Current Affairs

[Mervyn and Trish]

To add. Sky News is reporting that Prince Charles.has today been reassuring people about the Queen's health. That's on Twitter.

That was on Twitter BEFORE the hospital rumour, not as a result of the hospital rumour

Did I say otherwise? I merely added a bit of positive balance to our discussion. I believe it's called free speech. If you knew both sides of the story from Twitter earlier I'm wondering why you chose to only report the negative. Actually no I'm not. It's what you always seem to do.

[Gill W]

Did I say otherwise? I merely added a bit of positive balance to our discussion. I believe it's called free speech. If you knew both sides of the story from Twitter earlier I'm wondering why you chose to only report the negative. Actually no I'm not. It's what you always seem to do.

I would remind you that it was Towny who reported this in the first place, not me.

Not that I need to explain myself to you, but I thought that Charles may have spoken earlier in the day, then the queen may have been taken ill after he spoke. With that in mind, it seemed irrelevant to mention what Charles had said earlier , as the situation looked like it might have changed.

Anyway, I'm not responding to you any further on this subject, as you are starting to go into your shrill anger mode. I've been subject to that before, and I'm simply not having it anymore.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Did I say otherwise? I merely added a bit of positive balance to our discussion. I believe it's called free speech. If you knew both sides of the story from Twitter earlier I'm wondering why you chose to only report the negative. Actually no I'm not. It's what you always seem to do.

I would remind you that it was Towny who reported this in the first place, not me.

Not that I need to explain myself to you, but I thought that Charles may have spoken earlier in the day, then the queen may have been taken ill after he spoke. With that in mind, it seemed irrelevant to mention what Charles had said earlier , as the situation looked like it might have changed.

Anyway, I'm not responding to you any further on this subject, as you are starting to go into your shrill anger mode. I've been subject to that before, and I'm simply not having it anymore.

Oh the irony. My shrill anger mode! Pot kettle black. Still I'm delighted you are no longer responding. Acknowledging that Twitter may have got it wrong is not in your vocabulary anyway.

[oldbluefox]

Can't see that it matters whether towny's contact got it wrong or whether it came from Twitter except to those who take everything on Twitter as gospel.
Personally what does it matter?

[Ray B]

Any how, going back to our new guests, who the do gooders have moaned about their first night's hospitality not being up to scratch, sorry it was not the Raddison or Hilton, how are they being dealt with re Covid. They should be quarantined for the required time whilst they are then checked for anything they have that is a threat to the general population.

[Gill W]

Oh the irony. My shrill anger mode! Pot kettle black. Still I'm delighted you are no longer responding. Acknowledging that Twitter may have got it wrong is not in your vocabulary anyway.

Oh for crying out loud.

I said yesterday it was a rumour, not gospel, and none of us know if it was true or not.

Just because she’s going to the ceremony on Sunday, doesn’t mean she wasn’t taken to hospital for some reason yesterday.

I’m not going to say something is wrong when I don’t know if it’s right or wrong.

[towny44]

I’m not going to say something is wrong when I don’t know if it’s right or wrong.

So you're changing the habits of a lifetime then!

Sorry Gill, I just couldn't resist that opportunity.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Oh the irony. My shrill anger mode! Pot kettle black. Still I'm delighted you are no longer responding. Acknowledging that Twitter may have got it wrong is not in your vocabulary anyway.

Oh for crying out loud.

I said yesterday it was a rumour, not gospel, and none of us know if it was true or not.

Just because she’s going to the ceremony on Sunday, doesn’t mean she wasn’t taken to hospital for some reason yesterday.

I’m not going to say something is wrong when I don’t know if it’s right or wrong.

I thought you weren't going to reply to me again.

[Kendhni]

Looks like COVID is on the rise on mainland Europe again. As Johnson said
"I'm seeing the storm clouds gathering over parts of the European continent. And I've got to be absolutely frank with people: we've been here before. We remember what happens when the wave starts rolling in,"

Should we not put a few minor measures in place now in the hope of avoiding anything more serious? We are currently on the right path, let's make sure we stay on it ... Words alone will not keep COVID at bay.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We are currently in Madeira where we had dinner last night with friends who are Brirish but have lived in Brussels for many years and are big EU-philes. We were comparing notes on travel requirements when we return home. We have to do lateral flow tests on return home, they don't. They see our tests as the price of Brexit. I see them as a sensible and essential health precaution. Is it any surprise cases are rising again across Europe if they put the dogma of free movement above health?

[Manoverboard]

Bestest chums came for lunch on Thursday, his news was that he had caught Covid 21 days ago.

Reckons he got it in Rick Stein's seafood restaurant in Poole ... no proof so it's just a rumour.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Bestest chums came for lunch on Thursday, his news was that he had caught Covid 21 days ago.

Reckons he got it in Rick Stein's seafood restaurant in Poole ... no proof so it's just a rumour.

Has he put it on Twitter?

[Manoverboard]

Has he put it on Twitter?

He has said in the past that only the brain dead subscribe to Twitter ... so probably not

[Gill W]

Looks like COVID is on the rise on mainland Europe again. As Johnson said
"I'm seeing the storm clouds gathering over parts of the European continent. And I've got to be absolutely frank with people: we've been here before. We remember what happens when the wave starts rolling in,"

Should we not put a few minor measures in place now in the hope of avoiding anything more serious? We are currently on the right path, let's make sure we stay on it ... Words alone will not keep COVID at bay.

