Hang on in there - getting out the house to go to has kept me relatively sane so far. At home this week having hurt myself but hope to back at work next week for a change of scenery!!
the financial cost is irrelevant, people can’t be replaced , ask someone who’s had someone die if they would swap their house for that person. The vaccine doesn’t mean it’s gone and it doesn’t mean everything returns to normal. Of course lots of people have died, but how many haven’t ? No way to know and I would say that without that information the death rate doesn’t show the true picture, how many more would have died ? . we all could have stayed home and not gone anywhere, nobody took that choice away from us, we could have stayed home and waited for a vaccine.
Anyway having convincing won over anyone who doesn’t share a similar view to me. I’m signing out and will Be making a puppet show about toothless Pete the pirate with my 7 yr old for homeschooling. ahhhar you scurvy landlubbers
You’ve added a bit to the thread. I owe you an apology, scientific thought is to have a theory, then experiment/research to prove or discredit said theory, not as I stated. It’s isn’t bias that is preventing me disproving my theory, it’s lack of contrary evidence. I don’t have a foolproof solution no, this goes back to my point on viable questions, I don’t need to be Jewish to hate the Nazis, I don’t have to be a premiership footballer to think my team played badly. I don’t have to be in government to hold a government to account. I’ve presented facts that can be verified to support my points, it’s not just verbal spew. I’ve been at pains to talk about this sitting government....I have no doubt that John Major for example simply wouldn’t have lead like this, been this inept and corrupt. You guys that only vote one way no matter what can sleep safe in your beds and ignore all this as you want.
I didn't say that - a government with a majority plainly has support, also, the Welsh (Labour) and Scottish (SNP) governments have also staged lockdowns. Each have been ahead of the English governments and heavily (and I mean really heavily criticised) by the right leaning press and talking heads, only to have Boris fallow them in a couple of weeks later. The debate should be, why a couple of weeks later, pretty much consistently all year. I'm not sure of your point. As a self employed person, have you tried to get income support etc. at any time outside of the pandemic? Has anyone here, self employed, tried? It isn't in the slightest readily available. ? I've not said the government is tanking the economy, I've said the opposite, that they are making decisions that value the economy over life. My only comment on them directly is all the contracts awarded directly attributed to the pandemic from which they benefit. The mountain of data that supports this is too huge to delve through again. The UK Government have something called Framework procurement agreements - these, and the companies that are allowed to bid on them, are published in the public domain and are subject to varying level so control and scrutiny by the likes of the ONS. Companies have to apply to join a framework periodically (12 months/18 months) and have to prove they can deliver whatever goods are on that framework e.g. if you supply agricultural feed you aren't allowed on the IT framework, but are allowed on the relevant farming/foodstuffs framework. The government releases a tender on a specific framework, and only companies on that framework can respond to it - usually its a series of criteria and goals that you price and resource. There can be a few stages in a tender, interviews, demonstrations etc, leading to contract award. Then there is a calling off period where anyone that failed to win can contest. Badly written tenders are where private companies make their money - these are the ones that quite rightly we should be fixing the process for. However, this pandemic has seen companies on the relevant PPE frameworks ignored, or the tender never being released. Google Fast Track VIP Lane PPE contracts - many awards have come from personal recommendations from this sitting government. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds. I'm a realist, I can see that the typical procurement period would not move fast enough, so there is a need for some leeway. I can totally see why you might give a website company (Crisp Websites - £108 MILLION) money for PPE, why you as the Vaccination Minister might rename your (oops, your wife and sons) company something that removes your surname and adds the word medical to the company name - when it was originally named a property company. It was renamed 3 weeks after its formation, her other companies are solely property. I know I know, there aren't the droids you are looking for, move along, move along. Google Andrew Mills - special advisor to Liz Truss (Secretary of State for International Trade). He was eventually sacked for ripping off the British government for a mere £150million pounds over PPE contracts. Google how all the companies involved in this - including the holding company - have now hidden their accounts so that we will never know. So yes - people do well, people do badly - but there are a LOT of tory linked companies with no pedigree literally earning hundred of millions of pounds marking up prices, delivering the wrong goods, or supplying 37 YEARS worth of PPE gowns that have a life expectancy of 3 years. It's been an absolute killing for those well connected and without shame. No. I suspect that some decisions are simply no win, difficult and poor outcomes all around. Some more are simple crap leadership by a man who prides himself on quoting the classics and acts of last minute heroism when actually he should grow some balls and do what is obvious and right - but then he'd need to read his briefings and turn up to meetings where he shuts the f*** up and doesn't sit there like its the Boris clown show (watch some of his meetings on YouTube when he was London Mayor - its embarrassing stuff). But some are driven by odious deeds to protect fortunes, or enable them to be made. This isn't a typical Tory I'm sure - I'll leave you to make of it what you will - the lady answering what was a High Court Judge, eminent QC and now a Lord on the value of life, is a terminally ill cancer sufferer - respect to her.
Thanks Don't mind the work, it's knowing how badly this lot are dealing with it to try and get back to some normality.
It's amazing how an innocent post about a tv presenter can turn into a full blown political argument! Can we get back on topic?
It’s nice to see you so positive, veritably jovial for a change. Just hope you’ve got a stain proof sofa and splash proof telly
She’s brilliant. Literally! So enthusiastic, and reminiscent of Patrick Moore who I’m sure in an interview said she listened to a lot. A joy to hear her speak.
