love* in the time of plague (and by love* i mean brexit* and other dreary matters of uk politics)

probably got it wrong anyway but I meant received wisdom!

I bet Cummings would go down much easier than Ras.

When you work as a paramedic for the NHS and you get evicted over a text by your land lady. Because of this I now won't be able to work my 12hr night shift tomorrow, so that means one less paramedic on the road. At these unprecedented times we need our NHS demand more than ever. pic.twitter.com/gfxbIykElq

— Joseph Hoar (@joseph_hoar) March 21, 2020

what safety measures against landlords?

Surely that's illegal even under pre-crisis laws?

The "if pensioners have to die so be it" is being attributed to Cummings but it was absolutely the government strategy that was coming out of Johnson's mouth only days ago (and was called out for what it was on twitter). That piece is clearly setting up the fall guy for when the worst hits.

yes, cummings is toast and there will be lynch mobs after him. yeah I can see it now ..Johnson will be blameless.

Also the government announced a blanket ban on evictions days ago. The passive aggressive "I'm sure you'll understand" tone is peak landlord speak though.

From replies it appears unclear whether this person is a tenant or a lodger? I think the latter are getting fucked over

"Sorry I never normally do this" is that a Dr H Shipman quote?

yes, cummings is toast and there will be lynch mobs after him

Oh Domniepaws. The grudging admiration people had for this utter cunt because he sacked some old school Tories and rattled the Sir Humphreys in the Civil Service was always bullshit.

Johnson was already the least popular incoming PM in modern times. I know he has most of the media on his side but expecting him to evade blame when people's parents and grandparents start dying in their thousands is massively overestimating the credulity of the electorate.

AF going full xyzzzzz is it? We do love to see it.

I was, a while ago, considering posting "scientists now speculate that we may be entering what they call the 'xyzzzz_ timeline', where a natural disaster forces the adoption of widespread socialism" - and then Italy did some of that and he posted a tweet about it, so the moment passed.

I think of exhortations to violence against politicians as being more calzino and NV's department, to be honest?

me = regretfully, calz = gleefully

History has shown asking corrupt pols who are invested in the status quo and its policies of violence don't respond to being asked nicely, but I wouldn't really kill anybody. But I will predict wishing death on pols will be the height of fashion in April.

That eviction tweet - there is a hypothetical but not unlikely scenario where health workers are lodging with vulnerable, at risk people who are now being told to isolate themselves and for very good reason. Who knows if that applies in this case though?

Still shitty obv

Johnson issuing what I assume to be a strongly worded plea for people to not visit their parents today, from behind the Telegraph paywall.

The Sunday Times paywall, in fact.

Got to look after Times readers.

"Don't kill my voters" -- Boris Johnson

"and then Italy did some of that and he posted a tweet about it, so the moment passed."

Spain nationalising hospitals and California using empty hotels to house the homeless too. Quietly observing like I normally do..

For all the hardman bullshit politicians spout about preparedness for war, the importance of having a nuclear deterrent and the psychotic button-pushing macho posturing, we seemingly have no plan in place for actually protecting ourselves against a biological attack, which is essentially what this is, albeit one without an adversary

the fucking state of the UK govt. Taiwan's vice president has previous experience as an epidemiologist and they have experience with SARS, hmm how come they never tried Herd Immunity?

*sorry for biting on yr style Pom!

Be my guest!

Superbrain Dom knows better than any epidemologist.

much too late now for me to outpace NV or calz i guess but:

i am face-to-face kind but also i have lulled myself to sleep by thinking of guillotines and tumbrils and calamitous sinkholes under the mighty for several years now

― mark s, Friday, 20 March 2020 10:16 (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

i talked abt this recently with my sister (also face-to-face kind). we discussed how routinely we now both call on images of heads on spikes and piles of skulls these days. i'm glad for many reasons that my mum and dad aren't around for all this but honestly this is one of them

get one sense of perspective you bootlicking fuck

"You led the party to the worst defeat in 85 years..." - @SophyRidgeSky.

Labour leader @jeremycorbyn says they had "unprecedented attacks made against" them in the 2019 election.

Follow #Ridge live: https://t.co/aIQJkNaOWE pic.twitter.com/D57rL84BN6

— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) March 22, 2020

Because its sunny there is bumper turnout at the local graveyard this aft, nice mix of elderly and children in there as well. Social distancing? Nope it was like a fricking Stanley Spencer painting.

