UK cut off from EU, due to concerns over new Coronavirus strain

[43096]

Series 1 of Brexit has been released a bit earlier than we all expected. To think there's a COBRA meeting about this tomorrow..comedic considering January 1st and all that.

It’s all very convenient this kicking off now. Assuming no deal Brexit happens with the expected fiasco at ports resulting, the excuse will be that it was down to the virus travel restrictions. How politically convenient.

 

[DB]

It’s all very convenient this kicking off now. Assuming no deal Brexit happens with the expected fiasco at ports resulting, the excuse will be that it was down to the virus travel restrictions. How politically convenient.

Quite believable - but they will only be able to spin that one out for a limited time (probably a matter of weeks at most)!

 

[dosxuk]

The media are not helping today saying we are going to run out of certain things soon. Can’t see it, warehouses must be full this time of year.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there's been lots of stuff about "please don't panic buy" and "there may be some short term shortages" already this winter. The big worries are fresh produce as you can't chuck that in a warehouse for three months ready for space on the shelves. The supply chain was already at full capacity with companies brexit stockpiling, a shortage of containers and chaos at the ports with no space for new arrivals. A large proportion of containers that would normally dock in the UK have been redirected to the likes of Rotterdam and will now be stuck on the continent because nobody is willing to drive them here with the risk of getting stuck on this side of the channel and no way back home.

Basically, it was already a mess, add a no-deal Brexit into the mix and it was going to be bad, but now throw a travel ban for accompanied freight in as well and you have a scenario we have no preparation for. If this continues more than a couple of days there will be shortages, the only variable is how bad they are.

 

[Bantamzen]

It’s all very convenient this kicking off now. Assuming no deal Brexit happens with the expected fiasco at ports resulting, the excuse will be that it was down to the virus travel restrictions. How politically convenient.

Way too convenient.

 

[LAX54]

Bearing in mind this 'started' in Kent, and France has a higher figure of covid than us, and numbers were rising fast, who is to say that it did not come fom them in the first place ! But if we keep locking down, the virus will just get stronger each time

 

[Richard Scott]

Bearing in mind this 'started' in Kent, and France has a higher figure of covid than us, and numbers were rising fast, who is to say that it did not come fom them in the first place ! But if we keep locking down, the virus will just get stronger each time

I thought it was reputed to have come from Spain initially?

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

I thought it was reputed to have come from Spain initially?

On the subject of Spain, they have just announced that they "will ban all entries from the UK except for Spanish nationals and residents from tomorrow" https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak/status/1341025799563034630

The irony is... this strain is probably already in many other countries, they just don't know because they don't have as good genomic sequencing as the UK. They really are closing the door now that the horse has bolted.

 

[Ediswan]

The irony is... this strain is probably already in many other countries, they just don't know because they don't have as good genomic sequencing as the UK. They really are closing the door now that the horse has bolted.

BBC reporting a case of the new variant identified in Australia.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Bearing in mind this 'started' in Kent, and France has a higher figure of covid than us, and numbers were rising fast, who is to say that it did not come fom them in the first place ! But if we keep locking down, the virus will just get stronger each time

Indeed France was having its own surge 3-4 weeks ago which it has slowed down with draconian measures like curfews and no one ask the question why? More than likely they have there own version of a new strain or maybe even this one? Germany is going through a surge now and there case rate is as high as ours but no ones saying its a mutant strain. Our idiotic govt saw an opportunity with this strain to get them out of hole they had created when they over committed on Xmas and as usual wont ever change there mind if Starmer suggests it so all rather convenient me thinks.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Dec 2020 ==

I thought it was reputed to have come from Spain initially?

Initial cases back in Feb/March were linked back to Spain.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

BBC reporting a case of the new variant identified in Australia.

Wait till somebody renames this strain the "English Virus".
It's how Spanish Flu got its name a century ago, after all, and Trump keeps on calling the original strain the "China Virus" to the enragement of Beijing.

 

[brad465]

Wait till somebody renames this strain the "English Virus".
It's how Spanish Flu got its name a century ago, after all, and Trump keeps on calling the original strain the "China Virus" to the enragement of Beijing.

My understanding is Spanish Flu got its name because they were one of very few places to censor reporting of the Flu to maintain morale in the war, where because Spain were neutral and free to report it, it looked like they were very hard hit.

However I do think the "English virus" or "UK virus" thing will catch on somewhere.

 

[37424]

I’m sorry to say I feel the same.

Part of the reason Boris got chosen in the first place was because he seemed to be the least-worst of an appalling line-up (though with hindsight I now think Hunt looks like a statesman by comparison, not that that’s saying much).

It’s precisely because of Boris and this clown-show that I worry for what we’ll have left at the end of this. It’s quite evident he lacks understanding of normal life, and that pains me as it means the recovery phase is likely to see the same poor judgement as we’ve seen through this.

The only consolation is that I continue to think BJ will be gone by the summer. I think there is some truth to the rumours that he would like to find a way of walking away.

