COVID-19 UK & Beyond

[Freggyragh]

I’ve some stupid and dangerous conspiracies posted recently. So far I’ve seen the following blamed:

The Chinese Communist Party.

Chinese Anti-Communists

North Korea

Putin

The Japanese

The US Military

The Right, funded by Insurance Companies

The Right, funded by Anti-Eu Billionaires

The Left

So here’s my theory:

A virus developed by itself somewhere, probably in a Chinese ‘wet market’, but who knows. The CCP refused to accept the reality of what was happening for about a month, but then accepted the situation and acted correctly.
 

Unfortunately, by then, the virus had spread to many countries whose governments did not accept the reality of what was happening.

South Korea did understand. They are close to China and they had the wealth, public health resources and will to protect themselves.

In the rest of the world most of the leaders are populist clowns who have made careers out of telling the people who vote for them that they are special and ‘great’ and that the only reason they aren’t on easy street is because of foreigners. They have under-funded education and health and created an under-class of poorly paid, and ‘gig’ economy workers and allowed employers to bring in ready trained workers from elsewhere to keep everything working. The financial elite have backed their politicians well and managed to convince the public there is no better way to live. The leaders have to keep telling everyone they’re winning, and doing great, or the whole façade falls away. That’s why  any negative projections or notions of fear for the future must be not only ignored, but suppressed. And that’s where we are now. The virus was ignored for weeks to make the stock market look better, to make America great again, to get Brexit done  

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Freggyragh

[Chinahand]

I do find it interesting that the left represented by the Grauniad and Independent are so ideologically blind they think Boris is the same as Trump. While the reality is that that the U.K. response and the US one have been totally different. 

[TheTeapot]

13 minutes ago, Chinahand said:

I do find it interesting that the left represented by the Grauniad and Independent are so ideologically blind they think Boris is the same as Trump. While the reality is that that the U.K. response and the US one have been totally different. 

While the guardians approach towards Boris isn't at all positive, it is a lot different to their attitude towards Trump. They hate Trump.

[TheTeapot]

50 minutes ago, Freggyragh said:

I’ve some stupid and dangerous conspiracies posted recently.

 

It was a CIA bio-weapon released in China in an attempt to bring the CCP down, get them to beg for international help and let the US take over. But it has gone wrong and has spread everywhere, so now they're using it to bring in martial law, control everyone,crash the economy so they can buy everything back for buttons. When the vaccine comes on line they'll be implanting chips in everyone along with it, you'll only be allowed to move around if your chip is up to date. Control.

[P.K.]

1 hour ago, Chinahand said:

I do find it interesting that the left represented by the Grauniad and Independent are so ideologically blind they think Boris is the same as Trump. While the reality is that that the U.K. response and the US one have been totally different. 

My beloved Grauniad is hardly ideologically blind because at most it's left leaning.

Sure it's easy to claim it's very left wing simply because it takes a very right wing government to task over it's failing policies. And face it, there's no shortage of material there...

There are also similarities between Trump and Johnson. Both are narcissists for a start. Both taking an economic view of the pandemic before the human cost. Both think it'll be over in very unrealistic timescales etc etc.

Face it, the major similarity is they're both useless...

[woolley]

2 hours ago, Freggyragh said:

I’ve some stupid and dangerous conspiracies posted recently. So far I’ve seen the following blamed:

The Chinese Communist Party.

Chinese Anti-Communists

North Korea

Putin

The Japanese

The US Military

The Right, funded by Insurance Companies

The Right, funded by Anti-Eu Billionaires

The Left

So here’s my theory:

A virus developed by itself somewhere, probably in a Chinese ‘wet market’, but who knows. The CCP refused to accept the reality of what was happening for about a month, but then accepted the situation and acted correctly.
 

Unfortunately, by then, the virus had spread to many countries whose governments did not accept the reality of what was happening.

South Korea did understand. They are close to China and they had the wealth, public health resources and will to protect themselves.

In the rest of the world most of the leaders are populist clowns who have made careers out of telling the people who vote for them that they are special and ‘great’ and that the only reason they aren’t on easy street is because of foreigners. They have under-funded education and health and created an under-class of poorly paid, and ‘gig’ economy workers and allowed employers to bring in ready trained workers from elsewhere to keep everything working. The financial elite have backed their politicians well and managed to convince the public there is no better way to live. The leaders have to keep telling everyone they’re winning, and doing great, or the whole façade falls away. That’s why  any negative projections or notions of fear for the future must be not only ignored, but suppressed. And that’s where we are now. The virus was ignored for weeks to make the stock market look better, to make America great again, to get Brexit done  

 

Thanks for the damning indictment of globalisation. Spot on. 

