Current Affairs

[towny44]

None of the media outlets seem to listen to what the experts say, Vallance, Whitty, Van Tam and the others all say that the vaccine efficacy is an average across all recipients, just about everyone will receive some protection, and it should significantly reduce hospitalisations and minimise deaths.
As regards the vaccination roll out, I fully expect the govt to achieve their target of all the over 50s by the end of March.

[Kendhni]

I hope the police deal with this piece of vermin
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/chris-whitty- ... 26814.html

Ideally he should be put to work a week on the COVID wards and, since he thinks Whitty is a liar, I am sure he would not want any sort of PPE.

[Kendhni]

David, I know you are just having a rant but your post sounds more like getting your excuses for failure out before the event.

Personally I think Johnson has a good chance of delivering the stated vaccination program (assuming everybody else gets their acts together: calling people in; having the doses ready; administering the doses and, especially people turning up in a timely manner). When I heard the stories on the news I interpreted them as showing what a mammoth task lies ahead of us.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Sky News are just as bad David. What happened to the days when the media reported news. Nowadays they seem more intent on holding the government to account which is what the opposition parties were supposed to be doing. Their questions are loaded with the intention of trying to trip ministers up, something I find petty and sly.

The thing that's caused most of this in the modern phenomemum, "rolling news".

Once upon a time there was just the BBC and there was just actual news. Read on the wireless by a man in evening dress. They just reported what was happening. So much so that on one occasion, on 18th April 1930, the BBC just came right out and said it on the evening news. “There is no news today,” they announced. Piano music followed.

Now there are many rival outlets. All competing to be first or most dramatic. BBC1 and ITV have to fill two half hour bulletins every evening, come what may. It's even worse for the rolling news outlets, like BBC News, Sky News and CNN. They have to fill 24 hours a day. And let's face it, with the exception of the occasional actual development, such as a new vaccine or a new milestone in cases or deaths, the news at the moment is pretty much the same day by day. We're in a pandemic, thousands of people are ill and dying, hospitals are under stress, we're in lockdown. That's it. So they all struggle to find a new line, a new twist, a new development, every minute of every hour of every day. So it gets pretty banal. They leap on every utterance of Sir Hindsight, or Piers Corbyn, or Tracey on Facebook as gold dust. And if no-one says anything they have to try to get them to accept words they put in their mouths. Or trip them up to create a story.

When I worked for the BBC there was once a strike and as part of the management team my job as to keep us on air. I'd done 9 hours solid presentation when the local paper rang, fired up by the unions. "Is it true you've been on air for 9 hours?". "Yes". "So you'd say it was difficult?" I could see where this was leading. "BBC boss admits situation is difficult."

So, "No it's what I did before I was a manager. It's what I did every day. It's not difficult. But if you want a quote it's f**king boring." They didn't quote me.

What rolling news wants is what they call "a boy stuck in a well story". Life and death, dramatic, something new to report every hour as rescue attempts continue and a clear and decisive ending. Happy or tragic they don't care.

Covid isn't a boy stuck in a well. New developments come slowly. So they struggle to fill the hours in between. And we get the results we see every day.

[Ray B]

New business offers loaded roast potatoes delivered to your door

FOOD AND DRINK

Louisa Baldwin

A Norfolk chef has taken one of the nation's favourite foods to the next level in his new business, offering crispy roast potatoes with a range of toppings. Lee Vann, 35, from Norwich, launched Rad Roasties in January and it has been popping up...

The leading story on our local papers W/site.
Gripping.

[Manoverboard]

Thanks Merv but at our age and by living through the 70s in particular we probably all know how they lie and how they spin just to make a mark, sadest part is that some dimwits actually believe their garbage. Talking of garbage reminds me that we once knew a News of the World reporter .... what a corrupt ars*hole he turned out to be.

[barney]

I noticed that the UVF were out in force today in NI.

Can we honestly expect a return to the troubles over this ridiculous internal border that Johnson signed up to.

[towny44]

I noticed that the UVF were out in force today in NI.

Can we honestly expect a return to the troubles over this ridiculous internal border that Johnson signed up to.

Do you have a viable alternative that would honour the Good Friday agreement and be acceptable to the EU and both sides of the border then Barney?

[barney]

I noticed that the UVF were out in force today in NI.

Can we honestly expect a return to the troubles over this ridiculous internal border that Johnson signed up to.

Do you have a viable alternative that would honour the Good Friday agreement and be acceptable to the EU and both sides of the border then Barney?