Gove or Sunak, what a choice?! I think Gove has more of a brain on him, but it’s still a pretty dire choice. I’ve noticed Sunak has now devised his own brand and logo (the Conservative tree symbol with “RISHI SUNAK” written under it). If that’s not political positioning then I don’t know what is! I’m surprised Boris allows that, but perhaps he hasn’t noticed...

As a population we *must* stop this habit of electing maverick freaks as politicians. It started with the London mayoralty, now it seems to have spread and the result has been we’ve ended up with a useless arrogant stupid clown as prime minister at the worst possible time.

How do you do that though when the candidates to be Prime Minister are elected by the parties and they are all pretty dire. This is what you get when its decided that the political parties are too similar and too middle ground, You end up with right wing nuts and left wing nuts, and the sensible people leave the building.

I'm old enough to remember the winter of discontent in 79 but this looks like getting way worse.

 

[TheEdge]

Wait till somebody renames this strain the "English Virus".
It's how Spanish Flu got its name a century ago, after all, and Trump keeps on calling the original strain the "China Virus" to the enragement of Beijing.

Absolute tosh.

By all rights Spanish Flu should be called American flu. It's widely believed now to have originated in army bases in the US but WW1 reporting restrictions meant it first "appeared" in Spain.

You'd like to think we were beyond this now. It's also worth noting an indentical but separately evolved mutation in South Africa.

 

[yorkie]

Absolute tosh.

I think what @LNW-GW Joint said isn't wrong, in that we are the ones reporting this strain, rather than that it originated here, and that this could be used against us. Of course there is no analogy regarding censorship; it's just that many other countries lack the ability to detect this strain specifically.

As for the reporting, I do think some of the language used by the likes of Hancock is potentially irresponsible.

 

[greyman42]

Mutt Hancock only compounded the situation by the way he made his announcement making it sound like the end of the world was coming.

Did he not think that announcing on television that we had lost control of the virus would have widespread consequences?

 

[Vespa]

Its obvious the EU is using this as an opportunity to flex their muscle as part of their overall strategy during the negotiations,it's too good to pass up, all they had to do was ring Macron and tell him to close the border under the guise of controlling the virus, meanwhile similar strain has been discovered in Italy, I'm pretty sure the French already had it and is covering it up.


Meanwhile they will enjoy watching Britain weaken, or so they think, unfortunately they have ignored history Napoleon, Kaiser and Hitler all found that the British people are not so easily cowed, it would only cause us to dig our heels in and become the ultimate awkward squad, something we're very good at.

 

[Mojo]

Did he not think that announcing on television that we had lost control of the virus would have widespread consequences?

It was a deliberate decision, because he knows that a significant proportion of the country will not be obeying these new restrictions and he knows that the police do not have the resources or in many cases the legal power to enforce what the hysterical wants them to. Therefore, they have resorted with the only other way they know how, which is to scare people with hyperbole. The fact that they weren't intelligent enough to perhaps think that other countries would also be listening and acting, especially at a time where many of them (especially France) have an axe to grind.

 

[bramling]

It was a deliberate decision, because he knows that a significant proportion of the country will not be obeying these new restrictions and he knows that the police do not have the resources or in many cases the legal power to enforce what the hysterical wants them to. Therefore, they have resorted with the only other way they know how, which is to scare people with hyperbole. The fact that they weren't intelligent enough to perhaps think that other countries would also be listening and acting, especially at a time where many of them (especially France) have an axe to grind.

If this is how it’s gone, which we won’t know until some time into the future, it’s a complete scandal. This is serious stuff, Johnson and Hancock just aren’t up to dealing with it.

It certainly seems like the police are breaking ranks on this.

I nipped out today to get a headlamp bulb from Halfords, it’s quite clear that people have given up with all this. Apart from the hysterical brigade of course. Just on the news now suggestions that people who have been into a tier 4 area should self-isolate. Do people *really* think anyone is going to do that, especially at this particular time?

The government response to this is now completely out of control. It’s beyond shambles now.

 

[trebor79]

Meanwhile they will enjoy watching Britain weaken, or so they think, unfortunately they have ignored history Napoleon, Kaiser and Hitler all found that the British people are not so easily cowed, it would only cause us to dig our heels in and become the ultimate awkward squad, something we're very good at.

Jeez. What a load of nonsense. It's pathetic rhetoric like this that has got us to where we find ourselves.

 

[Vespa]

If this is how it’s gone, which we won’t know until some time into the future, it’s a complete scandal. This is serious stuff, Johnson and Hancock just aren’t up to dealing with it.

I don't think anybody is never mind how it might have been done under Corbyn, of the two I choose Boris the most able , that said every body is learning all the time about a rapidly evolving virus they are trying to stay ahead of.

His situation is not helped by Covidiots ignoring guidelines and gathering together, spreading.

 

[MikeWM]

Did he not think that announcing on television that we had lost control of the virus would have widespread consequences?

It has certainly got around the world. Was just chatting with one of my colleagues in India who was asking if things were ok over here with the new mutation. I think I reassured him

 

[bramling]

I don't think anybody is never mind how it might have been done under Corbyn, of the two I choose Boris the most able , that said every body is learning all the time about a rapidly evolving virus they are trying to stay ahead of.

