Current Affairs

[Bensham33]

I doesn't bother me one way or the other whether players take the knee or not. If it makes them feel better then carry on.

For the record Wilf Zaha does not dive. He is fouled a lot. Some teams actually admit to taking turns in kicking him to spread yellow cards about the team. Don't they MoB.

[Onelife]

Without doubt racialism exists, to a lesser or greater extent, in all countries throughout the world and as much as we would all like to convince ourselves otherwise everyone has some racialist tendencies in them. The problem comes when those racialist tendencies become extreme and the manner in which they are expressed.

The "taking of the knee" has become associated with the BLM movement which in itself is racialist, and questionably political.

Personally I do not believe that any of the England football team should have taken the knee (oh how I hate that term) but should have found some other symbolic gesture to highlight the problem of racialism in sport - which is widespread in all sprts, not just football, and has been around for many. many years.

The taking of the knee debate is having the opposite effect in that it is distracting from the problem rather than highlighting it.

Very good post David… very balanced and one which I endorse completely.

[screwy]

I heard Luther Blissett on LBC a couple of weeks ago being interviewed regarding taking the knee. He said it was time it was stopped as it has now become a political gesture and did not like the raising of the fist.! He understands that there needs to be some kind of gesture but no longer the knee.

I hope Sky aren’t going to continue with putting that ridiculous clock on the screen that links with the time of Floyd being knelt on.

[Manoverboard]

For the record Wilf Zaha does not dive. He is fouled a lot. Some teams actually admit to taking turns in kicking him to spread yellow cards about the team. Don't they MoB.

Quite possibly ... Watford players, it is true to say, took turns to avoid the risk of getting carded in the knowledge that he would go down if blown on too easily What is also true is that none of it was ever racist.

[oldbluefox]

I can vouch for that. Maddison got the same treatment

[Manoverboard]

I heard Luther Blissett on LBC a couple of weeks ago being interviewed regarding taking the knee. He said it was time it was stopped as it has now become a political gesture and did not like the raising of the fist.! He understands that there needs to be some kind of gesture but no longer the knee.

I hope Sky aren’t going to continue with putting that ridiculous clock on the screen that links with the time of Floyd being knelt on.

If Luther says it then people should listen. Over the years he has endured more bananas, monkey chants and racist abuse than you could throw a stick at. It doesn't happen now, not because he has changed colour but because he is respected as a member of the Watford Community.

[Mervyn and Trish]

And yet…….

Support for taking the knee appears to have grown

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/s ... king-knee

Not with me it hasn't.

[Stephen]

And yet…….

Support for taking the knee appears to have grown

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/s ... king-knee

Not with me it hasn't.

Nor me.

[towny44]

I dont like it but it seems to have strong support with black footballers and the white ones are also giving it strong support, so I guess it might be here for quite a while.

[screwy]

Boo. Oops,not allowed to do that.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I dont like it but it seems to have strong support with black footballers and the white ones are also giving it strong support, so I guess it might be here for quite a while.

Peer pressure within the team maybe?

[towny44]

I dont like it but it seems to have strong support with black footballers and the white ones are also giving it strong support, so I guess it might be here for quite a while.

Peer pressure within the team maybe?

Not sure what sort of pressure, but it now seems so established in the premier league that with most matches now being televised, I cannot see any way for it to end.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I dont like it but it seems to have strong support with black footballers and the white ones are also giving it strong support, so I guess it might be here for quite a while.

Peer pressure within the team maybe?

Not sure what sort of pressure, but it now seems so established in the premier league that with most matches now being televised, I cannot see any way for it to end.

Not wanting to fall out with your team mates, given that anyone who argues against it is automatically labelled racist. Would you want to be having that sort of argument in the dressing room?

That's my main objection. Racism is wrong is a given. But freedom of speech should reign over the particular gesture.