Nope, but what I do know is that it’s a volatile province.
I’d hoped those days were over but maybe not.
Given the choice between a border with a foreign country and an internal border within the U.K., the external one would be preferable.
It’s up to them to man it.

[Kendhni]

I noticed that the UVF were out in force today in NI.

Can we honestly expect a return to the troubles over this ridiculous internal border that Johnson signed up to.

Except that is not what this was over - you are conflating two different incidents. The masks on the street are nothing more than an internal turf war the sort of incident you see in any many inner cities worldwide.

The threats against workers on Johnsons internal UK border is still being investigated - but taken seriously.

[Kendhni]

I hope the police deal with this piece of vermin
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/chris-whitty- ... 26814.html

Ideally he should be put to work a week on the COVID wards and, since he thinks Whitty is a liar, I am sure he would not want any sort of PPE.

I loved Whittys response probably one of the best and most condescending put downs I have ever seen.
I would still love to see the chav, that was swearing at Whitty, give a response after spending a day on a COVID ward.

[barney]

I noticed that the UVF were out in force today in NI.

Can we honestly expect a return to the troubles over this ridiculous internal border that Johnson signed up to.

Except that is not what this was over - you are conflating two different incidents. The masks on the street are nothing more than an internal turf war the sort of incident you see in any many inner cities worldwide.

The threats against workers on Johnsons internal UK border is still being investigated - but taken seriously.

Yeah right !
That’s what the press were asked to report.
I suppose the threatening graffiti was fake news as well.
Johnson should have consulted before making that agreement.
My feelings are that the internal border will be gone shortly, one way or another.

[towny44]

I noticed that the UVF were out in force today in NI.

Can we honestly expect a return to the troubles over this ridiculous internal border that Johnson signed up to.

Except that is not what this was over - you are conflating two different incidents. The masks on the street are nothing more than an internal turf war the sort of incident you see in any many inner cities worldwide.

The threats against workers on Johnsons internal UK border is still being investigated - but taken seriously.

Yeah right !
That’s what the press were asked to report.
I suppose the threatening graffiti was fake news as well.
Johnson should have consulted before making that agreement.
My feelings are that the internal border will be gone shortly, one way or another.

Surely that will up to the EU, if they were not prepared to grant Johnson anything less contentious during the trade talks, what makes you so certain they will back down now?

[oldbluefox]

There seems to be a lot of nonsense around border controls, documentation and certification at the moment and it does make you wonder just how necessary it all is. It seems strange that plants could be exported freely to the EU without hindrance before 1st January but now they have to have a soil test to make sure no contaminated soil enters EU countries. So what happened to our soil overnight?
Why cannot many of these checks be done electronically? The technology exists to fly hundreds of people around the world on nothing more than a phone app but a lorry load of goods need countless sheets of paper? No doubt in time these matters will be resolved but much of what we hear from traders seems to be jobsworth admin which is of no benefit to anyone either side of the border.

[Gill W]

Well it’s taken a month, but we seem to have looped round into the same conversation that had been going on since June 2016.

It’s really straightforward.

The current situation is a direct result of Brexit. We left the customs union, there therefore border checks are needed.

It’s that simple.

Nothing that has happened so far has surprised me, but I listened to the warnings and didn’t dismiss them as Project Fear.

I asked prior to to 31st Dec, and you all seemed happy with the arrangements that had been made the end of transition and that included the Irish border, so no point in moaning about it now - you wanted this so you should be enjoying your new lives by now, and not MOANING

[oldbluefox]

Moan.... definition............ " a complaint which is perceived as trivial and not taken seriously by others".
Returns to discussing current affairs.
Move on..............................

[Manoverboard]

I am perfectly happy about leaving the clutches of the controlling left wing liberal EU in spite of a few niggles as we adjust to the new situation.

But moaning ... hardly

[oldbluefox]

Btw for what it's worth I am delighted we are out of the EU. For a start we are all getting vaccinated whilst the EU is still floundering about. We always acknowledged there would be bumps in the road following Brexit but in time these problems will be resolved. Here's one who is enjoying life outside the EU and looking forward to better days ahead.

[poole boy]

I agree with oldbluefox and am very happy to be out of the EU which I consider to be a very nasty organisation

[barney]

Except that is not what this was over - you are conflating two different incidents. The masks on the street are nothing more than an internal turf war the sort of incident you see in any many inner cities worldwide.

The threats against workers on Johnsons internal UK border is still being investigated - but taken seriously.