His situation is not helped by Covidiots ignoring guidelines and gathering together, spreading.

If he had any idea how to influence people he could probably get a good deal more compliance. Threats never work well in any situation when you want to get buy-in, especially something where there isn’t the resource to enforce.

Someone like Tony Blair would have managed to get so much better public support, pre-Iraq at any rate. Boris just doesn’t have that quality.

 

[Vespa]

If he had any idea how to influence people he could probably get a good deal more compliance. Threats never work well in any situation when you want to get buy-in, especially something where there isn’t the resource to enforce.

Someone like Tony Blair would have managed to get so much better public support, pre-Iraq at any rate. Boris just doesn’t have that quality.

Maybe, people did get complacent because they want what they want their needs comes first before the national good.

As you no doubt know how universally reviled Tony Blair is, it was for different reasons, we can't really retrospectively speculate today's events to Tony Blair's Premiership response to Coronavirus.

It is now today not the past, Boris got the job of dealing with it no one else.

 

[DB]

Meanwhile they will enjoy watching Britain weaken, or so they think, unfortunately they have ignored history Napoleon, Kaiser and Hitler all found that the British people are not so easily cowed, it would only cause us to dig our heels in and become the ultimate awkward squad, something we're very good at.

This issue was entirely self-inflicted by our government. The response of other countries was entirely predictable (and if it was another country, our government would have done the same) - either Johnson intended it as a smokescreen over Brexit, or he is genuinely too incompetent to see what was probbaly going to happen. Either way, he is not fit to be trying to run the country.

 

[Vespa]

This issue was entirely self-inflicted by our government. The response of other countries was entirely predictable (and if it was another country, our government would have done the same) - either Johnson intended it as a smokescreen over Brexit, or he is genuinely too incompetent to see what was probbaly going to happen. Either way, he is not fit to be trying to run the country.

Who do you suggest should step to the role of dealing with it ?

 

[DB]

Maybe, people did get complacent because they want what they want their needs comes first before the national good.

As you no doubt know how universally reviled Tony Blair is, it was for different reasons, we can't really retrospectively speculate today's events to Tony Blair's Premiership response to Coronavirus.

It is now today not the past, Boris got the job of dealing with it no one else.

People have generally been very good about obeying rules, especially back in the spring, but repeated claims that it would be over soon, which hasn't happened, then this shambolic situation over christmas, with a U-turn after people had made plans and in many cases spent money stocking up, has clearly proved a step too far.

Whatever you think of Blair, he was generally a capable leader, and would have handled this much more competently (and to avoid any suggestions of bias, I would say the same about Thatcher). Johnson is completely out of his depth, and seems incapable of devising a strategy and sticking to it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Dec 2020 ==

Who do you suggest should step to the role of dealing with it ?

Well, this is the problem - Johnson has stuffed his cabinet largely with yes-men and women. Labour isn't a lot better, although Starmer would probably manage the situation better than Johnson even if he followed similar tactics (as has Sturgeon - I don't agree with her tactics, but she has been far more consistent, and communicated vastly better, than Johnson).

There are probably backbenchers in both parties who would do a much better job, but nobody is going to try to oust Johnson at the moment.

 

[bramling]

Maybe, people did get complacent because they want what they want their needs comes first before the national good.

As you no doubt know how universally reviled Tony Blair is, it was for different reasons, we can't really retrospectively speculate today's events to Tony Blair's Premiership response to Coronavirus.

It is now today not the past, Boris got the job of dealing with it no one else.

The problem is that threats and scaremongering simply aren’t working, if they want people to make sacrifices then they need to make people *want* to do that, trying to bully and scare them into doing it simply isn’t working.

Yes I’m well aware how reviled Blair is, hence why I put in the caveat about Iraq. However if one overlooks that Blair’s communications were sound. He must have done something right to win three elections, after all. I’m no Blair fan at all, but his communications were in a different league to this fool.

Even now, at times Boris seems to carry on like the whole thing is one big joke. The eye test to Barnard Castle sums it up pretty much, they must really think we’re stupid to swallow that one. Knowing what another member of the Johnson family thinks of the British population says it all really.

 

[Vespa]

Whatever you think of Blair, he was generally a capable leader, and would have handled this much more competently (and to avoid any suggestions of bias, I would say the same about Thatcher). Johnson is completely out of his depth, and seems incapable of devising a strategy and sticking to it.

We will never know because Thatcher is dead and Tony Blair is persona non gratia.

So we're left with Boris.......

 

[DB]

We will never know because Thatcher is dead and Tony Blair is persona non gratia.

So we're left with Boris.......

Indeed - and he is utterly incompetent. It's hard to believe that any PM in living memory would have handled this worse than him.

 

[bramling]

We will never know because Thatcher is dead and Tony Blair is persona non gratia.

So we're left with Boris.......

In which case last person out of Britain turn off the lights. It seems from the conference that’s on at the moment that Easter is Boris’s latest promise of normality. What we’re going to have left by then I dread to think.