How do you know that for certain,was it in the press ?

Sage scientists and the NHS have all been saying that the relaxation over christmas would lead to a huge surge in January. They were very vocal about it

Frankly, if the newer strain was already seeded (likely) then it would have made very little difference as even one or two rogue cases would have started to spread quickly as soon as restrictions were lessened. Unless you're talking a full lockdown until 70+% of the population is vaccinated, which realistically will be 2022, and thus impossible.

I mean... Common sense was saying that from the moment it was announced. One occasion where I think the "who needs experts?" nonsense actually does apply. Not because the experts aren't right, but because my 11 year old could have predicted that :hehe:.

I still say a surge peak would come mid February though. People would be sat at the end of Jan saying "pfft, what surge?" and then it would creep in the back door like "Hello sorry I'm late!"

Conspiracy theory time; there is no super infectious new strain. They realised that easing lockdown over Christmas would be a disaster but the cat was out of the bag, people wouldn't have accepted it being snatched back without good reason. Enter rumours of a terrifying "new strain", goodbye Christmas gatherings.

I'm not saying this is the case but... Well... It's not the most far fetched idea that's ever slapped my mind.

The timing is sus, and the amount of information they apparently have about the spread stats of this newly identified strain are oddly specific. :whistle:

What difference would that have made.

The outcome that people cant meet in xmas day would still be the same.:shrug:

Tbf I think "the earlier the better" because the closet to Christmas it was, the more people would already have made plans, and let's face it a large chunk of those people are going to go ahead with their plans regardless.

Well hapless Hancock has given a great revelation this morning.

He says the new strain is out of control.
In likely addition to the other strain too then.

How is he still in his job for crying out loud.
Just over a week ago he wasn't even mentioning this new strain..which apparently was known about in September/ October.
However nothing prepared again.

But people wouldn't have necessarily been making plans a week or two ago.

Nickys nation conspiring as it’s been found there as well

And it has to be reported with genomic evidence to the WHO it’s not like they can claim it and then forget about it :omgno:

I think most people will start making plans at the start of the month, bu that wont include the food shop. I'm struggling to see what the issue is with the timing of xmas being cancelled?

Imo, the only people missing out monetary wise are the donuts like myself who did the food shop yesterday before the announcement...but I'm still going ahead with my plans so it will all be used.

I'd rather choose New Zealand over Australia, Jacinda alone is a million times better than Boris ! ,atleast they have better control with Covid and they've had the least deaths .

Or you could simply go to the Isle of Wight where it is under control or one of the Orkney’s

Sturgeon would hunt you down and burn your body.

My confusion I suppose is that this early in the game they can't possibly have any idea "how much" more infectious it is as to be able to give a percentage figure - consider how long it took to get accurate stats back in Spring. They've identified a number of cases and that's enough for them to say its "x amount more infectious"? It just seems off. I can believe that they know its more infectious, significantly easier to transmit etc. but I think the numbers are being guesstimated for media/public consumption (as people are impatient and will not accept vagueries like "more" infectious).

Isn’t it down to the infection rate rising in Kent dramatically even through lockdown, not sure where 70 % came from, there were a few figures thrown out yesterday some as low as 30%

:hehe:

Very good posts Joey I agree with what you’ve said. It really baffles me why Boris is choosing to ignore advice that is being given to him by health experts. He has made some really poor decisions throughout this pandemic.

Kaz I have to disagree , I have zero sympathy for a man that is a bumbling idiot :bored: . He's ignored alot of health advice & warnings and frankly common sense has gone out the window with him.

No I wouldn't want his job , but he's been so incompetent anyway .

EU countries start to suspend travel to and from the UK due to new Covid strain

Is the EU cancelling Christmas for Brits :omgno: hang them now for putting public health first

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-b1776766.html

Boris is a ****ing idiot and a travesty of a PM, I'm not going to feel sorry for a moron who has ignored endless warnings to do what he wants and prolong this pandemic by doing so.

I'm so tired of people bending over backwards to defend ineptitude just because it's Boris. If Boris was Labour, the same people who are determined to defend him would be slating him, but you can bet most of the people slating him as a Tory would still do so if he was Labour, I certainly would.

He and the rest of the senior government knew about Covid months before he decided to act, they've known about this new strain for a while as well now but they've messed people around instead of doing what needed to be done earlier on. Boris deserves no sympathy and the people who act like he does would not be so sympathetic towards him if he wasn't a tory.