As discussed a few weeks ago, there’s no reason why simple mitigations like mask wearing and distancing shouldn’t be brought back immediately. Not 100% sure we are on the right path - the graph on the government website is now showing a small uptick in cases.

These things shouldn’t have been stopped in the first place,. However, also as discussed a few weeks ago, a lot of people are now acting like it’s all over, so the genie is out of the bottle and those people are unlikely to go back to behaving appropriately. But they were told that the removal of mitigations was ‘ irreversible’, so perhaps it’s to be expected. Then there’s a PM who has trouble wearing a mask in a hospital - he’s not exactly setting a good example.

It’s all well and good that Johnson is now talking about storm clouds, but he hasn’t been consistent, and the mixed messaging is no good in a pandemic situation.

The NHS is already creaking. I think we are going to be in for another tough winter

We are currently in Madeira where we had dinner last night with friends who are Brirish but have lived in Brussels for many years and are big EU-philes. We were comparing notes on travel requirements when we return home. We have to do lateral flow tests on return home, they don't. They see our tests as the price of Brexit. I see them as a sensible and essential health precaution. Is it any surprise cases are rising again across Europe if they put the dogma of free movement above health?

The U.K. has been running at extremely high rates of Covid since the summer, much higher than the EU, so it’s debatable how effective the testing has been.

Also if their increase in cases is due to their ‘dogma’, not sure why the ‘dogma’ is having such a sudden effect.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Our case rate is in large part due to our very high test rate. I have a number if friends who have had Covid so will.be counted in our figures, but had no symptoms and were only picked up through routine testing.

No major country in Europe has tested as many per head as us. The nearest is less than half our rate. Much praised Germany less than a fifth and look where they are now. Test more find more.

Despite that several EU countries are recording cases per head higher than ours and rising fast. And despite the headlines claiming us having the highest rate in Europe recently it hasn't been true per head for some time. But some people seem happier to highlight where we fail than where we succeed.

And as their cases rocket surely even the most dogged pro EU can see it is madness to put the political dogma of free movement above the most basic of life saving checks.

The one thing they have got right is the continued wearing of masks in some countries. I agree it would do no harm to bring it back.

[towny44]

Some experts are saying we may have reached a tipping point in the UK with the infection rates falling. If that is true and other countries in Europe are seeing the start of a new wave, then the probability is that the number of infection in the UK have been genuinely consistently higher.
However there have been a number of inconsistencies in the German data, with daily rates fluctuating wildly. This could be due to poorer methods of collating their testing data, or it could equally indicate that their testing is not sufficiently wide ranging to give correct daily infection levels.
We will have to wait and see if our experts are correct, or if we are deluding ourselves and a fresh wave is about to hit us.

[Gill W]

We will have to wait and see if our experts are correct, or if we are deluding ourselves and a fresh wave is about to hit us.

Or, are we in a wave that started in the summer, and we are undulating along the top of it with peaks and troughs

[oldbluefox]

But some people seem happier to highlight where we fail than where we succeed.

Absolutely agree. Some people delight in pulling our country down.

The one thing they have got right is the continued wearing of masks in some countries. I agree it would do no harm to bring it back.

The wearing of masks should have been made mandatory. Some people think it's all over and they are immune. Wrong!!! Boris has put his faith in people doing the right thing and being responsible. He should have learnt that lesson by now.

[Ray Scully]

The beginning of the end for B Johnson Not just the headline but 4 sleaze related pages inside, will he survive, what with the Mail attacking him???

257115632_10158254735898199_1461618006546499908_n.jpg

[Manoverboard]

The Canadians have got it about right.

Masks are a basic requirement everywhere. Plus you don't even think about going to a pub, café, restaurant or anywhere else for that matter unless you have proof of jabs and a very recent negative test. No ifs ands or buts.

They simply do not want another lockdown ... we should do the same but the Twitter brigade would soon cause a block to be put on that idea and then lay the blame on Boris.

[Stephen]

The trouble with rules/requirements, they are only as good as the people enforcing them.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We will have to wait and see if our experts are correct, or if we are deluding ourselves and a fresh wave is about to hit us.

Or, are we in a wave that started in the summer, and we are undulating along the top of it with peaks and troughs

Whether we are undulating or falling slightly as latest figures suggest we're certainly not rising exponentially like some countries at present.

[towny44]

We will have to wait and see if our experts are correct, or if we are deluding ourselves and a fresh wave is about to hit us.

Or, are we in a wave that started in the summer, and we are undulating along the top of it with peaks and troughs

Strangely enough that would not be too disastrous, I know the NHS is under pressure but if the covid situation does not get any worse, then it should cope with what winter throws at us.

[Onelife]

If Shropshire’s over 65+ flu vaccine roll out is anything to go by (and there is an out-break) most of us will be dead by March.

[barney]

If Shropshire’s over 65+ flu vaccine roll out is anything to go by (and there is an out-break) most of us will be dead by March.

We’re both done with both jabs. Flu and booster.
64 and 59
No problems