[Freggyragh]

Globalism is not going to stop. The question is whether this will benefit only the financial elite or can be made to work with consideration for humanity. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Freggyragh

[P.K.]

6 hours ago, woolley said:

Someone tell the virus - and PK. 

Someone tell the Woolster to at least try to keep up...

On 3/24/2020 at 2:08 PM, Lxxx said:

The severity of COVID 19 was downgraded a few days ago by the UK Government. Contradictory much?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid?fbclid=IwAR04Q9Hq7bDd_9iz_9z2Hz6WPoMU8XXe1zz854YT6s7MQ82XnCO211gEqy4

 

[Non-Believer]

UK Covid-19 deaths up 30% yesterday with another 260+.

[P.K.]

16 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

UK Covid-19 deaths up 30% yesterday with another 260+.

Not surprising really. If you do the sums. From the back of my fag packet:

As per Aids the more lurid newspapers speculate on patient zero bringing it in. There is no doubt that someone from Sussex came back from a trip abroad and fell ill. As did his family. The first recorded patient was 31st January. If we assume that by then some 10 folks were spreading the virus (probably a way too low figure) if you work on the accepted 1 person infects 2.5 others every five days it's not surprising it was travelling through communities around the Feb half-term. Which is when Boris Johnson took a 12 day holiday. Obviously preparing himself for what was to come. So by the 12th March, when Johnson put out his "herd immunity" euphemism for doing nothing the number of infected would have been around 30,000+.

Having had a weekend of world-wide alarm and ridicule at that policy Johnson then moved on to the next "phase" where, showing terrific leadership and decisiveness, he warned folks to avoid going down to the pub. Presumably in case his dad was there. As nobody can take Johnson seriously they completely ignored everything he said.

The Lockdown came into effect Tuesday 24th March. By which time the number of infected would have been approaching the 200k mark.

Unfortunately, according to my sums, between the "herd immunity" nonsense and the Lockdown the number of infected would have risen by at least 150,000....

[woolley]

Jeez. Tin hat time again, I see.

As for herd immunity. In the absence of a vaccine herd immunity will be required to get back to anything like normal.

[woolley]

2 hours ago, Freggyragh said:

Globalism is not going to stop. The question is whether this will benefit only the financial elite or can be made to work with consideration for humanity. 

Did you read that without laughing after you posted it?

[Chinahand]

It is fascinating how conspiracy nutters latch on to minor bureaucratic issues which are irrelevant in the face of the practical management of the situation and try to use it to pretend ... well what?

If it wasn’t tragic the claim this nutter makes about the situation in Italy would be laughable. The country’s daily death rate has increased by over 50% due to an outbreak in basically one region, Lombardy. Spain’s daily death rate is close to doubling. 

This isn’t flu and seasonal flu doesn’t look anything like this. It will take a huge societal effort to stop this disease killing multiple thousands of people. Without that effort it would be orders of magnitude higher. 

Quite why it has been reclassified isn’t clear to me. Maybe insurance companies, maybe something as bureaucratic as the legal powers used to fight it. But whatever the reason it doesn’t mean we all aren’t facing a medical emergency of such severity that it is rational to bring our economies and normal social interactions to an end to fight it. 
 

God I hate nutters. 

[P.K.]

31 minutes ago, Chinahand said:

It is fascinating how conspiracy nutters latch on to minor bureaucratic issues which are irrelevant in the face of the practical management Quite why it has been reclassified isn’t clear to me. Maybe insurance companies, maybe something as bureaucratic as the legal powers used to fight it. But whatever the reason it doesn’t mean we all aren’t facing a medical emergency of such severity that it is rational to bring our economies and normal social interactions to an end to fight it. 

God I hate nutters. 

Don't travel on a bus then.

I thought it was simply because, although highly infectious, the lethality rate is beneath that of the required number.

So it's just a paper exercise, although it may well play out differently in some quarters where that statistic carries weight.

Personally I thought it was Public Health England trying to justify their stupid edict to downgrade the barrier PPE.

[Rog]

FWIW police are now very active enforcing the rules regarding Kung Flu rules over here, drones are being used to monitor what people are getting up to.  A number of mobile shops have sprung up and are doing a roaring business.

Almost over night signposts have been stripped of village names or been swapped over and "go home you're not wanted" signs and graffiti are all over the place. 

Lots of things in short supply in the shops too. Even fresh veg, 

"County Lines" would seem to have changed radically with our local produce being taken to the crap holes rather than drugs being brought from the crap holes to us.

I just hope you guys are getting through this nightmare OK, we seem to be a few days ahead on the shit highway but otherwise from following your press the route seems as near as dammit to being very similar. 

Stay safe, really.