in Belgium as they have the highest % deaths per population. And even their chap goes on about political motivation and public health science when compiling figures.

Any worthwhile conversation needs the data to be cleaned up so true comparisons can be made.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52491210

I had to stop reading that article about halfway down. It's clearly nonsense - it seemed to be suggesting that Belgium had made some mistakes in it's initial reaction to the pandemic...

And as any casual observer of this thread will know, it's only the British government that do things like that.

 

[glasgowspur]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1258284298911825920

It's a scandal that we had to look abroad for these items when our own work force was being sent home.
Same with the NHS Trust chief shouting his mouth off about getting barbour and burbery to make ppe. Two companies that fudged off to China.


Scottish government gave contracts to three companies in Scotland that make outdoor clothes to produce body bags.
Guess what no1, didn't work because they've no fudging clue what is needed.
Guess what no2, strong suggestion director of one of the companies has big links to SNP.

Politicians are nothing but self serving, cheating, grasping clams.

 

[Robspur12]

That was just because his dad was one - someone who absolutely had them and clearly left them out of the gene pool.

Sunak should be the next PM and if he is he'll stay there for a while.

I agree Sunak is the only one who has impressed from the government during this crisis. But is the country ready for a PM of Indian origin? Scrap that are the Tory grass roots ready for their Leader to be of Indian origin?

 

[scaramanga]

It's a scandal that we had to look abroad for these items when our own work force was being sent home.
Same with the NHS Trust chief shouting his mouth off about getting barbour and burbery to make ppe. Two companies that fudged off to China.


Scottish government gave contracts to three companies in Scotland that make outdoor clothes to produce body bags.
Guess what no1, didn't work because they've no fudging clue what is needed.
Guess what no2, strong suggestion director of one of the companies has big links to SNP.

Politicians are nothing but self serving, cheating, grasping clams.

It wasn't an NHS Trust chief - that was just the BBC being political.

 

[scaramanga]

I agree Sunak is the only one who has impressed from the government during this crisis. But is the country ready for a PM of Indian origin? Scrap that are the Tory grass roots ready for their Leader to be of Indian origin?

I can't see why not. Immigration from India has been established a while now, so even the oldest of the swivel-eyed loons would have grown up with it being normal. I also think if you asked the opinion of those who don't particularly like immigration, they'd probably tell you that those from India are least troublesome in their eyes. Think about the stereotype of Indian immigrants (as you're putting yourself in the position of someone who relies on them to judge) - hard-working, studious and polite kids, tend to end up in professional positions, etc.

I think if there's to be a PM who isn't white British in their background, one of Indian descent is the most likely.