How much longer will social distancing go on for in the UK?

[6862]

I will be expressing my view on lockdown at the local elections. Whether this is through a spoilt ballot or an explicitly anti-lockdown candidate will depend on whether such a candidate is available.

Same here. I will never again vote for the Conservatives or either of the other main parties, so an anti lockdown party or spoilt ballot is my only option.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Looks like somebody is trying to rally support for the now going ahead local elections:

https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1357998564945915906

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I'm not surprised this concept has upset Farage, given how much he likes a "PFL".

One of the only good things I've heard from him!

 

[Richard Scott]

Same here. I will never again vote for the Conservatives or either of the other main parties, so an anti lockdown party or spoilt ballot is my only option.

Don't care what bribes they try and put in place they won't get my vote either.

 

[dan5324]

Not sure if already mentioned but it looks like dozy sadiq kahn is trying to kill of what little patronage public transport in London has by trying to mandate that everyone should be wearing more powerful masks than the basic cloth mask....though at least in an unintentional way he basically admitted that most masks are pointless.

 

[DB]

Not sure if already mentioned but it looks like dozy sadiq kahn is trying to kill of what little patronage public transport in London has by trying to mandate that everyone should be wearing more powerful masks than the basic cloth mask....though at least in an unintentional way he basically admitted that most masks are pointless.

He's playing political games - whatever the governemnt does he has to argue for something more extreme.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If what they say is true and is representative of at least a sizeable proportion of people their age, this implies that there are older people want to get their lives back again and that they won't stand of just "existing" once they're vaccinated, which would mean a decline in compliance as the vaccine continues to be rolled out.

I think that's already happening.

On my food shopping trip today, I counted about 15 people per carriage - up until two weeks ago it was fairly consistent at around 8 - 10 people per carriage; last week it was about 12 per carriage. This is comparing the same route at roughly the same time in each instance. Given that the weather was much better two weeks ago than it is now, that is doubly interesting.

 

[bramling]

Don't care what bribes they try and put in place they won't get my vote either.

Same. Not whilst the current lot are in place, especially Boris. They have a lot of damage repair to do even then.

The difficulty is that there is little realistic alternative on offer. Were there to be a GE now, for me it would have to be something like Monster Raving Loony, in the absence of an anti-lockdown candidate.

Of course a lot of the population could probably be quite easily bribed. All it would require would be something like an eat out to help out for a couple of weeks before the election date.

 

[bengley]

I've always voted Labour. I will not be voting for them while Starmer is leader and although I can't stand Nigel Farage, I will vote for any party he heads if their manifesto includes removing all COVID measures.

 

[bramling]

He's playing political games - whatever the governemnt does he has to argue for something more extreme.

There’s times when I think Khan’s agenda is nothing more complex than wanting to be destructive.

I struggle to think of a single occasion when I’ve heard Khan speak in a positive way about anything. He’s very much a “chip on shoulder” politician. I simply don’t see what Londoners see in him. It doesn’t help that the opposition candidate is probably even worse.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Feb 2021 ==

I've always voted Labour. I will not be voting for them while Starmer is leader and although I can't stand Nigel Farage, I will vote for any party he heads if their manifesto includes removing all COVID measures.

I would vote Farage at the moment.

Whilst he’s the sort of populist that I would generally take a cautionary line towards, as a pressure group rather than a politician-in-waiting he is pretty effective. Whether that would apply in this case is a matter for debate though, as he might struggle to assemble a support base. He’d probably do quite well picking up votes from people who have lost their job or business due to lockdowns though.

Even if we manage to get back to normality this coming spring, this whole affair is far from over, as it’s patently clear there are going to be demands from some quarters for lockdown measures any time the NHS starts filling up, so in other words every winter. We all need to resist this to the maximum extent possible.

 

[dan5324]

I've always voted Labour. I will not be voting for them while Starmer is leader and although I can't stand Nigel Farage, I will vote for any party he heads if their manifesto includes removing all COVID measures.

Indeed what has happened to the reform party he was supposed to be forming to challenge all this nonsense? Heard nothing for ages now

 

[LowLevel]

Yesterday was quite busy out by current standards, various places on the rail network seemed to be comparatively bustling. I worked a late train (after 2300) between 2 largeish cities and instead of the usual one or two I had 20 on.

 

[bramling]

Indeed what has happened to the reform party he was supposed to be forming to challenge all this nonsense? Heard nothing for ages now

He probably knows that now hasn’t really been the time to sound off too much. No one is going to gain too much traction when the news has 1000+ deaths plastered over it every day.

I’d expect to hear more once the death figure has dropped.

 

[brad465]

He probably knows that now hasn’t really been the time to sound off too much. No one is going to gain too much traction when the news has 1000+ deaths plastered over it every day.

I’d expect to hear more once the death figure has dropped.

He tweeted disgust earlier today about the rumours of pubs reopening without alcohol, including saying Government control had gone too far, so he appears to have already started, but will likely increase this with time.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Yesterday was quite busy out by current standards, various places on the rail network seemed to be comparatively bustling. I worked a late train (after 2300) between 2 largeish cities and instead of the usual one or two I had 20 on.