All we know GoldHeart is what the press and media convey what they want to us ,personally i think it would be political suicide to ignore advice and warnings ,also businesses have to keep afloat as if the economy goes down ,more people will suffer . its swings and roundabouts and yes mistakes have been made, but as long as we learn from them that's good, he is only human at the end of the day he wouldnt deliberately be making things hard for himself or the country, thats my opinion anyway,but anyway stay safe.:wavey:

People would not be saying 'he's only human!' if he was labour, or any other party that wasn't Tory. They wouldn't be so forgiving of his 'mistakes' then.

I'm so tired of people accepting mediocrity, no, that's too kind of a word, straight up incompetence is a better fit, just because it's a Tory at the helm. I'm so tired of Tory supporters being all like 'Imagine if Corbyn was in charge though!' No, I don't need hypotheticals when we're in a ****ing nightmare right now.

I'm just sick of it all.

I know they have to take precautions "just in case" but the idea that this isn't already in Europe is just nonsense; there's a good chance it came FROM continental Europe.

I guess people will have ordered turkeys and food to accommodate a gathering now find themselves with copious amounts of food...and those that were going elsewhere now have to get food in for christmas....not a massive deal unless there is now going to be a shortage of Turkeys...

Load of crap innit. I wonder how much longer BoJo can get away with holding his "good old boy" image...

But as for being sick of it, sometimes it's better to not engage, what good does listening to it do? Get a new hobby, help with the bees, read more books, play more online games ... anything but political discourse :joker: Trump's on his way out, I can't see BoJo lasting much longer, and Corbyn doesn't lead Labour, so hopefully it's an end to all the divisive BS!!

#MakePoliticsBoringAgain

Weeerrrllll the divisive BS certainly didn't start with Trump/Bojo/Corbyn etc. and politics will always be divisive, but I do hope we're starting to come to the end of this era where the divisiveness is rooted in anti-intellectualism and politicians prancing around social media like pantomime showponies. That's what I'm sick of. Sneering arseholes either being, or at least acting, ****ing thick.

No they wouldn't you are right again.

It's odd how re Labour or Labour MPs or members too, the press and media then are believed near 100% by those now attacking said media.

In this pandemic it's not just the media.
It's the factual interviewing of health bodies and the science who have issued warning after warning.

Yet Johnson is afforded not one more chance but a whole volume of them.
When he has presided over one of the 5 worst death tolls to this virus.

Just about 3 days ago he was ridiculing Starmer on wanting to ruin Christmas by his calling for a rethink on the 5 day relaxation period.

Then Saturday he has to announce he is having to make changes to the Christmas period.

If that was a Labour PM, those same voices would be ridiculing that PM a thousandfold, and rightly too as they'd be right.

Just as those exposing this PM's deceit, lies and incompetence from his dangerous procrastination on this pandemic and losses unnecessarily of loved ones lives, are right now to do so.

If Labour were in charge especially Corbyn , there's no way he'd get sympathy and he'd be getting much worse hate that's for sure . So there's definitely hypocrisy and double standards where the Tories and Boris particularly get let off the hook :bored: .

The funny thing is Corbyn would probably do a much better job or at least try to .

The only people who have mentioned Corbyn oddly enough in this thread are or were Labour supporters :joker:

The UK is broken up in all but name and funding and is run by 4 different parties in my view anyway

Oh sure, I don't expect all sides to start agreeing anytime soon! But all three seemed to bring out more divisiveness than before, and all could be accused of dabbling in "personality politics".

You mentioned social media, and I think all three roughly coincide with social media gaining prominence? So who knows, maybe this will be the norm now, for as long as social media is such a part of people's lives...

Yes I was a labour supporter and still was in the Corbyn days, but I'm not a fan of starmer but I can't stand Boris or the Tories in general !.

Corbyn called for us to follow what NZ and Aus were doing, and their lives are pretty much back to normal. Boris was talking about keeping businesses open throughout and letting it spread. So there's that...

Slide the arrow
Today and Busy Saturday

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...buy-gifts.html

New Zealand got very strict regulations yes, that got Ardern re-elected too for doing the right things against covid-19


Australia, well their christmas is in summer, so people can spend it outdoors

The only reason there was a new strain because this virus was still ramping the country across the ****ing winter

"he's only human" might of worked back in bloody march when this thing was all new, now there's no ****ing excuse of how many times this government has messed up since then.

One of those tweets was giving a personal opinion and one was giving orders. I'm guessing you preferred the one that was giving orders?

Only an idiot would have been planning on a "proper" xmas anyway .

Risking my mothers health has not something I've considered since the start of december.