Just look at F1. Although everyone I am sure backs ending racism in the sport (if indeed it exists given the highest paid person by a mlle is black!) but while all stand respectfully before each race not all take the knee. Smaller teams, less peer pressure.

[Gill W]

Well, everybody seems to have exhausted the subject of taking the knee.

I suppose the question is, what's worse - taking a knee or the racist abuse of the three lads who missed the penalty. The latter in my opinion.

Anyway, moving on, it's time for Towny's Covid weekly round up.

As at w/e 10th July, the ONS says that 1 in 95 people in England had Covid, up from 1 in 160 the previous week

Per UK Gov website, 48553 people tested positive on 15th July (32551 on 8th July)

Per UK Gov website 582 people admitted to hospital on 11th July (460 on 4th July)

Per UK Gov website 3786 people in hospital on 14th July (2652 on 7th July)

Vaccine take up seems to be slowing. on 14th July there were 60374 1st doses. At some point, quite soon, possibly next week, there will be more positive cases reported than 1st doses administered.

The NHS App has pinged over half a million people in the first week over July - this must be increasing as infections increase

Already, firms are having problems with staff shortages.

They are allowing a crowd of 140000 at the Grand Prix

Chris Whitty says we may be back in restrictions within 5 weeks

1200 scientists around the globe condemn 'Freedom Day as a 'danger to the world'.


I still stand by my belief that the governments planned action for 19th July is genuinely barking mad, reckless insanity that poses a grave risk to the population. Not to mention that this is all on Boris Johnson. He doesn't have to do this

Parliament goes into recess next week, so they are going to shove off on holiday and leave us to it. We're on our own now.

[david63]

Chris Whitty says we may be back in restrictions within 5 weeks

1200 scientists around the globe condemn 'Freedom Day as a 'danger to the world'.

Source please.

When you are posting facts a link to those facts should always be made - for copyright purposes. It is not your neck on the block!

[barney]

Chris Whitty says we may be back in restrictions within 5 weeks

1200 scientists around the globe condemn 'Freedom Day as a 'danger to the world'.

Source please.

When you are posting facts a link to those facts should always be made - for copyright purposes. It is not your neck on the block!

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... xperts-say

The numbers are certainly rising, as predicted.

The hospital cases and fatalities are fortunately still very low.

A very good friend of ours was telling Mrs B today that her daughter is quite ill in hospital with covid.
As you would imagine, she's very concerned.
She did say that her daughter (early thirties) had not been vaccinated.
She could have had both jabs by now but chose not to.

[Stephen]

Covid: UK daily cases pass 50,000 for first time since January https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57867990

I suspect it’s mostly the younger age group, but I do wonder why the hell are we lifting restrictions.

Personally I would get the whole country vaccinated first, which I assume wouldn’t take much longer, then gradually lift restrictions. To raise the chequered flag on Monday seems madness to me.

[barney]

Covid: UK daily cases pass 50,000 for first time since January https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57867990

I suspect it’s mostly the younger age group, but I do wonder why the hell are we lifting restrictions.

Personally I would get the whole country vaccinated first, which I suspect wouldn’t take much longer, then gradually lift restrictions. To raise the chequered flag on Monday seems madness to me.

I think that the 12% of adults who haven't been vaccinated are more than likely hold outs.
I'd reckon that anybody who wanted the vaccine has had it by now.
Given that we are not going to drag people out of their houses, kicking and screaming, then there is really not much more that can be done.
We know people who have not taken up the vaccine, through choice.
I think that they are a bit mental but it's up to them.
The lady was telling us that we should go and get 'flushed out' as the vaccine would kill us when Mrs B denied her access into her shop and called another lady Nappy Face for wearing a mask.

[Gill W]

Source please.

When you are posting facts a link to those facts should always be made - for copyright purposes. It is not your neck on the block!

Barney posted the link to the point about the 1200 scientists.

Here's a link to the Chris Whitty report - this was widely reported this morning, as was the other report I mentioned.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/c ... uxbndlbing

[Kendhni]

Source please.