Indeed. On my trains there were quite a few people of all ages, including what looked like whole families, travelling around with suitcases, holdalls, weekend bags etc.

 

[VauxhallandI]

He tweeted disgust earlier today about the rumours of pubs reopening without alcohol, including saying Government control had gone too far, so he appears to have already started, but will likely increase this with time.

Indeed, not a very respectable start but I wouldn’t expect anything less from the bottom feeder.

I’m desperate for pubs to open but it’s hardly the opening gambit of a serious position.

 

[duncanp]

Indeed, not a very respectable start but I wouldn’t expect anything less from the bottom feeder.

I’m desperate for pubs to open but it’s hardly the opening gambit of a serious position.

At current rates of vaccination, we will have vaccinated nearly 66% of the adult population by the end of April, and nearly 75% of the adult population by the middle of May.

Given that the vaccines have been shown to reduce transmission as well as protect against the disease, these figures mean that we are likely to be approaching herd immunity by the end of April or in the first half of May.

I would have thought this means that there is no excuse for delaying the full reopening of pubs (ie. with alcohol served indoors) beyond the end of April, or the middle of May at the very latest.

To mitigate against any residual risk of transmission, you could have measures similar to those that were in place when pubs reopened in July last year, although it should be the aim to abolish even these restrictions within a couple of months.

All this talk about pubs being allowed to open but not allowed to serve alcohol is a smokescreen, and I wouldn't take it seriously.

It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that pubs will be allowed to serve takeaway alcohol from around Easter.

 

[DorkingMain]

I rather get the feeling there's a combination of things in play here -

- SAGE are making worst-case scenario predictions so the government have something to fall back on if the news is bad. They can then also look heroic if they deliver ahead of this schedule.

- The media are jumping on these immediately with no consideration for context or nuance and going for the headline info of SOCIAL DISTANCING TO GO ON UNTIL 2022

- The government (as I've said before) are also too incompetent to make any effort to balance risk. So they've just spent every day staring at whether the graph is going up or down, doing some back of the fag packet calculations and throwing out nominal dates.

As for Farage, I don't trust the man in the slightest. He's always conveniently sat behind whatever cause will get him media attention and a few votes, and quickly abandons those principles as it suits.

Not really many brilliant options in play - the Tories have been an absolute ****show in this COVID crisis, and even before that they were playing games with railway staff. I'll never vote for them. Labour look like the party of everything and nothing, which is unappealing. The Lib Dems are invisible. The Green Party, for want of a better word, look like complete nutters - supporting idiots digging a tunnel and encouraging kids to put their lives at risk just to stop a rail link being built is utter asinine.

I suspect it will be an on the day decision, probably to spoil my ballot.

 

[bramling]

Indeed, not a very respectable start but I wouldn’t expect anything less from the bottom feeder.

I’m desperate for pubs to open but it’s hardly the opening gambit of a serious position.

It isn’t, but it isn’t necessarily about having a serious position, he simply needs to find something which resonates with “Basildon Man”. Pints in pubs could well be a means to an end in that respect.

Having said that, if it were me I’d be far more inclined to go on employment / survival of businesses, but it seems as a nation we don’t seem to give a toss about that.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Feb 2021 ==

I rather get the feeling there's a combination of things in play here -

- SAGE are making worst-case scenario predictions so the government have something to fall back on if the news is bad. They can then also look heroic if they deliver ahead of this schedule.

- The media are jumping on these immediately with no consideration for context or nuance and going for the headline info of SOCIAL DISTANCING TO GO ON UNTIL 2022

- The government (as I've said before) are also too incompetent to make any effort to balance risk. So they've just spent every day staring at whether the graph is going up or down, doing some back of the fag packet calculations and throwing out nominal dates.

As for Farage, I don't trust the man in the slightest. He's always conveniently sat behind whatever cause will get him media attention and a few votes, and quickly abandons those principles as it suits.

Not really many brilliant options in play - the Tories have been an absolute ****show in this COVID crisis, and even before that they were playing games with railway staff. I'll never vote for them. Labour look like the party of everything and nothing, which is unappealing. The Lib Dems are invisible. The Green Party, for want of a better word, look like complete nutters - supporting idiots digging a tunnel and encouraging kids to put their lives at risk just to stop a rail link being built is utter asinine.

I suspect it will be an on the day decision, probably to spoil my ballot.

One of the disturbing consequences of this is the numbers of people, on all sides of the political spectrum, saying they feel politically homeless. I certainly feel that way.

Unless both of the main parties properly reinvent themselves and make people *want* to vote for them (as opposed to picking the least-worst option), or viable new parties form (unlikely due to the electoral system) we are in serious trouble. I’d say Scotland is already in bother as their political system has become dominated by the SNP.

 

[duncanp]

It isn’t, but it isn’t necessarily about having a serious position, he simply needs to find something which resonates with “Basildon Man”. Pints in pubs could well be a means to an end in that respect.

Having said that, if it were me I’d be far more inclined to go on employment / survival of businesses, but it seems as a nation we don’t seem to give a toss about that.