There’ll be bumper turnout at a lot of local graveyards soon enough iykwim

Tbf at least there won't be any tiresome funerals to avoid when they start an industrial corpse incineration program!

Gonna need extra big coffins to space the bearers properly

lol i've seen this a lot. i'm surprised that markets are still on. went for a bike ride yesterday, and while the centre of London was dead, Brixton was heaving, bougie farm food 'market' Barley and Sage in Battersea was rammed inside and out with people with their kids chatting and having coffees. Market at Oval was v busy. Some cafes still open. High streets in Chiswick and Ealing v busy, likewise market in Shepherd's Bush.

And today the market in Herne Hill is quite busy, though a lot of traders have stayed away thank god - I can understand if it were fresh produce, but these one day markets are often processed food and knick-knacks and just draw lots of people to them in one go (rather than the fixed shops).

that was an xpost to calz.

herne hill market is so fn grim

went for a walk in the city today to look at st mary woolnoth and the plaques around smithfield and to enjoy the eeriness of the quiet. my dog took a shit in paternoster square.

Yes, probably both a good and bad time for the sun to come out. I certainly enjoyed my long walk today but I’m sure too many people are planning bbq parties

I went for a bike ride through the lanes of North Herts yesterday and at one point was on a bridleway in the middle of a field, miles from even the nearest village, when a pack of 10 sweaty lycraed mountain bikers thundered past me. Can't even get my post apocalyptic rural horror vibes in solitude :(

my dog took a shit in paternoster square.

The less heralded follow up to "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" iirc.

A man has appeared in court accused of making fake coronavirus test kits and attempting to send them across the world, police said.

Frank Ludlow, 59, of West Sussex, was arrested at a Post Office near his home on Friday after 60 Covid-19 treatment kits were seized by police in the US.

The kits, which were intercepted by Customs and Border Protection Agency officers in Los Angles on Wednesday, were labelled as “Anti-Pathogenic treatment” and had been sent from the UK, City of London Police said.

They allegedly contained chemicals which are “extremely harmful” when the user is instructed to wash and rinse their mouth with them, police said.

Police believe some of the kits could still be in circulation and urged people not to use them.

wtf, what is wrong with people

More worryingly, Yarls Wood have had their first case

i mean their first case of c19, not hooky test kits

oh, that could be v bad. ugh

More worryingly, Yarls Wood have had their first case

Oh fuck.

Talked to a friend who'd been in detention and he said "Daniel, just imagine if I was still there, the place is gonna be total chaos".

horrified by the thought of what level of care the inept and abusive people running it will be providing

UK: NHS staff and Doctors buying makeshift PPE from B+Q
Taiwan: Govt had a count + ramped up PPE production weeks ago when they realised there would be shortages at a critical stage.

you could go on forever on the stark contrasts between the two responses. They've been paying people to lock-down for weeks in Taiwan, with the threat of heavy fines for disease spreading renegades.

All of which saves money in the long run!

Just come back from Hollies. Some people practising social distancing others not. It would really help if people walked single file on paths. Even if you’re not concerned think of others.

I did get a lovely stash of Wild Garlic though! pic.twitter.com/WNORrUhsBa

— ((( Alex Sobel MP ))) (@alexsobel) March 22, 2020

Alex otm, some people even when there is plenty of space for distance have to get right in yr face. And also starting to luv Alex dearly just for being so Alex!

was going through my stores earlier and thinking: how long till I'm driven to drink the cooking sake.

🐦[Just come back from Hollies. Some people practising social distancing others not. It would really help if people walked single file on paths. Even if you’re not concerned think of others.

I did get a lovely stash of Wild Garlic though! pic.twitter.com/WNORrUhsBa🕸
— ((( Alex Sobel MP ))) (@alexsobel) March 22, 2020🕸]🐦

Alex otm, some people even when there is plenty of space for distance have to get right in yr face. And also starting to luv Alex dearly just for being so Alex!

it's jumping out there. first blush of spring here, and after a very long winter people were out in droves. I think closing all the cafes etc has pushed people out to trails, walks, parks etc - cycled (solo!) over one of my usual routes and one of the backroads (with access to hikes etc) was like a motorway