Yeah right !
That’s what the press were asked to report.
I suppose the threatening graffiti was fake news as well.
Johnson should have consulted before making that agreement.
My feelings are that the internal border will be gone shortly, one way or another.

Surely that will up to the EU, if they were not prepared to grant Johnson anything less contentious during the trade talks, what makes you so certain they will back down now?

I didn’t say I was certain John.
I can’t even be certain that I’ll see the day out.
What I meant was that it cannot continue and either the Eu reign it in a bit or there will probably be repercussions from some of the Loyalist community, which is exactly against what the GFA was supposed to stop.
There was no consultation with the local people before Johnson and Brussels agreed it.
Recipe for disaster imo.

[Gill W]

If you are all so happy - MOVE ON from the bitter, moany tone that has laced posts over recent days. In other words, act like you are happy.

[Kendhni]

I noticed that the UVF were out in force today in NI.

Can we honestly expect a return to the troubles over this ridiculous internal border that Johnson signed up to.

Except that is not what this was over - you are conflating two different incidents. The masks on the street are nothing more than an internal turf war the sort of incident you see in many inner cities worldwide.

The threats against workers on Johnsons internal UK border is still being investigated - but taken seriously.

Yeah right !
That’s what the press were asked to report.
I suppose the threatening graffiti was fake news as well.

Nobody that I know has said it was fake news, but yet again you are attempting to conflate two totally different stories. You only know what the media has told you to think.

Johnson should have consulted before making that agreement.
My feelings are that the internal border will be gone shortly, one way or another.

Johnson did, he stood at the DUP conference at the end of 2019 and guaranteed the delegates that the union was safe and he would never allow a border within the UK - then less than 72 hours later he folded like a house of cards built from tissue paper (at least May stuck by her principles). Then he tried to lie about how the border would operate - it was only when he was backed into a corner that he accepted reality.

You could be right about the border though, interesting times (although Johnson has assured the people of the UK that brexit will strengthen the union - fortunately Johnson is trustworthy and honest). I almost managed to type that last bit with a straight face.

[Kendhni]

Well it’s taken a month, but we seem to have looped round into the same conversation that had been going on since June 2016.

It’s really straightforward.

The current situation is a direct result of Brexit. We left the customs union, there therefore border checks are needed.

It’s that simple.

Nothing that has happened so far has surprised me, but I listened to the warnings and didn’t dismiss them as Project Fear.

I agree, what is happening now is EXACTLY what was predicted, The government tried to blame businesses but yet 48 hours before the deadline the government could not tell business what they had to prepare for. At the end of December there were many reports that necessary systems and personnel were not in place.

There was always going to be teething problems and in the main they have fortunately, for most people, it has not been as bad as I thought it might be- sadly some are unlikely to survive these teething problems. As someone said to me the other day, "covid means that the borders are under less pressure than normal, if we had have been operating normally then the system would have collapsed" - I have no idea how true this may be.

[oldbluefox]

Nothing that has happened so far has surprised me, but I listened to the warnings and didn’t dismiss them as Project Fear.

I take it from that, that you still believe the moment we left the EU the housing market would collapse (despite house prices rising), the pound will collapse in value, hundreds of thousands would be out of jobs and car manufacturers would all relocate to the continent. I suppose there's still time eh?

Oddly enough you are the only one who mentions Project Fear. The rest of us have moved on and are now discussing the situation we have and how matters could be improved. You are welcome to join in instead of persistently moaning about the rest of us. If you have some positive comments to make I feel sure we would be happy to listen.

[towny44]

Nothing that has happened so far has surprised me, but I listened to the warnings and didn’t dismiss them as Project Fear.

I take it from that, that you still believe the moment we left the EU the housing market would collapse (despite house prices rising), the pound will collapse in value, hundreds of thousands would be out of jobs and car manufacturers would all relocate to the continent. I suppose there's still time eh?

Oddly enough you are the only one who mentions Project Fear. The rest of us have moved on and are now discussing the situation we have and how matters could be improved. You are welcome to join in instead of persistently moaning about the rest of us. If you have some positive comments to make I feel sure we would be happy to listen.

I suspect a positive comment from Gill is about as likely as a heatwave in winter.
On a purely selfish basis I am not yet aware of any significant problems from brexit. My passport will need renewing about 6 months earlier than before, We may need to apply for an EU on line visa/ESTA sometime in the future, and I am sure there will be other wrinkles, but nothing yet to tear my hair out about.