If pubs haven't reopened fully by the time of the local elections, or no firm date for reopening has been set, then I would expect the Conservatives to get absolutely hammered in the election.

Then you might find that "the data" suddenly shows that it is "safe" to reopen pubs towards the end of May.

Or alternatively the government will be watching the opinion polls as campaigning for the elections starts after Easter, and if they are losing ground, then again "..the data" and "..the science.." will miraculously show that it is "safe" to reopen pubs before election day.

 

[ExRes]

Indeed what has happened to the reform party he was supposed to be forming to challenge all this nonsense? Heard nothing for ages now

It was relaunched as Reform UK on 6th January, I doubt you will hear much though as the biased media and ultra biased BBC will never report anything unless they can either twist what is said or dig up some dirt, true or otherwise

As for social distancing, I would ask when is it going to start not finish, after having to go out today the seafront at Paignton looked more like an August day than a locked down February day

 

[VauxhallandI]

It was relaunched as Reform UK on 6th January, I doubt you will hear much though as the biased media and ultra biased BBC will never report anything unless they can either twist what is said or dig up some dirt, true or otherwise

As for social distancing, I would ask when is it going to start not finish, after having to go out today the seafront at Paignton looked more like an August day than a locked down February day

I think the BBC were lighter fluid for Farage’s fire for the last 5 years actually

 

[ChrisC]

Same here. I will never again vote for the Conservatives or either of the other main parties, so an anti lockdown party or spoilt ballot is my only option.

If this was a General Election coming up in May I would 100% agree with you. I would not be able to vote for either of the main parties, as for the first time ever, I felt that I couldn’t at the last General Election.
However, these are local elections and my local Conservative councillor has done reasonably good job, and is a genuinely nice man. Most of my local Conservative councillors have remained fairly quiet during the lockdown. Perhaps they should have been more vocal, but certainly not like the local Labour councillors who have been tweeting throughout in favour of even stricter measures along with the Karen’s on Facebook. If I do vote, I will vote conservative, as I will be voting for my local councillor in a local election, and not Boris and Co.

 

[VauxhallandI]

I haven’t heard anything from any councillors through the whole thing.

I don’t use social media so I guess I’m not worth any comms to them

 

[DorkingMain]

I haven’t heard anything from any councillors through the whole thing.

I don’t use social media so I guess I’m not worth any comms to them

They're banned from leafleting and door knocking, apparently, so online is where they're having to do all their campaigning

 

[VauxhallandI]

They're banned from leafleting and door knocking, apparently, so online is where they're having to do all their campaigning

I mean not just canvassing but about Covid in general since last March.

Just a couple of pointless leaflets that would only be useful to you if you had spent the last year on the Soyuz space station with a broken radio.

 

[takno]

I think the BBC were lighter fluid for Farage’s fire for the last 5 years actually

That's been true while he was on the topic of Europe. I think that's because the BBC is a bit Brexity on the quiet anyway though. Certainly they see it as an issue where "both sides" of an argument have to be represented, even if basically everybody agrees on something and they have to drag a contrarian bore off a pub quiz machine to appear balanced. On the deadly plague though, they seem to have decided that when balancing "what SAGE tell us", they are just going to use "whatever Tedros and Devi are chuntering on about this week", as it's far more scary and dramatic than Nige and his drinking pals.

 

[387star]

Tesco was very busy today

I think people are optimistic at last although many people still look petrified every time they have to pass someone

Climate change is a far greater concern

 

[bramling]

If this was a General Election coming up in May I would 100% agree with you. I would not be able to vote for either of the main parties, as for the first time ever, I felt that I couldn’t at the last General Election.
However, these are local elections and my local Conservative councillor has done reasonably good job, and is a genuinely nice man. Most of my local Conservative councillors have remained fairly quiet during the lockdown. Perhaps they should have been more vocal, but certainly not like the local Labour councillors who have been tweeting throughout in favour of even stricter measures along with the Karen’s on Facebook. If I do vote, I will vote conservative, as I will be voting for my local councillor in a local election, and not Boris and Co.

You make some good points there, and it’s certainly the case that the Conservatives, staggeringly, may well still be the least-worst option. However, personally I do not feel I can vote for them in any capability at the moment, as I regard BJ and his cabinet as being too incompetent, by a long way. It’s an unfortunate position we find ourselves in.

 

[northernchris]

You make some good points there, and it’s certainly the case that the Conservatives, staggeringly, may well still be the least-worst option. However, personally I do not feel I can vote for them in any capability at the moment, as I regard BJ and his cabinet as being too incompetent, by a long way. It’s an unfortunate position we find ourselves in.

I'd view the Conservatives as the least worst option at the moment as they aren't as pro-lockdown as some of the other parties. But I wouldn't vote for them in a local election, we usually have a couple of independents who stand so I'll likely support them this time

 

[317 forever]

Local elections going ahead...but bring your own pencil and wear a face mask!

...those are in May

Due to social distancing, there could be fewer vote counters, meaning the results potentially being delayed even from the Friday.