When you are posting facts a link to those facts should always be made - for copyright purposes. It is not your neck on the block!

Both those numbers are widely available on various news channels at the minute.
If things don't turn around then Johnson's 'full steam ahead' will be read in a similar vein as that of 'Captain Edward Smith'

[Quizzical Bob]

We cannot carry on with lockdown. If we did you’d be looking at widespread unemployment and business closures. Government help is coming to an end. Now.

[Kendhni]

We cannot carry on with lockdown. If we did you’d be looking at widespread unemployment and business closures. Government help is coming to an end. Now.

I don't disagree, but I don't think it is that simple. For some that will result in the risk of serious long term illness/death or being forced into a job that they may not feel safe in. If businesses want to open they have to do more to ensure their customers and staff are kept safe (even by perception) especially from the customer's own stupidity (that little football tournament over the past few weeks proves that individuals cannot be trusted) ... businesses have now had 18 months to put such plans in place. For Johnson to be relying on a proven failed policy of letting businesses determine their own rules is total buck passing recklessness.

I notice the Dutch Prime Minister has apologised for opening too soon ... ""What we thought would be possible, turned out not to be possible in practice, we had poor judgement, which we regret and for which we apologise.". Do we learn from this or do we plough on down the road of blinkered single mindedness?

[Quizzical Bob]

We cannot carry on with lockdown. If we did you’d be looking at widespread unemployment and business closures. Government help is coming to an end. Now.

I don't disagree, but I don't think it is that simple. For some that will result in the risk of serious long term illness/death or being forced into a job that they may not feel safe in. If businesses want to open they have to do more to ensure their customers and staff are kept safe (even by perception) especially from the customer's own stupidity (that little football tournament over the past few weeks proves that individuals cannot be trusted) ... businesses have now had 18 months to put such plans in place. For Johnson to be relying on a proven failed policy of letting businesses determine their own rules is total buck passing recklessness.

I notice the Dutch Prime Minister has apologised for opening too soon ... ""What we thought would be possible, turned out not to be possible in practice, we had poor judgement, which we regret and for which we apologise.". Do we learn from this or do we plough on down the road of blinkered single mindedness?

So for how long do we keep up this nonsense? We are never going to eradicate the virus just as we are not going to eradicate colds or flu. We cannot carry on in this situation for another ten or twenty years. The number of deaths caused by Covid is way below the worst winter for deaths caused by flu. Nobody ever suggested a lockdown in previous winters. Quite clearly the current measures are not preventing any spread. That’s if you believe the reported test results.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transpar ... 019and2020

[towny44]

Covid: UK daily cases pass 50,000 for first time since January https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57867990

I suspect it’s mostly the younger age group, but I do wonder why the hell are we lifting restrictions.

Personally I would get the whole country vaccinated first, which I assume wouldn’t take much longer, then gradually lift restrictions. To raise the chequered flag on Monday seems madness to me.

Somewhere in Kent they store all the boats used by illegal immigrants to cross the channel perhaps those who refuse vaccination could be persuaded to use these to leave the country!!!!!

[Gill W]

The number of deaths caused by Covid is way below the worst winter for deaths caused by flu. Nobody ever suggested a lockdown in previous winters.

So far, in 18 months the official death toll is 128000 for Covid, and that is with all the lockdowns and mitigation’s that we have had in place. Can you imagine how many deaths would have happened without lockdown? Of course, the deaths are the tip of the iceberg. It doesn’t include the people that have survived with organ damage and all the thousands whose lives have been changed due to long Covid

In a bad flu season, about 30000 die

https://www.health.org.uk/publications ... oved-wrong

I genuinely don’t understand how you can contend that Covid deaths are way below flu deaths.

However, the good news for you is that the government are doing what you want so you don’t need to complain about ‘being in lockdown’. You are getting your heart’s desire on 19th, so be happy and enjoy it.

It might not be so good for other people, but you can ‘crack on with life’